Kays Translations

Chapter 10

In a split second, I didn't understand what had happened.

My right arm was forcefully pulled, throwing off my balance, and I tumbled spectacularly.

"Ugh..."

I collided with the ground, the impact causing pain to shoot through my chest. I had no idea what had just occurred.

Startled, as I tried to turn and get up, I was met with a swift strike.

"Ouch..."

A heavy, dull sound rang out, and my cheekbone throbbed with intense pain. I hurriedly lifted my face to see the attacker.

But with the backlighting, I couldn't see their faces—there were multiple of them.

Understanding dawned as I saw them.

—I'm being attacked!

Experiencing violent aggression for the first time in my life, and being caught completely off guard, nothing but fear filled my mind.

Scared, scared, scared...

My foot was stepped on, my abdomen kicked, and someone reached for my side bag.

"Don't get too cocky... how dare you, Carol..."

"Hey, the bag... don't kick it. Important..."

"Hmph, hmph."

While enduring a barrage of punches and kicks from multiple assailants, they were saying something... I couldn't quite understand.

Whether it was a natural instinct for self-defense or not, I curled my body tightly, only to be kicked hard from the side and sent rolling.

"Ughhh..."

A sharp pain shot through my side, and an involuntary groan escaped.

"Take the one on the chest! It should be in there!"

In my hazy state, I understood from their voices that they were targeting my waist pouch. It triggered my thoughts to start working.

In this dire situation, I brainstormed for some solution—yes, magic!

But to cast a spell, I needed to face them.

One was reaching for my waist bag, another was messing with the belt on my back, and the rest persistently kicked at my body...

At this rate, the only spell I could use—was that one!

《Chanting, Thunder》

There was a trembling sound, like a low rumble, near my ears... and then, their movements abruptly froze.

Not a single breath could be heard.

And then, a thud echoed as if someone or something had collapsed.

I endured the violent assault, and the pain was intense. However, it seemed like the attacks had ceased.

Slowly, I raised my body and looked up—

Three of them were sprawled on the ground.

"Ah... they got electrocuted!?"

It appeared that they were shocked by the thunder magic.

Thunder magic—initially, I thought it would discharge electricity like in a manga, so I tried it on the night I discovered the spell.

However, that didn't happen.

The next morning, I found several dead insects around me. It took me a while to figure out the cause.

I concluded that the thunder magic generated electricity around me, killing them.

So now, when I was in close proximity to enemies, the idea of activating it to shock them crossed my mind in an instant.

I didn't know the level of power that caused insects to die, so it was a gamble—apparently, it worked quite effectively on humans too.

After confirming that the attackers were no longer moving, I tried to get up. However, the pain was excruciating.

"Aaargh—It hurts!"

My entire body felt battered, experiencing a beating for the first time in my life. 

My right leg had taken a severe blow and wouldn't move—perhaps it was broken.

My back had been kicked as if trampled, and my face had taken a solid hit at the beginning, so it was definitely swollen.

But the side bag and waist pouch were intact.

I leaned against the wall, stood up, dragging my right leg, and emerged onto the street—

Suddenly, my left shoulder was struck hard—

Just as I thought, I was sent flying as if my body had reversed.

Simultaneously, there was a sound of cutting wind, and I felt an intense pain as if something had pierced me.

"――――!?"

Experiencing an unprecedented agony, I looked at my left shoulder and saw that some sort of rod was sticking out. 

And on that rod, I could see feathers.

—An arrow was embedded in me!?

For a moment, I doubted my eyes.

All the blood seemed to drain from my body, and I felt a chilling sensation, as if I might have frozen in place.

When fear overwhelms a person, the body refuses to move. It just trembles involuntarily.

I'm going to be killed... the thought flashed in my mind in an instant.

Once again, the sound of cutting wind—then I felt a sensation, as if something was being twisted into my right leg.

"Nnaa!?"

In incredible pain, I realized that an arrow had been shot into my calf, even without looking.

—If I get hit in the head, I'll die!

Remaining in a sideways position, I used my moving right hand to shield my head.

Tears overflowed, and even when I lifted my face, the scenery appeared blurred and indistinct.

