Chapter 23: Misunderstanding

Alkerto’s breathing became rough. He tried to swallow his breath but it was useless. His shoulder was up and down trying to take oxygen as much as he could. His hand holding his sword was torn and bleeding and trembling.

‘I shouldn’t have tried to be cool.’

In fear of the opponent he couldn’t possibly win, and the feeling his death was confirmed, Alkerto immediately turned back and suppressed his desire to run away. Each sword he brandished up was one chance for his colleagues to escape.

—Kiik, Kiiik, Kiiik.

With a strange sound, the monster swung its front claws. The monster looked like a large praying mantis, except that it had four blade-like front claws. And it has a terrible human-like head.

“Ughh—!”

Alkerto tried to swing his sword but his grip was torn and the sword fell out of his hand.

Whoosh!

He desperately avoided the swaying black claws, but soon his back felt like a burning pain.

“Ughh.. ugh—”

Whether his back was cut or stabbed, he didn’t know, but for sure his back hurt badly.

—Keiik

The monster made a sound like it was laughing.

Alkerto closed his eyes. He only hopes it would kill him in one hit.

—Chaeng!!

—KIIIEEKKK!

Alkerto’s eyes widened at the sound of the monster’s scream.

“MOVE!”

“..Sigrid?”

Alkerto felt like the Sigrid stood in front of him was his hallucination. A lie. So he blankly stared at her back.

However, the monster backing out was only for a movement before it tried to swing its claws.

Therefore, seeing Alkerto was unmoved, Sigrid clicked her tongue and then grabbed Alekrto quickly and rolled on the ground. She could kill the monster if she was alone, but if she had to fight it while protecting Alkerto—

“Ughh.”

Alkerto groaned in pain.

“Walk if you can walk. Try to go as far as you could If you don’t want to die!”

“That.. the sword is not good..”

As Alkerto tried to talk while gasping, Sigrid laughed.

“I know. Go quickly.”

Sigrid then started running in the opposite direction.

—Kieeekk!!

“Yeah! Come here you bastard!”

After shouting, Sigrid activated the aura core. The warm energy spread through her body.

‘But it’s not a lot. If it’s like this.. So I only have one minute?’

Sigrid then realized she had to finish the fight quickly.

Alkerto went away so as to not bother Sigrid but he couldn’t walk far. So he lay his face down in the grass and watch the fight.

‘Aura?’

A faintly red remnant wrapped around Sigrid’s sword. The four-blade claws cleverly timed in from different directions and attacked Sigrid. But she cut one of them and danced away from the other three blade-claws. She then grabbed the cut claw and jumped up. The raised front claws as if it was in pain was the driving force for Sigrid to jump up higher. Since its elongated body took a while to turn back, Sigrid then steadily used the claw and stabbed it into its belly.

—Kyaakkk!

A scream echoed through the forest.

A thick green fluid splattered.

Sigrid clicked her tongue as she jumped back down. Because the opponent was a large size, even if it was stabbed with a sword, it didn’t get a huge blow to death. If only she were to have enough aura to fly. But the amount of aura to make it happen did not accumulate enough.

Looking at the monster, Sigrid thought of an idea. The large scythe-like front claws were rather unfavorable to attacking opponents close to it. Well, of course, normally, people would be cut to death before going to the area close to that. She had to enter that area and fight the monster faster.

When Sigrid cut off its second leg the amount of aura decreased rapidly. But it was equivalent to the strength of the blow. The amount of aura that went into each blow made about twice stronger as that of just swinging the sword.

After cutting down the monster’s leg, Sigrid’s leg kicked the ground and run.

‘Let’s go in—!’

Sigrid’s body moved faster than she thought. She then stretched out her arms as much as she could and stabbed the monster’s neck with her sword, then twisted the sword’s handle so it could go deeper.

BLAM!

The arms of the monster that had no claws struck Sigrid. She was then bounced off and rolled over.

“SIGRID!”

Alkerto raised his body and unknowingly screamed.

Sigrid, who rolled over on the ground, coughed violently, but soon she stood up and back away.

—GRRRKK!

The monster slowly collapsed after swinging its front declawed arms as if trying to attack several more times. It even kept moving its arms and legs even after it fell down for a moment.

After watching the movement of the monster stopped, Sigrid sighed and sat down. As she rested her body, she felt a sense of emptiness in her aura core. She even felt a little pain.

‘It hurts.’

Sigrid was certain there was a crack on her core.

‘This pain is fine, as long as Alkero is fine. Oh Alkerto!’

Sigrid rushed to Alkerto.

“Show me your wound!”

“I think I got a cut..”

Sigrid took of Alkerto’s clothes and cursed.

“You should have used chain mail!”

“I thought a weapon would be enough..”

Alkerto dais as an excuse.

Sigrid saw the wound and clenched her teeth. The wound was cut deep and the bones were visible. How could he still talk to her?!

“So, it’s severe..” Alkerto said when he saw Sigrid was silent. “If I die, then I will die.”

Sigrid placed a hand on his shoulder. From the place where her hand touched warm energy began to flow.

Sigrid clenched her teeth.

‘It’s hurt. Hurt. hurt. Hurt.’

When she tried to pull out more aura, the aura core complained of pain.

“Ah!”

“Sig!”

Alkerto’s pain was fading away. However, the noise from behind him was terrifying.

“Ughh.. huk!! Ugh!!”

Sigrid lifted her hand from Alkerto’s shoulder.

Alkerto turned around and was startled to see that Sigrid was bleeding.

“Sig!”

“Move.. ha.. Don’t move, the wound would torn again.”

Sigrid laid down on the ground. Her stomach was in burning pain. Today was the first time she used her aura and it was a quiet amount of it. It was too harsh for a freshly formed core.

Alkerto sat quietly at Sigrid’s words. His back was still a bit hurt.

“Alkerto.”

“Hmm?”

“Alkerto.”

“What?”

“Haha.”

Sigrid laughed weakly. Alkerto was alive. He was alive. She changed the future with her own hand.

Alkerto looked anxiously at Sigrid. She must have overworked herself while having a deadly disease. A weak aura user? It was like a joke.

“Sigrid.”

“Huh?”

A drowsy voice answered him. It was noticeable that Sigrid was completely exhausted.

“Your aura core, when is it—”

Before he could finish his words...

“Phewww~”

A whistle was heard.

“Did the Second Order bast*rd knock this down?”