Chapter 48: Isn’t This Life Too Difficult?

As soon as the people who kidnapped me went out of the barrier, I saw that some Hollows started swaying towards us from the group.

“Tsk, the Hollows reactions are faster than I thought they would be.”

“Go to where the grove is! Hurry!”

I widened my eyes in surprised. I know these voices.

“It took us two weeks just to wait for a chance to snatch her. Why did they protect her this much when she’s not even important to this town?”

It’s the fake messenger.

“We can shake off the Hollows as long as we can get onto the Rug Dragons. Hurry up!”

The Hollows weren’t near us yet and there were two unrestrained Rug Dragons hidden under the shadows of the trees.

“What about her?!”

“The mayor’s daughter!? I took her along because I thought she would make a lot of noise, but she’s a burden. Just leave her here.”

Idiots! If you leave her here then the Hollows would get her before help arrives.

This is bad. I started struggling with all I had. Amy was also struggling. As a result, “Argh,” the man threw Amy near the grove. I was dumbfounded. The person who kidnapped me was still holding onto me as he tried to get onto the Rug Dragon, but as soon as he let go off my mouth, “Eimyy. Yeww woudwy.”

“Lei!” This isn’t the time to be calling out to me.

“Yeww.”

“Brat, ah, ouch! She bit me!”

I bit the hand that was trying to shut me up and yelled, “KYAA!” Amy also yelled.

“Tsk. The people at the mansion noticed us! Go!”

“KYAA! YAA! Rug Drawgon! Hewp! Drawgon!”

The Rug Dragons were close to us. The other person was already on the other dragon, but the dragon reacted violently after it heard my voice so it took all the man’s strength to stay on.

“Drawgon! Hewp!”

“Kyee!”

The dragon, who had no one on it, kept trying to touch me because he was anxious, so the man, who was holding me, couldn’t really get on.

“Hurry! The Hollows are nearly here! Fark! I’m leaving first!”

“Wait!”

One person left and the other man turned around, “WAAH,” he shouted as he threw me.

“Tsk,” he clicked his tongue as he forcibly pulled the Rug Dragon, got on and ran away from the Hollows.

“Kyee!” The only thing that was heard was the Rug Dragon’s worried cry.

“Uoah.”

“Lei!”

I somehow managed to get up and hugged Amy. It seemed like she was fine.

“Amy! Lei!” I heard a voice from the mansion. The distance between the edge of the barrier and here was about 50 meters.

“Let me go! I’m going to save Amy!”

“You can’t Ray! We can’t do anything if there’s no hunters around! Hurry! Hurry and get the hunters!”

“Let go! You have a Rhodolite sword right there! The Hollows are nearly on them!”

“We can’t do anything with our strength against that many Hollows!”

I raised my head at Ray’s voice and the Hollows were already approaching the grove.

“Eiimy, chu go.”

Will we make it if we run? Amy hugged me as her body shook.

“Imposhshibwe. Can’th run. Ith’ww cathch up.”

What if I run too?

“Lei wnowsh. Buth reawwy thoththering.”

It doesn’t matter if I run or walk.

I looked up at the sky from Amy’s shoulders as she hugged me. It’s already night and the hunters have already gone out on their hunts.

Help won’t come.

“Fiwe.”

I have no choice but to do what I can.

“Eimyy, thouch properwy.”

“Lei?”

“Properwy. Yup.”

Amy didn’t see the Hollows. She was sitting down properly and wasn’t kneeling down.

“Thhen-.”

I also sat down as if Amy was holding me.

“Lei?”

“Don’th move.”

I closed my eyes. Spread my magic out, so that it would cover Amy and I. Then, I changed the quality of the magic to be the same as a barrier.

*WHIRR*

“KYAA!”

“Don’th move.”

The barrier shifted.

I felt the Hollows near us. We would touch them if we reach our hands out. My magic will run out if I stretch the barrier too far. Bart and Alistair will come and get us. I have to keep the barrier up until they come.

“It’s scary.”

“Don’th move eben if chu’re shcared. Lei magwic.”

“Lei,” Amy hugged me tightly. That’s fine too.

It was a barrier created from my magic. Whenever the Hollows hit the barrier the *WHIRR* vibrations directly resounded. There are animals from the forest in front of us. Is that a rabbit? There’s also something that looks like a wild boar. And of course there are humans too. They are all Hollows.

“Evans-san…”

“Eimyy?”

“I know, I know this person. Help, help us Evans-san!”

“Don’th move,” I yelled to stop Amy who was trying to stand up.

“But Lei-.”

“Who’sh Evansh.”

“Noah’s dad. Noah’s-.”

“Oh yeh, Noah doeshn’th hab a dad.”

“He was, attacked by Hollows, and passed away…”

He was attacked by this Hollow. They copied the image of the beings they attacked. That’s what Hollows are.

“Dad! Dad!” I heard Noah’s voice.

“It’s not! That’s a Hollow!”

*WHIRR* the barrier shook. It was hard to maintain the barrier while talking. I feel like this Hollow is strong.

“Eimyy. Quieth.”

Amy nodded weakly.

*WHIRR WHIRR* the barrier shook and we were surrounded by Hollows. If I let my guard down then the magic will change and it’ll just become normal magic.

“Huwwy, quicwwy, Barth, Awishthair.”

“Lei! Amy!”

Am I hearing things? I feel like I heard Alistair calling us from far away.

“Huwwy, quicwwy.”

The Hollows presence is getting thinner?

“Barth, Awishthair.”

The person named Evans shifted diagonally from his shoulders and disappeared. Behind him I saw, “Barth, Awishthair…”

I wasn’t imagining things.

“Lei! You did well!”

“Now, come here!”

“Eimmy?”

“She’s fine.”

Amy disappeared from behind me without me noticing and was being hugged by the mayor. I’m glad. Even so-.

“Thoo hard for a babwy.”

I fell on my back.

“Lei!”

Someone caught me. I’m sure it’s Alistair. But, I’m tired.

“Lei…”

Let me rest a little, k?