第四十話 二体の死神
「ひ、ひぃ! ひぃいいい! たっ、助けてくれぇええっ!」
ケルトが身体を引き摺りながら、必死にパッチワークから逃げようとする。
その後を、パッチワークがゆっくりと追い掛けていた。
「い、一体ならまだどうにかなったのに......! 二体目はさすがにまずいんよ!」
メアベルが杖を抱き締めながらそう口にする。
「......ルーチェ、ケルトに向いてるターゲットを取ってきてくれるか? メアベルは急いで奴を回復してやってくれ」
「手前にもう一体パッチワークがいるのに、助けに向かうなんて無理なんよ!」
俺の言葉に、メアベルが先に反応した。
「それに、エルマさんかルーチェさんならいざ知らず、即行でパーティー裏切って逃げた奴のカバーのために無茶なんてウチはできないんよ! MP使って回復してやっても、頭数増えてターゲットが外れたらまた逃げようとするのは目に見えてるんよ! ウチだって気に喰わないから見殺しにしたいって言ってるわけじゃない。あの横取り強欲野郎が仲間蔑ろにして好き勝手やるのは別に構わないけど、それなら仲間から蔑ろにされる覚悟も持っとくべきなんよ」
メアベルの言葉にケルトが真っ蒼になった。
「別に死ぬほどのことをしたってわけじゃないだろ」
ケルトのやったことは、せいぜい
マナー違反を咎められることはあっても、罪として裁かれるようなことをしたのかは別の話だ。
足が速い狩人からしてみれば、わざわざ足の遅いクラスに合わせて一撃死しかねないスキルを振り回してくる魔物と戦いたくない、という気持ちも充分理解できる。
「それに、この状況......一人でも欠けると厳しくなる。確かにケルトがまた逃げないとも限らないが、そこはあいつの善意に賭けるしかないな」
この中で一番レベルが高いのはケルトだ。
最大戦力をこのまま失えば、一気に勝算が低くなる。
「四人いたら、パッチワーク二体相手にどうにかなるみたいな言い方......!」
「どうにかなる、俺が指揮する」
ケルトは過剰に怖がっているように見えたが、それは恐らくこちらの世界ではパッチワークの情報共有が充全に行われていないからだ。
追い掛け回され、凶悪なスキルで冒険者が殺されたことだけが伝わっているのだろう。
一撃のダメージが重いのが怖い魔物ではあるが、決して現状の戦力で討伐できない相手ではない。
「う、うう......随分、簡単に言い切るんよ」
俺の断言に気圧されたらしく、メアベルの言葉に勢いがなくなった。
「でもそもそも、先頭のパッチワークを抜けてあのケルトを助けに行くのは間に合わないんよ」
「エルマさん、スキルお願いします!」
ルーチェは俺の考えがわかっているらしく、俺へとそう言った。
ケルトを助けに向かうには、普通に走って先頭のパッチワークを抜けるのは時間が掛かり過ぎる。
手遅れになるだろう。
俺が盾を構えると、ルーチェが地面を蹴って宙へと跳んだ。
「〈シールドバッシュ〉!」
俺は勢いよく盾を突き出す。
ルーチェは盾を蹴って飛んだ。
その勢いで〈曲芸走り〉を用いて壁を歩き、先頭に立つパッチワークの横を綺麗に抜ける。
そのまま二体目の、ケルトの近くにいるパッチワークの背を刃で斬り付けた。
二体目のパッチワークは、振り向きざまにルーチェへと剣を振るう。
ルーチェは身を引き、辛うじて剣を躱した。
これでひとまず、あのパッチワークの標的はルーチェへと移った。
「ほ、本当に助けに来やがったのか!? 馬鹿な、なんで......! お、俺はお前ら裏切って逃げたところだぞ!」
ケルトは膝を手で押さえ、よろめきながら立ち上がる。
「エルマさんは優しい方ですけれど、現実を見ていないわけではないですからね。裏切るも何も、元々貴方が窮地で命を張ってパーティーのために戦ってくれるなんて期待していませんでしたよ。エルマさんは、そんなこととは関係なしに、困っている人がいたらまず手を差し伸べるんです。そういう人ですから」
ルーチェはそこまで言って、ケルトを睨みつける。
「でも......アタシはエルマさんほど優しくも、信念があるわけでもありませんから。もしも次に逃げ出して迷惑を掛けるようなら、アタシがケルトさんの背にこの毒のナイフを投げますからね」
......彼女も大分、ケルトの行動は頭に来ているようだった。
「だ、だが、〈三つ腕の死神〉とは、とにかく戦うべきじゃねぇ! こういう異様に強いレアな魔物は、どこの〈
〈三つ腕の死神〉はパッチワークのことだろう。
この世界の冒険者は、パッチワークのことをそう呼んで恐れているようだ。
「アイツの言う通り......このレベルの魔物を、今のパーティーで二体同時に相手取るのは実際無理なんよ。エルマさんは何か策があるん?」
メアベルが訝しむように俺へと尋ねる。
俺は頷き、前へと駆けた。
先頭に立つパッチワークへと、〈ミスリルの剣〉で斬り掛かる。
パッチワークは自身の剣で受け止め、刃の競り合いになった。
「一体は俺が引き受ける。メアベルはケルトを治癒して、三人でもう一体の方の対処に当たってくれ」
「え、ええ!? 一人で相手をするって......そんなの、できるわけがないんよ!」
「重騎士は敵を引き付けるのが仕事だからな。不安なら、三人で向こうの奴を倒し終えたら、こっちの加勢に移ってくれ」
「でも......」
「早く行ってくれ! 防御力のないルーチェに、手負いのケルトを庇いながら戦ってもらう方がずっと酷だぞ!」
「わ、わかったんよ! すぐ片付けてこっちに回って来るんよ!」
メアベルは俺に頭を下げると、俺の横を抜けてルーチェ達の方へと加勢に向かう。
