The Young Lady With the Most Powerful Specs Was Just Too Cute, so I Started Teasing Her—But Then She Tried to Trap Me With a Chain, so I Kept Running Away With All My Might - Chapter 17

Playing Tag with a Monster: Round One

Man, I’m doing something so stupid.

Katary went through all that trouble to warn me, and here I am, choosing to put myself in a life-or-death situation anyway.

The second I dove into the forest, the air changed.

The smell of dust and blood from the town faded away, replaced by the stinging scent of damp earth, tree bark, and night dew.

It was dark, but not pitch black. Thin beams of moonlight poked through the gaps in the trees, leaving splotchy patches of light on the ground.

I sprinted through it at full throttle.

Behind me, I could hear the sound of long claws shredding tree trunks.

Because that monster was so big, the noise it made crashing through the woods echoed everywhere.

Even with all these obstacles in the way, that thing was incredibly fast.

And it wasn’t just quick on its feet.

It was actually reading my path.

Instead of just chasing me in a straight line, it cut diagonally through the trees, thrusting its claws toward wherever I was about to step next.

“Whoa!”

I jumped to the right on pure instinct.

At that exact moment, the tree where I had been running a split second ago was gouged diagonally by a claw.

Wood chips grazed my cheek.

Whoa, that was close! It’s fast, it’s got long limbs, and it’s actually smart? That’s totally cheating.

It would be one thing if it were just a beast. If it just chased me with brute force, I’d have a way to get away.

But this thing was different.

I could tell its eyes were constantly tracking me even in the forest.

My footwork.
My breathing.
My habits when I turn.
Which trees I use for cover.

It was watching all of that and learning.

It had the brains to lead and the power to overwhelm. It had both.

Dammit! This isn’t the kind of opponent a knight apprentice is supposed to deal with!

What do I even have?

Powerful sword skills? Nope.
Amazing magic? Not a chance.
Super strength to knock a monster flat? Yeah, right.

The only thing I have is my speed when I’m running away.

Where is the enemy looking?
Where is it going to strike next?
What kind of terrain can buy me even a tiny bit of time?

Plus, I have my “runner’s intuition.”

I picked up the ability to predict moves while desperately trying to avoid getting hurt or punched by the senior knights chasing me around.

I used to think it was a pretty pathetic skill.

But right now, it’s all I’ve got.

As long as the Duke and Ludie can get away safely before I get caught, that’s fine by me.

Even if I die here, if it buys those two enough time to escape…

“Wait, isn’t that actually kind of cool? Am I like, a hero or something?”

The words just slipped out. I mean, it sounds pretty cool, right?

“Haha, this is getting interesting!”

A knight apprentice who dies protecting the Duke. A personal knight apprentice who puts his life on the line for his lady.

Being a hero at the very end… if I told my old man back in the countryside, he’d definitely yell at me to stop acting cool, but it’s still not a bad way to go.

Still, I’d really rather not die if I can help it.

“Even if I’m a hero, it’s better to be a living one!”

As I shouted, I kicked off the side of a huge boulder and ducked low.

A moment later, the monster’s claws gouged deep into the rock.

Stone shattered.
Shards went flying.

Using that momentum, I leaped over some tree roots and slid down a low slope.

Behind me, a roar that sounded like neither a beast nor a human echoed through the trees.

It was pissed. Good! Get angrier. Keep your eyes on me and only me!

Forget about the Duke, forget about the town, forget about Ludie—just keep chasing me.

In that sense, I was actually doing a pretty good job.

The problem was, the monster was starting to get serious.

I didn’t even know how long I’d been running anymore.

The pattern of the claw attacks changed.

At first, it was just smashing through trees and rocks, but now it was different.

Instead of breaking things, it was cutting off my escape routes.

It would slash a tree on the left.

Predicting I’d dodge to the right, it would circle around from that side. Then it would sink low and thrust out its long arms.

“Whoa!?”

Its fingertips grazed the hem of my uniform.

I felt a chill.

If I get caught by that, a guy like me is finished in one hit.

I kicked off a tree trunk to change direction.

But the next attack came immediately.

Whenever I read one move ahead, that thing pushed back with two.

“You’re really smart, aren’t you, you jerk!”

There was no answer.

Instead, I heard the sound of something snapping a branch behind me.

Wait, that’s weird.

At first, it was making enough noise to level the whole forest, but now the sounds were quiet.

I grit my teeth and focused on observing the sounds, the presence, and my opponent.

It chose spots where the moonlight was dim.
It stepped on damp patches of ground.
It was scattering its tracks and its scent.

Its presence was faint. The noise was minimal.

This thing didn’t just have good eyes; its ears and nose were sharp too.

On top of that, it was using its head while staying hidden.

It was accurately picking up the sound of me pushing through the grass. It even slowed down its chase once in the middle of it.

Just as I started to turn around because of a bad feeling, it came from above.

“!”

Without me noticing, it had climbed a tree trunk and moved ahead of my path.

Its long arm sliced through the moonlight. I dove forward, basically rolling on the ground. Tree roots were shredded right behind my back.

Cold sweat ran down my face.

But I can still do this.

“Hah… hah… hah…!”

My chest hurt. My legs felt heavy.

I ran in the town, I ran all the way to the forest, and then I had to do all this.

Playing tag with Ludie didn’t involve our lives being on the line.

But right now, if I get caught, I’m actually dead.

However, that thing wasn’t exactly unscathed either.

That arm I slashed earlier.

It was shallow, but the wound was definitely there.

It wasn’t enough to slow it down, but it was enough to make it mad.

“Hey, what’s wrong, you big freak! Is that all you’ve got!”

I forced my tired body to move.

I purposely taunted it to let it know where I was.

Instead of a reply, a claw came flying.

I used a tree trunk as a shield, and the whole trunk got sliced clean in half.

“You think you’re pretty strong, don’t you!?”

If I took a direct hit from that kind of power, I’d literally be a pile of meat.

But I realized something.

When this thing gets angry, it gets sloppy.

It was much colder when it was leading the pack.
Even while it was cornering me, it had slowly become more calm.

But it understands my words.
That’s why the taunts work.

It’s been hurt, it can’t catch me, and now it’s obsessed with me.

That’s a good sign.

Come on, bring it. Let the blood rush to your head.

As long as chasing me is its top priority, I can buy that much more time.

Suddenly, the ground ahead of me opened up.

A small clearing in the middle of the forest.

It wasn’t quite a cliff, but it was a steep slope with a rocky area and a shallow stream at the bottom.

Can I jump? No, I have to jump!

I made the call in an instant.

I didn’t slow down. I just kicked off the slope.

I felt its presence closing in from behind.

I jumped! My body floated in mid-air.

The next moment, the monster’s claws sliced through the air behind me.

That was a close call.

I went rolling down the slope and slammed into the rocks by the water.

“Gah…!”

That hurts! But my legs aren’t broken.

My arms still move. I can stand. I can still go! I splashed through the water and stood up, seeing the monster standing on the slope above.

In the moonlight, those glowing eyes were looking down at me.

Its mouth opened like it was torn.

Did it smile? It looked like it.

“Fine by me.”

I gripped my sword tight again.

My legs were shaking.
I was out of breath.

I was covered in mud from head to toe.

But it’s not over yet.

I can’t afford to get caught here. If I’m finished here, the Duke, Ludie, and everyone in town will be in danger.

“Round two, you piece of crap.”

I kicked through the water and ran further into the darkness.

The monster roared.

Listening to that sound at my back, I started running again.