The sound of a mysterious crash made Mist and the others stir in alarm. Then, Oriana returned from beyond the trees, carrying the unconscious Lady Cruel, and said to them, “Mist, the barrier’s been broken! A nasty monster is heading this way!”
“Hah… seriously?” Mist let out a dry laugh.
Of all times, it has to be when Absolute isn’t here… And what kind of monster can break through the Browser House’s barrier?!
The Browser House’s Unique Magic, 【Barrier】, could create barriers with all sorts of effects. The monster-repelling barrier they’d set up this time had a particularly strong outer layer to keep monsters out. Mist couldn’t hide his dismay at the thought of a monster powerful enough to break through a barrier he’d placed so much faith in.
“Calm down, Oriana. Is Lady Cruel okay? She seems to be unconscious. And tell me in detail what happened.” Mist asked, trying to soothe the flustered Oriana.
Seeing the calm person in front of her, Oriana seemed relieved as she collected herself and began to explain what had happened. “...I couldn’t see clearly from far away, but a humanoid monster threw something like… a rock?… at us from outside the barrier and broke it. Lady Cruel and I managed to avoid it, but Lady Cruel lost her balance and hit her head at that moment.”
“I see… this is the worst-case scenario. If Lady Cruel is down, there’s no one to send a magic signal into the sky. We can’t call Absolute or Teach for help like this…” Mist thought for a moment, then immediately turned to Oriana. “Oriana, listen. Absolute is out right now and won’t be back for about fifteen minutes. That means we have to somehow manage on our own.”
“...We’re doomed…” Oriana nearly spaced out after hearing Mist’s story. If Absolute had been here, they could have somehow managed this situation, but without him, it was impossible.
“Something’s coming.”
He could feel something approaching from deep within the forest. Looking in the direction of the presence, he saw a massive humanoid monster with black skin, over two meters tall, emerge from the direction Oriana had come. While Mist and the others had gathered and were confirming the situation, the monster had been chasing Oriana and had arrived at their location. The monster emanated such an overwhelming pressure that they could feel the difference in strength viscerally. The monster’s red eyes swept over Mist and the others with a scrutinizing gaze.
Feeling a pressure similar to when they were under Absolute’s Intimidation, Mist and the others immediately readied their weapons and turned to face the monster.
“Just what is that monster?”
It was a monster he had never seen before. And its aura was on a completely different level from the monsters they had subjugated today. It was obviously far stronger than the four of them here. Princess Leone answered Mist’s mutter. “That’s an Ogre. And a 'Superior Species' at that… I saw one that was subjugated in the Suiloku Kingdom a few years ago, so I’m sure of it.”
Hearing that it was a Superior Species Ogre, Mist and Oriana gasped. The closer a humanoid monster was to a human, the higher its intelligence, and highly intelligent monsters would devour other monsters to grow stronger. What was born in that process was a Superior Species. Their appearance would mutate from normal monsters, and their abilities would increase dramatically. Even a normal Ogre was around level thirty in strength. It was easy to imagine how strong a Superior Species would be.
“Princess, please take Lady Cruel and get away from here. Oriana, I want you to go get Maria. She should be able to handle a Superior Species.”
The thought of escaping from the Ogre in this situation didn’t even cross his mind. Their opponent was a monster, and it would definitely chase them. It was better to buy time here until Maria arrived. Maria was a skilled warrior whom Absolute had brought along to protect the princess. Mist himself had fought Maria in mock battles several times in the past and understood her strength. Even against a Superior Species monster, she should be able to win.
I should be able to buy some time… I was trained by Absolute for times like these, after all.
The reason Mist had placed Princess Leone behind him was because he thought that if something happened to her, Absolute would be held responsible. Mist asked Princess Leone to stay back, but Princess Leone drew her sword in defiance. “No, I won’t let you fight alone. I’ll leave Lady Cruel to my maid, so don’t worry.”
