#60
60. Mission type, escort (4)
“Drinking the potion doesn’t relieve the pain.”
Aaron said with a bitter smile.
At his feet lies a hollow potion vial.
Jenna said in an urgent voice.
“Brother, is there any way to recover?”
“…”
Aaron appears to be fine, but his complexion is gradually turning pale.
The time to move properly is 10 minutes at the most.
I sat down and looked at the girl tapping on my leg.
“Do you have any abilities?”
“What ability do you mean?”
“Recovery.”
The girl looked at Aaron and turned her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Right.”
Sometimes NPCs have special abilities.
I asked just in case, but it seemed like a joke.
Recovery potions do not work.
No antidote was brought.
Recovery of NPCs is also impossible. then.
Aaron bowed his head.
His tone was calm, but his voice trembled a little.
“My older brother said he would throw me away if I couldn’t catch up. I think now is the time.”
Aaron grabbed the spear on the wall.
“I’ll take my time. Leave it to me.”
“…”
I looked at three people.
Edith’s gaze remains averted, and Jenna’s head is lowered. Iolka was looking at Aaron with a hard expression.
“I’d like to go with you.”
said Jenna.
“Miss Jenna, there is no way.”
“but…….”
“I was just weak.”
“you?”
“You decide.”
Iolka replied.
In the end, does that mean you’ll leave it to me?
I closed my eyes and thought deeply.
If you think about efficiency, it is right to throw it away. The escort target does not have the ability to defend itself. If Aaron is added to this, the burden more than doubles. Protecting one and protecting two were completely different things.
In addition, Aaron soon becomes inactive.
They say they are wasting time, but instead of wasting time, they will be killed by dogs.
‘ha.’
I sighed deeply and opened my eyes.
Aaron had a look of resignation. I took a sip of the potion and tossed the half-remaining bottle at Aaron. Aaron, who received it unexpectedly, said.
“what…….”
“Drink.”
“The potion is useless.”
“It can’t cure it. But it can prevent deterioration.”
The pouch contains another potion vial. I took it out and handed it to Aaron.
“Everyone take out all the potions they have.”
Jenna took out the potion first. Three bottles, Iolka also pulled out. One bottle, Iolka only has one stamina potion because of the magic potion. Edith also pulled out. About 10 potions were gathered in one place.
“Take one sip every 10 minutes.”
“……It’s a waste.”
“That’s for me to decide.”
I continued.
“Let’s divide the party from now on. The first one is me, Edith, and the kid. The second one is Aaron, Jenna, and Iolka. The role of the 1st party is to lead the kid to the exit. And your job is to help us escape the kid. I will save Aaron until the end.”
“Is it okay if I help Aaron?”
“They’ll be after the little boy, so if you go the other side of us, you’ll find a safe place.”
“Tongue, brother, I…”
“shut up.”
Aaron was silent.
said Edith, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
“Han, if you do that, it will be difficult to break through the exit. There will be a lot of soldiers. And there will be a gap in the escort network.”
“I guess so.”
If the party continues like this, two people will have to protect the escort target.
The available combat power will be drastically reduced.
“It just changes the way.”
“Changing the way?”
“From breaking through to stealth.”
I looked up.
The clear sky was dyed in crimson.
“Wait until night before we escape the city.”
If combat strength is reduced to less than half, an armed breakthrough cannot be attempted.
However, it is not without its downsides. When the number of active people is reduced, stealth arises. Depending on their actions, they could have escaped without fighting.
If you don’t go through battle, you don’t need to bring a magician, a weapon of firepower. Furthermore, fire magic inevitably causes a disturbance. Therefore, Iolka is excluded. By inserting versatile Zena into it, the response range of variables is widened.
“You guys get to the outskirts of the city. There will probably be a search party working all night. Take Aaron and run away until we finish the escape.”
“Such humiliation…”
“There is nothing like that when you die.”
Footsteps were heard in the distance.
Soldiers were entering the alley.
Aaron contorted his face as if crying.
“sorry.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saving you to be nice.”
“yes…….”
“You two, if the time comes when you can’t protect Aaron, don’t hesitate and throw it away. Your life takes precedence over the injured. Okay?”
Jenna and Iolka nodded and began pouring potions into their arms.
“Then go. The break is over.”
The clearing where we were resting was divided into three roads.
down the way in. and left and right roads. The roads were intricately intertwined and it was not easy to grasp the details. This will be of great help in evading pursuit.
“You go right. We go left.”
“all right.”
Jenna and Iolka helped Aaron and disappeared down the right path.
There won’t be a bunch of chasers, but they will be less than us. Their goal is to kill the kid.
“let’s go.”
The girl got up from her seat.
Edith untied her arms.
With Edith in the lead, the girl in the middle, and me in the back, we moved through the alley. The road was narrow and the wall was high.
“Where can I hide?”
“Quite a lot. The alleys are complicated and you can go inside the buildings.”
“Can I come in?”
“I tried it earlier, but there were no transparent walls.”
‘It’s fortunate.’
If you can enter the building, your range of motion will be widened.
If you find the right shelter, you’ll be able to spend your time until dawn.
After passing the alley for some time, the road started to widen.
Garbage was scattered everywhere, and shabby and ruined buildings stood out. Then I heard someone’s high-pitched screams and laughter from down the street.
