CH 8

Chapter 8 – A Sudden Encounter

I was lying in a heap at the entrance of the alley, unable to move due to the rapid depletion of my magic power.

I was able to teleport from the castle gates to a straight line of houses and shops in what appeared to be the noble’s district, but this was probably the maximum range of visibility that I could afford. The distance is about 200 meters. In other words, it is possible to teleport at that range with the remaining 11 magic power.

This is good in itself. The problem is that it is in a straight line from the castle gate, which also means that it is visible to the guards guarding the gate.

“Damn it! Oh, jeez…”

I encourage my weak limbs to crawl to the shadows, my vision on the verge of blackouts, and try to pull my AKM out of storage, but then I stop myself. The assault rifle is too conspicuous. If I were to lose consciousness, it would be the end of me. I don’t think it’s possible to recreate it with the industrial strength of this world, but if it’s pointed at me, I have no way to counter it.

I moved to the back of a dimly lit alley to find a safe zone where I could rest until my magic was restored.

“…Gah!”

“Tee… Agh!”

Oh, for heaven’s sake.

There were people there before me. There were five thug-like men with daggers at the ready. One of them is holding a girl’s hand and trying to cover her mouth with his other hand. The girl is wriggling around, trying to escape, but her body, which probably weighs less than half a pound, seems unable to move.

I took out the M1911 copy and loaded it with the last two rounds I had left.

Oh, shit. A shot fired in this place would echo for several blocks. If it were a slum, I’d probably ignore it, but this is a noble district. The guards and officers will hear the noise and come. Then there would be a battle. Although I may be able to build a pile of dead bodies, it is impossible to escape with a body on the verge of fainting. It’s only a matter of time before it ends here.

But that’s the thing. That girl is so small.

The man’s wrist, which she had grasped with all her might, bent at a right angle.

“O-oh… A-aaaaahhhh!!”

The girl’s sharp hooks cut deep into the side of the man’s body as he turned away from her with a shriek. Seeing their companions rolling around with blood spewing from his mouth, the remaining four men kept their daggers at the ready and kept their distance.

“Do you think you’ll be able to get away if you go against the nobility of the kingdom…?”

Thud. Then one of the men flew into the air with a dull sound. He was slammed into the wall and bounced to the ground, his crushed body not moving an inch.

“You think?”

In the girl’s hand who spoke as she spat, there was a handy weapon. That is to say, the leg of the first man who was beaten was held in her hand. She grabbed his ankle and swung it around, probably hitting the other guy.

With my mouth hanging open, all I can do is watch the scene unfold.

“Damn you…”

The weapon flashes again, this time with a light, dampened sound. The first blow seems to have shattered the man’s head, and he was torn to pieces in a spectacular spray of brain, bone, and blood. Just as the other men, covered in blood and flesh, turned their heads away, the girl grabbed a dagger that was lying on the ground and plunged it through the back of the nearest one. In a single movement, she turns around and strikes another.

However, the last one reacted very differently. The steadiness of his hips and the quickness of his step. The precision of his grasp of the situation and his ruthlessness, not hesitating to sacrifice a friend, indicate that he was clearly an expert.

The man goes around the blind spot, and a tremendous slash hits the girl from behind. The man’s strength flung her body away from the dagger, which he held up as quickly as he could. The small body that rolled while bouncing like a football ball is…

“Guehh!”

It landed on my stomach, where I was leaning against the wall, quietly draining my breath and consciousness.