Chapter 31
Whooosh!
Sand and ash leaked from Bilha’s sandbag, stirring up a sandstorm.
The thick, hazy wind made it hard to see and even harder to breathe.
Cough, cough!
Sand kept getting into Sigrin’s throat, making her cough incessantly.
Squinting, she could barely make out Bilha ahead.
Under long eyelashes that shielded against the sandstorm, his yellow eyes gleamed fiercely.
The sand glowed brightly, catching the light of the setting sun.
If she had to describe it, that was the exact color.
Rustle, rustle.
The leaves of the Spirit Sprout were torn off, as if gnawed by the fierce sandstorm.
Was it ticklish or painful?
The Spirit Sprout roared and thrashed.
Even against its erratic, continuous attacks, Bilha didn’t panic. He nimbly dodged and swiftly swung the standard-issue dagger Sigrin had given him at the sprout’s trunk.
Scrape!
It barely left a scratch.
Scrape!
He struck again with more force, but only another small scratch appeared.
Simply infusing a weapon with ki wasn’t enough to deal significant damage to a mid-tier magical beast.
Still, compared to earlier when his attacks didn’t even register, this was progress. Bilha kept striking diligently.
Kyeeeek!!
The damage Bilha was gradually inflicting started as a slight sting but soon became intensely painful.
The Spirit Sprout let out a cry laced with agony.
Thud, thud, thud!
It rolled its root-like feet rapidly and noisily across the ground. A green haze rose around the tree, and the parts they had painstakingly carved out began to heal quickly.
“…Tch.”
“The Spirit Sprout has a self-regeneration ability! No matter how hard you cut the trunk, it won’t take damage.”
Recalling something from a book, Sigrin hurriedly shared the information with Bilha.
At the same time, she examined the Spirit Sprout with the Eye of Ether.
Surprisingly, magical beasts, like humans, had a core that served as the source of their power.
“The roots! It’s the roots! The beast’s core is distributed in the roots, so you need to cut them off one by one to weaken it!”
“…?”
“Kaaaargh!!”
Frustrated, Sigrin pulled a submachine gun from her weapon cache.
This time, she stood firm to avoid being knocked over by the recoil and braced the gun against her shoulder.
Taking proper aim, she pulled the trigger.
Ratatatat!
Sigrin deliberately aimed at the sprout’s roots. Though it didn’t even scratch the beast’s thick skin, it was enough to show Bilha where the roots were.
“Cut those first!!”
Bilha nodded with a gentle expression.
Dodging the sprout’s attacks again, he swung his sword multiple times at the tip of the root where Sigrin’s bullets had hit.
When one root was finally severed, the Spirit Sprout’s strength weakened slightly.
Kyeeeek!!
The sprout’s eyes met Sigrin’s.
It realized that ever since the girl in the back opened her mouth, Bilha’s momentum had changed.
Swish!
A sturdy branch shot toward Sigrin.
“…!!”
Bilha’s pupils dilated.
If this continued, White Head’s body would be pierced.
Slow at running, with terrible stamina, unable to even defend properly, and prone to pain just like him—White Head.
The image of Sigrin being pierced flashed vividly in his mind.
Helpless, unable to resist, her body pierced, and everything inside spilling out.
‘No.’
He had to cut that branch in one strike.
He had to.
Absolutely.
✦ ✦ ✦
The kukri, a curved blade with a heavy tip, had its weight concentrated forward, making its cutting power immense.
There was a masked woman here.
Slash!
Blood rained down on the woman as she sliced a camel’s neck in one stroke with her kukri.
“You must be the fugitive with a 100 million decta bounty.”
A person in thick armor, sweating profusely, stood before her.
“And who are you?”
The woman brushed her blood-soaked hair back with a hand stained with camel blood.
A strong sandstorm swirled around the smiling woman.
Her vision grew hazy.
Clang!
Without giving the armored man a chance to answer, she struck his armor with her kukri.
But the armor was so strong it damaged the kukri’s blade.
“Wow~ What’s this made of?”
“I came prepared to face a 100 million bounty fugitive.”
Her yellow eyes sparkled with intrigue.
“Oh! That’s gotta be worth something!”
Sand began gathering on the broken kukri. The densely packed, reinforced sand formed a new blade.
“That looks tempting. I’ll put it to good use!”
A powerful impact rang out.
The sturdy armor…
Was split in half, along with the person inside.
A child crouching behind the woman stared blankly at the scene.
✦ ✦ ✦
Bilha recalled the criminal who had raised him.
The woman who created reinforced blades from sand, who cleaved thick armor in two.
Drawing on old memories, he gripped the handle of his bladeless sword tightly.
The Etherib surrounding Bilha’s core suddenly emitted a bright light.
A familiar yet new sensation quickly etched itself into his mind.
Ki gathered above the broken sword handle, and sand from the storm began to collect along it.
Veins bulged on the back of Bilha’s hand as he gripped the handle.
Crunch, slash!
The blunt-looking sand blade shattered the thick, armor-like bark and cut through the green, tough core of the branch.
In a single strike.
A massive branch fell right in front of Sigrin.
“….”
Bilha adjusted his grip on the sword.
In one hand, he held the standard-issue dagger Sigrin had given him.
In the other, his broken dagger, its missing blade now replaced by a gleaming kukri made of sand.
✦ ✦ ✦
The Spirit Sprout’s roots lay scattered in pieces across the cave.
Not just the roots—the thick trunk was also chopped into segments, rolling on the ground.
“….”
Having thoroughly defeated the sprout, Bilha staggered toward Sigrin.
“You worked hard.”
“….”
“Thank you for saving me, Bilha.”
In truth, she had equipped a defensive artifact midway, so she wouldn’t have died.
But there was no need to say that, so Sigrin kept quiet.
Bilha crouched close to Sigrin.
“Strange. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Yes, the curse is being suppressed by the blessing. Protecting me seems to have strengthened your faith in the blessing. You won’t have Resistance Fever for a while.”
“….”
Bilha tilted his head instead of replying.
He lifted her arm, spun her around to check her condition, then raised a hand to brush Sigrin’s bangs back, exposing her forehead.
“Hm, want to admire my forehead? It’s pretty round, isn’t it?”
“….”
There wasn’t a single scratch.
Immensely proud, Bilha placed a hand on Sigrin’s head and patted it.
It smelled nice and felt soft.
Sigrin’s words of blessing vaguely resurfaced in his mind.
[…Strength is given to protect… The pain will end, and your life will be filled with peace and happiness.]
The lingering effect of the blessing remained.
A pleasant, uplifting feeling.
And a slight sense of emptiness…
“Hug.”
“Huh?”
“Scared.”
Sigrin hugged Bilha tightly as he requested.
Hug.
Exhausted, Bilha fell asleep in her arms. Soon, soft breathing sounds reached Sigrin’s ears.
Sigrin patted his back.
“Good job.”
Holding him for a while got uncomfortable, so she laid Bilha on the ground.
Her body felt stiff from staying tense for so long.
Staring at the dead Spirit Sprout’s corpse, Sigrin stretched her back.
“Hey, is there really a girl around here?”
“…The footprints definitely lead this way.”
Guests arrived outside the cave. Sigrin turned to look at the entrance.
Her eyes met those of two students.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Standing among the chopped-up beast corpse, Sigrin smiled brightly and waved.
“Luca!! Apple!!”
“….”
“….”
Blood trickled from her nose due to core side effects, but she looked perfectly fine otherwise.