kscans

Chapter 291 - The Ambush at Camp

The tip of the wand Marmi held aloft blazed with a dazzling light. It cast a beam into the darkness beyond the perimeter of our rope-and-bell alarm system, a place the bonfire couldn't reach.

Reflected in that light, several spheres of light floated in the air. The white lights, seeming to emit their own glow in the darkness, were stationary, staring right at us.

One of the larger shadows had black horns sprouting from its head. I drew my katana from storage and gripped the hilt tightly. But it was too far away to attack. A bow might have been better.

"That's red deer. They probably won't attack," Hyattsu muttered lowly, having come to stand beside me at some point. Next to him, Hattsu grinned as he stared at the herd. Both of them were holding clubs with countless nails driven into the striking ends. It would be intimidating enough against humans, but I doubted it would be effective against monsters. Further back, the members of Levante had their weapons drawn, watching the herd's movements.

"Should we take a few of 'em down?" Hyattsu's eyes bulged as he glared at me intimidatingly. Famu had said he meant no harm, but the glint in his white-ringed eyes was still terrifying.

"They're not monsters, right? If there's no danger of being attacked, can't we just leave them be?" From the looks of it, it was a herd with fawns. Though their glowing white eyes were unsettling, they were also wary, their ears pricked up, watching us without moving.

"You don't get it. That's food," Hyattsu said, slapping his club against his palm with a dry crack. At that moment, the red deers' ears twitched, and the herd turned as one and fled into the depths of the forest.

"Tch, they got away," Hattsu clicked his tongue. But at that distance, it would have been difficult to hit them with magic or arrows, and we had no way of pursuing them. We left Marmi and Nephi on watch and returned to the bonfire.

"It's confusing having a herd of deer show up when you're on watch in the middle of the night…"

"Nah, in times like that, it's better to wake everyone up to check. You never know, you might not be able to move right away if you're woken up suddenly." That was Hattsu who answered. From the looks of them, both Hyattsu and Hattsu seemed like they'd be fine waking up, but maybe they had a delicate side like that. As I thought this, they both grinned and glared at me with bulging eyes, so I instinctively looked away. My eyes met Mizuki's.

"I-I'm not scared!"

"Don't tell me that. And you don't have to be stubborn about something so silly!" Mizuki sighed.

"You thought I was a pathetic coward, didn't you?"

"I didn't think that at all." There was no mockery in her tone. She was a serious high school girl, enough to be a class representative. But wasn't that the type to be drawn to the allure of delinquents?

"Have you ever fallen for a Yankee or a tough guy, Mizuki?"

"A Yankee… a tough guy? Hmm, I think I've heard my dad talk about them…" Seeing her furrow her brow and seriously consider it wounded me. I decided then and there that I would heal this heartache with her body.

Just then, the wooden blocks hanging from the rope we had strung up around the perimeter clattered. Then, a rustling sound of leaves being trampled echoed.

"…Mash, enemy!" Marmi shouted, and at the same time, a black shadow loomed before her. Before she could even swing her wand, a monster's arm swung down. Her body was sent flying as she took the full force of the blow.

"Mo!"

It was a giant brown bear monster. The same kind we had encountered on the way to Famu's village.

As she tried to get up, the monster went to sink its fangs into her neck. Realizing this, she ducked her head, and its fangs caught on her clothes instead. The monster, having captured its prey, hung Marmi in the air triumphantly. It then turned its back to us and started to run.

"Wait!" I drew my katana to chase after it.

But then, multiple monsters appeared one after another. There wasn't just one enemy. The brown bear-like monsters stared at us with blood-red eyes and let out low growls.

"These bastards, they were hiding and waiting for an opportunity while we were distracted by the deer herd!" They were clever. The monster carrying Marmi was about to disappear into the darkness. I bit my lip and glared at its back, and Famu came to stand beside me.

"We'll draw their attention and fight them here! Master, you go after Mo!"

"Got it. I'm counting on you!"

