Volume 2 Chapter 40

「Uwahhh! Stop! Don’t come!」

A despaired adventurer was killed by an orc the moment they finished saying that.
It wasn’t just that adventurer, the other adventurers whose abilities should have been incomparable to a guild employee like me were being killed by the monsters.

……In the midst of all this, all I could do was tremble as I desperately curled my body.

After one of the parties leading the other adventurers was destroyed while another one fled, the battle situation was going downhill.
Most adventurers ran away to chase after the fleeing first-class adventurers, and the front line collapsed easily.
And what awaited us was a one-sided massacre by the monsters.

In such a situation, no adventurer was trying to help a mere guild employee like me.
Most adventurers were trying to escape without sparing a glance at me, but they couldn’t escape and were killed by the monsters.

「WhatshouldIdo whatshouldIdo whatshouldIdo…」

I was desperately trying to figure out how to survive the current situation.
Try using other adventurers to stay alive, just like what I have been doing all this time, I thought.

……However, I realized that no matter how much I thought about it, it was useless.

「Why is this happening to me!」

Once I couldn’t avert my eyes from that reality anymore, what came to my mind was the regret that I should not have fled the labyrinth city……

As a guild employee, I was taught that guild employees and adventurers should never run away from the labyrinth when a labyrinth runaway occurs.
In the event of a labyrinth runaway, that guild’s branch chief or an adventurer who had taken command before would be appointed as temporary commander, and the agreement was that everyone would absolutely obey that commander.
Those who broke that agreement would be punished by the commander.

However, the guild employees, including myself, were not willing to keep the arrangement.
Because we realized that the world-class adventurers who would be appointed as a commander were trying to protect the populace.
We couldn’t accept the fact that our lives were endangered to carry such baggage under such circumstances.

That was why we decided to flee from the labyrinth city by deceiving the adventurers.
Yes, by trying to run away to the next town.

Fundamentally, running away to the neighboring town immediately after labyrinth runaway occurred was absolutely unacceptable.
It depended on the situation, but the act, which could endanger the neighboring town, was punishable by the death penalty.
However, we were thinking of making everything the fault of the adventurers who ran away after being driven by fear.
In other words, we were thinking of escaping our punishment by saying we were kidnapped by them.
It mattered not what the adventurers were saying after that, our words as guild employees should be more believable.

The plan should have been perfect halfway through.
Those foolish adventurers were quick to get on board with the plan after their inferiority complex toward Raust was fueled by telling them the world-class adventurers were going to help the populace.
Moreover, when we told them that the Labyrinth City Guild’s branch chief would be responsible for everything and that we would cover for him, they were easily fooled and agreed to run away with us.
Oblivious to the fact that they would be framed for their crimes.

……Our only miscalculation was the naive understanding of labyrinth runaway.

「Why, such powerful monsters…!」

I knew from the documents that monsters would mutate during labyrinth runaway.
Knowing they would be powerful, I decided to act with escape as the objective.

But even with that knowledge……

If a labyrinth runaway occurs, absolutely obey the commander.
I now understood the reason for this seemingly strict arrangement.

The labyrinth runaway was just a disaster, one which became more dangerous if there were people who egoistically trying to save their own life.
Without correct knowledge, that alone increased the risk of death.
That was why absolute obedience was the rule.
To prevent people who knew nothing from taking arbitrary action.

……Right, it’s to stop people who don’t know anything like us.

Witnessing the horror of the labyrinth runaway, I was finally able to understand.
This is not something that an individual can do anything about.
It was a natural disaster that need the cooperation of everyone in the labyrinth city to have a chance to survive.
I realized how foolish it was to have fled the labyrinth city in order to avoid being dragged down by more people.

However, it was all too late.

「Ahh, AAH, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

In front of me, an adventurer who managed to cut off an orc suddenly looked in a different direction, screamed, then tried to run away from that spot.
It was then, 《That》 appeared and crushed that adventurer.

「Fi─────i」

The white fur was so white and beautiful it felt out of place and it was covered with purple lightning.
While capturing the unrealistic beauty with my eyes, I let out a small whisper.

「Super-high difficulty Monster, Fenrir…」

By the time I recognized that figure, I saw the end of myself.

The fear and despair that swept over me made me feel distant.
In the midst of all this, I saw a group of several battered adventurers behind the Fenrir trying to escape from the monsters to the labyrinth city.

「Fi──i」

That was the last sight I, Nancy, saw in my life …….

—Leader of Wargod’s Greatsword—

「Hahh, hahh-」

How long had I been running?
Currently, I was running to the next town while carrying Alex.

