The First Letter (67)

The speed with which everyone reacted to my desperate shout was astonishing. They all wore dazed expressions, but the week of hellish training had etched a new instinct into their bodies.

The swords came free, and the three of them formed a defensive formation around Senior Elsie. Even then, the monster merely stared at us without making a move.

As though it found us laughable, its gaze tangled the threads of thought in my mind.

Judging by the high-ranking monster I had faced last time, that massive body had to be incredibly fast. But something that large should not have been able to pass between the trees.

Would it be better to enter the forest and fight, even if obstacles appeared along our sword paths? No, that was foolish.

That monster had already adapted to the forest. There was not even any sign that the surrounding trees had been knocked down. That meant it possessed some method—though I had no idea how—that allowed it to pass through narrow gaps between the trees.

In that case, intercepting it in the clearing was our best option. I immediately drew my sword and kicked off the ground.

“Senior Elsie, chant!”

“Shield!”

In response to my command, magic burst from Senior Elsie’s wand like fireworks. Then a sturdy suit of mana armor immediately wrapped around my body...