kscans

Chapter 48 - The Ice Walls

"Yes, yes!"

"What is it, Erina-san?"

"Senpai, are you staying here to protect the people in this place?"

Erina-san raised her hand cheerfully, tilting her head as she looked at Mia-san.

Meeting her gaze head-on, Mia-san nodded.

"Yes. There are over a hundred residents gathered at this junior high school. A few of them are Awakened Persons, but they’re all Level 1. I’m the only one here who can fight."

"So you’re staying because you’re the only one who can protect them, right?"

"...Yes."

"In that case, shouldn’t you be telling us to ‘stay and fight,’ too?"

"Hey—"

My cheeks twitched involuntarily at Erina-san’s words.

"No. You two are minors. It’s not right for children to risk their lives in battle. It may sound like empty idealism, but as an adult, I—"

"But you’re eighteen too, aren’t you, Senpai?"

"At eighteen, I am legally an adult."

"Besides, you’re an adventurer, just like us. You’re not a police officer or part of the Self-Defense Force, right?"

"My position is irrelevant. I have the power and the will to protect this place. That should be more than enough."

"If it’s about power and will, I have those too. And if you say position is irrelevant, then it’s strange to talk about ‘minors’ and ‘adults’ over a mere three-year difference."

Erina-san took a step closer to Mia-san.

"Hey, Senpai. Are you... are you really staying because you want to protect the people here?"

"..."

The smile vanished from Mia-san’s face as Erina-san stared up at her.

"...That part of you is what I..."

"Senpai."

"My desire to protect the people here is genuine. However, if you wish to stay, I won’t stop you. But you must flee the moment things get dangerous. Understood?"

"Yes, ma’am! Oh, but before that."

Erina-san turned back to me, who had been left out of the conversation.

"Sorry, Kyou-chan. What are you going to do? If you want to go back, I’ll open a gate right now!"

"Well, what am I going to do..."

Erina-san waited patiently, not rushing my troubled response.

In the corner of my eye, Mia-san was handing something to her golem, but she too kept glancing in my direction.

"...You say you’ll open a gate, Erina-san, but do you have enough mana to teleport multiple times?"

"I dunno!"

"You don’t know..."

"But what you want to do is what’s important, Kyou-chan. I decided to come here on my own, but for you, the main reason was ‘because I was going,’ right?"

"Well..."

I couldn’t deny it, because it was true.

Honestly, I didn’t want to spend a single second longer in a place where a stampede was happening. But being told to go home alone and leave Erina-san behind was an impossibly cruel choice.

"...Hmm. Sorry. Did I put you on the spot?"

"...No."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my chaotic thoughts.

There was no need to overthink it. My role hadn't changed from a few moments ago.

"I’ll stay too. But I want you to open a gate if you judge that we’ve hit our limit. ...Can you do that for me?"

"You betcha!"

Erina-san thumped a fist against her ample chest and answered with a smile. Looking at her, I felt a pang of guilt.

When my own parents were in peril, Erina-san had risked her life for them. And yet, in a similar situation, all I could think about was saving my own skin.

But I had no intention of changing my mind. I didn’t want to die just yet.

"...!"

For some reason, Mia-san was looking this way with a surprised expression.

Hmm. What's that about? Could it be that after telling me to go home, she’s surprised that I actually want to...?

But then again, when Erina-san said she would stay, Mia-san had shown a clear desire to refuse her...

"...You two. Are you sane?"

The voice of Aira-san echoed softly from my earring.

"I don’t care if one or two hundred of the residents there die. At least, I don’t. Your lives are more important. There’s no need for you to go along with my foolish little sister."

"Yes, Senpai!"

"What is it, Erina-kun?"

"If you have a complaint for my senpai, I think you should say it to her directly!"

"I can’t."

The reply was so pathetic it was almost shocking.

"Because, well... I don’t know how to convince her..."

"A ninja’s mission is absolute! I’m not leaving here until I take you home with me, Senpai!"

With that, Erina-san ran towards the edge of the sidewalk. Was that... a fire hydrant?