その瞬間、パッチワークは俺の刃を勢いよく弾き、メアベルの背へと飛び掛かろうとした。
だが、パッチワークの動きが空中でがくんと、何かに引かれるように止まる。
俺の〈影踏み〉のスキルだ。
「お前の相手は俺だ!」
隙を晒したパッチワークへと斬り掛かるが、これも剣で防がれてしまった。
二本目の刃が俺へと向かってくる。
それを俺が屈んで避けたのと同時に、三本目の刃が別の角度から叩き込まれてきた。
俺は競り合っている刃を弾いてその反動で下がり、辛うじてそれを回避する。
パッチワークは、継ぎ接ぎされた三本の腕で剣を振るう。
だが、それだけではない。
パッチワークを中心に魔法陣が展開された。
俺はそれを視認した瞬間、半ば反射的に大きく背後へと跳んだ。
紫の光の斬撃が目前を走る。
パッチワークの魔法スキル〈デスソード〉だ。
近距離攻撃専用の魔法スキルである分、発動が速く、威力がとんでもなく高い。
パッチワークは三本腕だが、〈デスソード〉を合わせると剣を四本持っているともいえる。
三連撃でこちらの体勢を崩した後に、すかさず〈デスソード〉の追撃を放ってくる。
パッチワークが恐れられている最大の理由である。
Volume 2 - Ch 40
"Ahh! Aaaah! Sa-save me!"
Celt was desperately trying to crawl away from the Patchwork.
It was slowly following after him.
"W-we could've done something about a single one, but.....! A second one is obviously too much!"
Mabel said while clutching her staff to herself.
".....Luce, can you distract the one that's targeting Celt? And Mabel, you should hurry and heal him."
"I can't go to help him with another Patchwork in the way!"
Mabel was the one who reacted first to my words.
"Also, I might do it for Elma-san or Luce-san, but I won't go out of my way to put myself into danger to cover for someone who's first reaction was to betray the party! Even if I use my MP to heal him, he will obviously try to run away again as soon as no monster is targeting him! I'm not saying to let him die because I don't like him or anything. I don't care if he wants to act like a greedy bastard and nab anything he can while ignoring his teammates, but then he needs to be prepared to be ignored in turn."
Celt went pale from Mabel's words.
"It's not like he did something that would warrant him dying, right?"
All Celt did was doing as he pleased within the rules of this Raid Quest.
Some of the things he did was certainly a breach of manners, but none of it reached the level of an actual crime he would need to answer for.
His reluctance to fight a monster that could kill a nimble Hunter like him with any single one of its Skills, all the while needing to cooperate with slow moving Classes is more than understandable.
"Furthermore, this situation.....will be quite grim if we are missing even one member. Indeed I can't guarantee that Celt wouldn't try to run away again; we just have to trust that he's principled enough to stay."
Among us, Celt has the highest level.
If we were to lose our strongest asset right now, our winning chances would go down by a lot.
