Chapter 73
I moved a safe distance away from the monsters with the boy.
Basilisks are incredibly fast.
To keep the boy from accidentally becoming a target, I positioned myself on the opposite side of the basilisks, with Commander Cyril and the others between us.
...Um, this is a tactical maneuver, okay?
It might look like I'm using Commander Cyril and the others as shields, but it's tactical.
I took the boy's hand from my waist and squeezed it with my nondominant hand.
I made sure I was in a position where I could move and draw my sword at a moment's notice, ready to join the fight at any time.
The boy's hand was trembling in mine, so I patted it with my free hand to calm him down.
Even as I did, my gaze stayed on Commander Cyril, Commander Curtis, and Fabian, who were facing the monsters at close range.
I was worried they'd be all right, but even from a distance, all three looked incredibly calm.
...As expected of such capable knights.
Normally, two B-rank monsters, each requiring thirty knights to deal with, would mean we were severely outnumbered. It was impressive that they could remain so composed despite that.
The three knights faced the basilisks from a distance of about five meters.
Commander Cyril, positioned on the left, stood with a light grip on his gleaming silver-white sword and gave the two men instructions without taking his eyes off the two monsters.
"Curtis, Fabian, hold off the basilisk on the right."
Having left the smaller basilisk to Commander Curtis and Fabian, Commander Cyril fixed his gaze on the basilisk to his left.
A quiet moment passed.
But it was a moment charged with tension, enough to make sweat trickle down my back.
Basilisks are extremely aggressive, and the instant prey enters their field of vision, they attack.
Under normal circumstances, it was unthinkable for one to sit there without moving.
If it was staying still because it sensed Commander Cyril's strength, then this monster had good instincts.
Because Commander Cyril looked as still as a calm breeze.
There was no killing intent or pressure emanating from him, and at a glance, you couldn't sense his strength.
...Ah, but looking like you aren't strong at all is the strongest form, isn't it?
I thought it was right not to approach recklessly, since basilisks spit deadly poison.
And since they can't spit poison repeatedly, the most effective tactic would be to close in as soon as it had spat once.
A tense moment passed, but the basilisk was the first to lose patience.
In just two steps, it closed the two-meter gap and spat venom from its mouth.
The liquid shot straight out at incredible speed, aimed directly at Commander Cyril's eyes without wavering.
By the time I saw the basilisk open its mouth, it had already spat out the venom. You'd think it would be impossible to dodge without anticipating it, and yet, for some reason, Commander Cyril evaded it perfectly by simply tilting his head.
"Amazing..."
The words slipped out before I knew it.
As I watched in awe, Commander Cyril closed the distance all at once and thrust his sword straight into the basilisk's open mouth.
His sword sank deep into the soft flesh inside its mouth.
Commander Cyril quickly pulled his sword out, then drove it vertically into the basilisk's left chest as it reared onto its hind legs from the sheer pain.
Despite the basilisk's body being covered in hard scales, the sword sank deeper and deeper.
Was it the speed and angle?
The sword had pierced the basilisk to a depth that seemed impossible given the force he was using.
Or rather, that depth...
Commander Cyril pulled out his sword without changing expression, and blood sprayed as the basilisk collapsed to the ground.
Yep, that was deep enough to be a fatal wound.
Without wiping the blood from his sword or paying the fallen basilisk any further attention, Commander Cyril turned toward the remaining monster.
Thanks to Commander Curtis and Fabian engaging the second basilisk, it hadn't moved from where it started.
Commander Cyril muttered something under his breath, and blades of wind sliced into the basilisk.
"Huh?!"
I wasn't the only one surprised by the sudden attack; the basilisk took a step back.
But as the basilisk retreated, Commander Cyril closed the same distance, then advanced a few more steps and thrust his sword straight into one of the monster's eyes.
"Gyaaaah!"
As the basilisk reared onto its hind legs with a scream, trying to intimidate us, Commander Cyril thrust his sword vertically into its left chest, just as he had with the first one, and pulled it back out.
Blood sprayed from the basilisk, and before it could even hit the ground, the basilisk itself fell.
