Ankoku Kishi Monogatari ~Yuusha wo Taosu Tameni Maou ni Shoukansaremashita~

Big Sis Kenya took care of the rearguard as we advanced, making sure no one attacked us from behind .

She was the fastest person in Teseshia . As long as she fought in an open space, no one would be able to match her in speed .

Big Sis Kenya swung her spear, throwing the Goblins around her in all directions .

There was also Madia, who used flash magic to temporarily blind the Goblins . That move helped us a lot .

Leylia-san was ahead of us, smashing Goblin heads with her mace .

「GOBLIN BEGONE!!! 」

「As usual you’re the first to charge towards the demons, Leylia-san . 」

With her being a priestess of Rena, it was only natural for Leylia to feel intense hatred towards demons .

Her feelings were born of a demon attack she suffered a long time ago . She felt that Angel-sama had answered her prayers by giving her the power to exterminate demons .

As a healer, she should have been a rearguard .

But off she went, charging ahead of the vanguard . Thankfully, Nora-san was there to cover her back . She skillfully used her bow and daggers to dispatch of any Goblins that came too close .

As far as I knew, those two had been comrades even before meeting us . They had such good coordination that even their breaths were synchronized .

It was mostly thanks to them that we were able to advance, but some others also did their best . Namely, Novis .

He defeated one Goblin after another with his swordplay and fire magic . As expected of the one hailed as the Hero of Fire .

「That’s amazing, Novi-kun! You seem even stronger than before . 」

Madi cheered Novis and gave him an appreciative look .

Yeah, he was strong . As I watched Novis’s movements, I wondered if he could be that much stronger than before .

Novis had been a gifted child . On top of his talent with magic, he had a keen instinct for swordplay . He learned magic with Madi’s mother and swordplay alongside me with my father .

I wasn’t cut out for swordplay . I lacked the most basic quality for swinging a sword: pure strength . No matter how much I trained, I couldn’t gain any muscle . As a result, I couldn’t swing my sword properly .

My father died in a fight against a demon . If he hadn’t left me his magic sword, I would have never considered becoming a Freedom Fighter .

After my father’s death, my mother remarried and I left the house . I didn’t want to live with her anymore . My foster father seemed like a decent man, but I only had one father and that was enough for me .

I became a Freedom Fighter, just like my father, and worked with Big Sis Kenya . During that time she was working with Novis, who was already a Freedom Fighter .

Novis was famous for being a magus warrior .

Not long after that, Madi joined us . Then, by the time Leylia-san and Nora-san joined our group, Novis had already been named Hero of Fire .

Our paths slowly separated . He’d receive named requests and gradually gravitated away from us . Meeting him again after a long time made me realize the difference between us . He had become so much stronger .

His talent made me jealous .

「What’s the matter, Shizufae? Did you fall in love with me again? 」

He probably noticed that I was looking at him because he was grinning .

「Haaa?! What the hell are you talking about, you fool? 」

How could he think I was in love with him?

Others may praise him and call him Hero but, to me, he was just a brat .

He was just a brat who constantly teased me when I was younger . Even after I grew up, he still teased me . No matter how much time passed, Novis would still be a brat .

I wanted him to be a gentleman… Like Reiji-sama .

[TL: Oh god, not another Shirone…]

I remembered what happened last night .

Truthfully, I wanted to speak to Reiji-sama, but I didn’t dare approach him . Sage-sama’s glare was too vicious . My time with him was cut even shorter because of the arrival of the Pashipea Princess .

Such a loveable man… Of course, he wouldn’t get close to a girl like me . I wouldn’t even look good if I stood too close to him while he was surrounded by those incredibly beautiful ladies .

Anyway, we managed to push through the Goblins .

Even I could easily deal with those Goblins, and I wasn’t even strong .

The problem was the sheer number of them . As we moved deeper into the labyrinth, we found many crumbled Goblin statues .

It was definitely the work of those foul Cockatrice .

If we fought with the Cockatrice, we’d have only a slim chance of winning . It would be better if we could avoid them completely .

The number of broken statues was staggering . The Cockatrice must be hiding nearby .

Suddenly, a loud cry rang out .

