Upon seeing that there would be no counterattack, the orc continued its assault with the spear.
I somehow managed to dodge it, but I didn’t know how long I would last …
I wanted to pick up the sword that was dropped by the injured villager, but the orc wouldn’t let me.
And the others were too busy dealing with the enemy in front of them… What should I do…
The orc seemed to get frustrated that it couldn’t hit me, and it began to charge at me as if to ram me with its own body.
While I could dodge a spear, I wouldn’t be able to dodge the orc’s body.
And so he crashed into me. And for a moment, I couldn’t breathe…
Then its arm shot out to grab me!
Before it could get a good grip, I put my hand on its chest and pushed myself away.
The arms grasped the air instead. Once again, I found myself wishing that I had herbs that enhanced my physical strength.
If I did, I might be able to fend the orc off with my fists…
As I was thinking that, I noticed something strange.
The orc wasn’t moving anymore.
Not understanding why, I looked closely at the orc’s face. There was no light in the eyes, and it was clearly dead.
“What happened…? Hmm?”
While the orc’s sudden death was surprising enough, I also felt that there was something wrong with my hand.
When it had been touching the orc, I could feel the skin and fat under my fingers. But then there was something else….
Where my hand had been, a familiar leaf had sprouted, and a plant was growing little by little.
It was a phenomenon I had seen many times.
Only, it was usually when I placed my hand on hard earth, and activated Weed Cultivation. And then a plant would grow at an impossible rate.
But that had now happened on the body of an orc.
“No… Was it because I was thinking about a herb that would strengthen my body…?”
It was when I was thinking that, that I touched the orc.
This had happened a number of times in the past. Where I would be vaguely thinking about something and accidentally activate it.
But…could Weed Cultivation really work when you weren’t touching the ground…?
As I was distracted by Weed Cultivation, I didn’t notice the orc that was approaching from behind.
And so the orc was able to hit me in the head with its spear!
Thanks to one of the villagers, the tip of the spear, where the spearhead was, had been broken off, and so I wasn’t pierced. However, it came down heavily on my head… The impact was strong, as if I had been hit by a club.
I was unconscious for a second, but managed to come back and glare at the laughing orc.
“Damn… Mr. Ekenhart told me that I must never stop moving during a fight…!”
The battle had not ended.
More than half of the orcs were left, and fighting the villagers.
I never knew when I was going to be attacked next, and yet I had made the mistake of stopping.
But it was too late now to remember whatever lessons Mr. Ekenhart taught me during sword training.
The orc had an expression that looked like a triumphant grin. And then it raised its spear high into the air.
After being hit on the head, my body did not move as I wanted it to, and it seemed as if I could do nothing but stare…
But if I got hit like that again…and this time, it would be much harder…it would be the end of me.
I shouted for help, but no one noticed, as they were busy fighting. And so the spear came swinging down over me.
I had told the villagers that they must not die, and yet I was in the most danger… I just hoped that I would be the only one…
As I closed my eyes, my thoughts were only of Leo, who I would have to leave behind…
But as my mind was filled with remorse towards Leo, a familiar voice rang in my ears… Leo’s bark. And a scream.
I had been ready to meet my fate, but the blow never came. Instead of a spear, something was licking my face… And I had felt it many times before.
“…Leo? Is that really you!?”
I opened my eyes, and there was Leo’s familiar face.
But why was Leo… Didn’t they return to the mansion…?
“Wuff… Wou. Wuff. …Grau!”
As Leo peered into my face, I noticed that another orc was charging at us. Leo just let out a sigh and nodded. Then she pounced on the orc with all of the speed of the wind.
In a flash, her claws shredded the orc to pieces, and it fell to the ground before it could even let out a cry.
And then Leo ran off towards the other orcs that were fighting the villagers.
…If Leo was here, there was nothing to worry about.
“…Phew…so…I’m alive then…?”
My head still hurt from the previous blow, but I gritted my teeth and took in a deep breath.
At least it didn’t hurt as much as before.
I let out a sigh and looked at my surroundings. All of the orcs were already dead, and the villagers were stunned.
They were stunned by Leo’s strength.
“Good…it seems like no one was killed.”
From what I could see, the orcs had not been able to kill anyone.
Of course, there were some who were injured, but at least they were alive.
“Mr. Hannes! What a relief to see you!”
“And you as well! But Leo…”
“I don’t know why she is here, but I’m thankful for it.”
“Indeed… I don’t know how we can thank you, Mr. Takumi…”