“No, no, if something happens to you, Absolute will be blamed!”
“It’s fine. I’ll protect you if anything happens. Besides, I was taught that in an emergency, the Suiloku royal family should put their lives on the line to protect the people. You may not be my people, but you’re my comrades who fought with me today. I won’t let you fight alone.”
Mist had watched Princess Leone fight all day as part of the same group. She was certainly stronger than Mist if they fought fair and square. Mist scratched his head vigorously and came to a conclusion. “—Agh, jeez! Just please prioritize your own life! Your life is the most important here. Well then, the princess and I will deal with the monster until Maria arrives. Oriana, go get Maria!”
“…Understood.”
“I’ll keep it in the back of my mind, at least. Also, Mr. Browser, you’ll die if you don’t go into this fight with the intention of defeating it!”
Mist and Princess Leone faced the Ogre, and with the two of them at her back, Oriana ran off to call Maria.
Princess Leone was the first to move. She rushed toward the Ogre and tried to take it down. She slashed at the Ogre’s body from the side with her sword, concentrating the Ogre’s attention on herself. The Ogre’s red eyes locked onto Princess Leone. In the next instant, the Ogre closed the distance to Princess Leone and swung its powerful arm down.
““—!””
Princess Leone instantly kicked off the ground to evade. The Ogre’s powerful arm crashed into the ground, and the tremendous impact traveled through the air to Mist, who was standing at a distance.
“Princess, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, so worry about yourself!” Princess Leone shouted back at Mist.
“One hit is enough to kill us. For now, let’s whittle it down bit by bit! I’ll draw its attention this time, so attack in that opening.” Mist closed the distance to draw the Ogre’s attention and slashed at its legs with his knife. Princess Leone also provided support, attacking the Ogre’s blind spot and repeatedly slashing at it with her prized swordsmanship, surely damaging the Ogre.
As expected… she’s far stronger than me. I’m jealous. But why is it that this thing doesn’t move at all only during my attacks? …It’s like it doesn’t even have me in its sight from the start. There’s something unnatural about it; it’s eerie.
The Ogre moved. Without even glancing at Mist, who had slashed at it, the Ogre set its sights on Princess Leone.
“Princess Leone! It’s targeting you!”
He tried to change the Ogre’s target to himself by slashing at it repeatedly from behind, but its skin was so tough that it was hard to get any damage through. The Ogre showed no signs of stopping and continued to advance.
“It’s alright, reinforcement activated.”
Princess Leone used her Reinforcement skill to fight using enhanced physical abilities and swordsmanship honed through effort. Her power was inferior to that of the reinforced Ogre, but she could sufficiently hold her own using Reinforcement. Princess Leone, who had enhanced her body with the skill, ran out to meet the Ogre and slashed at its body as if swinging down from an overhead stance. Blood spurted from the Ogre’s slashed body. Princess Leone herself felt a response.
But the Ogre was not dead yet. The Ogre swung its powerful arm at Princess Leone in a haphazard manner.
“Guah…”
The Ogre’s attack struck her body, and Princess Leone was sent flying.
“Princess Leone?!”
“…I’m fine… worry about yourself.”
Princess Leone somehow stood up, using her sword as a support. She seemed to be unharmed, probably due to having enhanced her body. But she had taken damage, so she was not able to move sufficiently. Mist observed the wound that Princess Leone had inflicted on the Ogre. It was cut quite deeply and was by no means shallow.
With that wound, we should be able to finish it off in one go, right?
Mist judged that it was time to strike and stepped between Princess Leone and the Ogre, plunging his knife deeply into the wound that Princess Leone had inflicted. He definitely felt like he was inflicting damage this time, unlike before.
We can do it! We can defeat the Ogre! If we keep going like this…
The Ogre did not recognize Mist as an enemy, but in order to eliminate Mist, who was standing in front of Princess Leone, it repeatedly swung its fist at Mist. Mist desperately stabbed the Ogre repeatedly with his knife, barely dodging the Ogre’s attacks. But even after being dealt fatal wounds so many times, the Ogre was still alive.
