CH 131

Chapter 131 – Wolf Cub

There was an open area at the end of the valley. A huge tree, folded and fallen near the center, seemed to provide shielding.

“Myr?”

“Mm, that’s good right there.”

I rolled up the snow and landed on my feet, then went behind a fallen tree and pulled an AKM out of my storage.

As you would expect from a Soviet bestseller, it was easy to operate even with thick winter clothing and gloves on and reliable enough to work reliably at all times.

The accuracy is said to be low, but that’s something I can understand when I use it, as I am an amateur shooter.

“Is it a magical beast?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t see anything; I couldn’t smell anything; I couldn’t hear anything. Only a slight presence and a glance. If it were human, it would have to be a mage since it could follow a series of teleportations.”

Indeed, a human being could not have achieved that speed even with the use of a small vehicle. There weren’t any engine noises or startup noises either.

“Nnhh!”

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, something pale and white snatched my attention. Tension ran up and down my spine. Before I realized it, it was at close range, and I was about to point the muzzle of my AKM at my opponent…

“Yoshua, no!”

I froze.

“…Myrril-san. What’s… this?”

There it was, a huge wolf with a big smile on its face, tongue sticking out, and tail wagging.

It was about as tall as an adult male, two meters long, including the tail. Its pale fur glistened in the winter sun, and its blue eyes sparkled with curiosity and joy. It does not seem to attack me, but it pokes me with its snout as if it wants me to pet it.

“I don’t know why, but it seems to be very fond of you. Is it because we were with the beastman?”

Was this the one that had been following us all along?

I rubbed the bottom of its chin, and it closed its eyes and let out a happy groan. So cute.

“Myrril-san, could this be a Fenrir?”

“How could a divine beast be so friendly? It’s a snow-wolf. It’s still young… or rather, very young. It’s too early for it to leave the den; it may have been separated from its parents or…”

Myrril-san stood in front of me and raised her magic barrier. With a blurring flash, snow flurries in the distance.

“…You’ve been chased by poachers, I see.”

From the shadows of the mountains and the edge of the forest, several men could be seen circling around. They ran frantically with white breath coming out of their mouths.

“Stay where you are! That’s our prey!”

From behind the men, a man with a magic short staff in his hand rushes forward at high speed, leaping through the snow. When Myrril-san pointed her UZI at him, the man stopped about 10 meters away from us.

He is wearing a thick, hooded robe, and his bearded face is twisted into a sneer. His age is unknown, but he is probably in his mid-40s. What can I say? He is the type of guy who could be found lying in the corner of a bicycle race track or boat race track*. He may be wary of us, but he is poised with his magic short staff pointed at us until the arrival of his friends. [T/n: I don’t know what this means, though.]

“…This guy’s a mage, huh? I didn’t know there were mages in the Republic.”

“The man’s magic is mediocre, his skills are crude, his equipment is cheap, and his features are despicable. He is a former mage who was left behind by the military. Now he is the leader of a band of thieves or poachers.”

The flash of light that just came out seemed to be some kind of offensive magic fired by the bandits’ leader. The accuracy was low, so it was a relief.

After a considerable delay, seven men in dirty clothes gathered around. They were all dressed in layers of miscellaneous coats, with rags wrapped around their faces and crude handmade spears with machetes strapped to branches in their hands.

“Who are you? How rude of you to unleash your offensive magic without warning.”

“Hey, it’s a female dwarf!”

“That’s worth four gold pieces.”

“The other one’s a man.”

“That one’s going to waste.”

These scum don’t listen to us at all.

Myrril-san’s face shakes as they ignore what she says and say whatever they want. Four gold coins, they say?

I don’t know… The thugs around here may not understand this, but this girl is a fierce fighter of a level that could stand up to a bunch of heavily armed infantrymen from the Kingdom or the Empire.

She could probably kill them with her bare hands.

“You’re really a bunch of fools, aren’t you? If you don’t want to die, leave as soon as possible. You stink too much.”

“Don’t you talk to me that way, you half-beast who smells of gold!”

A middle-aged man who looked like a mage came out in front of the group.

The snow-white wolf cub, who seemed to have started this trouble, yawned and curled up behind a fallen tree, not knowing what was happening.

…I mean, treating it as someone else’s problem? You may be a victim, but you shouldn’t behave like that, you know?

“Hey, you there? Tell me your name.”

“Why don’t you name yourself first, you piece of shit!”

An immediate answer. Myrril-san is already on fire.

The mage man twitched his face and stared at Myrril.

Nojaloli-san snickered at his gaze and pointed at the men with a smug look on her face as she carried the UZI on her shoulder.

“Since I have a big heart. I’ll forgive you if you apologize with your hands on the ground.”

“Know your place, you rotten dwarf…”

“I count to three! One!”

With a smile on her face, Myrril-san pulled the bolt of the UZI. They have no way of knowing what that means, though.

“Two! Hurry up, or I’ll gouge your balls out!”

“Hey, Myr…”

“Take the female alive; kill the male!”

Aahhh…

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

“Gyaa.” “Aghh!” “Gyaaa.” “Gofuhh!”

“Nghh.” “Bwuhh!” “Guhh!”

It took only about two seconds to fire seven shots. The sound was only half audible.

There was no room for me, either with my mouth or with my gun. I was completely out of position, totally like a mob.

“H-help…”

I could see fresh blood gushing from between the fingers that the men held down. The arteries around the genital area must have been severed. It was no more than a ball burst. Being a coward, I involuntarily looked away.

As far as I could see, there was no village or house in the area, and they were bleeding profusely. At that point, there was no way to save them. The only hope that remains is…

“You rotten mage. I can let you off the hook if you cast a healing spell on your men, you know?”

Myrril-san lowered the muzzle of her gun as if she had lost interest and walked behind the fallen tree. The snow-white wolf cub wagged its tail with a ‘woof.’

“Curse you! Blazing fire, my…”

“You fool!”

Without turning around, a bullet shot out and shattered the mage’s fist and his staff. The chanting was cut off and replaced by a scream.

“Gyaaaaaaaaaa…!?”

The ending was a dreadful one. Their last chance was now gone.

Their chances of survival are now close to zero, and I let out a sigh as I approach the man.

“Hey, let me ask you something.”

“I’ll kill you! You bastards must be…”

The man swung his magic short-staff at me but couldn’t hold it, and it slipped out of his hand and flew away.

“…Hey, is the Republic full of people like you guys?”

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! Kill…”

The bullet must have passed through his wrist. The mage man paled and began to tremble due to shock from the pain and the drop in body temperature caused by the bleeding.

“Kill… you.”

The trembling man tilted onto his back. His gaze swam, and he looked up.

He fell into the fresh snow and let out a small breath. A long, quiet movement, as if he were going to sleep. But the man never moved again.

“Perhaps the Republic is no different.”

Myrril-san muttered with a face as if she had just woken up from a happy dream.