Chapter 62: Optimal Choice

Blood gushed profusely from Comba's arm wound. My sword narrowly deflects the Horsehead's longsword aimed at Comba's body. Comba stands motionless, seemingly dazed. Despite my frantic efforts with the shortsword, all attacks are blocked by the opponent's longsword. Attempts at feints result in no response, instead, I find myself being countered.

A sharp, spirited voice echoes as the upper half of Horsehead sways towards me. Is it Eilia? It seems to be the shock of sacred magic, Shock, released from the hand. Horsehead shakes its head, and the ground beneath emits a faint light. Without understanding the situation, I leap backward and rush to Comba, who is still standing, picking up the arm that fell to the ground.

Pressing against Comba's massive body, I head towards Eilia. I hand her the severed arm with a serious look in her eyes. It was cleanly cut along the edge of the gauntlet. Eilia pours holy water onto the severed surface of the arm. Placing the arm against Comba's wound with her left hand, she begins chanting rapidly with her right hand.

I glance back at Horsehead; the glow at its feet is about to disappear. Looking into the distance, Zeigt is still fiercely battling the Bullhead, but victory is not yet certain. Damn it. I don't feel confident about winning, but I have no choice but to buy time. If Eilia is attacked in this state, it's all over.

As I try to rush forward, a large, shining icicle flies in front of me. It's Gina's trump card, Ice Break. Just before the icicle collides, Horsehead twists its body. The magic seen hitting its chest only blows away the left shoulder guard and disappears. No, there are traces of red, so it seems to have also injured its body. However, Horsehead's fighting spirit, gripping the longsword, remains undiminished.

I briefly glance at Gina, who is breathing heavily with her shoulders. She seems exhausted from casting consecutive spells. I move to intercept Horsehead, who was about to charge towards Eilia. Dodging its sharp attacks and countering the next one, I focus on defense. After all, it's impossible for my attacks to harm someone clad in armor.

The only possibility is the exposed left shoulder, but attacking the left side of Horsehead, which attacks from half its body, is impossible. I am gradually being cornered due to the difference in reach and power. I can't avoid the longsword coming down from above, so I receive it with the shortsword. Managing to stop the sliding longsword with the guard, I am gradually pushed back.

Against an opponent with a taller stature, engaging in a strength contest, I try to endure, but even if my posture collapses, I can't deflect the attacks anymore. Behind the helmet, the opponent's eyes seem to gleam. The longsword approaches dangerously close to my face. Just then, the high-pitched sound of hoofbeats resounds, approaching. Horsehead lets out a growl, swiftly pulling back the longsword and turning around.

I wanted to attack from behind, but all I can do is regain my stance, which is quite challenging.

"You kept me waiting. Leave the rest to me."

I exhale heavily.

"Geez, you're slow. I thought I was a goner."

Horsehead, under the relentless assault of Zeigt from horseback, had been forced into a defensive stance.

"Sorry. They were more skilled than I imagined."

"Treat us to drinks when we get to town."

Finally, Zeigt's greatsword deflects Horsehead's longsword, and with a returning strike, the heavily-weighted greatsword, radiating red light, cleaves Horsehead into two. Blood gushes, and Horsehead collapses with a thud. The smell of metal fills the air.

I turn around and rush to Comba. Sitting on the ground, Comba has his helmet removed by Gina. She wipes the sweat off Comba's face. Eilia is by their side, observing.

"Comba!?"

"Whats up, brother."

"Are you okay?"

In place of the dignified Comba, Eilia answers.

"Yes. The wound is properly closed. We'll need to perform a proper realignment of the shattered bones later, but there shouldn't be any issues."

Eilia smiles.

"Harris quickly brought the severed arm, you see. If it had been a little later, there might have been complications."

"I see. That's a relief."

"If the treatment is complete, let's start moving. After all, this is the deepest part. It's better to distance ourselves as soon as possible."

At Zeigt's call, I help Comba up and hand him the helmet.

"It's probably better not to move your arm yet, but can you walk?"

"Putting him on the carriage might be..."

"No, it's no good. Even in this state, Comba has the strongest defense. He should be able to act as a decoy. It's the best option considering the whole party."

"Hold on, Harris!"

Gina's protest is ignored.

"Sis, it's okay. I'm just a bit embarrassed like this. If those scimitar-like things show up again, Sis would be in danger without me, right?"

"That's right. Okay, let's move."

Gina sends a powerful gaze my way for a moment but walks away without saying anything.

Even with a slight slope, climbing uphill is tough on tired bodies. We walked in silence. Only the sound of horse hooves and carriage wheels broke the silence in the tunnel. I felt something different in the monotonous sound. With a buzzing sound, something the size of an adult's head, with black and yellow stripes, flew towards us in a group. They were hunting wasps.

The stingers of these creatures contain a paralyzing poison. Although Zeigt charges in to crush the swarm, the number is simply too great. Those that slipped through the attack are flying towards us. Hoping for Eilia's detoxification magic, I prepare the shortsword.

After discarding the first one, the remaining wasps simultaneously swarm towards me. Just as they were about to close in, my field of vision whitens. Closing my eyes against the swirling snowstorm, I shield my face with my arms. When the wind subsides, I lower my arms, and the frozen wasps on the surrounding ground tremble.

Starting to crush the wasps underfoot, Nix comes over to help. Due to his large and heavy body, he's efficient. After finishing them off, Nix approaches me. I pet him as Tiana would, and his expression relaxes.

"Gina, there's no need to involve me, right?"

"Well, in that situation, it was the best option. Considering the entire party."

In the end, the wasps launched the final attack. We reached the end of the grand tunnel, and since Comba was weakened, I struggled to open the huge door while gasping for breath. It was early winter, and the feeble sun shone weakly, bathing us in sunlight once again. Eilia began Comba's treatment with the magic she had conserved, and I approached the carriage and said the password.

There was no immediate response, but I heard the sound of a bolt being unbolted, so I opened the door and peeked inside to see Tiana looking distressed.

"What's wrong?"

Tiana stood up and wordlessly tumbled down the steps and hugged me.