It was a slum.
Even in such an orderly city, it also existed.
The man who had been sitting by the entrance stood up.
His black face was glistened with oil. The man came up to us with a big smile.
To be precise, to the girl in the middle of us.
“Hehe, what kind of rice cake is this?”
The girl was startled and backed away.
“My lady, are you lost? Or have you run away from home? I will guide you…”
The man passed by as if he hadn’t seen Edith in front of him.
Edith pulled a man walking past her and kicked him hard.
The man spun once in the air and collapsed.
puck!
Edith drove her heel into the back of the man’s head. Blood spurted out with the sound of his nose crackling.
The man wriggled, shaking his limbs.
Ignoring the fallen man, we crossed the entrance and entered the slums.
As soon as I entered, pieces of garbage were blown away by the wind. Along with that, there was an indescribable musty smell. The girl frowned and pinched her nose.
A clothesline hangs between the high walls.
There were dirty clothes on the clothesline.
However, no residents were seen.
“If you want to hide, this would be a good place. The roads are tangled like a maze, and there are many buildings.”
I nodded at Edith’s words.
First of all, I needed a place to stay until night when the surroundings were dark. The action was next.
Then a message popped up.
[Tips/About long-term missions]
[Occasionally, missions may take longer. Even if you close the connection, the hero will continue to be active.]
It is a guide message for a long-term mission.
As the mission showed signs of getting longer, it seemed the system had made its decision.
“I’ll go and check it out first.”
Edith bent down as if to sink into the shadow on the wall.
The shape blurred. It was the effect of stealth, a thief’s exclusive skill. Edith, activating a sneaky movement, disappeared into the street.
“Stand behind me.”
I walked slowly, looking around.
There were few people in the slums.
It is better not to have it. Soldiers will soon arrive here as well, and they will start interrogating.
I glanced behind me.
The girl had a nervous expression, but she kept her composure in her own way. There was no angst or clamor that could be seen at that age.
‘This is not an ordinary kid.’
If so, I would have declined the offer to follow.
Even in the midst of chaos, he quickly figured out a way to survive.
After a while, Edith returned, and we entered a shabby building following the guide.
A two-story stone building that is all collapsing. The windows are screened with nailed planks. It was dark inside, with very little light coming in. In addition to the front door, there was a back door, and besides that, there was a side road that could be escaped.
‘It’s appropriate.’
Even if soldiers were to attack, there was a way to escape.
Decided to spend some time here. Edith immediately began setting traps with thin string and stones. A taut thread is draped over the entrance, and then a pagoda is built with stones tied together with the thread. When someone touched the thread, the stone tower collapsed and made a sound.
It was the effect of Edith’s skill, Trap Setting.
Rogues were the class that shined the most in this type of mission. Edith also learned many skills over time.
“You’re spending time here.”
The girl slumped against the half-collapsed wall.
Her white dress was stained with dirt and dust.
I pulled out a dusty chair from the living room and sat on it. Then, with his scabbard resting on his lap, he looked out the window. The sky reflected through the cracks in the planks was dark.
“I’ll go out.”
“Are you leaving again?”
“Every person has a role. You alone are enough to protect it. I’m looking for a way to escape.”
Edith smiled faintly and disappeared without a sound.
‘I want this. Should’ve put Jenna in instead of me.’
In this composition, there is not much for me to do.
I hung my chin and passed the time in silence. I heard bugs chirping through the window. Had it been like that for 10 minutes?
“Priasis all Ragna.”
I turned my attention to the girl.
Priasis, a girl with long silver hair and golden eyes, was facing me.
“My name. I am the second heir to the throne of the Empire.”
“so.”
“It doesn’t work either.”
Priasis smiled bitterly.
But soon, he put on a determined expression again and continued.
“Where are you from?”
‘You’re asking a strange question.’
It was a relationship that would soon break up anyway.
I answered briefly.
“I don’t know.”
“I revealed my identity and name. Wouldn’t it be okay if I told you that much?”
“If I tell you, you won’t understand.”
“Is that enough? Are you from somewhere else I don’t know?”
“Let it be.”
“Could it be… are you the one who saved Nelsa?”
I frowned.
Nelsa.
It was the name of the city that was the stage on the 10th floor.
“Looks like the correct answer.”
“How did know?”
“I saw you in a dream.”
“……dream.”
“In that dream, the warriors were struggling to protect the city. I couldn’t see their faces, but I have a strong feeling that it’s you.”
Priasis removed the coffin from her head and touched it.
“Nelsa’s survivors testified that someone had defended the city. Without them, the city would have fallen. But no one was seen.”
I said nothing.
Priasis started talking to himself in a low voice.
“A year ago, I had a strange dream. It was a very ominous dream. In the dream, everything was ending. there was.”
“…”
“In the middle of that dream, I was sure. If it goes on like this, the continent will perish.”
Freeasis lowered her gaze.
“Do you know? Strange things are happening all over the continent right now. An unknown plague is rampant, bugs are infested, and monsters are rampaging. Nelsa’s invasion is probably part of that. Originally, they didn’t invade human territory. didn’t.”
Priasis said softly.
I was dumbfounded and replied back.
“Why are you telling me that story?”
“……I need strength.”
“strength?”
“It is the power to save this world.”