I kept running with belief that the neighboring town was almost visible, but the fatigue that came from running for a long time made my vision look blurry.
Even so, the fear that the monsters would catch up if I stop kept me from stopping.
……But I also knew that my body was nearing its limit.

「L-Leader, don’t shake me so much…」

「……kh-!」

Alex’s words made me feel an intense frustration in my heart.
Escaping with Alex, who had no physical strength, was a big handicap for me.
Despite this, let alone thank you, he was shameless enough to complain.

Having been exhausted from running with all my might so far while carrying another person, the thought of leaving Alex here crossed my mind.
However, I couldn’t actually do that.

「Fuck!」

Now that the worst situation, a super-high difficulty monster appeared, had happened, we needed to pit the monsters against the neighboring town in order to survive.
For that purpose, Alex’s magic was needed to destroy the walls that cover the neighboring town so the monsters could enter the city.
Therefore, I couldn’t take the option of leaving Alex here.
Although I was really frustrated inside, I corrected my hold on him.

「Thank, you…」

Hearing he sounded so tired even when he was only being carried made me even more frustrated.
However, Alex wasn’t the only source of my frustration.

「Even though I’m holding Alex, to brazenly running ahead…!」

Far ahead was Marsval, a martial artist who strengthened his body with a magic tool.
Marsval was running in front of me without worrying about me, even though I was holding Alex.
He will probably also enter the town first once Alex makes a hole in the wall.

「Every last of them!」

Imagining that, I let out a frustrated groan.
Either because of the fatigue, or maybe from the fear of the super-high difficulty monster behind me, but I was easily irritated.
Looking behind, there were adventurers chasing after me.
Even if the Fenrir arrived, those adventurers would be first to become a decoy.
However, the time earned wouldn’t amount to much.
If I don’t get to the neighboring town as soon as possible…….

It was then that I could see something that looked like a huge blue building in the distance.

「…! That is!」

Marsval who ran in front of me also getting faster.
Seeing that, I was convinced.

Just a little bit more and we will arrive, everything we have done so far is,

「A-Are we about to reach there yet!」

Because of the way I held him, Alex, who couldn’t see the front asked that, I ignored him and just smiled.
However, that smile turned into a question as Marsval suddenly stopped.

「…Marsval?」

While questioning Marsval’s sudden action, I quickened my pace toward the neighboring town.

「Wha-!?」

It was then I understood the reason Marsval stopped.

As I approached the neighboring town, I saw a blue phosphorescent barrier covering the town walls.

I stopped in my tracks and stood there, stunned by the sight.
As a non-magician, I didn’t have much knowledge.
Even so, I could understand that the barrier was created with a lot of effort.

「When the hell? Why such a barrier…?」

In the face of this overwhelming barrier, I said that as I was overcome with surprise.
It was the words Alex said right in my ear that brought me back to my sense.

「No way… The monsters are here already!」

「……-!」

In response to his words, I looked behind and saw the adventurers were fighting the orcs.
Apparently, the monsters who chased after the escaped adventurers had already caught up.
Fortunately, there were no ogres or the Fenrir.
However, it was only a matter of time until they arrived.
Judging that, I lowered Alex from my shoulder and ordered him.

「Alex, quick, crush this barrier with your strongest magic!」

「Y-Yes!」

Then Alex started chanting.
The look on my face as I watched him was one of great impatience.
I had no doubt Alex’s magic could break the barrier.
After all, the same magic was capable of injuring a super-high difficulty monster.
With that magic, Alex would be useless for a while, but the magic must be able to break through the barrier with the entire rampart.

However, I knew that the magic of that strength required a long chant.

「…Hurry up Alex, hurry up!」

Imagining a future in which Fenrir had appeared, I muttered quietly.
The voice was filled with impatience that could not be hidden…….

Sorry this is really late, procrastination strike again, on more good news, I fixed my sleep schedule, so in theory, I should have more time, now I only need to spend some of it working on translation daily and I will be able to release a chapter every 2 or 3 days

About the translation, there is a change compared to the raw, as you know, the addition of PoV indicator at the beginning of the chapter is my doing, the author adds that some times, but not all the times, in this chapter, they did put at the beginning it would be from Nancy and the leader etc etc viewpoint, but the reveal who is talking is only done on line 14 or so, and no indicator the next part is the leader viewpoint, I decided to make the reveal much later in hope it would bring a little more suspense on who is talking (though knowing they’re guild employees might have spoiled it, the decision is made with the knowledge there are more than 1 guild employees running away)

It’s unnecessary, and the purist will be mad at me for sure (assuming there is any reading this,) but eh, whatever.