「KOKE――――――――!! 」

The noise was followed by many Freedom Fighters calling out in alarm .

Big Sis Kenya was the first to identify the source . It seemed like she could already see the enemy because of her height, which helped her see farther than most people .

「Crap!! Run, it’s the Cockatrice!! 」

I had seen a Cockatrice before, from far away .

I had never seen one so agitated .

They rolled around, enraged while spewing a grey mist . That mist was the Cockatrice’s poison, capable of petrifying a person on contact .

Maybe the sudden Goblin invasion enraged them .

The Cockatrice noticed us and they made a beeline in our direction .

We ran, of course, but Madi tripped and fell on her face .

「KYAAA!! 」

「MADI !! 」

Novis immediately turned around and took a stance between Madi and the crazed Cockatrice . I took the opportunity to help her up .

「GODDAMMIT!! 」

Just us two against all those Cockatrice…

Novis swung his sword, ready to protect Madi and me . At the same time, Big Sis Kenya used her spear to push away the Cockatrice, while Nora-san aimed her arrows at their heads .

「HHAAA!!!」

Then I noticed the Cockatrice’s beak opening wide .

I shouted as loud as I could .

「EVERYONE GET DOWN!!! 」

The Cockatrice let out the gray mist poison .

Thankfully, we had Novis wit us . He erected a wall of fire, which kept us safe .

「FIREWALL!!」

Novis, seeing how the poison couldn’t make it over the wall of fire, laughed .

「Hehe, how’s that?! 」

However, he didn’t notice the danger right behind him .

「OH NO!! NOVIS, RUN!! 」

I screamed, but my warning didn’t reach him in time .

The Cockatrice charged through the wall of fire . Their resistance to heat made them a poorly matched opponent for Novis, a user of fire magic . Their tough feathers made physical attacks almost useless, and that included sword strikes .

A Cockatrice’s weakness was water . They really hated water, so rainy days were the safest days to explore the labyrinth .

Just then, Novis was sent flying by a Cockatrice’s ramming attack .

「KUH!!!」

「Are you okay, Novis? 」

I rushed toward Novis, and the Cockatrice immediately followed me .

「HOW DARE YOU TO DO THAT TO NOVIS!! 」

Big Sis Keyna readied her spear and Madia used her magic to block the demons’ eyes .

「Darkness!! 」

We were safe for a while .

It would take the Cockatrice some time to build up enough venom to petrify someone else . Thus, we ran away at the first opportunity .

We had Nora-san covering our backs as I headed toward Novis with Leylia-san beside me .

「Sorry, that was my fault . 」

Novis’s voice trembled .

When I looked at his right leg… It was pale white . He got hit with petrification venom when the Cockatrice rammed him .

「Leylia-san, anti-venom!! 」

To my surprise, Leylia shook her head .

「I can’t cure this with my healing magic… We’ll have to drag him along as we retreat . 」

「Understood!! 」

I immediately pulled Novis up, ready to bring him out with Leylia-san, but he disagreed .

「What are you doing?! You two leave me in this place and save yourselves! 」

「THIS FOOL!! AS IF I’M GOING TO LEAVE YOU ALONE IN THIS PLACE TO DIE!! 」

Madia’s magic over the Cockatrice wouldn’t last for much longer . We had to leave immediately . And just as I thought about it, the magic lost its effect and the Cockatrice that had been blinded became enraged .

The moment it was us, I knew we were done for . I lamented that we couldn’t get out in time .

「KUE―――――EEEE!! 」

I thought that was the end .

Suddenly, someone leaped over us and swung their sword at the Cockatrice, relieving it of its head .

「HA!! 」

… It was Reiji-sama .

Reiji-sama came to save us!

When he saw me, he let out a refreshing smile .

「Are you alright, Shizufae? 」

「Reiji-sama!! 」

「Wow, that cockatrice was killed in one hit… This person is truly the Hero of Light-sama . 」

Madia muttered under her breath .

As I looked at the headless demon corpse, I had to agree with her .

Then Sage-sama arrived .

「Are you okay? You look like you’re hurt . 」

Saint-sama approached Novis, who laid on his side . She touched his petrified foot, and it shone with a faint light for a moment .