“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...? - 44-45

Chapter 44: Meanwhile, Knight Wurfe Starts Looking for Party Members Part 5

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Take this!!”

Kicking aside the grass and trees swaying in the dry wind, Wurfe leapt at Steel-Scaled Serpent, Gardonea.

The Steel-Scaled Serpent, Gardonea, locked onto the approaching heat source with its eyes and whipped its tail—clad in metallic armor—down with tremendous force.

Clang!

Sparks flew as Wurfe deflected the blow with his shield. He immediately countered with his sword, the blade slipping between the serpent’s scales and grazing its flesh.

“Ha! How about that! See what I’m really capable of! I was just a bit under the weather before! If I go all out, this is nothing!”

When Gardonea reared its head to spew venom, Wurfe reversed his grip and slashed upward. When it attempted a sweeping tail attack, he dodged in sync with its wind-up and even used the tail as a springboard to drive his sword into its throat.

Never breaking his guard, Wurfe danced around the massive body, cutting repeatedly with graceful movements. He indulged in the euphoria of a fight where he once again controlled the flow—something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“…Hah. Brute-force monsters like you are done for once I learn your patterns. This is how a first-rate adventurer fights.”

Wurfe’s fighting style indeed had a touch of flair, as if he were performing rather than fighting. But such showmanship only served to stoke the fury of an opponent in a real battlefield—even if that opponent was a mute beast.

“GSHAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Suddenly, Gardonea’s body pulsed red. Its previously closed-down scales stood on end, and steam hissed violently from the gaps between them.

“Huh? What, still got some fight left in you?”

At first, Wurfe maintained a smug grin. He’d been dominating the fight—he believed there was no point resisting with that weakened body. The next moment, the massive serpent unraveled its coils at lightning speed, using Wurfe as the axis, and swung its steel tail from a blind spot.

“—Gahh!?”

By sheer luck, Wurfe managed to block the blow with his shield, avoiding a direct hit. But the impact still tore through his armor and rattled his lungs to the core.

“N-No way! It’s moving way faster than before…!”

Its movements were sharp and brutal, like it was a completely different creature—clearly driven by rage. Whether that rage stemmed from Wurfe’s condescending attitude, or the devastation of its home forest, Gardonea now had only one outlet for its wrath: the prey before it.

It attacked relentlessly—constricting, spraying venom, sweeping with its tail, charging headlong.

“—Ugh…! Gah…! Gahh…!”

Wurfe pressed his back against a boulder, forcing himself inside his shield like a turtle to barely endure the onslaught.

Why…? I used to take down monsters like this with no problem…!

The years of inactivity. The lazy days when he didn’t even need to draw his sword, relying on party members to do the work. And now, the shallow pride driving him to reclaim his lost reputation. There were endless causes. He knew it, at least in his head—but his inflated pride refused to accept it.

“Hahh… Hahh…”

Seeing Wurfe visibly weakened, the serpent suddenly quickened its pace, almost as if it had been waiting for this moment. It didn’t allow him a single breath to recover, coiling its long body around him.

Damn it…!

Wurfe’s body was crushed in the tightening coils. Struggling desperately to escape the approaching death, he suddenly noticed the moonlight had disappeared.

He instinctively looked up at the sky—and saw a green shadow streak across the cloudy night. It glimmered with twin flashes that took the moon’s place, and upon landing, carved a deep cross-shaped slash into Gardonea’s tail.

“KSSHHHAAAAAAAAAH!!!?”

A beat later, the serpent registered the pain and began thrashing wildly in reflex. By sheer fortune, Wurfe was shaken free and fell to the ground, landing on his rear, staring blankly at the figure brandishing bloodstained blades nearby.

“…You’re not good enough.”

With cold, emotionless eyes, Satsuki glanced down at the man lying at her feet. Then, without hesitation, she refocused on the monster, raised her twin daggers, and advanced to finish the job.

I was… saved? No way… Me? By someone who’s just a C-Rank…?

