24 – The Benefactor
The passengers were thrown off as the raft flipped over.
Many people fell into the fierce rapids, but I didn’t care what happened to the human bastards.
I only ran with all my strength, caring only for the elf child.
The child did not float to the surface of the water, perhaps because his hands and feet were tied.
I took a deep breath of mana and jumped over the raging waves.
– Kwoong! Kwang!
As I leaped into the air, all sorts of things flew at me.
The arrows and spears shot by the elves rained down on the humans in the river, and the magic that the humans retaliated with spewed fire and exploded.
I didn’t wear a cloak for blood identification, but I wonder if it’s okay.
I prayed that the back of my head was safe and dived into the water.
– Splash!
The noise of the battlefield was muffled by the water.
The water in the river was not very clear, but it was enough to open my eyes and look around.
The current was slow, so the child wouldn’t have drifted far. But he wouldn’t be very close either, because of the elves’ magic.
I calmly surveyed the surroundings while diving deep.
Then, I saw the child sinking into the water, struggling.
‘I found him.’
I confirmed the child’s location and stuck my head out of the water to recharge my breath.
Mana came in with the clear air, giving me an unbelievable vitality in my body.
Now it was time to save the child before it was too late.
I dived again and started swimming towards the child.
– Kugung! Kugugung!
Explosions continued on the surface of the water, making my body tremble.
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I thought I could subdue them in an instant since I had the numerical advantage, but the humans’ resistance was fiercer than I expected.
I had to rescue the elves quickly and get out of there so they could focus their firepower.
With that in mind, I kicked harder in the water.
My arms and legs, enhanced by mana, pushed my body forward, creating a strong current.
I was almost like a torpedo cutting through the water with all my strength.
“Ugh!”
I reached the child in no time.
The girl, whose hands and feet were tied, was desperately holding her breath in a state of panic.
Seeing her like that, I felt a surge of pride and urgency.
How scared must this little child have been?
I hugged the girl and slammed the riverbed hard.
“It’s okay now! Breathe!”
“Puhah―!”
I lifted the girl up to the water and took off her eye cover.
Then she spat out the water and breathed in the clear air.
Meanwhile, all kinds of magic and weapons were flying from all directions.
I hugged the coughing girl to my chest and started to swim backstroke.
“Just relax your body!”
The swimming method to save a drowning person.
I had never learned it, nor had I ever used it in real life.
But it wasn’t that hard, thanks to the superior physical ability and the calmness of the girl.
We swallowed some water several times because of the strong current, but we were able to step on the ground without any danger.
“Huff… Huff…”
“Ugh.”
We were able to save her successfully, but it wasn’t over yet.
I hugged the girl who was about to burst into tears and tried to get out of the battlefield.
Then, the girl on my back sobbed and said.
“Friend… Please save my friend too!”
I turned around with a feeling of regret and looked at the river.
There were two children who were kidnapped. And the other one was supposed to be saved by Shiz.
Did Shiz successfully save the child? He couldn’t swim and the current was not easy either.
If Shiz failed to rescue the hostage, the situation would be serious.
I had to save not only the child but also Shiz.
“Hide here!”
“Please, my friend―”
“―I’ll save him and come back!”
I put the child down and headed back to the river.
The child who fell into the water. Shiz who fell with him trying to save him.
Bad thoughts kept popping up in my head.
I wondered if I trusted Shiz too much. If Shiz was betrayed, it would be my fault for sure.
I shouted out for Shiz before jumping into the river.
“Shiz!!”
My scream echoed through the noise of the battlefield.
But there was no voice answering me.
It had been quite some time since the situation started, and I couldn’t delay any longer.
I clenched my teeth and took a breath to dive into the river again.
That’s when it happened.
– Kwagagak――!!
Another geyser erupted from the middle of the river.
It was smaller than the one that rose at the start of the operation, but it was still a large tree trunk that sprang up from the river.
On top of the tree trunk, Shiz was hanging on with an elf child wrapped around him.
The tree trunk rose quickly and stopped with a loud noise.
“Sh, Shiz!!”
Shiz was flung by the inertia and flew towards the riverbank at a fast speed.
If he fell like that, he would surely get hurt, but he was too far away for me to catch him.
Soon after, Shiz crashed into the riverbank.
The last thing I saw of him was his face, giving up his own safety completely to protect the child.
