Volume 1 - CH 14

The creature that ambushed us had a thin face and a sharp nose.

It was also wearing a loincloth made of hemp and a pointed hat that shaded his nose.

"Keke!" It made a taunting sound that reminded me strongly of mischievous children before it started running towards us.

It waved its small fist in the air and jumped at me.

"Danger!" I exclaimed as I readied myself to receive its attack. 

I held my sword firmly, pacing my heart and waited for the right moment to intercept my opponent's blow. However, before that thing managed to launch its first attack, Diamond stepped out in front of me and planted her shield before us. 

As soon as she did this, a flower-like figure bloomed in front of us and its four petals stretched out in order to protect us from our opponent's attack.

Diamond managed to protect the two of us with perfect timing.

Upon closer inspection, they realized the monster was a gnome and it let out a high pitch sound that briefly echoed in the forest. 

"Oooh..." I couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise as I saw what Diamond had done and found myself admiring her quick thinking.

After all, it was common belief that the way to go up against a monster was through a direct attack from a sacred weapon, but Diamond countered our enemy with a defensive power. 

Ordinary shields would easily crumble down like a piece of paper being pierced when used against demons' attacks. 

On the other hand, sacred weapons did not provide much protection. 

During battles, if it comes to it, wielders of swords and spears often use the inner part of the sword or the spear's hilt in order to block the attacks and defend themselves, but its scope of protection was undeniably small compared to the security a shield sacred weapon could provide.

Though sacred weapons could damage a monster's 'armor', a shield, or even a sacred weapon shield could not do the same and is as effective as ordinary weapons when it comes to fighting against the demons.

For that reason, I felt a strong sense of reliance towards Diamond whose back was currently facing me.

"Kekekekeke!" Even though the gnome's attack had been blocked, it still continued to cling onto Diamond's shield and flung its body relentlessly at it.

The gnome that was constantly banging at us also produced a loud gagging sound that sounded eerily like a creepy laugh. No, more than this, it sounded like it had gone mad.

"Hi, hiiiiiii!" Diamond clearly flinched at it, but nevertheless continued to hold her position to prevent the attack.

Although we were supposed to be fighting a monster, it appeared like we were playing around with a child.

Still, isn't this monster quite strong?

Also, whether or not the sound it produced seemed playful, I remained unsure.

Nevertheless, this was no time to be at one's leisure.

I belatedly faced the gnome and swung my sword, "Get away from Diamond!"  

The ruffian quickly reacted and separated itself from the shield.

Because Diamond was close by, and it could be dangerous for her, I didn't swing with all my might, but still, I made sure to attack at lightning speed.

With some effort, the gnome avoided the attack.  Just by looking at it, one could tell that it was very nimble.

And then once again, it raised its fist and charged at me, "Keke!"

Once more Diamond tried to come between me and the monster, but this time I held my left hand up and made her stop. I finally found an opening where I could safely attack and did not need her protection, unlike last time.

This time, I was certain that I would be able to splendidly halt the attack.

First off, I decided to stop the gnome's thrusting attacks with my cursed demon sword. With a loud 'clang', its fists collided against my blade.

"Uwow!" My eyes widened in surprise as my weapon collided against its hard body. Even though the gnome was very small in appearance, its 'armor skin' was unexpectedly thick and heavy. I guess it is true what they say, 'a monster is still a monster', even though it looked like a small child.

On her part, Diamond was able to defend us well as she continued to keep us safe and block all the gnome's attacks. As expected, she was a master of her own sacred weapon.

However, I also was a master of a magic sword, and I couldn't afford to be defeated.

"Haaa!!!" I hit the gnome who was clutching to my sword, not with my sacred weapon, but with my left fist, and sent it flying.

Because of the benefits of the cursed demon sword, my physical strength had increased considerably.

The physical strength I now possess is different from that of the sacred weapon's.  Though this strength cannot go through magic armor, it is enough to blow one's opponent off course and buy one, some time to prepare for the next move.

