Life as an Adventurer with the Banished Marquis' Daughter - Chapter 06: The Return of the Marquis's Daughter, Part 2

Chapter 06: The Return of the Marquis’s Daughter, Part 2

As a sudden shockwave erupted around the attacker, I was blown several meters away while the carriage sped past on the road behind them.

Merseja acted correctly, ignoring me as I was blown away, and drove the carriage at full speed. 

While I thought it was a bit heartless that he didn’t even call out to me, I was relieved that he made the right decision. 

I was a bit worried because he seemed like a nice person.

The carriage, though it was hit by the shockwave, only had its barrier lightly shaken and passed through safely. I, too, was blown away but completely unharmed.

What on earth is the attacker trying to do? Just buying time?

As I carefully landed to maintain my balance, I heard the startled neigh of the horses. 

What happened to the horses that didn’t flinch even with a barrier-breaking spell flying at it?

My gaze was naturally drawn towards the carriage, but the attacker’s voice didn’t allow me to look away.

“Damn it! I’m done being human!”

The attacker’s voice, muffled by a robe and mask making even their gender indistinguishable, now sounded inhuman.

I had no idea what was happening, but it was clear that leaving them alone would be bad news.

I was about to charge at the attacker again, but a warning voice stopped me just in time.

“Young Man!”

When I heard Merseja’s warning shout, I suppressed my anger at why he was still nearby and looked towards the carriage. It had come to a halt less than ten meters away.

Before I could wonder what had happened, I saw what was causing it.

A barrier had formed, a barrier that easily spanned several dozen meters.

The carriage and I were both trapped inside it. 

A reversal barrier of this size wasn’t something that could be made without preparation. There had to be a barrier device somewhere.

However, before I could think about where it might be, the situation escalated.

I heard a dry sound as the attacker’s mask shattered.

In the end, I never figured out their gender.

As I looked at the attacker’s face, now inhuman, I realized they had changed completely.

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“Young man! Get away from there!”

Merseja’s voice was urgent.

My body moved more out of instinct than in response to his voice.

Fear, a sense of danger to my life, and a deep-seated aversion spurred me on. 

Just after I leaped away, the ground where I had been standing was gouged out as if it had exploded.

A new tentacle had sprouted from the back of what had been the attacker and struck the ground. 

The face of the attacker, with the last pieces of the mask falling away, had transformed into something that looked like a horse with lizard skin.

However, there was no trace of the intelligence or charm of a horse.

All that existed was an overwhelming sense of disgust and an instinctive feeling of absolute incompatibility.

A demon, yes, it was a demon.

The person who had been the attacker had turned into a demon.

What kind of nonsense is that? 

I’d never heard of such a thing.

I deflected the tentacle that was chasing me with my sword. 

The heavy impact reverberated through my hands. 

After two or three exchanges, the attacks suddenly stopped.

The lizard-like eyes on the horse-like face were staring at me.

At that moment, I felt a chill. 

Those eyes seemed to hold some kind of intelligence.

By the time I realized the danger, it was too late. 

The horse-faced demon turned and started running toward the carriage. 

With the first step, its body swelled, growing about twice its size. With the second step, its swollen legs transformed into something like horse legs.

As it was on the third step, I managed to catch up and swung my sword down, but only succeeded in cutting off a tentacle. 

On the fourth step, the demon, now as large as the carriage, rammed into it. 

The barrier around the carriage warped significantly.

Merseja was desperately trying to control the horses, which had completely panicked.

I struck at the demon again as it prepared to ram the carriage once more. 

The way the barrier was bending looked dangerous. 

I had to stop it.

But in my haste, I made a mistake. 

As I raised my sword, a shock struck my side.

My body was lifted off the ground and I was sent flying horizontally.

My enhanced vision revealed that it was a newly sprouted tentacle from the demon that had sent me flying.

Damn it, is that even fair?

Whether I was lucky or unlucky, I landed next to the coachman’s seat of the carriage, grumbling all the way. 

Merseja let out a startled cry.

“The horses won’t obey, and the barrier’s been grabbed! We can’t escape, young man!”

Merseja glanced briefly at the demon behind us.

“What is that thing, young man!?”

I stood up, grateful for the sturdy carriage.

“A demon that used to be human. I don’t know why it turned out this way, and I have no idea about the source of this barrier. If I had to guess, it’s probably that thing.”

I quickly explained to Merseja that the opponent was an unknown demon and that it would be difficult to escape by dealing with the barrier alone.

“Yeah, this job isn’t worth it.”

Merseja lamented as the demon attacked the carriage again. This time, instead of ramming it, it struck the barrier with one hand. 

The other hand was likely gripping the barrier, just as Merseja had said.

I could see the magic power in the barrier warping.

In other words, the barrier wouldn’t hold much longer. 

I was increasingly frustrated with my own slow decision-making. 

The constantly changing situation had left me struggling to keep up.

“Merseja, I’m going to draw it away now, so take the chance to distance yourself and get the horses under control. Then we’ll take it down together.”

“Can you do that?”

He asked in a skeptical tone.

I didn’t dislike that about him. 

I smiled wryly.

“If it’s just about taking it down one-on-one, I can handle it.”

“As expected of the ‘Unbefitting Longdagger.’”

What does that even mean? I wondered, but then I saw magic power concentrating in the demon’s arm and refocused.

Despite appearing mindless, the horse-faced demon had a consistent objective. 

It continued to ignore me and target the carriage.

Its aim was clearly Erika Solnzari.

Anger made my teeth grind.

Who in the world was trying to harm Erika Solnzari? They had already taken her bright future, and now they wanted her life too?

Ridiculous.

I won’t allow it.

I won’t tolerate such injustice.

I braced my foot against the coachman’s seat. 

The moment the horse-faced demon raised its magic-filled arm, I was about to leap when it suddenly reared back, startled.

My back collided with Merseja, and he shouted something, but I didn’t pay attention. 

I was captivated by the overflowing magic power in front of me.

I’ve never met anyone else who could see magic power.

Because of that, I’m the only one who knows the beauty of this magical light.

The golden magic power, which seemed to symbolize the person’s nobility, was radiating straight from the carriage door.

It was aimed at the demon’s chest.

Just before the demon’s arm struck the barrier, the golden light transformed into a fierce blast and exploded against the demon’s chest. 

The demon was blown away, along with the carriage door, to the edge of the barrier.

I turned to the now confused Merseja and said, 

“Merseja, it’s okay now.”

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the trademark red hair peeking out from the carriage’s entrance where the door had been blown off.

“The Marquis’s daughter has come.”