"Kyou-chan-kun. Can’t you use your gorilla power to knock out Erina-kun and Mia and bring them back?"

"Uh, no, that’s impossible."

I’ve never even punched a person before. If I misjudged my strength with this much power, Mia-san could end up as mincemeat.

Besides, Erina-san looked like she had some martial arts training. I had a feeling an amateur like me would be easily deflected.

"No good, huh..."

"Also, who are you calling a gorilla?"

"You’re going to comment on that now?"

"Because if I don’t, I won’t be able to calm down at all."

My instincts were screaming at me to run, and I was holding them back with reason. I’d taken a deep breath earlier, but I didn’t feel calm in the slightest.

"Besides, like Erina-san said, you should try to convince her yourself. It would make a lot more sense than a stranger like me trying to say something."

"Convince Mia? Give me a break. I have nothing I ought to say to her."

"Yes, you do. You have plenty you want to say."

After all, she’d pestered me for over an hour about her conversation strategies for dealing with Mia-san.

As someone who was low-key inconvenienced by it, I just wanted them to at least have a conversation as sisters, even if they didn’t reconcile.

Normally, I’d be ‘considerate’ of their complex family situation. But in these circumstances, it was a different story.

"No, well. What I want to say and what I should say are two different things..."

"Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

"Huh?"

"Pyeh."

Startled by the sudden voice, I spun around.

Standing there was Mia-san, her brow slightly furrowed.

She didn’t look so much angry... as she did perplexed.

"Um, what is it...?"

"There’s something I’d like to ask you."

"Okay..."

What’s with her, at a time like this?

As I thought that, I looked at Mia-san... and felt vaguely awkward, my gaze wandering.

Both Aira-san and this girl were ridiculously attractive. Honestly, I didn't know where to look.

"Yagawa-kun. Are you... are you an ordinary person?"

"Huh?"

Not understanding the question, a question mark floated over my head.

Ordinary? I mean, I probably am, right? Though my skills and stuff have some unique aspects.

It all depended on the definition of ordinary. Was she talking about my mental state, or my mind and body?

Just as I was about to ask what she meant, Erina-san’s voice cut me off.

"Enemy attack! Ene-my a-ttack!"

Having climbed onto the roof of a nearby house at some point, she was calling out to us.

"How many!?"

"Fifteen, no, sixteen!"

About the same number as the group we fought earlier.

I drew my sword from its sheath and stepped forward, positioning myself to protect Mia-san.

"Let’s intercept them. I’ll take the front, so please provide support."

"No. You’ll get caught in the crossfire. You and Erina-san should stay with me, up on the wall."

"Eh?"

She tugged lightly on my shoulder, and I turned to look at her. As she raised her staff, several platforms of ice grew from the ice wall, forming a staircase.

I followed her as she climbed, glancing back repeatedly at the centaurs. As soon as I stepped off them, the ice stairs crumbled away.

Once we were on top of the wall, the gate closed as well. The golems had already moved inside.

"I didn’t offer to defend this place without a chance of winning."

Saying so, Mia-san tapped the wall once with her staff. Immediately, mana flowed down towards the ground like the roots of a tree.

It spread along the wall and into the earth, moving with incredible precision to the base of the roadside trees that lined the street, blocking the way to the residential houses.

"Luckily, I managed to get my hands on some rose seeds. They’ve been a great help."

Thump. With a dull sound, rose vines sprouted from the base of the trees. However, their shape and size were clearly different from any I knew.

Civil Engineering Magic.

Activated without an incantation or a magic circle, it had transformed ordinary rose seeds into something like barbed wire.

The vines, covered in countless thorns as sharp as five-inch nails, were as thick as ceremonial ropes. They completely blocked the road, forming a triple-layered wall.

Each layer was about a meter high. A centaur could probably jump over it, but...

Mia-san tapped the ice wall with her staff again. Mana flowed once more, and then, as if to fill the gaps in the rose-barbed-wire, stakes of ice grew from the ground.

Water and Ice Magic.

The stakes, growing upwards and diagonally forward, were as thick and long as lances. A careless jump would mean getting impaled.

"More than anything, I’m fortunate it rained a little while ago. I can do this much with very little mana."