"Yes!" As soon as I heard her reply, I kicked off the ground and charged at the monster blocking my path. The monster stood up on its hind legs and raised its log-like arms. The tips of its long claws glinted dully in the firelight, then swung down with terrifying speed. I dodged it by leaning back at the last second and slipped past.

I lit the tip of the katana I was holding with the Light magic Marmi had taught me. By that light, I chased after the brown bear's back.

The monster was descending the steep slope at a tremendous speed. It nimbly dodged the tree trunks in its path. I also used the slope to run down without losing momentum. My legs threatened to give out at the unprecedented speed, and I had to fight to keep from slipping on the dead leaves. I almost tripped on a thick, protruding root. My feet threatened to get stuck in the leaf mold.

I managed to stay on my feet, preventing myself from falling countless times, but with each stumble, the distance between me and the monster grew. I gritted my teeth and leaned into the slope to increase my speed.

I couldn't dodge all the branches and leaves. I protected my head with my arm as I charged through, feeling countless stings of pain on my arms, legs, forehead, and cheeks.

I failed to dodge a trunk that suddenly appeared out of the darkness and slammed my shoulder into it.

"Guh!" I almost dropped my katana and had to re-grip it, but I couldn't put much strength into it.

How far had I descended? It felt like a lot of time had passed. My spirits were starting to fall, and my energy was flagging. I refocused my gaze on the monster's back. It was difficult to aim and cast magic while running. Unlike me, it probably had night vision. A monster that could weave through the trees so accurately could probably dodge my magic. And there was the chance I could hit Marmi.

I had to focus on chasing the monster. I couldn't let it get away. If we got separated once, it would be impossible to find the monster in this deep mountain.

I stopped thinking and widened my stride, chasing after the monster.

Just then, the slope began to level out. And the black shadow running ahead of me started to pull away. Without the help of the terrain, a person couldn't possibly outrun a bear. But this was a forest. If I matched the monster's movements and dodged the trees coming at me, the pursuer would have the advantage. I kept running, believing in that.

As if to shatter that hope, the view in front of me opened up. I could hear the constant sound of flowing water. I had reached a riverbank. The ground under my feet changed from leaf mold to gravel.

Without stopping, the monster ran toward the forest on the opposite bank. A sense of despair washed over me as I chased after it. My speed would come to a complete halt when crossing the river. By the time I reached the forest entrance, I would have been left behind.

I gave up on the chase and decided to snipe it with magic. Fortunately, there were no obstacles here. I stopped and, while catching my ragged breath, began to prepare the ice magic, Icicle. It was better to unleash a barrage than to go for a one-hit kill. That would make the monster think it had no chance of escaping to the opposite bank.

Just as I raised my hand, the monster suddenly stopped.

It was no longer the bullet-like movement from before; it slowly turned to face me. Marmi was hanging from its mouth as it panted heavily.

"You bastard… you're using Mo as a shield…"

Countless icicles had already formed at the tip of my raised hand. But all I could do was watch as the monster slowly backed away on all fours.

Just then, Marmi's fingertips twitched slightly. A small spark flew, and in an instant, it became a bolt of lightning that engulfed the brown bear's body.

"Gyah!"

The monster screamed in agony from her lightning magic and recoiled. At the same time, her body fell to the ground with a thud. I immediately showered the monster's body with icicles, and in that time, Marmi crawled away from it.

Hit by our magic, the monster's body swayed violently, but it managed to stay on its feet and, letting out a heaven-piercing roar, raised its arms.

I readied my katana and ran, so that its blow wouldn't be aimed at Marmi.

As if it had seen through my movements, the monster swung its thick arms. I dodged the attack and swung my katana in a sweeping motion.

Blocked by its thick, hard fur, it was a shallow blow, but the tip of the blade reached its flesh. Bright red blood gushed from the monster's belly. But, as if its fighting spirit was stirred by its own blood, the monster glared at me with blood-red eyes.

I caught my breath and readied myself for a second strike.

