Allen tilted his head at the sight of the familiar face-down figure on the ground. It made no sense for her to be there. She was a member of the royal guard and the direct servant of a member of the royal family, who would never visit a place like this, so what on earth was she doing here?
“Master Allen? What are you doing here?”
“Surely that’s my line? And like I’ve told you before, you don’t need to call me ‘Master.’ Hell, I don’t even hold that station anymore.”
“Hm? What do you mean by—”
“Look, I’ve got a lot of questions, and a lot I’d like to say to you too, but now isn’t the time...in more ways than one.”
Beatrice might have been lying face down, but Allen could see the blood flowing from her abdomen, which he presumed was the work of that wolflike thing he had just sent flying. Both matters demanded his attention, and neither were simple enough that he could handle them simultaneously. It was clear that attending to Beatrice’s wounds would take priority, but...
“Uh...Beatrice, think you can hold off on dying for a little bit longer? It would be great if you could hang on for a few minutes.”
“Pfft. That’s all you have to say to me as I lie here bleeding out? I see you haven’t changed a bit,” she retorted, although the smile that danced across her lips as she delivered her lighthearted response showed that she, too, was the same as ever. It was no wonder she had been entrusted with her protection. “To be honest, it’s going to be quite difficult, but...if it’s just a few minutes, I’ll try to endure it. Are you sure about this, though?”
Beatrice’s last question was packed with meaning. She not only knew that Allen had been called a good-for-nothing, but also why. In contrast, Beatrice, a Level 9 warrior, was one of the most powerful in the Kingdom. Though she insisted there was always someone better—and that was true for offensive matters—when it came to defending others, Allen had heard that she was one of the top two strongest warriors in the kingdom.
And yet that creature had easily done her in. Allen had witnessed the attack. He knew she had been taken by surprise, but even so, she could have easily defended against such an attack from any normal foe. That could only mean the creature was no normal opponent. Anyone would be worried about that...but Allen, as if by way of response, simply shrugged and casually walked forward.
Whether due to her trust in Allen, or simply because she had no further energy to spare, Beatrice did not speak further. Pressed for time, Allen didn’t try to confirm which reason it was. Beatrice was one of a small number of people who had continued to associate with him even after becoming aware of his problems. Losing her would be awful, for her most of all, and Allen was determined not to see that happen.
He continued to press ahead as these thoughts weighed on his mind. Soon, there was a distance of ten meters between him and his foe. Judging by the creature’s earlier movements, it should have been able to close that distance in a flash, and yet it remained motionless, inspecting Allen, who advanced with no intention of allowing it to continue surveying him.
Still, despite (or rather, because of) how little time he had, it was essential to gather information. He examined the creature without a moment’s hesitation, hoping to bring things to an end in an instant.
Boundless Knowledge: Eyes of Akasha.
Information on the wolflike thing flooded his vision: its height, weight, true name, nicknames, creator, level, stats, method of attack, and weaknesses, as well as a variety of other details, from which Allen retained only what was necessary. The creature, perhaps realizing that it was being examined, leaped at Allen, but it was too late; he had already learned everything he needed to know.
The creature’s formal name was the Clay Wolf Magical Life-Form, but Allen already knew that it was something similar to a golem. Its weakness was the same as a golem’s: destroying the core found within its body would make it self-destruct. Since he now knew the location of the core, the only problem now would be if the creature suddenly made a break for it, but given it was looking right at him from so close, there was no need to worry about that.
“Hnh... Master Allen!”
Allen smirked at the voice coming from behind him. He had just told her there was no need to call him “Master.” She had stopped speaking to him so formally, at least, but obstinately clung to the title. Still, this wasn’t the time to worry about that. He knew why Beatrice had called out to him—she was trying to warn him.
In his blind spot, a sharp, spearlike object thrust out of the ground toward Allen. He couldn’t have seen it; he had simply anticipated it. Having witnessed the horses being run through by the same object before, he knew that the creature was somehow able to manipulate the earth and control the clay. In short, its leaping attack was only one half of the trap. If he focused on the Clay Wolf’s attack, he would be pierced by the spear from his blind spot...and even having noticed it, dealing with two attacks delivered at once was no small feat. As he knew from the attack on the carriage, this thing was using its head. But...
“That won’t get you anywhere.”
Sword of Cataclysm: Hundredblade Bloom.
In a matter of seconds, a hundred blades gleamed. The Clay Wolf, the spear that approached from behind, and a second spear hidden in the shadow of the first were torn asunder in the blink of an eye.
“What...?”
Allen grinned again as he heard the sound of surprise behind him. Of course she would be shocked. He had never shown them he could do that. Yes, Allen was stuck at Level 1. No, he had never received a Gift. But it was more than memories that he had brought with him from his previous life. He could still use his powers from back when he had been called a hero. The technique he had used to examine the Clay Wolf was one of them.
Wishing for nothing more than a peaceful life, Allen had never spoken of or shown the powers he had acquired in his past life to a single soul in this world. Why should he? Letting them know would only result in an unpleasant future for him. But now, banished from his home, he had no need to worry about what others thought. And this was clearly a situation where his abilities were required, so he did not hesitate.
Although Allen had never raised his level and had no Gift, he possessed a power that outstripped all of that...but he would only wield that power to secure the peaceful life he sought. And with that thought, he hurried back to Beatrice, who was still on the brink of death.