"The centaurs are almost in range!"

Erina-san shouted as she crouched down on the roof. At the same time, the centaurs began nocking arrows while running.

The arrows from their powerful bows were loosed. Each one, possessing the force of a bullet, swarmed towards the ice wall.

"It’s dangerous, please step back."

"R-Right."

I did as she said and took a step back. Two golems stepped forward, raising their shields to protect us.

...Oh, right, I haven't summoned Byakuren.

The rain of arrows only managed to create minor scratches on the wall and shields; they didn’t even pierce the surface. Looking closely, I could see a thin wall of ice had been deployed over the shields’ surfaces as well.

"BWO! BWOH!"

The centaurs in the front rank barked, shoving their bows into sacks on their horse bodies and grabbing spears to begin their charge.

While the rear rank continued to fire arrows, the spear-wielding front rank split into two groups.

One continued straight ahead, attempting to forcefully push aside the wall of roses with their spear tips.

The other group, however, veered off the road and headed towards the houses. They probably intended to break through the buildings to make a detour.

"It’s useless."

But Mia-san tapped her staff again.

The roadside trees began to move as if they were different creatures entirely, their branches and roots entangling the centaurs that tried to pass.

The monsters naturally tried to tear themselves free, but then pillars of ice materialized around them, piercing their bodies from all sides.

The ice pillars also rained down on the centaurs struggling with the wall of roses, skewering their bodies along with the spears and arms they raised to defend themselves.

A few individuals tried to retreat, sensing the disadvantage, but they too were caught by the extending trees and met the same fate as their comrades.

In the blink of an eye, all sixteen centaurs were annihilated. It wasn’t even a fight; it was a completely one-sided massacre.

"So strong..."

As I unconsciously muttered those words, Mia-san turned to me with a smile.

"That’s why I told you. Your top priority should be your own survival. I’ve blocked all other routes to the shelter just in case, but don’t let your guard down."

"Y-Yes..."

Wow, she’s incredibly reliable. Was that sense of danger I felt just my imagination?

Thinking that I might have been arrogant to think I was coming to help, I felt awkward and made my way over to Erina-san as an excuse to escape.

"Erina-san. Sorry to bother you, but could you get Byakuren out of my backpack?"

"Okay! Still, Senpai is super strong. Senpai, can you tell with [Appraisal]?"

"Eh, is it okay to just look...?"

"We’re fighting together, so I want to know! I’ll apologize later!"

"Oh, okay."

In that case, I’d apologize with her later.

I took Byakuren’s kettle-head and landed it on the inner side of the wall.

"So, Aira-san. What’s Mia-san’s level and skills...?"

"...Twenty."

"What?"

"Mia’s level is 20. Her skills are [Civil Engineering Magic], [Water and Ice Magic], and [Mana Conservation]."

"...That’s pretty high. And what’s [Mana Conservation]?"

"If I remember correctly, it’s a skill that allows for more efficient use of mana. It reduces the mana required for spells and allows for incantationless casting. It’s a jackpot skill."

"Wow..."

No wonder she was so strong.

Feeling more and more that my presence here was meaningless, I nonetheless formed Byakuren’s body just in case.

The asphalt ground was gouged out, exposing the soil underneath. Well, it’s an emergency, so maybe they’ll forgive me...?

I confirmed there were no issues as Byakuren stomped around, then touched my earring.

"For now, I’m relieved. It doesn’t seem like a hopeless fight."

"Indeed. It’s infuriating, but it seems Mia is an excellent Awakened Person. On top of that, she seems to have been visiting dungeons quite proactively. When it comes to defensive battles, she’s probably quite formidable."

Aira-san declared, sounding quite displeased.

"Even for you, Kyou-chan-kun, breaking through these defenses would be difficult, wouldn’t it?"

"Eh, me?"

"The enemy’s strength is still unknown. For now, I want your opinion. Could you break through this wall from the front with brute force? If so, how much trouble would it be?"

"Well, let’s see..."

Mia-san’s mana, her magic, and the terrain.

I wracked my brain, considering with all my might what would happen if I were to face this—.