"…Mash, I'll finish it!" Marmi's voice came from behind me. I jumped to the side. At the same time, a bolt of lightning shot through the spot where I had been standing.

A deafening roar and an intense flash. And then, the monster was gone.

I scanned the area, but there was no sign of other monsters pursuing us or any new enemies appearing.

Famu and the others had stopped the monsters from chasing us. I looked up at the darkness-shrouded mountainside. I tried to find the place we had descended from, but I couldn't. I searched for the bonfire's flame, but I couldn't find that either. I hadn't had the luxury of leaving any markers during the chase. Along with the anxiety of being separated, I was also worried about whether they had been able to defeat the monster horde.

But for now, checking on Marmi's safety was the priority.

"Marmi, are you okay?" When I called out to her, the tension seemed to leave her, and she nearly collapsed on the spot.

I took her arm, and she clung to it to support herself.

"…Th-That was scary…" Her knees were trembling uncontrollably. She had no major injuries, but there were scrapes and bruises, probably from when she was being carried by the monster.

"Are you hurt from when you were hit at the beginning?"

"…I knew the magic wouldn't be in time, so I fell on my own. It doesn't hurt that much." She must have braced for the impact in her own way.

I took out a health potion from my storage to give to her, but she just turned her mouth toward me. I sighed and held the bottle to her lips to let her drink.

"You lazy girl."

"…I think I'll fall if I let go right now." She had been through a genuinely scary experience, so I guess I couldn't blame her. As I was thinking this, I noticed she was staring at me intently.

"What, I'm not going to tattle to Patricia or anything."

She shook her head slightly at my words.

"…Do you smell anything?" At her question, I sniffed the air. But I didn't smell anything. If anything, it was the green scent of leaves. I picked a leaf that had gotten tangled in her hair.

"I don't smell anything."

"…I thought I might have peed myself."

"Peed yourself? What do you… Wait, did you?! You'd know something like that yourself, wouldn't you?"

"…My legs still feel like jelly. I can't put any strength into my lower body…" Marmi mumbled, looking down and avoiding my gaze, probably embarrassed.

"Is that so?" I put away the empty potion bottle, lifted her dress, and reached for her crotch. I felt the smooth fabric there, but it was dry.

"What the hell. You're not wet at all. Getting my hopes up for nothing!"

"…What hopes are you talking about?!"

Out of spite, I traced her pubic mound, slid my finger into her slit, and rubbed the front part.

"…Ngh, nn, nnh… M-Mash…?" Marmi closed her eyes and let out a sweet moan. I kept rubbing for a while, and I felt the hard, bean-like nub with my fingertip. I slipped my finger into the gap of her underwear and lightly pinched the little bean she had swollen.

"…Kya! M-Mash…?"

"What? I'm a little busy raising a bean right now. More importantly, you said you couldn't put any strength into your lower body, but you're feeling this just fine, aren't you?"

"…That's because you're doing this… nngh." Her cheeks were already flushed. I slid my finger to the entrance of her vagina, and her juices started to flow.

"Looks like this is the hole that's leaking."

I scooped up the fluid and smeared it on her clitoris. I hoped it would grow up healthy. I continued to caress her with that wish in mind.

"…Kuh, nn, Mash, do you want to see me leak?" Marmi looked up at me with a pained gaze. Her eyes were also moist and glistening, reflecting the moonlight.

"No, you don't have to force it… But pretty girls like you and Mizuki probably don't even pee in the first place, right?"

"…O-Of course we d… nngh!" Marmi's breathing became ragged, and her voice lost its composure. Her body twitched and convulsed in response to my finger's movements. I quickened my pace, leading her to her climax.

"Ngh, nnh, ahhhh!" She arched her back, let out a particularly pained cry, and collapsed to her knees. My finger slipped out at the same time. The warmth of her vagina and her juices lingered on my fingertip.

"You definitely were leaking…"

"…I wasn't. It only happened just now because of you!" Marmi answered, her breath still ragged.