Hmm…
Did I mess up the order…?
Caves are cold and kind of pleasant, aren’t they?
Lying on the ground, feeling that chill seep into my whole body, I found myself thinking that.
Not that this is the time for such thoughts…
My whole body is covered in wounds.
Only a few healing potions left.
In front of me, between us and the massive enemy, Aina is desperately clashing swords, shielding us as we lie fallen.
「…Renge. Still alive?」
「Dead over heressu…」
I lift my head a little to look at Renge.
She’s lying on her back, drinking a healing potion.
Since she was closer to the enemy, she might have taken more wounds than me.
「Ah… this is the last healing potion for messu…」
「I’ve got two left. I’ll give you one. Aina… still has a few more, right?」
Aina is carrying the magic bag entrusted to her by our lord, so she should still have some left.
But she must be nearing her limit too.
We need to recover quickly so the enemy can’t focus only on her…
Yet, no matter how many times we’ve dealt what should have been fatal blows, the enemy doesn’t seem to be taking any lasting damage.
「Not just ultra-aggressive, but ultra-regeneration too, totally unfairssu…」
「A maddeningly powerful foe indeed…」
No matter how much damage we deal, it regenerates.
Strikes that would normally halt anyone’s movement don’t even make it falter, it just keeps attacking, ignoring all logic.
I have no idea how many more all-out attacks we’ll need to finish it.
I’m not even sure we can take it down with the healing potions we have left…
On top of that, any small opening is met with a furious blow that sends us flying.
Even a glancing hit is enough to slam us against a wall with overwhelming force.
Aina is managing to meet its power and redirect it, but she can’t last forever.
Which means…
「What should we do nowssu…」
「Haaah… there’s only one thing left to do」
「That’s a huge sigh. But yeah, I get itssu」
「…I’d really rather not use it if possible… Anyway, Shiro. You’re there, aren’t you?」
I call the name of that little cat into the empty air, but there’s no sign of her coming out.
She rolled a healing potion toward Aina earlier, and what, she thinks I wouldn’t notice?
「…I won’t be mad, and I won’t question you, so come out」
「…hmm」
I knew it.
She was wrapped in Black Weasel and hiding in the shadows of the ceiling’s rocks.
Hard to spot with the eyes, but I could still sense her presence.
「How did you know?」
「Just a hunch. Just a hunch」
Maybe it’s because my nerves are so on edge right now that I noticed Shiro’s presence.
Also, when I think about what my lord would do… the answer naturally comes to mind.
And just as I thought, of course.
「…Lord isn’t at fault. Shiro said she would follow」
「What? Are you feeling guilty or something?」
「…」
「Eh, no way. That’s so unlike you…」
Don’t tell me you left my lord’s side because you were worried about us kicking your butt after?
That actually gives me chills.
「…Can you win?」
「Do you think we can?」
「…I don’t. At this rate, you’ll just get worn down and lose」
「Exactly… So, do you think you could beat it?」
「Can」
Not brimming with confidence, just answering plainly.
This damn little cat really ticks me off.
The opponent the three of us are desperately struggling against… to Shiro, it’s just something she could take down without trouble, huh?
「…Want me to help?」
「Sure. Please…」
If Shiro says she could beat it alone, then if she lends a hand we could make it out alive and return to my lord.
Considering this is a life-or-death pinch, it’s the obvious choice.
Shiro must have come here in the first place to prepare for the worst.
…Saying it doesn’t bother me would be a lie, but fine, whatever.
Still, still,
「…As if I’d ever say that!」
After coming this far, there’s no way I could allow myself to rely on Shiro at the last moment!
Yes.
There’s no way I could ask for something like that.
If I did, then what was the point of making it this far?
One way or another, without borrowing Shiro’s hand, we’re going to take that thing down and return to my lord.
「…You sure you’re okay?」
「Don’t give me that worried face, it kills the mood. And don’t underestimate A-rank adventurers too much… We’ve got at least one ace up our sleeves」
「…You didn’t use it in the tournament?」
「Couldn’t. We didn’t want to use it in front of all those eyes… no, especially not in front of my lord」
「Yeah, that’s truessu. Well, just sit back and watch. From here on, you’ll see why they call us Red Line」
Our party’s name, Red Line, is often thought to come from the color of our leader Aina’s hair… but that’s not the truth.