As predicted, the monster let out a groan, and crashed into a large tree behind it.

Due to the impact, it stopped moving for a moment and was impaled into the forest grounds.

I took that opportunity to close the distance and threw my sword at it, "Take this!"

Judging by how the gnome moved earlier, I gathered that it was rather quick on its feet. I figured I needed to end this battle as quickly as I could before it could escape or corner us. So I held the cursed demon sword tightly and then I slashed at the gnome with all my might.

"Ke...ke..." Although I had cut the gnome in half with one slash, it continued to let out a sound that seemed like a moaning laugh. And just like the other slain demons, it turned into droplets of light before it completely disappeared.

Once I was sure the gnome had been safely defeated, I turned the cursed demon sword back into the rusted sword and placed it back into its scabbard.

I mentally counted how long I was able to use my sword in its evolved state, and realized that it was a whole good two minutes. 

The good news was that, I wasn't feeling extremely tired, but if I wasn't careful, I knew the fatigue will drop on me like a bomb.

What's important right now is for me to conserve my energy and restore my physical strength.

"Good work, Diamond." I told my companion and she gave me a sheepish smile.

"Thanks.  You did well, too."

After praising each other for our good work, we went to the place where the gnome was defeated.  Tilting our heads in confusion, we stared at the spot, "Well...?"

I wonder what that monster's real goal was?

Unlike the wolf monster who visibly tried to kill us, the gnome moved as if it had other intentions and hurting us was only its secondary motive.

Ah well, I'll think about that later. Right now I have something more important to tell Diamond.

I called out to her, "Hey Diamond, by any rate, you were great back there."

"Huh?"

"I mean, because of you, the monster's attack was rendered useless, despite the fact that it was viciously beating on your shield."

"Th-thanks." Diamond stuttered out, it was obvious to me that Diamond's cheeks were reddening, even though she tried to hide her face behind her shield.

Being directly praised like this must be embarrassing to Diamond.

Nothing was wrong with that. 

Still, I continued on as I gazed down at her sacred weapon, "Is your shield holding up okay?  If it seems like it's going to break, let me know, alright?  If your sacred weapon gets destroyed while we're in this area, we'll be in trouble."

If it comes to it, I was prepared to go back to the temple and have her weapon fixed.

However, doing so in the middle of our test was less than ideal and obviously impractical. Our time would be eaten up just by going back to town.

Still, I knew our lives were more valuable than this test.

I decided to let her know of my intentions, "If the shield breaks, during our trip back to the town to have it repaired, rest assured that I'll protect you..."

Before I could finish talking, Diamond cut me off, "Ah! When it comes to the durability of my shield, I don't think there is anything for you to worry about." Diamond said nonchalantly, as she raised her head up from behind her shield.

"Huh?"

Why did she say that there was no need to worry about the durability of the shield?

What she had said caused a look of puzzlement to break out on my face.

"Rust.  Because you told me about your sacred weapon, in return, I will tell you about mine." Diamond gestured at her shield. 

She then motioned for me to touch it.

Understanding that she wanted me to read its properties, I apprehensively stretched out my fingers towards it. 

I knew that a person's sacred weapon could also be considered to be their talent, and looking at the properties of a sacred weapon could be considered the same as baring one's soul, so there were many people who wouldn't even allow one to touch it.

But, this girl who looked to be the same age as I, was asking that I take a look at those properties voluntarily.

Therefore, I softly grazed the shield, which looked like a white flower, and took a peek at its properties; [ Name: Indestructible Large Shield; Rank: A; Level: 5; Attack Power: 0; Benefits: Strength +50 Endurance +240 Agility +0 Magic +50 Vitality +220; Skill: "Indestructible"; Endurance: Infinity/Infinity]

After seeing the properties of the shield, my eyes opened wide, "...Huh?"

-To be continued.