Chapter 80
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The acrid smoke and the pungent odor of dark blood filled the air.
The battle in Lonkers was intensifying in an instant.
Nyhill swung a dimly lit dagger in the midst of it all.
‘…Wow, impressive.’
Kugugugugu-!
It seemed as if an invisible giant was moving at her will.
With a single sword strike, the ground split, and a massive vibration and shock reverberated.
Countless rocks and soil that made up the ground turned into weapons, striking the demons climbing the wooden fence.
The debris with its immense mass sent all nearby demons flying.
“Ah.”
In a brief moment of respite, she, who was trying to catch her breath, awkwardly came to a halt.
[Ah, you really have a temper. Well, there are cases like this]
The voice that had been echoing in her head since the beginning of the battle was becoming louder.
For the first time, she asked, “Who are you?”
[And who are you?]
“…I’m Nyhill. Are you a spirit?”
[Oh, come on. Why ask when you already know! Annoying! Even this vessel is filled with such shoddy stuff…]
Kkieeek-!
The spirit’s complaints were drowned out by the demon’s roar.
Kugugugugu-!
Nyhill swung her dagger again.
Fortunately, the spirit, despite being a bit mouthy, lent its power quite effectively.
It was natural.
They had been fundamental beings in this world for a very long time.
Having crossed over from another dimension, they couldn’t just stand by and let the demons and their ilk disrupt the order of the world.
Of course, they weren’t particularly friendly to humans and the others, but they weren particularly hostile to the demons.
That’s why the spirits, with their own ego, couldn’t help but be hostile to demonic energy.
…So much that they even lend their power willingly.
By the way, the chatterbox spirit’s attribute was Earth.
It seemed fitting for a spirit that had been crouching in a mine.
“….”
As Nyhill, who had inadvertently taken down nearly a dozen demons, wiped her face, thick droplets of sweat rolled down.
‘…Controlling this power is more difficult than I thought.’
If she released her power without thinking, the shaky stakes would become even more precarious.
Then, at some point, the ascending Noubelmag, already teetering on the wooden fence, would be in danger.
Nyhill bit her lips.
‘He said he’d be in the village.’
He was busy cursing while fixing the damaged watery weapons.
“Hey, you incompetent idiots! Are you going to lie on the ground while a girl is fighting her heart out up there!? Get up!”
Nyhill honestly didn’t understand him at all.
It’s not like he can provide enough help to change the situation, so there’s no need to stand in that dangerous position.
Above all…
‘…Aren’t elemental stones precious?’
If not processed according to the established procedure, the value of an elemental stone is lost.
The material should be made from compatible ingredients right from the beginning.
Even during the production process, precise communication with the spirit and the modulation of power were necessary.
If one were to hastily create the nest for spirits, although it might initially harness the spirit’s power, the stability would be compromised, leading the spirit to eventually abandon the nest.
Nyhill gazed down at her dagger.
‘Why?’
The spirit stone possessed immeasurable value, perhaps even being the creation of his son, ‘Daig.’
“Uwaaa!”
“Hold on for a little more!”
“We’re done!”
The sight of the villagers was entirely unfamiliar.
From the perspective of preserving the village’s lineage, evacuating frail elders and children was inefficient.
It would have been much better for the young people currently fighting to use them as bait and run away.
In a situation where the protectors were absent, the remaining individuals would find it challenging to survive.
She knew the misery of the powerless, abandoned without protection.
‘Then why?’
Why did everyone here make utterly irrational choices?
‘My head hurts.’
…But there was a more significant problem.
Among the multitude of irrational individuals, the most irrational one was herself.
‘What am I doing right now?’
Strictly speaking…
No, there is nothing to strictly discuss.
She is clearly disobeying orders now.
The realization made Nyhill feel drained from head to toe.
‘What if the hero becomes disappointed?’
Should she just take Noubelmag to a safe place right now?
If she rendered him unconscious and moved him, that would be an unavoidable situation and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
It was the ‘reasonable’ approach she had always taken.
But if she continued in this manner…
The dormant spirit suddenly spoke up.
[Hmm, there are a lot of worries in that head the size of a chestnut.]
Nyhill froze for a moment.
“How…?”
[How did I read your thoughts? Well, you’re squeezing me to death right now; it’s pretty easy.]
“Do I have to squeeze so tightly…?”
[Even a slight squeeze is enough; you’re such a fool. Just think silently, and I can read it, so focus already!]
…Reading her mind.
She blinked in bewilderment.
[Anyway, you have some gloomy thoughts.]
‘I’m not gloomy.’
[No, you are.]
‘No…’
Denying it, Nyhill hesitated before asking, ‘What should I do?’
