CH 90

Chapter 90: A Moment of Respite

After bumping fists with her, Yuto looked at Thames’ condition and went speechless.

Her body was torn to shreds.

Yuto could not imagine what kind of attacks she must have endured in order end up like this.

Yuto: “Miss Thames, you ended up in this state because you were protecting the orphanage. …….thank you so very much!”

Thames: “No…...I didn’t fight to protect the orphanage. I just did it for my own reasons.”

And with that Thames looked sullenly away from Yuto.

But her reddish cheeks that hid her embarrassment soon disappeared, as her expression changed to that of agony.

Yuto: “MーMiss Thames, are youーー”

Rita: “MーMY LADYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyy!!!”

Before Yuto could inquire, Rita appeared with raging speed from the inside the Orphanages area.

Large tears welled up from her eyes as she grabbed onto Thames.

Rita: “My Laytheee, My Laythhhheee, MY LAYTHHEEEEEEE!!”

Thames: “OーOWOWOW!! YOU’RE KILLING ME!! LET ME GO, STUPID RITA!!”

With Rita wailing and wrapped around her, Thames was tapping on Rita’s shoulders several times.

Yuto stared wide-eyed at the two who looked so familiar with one another.

Yuto: “M, My Lady?” Thames: “.........it’s nothing. Forget it. Right now.”

Yuto: “What?” Thames: “GOT IT?”

Yuto: “Oh, yes…….”

Thames expression was more than threatening, and Yuto decided that stepping over this line would not benefit him.

He sensed that the atmosphere around Thames intensified significantly.

Just letting the issue go would be the safest option.

Eliz: “(gasp).............fwew……...Mr. Yuto, you are too fast, yes…….”

Eliz came running up completely out of breath, and seeing Thames, she widened her eyes in surprise.

She immediately reached her own conclusions.

She placed a hand on her chest and soon her breathing was more relaxed.

She performed a {Stamina Charge} on herself.

She walked over with quick, light steps and approached Thames, but then immediately turned to Yuto with confusion on her face.

Rita: “MY LAYTHEEEEeeeeeee”

Eliz could not treat Thames because Rita, who wrapped her arms around Thames waist and was bawling her eyes out, was in the way.

Yuto strained an awkward smile as he carefully separated Rita from Thames.

Eliz: “{HI HEAL}”

From Eliz’ hands, a strong but kind light overflowed out of it, and it enveloped Thames’ entire body.

As he watched Eliz begin Thames’ treatment, Dannan walked over to Yuto.

Dannan: “Yuto, what happened here?” Yuto: “This orphanage was being attacked by an Ogre, and Miss Thames was protecting everyone.”

Dannan: “Whoa…..that’s amazing…...Way to go, Thames!”

With Yuto’s explanation, Dannan widened his eyes in surprise.

It is not an ordinary feat for a D-Rank Adventurer to stop a B-Rank Monster.

Even if they couldn’t slay the Monster, just by protecting someone from it would be considered a heroic deed.

Like Dannan, Eliz was also equally surprised by the news.

As she continued to cast {Heal}, she opened her mouth to speak.

Eliz: “Good job making it through, yes. Just this once, I will give you my compliments, yes.” Thames: “Who are you to talk down to me, shorty.”

Eliz: “I’m not a shorty!”

With a “ERRGGHH!!”, Eliz’ hair stood on its end.

But Eliz and Thames were both relaxed without a inkling of nervousness remaining.

It looks like Thames got through the worst of it.

Relived, Yuto breathed a sigh of relief.

It was then……

ーー<ZUUuuuuuunnnnnn!!>　(sfx)

“ “ “ ーーーー?!?! ” ” ”

A loud explosion rang through out Kronos and shook the ground.

The sound came from outside the City Walls.

Yuto: “I’ll take a look outside the walls. Eliz, continue treating Miss Thames. Mr. Dannan, please protect the two. If anything happens, use thisーー”

With that, Yuto took at a Magic Artifact Bell and tossed one to Dannan.

That bell was something Mari gave to him just the other day.

[I don’t have any use for it now, so here, you can have it.” Yuto wasn’t sure what Mari was doing with these bells, but it looked useful so Yuto took the bells with gratitude.

If he rings the bell, the opposite bell will ring in sync.

With this, even if Dannan and his group were attacked, Yuto could be notified and come right back.

Dannan: “Roger that. Don’t do anything crazy.” Yuto: “Yes, understood.” With that, Yuto began running towards the City Walls.

The Kronos City Walls stood 20 meters (～66 feet) high and 5 meters (～５½ yards) wide.

This is the wall that protects the City from the Monsters outside.

But………

ーー<ZUUUUUuuuuunnn!!> (sfx)

From the outside the thick walls, an ominous sound continued to shudder through out its perimeter.

Yuto: “What….what is going on out there……..?”

Yuto looked straight up, and braced his legs solidly to the ground….

Up until now, Yuto began to slowly understand how to use the Boots of Alseis.

The two times he defeated an Ogre, Yuto poured strength down his legs before kicking the ground with his feet.

When that happened, Yuto’s body poured a bit of Magic Power down and out of his body too.

Because of that, the Boots of Alseis showed its true potential during the Ogre slaying.

The first time, it crushed the stone flooring beneath into a spider web of cracks.

The second time, it helped him accelerate forward.

The Boots of Alseis is not just ordinary shoes that can grip the ground well.

If you pour Magic Power into it, it is a Magic Artifact that increases your running and jumping power significantly with the next step.

Yuto poured Magic Power into the boots, and jumped as high as he could.

In the next second, Yuto’s body was flying high into the air.

Although he almost lost balance on the way, he managed to land on top of the high City walls.

Yuto: “Oh...whoa….I thought I could do it, but I didn’t think………”

This would have been impossible to accomplish with Yuto’s physical abilities alone.

Although he was the one that just did it, it scared him to know that someone could jump vertically over the wall.

As he crouched, he looked over the City Wall’s edge.

Yuto: “.....................”

Yuto’s words were lost once he looked past the wall.

The ground up unto the horizon was blackened…….

It was covered and buried in an ocean of black dots.

And each black dot……..was a Monster.

Countless numbers of Monsters were now packed against the Kronos walls.

Yuto: “This is bad……..”

Yuto never dreamed that a Stampede would be this bad.

It would be pointless to try and count the Monsters that faced them, and Yuto couldn’t help but feel the imminent fall of Kronos in the near future.

As he just gazed speechlessly at the horde of Monsters coming towards the Kronos City Walls, it happened…..

Before Yuto, the Skill Board appeared before him without a sound.

Yuto: “ーーWHAT?!”