Pick Me Up!

“Drinking the potion didn’t help with the pain,” Aaron said with a bitter smile.

Under his feet lay an empty glass bottle that once held the potion.

Jenna spoke urgently, her voice tinged with concern, “Oppa, is there no way to help him?”

“….”

Though Aaron seemed composed, his complexion was gradually growing pale.

He could only move properly for about 10 minutes.

I gazed at the girl, who was tapping her leg while seated, and asked, “Do you have any abilities of any kind?”

“What kind of ability are you talking about?”

“I mean a recovery ability.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I see.”

Occasionally, among the NPCs, there were individuals with special abilities.

Just to be sure, I had asked, but it seemed to be a letdown.

The recovery potion wouldn’t work.

We didn’t have an antidote.

Even help from an NPC wasn’t possible. If that’s the case…

Aaron lowered his head.

His tone was calm, but his voice trembled slightly.

“If one can’t keep up, Hyungnim said he would abandon him. It seems like now is that time.”

Aaron clenched his fists, gripping the windowsill.

“I will buy time. Leave me behind.”

“….”

I observed the three of them.

Edis turned away, Jenna lowered her head, and Eolka stared at Aaron with a determined expression.

“I want to stay with you.”

Jenna said.

“Jenna, there’s no way.”

“But…”

“It’s just that I was weak and got hurt.”

“What about you?”

“It’s your decision.”

Eolka replied.

In the end, is this leaving it up to me?

I closed my eyes and contemplated deeply.

Efficiency-wise, abandoning him was the right choice. The escort target had no ability to defend herself. With Aaron added, the burden would increase more than twofold. Protecting one person and protecting two were entirely different matters.

And to add to that, Aaron would soon be hindered.

While he said he would buy time, instead of merely buying time, he would most likely meet his end.

*Sigh.*

I let out a deep sigh and then opened my eyes.

Aaron’s expression was one of resignation. After taking a sip of the potion, I handed the remaining half-empty bottle to Aaron. He took it with surprise.

“What…?”

“Drink it.”

“The potion is useless.”

“It can’t heal you. But It can prevent your injuries from worsening.”

There were other potion bottles in my pouch. I took out another one and handed it to Aaron.

“Everyone, take out your potions.”

Jenna first took out a potion, three bottles in total. Eolka also retrieved hers carefully, just one bottle. Due to the magic potion, she only had one health potion. Edis took hers out as well. About 10 potions were gathered in one place.

“Drink one sip every 10 minutes.”

“…It’s a waste.”

“I decide that.”

I continued, “Starting now, we’ll split into two parties. The first will be me, Edis, and the kid. The second will be Aaron, Jenna, and Eolka. The role of the first party is to guide the kid to the exit. And your task will be to keep Aaron alive until we get the kid out.”

“Helping Aaron oppa is our task?”

“They’ll be after the kid, so if you go in the opposite direction, you might find a safe place.”

“H-hyungnim, I…”

“Keep quiet.”

Aaron fell silent.

Edis, who had been leaning against the wall with folded arms, spoke up, “Han, it’ll be tough to break through like that. The soldiers will be crowded, and gaps will open in the escort net.”

“That’s true.”

If we split the party like this, two people will have to protect the escort target.

Available combat power will significantly decrease.

“We just need to change our approach.”

“Change the approach?”

“From breakthrough to infiltration.”

I looked up.

The once clear sky was now tinted with pink hues.

“Let’s wait for night and then escape the city.”

If our combat power drops below half, attempting a forceful breakthrough is impossible.

However, there are advantages to this plan as well. With fewer operatives, we can be more discreet. Depending on our actions, we might be able to escape without engaging in combat.

If we’re not going to engage in combat, there’s no need to bring along a firepower weapon like a mage. Moreover, fire magic inevitably causes disturbances in the surroundings. Therefore, Eolka is excluded. We’ll insert the versatile Jenna to expand our range of responses to anything that occurs during the execution of the plan.

“You two, head to the outskirts of the city. There will probably be search parties active throughout the night. You just need to evade them with Aaron until we finish our escape.”

“To face this humiliation…”

“If you die, none of that matters.”

Footsteps could be heard from afar.

Soldiers were entering the alley.

Aaron contorted his face as if he were about to cry.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t delude yourself. I’m not keeping you alive for your sake.”

“Yes…”

“You two, if you can’t protect Aaron, don’t hesitate to leave him. Your lives are more important than a wounded man’s. Got it?”

Jenna and Eolka nodded before putting the potions into their pockets.

“Now let’s move. Rest time is over.”

The open space where we had been resting was divided into three paths.

The path that led downward. And the left and right paths. The paths were intricately entwined. This would be helpful in evading pursuit.

“You go right. We’ll go left.”

“Got it.”

Jenna and Eolka supported Aaron and disappeared down the right path.

They might not evade the pursuing groups entirely, but there should be more looking for us. Their goal would be to kill the kid.

“Let’s go.”

The girl stood up.

Edis stood up.

Edis at the front, the girl in the middle, and me at the back, we moved forward in the alley. The path was narrow, and the walls were high.

“Are there any good places to hide?”

“There are quite a few. The alleys are complicated, and you can also enter buildings.”

“We can enter buildings?”

“I tried earlier, there weren’t any invisible walls.”

‘Luckily.’

If we can enter buildings, our options expand significantly.

As long as we find a proper hiding spot, we can buy time until dawn.

After a while down the alley, the path began to widen.

Trash was scattered everywhere, and worn buildings caught the eye. From within the street, we could hear screams and laughter.

It was a slum.

——————— –

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