534 – The Mischievous Demon’s Withdrawal

I glance over Beelzebub midair behind me, Howgrey on the ground below, and Lilixira levelling her staff at me from far away.
It would be good if I could focus on Beelzebub and take him out first, but… I doubt things would go so well.

Howgrey has the [High Jump] skill.
There’s no telling when he’ll leap up at me and slice me with that shortsword again.

While I’m thinking what to do, I spot another zephyr flying away out of the corner of my eye.
Riding it is Lilixira’s subordinate, Alphiss, carrying a bloodstained Aruane.
Sitting behind them is a timid-looking man.
His clothes look different to the Holy Knights garb, but I’m sure he’s another of Lilixira’s subordinates.

They’re getting further and further away.
I guess Lilixira wants Aruane away from the battlefield for now.

It’s a shame she’s going to get away before I can finish her off, but… I’m glad Aruane won’t be taking part in this fight.
Her fighting strength is comparable to an A rank monster.
Rather than leaving her injured nearby while I have no idea when she’ll recover and rejoin the fight, I can feel more at ease knowing she’s not here.
More importantly, by the time she recovers and gets back here, I should have already been able to finish the battle.

Suddenly, Aruane jerks upright in Alphiss’s arms, no longer looking half-dead.
Her eyes snap open, and then, appearing to notice her missing arm, smiles and licks her dripping blood.
She looks towards me and opens her mouth.

“Dragon-san! Aruane’s off to go kill that spider girl now, okay? Since it doesn’t look like Saint-sama has time to use [Spirit Servant].
So, Araune’s going to make a puppet real quick.”

Aruane shouts that, then goes limp.

From Lilixira’s point of view, her side has already come out ahead in this exchange so far.
Rather than let the tide turn against her as the battle drags out, she might want to use the atlach-nacha as bait to distract me while she retreats before attacking again with another strategy.
Alternatively, she could set the high-speed human form Beelzebub to harry me as I chase Aruane.

I know it’s strategically wrong to not focus on taking down Lilixira.
My MP isn’t limitless, and I’ve already used almost half.
The longer I continue to dance in the palm of her hand, the more mana I’ll be forced to waste.

Even so… Even though I know it’s what Lilixira wants, but with the atlach-nacha in danger, I’ve no choice but to abandon this battle and chase Aruane.
If I don’t act now, I’ll soon lose them in the fog.

Just as I make my decision, a voice comes from my back.

“…Dragon-god-sama, please leave that green-haired girl to me,” Aro proposes.

『Th-that’s too risky.
Didn’t she already almost kill you?』

“…It’s okay.
She’s too injured to move right now.
I’ll make her tell me where atlach-nacha is, then rescue her.”

It…might work.
Aruane is clearly on the verge of death.
It’s hard to imagine she can put up much of a fight.
If her opponents are only the zephyr, Alphiss, and the man who looks to be Lilixira’s subordinate, then Aro can take them all.

『But there’s too many uncertainties…!』

“…Even if I stay here, I’ll only get in your way.
I want to do something to help!”

…Aro’s resolve seems firm.

『I-if Aro-dono is going, then of course, I will go too! In the first place, I was created to protect Aro-dono!』

The treant shouts through [Telepathy].

…Of course, if I die, Aro and the others will all be killed too.
The current situation where I have to fight while protecting Aro and the treant, and the atlach-nacha has been taken hostage is far from desirable.

While the enemy’s main force is in front of me, I would feel safer knowing these two were away from this battlefield.
If they’re able to take down the almost-dead Aruane and rescue the atlach-nacha, it’ll represent a huge gain.
It’s a strategy worth betting on.

『…Don’t do anything too reckless.
If something goes wrong, quickly run and hide.』

“Okay!”

Aro replies and jumps down from my back.
In her arms is the treant in tree spirit form.
Controlling the wind with [Gale], she softly floats down to the ground.

I quickly dive down to land on the ground before them.
I need to make sure none of Howgrey, Beelzebub or Lilixira target them.

As I land, Howgray slashes at me again.
I still don’t know how to deal with him, but… Thanks to Aro and the treant chasing down Aruane, I have a bit more mental leeway.
I don’t have to worry about hurrying to save the atlach-nacha, and I can focus on the opponent in front of me.

I feel the atlach-nacha’s stuffed spider still clinging to my chest.
It’s the last of the three, and has stayed attached throughout the battle.
As long as it’s here, I can be sure that the atlach-nacha is still alive.

…Hang on a bit longer, atlach-nacha.
Rescue is on it’s way.

『I’ll come from above, [Ascetic]! You might get hit, so do your best not to die!』

Beelzebub shouts through [Telepathy].
Howgrey doesn’t seem give any response, but it seems that Beelzebub has taken it as an acknowledgement.
The purple light of [Darkness Rain] has appeared overhead.