As he attacked repeatedly, the knife got caught in the Ogre’s muscle fibers, and it took him a moment to pull it out. In that moment, the Ogre swung its fist at Mist.
Oh, I can’t dodge… I’m dead.
The Ogre’s attack seemed to be moving slowly, but his body wouldn’t move. Mist was just waiting for his death.
“Watch out!”
The moment the Ogre’s attack was about to hit Mist, Princess Leone shoved Mist away, as if protecting his body. However, Princess Leone took the Ogre’s attack head-on in Mist’s place. Mist ran to Princess Leone and carried her body, taking some distance from the Ogre.
Princess Leone was coughing up blood, probably because she had taken damage to her internal organs, but she was not in mortal danger because she had been using the Reinforcement magic. However, she must have hit her waist hard, as she was unable to stand properly and remained lying on the ground.
“Princess Leone?! Why… Why did you protect me! I told you to prioritize your own life! I’m a villain like me… I’m not worth saving…”
Princess Leone smiled weakly at Mist. “...Mr. Browser, please don’t put yourself down so much. You’re a kind person who sincerely wishes for Absolute’s happiness… You’re not evil at all.”
Mist’s heart ached at Princess Leone’s words.
No, I’m not such a good person… I’m just a dirty person who disposes of bodies; I’m not worth saving…
The Ogre, who was about to finish them off, stood in front of the two injured people. They definitely couldn’t win against it while protecting the damaged Princess Leone. Just as the Ogre swung its fist down and Mist and the others braced themselves, the Ogre’s body was suddenly sliced in two, and it died.
Thud
Beyond the sliced Ogre was a familiar maid in uniform. A voice called out to Mist and the others, who were unable to process the sudden turn of events. “I’m sorry for being late. I’ve heard about the situation from Oriana, but are you alright?”
The owner of the voice was Maria. He was briefly surprised by her blood-soaked appearance, but he felt all the strength leave his body from relief when he realized that they had been saved. “Thank you, I’m saved thanks to you. Are you alright, Maria? You’re covered in blood.”
She herself was perfectly fine, but her face, hair, and even her maid uniform were stained with blood. What in the world had happened to her before she got here?
“Thank you for your concern. I ended up fighting several black Ogres like the one we just fought before I got here… I apologize for my unsightly appearance.”
She fought multiple Superior Species Ogres that we struggled so much against? …As expected, Maria is something else.
“I’m fine, but… Princess Leone was injured protecting me. I’m sorry.” Seeing Princess Leone, who had been injured protecting him, he felt crushed by guilt.
Maria ran to Princess Leone, who was lying on the ground, and checked her injuries. “She seems to have hurt her waist, but it doesn’t seem to be a life-threatening injury. In this situation, it’s lucky if you’re alive. More importantly, let’s get out of here quickly. A horde of monsters is heading this way.”
“A horde of monsters?”
“I was fighting monsters several times before I came back here. Apparently, that was the first wave, and that horde is the second wave. That many suddenly appeared, just like the black Ogres, without any warning.”
Mist and Maria sensed something was off about the sudden appearance of the horde of monsters and the Superior Species. It’s unlikely that so many Superior Species monsters were in this forest. And this timing, as if to add insult to injury… it’s too deliberate.
“Let’s retreat quickly. Even I can’t defend against that many.”
Mist tried to assess the situation by climbing the tallest tree nearby and looking down from the top of the tree. Then, Mist’s slit eyes opened slightly, and his pupils shook in astonishment. “This is… An incredible number of monsters have gathered. If that many attacked all at once, we wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Mist could see a horde of over hundreds of monsters in his field of vision. After finishing his confirmation, he quickly climbed down from the tree.
