4-04 Ill Pari the Cow (2/2)

As I desperately fought off the attacks, the cow swung her axe like a madman, one after another.

I have no chance to fight back.

But if I can find an opening...

No, no, no.

If there is an opening.

I'm not gonna have a chance in hell.

I have no way to attack.

Because I don't have the skills to fight.

I guess I was reckless.

I think as I block one of the cow's attacks, which is sure to be lethal.

Perhaps I had no chance of winning this fight with the cow in the first place.

I have no talent whatsoever.

No matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough.

I thought I could help someone.

I may have been conceited.

But still, ──────

”Parisi.

Even if I can't be a hero.

Even if you can't be a hero, at least you can protect the girl who sits in front of you and is scared.

Because no matter what the situation, I'll always protect the weak... that's the adventurer I've always wanted to be.

I want to be like that someday, no matter how long it takes.

If I abandoned her here, how would I ever fulfill that dream?

All I can do is repel the bull's attacks.

It was all I could do now.

”NMOOOOOO!

The cow swung her axe down again.

But this time it wasn't for me.

The girl hadn't moved from her spot.

She was just staring at me.

Apparently, she didn't have the energy to run away.

The cow must have noticed this and decided to crush her.

The axe swung straight down.

It's on a trajectory to avoid me in the way and smash a single girl.

But ────

”Parry.

I slip in front of the girl and pop the bull's-axe again.

Just in time, just in time.

The axe goes high, and the cow staggers a little.

”GEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

So the cow is furious.

I guess he thinks I'm a nuisance now.

The axe becomes more powerful.

I can feel the anger, the excitement, in every swing of the axe.

Each blow is much heavier than the last.

The arm holding the sword is already screaming.

But no matter how many times it comes.

I'll play it again and again.

I won't let you swing.

As long as I'm alive, I'll flip it back again and again.

Even if I can't win, until I die I'll at least protect her.

That was the plan.

But my limit came quickly.

The sword in my hand screamed first.

The sword the guards were using was much better than the wooden sword I had been using for training in the mountains, but there was a clear difference in mass compared to the ox axe.

With a cracking sound, the sword shattered into pieces.

Perhaps seeing this as an opportunity, the bull axe swung straight down at my neck.

If I take it, I'm sure to be crushed along with the girl behind me.

──────, but...

Not yet.

The sword still has a small portion of its hilt and blade left.

If I use that part, I'll be able to pop the axe one more time.

That would be the last time I would be able to use this sword to hit the axe.

With that in mind, I concentrated my consciousness to the utmost limit and shifted the trajectory of the bull axe to where I wanted it to go... in order to do that, I put everything I had into this moment and played it with all my might.

”Parry.

The axe I hit spun around, left the cow's hand, and plunged straight into her neck.

And just like that, the axe blade passed through the cow's neck and into the building behind it.

The cow, having lost the axe, stood there silently.

A moment of silence.

Not long after that, the cow's head fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

”──── did it.

When I saw that the cow did not get up, I let my heart go out to her.

The sword in my hand was shattered from the base by the blow.

It shattered, leaving not even the handle behind.

That was really the final blow.

That was close.

No, it wasn't just the sword.

My body was already at its limit.

I found my arms, legs, my whole body screaming.

I'm dizzy, I'm exhausted.

It's really pathetic.

I'm dealing with a cow in the city.

This is not enough to make me dream of traveling the world and having adventures.

...... Thank you, thank you for saving my life... Who the hell are you...

The girl staggered to her feet and thanked me.

I'm glad you're okay.

Behind her, I can see the guards running towards us.

”You still have a lot of training to do...

I was too embarrassed to tell them my name, so I decided to leave the rest to the guards, and hurried to the Adventurer's Guild to report the completion of the request for the construction site.