Then, on the opposite side of the street, about 20 meters away, I saw a figure on top of a building.

Perhaps they had been confirming that I couldn't move.

Scared, scared, scared...

Crawling desperately to the wall, I leaned against it, relying on my back.

The opponent, seeing this, leaped down effortlessly from a building that seemed to be about three stories tall.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. The fear was so overwhelming that my voice wouldn't cooperate.

And the inability to produce any sound only heightened the terror.

My pierced left arm was completely immobile, my right leg had been shot through with an arrow, and my left leg was broken, rendering it powerless.

I could barely support my body against the wall with my right hand—no more movement was possible.

I could only watch as the assailant approached.

The opponent, convinced of their victory, walked towards me slowly.

But witnessing that fueled my anger.

—Anger can cancel out fear!

They crouched in front of me, reaching for the waist pouch.

"It's your fault... well, I'll be taking this—"

《Chanting, Stone Launch》

Activated the magic without chanting—accompanied by a tremendous sound, a stone projectile shot out from my forehead, piercing through the face of the assailant who had started to say something.

The projectile, with excess momentum, punched through the wall of the building behind the assailant.

The hit individual, after being struck by the incredible force, recoiled from their crouched position, swayed weakly, and then fell backward powerlessly.

I saw the figure collapse in the blurry scenery, blurred by tears.

The intense anger still hadn't subsided.

Staring at the motionless assailant with vacant eyes, I unleashed a stream of curses in my mind, saying everything I could.

　◆ ◆ ◆

"Help, someone, please come! Someone has collapsed! Call the guards!"

In the fading consciousness, I could hear someone calling for help.

It seemed that nearby residents had noticed. I felt relief at the sound, and my consciousness seemed on the verge of slipping away.

—However, despite the calls, no one came close.

Soon, the sound of a whistle reached my ears, and individuals resembling guards arrived.

"Whoa!"

He seemed startled by something, jerking for a moment before turning his attention to me.

"Are you okay?"

I wanted to retort that I obviously wasn't fine, but no words came out. 

Perhaps I was only thinking it in my mind—my state was so uncertain.

However, whether from relief or not, the area where the arrow was lodged began to pulsate, throbbing intensely, and the pain surged.

Several guards arrived, but as soon as they got there, everyone let out a collective gasp.

They were visibly shocked by the severity of the scene.

Onlookers also gathered, and the area became increasingly noisy.

Several guards approached and spoke to me, but something felt off—they were just looking at me without attempting any first aid.

"Hold on a little longer."

I wanted to shout at them not to say such reckless things. However, what came out of my mouth was just a garbled "Aa, aa, ahh."

"A cleric will arrive soon."

"...Cle...ric!?"

For a moment, I didn't understand what they had said and tried to ask again.

"If you receive a prayer, you might be saved."

"Pray...?"

It felt like I heard something about prayer instead of treatment... my consciousness must be hazy.

The guards just kept watching, the excruciating pain that kept assaulting me, the growing crowd of onlookers—all of it became increasingly irritating, and all that welled up inside me was anger.

But with no strength left to shout, I asked in a feeble voice

"Pray...?"

"Yes, praying."

"...Magic...?"

"No, not magic. Prayer!"

The strength to endure through the pain was running out—my spirit felt on the verge of breaking.

The fear of death crept in, making me increasingly scared, and my breathing became more labored.

"Ah... ugh... praying?"

"You'll heal soon, so hang in there a little longer!"

Keeping consciousness was the only thing I could manage now.

Soon, the sound of hooves reached my ears, and a guard arrived with a person wearing white.

I understood the meaning behind what the guard had said.

It was just as I expected.

A beautiful woman in white—whether a saint, a sister, or a nurse, she had that kind of appearance—could be seen on the back of the horse.

She had flowing platinum blonde hair, a stunning beauty. 

The presence of actual cash helped my consciousness become clearer rapidly. 

I clenched my teeth, not wanting to show any uncool moments.

The guards started to move hastily.

They positioned themselves around my body, and one of them attended to my right leg where the arrow was lodged.