"You talk like we could deal with two Patchworks if there were four of us....!"
"We can. I will take command."
Celt seemed to be excessively scared of the Patchwork, but that's most likely because detailed information about them is not widely known in this world.
All they know about is parties getting chased and adventurers getting savagely killed by its terrifying Skills.
Although it can deal heavy damage in one hit, it's not an opponent we can't defeat with our current forces.
"U-ugh.....how the hell can you state that so definitely....?"
Overwhelmed by my declaration, Mabel's words lost their momentum.
"But she won't even be able to reach Celt in time if she have to slip by the other Patchwork."
"Elma-san, use that Skill please!"
Luce seemed to know what I was thinking and asked me first.
To reach Celt in time to save him, it would take too long if she had to slip by the Patchwork in front of us by running.
It would be too little too late by then.
As I readied my shield, Luce jumped off from the ground.
"[Shield Bash]!"
I pushed out with my shield as hard as I could.
Luce kicked off from the shield and flew far.
Using that momentum she activated her [Acrobatic Steps] and started running on the wall, neatly avoiding the Patchwork in front of us.
With the same movements she slashed into the back of the Patchwork that was near Celt.
The second Patchwork swung its blade at the same time it turned around to face Luce.
Luce pulled back just in time to barely avoid its sword.
With this, that Patchwork's focus shifted onto Luce for now.
"Y-you really came to save me!? No way, just why.....! I just betrayed you and tried to run away by myself!"
Celt staggered to his feet while keeping pressure on his waist with a hand.
"Elma-san is a nice person, but he's not blind to reality either. We did not expect you to put your life on the line and fight to defend the party to begin with, so you couldn't have betrayed our trust in the first place. Elma-san is the type to lend a helping hand to those who need it regardless of something like that. He is just that kind of person."
Luce paused after that and started glaring at Celt.
"But....I'm not as nice or principled as Elma-san. If you try to run away again, causing us trouble, then my poisoned knife will find its way into your back, Celt-san."
....it seems she was quite irritated by Celt's action thus far too.
"B-but, we really shouldn't be fighting the Three Armed Reapers! These kinds of abnormally strong rare monsters exist in every Dungeon! And now.....with two of them here, there is no way we could take them both down without some of us dying!"
By Three Armed Reapers, he must mean the Patchworks.
Apparently, dreading the thing, the adventurers of this world call it by that name.
"He's right.....it's not possible for us to take on two monsters of this level with our current party. Elma-san, do you have some kind of plan?"
Mabel asked me in a dubious tone.
I nodded once, then ran ahead.
I slashed at the Patchwork standing in front of us with my Mythril Sword.
The Patchwork blocked it with his own sword, turning it into a struggle.
"I will take on one alone. Mabel, you should heal Celt first, then deal with the second with the three of you."
"E-eeeh!? Take on one alone..... there is no way you would be able to do something like that!"
"It's a Heavy Knight's job to hold the attention of enemies. If you are worried about me, then you should get back to helping me once you three defeated the other one."
"But...."
"Just hurry up and go! It's much more cruel to have Luce with her low Defense fight like that while having to cover for an injured Celt!"
"I-I got it! We will finish it right away and get back here to help!"
Mabel bowed her head towards me, then slipped by me on her way to help Luce and Celt.
At that moment, the Patchwork shoved away my blade and tried to lunge toward Mabel's back.
However, the movements of the Patchwork suddenly jerked to a stop in mid-air, as if it was pulled by something.
It was the effect of my [Shadow Stomp] Skill.
"Your opponent is me!"
I slashed at the open back of the Patchwork, but it was blocked by another sword.
A second sword was swung towards me.
At the same moment I dodged that by ducking down, a third blade arrived from yet another angle.
I only barely evaded that by shoving myself back by pushing against the sword I was struggling against.
The Patchwork uses its three stitched-on arms to swing his swords.
But, that's not all it can do.
A magic circle was deployed with the Patchwork as the center.
The moment I noticed that, I jumped back half on reflex as far as I could.
A slash made of purple light flashed in front of my eyes.
It was the Patchwork's magic Skill, the [Death Sword].
While it's a close range only magic Skill, it has a fast activation and absurdly high power.
It is said that even though the Patchwork only has three arms, if you add the [Death Sword], then it has four swords at the ready.
After disrupting my stance with a three hit combo, it immediately followed up with the [Death Sword].
It's the largest reason why the Patchwork is feared so much.
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
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https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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