The troll fixed its rage-maddened eyes on Nfirea. It paid no more attention to Enri.
“Go! Go and get help!”
It would be foolish to waste time here.
“―You’d better stay safe!”
Saying that, Enri ran.
The troll didn’t look like it wanted to follow.
Frankly speaking, his chances of survival were zero. There was an overwhelming difference in their respective physical capabilities. And there was no way he could triumph over a foe that needed gold-ranked adventurers to beat.
It was a hopeless battle, and being able to hold on for even a minute was worthy of praise.
“Yup, I’m going to die.”
Nfirea smiled bitterly as he watched the troll, who was approaching him warily.
It could not regenerate damage caused by acid and fire. Because of this, the troll was especially careful around Nfirea, who could defeat its greatest ability. It was laughable that it had to act so cautiously around a foe it could finish off in one blow.
“Well, that works for me. 「Hypnotism」!”
The troll’s hostility seemed unchanged. It seemed to have resisted the spell.
Realizing that it had been targeted by a spell, the troll charged.
The gigantic body approaching him was like a scene out of a nightmare.
“If it worked, I could have held on a bit longer… no such luck. Ahhh, what a shame.”
Nfirea seemed to have given up. This was because it was a completely unwinnable battle, which had crossed the line from bravery to recklessness. But even so―
―He had to buy time for Enri.
With that thought in mind, Nfirea leapt into action.
Making note of the troll’s upraised left arm, he ran forward and to the left. Seeking life in death, he plunged head-first into danger to reach the safety beyond it. The troll’s fist followed him, and the wind of its passing ruffled his hair. And in front of Nfirea, a mighty foot kicked out at him like a moving wall.
Nfirea’s vision spun wildly as he flew through the air, his body making cracking sounds like shattered tree branches.
He hit the ground hard and rolled several times, like a piece of discarded rubbish.
Pain coursed through Nfirea’s body, which was still rolling over the ground. He was in more pain than he’d ever been in his life.
“No, I somehow managed to survive. That’s amazing. I’m amazing…”
This was because of the effects of his defensive spell and the fact that the troll had been unable to kick with all its strength. Ignoring the pain that shot through him with every breath he took, Nfirea stood, and loosed another spell.
“「Acid Arrow」!”
The pursuing troll stopped in its tracks, wary of the pool of scorching acid at its feet.
Mmm, just as planned.
Nfirea’s aim was to buy time. If the enemy stopped attacking and went on guard, he hoped it would continue to stay that way.
“…Damn, this hurts. I don’t want to die…”
Nfirea gave voice to his despair.
In the end, this was all his life had amounted to.
He didn’t want to face this fact, but the circumstances were forcing him to acknowledge it.
He would die here. There was no doubt that his existence would end here.
He wanted to run. Maybe if he ran with all his strength he might be able to escape. But if that happened, what manner of tragedies would occur?
Nfirea thought of Enri.
He was able to fight because he had Enri.
“So I told her after all… damn. I don’t want to die before I hear her answer.”
The ever-approaching troll could not understand what the young man was feeling.
And he couldn’t delay it any longer.
He didn’t know how, but Nfirea managed to read his opponent’s thoughts through its face. It was planning to kill him, even if it got hurt. If that was the case―
“「Acid Arrow」!”
All Nfirea could do was wound the troll, in order to make things easier for his allies who would face the troll after him.
The troll raised its fist, face twisted from the pain of being burnt by the acid. Nfirea, who couldn’t even stand without being wracked with pain, was unable to muster any form of defense.
♦ ♦ ♦
“Hurry!”
In response to Enri’s command, the three goblins ran to save Nfirea.
The reason they had met up wasn’t because Enri had reached the main gate, but rather, because Enri had not returned, and the howls coming from the rear had worried Jugem enough that he had sent three goblins out to investigate.
If he could just hold on, the goblins would save him. This was what Enri thought, as her heart was shredded by guilt.
This was really a stroke of bad luck.
If it hadn’t been like this―
“There!”
Enri was pointing to Nfirea, in front of them. And towering over him, the troll was raising its fist.
They couldn’t reach him. The distance was just too far.
The troll’s hand fell like a thunderbolt. It could destroy a house in a single blow. Nfirea was dead beyond all reasonable doubt.
As she closed her eyes, she heard the goblins gulp in surprise.
Their out-of-place response led Enri to nervously open her eyes―
“Aaaahhhh, your HP’s in the red~ You okay?”
―And she saw a beautiful woman holding a gigantic weapon.
Lupusregina was carrying a weapon that looked like some sort of oversized religious symbol, using it like a shield to block the troll’s fist. The weapon’s dimensions and the maid’s size seemed completely mismatched to the point of surreality, but this was no illusion.
“Then, I’ll take care of this guy. …Oh wait, Enfi-chan’s hurt. 「Heal」.”
The troll stepped back, unable to understand the scene before it. The blow which it had put its full strength into had been blocked by a human, so its reaction was only to be expected. Perhaps it thought there was some kind of magic at work here.
With a stunned expression, Enfi limped away from the troll, turning his back to it. It was a thoroughly unguarded posture, but the troll didn’t press the attack. No, it couldn’t just ignore the newcomer.