Chapter 18: An Anomaly in the Forest

When Lucius turned around, he saw a grimace on the face of the escort knight, who was clutching his shoulder.

“Are you alright?”

Lucius rushed over to the escort knight.

“There’s something… in my shoulder!”

As Lucius directed his gaze toward the shoulder, he noticed a large needle-like object lodged in the man.

When Lucius attempted to remove the needle, Robel intervened.

“It might be poisoned. Don’t touch it carelessly.”

The escort knight gripped the deeply embedded thorn with his hand.

“No need to worry. Grrr…!”

He pulled out the needle with his own hand and flung it to the ground.

His shoulder was stained with blood.

“We need to stop the bleeding quickly!”

Lucius attempted to administer first aid, but the escort knight stopped him this time.

“Focus on your surroundings for now.”

With an intense expression on the escort knight’s face, Lucius readied his sword.

There is a hissing sound as if gas is escaping from somewhere. Lucius looked around, but could only see trees.

――Where is it!?

Several leaves fell from above.

Robel shouted,

“It’s above!”

Looking up, Lucius saw a massive snake with its mouth wide open, closing in on him.

――This is bad!

Lucius instinctively infused his sword with magic.

The sword’s light instantly grew stronger, and a flash enveloped the surroundings.

A radiant brilliance eradicated all shadows in an instant.

As the flash dissipated, the snake, its skin scorched by the light, fell from the tree.

A dull sound, as if a massive rock had fallen, reverberated through the forest.

Its body was thicker than that of an adult, with a spiky shell. Its entire body was covered in bristles, so from a distance, it would appear more like a long-haired snail than a snake.

“It’s a Peruda!? Why is it in such a shallow area?” Lucius exclaimed.

Then, Robel turned to the escort knight and shouted,

“Get the children and run right now! It’s one of the most dangerous creatures even among Class 2 monsters!”

――Class 2 monster!?

As Lucius tried to distance himself from the fallen Peruda, something flashed in his field of vision.

Instinctively, he readied his sword, but he was met with a tremendous impact, as if his body had been torn apart.

“Gubh!”

Almost losing consciousness, Lucius hurriedly checked the situation and realized that it was not the forest moving violently, but rather himself.

He had been flung away by the strong impact, and now he scrambled to see where he had been before. He caught sight of a green mass.

It was a giant snake with a spiky shell, covered in dark green bristles.

It was swinging its tail vigorously.

――Was I hit by its tail?

“Aaah!”

The screams of the girl continued. The Peruda surrounded Olivia and the twins with its long body, cutting off their escape route.

While rolling on the ground, Lucius managed to get up.

He adjusted his posture and dashed toward Olivia and the others.

“Lucius, don’t go! Run!” Robel shouted from the opposite side of the fallen Peruda.

The monstrous snake, called Peruda, raised its head and hissed as it noticed the intruder.

It had its eyes fixed on Olivia and the others.

――If things continue like this, they’ll be eaten.

Lucius didn’t slow down.

Realizing the approaching threat, the Peruda let out a sharp, cutting sound.

It was an act of intimidation.

――This is terrifying.

Without any proper technique, Lucius was confronting an advanced monster. To any onlooker, it would seem like an utterly reckless act.

――No

Lucius lowered his head.

He is far from the image of a proper baron, leaving behind the children of his subjects and fleeing.

Lucius adjusted his grip on the sword, which was almost slipping from his sweaty hands, and once again rushed forward, slashing at the body as large as an adult Peruda.

Putting his entire weight behind it and adding a running start, he delivered a decisive strike that could not be surpassed.

A dry sound of “Zusshu” could be heard.

When he looked at the tip of the sword, it was stuck in Peruda’s hairpin, halting its movement.

“Haha… Seriously?”

Lucius’s strongest blow didn’t even reach the flesh.

Peruda’s hair stood on end.

He quickly pulled out the sword and leaped over the body of the giant snake.

Immediately afterward, dozens of poisonous needles were released.

Shotgun-like, the poisoned needles pierced through the surrounding trees and were sucked into the depths of the forest.

If Lucius had been running away, he would have turned into a beehive.

“That… There’s no point in poison, right?”

One trouble after another.

Lucius found himself diving into the coils of the giant snake.

In front of him was the snake’s mouth.

On his back was a shell like a mountain.

To his left and right were bodies covered in poisonous needles.

For better or worse, Lucius managed to reunite with Olivia and the others who were surrounded by the giant snake.

However, nothing has improved in the slightest.

Peruda shakes its head like a scythe, as if wearing a broad smile on its face.

The terrified twins, stained with fear, send desperate gazes to Lucius through the partition.

Olivia is pale, and the sluggish guard knight, hindered by the poison, desperately holds up his sword.

“…I’m going to become a splendid baron!”

Lucius speaks his thoughts as if to encourage himself.

The sword glows.

However, it’s not the same intense light that illuminated the surroundings earlier.

