NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56 - Chapter 56: Black Wolf Assault Part 3
Chapter 56: Black Wolf Assault Part 3
On the lookout tower.
The situation with Marie and Gisella is worse than I thought.
Well, Kuro and Shiro are fine.
The real issue is Marie and Gisella.
Marie is still fighting skillfully as ever. But compared to the beginning, she’s clearly lacking vitality. It’s natural. She’s been moving non-stop since morning. She must be exhausted. Plus, this rain isn’t helping. And the footing is terrible. The area around the four of us is littered with black wolf corpses.
And the biggest problem is Gisella. Somehow, she continues swinging her mace and producing piles of black wolf corpses. However, the black wolves she fended off are still hanging from her, and she seems somewhat unsteady, as if being dragged down by the weight of the black wolf corpses. —Gisella might die.
Suddenly, the possibility flashes through my mind, and my blood runs cold. I recall Gisella, who looked genuinely happy cooking with a smile on her face when she was happy to have friends. My brain, which had been excited until now, suddenly goes cold. Cold sweat pours out from all over my body. I almost shout at Gisella to come back immediately. What am I doing? Why am I trying so hard to save the village or do something incomprehensible? I’m not that great of a person. Have I become numb to fear from living near Kidanakemo for so long? Or perhaps, because of Kuro and Shiro’s overwhelming strength, the possibility of losing comrades, something so natural, has completely slipped my mind. But regardless, I can’t afford to lose my composure now. At least, I mustn’t let it show that I’m losing it. Marie, Azir, and Zamza are all doing their best at the last moment. I grit my teeth, inhale the blood-stained air through my nose, and take a deep breath. I somehow manage to calm my emotions and regain composure. The situation is undeniably approaching its limit. However, it’s also true that the number of black wolves is decreasing. Although it seemed like there were endless black wolves, it seems like the situation where new black wolves are supplied one after another has ended. However, we can’t maintain this situation until we kill all the black wolves swarming in front of us. At the very least, it’s impossible for all the girls in front of us to return safely.
“Marie! Retreat! Take your time and come back! …Set fire to the village!”
“………………..Got it.”
“Shiro! Follow Gisella and come back! Gisella, don’t push yourself too hard! We’re all going back together!”
“Haha. Got it, Bonus. It’s tough, but I’ll do my best!”
“Bonus, don’t push yourself too hard.”
Next is inside the village. We need to shift to evacuation preparations.
“Mil, Mayor, evacuate! Starting with those who are physically weak, head for the east gate!”
“Azir! Guide the evacuation! When Mil and the others have all left the village, it’s Miles’s turn!”
Thanks to the preparations already in place, Mil and the others seem to have left the village immediately.
“Next! It’s Miles and the others’ turn! Hurry!”
Azir shouts loudly at the east gate.
Miles and the others, after pulling out the black wolves they were carrying, run towards the east gate.
“Kane! Zamza! I’ll go around setting fire to the houses in the village from now on! Hang in there a little longer.”
“Got it!”
“Gaaaahhh! Bring it on!”
“Azir! Once Mil and the others have finished the evacuation guidance, assist Zamza!”
Zamza is already covered in wounds. Despite continuing to swing his mace with a fierce look in his eyes, he’s bitten all over by black wolves and bleeding. Even with the typical recovery of an ogre, he’s not catching up. He’s been enduring all by himself, but it’s about time he reached his limit. I hold the torch from the lookout tower and go around setting fire to each house. It’s raining, but this area was originally dry. When I use the torch to touch the houses, the fire spreads quickly. I never thought I’d be going around like an arsonist. Just a while ago, these were ordinary homes where everyone lived. There are still traces of life inside the houses.
Suppressing a feeling of indescribable guilt, I rush around the village setting fires.
“Bonus! We’re evacuating too!”
“Got it, Kane! I’ll evacuate too! Zamza and Azir are evacuating too!”
“Got it!”
Finally, I dash up to the lookout tower and shout.
“Marie! We’re evacuating! We’ve set fire to the village! We’ll leave the east gate open, so make your way through while luring the black wolves as best you can! Kuro, Shiro, Gisella! Don’t you dare die!”
Without waiting for a response, I rush down from the lookout tower and sprint to the east gate with all my might.
It seems that black wolves have already entered the village, and barks and screams can be heard everywhere.
The village is covered in rain, flames, and smoke.
The chaos is so overwhelming that I start to feel numb and dazed.
I tightly grip the staff Gisella gave me and somehow muster the strength to run.
When I’m about 100 meters from the east gate, a black wolf pounces from the side.
I instinctively swing the staff.
The impact is more intense than I anticipated, and my hand goes numb.
It seems I haven’t received a fatal wound, but I’ve definitely been injured in some way.
The black wolf writhes on the ground and doesn’t immediately get up.
I managed to react just barely thanks to the staff’s balanced weight.
I need to hurry.
“Bonus! Hurry up. You’re the last one!”
It seems Azir and Zamza are waiting in front of the east gate.
There are already several black wolf corpses in front of the east gate.
I have to hurry.
“Sorry for the wait!”
The three of us pass through the east gate and start running.
Several houses in the village are already burning fiercely despite the rain, generating intense smoke.
Somehow, the sun has already set, and the blazing village houses eerily illuminate the darkness.
This should deceive the wolves’ sense of smell to some extent, and they should be afraid of fire too. It should buy us some time.
I’m worried about Marie and the others, but they’re not the type to fall behind if they focus on escaping.
Surprisingly, Kane and the others seem to be ahead.
I run to catch up somehow.
Zamza quietly runs behind me.
“Zamza. You’re an amazing oni.”
“Bonus. I’ve never felt so proud in battle before. It was the right decision to follow you after all. I’m grateful.”
“Well, let’s survive to the end, eat, drink, and praise each other together.”
“Yeah, of course.”
It’s already pitch black around us.
After running for a while, we catch up with Kane and the others.
Ahead, I can also see Miles and the others.
Despite having babies and elderly people, Mil and the others seem to have kept a good distance.
I’m really glad I left it to her.
I want to believe that we’ve managed to gain some distance from the pack of black wolves.
But we can periodically hear the howls of black wolves from the darkness behind us.
And they’re gradually getting closer.
I can’t shake the feeling that from the darkness behind us, we might start hearing the excited breathing and barks of dogs at any moment.
The rain is uncomfortable, although it has weakened somewhat.
Usually, I’d be encouraged by the beautiful starry sky, but this rainy sky is making the darkness of the night even deeper.
So far, everyone seems to be escaping from the village without anyone missing, which can be considered a success.
But still, the anxiety only grows…