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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Slaying the Tree Snake Ma-in
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Please take good care of me.
Arsen immediately led the squires and charged toward the battlefield where the knights were fighting the Ma-in.
The two knights were fighting desperately, but the situation clearly looked unfavorable for them.
The fox Ma-in, having taken out the most threatening Entir, was charging in high spirits and pressing the attack relentlessly, while the tree snake Ma-in covered the gaps between its large swings.
Entir's corpse lay abandoned far off in the distance.
Surprisingly, it was the tree snake Ma-in that posed the greater threat to the knights.
It was an opponent that should have been easy to dispatch since it had few combat-oriented mutations for a Ma-in, but fighting it while it was protected within the fox Ma-in's attack range made it extremely tricky.
On top of that, the sword it wielded was a knight's sword—no, not standard issue, but a powerful enchanted personal weapon on par with Palato's javelin, Entir's axe, or Zenovia's spear.
Even the knights' magic armor, which ignored ordinary attacks and mitigated powerful ones, would surely tear like paper against that blade.
In fact, Palato's armor was split open along his right side, and Zenovia's helmet was dented at the cheek.
Both were the results of glancing blows from the fox Ma-in's claws.
Had it not been magic armor, or if they'd been struck by the knight's sword instead of the Ma-in's claws, Palato would have spilled his guts from his side, and Zenovia's head would have been severed.
"Looks like all your trash got wiped out. Big bro."
"Damn it."
The fox Ma-in glanced at the approaching enemies and calculated.
The foes weren't all that strong, but variables were unwelcome in an advantageous situation.
Truth be told, the fox Ma-in's sticky hide was weak to fire, so there was a slim chance one of them had the tool used to light the fire in front of the cave and might use it, putting it in danger.
Better to deal with the knights than risk unexpected attacks as their numbers grew.
The cunning fox Ma-in twisted its body using its arms instead of legs and leaped to block the path between the knights and the charging squires.
It had perfectly plugged the narrow entrance to the valley, a terrain where even Jin couldn't be ignored or bypassed.
"I'll buy time. Kill those guys first."
"Got it!"
While the fox Ma-in blocked the knights' intervention, the tree snake Ma-in raised its sword and advanced on the squires.
At that moment, Arsen, spotting it, quickly broke formation and flung himself to the left.
It looked for all the world like he was fleeing from the tree snake Ma-in.
"Sir Arsen!"
"What in the world...!"
The squires panicked at the sudden turn, but Arsen didn't explain as he ran.
He couldn't let the Ma-in ahead figure out why he was charging at it.
The tree snake Ma-in might be weak for a Ma-in, but that just meant weak among Ma-in—it would slaughter any squires who dared approach.
Even Arsen, a knight though his combat prowess and gear fell short of standards, likely wouldn't fare much better.
But he still had one more card to play to turn the tide.
Palato's chief squire, realizing why Arsen had veered left upon looking that way, shouted loudly.
"Attack! Hurry and attack!"
As the squires charged with yells, the tree snake Ma-in, momentarily intrigued by the suddenly fleeing boy, raised its sword and cut them down.
With a weapon that severed swords from high-physical opponents or spears from spear wielders, the two bravest squires who led the charge had their heads and bodies sliced apart in an instant.
Three had died in the earlier clash, three more now, leaving only seven squires.
But the chief squire didn't falter and relentlessly urged them on.
"Fight!"
After cutting down a few squires and soldiers, the tree snake Ma-in lunged at the chief squire issuing commands, swinging its sword.
The chief squire met it bravely.
Drawing on long combat experience, he avoided bodily harm even as his weapon shattered in one strike, but the follow-up kick sent him coughing violently to the ground.
He felt his ribs shatter clearly.
"Shut up, you noisy bastard..."
As the tree snake Ma-in moved to finish the chief squire, a shadow lunged at it.
True to its relatively weak nature, the tree snake Ma-in's survival instincts were sharp; it instinctively spun to evade the incoming threat.
Another elongated silhouette appeared beside the flying object, aiming to cleave the tree snake Ma-in's torso.
It blocked instinctively with its sword, sending its body flying, but it was a perilously close call it was lucky to survive.
"What!?"
What appeared was the young boy who had fled alone moments ago.
Surprisingly, he hadn't fled—he'd picked up the axe from the knight he'd just killed, mounted Jin, and attacked!
"Damn it all, didn't expect a kid knight. Adults are easy to spot by size, but kids are tricky."
Muttering in fury, the Ma-in faced Arsen, who composed himself to hide his trembling hand from the shock of the previous attack.
The numbness wouldn't fade easily.
'A monstrous little shit!'
From above, with a heavy weapon, building acceleration.
It was an attack summing every advantage in cold weapon combat, yet he'd still taken damage.
Without armor or Jin, the opponent's physical prowess alone was on par with a proper knight.
'Mobility's mine, but I can't win head-on!'
The sensation of riding Jin was incredibly strange.
Like a beast's body sprouting beneath a human one, controlling two bodies at once.
Thanks to Palato letting him ride a few times, he knew how to mount it, but he'd never fought from one.
Plus, Entir's axe was excessively heavy and large.
For someone small and light like Arsen, it would drag his body along regardless of strength.
He was forcing swings by leveraging the Jin ride.
"Why aren't you charging, kid? Scared? Missing mommy? Want me to send you to her?"