“Even for me, it would be impossible to protect the injured while fighting that many. I’ll hold them off, so everyone retreat!” Maria told Mist and the others, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. In this situation, even Maria would have a hard time holding that many off alone.
We have to get Princess Leone back alive, no matter what. To do that, we absolutely need Maria’s strength. We can’t let her be the rearguard.
Mist steeled himself and took action. He placed his hands on the ground and activated his Unique Magic. “【Barrier】 Creation.”
The horde of monsters and Mist were trapped inside the barrier, while Maria and the others were pushed outside of it.
“This barrier is meant to trap prey, with the caster as the center. I’ll hold back the horde of monsters with the barrier. Maria, please take Princess Leone and evacuate to headquarters. Fortunately, it’s not that far from here to headquarters, so you should be able to buy that much time.”
“Mist! It’s impossible for you to take on that many alone! Are you trying to die!” Oriana shouted at Mist. It was the first time he had seen her raise her voice, and it was a little refreshing.
“I have no intention of dying, but the damage will be severe if someone doesn’t stop them here. In that case, I’m the most suitable person here because I can trap the monsters with my barrier. Besides, Maria is the strongest, so she has to protect Princess Leone, and Oriana has to carry Lady Cruel, right? If Princess Leone dies, Absolute will be held responsible, so please deliver her safely.”
“Mr. Browser… please stop. Let’s all run away.” Princess Leone tried to stop him somehow. She had low self-esteem, and she didn’t want anyone to die for her sake.
“It’s tough to escape that many. Besides, you saved me earlier, so I have to return the favor. Don’t worry, Absolute should be back in ten more minutes, so I intend to have a chance of winning. But… if something happens to me, tell everyone that Mist was cool. Well then, go, go.”
He would be sacrificing his comrades who had fought alongside him. Princess Leone regretted her powerlessness. “…Mist, there’s no way I can tell everyone that you were cool… I can’t lie… so please come back alive.”
Oriana shouldered the unconscious Lady Cruel, leaving behind those few words.
“Mr. Mist, Master will definitely come. But if it gets dangerous, don’t hesitate to release the barrier and escape… Everyone, let’s go! Princess Leone! Please don’t waste Mr. Mist’s dedication.”
Maria, unwavering in her belief that Absolute would come, carried Princess Leone and left the scene. “...I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” While being carried by Maria, Princess Leone apologized repeatedly, as if squeezing out the words, while shedding tears. Princess Leone’s voice disappeared into the depths of the forest along with the sound of footsteps. After confirming that Princess Leone and the others had safely retreated, Mist turned to face the horde of monsters that were heading toward him. There were no Superior Species like the ones from earlier, but he felt that they were somehow coordinated.
“I tried to act tough, but… this number is pretty hopeless. Can I last ten minutes? I never thought I’d die in a place like this, but I guess there’s no choice. If I were to borrow Absolute’s words, it would be, ‘Don’t think the wicked get to choose where they die.’”
Absolute would overcome this situation without thinking it was a pinch. Thinking so, Mist’s expression changed from a tense face to a wry smile. I may not be able to annihilate them like Absolute would, but I have to buy at least some time.
“Skill 【Mist】 activated.”
Mist used his skill 【Mist】 to generate a thick fog inside the barrier. This skill was unwieldy, and Mist rarely used it because it only had limited use like blinding people, but now he was sincerely grateful that he had been granted this skill.
“Well then, let’s struggle.”
One against hundreds; Mist’s lonely battle began.
Mist Browser
Age: 15
Skills:
・Mist Generation Lv5… Generates mist in the surrounding area. The range increases with level.
Unique Magic:
『Barrier Creation』… Creates a barrier with effects, with himself as the starting point.
Stats:
Level: 25
Physical Ability: 50
Magical Power: 24
Intelligence: 45
Learned Magic:
Wind
Skills:
Stealth, Evidence Concealment, Knife Technique, Swordsmanship
