After that, we continued to move stealthily through the town. So far, we had managed to avoid being discovered by monsters and thought we were making good progress, but just before the gate leading out of the town, we found a monster sleeping.
“There it is…”
To get out of the town, we would have to pass by the monster. It was making a rumbling sound like snoring, but we couldn’t tell how deep its sleep was. We were at a loss, watching the monster from a distance.
The town was probably surrounded by castle-like walls to prevent monsters from entering. Although we could see some damage here and there, the walls seemed quite thick, with no visible holes. This meant we had to go through the gate to leave the town.
“Should we look for another gate…?”
“…Yes, let’s do that.”
We quietly moved away from there. Most of the animal-like monsters we had seen so far seemed to be sleeping. If these monsters were nocturnal, maybe it would be better to hide during the night.
As we were walking, Kimijima suddenly tugged on my sleeve from behind. Thinking a monster might be nearby, I quickly crouched down and looked around cautiously.
“A monster? Where?”
“…”
“Hm?”
“Um… I need to use the bathroom.”
…I see. I had been so tense that I hadn’t even thought about that. It’s quite a real, severe, and sensitive problem. What should we do? This town seems to be fairly modernized. If we enter one of these buildings, there might be a normal toilet.
“Alright… Let’s check out that building over there.”
Saying that, we entered what appeared to be a two-story building. Half of the second floor had collapsed, revealing the blue sky. In the back, there was an area that looked like a forge, with a crumbled chimney visible.
We looked around for what might be the toilet location, based on our sense of Japanese building layouts.
“Is this… it?”
The toilets in this world are similar to Western-style toilets. Peering into the hole, you can hear the sound of water trickling from below. It’s not exactly a flush system, but it might be close to one.
“Looks okay.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Well… I’ll be outside.”
The toilet door is already destroyed. Since the door is positioned sideways to the toilet, it’s not easily visible from the outside, but it’s still hesitant to be in a place where sounds can be heard. I turn towards Kimijima, make sure everything’s fine, and then exit through the broken wall.
What the…!
The moment I crawl through the hole in the wall, I come face to face with a monster. It has a long, large face like a wart-covered boar, with tusks and horns. And despite being a beast, it stands on two legs.
“Brrrr…”
Still in a crouched position from crawling through the hole, I reflexively grasp the handle of my sword and place my thumb on the guard.
The monster seems surprised by the sudden appearance of a human too. It freezes for a moment. But it quickly recovers, snorting nd tries to reach out with its hand.
I had already started drawing my sword. By the time the monster begins to move, I’ve finished drawing and decapitated its eerie neck. Alright… I’m okay.
Exhaling a slightly shaky breath, I feel relieved at my unwavering resolve.
“Phew…”
With my increased level, my body’s responsiveness is noticeably different from before.
I flick the blood off my sword, sheathe it, and finally take my eyes off the collapsing monster.
My heart is still pounding. Of course it is. It’s like opening a door to find a cockroach or centipede right in front of you. Except the monster is a being that can take my life. It’s even worse.
Inhale. Exhale.
Even as I try to calm my mind, it seems it’ll take a while for my rapidly beating heart to settle down.
“…What was that sound just now?”
“Hm? It was nothing.”
Maybe it’s insensitive to scare her while she’s trying to relieve herself in peace.
I return to the building as if nothing happened. My level has increased, and my magical power has grown. I consider this while sensing my remaining magical power. Previously, a single draw-and-cut technique consumed about two-thirds of my magical power, but now I can retain about half. I should be able to withstand two draw-and-cut techniques. Good. This gives me more reassurance.
As I wait, Kimijima emerges. Perhaps using the foggy mirror in the toilet, she had tied up her long, straight hair, which had been beautifully flowing, into a more manageable style. Is it her will to survive that makes me think this way? I find her appearance beautiful and can’t help but stare. Noticing my gaze, Kimijima says shyly:
“…I thought it might be easier to move like this.”
“Oh… y-yeah… it looks good on you.”
In this situation, being alone with a woman might make one conscious of her, but… yeah. Kimijima is a student. Nothing more, nothing less. I remind myself of this.
Afterward, the two of us proceed while maintaining a distance that allows us to see the castle walls. Eventually, we spot a smaller gate that looks like a back entrance compared to the previous one.
“There are no monsters in front of the gate.”
“You’re right, but don’t let your guard down. We don’t know what might be lurking where.”
I’m afraid of making a mistake by lowering our guard out of relief. We slowly approach the gate while remaining vigilant. It seems okay. We carefully watch our backs too. Then, we quietly peek outside the gate.
Outside the gate, trees and weeds grow haphazardly, making it difficult to see ahead. There’s a moat outside the gate, but the crucial bridge is nowhere to be seen. However, the moat has turned into a muddy swamp. Looking at the opposite bank, there’s a heavily eroded area to the left that seems climbable.
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“The bridge… it’s gone.”
