♣♣♣
“WE’VE got monsters coming!”
“We’ll stall them! Get the carriage to Deshmel, now!”
“Sorry we’ve got to leave you behind…we’re counting on you!”
“Dammit, there’s more of them than I thought! I guess it makes sense, we’re near the monster-attracting barrier…”
We left five men to guard the carriage while our team of three and another team of two mercenaries moved in to stall the monsters. Defeating monsters made Kathra scatter into the air, making both those who defeated those monsters and the nearby plant life turn into monsters, too. So to that end, we weren’t allowed to defeat the monsters. Our only option was to land blows that wouldn’t be fatal. But when we were up against giant, oversized monsters, we couldn’t very well afford to be that careful, and had to keep attacking to stay alive.
Needless to say, it was taxing on our nerves. But we had to do it. This was our job, after all.
“Grrrrrrrrrrrr!” a monster howled at us.
“Good, they’re running!”
“Now, let’s get back to the carriage!”
“Right!”
Having confirmed the monsters were fleeing, we boarded our carriage again. Such attacks happened several times along the way as we tried to safely deliver the merchants to their destination.
But the road to Deshmel proved difficult. There were many monsters—too many.
“More monsters!”
“Dammit, there’s a zombie coming, too!”
“Wait, I didn’t sign up for this! It’s too big!”
Zombies were humans that turned into monsters, but the one we were facing was too large. It stood thirty feet tall and used its long arm, which dangled near the ground, to attack. But its blind flailing sent a few large-beast-like monsters that charged at us flying.
It hitting the other monsters was helpful, but zombies were tricky to beat. The only way to defeat them would be the cut their tendons to stop them from moving, but that wouldn’t kill the thing, and it would eventually start moving again. However, with the zombie closing in on us and swinging its arm every which way, we didn’t have time to overthink things. At this rate, we were bound to lose.
“Rigal, I’ll move in! Cover for me!” I shouted.
“Are you serious, Garfel?! It’s too dangerous!”
“We don’t have a choice! We’ll get exhausted sooner or later! Please, cover for me!”
“Dammit, fine! Just don’t die on me!”
I had faith in my comrades, and I was confident we’d be fine. With that thought, I watched my friends use their techniques to close in on the zombie, slipping by its arm. I slashed its left leg’s tendon, and the moment the zombie toppled over, I pulled away.
Everything went well, as always—
“Aaaaaaaah!” I heard the zombie roar.
“What the?!” I exclaimed.
“Garfel!” Rigal yelled.
Any zombie I’d fought before would’ve been defeated by this attack, but in the end, zombies were smarter than any normal monster that was made up of minerals or animals. It thrust its left arm into the ground, guarding its leg, and used its right hand to grab me by the ankle.
Are you joking?! Each of its fingers is as big as my leg! If this thing gets a solid grip on me…!
I heard the zombie growl as it tightened its grip on me.
“Nngh, aaaaaaaah!” I screamed in pain.
I heard my comrades call my name, and much to my frustration, the last thing I could see was how the zombie narrowed its eyes with a vicious smirk—
✦ ✦ ✦
♣♣♣
I had a dream. A dream of when De Marl and the alliance first fought Edesa Kura. As a mercenary, I was sent out to the front lines. I was part of a platoon that had mercenaries mixed in with members of the Azure Knights, and I was led by a certain high-ranking knight.
His name was Marcus Ril. He was strong, and his heroics on the battlefield were major enough that the mercs called him De Marl’s Blue Demon Wolf. I also heard he’d retired after losing his left arm…
At first, I asked myself why I had that dream, but the reason soon made itself apparent.
My leg was as good as his arm now…
“Garfel, hold on!” Otto desperately called out to me. “We’ll be at Deshmel soon!”
“The Holy Woman is there! She’ll definitely save you!” Rigal assured me. “So don’t give up!”
Otto… Rigal…
I could only stare on in silence. I could feel tremors beneath me. We were probably on a carriage, and it was running fast. Were they hurrying for my sake? And why were they panicking so much? What happened to my lower half? Was I missing just one leg, or were both of them gone?
…My mercenary career is over.
I realized that even if I survive, I’d be chair-bound. I started contemplating which country I’d live in. Thinking I wouldn’t be able to fool around with my comrades again made me feel forlorn and wistful. Because I still wanted to live. I still—
✦ ✦ ✦
♣♣♣
“THIS is a high-grade tonic! Have him drink it!” a girl said.
“Thank you!”
“Garfel, drink this! Garfel!”
“Ugh, nn… Ngh…” I obeyed the fragmentary voices I heard, gulping down the liquid they poured into my mouth.
It was faintly sweet. But then I realized I recognized this flavor. It was a healing tonic, but sweeter. I’d never even had a high-grade tonic that was this sweet before.
“Garfel! Garfel, hold on!”
“Calm down,” a female voice I didn’t recognize told them calmly. “His wounds are healing. His stamina is being used up to heal his wounds, so let him rest for now. Everyone, there’s a dining hall on the second floor. You can eat there, and then rest in your rooms. We’ll have him taken to the infirmary.”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you so much, Holy Woman!”
“Oh, thank goodness… Garfel, you’re gonna be all right… Just rest a bit. We’ll see you tomorrow!”
I heard Rigal and Otto’s relieved voices, and then a girl’s voice. The tension in the air seemed to give way to warm relief. After that, I fell asleep.