A cold sweat trickled down my cheek.

"Breaking through is possible."

"Oh? You state that with such certainty. Then, how much time would you need?"

"Thirty seconds."

"...What?"

The conclusion I reached on my own made me break out in a cold sweat.

"I can probably break through in thirty seconds if I go all out. If a boss monster shows up, we might be in trouble. I’m raising my guard."

With that, I turned back to Byakuren.

"If this wall falls, advance and fight the monsters. Until then, stand by."

After confirming the kettle-head’s nod, I used the wind to leap back on top of the wall in a single bound.

"Arrows might come flying here, so it’s probably better to stay inside the wall."

Mia-san smiled at me as if admonishing a child, but I shook my head.

"No, it’s just... if a boss monster comes, it... it might break through..."

"...You’re right. It’s important to consider the ‘what ifs.’"

Without letting her smile falter, Mia-san turned to face forward again.

"Then, just in case, I’ll add another wall of thorns—"

"Ene-my a-ttack!"

Erina-san shouted towards us in a loud voice.

I hurriedly looked forward to see a single shadow running up the slightly inclined road.

It was still far. Without an eye-related skill like [Spirit Eye], it looked no bigger than a grain of rice.

But I could see it. I could see it all too clearly.

And I could see what it was about to do.

"Ah, uh..."

"The next enemy? How many?"

"Just one! But it looks different from the others!"

"...I see. A boss monster."

Mia-san’s expression tightened, and she gripped her staff firmly.

"Yagawa-kun, you really should get down. It’s dange—"

"Sorry!"

"Eh?"

I forcefully grabbed Mia-san’s arm and pulled her down. Her eyes widened as I fell on top of her, shielding her.

Then, her eyes narrowed in anger.

"Wh-What do you think you’re—!"

"It’s coming!"

Almost at the same moment I shouted.

—-WHOOOOSH...!

A deafening roar that seemed to drown out all other sounds. And then, the impact.

A split second later, a shattering sound that shook me to my core echoed out, and shards of ice danced through the air.

"Wh-What was..."

Lying next to the stunned Mia-san, I slowly peeked over the ice wall to look at the ‘impact point.’

A huge chunk had been gouged out of the thick wall. It was still hissing and emitting steam, the area of damage slowly expanding.

And the single blow that had pierced the wall. I saw the weapon that had done it.

A ‘flaming javelin’ rolled atop the melting wall. Its presence alone, a mere meter and a half in length, was rapidly melting the ice wall that was nearly five meters thick.

The heat reached all the way here. It was like being in a sauna.

Slowly, I shifted my gaze to the attacker.

The monster, which had been a mere speck in the distance just moments ago, had now closed the distance to where even a non-Awakened Person could see it with the naked eye.

Fundamentally, its form was no different from the other centaurs. If I had to point out a skeletal difference, it would be that it was about two sizes larger than the other individuals.

However, the differences beyond its skeleton were all too clear.

First, it was astonishingly white. Not just its lower horse body, but its upper torso and head were also covered in pure white fur.

While its form was closer to that of a horse, its right hand gripped a spear with a gleaming golden tip.

And what commanded the most presence was its crimson mane, flowing in the wind.

The heat radiating from that mane, which seemed to be made of condensed flames, was melting the asphalt road it passed over. No, the road was starting to crumble even before it stepped on it.

And yet, the monster sprinted along that treacherous path without faltering. Even from a distance, I could tell its speed easily exceeded 100 km/h.

...I’d seen it before, on the Dungeon Agency’s website.

The boss monster of the C-Rank dungeon where centaurs appear.

"Leucorse...!"

The word meant ‘white’ in Greek. The monster with the all-too-simple name, a name that felt perfectly fitting for its appearance, was heading straight for us.

In its left hand, it held a javelin identical to the one that had shattered our ice wall.

"We’re jumping down! Hold on!"

"Wait! If I can just repair the damaged area—"

"Agh, forget it!"

I forcefully scooped up Mia-san and leaped from the wall.

A moment later, a mere ten seconds after spotting the enemy—the ice wall was obliterated.