Volume 2 Chapter 16 The Trouble Isn't Over Yet, But...
After wiping out the Kobolds, I approached the mercenary who couldn't move.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"H-hey, what did you just do?"
It must be that Summon (Call).
It's my new ability from "Magic Blade Gram" by fulfilling the "contract." With a simple call, I can instantly bring the Gram to my hands no matter how far away it is.
At first, Gram was just described as a handy feature, just like the "chat function," but I couldn't help but mutter,
"So, does this mean I can throw spears endlessly?"
You see, I can instantly recall the spears I throw. Basically, it's like having a bunch of spears with me, and I can cover that entire supply with just one Gram.
By the way, the old blacksmith who overheard my muttering and Gram burst into laughter the next moment.
So, I didn't hesitate and threw Gram because I can easily summon him back with this spell.
By the way, I've been practicing throwing the spear for about a week now, and I'm getting pretty good at it. But my accuracy is just okay. So, there was a chance that instead of hitting a Kobold, I might have hit a mercenary with Gram, but it turned out okay in the end.
But I'm not obligated to patiently answer the mercenary's questions, including the issue of accuracy.
"I'll leave that to your imagination. How's your foot feeling, though?"
I casually dismissed the mercenary's question and asked another one.
The mercenary slightly frowned at my evasive attitude, but as soon as he remembered his foot injury, he winced and looked down with a pained expression.
"Let me take a look."
I moved the mercenary's hand, which was covering the wound.
"This is quite deep. It's not urgent right now, but if we leave it, it could bleed a lot and become dangerous."
I see that there is a puddle of blood on the ground, flowing from the wound. The mercenary's face looks pale. As Gram said, leaving it untreated could be life-threatening.
"The emergency magic tool..."
"...I dropped it while running away from that damn dog."
"Ugh, what are you doing?"
I couldn't help but cover my face in frustration at the mercenary's mistake. The mercenary himself seemed awkward.
There's no other choice.
I took out the spherical magic tool that was provided to me.
"Hey...what are you planning to do?"
"It should be obvious. I'm going to call the lead mercenary."
As I tried to stand up and put my hand on my knee, the mercenary hurriedly grabbed my hand to stop me.
"D-Don't joke around! If I ask for help from a 2nd-rank mercenary for a simple Kobold hunt, I'll become a laughingstock!"
.........
"────(Sigh)"
'Stop it, partner! It's really not a good idea to hit someone who's almost dead! Well, not dead yet, but still! If you're not careful, you might deliver the final blow, partner!'
Gram, who understood my feelings, let out a scream. If it weren't for that, I was thinking of giving him a headbutt to shut him up.
I sighed and vented my inner frustration, glaring at the mercenary with all the remaining emotions I had. Maybe he was intimidated by my gaze, as the mercenary's face twisted in discomfort.
"Hey, if you leave that leg injury untreated, you'll die. It's stupid to be stubborn and drop dead in a place like this, isn't it?"
"But, if I call the 2nd rank mercenary, the exam will──"
"Shut up! If you keep babbling like that, I'll shut you up physically!"
With a sharp word, I pushed away the mercenary's hand. Maybe he had lost strength from losing blood, but his hand easily slipped away.
The mercenary still tried to argue, but I could tell he understood that my words were right. He reached out his hand, but didn't do anything more.
I snorted and then slammed the sphere I had in my hand onto the ground.
Right after, a loud sound echoed and a colored smoke signal soared into the sky.
"Ohhhh... It's way more intense than I imagined..."
'If it's this loud, it will definitely reach the entrance of the forest.'
Being hit by a high volume sound at close range, I couldn't help but cover my ears, and in my mind, I could hear Gram's voice. In times like these, Telepathy (channel) is convenient. It allows communication without relying on hearing.
'Oh, it's already coming closer to us── oh?'
Gram made a sound that can be likened to a human tilting their head.
'...Partner, I have bad news.'
"What is it this time? Is someone being attacked again?"
I wonder if this exam will be alright. The quality of the examinees and the environment of this forest and all.
'I'm not sure if someone is being attacked, but── a 'big one' is heading this way. Most likely, it reacted to the sound of the magic tool used by you, partner.'
"...wait, hold on, were there monsters like that in this forest?"
Wow, with such a loud noise, not even monsters or wild animals would come near. Only a hungry and confused Kobold might, though.
From what I checked beforehand, it seemed like there were no monsters "around" here.
But there wasn't time to think deeply.
Before long, a crashing sound, like trees being knocked down, echoed from deep within the forest, getting closer and closer.
'Here it comes, partner! Get ready!'
"Ugh, what's going on!"
As I was told, I held my spear and glared in the direction where the sound was coming from.
The creature appeared, crushing nearby trees.
"A Hornbull! Why is it here?"
Just as the name suggests, it was a monster in the shape of a bull with big twisted horns. It was a 4th rank monster, which meant it wasn't something we were supposed to deal with.
This is a monster that inhabits deeper in the forest. It rarely appears on the surface where we are now. At least that's what I found out beforehand.
Despite its fierce appearance, its temperament is quite gentle. When it hears loud noises, it actually runs back into the depths of the forest.
But the Hornbull that appeared in front of us is panting heavily and kicking the ground with its hind legs. Even an amateur can tell that it's in an extremely excited state.
'Hey partner, it's around the side of that one.'
I just realized, as Gram pointed out, that the hair near the side of the Hornbull is dyed bright red. It seems like it's injured.
'Some idiot must have provoked the Hornbull and made it go berserk.'
Gram expressed it as "some idiot," but most likely it was a mercenary who took the exam with us.
'Seeing that there's no blood on its horns, the idiot who provoked it must have run away. And then, the Hornbull, who was excited and looking for a target for its anger, unfortunately heard the loud noise of the magic tool used by you and was drawn towards us, partner.'
"──You mean it was drawn to this?"
Hey, stop messing around!
I'm completely caught off guard here!
The twisted tip of the horn is aimed right at me, with anger directed solely at me.
When the Hornbull gets angry, it doesn't stop until it crushes everything in sight. And its charging speed is so fast that it's impossible to outrun with human legs.
The impact from the Hornbull's massive body is intense. If I get impaled by its twisted horn, there's no chance of survival.
Even if I try to hide among the trees, the Hornbull has already crushed through the dense vegetation, leaving no obstacles in its path.
"...I have to hold on here until Mikage and the others arrive."
'And to make matters worse, there's a "luggage" behind you.'
When I glance behind, I see a mercenary with a look of despair at the appearance of the Hornbull. His pale face loses even more color, turning completely white. With an injured leg, there's hardly any chance to escape.
'Hey, what should we do, partner? If we use the "luggage" as a decoy, there's one chance for us to escape. That way, we can meet up with Mikage and the others!'
Gram seemed to be teasing me, but instead of responding, I tightly gripped the handle of the spear.
It's too bad to rescue someone and then abandon them right away. It's really frustrating.
There's no choice but to finish things here!
'That's why you're the Hero (Eiyuu) I believed in!'
The black spear (Gram) let out a cry of joy. The crimson gem embedded at the tip of the black spear, Gram, emitted a bright light.
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