CH 203

“He’s moving so restlessly fast!”

“I don’t know how he can run that fast through this forest ……!”

Perhaps he’s used to the forest, but Croix’s running through it, dodging trees with ease. I’ve been training with my brother and Nora in the mountains for a long time, so I can do this much.

But Makina, who has spent most of her time fighting on grasslands and at the guild’s well-equipped training grounds, seems to be having a hard time slipping through the trees.

And the strangest thing is Croix. It’s as if he’s keeping his distance, holding his position until he’s almost lost, occasionally looking back. 

“Kuh …….”

“That guy’s so fast!?”

“Fuh …… Fuh ……”

“Some people are starting to fall behind.”

“I-It’s becoming pretty tough for me too ……”

The speed and strength of each person is different, and to be honest, running with armor on is quite tough. I can’t disguise the sweat pouring out of me either. Even though she’s lightly armed, Makina seems to have lost a lot of strength in the hard woods. 

It would be even worse for a wizard like Sifol-san. She was staggering quite a bit behind.

“Okay, Makina, it’s going to be a little bumpy, but bear with me!”

“What? …… Kya!?”

“What are you going to do, Lars-kun?”

“I’m going to go around and try to stop him. !”

As soon as I say it, when I hold Makina and float, I put in magical power and speed up at once. I wrapped Makina in my arms to prevent her from colliding, and walked between the trees. 

I’ve fired three Dragonic Blaze shots in total, so I’m starting to feel tired. But thanks to a year of training, I don’t think I’m going to faint.　

“Wha-, It’s so fast!”

“It’s better not to talk because you’ll bite your tongue …… Alright, we’re getting close!”

“……!?”

When he turned around, Croix’s eyes from the bandages widened.

When I get close enough to see him clearly, I stick one hand out in front of me and use magic. 

“”

A chain of water flies towards Croix with a jingling sound. It’s going for his feet in a straight line, but Croix dives to the side and tries to evade it. 

But–

“How naive!”

“…… What!?”

I manipulated the water jail from my hand and bent it in the direction he avoided to. He was obviously shocked. It’s quite difficult, but I’ve been able to use this magic repeatedly to release it from my hand.

I’m sure this has shaken Croix, he slows down, and the water jail gets tangled in his leg, and he falls down spectacularly. 

“Makina!”

“Yes!”

I set Makina down and come around in front of her from the sky.

“I’m catching up. Why did you try running away? …… Are you the mastermind of the threat letter?”

“……”

“Answer me! The lord is not the only one who will be troubled if the number of Treants continues to grow, you know?”

When Makina and I asked him, he looked at me without saying a word and narrowed his eyes. I feel like I’ve seen those eyes before ……?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and then Croix opened his mouth.

“I’m not it. But I know who did.”

“!?”

“What!? Is that true!?”

I thought the tone would be more light-hearted because of his slender frame, but when I heard his voice, it sounded a little thicker …… like the kind of voice they use on TV to make ex-offenders confess. I wonder if the poison had damaged his vocal cords as well.

Regardless, it was more important that this guy said he knew the one who did it. I approached the fallen Croix, got down on one knee and spoke to him.

“Who the hell is that ……?”

“Hahahahahaha, I can’t tell you that yet. First of all, the Guildmaster needs you to eliminate the source of the Treants. “

“…… Is it possible that he and you are in cahoots and are trying to trap us?”

“It’s a possibility. But you want to get rid of Treants, and I’m the only one who knows that at the moment. If you leave here, I won’t tell who did it even if I die. But if you want to get rid of them, I’ll be happy to tell you on the spot if you want to?”

“……”

When I was narrowing my eyes and trying to figure out Croix’s intentions, Makina said to me while still in her stance 

“…… Lars, we have no choice but to go, right? I know it sounds dangerous, but I think we should take down the Treants and ask him who did it.”

“‘It’s not like he won’t lie to us.

“You’ll have to trust me on this one. I don’t care either way, though? Let’s just say I wouldn’t lie.”

I swallowed the words that I was about to say, “Why did you run away then?”, and stared at Croix. It’s true that whether he talks or not, there’s no downside for him. It’s hard to accuse him because there’s no proof that he’s in on it. If the culprit realizes he’s been betrayed and accuses him, that’s a different story.

I met Makina’s eyes as she looked at me in a cold sweat and she nodded slowly. I opened my mouth to see if Makina had a point.

“…… Okay. How long does it take to get to that source?”

“Yeah? I think it will take about another half day. It’s not safe at night, so we’d better camp out and leave in the morning.”

“If you’re lying to me, I won’t let you get away with it, okay?”

“Hahaha, that’s a scary thing to say. Don’t worry, I’m not going to lie ……”

Croix’s mouth twisted up in a smile. I hate that it’s his idea no matter how it turns out, but I can’t let that stop me. As soon as I got Croix back on his feet, I saw Conrad and the others catching up with him. 

“…… I finally caught up …… The rest of them are fighting another monster, so we’ll have to wait a bit. At any rate, your magic is amazing, Lars-kun …… And so, Croix, what do you think you’re doing running away? “

“I don’t have any ulterior motive. I was just hiding because I’m not much of a fighter and I wanted to get a move on.”

“That was pretty fast of you, though……?”

“Well, we’re together now, so isn’t it fine.”

Even though Borzov and the other adventurers are staring at him, he shrugs his shoulders without a care in the world. And then Cave and Sifol-san catch up with us.

“Hiii …… hah …… It’s no use, I’m already at my limit ……!”

“I’m …… a smart person, but ……”

“Are you okay ……? Have some water.”

When Makina gave Sifol-san some water, she smiled and tipped her water bottle. On the other hand, the situation over here is not going to end well, so I tell everyone what I just heard.

“It seems that the source of the Treants is just ahead. That’s what I heard from him. We’re only a breath away, so why don’t we go there anyway? If nothing else, let’s blame it on Croix.”

“…… Hmm, if you say so. ……”

“I’m counting on you, kid! You too, girl!”

Thanks to the Dragonic Blaze I just showed them, I think I’ve caught their eye. I walked right behind Croix, thinking it would make it a little easier to move. Surveillance and insurance in case this thing gets out of control. 

“…… Will an ogre come out or will a viper come out. ……”

“What’s wrong, Lars?”

“No, I’m just wondering what will come out there. Anyway, do you think Basleigh-sensei will be okay?”

“If he does anything, I’ll get a report from Henrietta-chan, so I’ll know when I get back. And I’ll know when we get home.”

“Well, that’s true.”

As we talked, the adventurers who had been fighting the monsters eventually joined us, and after gaining some distance until the sun went down, we began to camp.

The perpetrator of the threat letter …… While having a bad feeling about this, I threw the wood into the fire.

Negotiations that can’t be pulled off …… It’s similar to blackmail when you know you don’t have the upper hand.

Thank you for reading!

[Afterword Theater]

“My shouldeeeeeeers!?”

Let me see, is it here?

“Hnn!? That’s the joint ……!? Don’t you have a shoulder pain too?.”

…… I feel like I’m dying ……