The real reason is that the root of every power we loathe is tinged with red or crimson.
We named ourselves as a constant reminder of that hatred, a vow never to forget it even on the battlefield.
「Shiro. Whatever you see from here on out, you keep it a secret from my lord.」
「…hmm.」
That was an agreement, right?
Well, fine. I start removing my clothes.
「…Exhibitionist? Lord might like it, but… you’re overwhelmingly lacking in volume.」
「Wrong! If I don’t do this, I’ll have nothing to wear on the way back!」
Once I strip off everything and stand bare, I place my hands on the ground, dropping to all fours.
Ah… I really hate this feeling.
I let the power buried deep inside me slowly flow through my whole body.
Silver fur sprouts across my skin, my claws and fangs sharpen, and my body grows larger.
「…A wolf?」
「That’s right. I’m half wolf-demon.」
My father was a wolf demon.
He was wounded and collapsed when a villager saved him.
The two fell in love, and I was born from that union.
These crimson eyes of mine are proof of my demon heritage.
Every time I see them in the mirror, I’m reminded of the symbol of my hatred.
「Well? This form. Hideous, isn’t it?」
My entire body is covered in silver fur, and my crimson eyes gleam.
And despite that, I can still speak human words.
To anyone else, I must look like a demon right now.
「I don’t think so. If it were lord, he’d probably just hug you saying ‘Fluffy!’」
「…Yeah, maybe so.」
But my lord is more fearful and timid than most people.
I can’t let him see me like this.
If he looked frightened, I’m not sure I’d be able to recover.
So I have to make sure Shiro keeps his mouth shut.
「Alright, I’m going.」
Gathering power into my four legs, I slam into the side of the enemy facing Aina.
The enemy’s body is still larger than mine, but in this form I have more than enough strength.
The impact sends him crashing into the wall, and in the same motion, I rake my claws across his leg, cutting deep so he can’t move.
「Sorte… that form… is that alright?」
「Of course it’s not. But this power is part of us too.」
「…I see. You’re right. I’m starting to heat up myself. I’ll match you blow for blow.」
Aina’s hair shimmered like flames, shifting into a bright, spark-like hue.
Her sword was wreathed in scorching fire, and bursts of flame erupted intermittently from her body.
「Aina…」
She smiled faintly, but I could still tell she was forcing herself.
Aina especially despised her own power.
There was the incident of the Flamekin’s rampage, an event that claimed countless victims.
Without sparing powerless villagers, children, or the elderly, they burned and killed indiscriminately.
As a result, the Flamekin were officially declared a target for extermination by every nation.
No one hated the blood of the Flamekin more than Aina did.
Aina herself hadn’t been directly involved in that incident.
Even so, if her true heritage were revealed, the lingering resentment would surely be turned against her.
And yet, here she was, willing to use that power for the sake of returning to my lord.
「…I’m sorry」
「Why is Sorte the one apologizing? With that regeneration, my firepower will be necessary, right?」
「Yeah… but still, I’m sorry」
「In that case, I’ll handle the restraintssu」
Renge cut in, her body glowing with countless intertwined red lines.
「Well now. It’s been a while… I hope I can control the output just fine…」
It was the glow of the magical markings engraved into her body.
As a shrine maiden, Renge had these marks etched onto her when she was a child.
A tradition from the desert city, her hometown, but now one of the forbidden sorceries in the current kingdom.
They allowed the wielder to use powerful magic without burdening their body, but most shrine maidens died from magical overload during their growth, which was why the ritual was banned.
Renge was one of the rare successes.
「Don’t get cocky! You were just getting beaten one-sidedly a moment ago!」
Even though we had completely cut it apart, it still regenerated…
And now, fused with shattered rock, it didn’t look like we could slice it again.
「I’ll pin it down. Renge, back me up」
「Got itssu! Aina, the finishing blow’s on youssu!」
「Understood. I’ll end it in a single strike」
Now, let’s finish this.
Watch closely, Shiro….
I’ll show you the true meaning of ‘Red Line’.
Leave a Reply