Pray to the Gods

The pig opened its mouth wide, revealing two large tusks.

Being impaled by those would be the end.

The moment the pig saw us, it lost all composure and became ferocious, letting out a growl.

Other than its large size and the human faces sewn onto it, it looked like an ordinary pig.

Several bones lay at the pig's feet.

The reason they hadn't become Skeleton Soldiers was probably because they'd been gnawed to pieces.

I could also see bat-person corpses.

Apparently, this monster attacked and ate to satisfy its hunger regardless of whether they were allies.

Despite its heavy-looking appearance, it was quite fast once it started running.

We split left and right to dodge.

The pig crashed head-first into the wall and finally stopped only after half-destroying it.

Damage… didn't seem to have been done.

"Tch, just as I thought, a big body charging at you is the most troublesome thing. There's no way to counter it."

"I think I can dodge the charge, but if it chases us at that speed, we can't escape."

"If we kill it, problem solved."

Jill shouldered her greatsword and took her stance.

Though Jill had been doing great work up to now, considering the size difference between her and the pig, she looked quite disadvantaged.

Seeing Jill standing in its way, the pig drooled as it charged again.

Jill timed her jump upward and swung her greatsword while spinning.

The greatsword magnificently sliced through the pig's back.

"Gyaaaaa!!"

I instinctively covered my ears.

What unmistakably sounded like a human scream came from the pig.

Nausea hit me again and I reflexively covered my mouth.

"Such bad taste. Even alchemists who dabble in taboos wouldn't do something like this. As expected of a fallen god, I suppose."

Iefuda laughed with amusement while holding his cigarette in his mouth.

… I couldn't understand. No, I didn't want to understand.

This wasn't something to laugh and talk about.

This man really was strange somehow. He could communicate, but he wasn't normal.

The same went for Jill.

She continued slicing without being disturbed in the slightest by the screams that made Yohane nauseous.

If anything, she even had a smile on her face, as if excited by the spurting blood.

Though Jill appeared to have the upper hand, no matter how much she cut, the pig showed no signs of weakening.

Each time it collided with a wall from charging, the hut crumbled further.

At this rate, the hut might collapse.

Then we'd be attacked by the bat-people again.

"How about this!"

Jill stepped on the face of the charging pig and leaped into the air.

Then she gripped the greatsword with both hands and arched her body back.

Jill's supple muscles drew taut.

Building up power, the greatsword moved in an arc.

"Ah, idiot."

I heard Iefuda's exasperated voice.

The miscalculation, if there was one, was that this was indoors and Jill was in the air.

The greatsword pierced the ceiling and came to a complete stop about halfway through.

Jill dangled from it.

"Huh?"

"I told you to think before swinging since your weapon's so big. Geez, you thoughtless fool."

"I can't… pull it out…"

Maybe because it was hard to put strength into it, the greatsword wouldn't budge no matter how much Jill pulled.

After eyeing Jill in her unreachable position, the pig set its sights on us.

"Ah. Yeah, that figures."

"This isn't the time for that!"

We'd already used up the torches, and all I had for weapons were a pen and a knife.

There was no way I could face that massive body with these.

I held up my knife, but my arm trembled with fear.

… Ah, this mentality was the biggest reason Yohane wasn't suited to be an adventurer.

If it were Azu or Alexia.

Or Finn or Elza.

Even bare-handed, they wouldn't give up in this situation and would fight to the end.

"Like hell I'm dying in a place like this."

But at least I could put on a brave front with words.

With that thought, I glared at the pig.

With a war cry, the pig charged.

The distance closed in the blink of an eye.

Iefuda pulled out a slingshot and fired it at the pig.

The loaded shot seemed to have explosives packed in it, exploding on impact, but though the pig screamed, its momentum didn't stop.

The explosion was too small to be effective.

I dodged left and right to evade the charge.

But it immediately turned back toward Yohane.

It must have judged Yohane to be weaker than Iefuda.

Animals were cruel like that.

I tried to dodge sideways, but the collapsed wall had created a dead end.

This was bad.

The pig came straight at me.

Its massive body filled my vision.

I could hear Iefuda saying something, but I couldn't make it out anymore.

I'm going to die. That's what I thought.

The pig, now right before me, opened its mouth and aimed its tusks at me.

They could crush me easily.

The only mercy was that there wouldn't even be pain.

… …?

But that moment never came.

The pig's tusks had stopped as if I were being protected by something.

<Can you hear—? —Master!>

A voice echoed in my head, broken and intermittent. It was Elza's voice.

Hearing the voice I'd been listening to constantly until recently, tears almost spilled.

"I can hear you, Elza!"

I replied loudly.

Did it get through?

<It got through! Alexia-chan, it got through! Master, please listen.>

"Yeah, I was just about to die, but did you do something?"

<I used a protective miracle. The interference is severe, so it's only temporary, but…>

It seemed Elza had stopped the pig's attack.

<We're trying to rescue you right now… please hang on somehow. I'll support you with a blessing for now. Is there anyone nearby?>

"Yeah. I have reliable companions when it comes to fighting strength."

<—The interference is getting stronger again. This communication will cut out soon.>

"Got it. Thanks."

Elza's voice faded away.

But at the same time, power surged through my body.

I had been strengthened by the power of her blessing.

It seemed the same went for Iefuda and the others.