"What!?"

A bad feeling crept in.

"Are you ready?"

There's no way I could be ready... I reflexively replied in my mind.

"What... What's going to happen?"

Even though I asked, there was no response. One of the guards then grabbed the arrow embedded in me and looked at the woman.

"Please."

I didn't know what she was asking for, but it was clear that they were planning to pull out the arrow.

I've seen scenes like this in movies many times, where pulling out an arrow is accompanied by a tremendous scream—probably because it hurts a lot.

Even though I didn't want to show any uncool side of myself to the woman, tears flowed due to fear.

Then, the female cleric clasped her hands together.

Seeing that, I was taken by surprise—she really was praying.

And then, her incantation—

《I will now recite a healing prayer. Oh, Lord Cecil, I am truly grateful. Please acknowledge this prayer as righteous. Now, I ask for healing. Cure - Heal!》

As soon as her hands were enveloped in a soft light, the guards swiftly pulled out the arrow.

"Ouchhh!"

She immediately released her clasped hands and pressed on the pierced area of the arrow.

"!?"

I observed the situation, bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

How much time has passed, I wonder...

It seemed like about ten seconds, and the light in my hand disappeared.

Then she let go of my hand.

"What the...!?"

An odd sound escaped unintentionally.

What on earth...! The wound has healed!"

The blood is thick and makes it hard to see, but even after pulling out the arrow, there's no spurt of blood.

It seems to be properly sealed—though it still hurts like crazy.

The wound is gone, but the pain from when it pierced through is still lingering... I don't feel like I've really healed. I wonder what's going on...

However, she takes a deep breath, looks at me with a triumphant expression and says, 'I did it.' Then, our eyes meet, and she looks at me with a worried expression.

"Please wait a moment. I'll offer a prayer to your left shoulder right away."

It seems like this is how it's being healed.

I see... I completely understand.

"Prayers are magic."

They're saying it's not magic but prayer. Whether it's a difference in words or interpretation, I don't know, but it's translated as 'prayer.'

However, what just happened was definitely a magic incantation. To me, it sounded no different from magic—Heal magic.

The Heal magic I've been searching for is right in front of me. Joy quickens the beating of my heart.

As a result, the place where the arrow is lodged started to ache intensely.

I don't care, but the incantation just now wasn't incredibly long...

While pondering such things, she clasped her hands again.

Seeing that figure, something came to mind, and I quickly realized something important...

―― Is my smartphone okay!?

"Wa...wait! Wait, wait!"

She was puzzled by my urgent actions, stopped her hands, and the guards also looked at me with surprise.

"Anyway, wait! Um... water! Bring water. And pour it on my hands! Quickly, quickly, quickly!"

Everyone around seemed unsure of what was going on and didn't move.

"I said bring it! Bring it now!"

My screams were a mix of pain and urgency.

The guards sensed the seriousness of the situation and quickly gave orders to bring water.

The water arrived, and they poured it on my right hand.

I wet the thick blood and wiped it off with my clothes, then took out my smartphone from the waist pouch.

With trepidation, I turned it on.

―― It lit up!

Relieved, I pat my chest.

I was worried it might be broken due to the shock—no, even before that, it should have been electrocuted by the 'Thunder Magic.'

Fortunately, it seems it didn't conduct electricity. The reason is unclear, but anyway, I'm relieved it's safe.

And now, I immediately get into the important task.

"Alright, quietly! Everyone, be silent! Shhh!!"

The guards also follow suit.

"Hey, be quiet, everyone! Keep it down!"

Everyone focuses on the smartphone.

Selfie mode - OK. I start recording and nod towards her.

"Ready, OK! Now, teacher, please. Loud and cheerful!"

She seemed a bit bewildered, but after taking a breath, she began her prayer.

《O God of Cecil... Heal.》

Chanting complete—then her hands lit up with a soft glow. A guard placed his hands over the arrow wound on my shoulder, trying to seal it.

As the light faded and she let go, the hole in my shoulder was closed.

Confirming the successful capture of the healing scene, I shouted in my mind, "Alright!"

I had obtained Heal in that moment.

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