[Hmm, what a stupid question. With a ‘companion’ like you…]
‘……’
[You gloomy human, what was your name?]
‘…Nyhill.’
[Alright, Nyhill. Listen well.]
The spirit whispered.
It had become quite mature in its tone.
[Humans, in general, are beings who contemplate in the face of numerous choices.]
‘…Choices?’
[Yes, you’ll encounter them now.]
Whooooosh!
They were at the rear of the demon horde.
A figure, unlike the nearby demons, was preparing a spell.
The demonic energy emanating from it was different.
Approaching the level of lesser demons.
Covered in glossy black leather, the massive and asymmetrical body effortlessly deflected the downpour of water weapons and arrows from the water weapons raining down on it.
Thud!
Although a sizable projectile hit just now, it withstood it with its massive arms and legs.
Eeeeeeeh!
The demon raised its horn-covered head with a roar.
The spirit whispered again.
[Are you going to fight? It seems challenging to deal with that one and the rest of the riffraff with this incomplete power. Well… it wouldn’t have been a fistfight in the first place.]
Nyhill’s eyes moved slowly between the wooden fence and the demon.
[Or should we run? I can buy you enough time to escape with that old man.]
Parts-chuchuchu!
Everyone’s attention focused on an unexpected spark sound.
Between the demon’s large horns, demonic energy was swiftly circulating and amplifying.
Noubelmag’s voice echoed anxiously.
“Everyone, get away from the wooden fence! It’s a spell!”
[What will you do? It’s time to choose.]
…Choose.
Nyhill experienced a static moment as if the world had come to a standstill.
Choose.
The noise of the battlefield faded away, and only those words echoed.
Her current decision would influence a lot.
It was an extremely harsh experience for someone who was faced with a choice for the first time in his life.
Usually, it started with much simpler decisions.
* * *
…Choice and responsibility.
These were always present in human life, but for Nyhill, they were truly unfamiliar words.
However, she eventually made a choice, and now she was facing the consequences.
‘Did I block it…?’
It happened simultaneously with the shot of the spell.
Nyhill raised the ground with the spirit’s power with all her strength.
Right before impact.
A thick and sturdy wall of earth took shape in front of the wooden fence.
Kwagwagwagwak!
The girl looked beyond the swirling dust with earnest eyes.
“Haah….”
Fortunately.
Although the earthen wall collapsed miserably, the wooden fence remained unharmed.
Startled residents, bewildered by the explosion, were running around it.
Noubelmag quacked, calming them down.
[Hmm, feeling relieved already?]
“…What?”
But that wasn’t the end.
Besides the spell, there were many ways to siege.
Whooooosh!
As the creature’s body lowered, its massive hind leg pressed down on the ground.
Unpleasant sounds emerged as the ground started sinking beneath it.
‘Ah.’
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Nyhill noticed the demon was preparing to charge.
Even though it had only a third of the wooden fence’s height in stature, its overwhelming mass was formidable.
If it gained enough speed and collided with the wooden fence, the fence wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
Wujik-!
The sound echoed like a hallucination in Nyhill’s ears.
She realized the demon was about to charge.
Without further thought, she swung her dagger again.
Kugugugugu-!
The earthen wall surged up.
However, the spirit’s power had its limits.
[…What’s this?]
The density and thickness of the wall were much weaker than before.
It wouldn’t be able to withstand the impending onslaught.
“Ah…”
If the wooden fence collapsed, it would be the end.
Most of the residents would be incapacitated in the aftermath of the collapse, giving demons the chance to advance.
Amidst the chaos, Noubelmag was undoubtedly in danger as well.
Whooooosh!
From bad to worse.
Before the girl’s thoughts could conclude, the demon began its charge.
“Oh, it’s coming!”
“Shouldn’t we shoot arrows!?”
“Didn’t you see that it was useless before!? Get down from the wooden fence quickly!”
Nyhill’s gaze reached the terrified people on the wooden fence in the wake of the collapsing earth.
“…Stop.”
Shrrrrrrrrack-!
Countless threads unraveled from the device attached to her right hand.
It was one of the special weapons supplied to the shadows, ‘Aranea,’ with outstanding magical sensitivity.
Made of a material with excellent magical responsiveness, the threads rapidly absorbed Nyhill’s magic, becoming incredibly tough and sharp.
Whyyyyyck-!
Dozens of threads turned the heavy objects around (stones and demon corpses) into supports, creating a geometric shape in an instant.
It looked like a giant spider had spun a web.
Chachachacha-chak-!
The demon rammed straight into the center.
Numerous wounds appeared on the massive body of the demon.
The leather tore, revealing its insides.
It is so powerful that black blood dripped from Aranea.
