「──Come to think of it, where is Mildy?」
A female adventurer was supposed to remain behind as a messenger. I had completely forgotten about her existence.
「That is right! She drew the Yamaguro away and ran into the mountain!」
Huh? There was another one!? So the pair even had a cub!?
I retrieved three spare Glocks from Home.
「This is the same gun Zora-san uses. You roughly know how to use it, right?」
「Y-yes. I have fired it a few times before」
As expected of Zora-san. She must have let them practice shooting with the intention of having them carry one someday. She really has foresight.
「It probably will not work against a Yamaguro, but it should at least draw its attention. If it gets close, spray this at it」
I handed two bear-repellent sprays to the two girls. Yes, do not point out that I should have given these earlier. I only just realized it now.
「Reinforcements should arrive soon, so hold out until then. If you judge it impossible, you may run. Trust your instincts」
If there are two or three of those things, it is game over no matter who is present. When that happens, trust your luck and run.
「Which direction did Mildy go?」
「That way!」
Northeast, huh. Running in the opposite direction properly shows she stayed calm. Maybe she was chosen as a messenger because she is confident in her speed.
There were goblin presences to the northeast, while an empty zone lay slightly northward. She might be making a wide detour toward Rihar Town.
「When reinforcements arrive, tell them Mildy may be heading toward Rihar Town」
I might end up going to Rihar Town myself, so I loaded the Lynx and my gear into the Pioneer, sent it back to Home, and then began chasing after Mildy.
From here, Rihar Town was easily twenty kilometers away, but I still had stamina left. If I kept drinking water and recovering stamina along the way, I should be able to run ten kilometers even through the mountains.
I steeled myself, entered the mountain, and started running toward the goblin-free zone.
「Good thing we marked the path」
Around Lasagna Village, Ladarion and the others had left markers so we would not get lost. Of course, they had not marked all the way to Rihar Town, but the paths Ladarion and Marg had taken were cleared of grass and branches.
「These tracks… the Yamaguro passed through here too」
If the Yamaguro passed through, then Mildy must have as well. Thinking that, I pointed the gun upward and pulled the trigger. Notice that I am following you.
After advancing about a hundred meters, I fired another shot. After running roughly three kilometers, I heard a whistle.
Mildy?
I retrieved my own whistle and blew it as hard as I could.
「She answered!」
If I could hear the whistle, she was not far away. But I could not tell which direction it came from. The sound was echoing everywhere.
「It is a gamble」
I returned to Home, bought ten kilograms of processed meat, went back outside, and scattered it around the area.
After moving a short distance away, I blew the whistle. The reply sounded slightly closer than before. Is she heading this way?
As we alternated whistles, Mildy suddenly appeared moving along the treetops for some reason. A ninja!?
「The Yamaguro is coming!」
She dropped down behind me, forcing me to turn, and I saw the Yamaguro rushing toward us. It was bigger than the one I defeated a few hours ago!
「What do we do?」
「Stay behind me. I’ll take down the Yamaguro.」
I retrieved the bear spray and suppressed my racing heart with a deep breath.
I thought the scattered processed meat might distract it, but the Yamaguro had locked onto me. It completely intended to eat me. How arrogant. I’ll show it just how powerful human intelligence is.
Once the Yamaguro entered range, I sprayed the bear spray.
The spray works even with a direct hit, but it is also effective if the target charges into the mist.
As it came closer, the Yamaguro stood upright. I sprayed right at that moment.
「Fugooooooooooo!!」
Believing it struck the face directly, I turned, grabbed Mildy, and escaped the Yamaguro’s leap.
We rolled several times, then I immediately stood and retrieved Lynx.
It must have entered its nose and eyes. The beast writhed on the ground, unable to escape.
「Take this!」
I fired into it at close range.
But I had already learned earlier that this would not be enough. After emptying Lynx, I threw it aside, switched to the VHS-2, and fired in full auto.
Once the magazine emptied, I replaced it and fired again. Even after using all the magazines I carried, the Yamaguro was still moving and trying to flee.
「You’re stubborn to the bitter end.」
If this was only a cub, how terrifying would an adult be? If something like this appeared in a town, I could only imagine total destruction.
I retrieved fresh magazines and packed them into my empty pouch. I would recover the thrown magazines later if I had the chance.
Using magic, I gathered water to cool the barrel. Once it cooled, I fired at the Yamaguro again.
After firing two hundred ten rounds, the Yamaguro finally stopped moving.
「Regret challenging humanity in the afterlife.」
I drew a Glock and emptied every remaining round into it.
Serves you right. Pickled in miso!
After confirming it was completely dead, the tension left my body and I collapsed to my knees.
「Are you okay!?」
「…Honestly, I’m not okay. I’m exhausted…」
Call me pathetic if you want. I fought two monsters called Yamaguro in a single day. Of course I’m tired. Staying conscious is already taking everything I have.
「…Mildy, sorry, but please go back alone. I’ll rest before returning…」
Still collapsed, I returned to Home.
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