Left behind in stunned silence, Wurfe dropped to his knees, unable to utter a single word in the face of reality.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 45: Meanwhile, Knight Wurfe Starts Looking for Party Members Part 6

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Haaah~ Finally caught up…”

“Are you alright, Leader?”

Drawlan and Hime, who had arrived late, came over to Wurfe.

“Y-You guys! What the hell took you so long?! Hurry up and give me some backup already!”

Wurfe lashed out in frustration, letting his emotions flare. But Drawlan’s expression remained cold and unamused.

“…What do you mean ‘what took us so long’? This happened because you charged ahead on your own, didn’t it? Do I seriously need to explain basic tactics like ‘maintaining positions that allow mutual support’ and ‘not breaking formation’ when forming a party?”

“Grgh…!”

Wurfe bit his lip, unable to respond.

“Haa… I didn’t expect to witness such a reckless blunder—something even rookie adventurers wouldn’t do nowadays.”

“Right~? And look, Oji-san is all covered in mud, and from the looks of it, he’s probably got a few fractures too~ Did that monster beat the crap outta you? What a loser~♡”

“S-Shut up! I was just a little off my game, that’s all! If I’d been at my full power, something like that would never have—”

“Is that so? Well then, for now let’s leave it to her. She seems to be doing just fine.”

When Wurfe followed where Drawlan pointed, he saw Satsuki dancing with her blades—gracefully weaving around the Steel-Scaled Serpent, Gardonea, landing precise and damaging blows with every strike.

“I’m going to go support her. Leader, please stay here and have Hime heal you. …From the looks of things, you’re in no condition to fight on the front lines—but I’m sure you can at least handle protecting her, right?”

“What!? Hey, I’m the leader here! Don’t go giving orders on your own!”

“Then maybe try giving more constructive instructions before claiming that title. I said I’d do my part for the reward, but I’m not risking my life on orders from someone incompetent.”

With that, Drawlan turned away and headed into battle, casting his spells. They weren’t especially powerful, but the sheer number of them slowed the serpent’s movements and created clear openings for Satsuki to strike.

“Dammit! Acting like he’s better than me, just because I hired him…!”

“But you know, Glasses-kun is right, isn’t he~? You’ve just been spitting insults and can’t come up with a single comeback. That kinda proves his point.”

“Shut up! Just hurry up and heal me already!”

“See, there it is. …Oji-san, you’re no fun to tease when you’re like this. Well, I’ll help you anyway—but you better protect me after, okay~?”

As Hime tended to Wurfe’s injuries, the combined efforts of the other two finally brought the Steel-Scaled Serpent, Gardonea, to its end. Its massive body collapsed to the ground, its life extinguished.

  * * *

“………”

It had been a trivial opponent. As Satsuki turned her back to the fallen serpent and moved to sheathe her blade, her hand suddenly froze halfway through the motion. Not just her hand—her feet, her thoughts, even her heartbeat seemed to freeze in place.

Something’s coming…!

Trusting the beast’s blood that flowed within her, Satsuki leapt back from the serpent. The very next moment—splitting through the clouds with a low, rumbling growl, a black shadow descended from the sky, stomping down on the dead serpent as it landed.

“A black… Dragon…!”

Pitch-black scales and wings. Razor-sharp claws. An overwhelming presence. It radiated such menace that it made the just-defeated monster seem like nothing more than the prelude to a coming catastrophe.

“This is… The black dragon mentioned in the reports, the one the Demon Lord commands… If it appears here, then the Demon Lord’s base must really be nearby…”

Drawlan, sweating and tense, glanced at the frozen Satsuki, who hadn’t finished sheathing her blade.

“This is bad… With just the four of us, we don’t stand a chance. We should retreat and report this—”

Dash!!!

While Drawlan began slowly backing away, Satsuki did the exact opposite. She drew her blade once more and charged straight ahead. Her eyes, unwavering, fixed solely on the strong.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

T/N: Drawlen be like : I’m surrounded by idiots…” (눈_눈)