Chapter 5
A sniper attack using magic from outside the detection range of a Rank 6 (probably) scout-type adventurer.
From that, we can deduce that the attacker is at least as strong as a Rank 6 adventurer, if not stronger.
I gritted my teeth against the pain in my eardrums, caused by the blast of explosion-type magic hitting the carriage's barrier and the resulting magical shockwave, and tried to gauge the attacker's strength—frowning not from the pain, but from what I realized.
"Boss!"
As rceja the driver shouted, I leapt onto the carriage.
As expected of the carriage chosen by the Pri Minister to send off his beloved daughter—the barrier was solid.
Not a single scratch on the carriage.
As soon as I grabbed onto the side of the carriage, rceja didn't wait for to get inside and drove the horses at full speed.
Since we didn't know where the shot ca from, he chose to charge forward rather than waste ti turning.
The carriage's barrier could probably withstand a few more hits, but we couldn't relax not knowing the scale of the attack.
It would be too optimistic to think we could just escape out of the attacker's range like this.
I climbed onto the roof of the carriage to secure my field of vision.
There are many skills and spells that conceal presence, but few that can completely fool human sight—and if the enemy could use one of those, it's doubtful even the first shot could've been blocked by the barrier.
"rceja, let ask—this still within the job's fee?"
I shouted loudly so my voice wouldn't be drowned out by the sound of the speeding carriage.
"Of course it is, boss!"
If a Rank 6 adventurer says it's within the fee, I'll take him at his word.
Thank the Pri Minister for sparing no expense.
I pushed my physical enhancent to the limit and focused my attention forward.
If the attack was from behind, we could escape the range before the barrier gave out—so I could ignore that for now.
The fact that they weren't casting spells in rapid succession also told sothing about their capabilities.
At most, only one of them could use magic strong enough to strain the barrier.
Otherwise, they would've unleashed everything they had the mont the first shot was blocked.
My magically enhanced vision caught sight of it.
Yeah, if the first shot failed, you wouldn't hold back on the second, right?
The glow of concentrated magic leaked out from behind a rock up ahead.
"There!"
"Boss!"
rceja seed to spot it at the sa ti and pointed toward the rock while steering the horses.
"I'll go!"
I voiced the obvious division of roles and jumped off the roof of the carriage.
In short, I was just reaffirming that no matter what happened, Erika Solnzari ca first.
Well, I didn't think rceja would ss that up—and I doubted the Pri Minister would've hired soone who would.
As I leapt off, rceja called out to my back.
"Boss! Don't hesitate!"
I didn't answer and kept running.
Because I'd already made up my mind.
The enemy reacted quickly to my leap.
A robed figure—probably to hide their face more than anything else—jumped out from behind the rock.
The magic was ready; I could see the flow of mana heading straight for the carriage.
The attacker prioritized hitting the carriage over dealing with .
The target was——
"The horse!"
Looks like they gave up on finishing it in one shot and decided to take out our mobility first.
That's fine. Worst-case, I'd planned to use my body as a shield—but if they're aiming at the horse, even if the barrier gets breached, the carriage should be safe.
Just two or three more breaths away, and the attacker released the spell.
A torrent of mana flew past as I ran.
Maybe surprised that I didn't even try to dodge and just charged straight in, the attacker hesitated for a split second.
Even so, my sword strike aid at their neck was blocked.
The attacker deflected my sword with a dagger, letting out a pained grunt.
I failed to take down a magic-user in one blow.
At the sa ti, I felt the ripple of mana behind as the carriage's barrier deflected another spell.
Cursing internally, I twisted my body into a half-spin.
I locked eyes with a man swinging a sword at from behind.
Yeah, of course there's more than one.
The man's face twisted in shock.
"Is this your first kill?" I thought, as I took his head.
Then I hurled a dagger at the two n behind him.
One took it in the throat and collapsed on the spot, but the other caught it in the chest and just crumpled.
aning he was still alive.
I closed the distance in a single step and brought my sword down on his head.
The crack of his skull splitting drowned out any scream.
Feeling oddly detached, I rolled away from the spot in a desperate, reckless tumble.
An explosion hit where I'd just been.
I scrambled to my feet, covered in grass and dirt.
Lose focus and you die.
As I regained my stance, the robed attacker stood there, completely exposed.
Their masked face was tilted downward, muttering bitter words.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," "Just a kid," "Am I really throwing away my humanity for this?"—things like that.
I didn't bother trying to figure out what they ant—I just raised my sword and stepped forward to cut off their head.
The mont I was sure my sword would reach them no matter what they did—it happened.
A shockwave erupted from beneath my feet and sent flying several ters.
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