However, the creature didn’t stop.
Thud-!
Thud-!
The supports couldn’t hold up.
As stones and demon corpses flew up into the sky, the threads lost their elasticity and fluttered lifelessly.
Wuuuuuu-!
The demon’s charge slowed down a bit, but it was still threatening.
Nyhill didn’t think Aranea alone would be enough, so she was already preparing for the next attack.
Clang-!
The throwing continued.
Ssweeeeeek-!
Various projectiles flew with a chilling penetrating force.
There were explosive artifacts, weakened magical swords, and poisoned daggers.
Grab, throw.
Even though she was throwing projectiles across the chaotic battlefield, her aim never faltered.
At that moment.
The residents, who had retreated from the wooden fence, shouted in sharp unison as they watched.
“Hey, watch out!”
“It’s dangerous!”
It was Nyhill’s counterattack.
One of the daggers she threw had Aranea attached to it.
The dagger pierced the demon’s neck.
Whooooosh-!
As if sucked in, Nyhill soared into the air.
She landed on the creature’s head when there were roughly 50 meters left to the wooden fence.
…From there, her memory wasn’t very clear.
Tied with Aranea, thrusting with the dagger, hitting with her fists, kicking… when she looked back, it seemed like she even bit into it.
She was that desperate.
Wuuuuuu-!
But the demon persisted, relentlessly pounding the ground.
.
.
.
Kwaaaaaang-!
That’s how the wooden fence collapsed.
The enhanced demon’s life was cut short before it could reach the wooden fence, but its colossal body crashed into it nonetheless.
“Ah….”
What was fortunate was that, thanks to Nyhill’s resistance, the people on the wooden fence narrowly managed to escape.
The girl descended from the demon’s carcass, staggering.
Though she herself was unaware, all the residents looked at her with eyes that couldn’t express what they felt.
[Kukukukuk, isn’t this completely futile?]
Feeling dizzy, Nyhill responded to the spirit’s words.
‘Futile… you say?’
[Well, isn’t it? Look at yourself now.]
‘…Yeah.’
[Covered in wounds, covered in dust, legs trembling from exhaustion. If you had run away earlier, by now you would have already arrived safely with that old man in a secure place.]
Nyhill lowered her head, looking at her own battered body.
It was undoubtedly a mess.
It hurt.
The thought of possibly failing the mission assigned by the Hero made her chest ache even more.
[But does that mean everyone is safe now? Not really. The wood fence is in ruins, and outside, the monsters are still lurking.]
‘Oh, I see. I made a foolish choice.’
The spirit chuckled as if finding her realization amusing.
[…Tch, how boring would it be to just die right away. Lift your head, foolish Nyhill. The real fool is the one regretting a choice already made. And!]
As the words ended, an intense flash emanated from the dagger Nyhill was holding.
‘Huh?’
[Spirits don’t let their companions die even if they are fools.]
A sudden vibration and noise followed.
Ku-ku-ku-ku-!
[Oh well, I guess I’ll have to sleep for a while.]
The ground shook under the feet of the approaching monsters, creating a chain reaction of fractures.
It looked as if a powerful earthquake happened only in front of the wooden fence.
Monsters falling into the crevices, shattering into pieces upon hitting debris.
In an instant, about half of the monsters were incapacitated.
[Ah, I’m tired. You handle the rest.]
As the words finished, the light faded from the dagger, returning to its dull color.
Nyhill tightly gripped the handle.
‘Thank you.’
The voice that had been ringing in her ears since earlier did not respond any longer.
It seemed like it was really asleep.
So, from now on, the spirit wouldn’t help her.
Mana and stamina were depleted.
Her body was in shambles.
Raising her head, she faced the approaching monsters.
Their numbers had significantly decreased compared to before, but there were still about twenty of them.
She had to figure out a way to deal with them.
With determination, Nyhill readied herself for another fight.
Just then, someone approached her.
“Nyhill.”
Noubelmag, covered in dust, tapped her on the shoulder.
Nyhill was momentarily flustered, hiding the now dimmed dagger behind her.
‘What should I do?’
…The spirit was gone.
She couldn’t imagine how he would react to the disappearance of his son’s legacy.
With a stiff expression, the old man stared at the girl, blinking his eyes.
However the words that emerged from those cracked lips was something far different from what she had anticipated.
“…Thank you.”
“…Yes?”
Noubelmag awkwardly raised his skinny arm, holding a hammer.
By his side, weapons he had created were suddenly laid out.
They might not be very robust due to their crude materials, but they should buy some time.
Nyhill gazed at his determined face.
“…”
“…”
No more words were needed.
The old man and the girl turned, their backs facing each other.
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