“I guess they must have destroyed it…”
“What should we do… Do you think the bridges at the other gates are gone too?”
“The large gate we saw first might be built quite sturdy. I didn’t get a good look, but I think the path continued beyond the sleeping monsters.”
We might be able to climb down and cross if we tried hard enough, but… what should we do?
As we’re pondering this, suddenly, the bushes rustle and a monster pokes its head out. It’s one of those hippo-like monsters we saw in the square. Perhaps coming to drink water, it trudges towards the eroded moat bank on its six heavy feet, three pairs in total.
Its face is indeed hippo-like, but it has three pairs of eyes too. Six eyeballs move in an uncoordinated, unsettling manner, scanning the surroundings. And one of those eyes catches sight of me and Kimijima.
“Gyaaaaa~~!”
“Eek!”
Suddenly, the monster lets out a high-pitched scream that doesn’t match its body. Startled by its cry, Kimijima screams and clings to me. The monster, keeping its gaze fixed on us, splashes down the slope and into the mud. Then it tries to climb up our side.
A moment of hesitation. No choice. Should we cut it down and move forward?
“Kimijima, get back! As soon as it crosses the moat, I’ll–“
Just as I decide to cut it down and move forward, placing my left hand on my sword, another hippo-like monster emerges from the bushes with a rustle.
Damn! This is bad… My magical power hasn’t recovered enough for two draws yet.
What should we do!? But already, the hippo’s feet are reaching the edge as it erodes the bank. We can’t… escape anymore. Damn. For now, at least this one…
I prepare to strike as I wait, ready to cut down at least this monster. The monster is struggling to climb up, crumbling the soil. As I wait impatiently, I take a deep breath to calm my heart. I can’t afford to miss with this one strike.
…Swish!
The moment its head appears, I don’t miss the chance to decapitate it. But there’s no time to dwell on the aftermath.
“Let’s run!”
The monster I cut down falls back into the moat, probably landing on the one trying to climb up next, as I hear a yelping “Gyau” sound. Looking back at the passage in front of us, there are no signs of monsters. We instinctively run straight into the town.
“Buuuuruuuaaa!!!”
Suddenly, a monster’s roar is heard from the left. With an ominous feeling growing, I look to the side to see several wart-boar monsters, like the one I cut down earlier at the toilet, shouting something as they head towards us. Damn it. If we stop, we’ll certainly meet our death. Kimijima and I run desperately.
“Grrrrrr…”
As we run without regard for appearances, the monsters in the town begin to wake up. This time, we hurriedly turn a corner when monsters ahead notice us. Unpleasant premonitions keep swelling in my mind.
“Sensei…”
“Can you still run? Hang in there!”
Even in my voice of encouragement to Kimijima, unfounded feelings creep in. Damn it. Isn’t there any way out? Maybe the monsters will eat each other? Maybe some surviving townspeople will help us? …Only wishful thinking comes to mind. Damn it. No good. I desperately shake off these delusions.
Now, I need to think realistically. About something to help us survive. Kimijima’s vine? No good. My draw-and-cut technique is also not an option. …Damn it. Are those really the only weapons we have?
Is there an escape route somewhere? …A place where monsters don’t come… an underground passage or something…
…The toilet?
No way… Is there a proper sewer system? No. Obviously, we can’t fit through that toilet hole…
…But maybe.
“Kimijima! This way!”
“Hah… hah… Wh-where to?”
“The crater!”
“Crater? …Oh!”
At my call, Kimijima seems to have realized too. We don’t know what will happen, but having found a shred of hope in this desperate situation, we bet everything on it. Breathing becomes increasingly difficult, but we grit our teeth and keep running. The smell of blood starts mixing with our exhaled breath.
Although my level is higher, Kimijima’s base physical abilities are probably superior. In fact, she keeps up with me as I run at full speed. As long as I don’t collapse…
However, the number of monsters chasing us from behind keeps increasing.
Eventually, we enter a road that remains in my memory. It should be just ahead…
“There it is!”
We slide into the crater-like epicenter at full speed. The hole is here!
“Guoooon!”
Roaring, a lion-like monster leaps at us. I change direction while drawing my sword, barely avoiding its claws. Ugh. The difference in strength with the monsters is indeed significant. Even just deflecting its force throws me off balance and sends me flying.
“Sensei!”
“Never mind me! Jump in first!”
Kimijima shouts as she sees me being thrown. Seeing me get up again while shouting, she makes up her mind and jumps into the open hole. Good. Kimijima is now…but. This hole is…
I try to follow immediately, but it’s clearly too narrow for my body. Not missing my hesitation, the monster comes at me again. If I remember correctly, there were two holes. The other hole is…
I make a run for it. As I’m about to head for the other hole, a hippo monster charges in from the opposite direction. I keep running towards the hole regardless.
I hear a loud crash behind me as the monsters collide. This hole… I can make it!
Without hesitation, I dive into the collapsed hole.
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