They really are after us, and it’s immediately clear they are too numerous to be a patrol. There are thirty of them.
“What should we do?”
“I think it’s dangerous to face them on the main road, so we should fight in the dark forest.”
“The dark forest? So we’re going to keep running until then?”
The cart pulled by the golem we’ve been using at night can advance through the main road without any issues, but a wasteland is a different story.
Well, it can do it if we really push it, but I doubt we’ll get any rest like that. The uneven surface is going to make the cart shake like crazy.
Once we reach the wasteland, I use Water Magic along with Chris on the ground. We try using a lot of water, and manage to make a slushy mess that’s hard to walk on.
It’s also going to dry pretty quickly, so it’s not going to stay like that for long, but I think it’ll be long enough to disrupt them.
It works like a charm. We manage to keep some distance, and they don’t catch up to us before we enter the dark forest.
But our pursuer really has to be who we expected.
There’s no way people just patrolling would be this stubborn.
Chris used the power of spirits to confirm their appearances when they managed to get close, and among them, there was a man who fit Marcus’ features.
Sera says there’s no doubt about it.
“So how are we going to beat them back? There are a lot of monster presences here.”
Rurika is right. Map shows me many reactions from monsters.
If we fight our pursuers, there’s a good chance the noise will attract those monsters.
“What do you want to do, Sera?”
“I don’t have anything in particular in mind. Being chased is troublesome, but…”
“Don’t you hold any resentment?”
“…I have my own feelings too, but there’s nothing that can be done about that at this point.”
Sera says it’s nothing when I ask, but when Chris asks, her face contorts, like she’s bothered.
Sera is actually mad.
Her pain probably comes from the people who fought alongside her, who were sent by Marcus to the dark forest and died there.
“…Big sister Sera, there’s a good way.”
Says Hikari, who has been quiet this whole time.
Hikari’s proposal is very simple, but it would strike a blow to them.
Judging by how Marcus and his gang are moving, there should be at least one person among them with the ability to look for enemies. The way he’s moving towards us without any hesitation proves it.
And so, Hikari proposes that we use that to set a trap.
We’ll advance through a place with a lot of monsters, and set up a trap along the way. It won’t attack them directly, but it will make a lot of noise.
If it echoes through this quiet forest, it’s bound to attract a lot of monsters.
We’ll have them get a taste of what they put Sera and the others through. It really is a nice revenge.
Hikari proposed this because she remembers what Sera talked about before.
And so, just as we planned, Marcus and his people fall for the trap.
A loud noise echoes through the forest, and the monsters spread around all rush at the same time. Of course, since we’re on the same path, some make their way towards us, but we’ll deal with them.
We specifically chose a place where there weren’t many of them to begin with, because of the chance that Marcus and the others could bring the monsters to us in a mad dash to escape them.
What we face are five blood snakes. They would be strong opponents for them to deal with if they went that way, but they didn’t, so there’s nothing that can be done.
Hikari looks happy though.
“How strong are patrols and people of the empire anyway?”
The levels I saw using Appraisal were all over the place, so I have no idea.
Low levels mean they just didn’t take down a lot of monsters, but…
The man Sera said is one of that other man’s cronies was level eight.
“Honestly, the strong ones are strong. Power is everything in this country. But the weak ones are really weak… They leave everything to others and don’t fight at all.”
It feels like Marcus would be like that too, but is he?
“How is their battle going?”
Asks Rurika, and I tell her what I can see on Map. Although all I can tell her are the reactions displayed on Map, and which ones disappear.
Presently, Marcus and the others… Have taken up a circle formation to make sure they’re not surrounded, with about seven people in the center. Are they reserves? People of high status? I can’t tell that using Map.
They manage to expertly deal with the attack at first, as the fastest monsters charge in and get taken down first.
Then the second wave comes, and three reactions disappear. Three of the people in the middle jump in to plug the gaps, but they’re gradually being overpowered by the monsters.
An hour later, the monster reactions are all gone, but only four people are left. And one of them isn’t moving.
“It looks like it’s over.”
The imperial soldiers that defeated the monsters aren’t budging. Then again, they did fight for an hour straight.
Sera will decide what to do next. If she decides that’s enough, we’ll keep moving forward. If not…
Sera starts walking, in the direction of the soldiers.
If that’s her decision, we’ll follow it. It’s her right.
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Thanks for the treat.
I agree no mercy to these Scumbag after what they did to her