The Ma-in taunted, but Arsen stayed calm, circling the Ma-in slowly on Jin.
Like a beast hunting for weakness, axe lowered in both hands.
"I don't have a mom, you bastard."
The Ma-in's face briefly twisted in bafflement at Arsen's calm retort.
Only for a moment—its gaze shifted to the squires.
"Fine, I'll kill those guys first then!"
As the Ma-in turned, Arsen spurred Jin into a charge.
The Ma-in whipped its head around and swung its sword.
But Arsen had never intended a head-on crash; just before entering the blade's radius, he slammed to a halt, dodging.
The distance between them reset to the start.
"You..."
The Ma-in grasped Arsen's intent.
He wouldn't attack. But he'd maintain a distance for an instant strike, pouncing on any opening.
A classic stalling tactic—but classic meant a textbook without flaws.
"Martla! Help Sir Arsen with me! The rest of you, go there!"
Clutching his side, Palato's chief squire issued orders with authority unbelievable for a man with broken ribs.
At his command, two of Palato's squires joined Arsen, while the others rushed to aid the two knights.
"Surround it!"
With two squires aiming spears from left and right, the Ma-in looked troubled.
"Let's see you try, you bastards!"
Resolving on a gamble, the Ma-in swung wildly at the chief squire, who couldn't move nimbly due to injury.
Arsen spurred Jin simultaneously, swinging the axe.
Unable to block, the chief squire's body was bisected, but the spear from the opposite side pierced the Ma-in's side.
At the same time, the Ma-in extended one hand, catching not the axe blade but the haft.
The sound of palm bones cracking rang out, but successfully blocking, it gripped the haft and flung Arsen down.
Slammed to the ground with immense force, a pain like shattered legs ripped a scream from Arsen.
"Damn brat, got you at last!"
In this crisis, as if focusing his mind on battle, the leg pain vanished, and Arsen's thoughts sharpened crystal clear.
He instantly dropped the unwieldy axe and drew the sword at his waist.
The Ma-in rushed to kill him before he could rise fully, bringing its greatsword down.
Excruciatingly slow, crawling like a snail.
Stunned by the bizarre sensation, Arsen instinctively moved his sword to parry the incoming greatsword.
His own body moved slowly too, like submerged in water.
The block proved meaningless—Arsen's sword caught on the greatsword and snapped.
Like slow-motion footage, the metal blade shattering was surreal.
The greatsword that crushed resistance now descended on Arsen's head.
He tried to dodge, but this slowness applied to him too; his body wouldn't move fast.
'I'm dead!'
The instant certainty hit that no defense would work, something snapped inside Arsen's body.
With it, he sensed panic from the Ma-in ahead.
The greatsword no longer advanced on him, merely trembling lightly.
Realizing the sword halted inches from his forehead—not seemingly slow, but truly stopped—Arsen swung his broken sword.
The Ma-in's head lolled off limply.
"...Ah!"
Only after staring at the floating, flying head did time resume properly.
As surrounding time flowed right again, tension released, flooding his legs with excruciating pain.
Unable to stand longer, Arsen collapsed there.
"W-We won!"
Even hearing the surviving squire's cry, Arsen couldn't grasp the victory.
It had seemed an impossible foe, and the win felt hazy, like the enemy tripped itself.
Probing for the sound from inside him, he felt fragments in the pouch at his waist.
Pulling them out, the wooden figurine from Eloise back at the estate was shattered.
'No way, was this...'
"Arsen! You okay!?"
Palato's voice called from afar. Arsen saw him approach.
Palato looked far from unscathed.
His right arm hung limp, likely broken, and blood trailed from somewhere on his torso armor.
"Did you... take it down alone?"
"Yes."
"...Impressive. Honestly, I thought you'd get crushed."
Arsen agreed with Palato's admiring words.
Even on Jin, one mistake nearly cost his life.
Had the sword not paused before splitting his skull, he'd surely be dead.
His skill wasn't exceptional, but the gap in physical power and weapon was vast.
"What of the other Ma-in...? How's Lady Zenovia?"
"Finished it. Fire was its weakness. Lady Zenovia's fine. Probably the least injured of us."
Arsen recalled Zenovia's words from yesterday and chuckled.
Reality wasn't like movies after all—death flags didn't mean you died for real.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Just... glad is all."
"You don't look it. Leg broken? Tough break."
"This is..."
Arsen started to say it was fine but swallowed at the item Palato offered.
It was the greatsword the Ma-in had wielded.
"Only one knight from our estate's lost a weapon lately. Probably your father's sword."
".
Arsen took it, planting the blade in the ground like a cane to stand.
Regrettably, too sharp—it sank deep, useless for that.
Palato laughed at the foolish sight and extended a hand.
"Give it here. I'll carry you for now."
"...Yes."
Palato took the sword and deftly strapped it beside his Jin with one hand.
"Back to the fortress first. Mostly raider blood, so fine for now, but magic beasts will come soon."
"Understood."
With support from the surviving squire, Arsen remounted Entir's Jin and linked nerves.
The squire's eyes brimmed with awe and respect.
"You've done well, Sir Arsen."
"No need. Your name...?"
"Martla, sir."
"You too, Martla. We won."
Muttering it to himself, Arsen moved Jin and surveyed around.
As Palato said, the clearing reeked thickly of gore.
The cave still smoked too heavily to enter, so unless fighting incoming magic beasts drawn by the smell, they had to head back to the fortress.