“That crazy bastard!”
He must have been badly injured.
I ran to the place where Shiz had fallen.
As we followed the broken branches and the long stream of water, we saw Shiz lying on the bushes, covered in blood.
“Khhuk!!”
Shiz was gritting his teeth in pain, with a glint of green in his eyes.
It was a miracle, or so I thought, that the child he was holding in his arms was unharmed and intact.
But Shiz’s injuries were too severe.
His pale skin was stained with blood, and a piece of wood was stuck in his side. It looked more than painful, it looked savage.
Then, Shiz, with such serious wounds, spat out blood and got up from his spot.
“Hey! Stay still!”
“Over there!”
The child and I shouted at Shiz, trying to stop him.
But Shiz ignored our words and walked shakily to the riverbank.
A long trail of green light followed his eyes, and golden mana sparkled and flickered.
With that untouchable aura, Shiz reached the riverbank and screamed with rage.
“Mission accomplished!!”
As Shiz’s shout echoed, the magic and arrows that were flying at us stopped for a moment.
Shiz pulled out the wood piece from his side roughly and gave an even louder order.
“Kill them all!!”
We had rescued all the hostages.
There were no more allies left in the river.
So now, we could attack without hesitation.
The forest roared and answered to Shiz’s command.
” ―――――――――!!! “
The full-scale offensive of the elves was truly a spectacle to behold.
Giant tree roots overturned the river, and a sharp rain of arrows poured down endlessly.
The magic they exchanged so far seemed like child’s play compared to the overwhelming firepower.
Not only the humans, but even the fish in the river seemed doomed to die.
I was so astonished that my mouth wouldn’t close.
“Ugh….”
As I was staring blankly at the battlefield, Shiz groaned and swayed her body.
I ran to her and supported her, checking her condition.
“Hey, you crazy woman. What are you doing pulling it out like that? You have a hole in your side.”
“Ugh.”
Shiz looked so badly injured that I couldn’t tell how she was standing.
She was more than a heroine, she was a monster.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t wearing any clothes to use for hemostasis, so I had to grit my teeth and do nothing.
Should I tear my pants and stop the bleeding?
As I raised my hand to my pants, Shiz, who was grinding her teeth in pain, clicked her tongue and said to me.
“Shut up. Just pick me up and move me.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shiz collapsed into my arms.
I reflexively lifted her up and stood up with a wobbly posture.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have lost consciousness, as Shizu, who was clinging to me, opened her mouth in a weak voice.
“Damn it. Swimming is hard.”
I looked at her with disbelief and adjusted her position to make her comfortable.
Shizu grimaced in pain and closed her eyes as she spoke.
“Tell me later….”
After finishing her sentence, Shizu leaned her head on my chest as if she wanted to sleep.
I wondered if she had died for a moment and shook her back and forth, but I heard her mutter, ‘Kid, f*ck.’ and stopped right away.
I carefully picked her up and headed to the children I had left behind.
The children who had been tied up were thankfully not going anywhere and waited for us in their place.
“But… who are you, mister?”
“I’m not a mister. I’m a druid candidate.”
I carried Shizu and took the children with me and returned to the western root tribe.
Before I knew it, the human bastards had all been subdued, and the shelling that had been fired into the river had subsided.
* * *
“You’re safe, candidate!”
“Did Shizu miss get hurt?!”
When we returned to the village, the other elves were also coming back one by one.
The elves who found us ran over to check on Shizu’s condition, hugged the rescued children and shed tears of relief.
I suddenly choked up at the sight.
Not because it was a touching scene, but because I felt angry and wronged.
I let out my pent-up frustration at the high elves who ran towards me.
“Hey, you crazy bastards. Don’t you know moderation?”
The high elves frowned and glared at me at my sudden scolding.
Even though I was a druid candidate, they didn’t seem to enjoy being lectured by a human.
But what can I do.
I didn’t back down and continued to berate them.
“You said to flip the boat, but you flipped the whole river? What if something happened to the kidnapped kids?”
“That, that was to drive away the beasts living in the river-“
“-Enough, stop making excuses and move. Don’t you see your hunting leader is dying?”
“Gasp! O-okay!”
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I had been holding back because of my special position, but I had a feeling that these guys would cause a big trouble someday if I left them alone.
I guess I have to establish some authority this time.