It concentrates the light to its utmost limit, forming a line.

That line circulates along the blade.

It’s as if only the edge of the blade is adorned with lines of light.

The technique has no name.

It’s simply a technique that condenses the light, which is unleashed in all directions.

This technique has rarely been used.

It enhances the slash, but its fuel efficiency is abysmal.

It fills the entire area with an encompassing light and maintains it.

It’s equivalent to fighting while freely expending magical power.

Nevertheless, Lucius pours his most powerful blow into it.

– This is my full power!

He strikes at Peruda’s body nearby.

With hardly any sound, the blade reaches the flesh.

However, the sword stops halfway through the cut.

It seems that it lacked the strength to sever the bone.

Still, the injured giant snake starts thrashing about.

The guard knight is astonished.

“What… What a child… Unbelievable.”

The twins also turn relieved expressions toward Lucius.

“Lu-Lucius… I thought we were going to be eaten.”

“As expected of Lucius.”

Though they managed to inflict some wounds, Peruda is still alive. It’s not a situation where they can feel relieved.

“No time for talking! Run while you can! Hurry!”

In response to Lucius’s shout, the left hand of the guard knight begins to glow.

Immediately, a gray-colored bull appears.

Strangely enough, its entire body is covered in fur, and its neck hangs limply to the ground, seemingly unable to support its oversized horns.

“Get on!”

The guard knight, looking pale, forcefully lifts Olivia onto the bull.

The twins also climb onto the back of the monstrous creature and straddle it.

Kiel and Paul, having just formed their contracts, cannot ride their own steeds.

At that moment, Peruda, filled with anger, glares at Lucius and the others, shaking its head.

“Go ahead! I’ll hold them off!”

Lucius prepares his sword.

Following Lucius’s words, the guard knight mounts the bull and starts running.

His decision-making is swift.

For the guard knight, Olivia’s life is the top priority.

As Lucius once again imbues his remaining magical power into his sword, a Hippogriff descends from above.

It’s Robel.

Without a word, Robel scoops up Lucius and carries him onto the Hippogriff.

They quickly ascend into the sky.

“…Don’t worry us so much.”

Even as they rise, Robel chastises Lucius with an atmosphere that brooks no argument.

“Sorry.”

Peruda, glaring at Lucius with a resentful gaze as he escapes into the sky, begins to shake its body.

All the needles on its body stand up, and they are released simultaneously.

Poisonous arrow-like needles fly one after another from the ground, aiming at Lucius and the others in the air.

“Photon, do your thing.”

Robel and the Hippogriff exert their full power, unleashing a massive gust of wind.

The clash of the wind with the wind creates a repelling force, mixing and gradually forming a spiral.

– It’s a tornado.

The wind envelops the surroundings, creating a single line reaching up into the clouds.

It may not be large, but it is undoubtedly a tornado.

The poisonous needles released by Peruda, along with Peruda itself, are all consumed by the tornado, which ravages the surrounding trees as it blows.

“Did we defeat it?”

However, Robel maintains a bitter expression, as if chewing on a bitter bug.

“No, probably just managed to slow it down. Same goes for Lucius’ previous strike.”

“Huh?”

I’ve heard that the regenerative abilities of monsters far surpass those of humans.

Even a wound that reaches the bone might only serve as a temporary hindrance for higher-level monsters. I’m puzzled by this thought.

“Let’s keep running!”

When they switch directions away from Peruda and soar through the sky, a fierce roar echoes in the surroundings.

Peruda’s rage.

In response to the unexpected roar, a chill runs down their stomachs, even though it doesn’t sound like a roar from a snake.

After flying for a while towards the direction of the village, they spot a cow running on the ground.

Robel lowers their altitude and flies alongside it.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… no… I’m fine.”

The escort knight’s face has turned pale to the point where it seems like all the blood has drained from their body, yet he is desperately urging the mount forward.

“I know the poison is tough, but just a little further! If we stop now, we’ll all be eaten!”

“Yes…”

The escort knight, in a daze, continues to drive the mount forward with single-minded determination. The faces of the children riding on its back also tremble in fear.

There’s a potential danger of Peruda attacking them directly, but Lucius’ unleashed magical power is also risky. Monsters have a tendency to be drawn to humans with a large amount of magic.

He released that much magical power with all his might. Nearby monsters might gather all at once.

Finding the formula is no longer their priority.

Everyone is wholeheartedly focused on reaching the outskirts of the forest.

By the time they arrive at the village, the surroundings are already bathed in the hues of the setting sun.

Upon their arrival, they quickly transport the fallen escort knight to the village doctor. Though his life is preserved, he will require a period of rest.

Robel, exhausted, returns to the mansion with a serious expression on his face and informs Lucius and Olivia.

“We’ll halt the search for the formula for a while. Entry into the forest is prohibited. Something seems off.”

With just those few words, Robel disappears, heading towards a discussion with the villagers.

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