Adventurer Life with Exiled Daughter

Chapter 94

Chapter 94

*

Splitting the jaw vertically wasn't going to stop the dragon's attack, of course.

Naturally, the Jewelhead Dragon stretched its neck to bite me with its jaw split into four parts.

Of course, I had no intention of getting bitten, so I planned to dodge by kicking it away or something.

The problem was that, for some reason, there was a bearded guy striking a fighting pose right next to me.

Compared to Oganight's movements, it was quite slow, yet those fangs rivaling its fist were closing in on me.

Dodging would be easy, but if I dodged like this, what would happen to the bearded guy? Well, he'd be split in half, obviously.

He's an adventurer; that kind of end isn't uncommon.

I'm glad I got to fight alongside you one last time; I'll miss those hairy arms of yours I've reattached so many times.

Well, goodbye then, damn it! This is gonna leave a bad feeling after waking up!

I cast aside all the conflicting emotions in my heart, grabbed the bearded guy, and escaped from the Jewelhead Dragon's jaw.

The dragon's jaw snapped shut with a sound that made me want to say even clashing iron plates would be better.

I heard it while landing about six paces away.

"......Damn, this is the worst."

I couldn't help but let out a groan at the inescapable burden of having the bearded guy as the second person I've ever carried like a princess in my life.

"......Masked person."

And bearded guy, stop looking at me with those sparkling eyes.

Suppressing the urge to throw him away, I set the bearded guy down on the ground.

Taking advantage of the distance, the Jewelhead Dragon slowly healed its split jaw and dented head.

I wanted to deal a bit more damage at the start.

Swallowing the anger rising in my throat, I asked the bearded guy.

"What are you doing? I hate to say it, but this opponent is way out of your league."

"What, you say——"

The bearded guy said with a puzzled look.

"I'm an adventurer, so if I don't buy time for those who can't fight to escape, that'd be a lie, right, masked person?"

Even though I was in the middle of a battle with the Jewelhead Dragon, I couldn't help but stare intently at the bearded guy's face.

Not understanding what he was saying or what I was being asked, I shifted my gaze back to the dragon.

"I see, reattaching your arm wasn't a waste after all."

My deflated tension came back again.

"But listen, bearded guy, I can buy enough time for the merchants to escape on my own. So, you should run too."

Not many people would believe something like this coming from a human they don't even know.

But adventurers like us don't hate those who "talk big"; if you talk big, you'd better show you can do it.

We adventurers believe in each other.

"Nah, that's probably impossible, isn't it, masked person?"

Saying that, the bearded guy pointed behind him.

Hey, bearded guy, aren't you supposed to be on the adventurers' side? I looked in the direction he pointed, surprised.

"......Damn."

For the umpteenth time today, the word "damn" slipped out of my mouth.

They must have panicked trying to escape in a hurry.

At the end of my gaze, three carriages were entangled, stranded.

I screamed curses in my heart that I couldn't voice out loud at the skyrocketing difficulty.

*

Because the merchants' carriages got stranded, I lost several freedoms.

First, I lost the freedom to escape.

I lost the freedom to maneuver as well.

And the freedom to temporarily hide by repeating hit-and-run tactics.

I hoped the merchants would abandon their carriages and run, but that's probably not going to happen.

If it were just a regular wagon, that might have been possible, but two of the stranded carriages are food stalls.

A carriage loaded with cooking magic tools is expensive, and merchants will try to avoid losing it until the very last moment.

Saying things like "you need to be alive to have possessions" is easy when it's someone else's problem.

Thinking that humans who'd do business in a place where monsters roam this close could be wealthy enough to own multiple carriages is an idiot's way of thinking.

For them, losing a carriage isn't that far off from dying.

Staring at the dragon healing its dented head at the end of my gaze, I asked the bearded guy.

"Bearded guy, where's your partner?"

"If you mean them, they went into the forest to warn the adventurers there about the Jewelhead Dragon."

I see, as expected, that bearded guy's partner is competent.

They chose the best course of action in just a moment; they must have started moving the instant I got blown away.

Well, they probably didn't expect the bearded guy, who they left behind as dead weight while running through a forest full of Jewelhead Bunnies, to strike a fighting pose against a Jewelhead Dragon.

"I've got a request for you, bearded guy."

"Sure, what is it, masked person?"

"Help the people in the carriages; I guarantee the dragon won't go that way."

I spoke with a serious voice, hoping the bearded guy would trust me.

In response, the bearded guy let out a light laugh.

"Nice, masked person. That's really nice. Yeah, that's right, I became an adventurer because I wanted to do stuff like this."

Even without looking at him, I could tell the guy was smiling.

"Then, responding like this is the stylish thing to do, right? Leave it to me, masked person."

Saying that, the bearded guy dashed off.

Nice line, that really pumps me up.

"Alright, our break time is over."

I said that to the dragon glaring at me.