Chapter 7: What I Picked Up in the Forest [Part 2]

With the tattered girl behind me, I kept my sword raised and remained on guard.

The presence that had been chasing her stopped the instant I stepped in front of her.

It was likely lurking just beyond the road, hidden in the shadows of the trees.

I couldn’t see it, but the tension in the air was unmistakable.

Several seconds of strained silence passed.

Then, without warning, it attacked.

Something that blended perfectly with the deep green of the forest shot out from the edge of my vision like an illusion, streaking toward my side in a sharp arc.

There was no sound.

Not even the whisper of wind being cut.

Clang.

I instinctively swept my sword sideways and knocked it away.

The impact was solid.

Not metal, but it carried considerable mass and hardness.

The “something” was knocked back into the forest, but almost immediately changed direction and launched a second, then a third attack from different angles.

This was my first encounter with such an opponent.

While trying to discern its attack patterns and identity, I responded with my blade.

Dodging by a hair’s breadth.

Deflecting with my sword.

Redirecting its force when necessary.

Above all, I made sure none of the attacks reached the girl behind me.

Gradually, my eyes adjusted.

Though it blended into the surrounding greenery, there were slight distortions in its movement, subtle tells that appeared only in the instant before it struck.

The angles were tricky, the speed impressive, even mixed with feints.

It was highly skilled.

For a monster—no, for a living creature—its movements were unnervingly refined.

When I deflected its strikes, I sometimes caught a glimmer in the light, like scales or a hardened carapace.

Perhaps frustrated that I had parried everything and failed to be taken down, something massive burst from deeper within the road ahead.

It was so enormous that for a moment I couldn’t comprehend what I was seeing.

A foul, raw stench hit my nose.

“What the—!”

I reacted instantly and brought my sword up.

Against the huge black mass hurtling toward me, I struck twice in rapid succession, once upward and once downward.

Slash.

Slash.

With a definite impact, the massive shape recoiled and retreated once more into the forest.

I slowly reset my stance and faced forward.

From between the trees just off the road, it revealed itself.

It was a gigantic serpent.

Its thick body was covered in deep green scales.

It raised its head high, its enormous frame coiled along the ground.

Its length easily exceeded ten meters.

And the “huge black thing” that had filled my vision earlier—

That had been its gaping mouth.

It was large enough to swallow two or three people whole.

Even now, it hung open, red forked tongue flicking restlessly as if tasting the air.

…A drake.

A massive monster said to dwell deep within forests.

And the swift, camouflaged attacks from before—

Those must have been its tail.

I had heard that its whip-like tail, lined with sharp scales or protrusions, was difficult even for seasoned warriors to handle.

I widened my eyes slightly, astonished inwardly.

I hadn’t expected such a monster to lurk this close to the road.

And the recent disappearances.

Now I understood why no traces had been found.

It was swallowing people whole.

I glanced back at the girl.

She lay collapsed on the road, unmoving.

She must have exhausted all her strength just getting this far.

Against a creature of this size, escaping while carrying an unconscious person was impossible.

…This really had become troublesome.

But running was no longer an option.

The drake clearly recognized humans as prey.

And right in front of me lay a defenseless girl.

The choice to abandon her and flee had already vanished the moment I stepped in front of her.

I steeled myself.

This would be my first true battle since losing my position as a guard.

And the opponent was a monster.

A formidable one at that.

Without taking my eyes off the drake, I slowly removed my backpack.

Then I shrugged off my cloak.

Without turning around, I tossed it behind me so that it fluttered down over the girl.

It was little more than a token gesture, a way to obscure her from the monster’s sight.

In the split second I moved, the drake did not miss the opening.

It shifted its raised head slightly, and a tail strike sharper and faster than before lashed at my side.

Clang.

Now that it had revealed itself, its attacks posed no such mystery.

It no longer blended with the forest’s green.

It came at me with clear killing intent.

Timing my movement with the incoming tail, I swung my sword upward in a broad, swift arc.

It cut like a white streak that seemed to leave even sound behind.