Commander Cyril flicked the blood off his sword, then silently sheathed it.
...Huh? I-Is it over?
I stared blankly at Commander Cyril, dumbfounded by his overwhelming strength.
Um...
C-Commander Cyril?
Normally, you can't get that close to a basilisk, can you?
Since basilisks always aim for the eyes, and their aim is so precise, it's difficult to approach them without a mage's support, right?
And those hard scales should stop a sword, shouldn't they?
Their strength and bite force are incredible, too. Even though they never got a chance to show it, an ordinary knight would be sent flying or have part of their body torn off, right?
...That's why basilisks are normally incredibly powerful monsters, not something anyone can defeat alone.
And yet, Commander Cyril was so skilled that he defeated them in the fewest possible moves, making the subjugation of basilisks look incredibly easy at a glance.
Wow, the downside of being a master.
He's so strong and dispatches them so cleanly that you can't tell how powerful the monsters really are.
But today, with the children here, I think that downside is actually helping us.
Right, right. There's no need for them to learn more fear than necessary while they're still so young.
Come to think of it, I didn't know Commander Cyril could use wind magic.
Still holding the boy's hand, I walked toward the hollow in the tree where the other children were hiding.
On the way, I called out, "Good work," to Fabian, who was checking that the basilisks were dead, and he replied, "I didn't even have time to get tired."
Ah, yes, that's exactly right. That's the downside of teaming up with Commander Cyril.
The children, who must have watched everything through the gaps in the hollow, cautiously came out when we called to them. Then they fearfully glanced at the fallen monsters.
"It's all right. They won't get back up again."
When Commander Cyril spoke to reassure them, the children silently nodded.
They still seemed tense, standing stiffly, but when I looked closely, I saw they were clutching little yellow flowers.
"...Frilly grass? Frilly grass is a medicinal herb that reduces fevers, isn't it? Is someone sick?"
When I asked, puzzled, the children looked up as if startled.
"N-No! Nobody's sick!"
The children all denied it at once, then hid the hand holding the frilly grass behind their backs and looked down.
It was an obvious lie, the kind only children tell.
"That's just like Fia," Commander Cyril murmured, but I pretended not to hear.
...With all due respect, I'm honest by nature. So I basically never lie.
However, if I have to say something that's not true to read the room, I make sure to phrase it so it sounds true. I take offense at being lumped together with children telling lies like that.
While muttering to myself inwardly, I carefully checked each child, one by one, but none of them were injured.
Besides that, none of the children were too weak-kneed or frozen with fear, and they all seemed able to walk on their own.
"Kids sure are energetic," I said, taking one child's hand in each of mine.
Then a third little girl grabbed the clothes around my stomach. Since I didn't have a third hand, I looked up at Commander Cyril, wondering what to do.
Commander Cyril crouched down hesitantly and spoke to the girl.
"Are you tired? If you'd like, shall I carry you?"
The girl glanced at him and spoke in a timid voice.
"I'm tired, so I can't walk anymore. But knights are really scary, so I'm not supposed to go near them."
"I'm not scary. I won't raise my voice or get angry."
"...You won't get mad even if I fall in a puddle?"
"If I'm carrying you, I'll jump over any puddles, so you won't fall in one. That means no one will get mad at you, and I won't either."
The girl hesitated for a moment, but then seemed to make up her mind, let go of my clothes, and reached out to Commander Cyril.
Seeing the gentle smile that spread across Commander Cyril's face, I was glad.
Commander Cyril was a brave, kind knight who cared deeply for the people.
See? Once the residents got to know him like this, they wouldn't reject Commander Cyril anymore.
Commander Cyril lifted the girl in one arm, and she cheered, apparently happy to be up higher. Then, perhaps because she was naturally talkative, she began pointing out everything she saw to him.
"That yellow fruit is really tasty. But the birds eat it, so you have to pick it while it's still green. ...And that big tree over there..."
Oh my, this is going better than I'd expected.
As I watched them fondly, thinking that Commander Cyril's courteous manner worked even on little children, we soon reached the entrance to the forest.