How to Survive Against Villains Chapter 42

Chapter 42: I Will Assist You

Until now, once a certain number of humans had been captured, the chiras would retreat from the prison as if satisfied. But now, the chiras were attacking as if they intended to annihilate us completely.

Thack! Thack! Thack!!

The chiras pushed their maws through the light, baring terrifying fangs that filled the air around us.

“Damn it! What the hell is wrong with these things?”

I quickly scanned my surroundings.

We’d been running for quite so ti, breaking through their encirclent, but no matter where I turned, chiras were closing in.

Behind the rocks, between the trees, near the stream—there were chiras everywhere. Not only were they chasing us fiercely from behind, but they were also pouring in from all directions.

Every last human trying to escape had been caught, leaving only Elton and in this space, or so it felt.

The longer we ran, the more chiras seed to swarm after us.

At so point, even Elton’s movents began to falter.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m… still good….”

Elton claid he was fine, but he looked utterly exhausted. And so did I.

I gritted my teeth, focusing on keeping the light steady. Maintaining it required both mana and stamina. While I could conserve my stamina by riding on Elton’s back, my mana reserves, only at 2-star level, were quickly depleting.

I didn’t have much ti left to keep the light going. We urgently needed a place to rest, but there was nowhere safe to hide.

First of all, there was no way to escape the chiras’ line of sight.

“How long until Bethel’s Poison takes effect?”

“Ten minutes.”

“Damn, that’s way too long.”

“Hiding is impossible in this situation.”

If we kept going like this, we’d be done for. In the end, Elton made a decision.

“I’ll draw their attention. You escape while you can.”

“Are you kidding? Look around. Does it look like one person drawing attention will make a difference here?”

“……”

“Shut up and head for the boundary.”

“The boundary?”

“If we have no other options, we’ll have to leave it to luck.”

Elton seed to understand my plan and nodded. Once we crossed the boundary, we’d be transported randomly to an unknown location.

With my terrible luck, I could only hope Elton’s would be better.

“Damn it, hurry up!”

The light was starting to fade.

As cold sweat poured down my face, I realized my mana was nearly depleted.

With each flicker of the light, the chiras drew visibly closer.

“…Ugh!”

Pain flared across my shoulders and back.

More and more claws were managing to swipe at .

Elton clenched his teeth and ran.

Fortunately, the boundary of the magic circle wasn’t far from here.

I could see the boundary marker that Karl had drawn, and I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut.

“Jump!”

With on his back, Elton pushed off hard, carrying us over the boundary of the magic circle.

A sensation of space warping around us.

We’d been transported sowhere else within the prison.

The mont we landed, we tumbled across the ground. My entire body ached as if I’d been beaten, but I forced myself to take in my surroundings.

I struggled to get up, feeling as heavy as a waterlogged rag, swaying as I stood.

“There’s nothing here! Hurry up!”

There were no chiras in sight. I pulled out Bethel’s Poison and looked at Elton. This was the perfect chance to hide ourselves with the poison.

But Elton, lying on his back and staring blankly up at the sky, let out a hollow laugh and pointed upward.

“They’re here. Damn it.”

Fwoosh—!

“…!”

At the sound of powerful wings flapping, I raised my head. There, I saw it.

Kiiiiieeeeek—!!!

“Shit….”

A gigantic serpent-like creature, so enormous that it made a full-grown anaconda look like a hatchling, was rushing towards us with multiple wings flapping.

It was that giant chira I’d encountered before.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I reached out my hand towards the rune on my wrist, but with my mana depleted, the glyph wouldn’t respond.

Picking up a stone from the ground, I shouted at Elton.

“When the snake’s head disappears, use Bethel’s Poison!”

“W-Wait!”

“This is what bait is for!”

I hurled the stone at the serpent chira and then dashed madly towards the forest.

I managed to attract its attention, but I hadn’t anticipated how fast it would be in the air.

With its maw wide open, the monster bore down on .

It was disturbingly fast.

Thud—!

I narrowly avoided being swallowed, but the impact of its scales sent flying through the air. I felt like I tumbled across the ground at least a dozen tis.

“…Kugh!”

My senses returned for a brief mont. Spitting out the dirt that had gotten into my mouth, I weakly crawled along the ground. Damn, I didn’t have a speck of strength left. Was this the end of my struggles?

Sshk—

“You… damned eel….”

The monster’s sound echoed above .

It was going to eat .

It wouldn’t kill , though. It would drag back to the lab. Should I start planning my next move? No, if I were paralyzed, I’d have no options. The conclusion was simple—I’d die here.

Pushing away these grim thoughts, I forced myself to roll over.

And then—

“…Huh?”

There was a figure standing before .

Could it be Elton?

Why would that fool co back here instead of running away…?

No, it wasn’t him.

The figure was smaller than Elton.

A slender body with feminine curves.

Golden hair fluttering in the air.

And sharp, pointed ears erging from her hair.

‘Pointed ears?’

As I processed that thought, the figure spread both arms wide and clenched her fists. With a flash of light, what looked like a pair of bestial claws extended from her hands—no, they were weapons. Two blackened claws took shape.

Twin claws dyed in jet black.

I’d heard of such weapons before.

As the figure moved, I caught a glimpse of her face. A dark elf, grinning fiercely with bared white teeth.

“You…!”

Before I could finish my words, her form vanished.

Then ca the sound of sothing wet splattering onto the ground.

I looked up to see pieces of the serpent chira, neatly sliced into dozens of parts, raining down like a crimson storm.

“Ugh!”

I curled up to shield myself from the chunks of flesh. When I blinked and looked again, she was standing right beside , arms crossed.

I stared at her in a daze, blinking up at her. Only then did she recognize my face and scowl.

“Aren’t you the ten-thousand-gold guy? What the hell are you doing here, following a mana trail?”

It was Fenry Chaser, the leader of the Black Rose. She had appeared before .

***

“It seems we have quite the connection, don’t we?”

Her half-lidded eyes held a look of indifference as she puffed from her pipe, as if the whole world was a bother.

That irritating gaze left no doubt—it was definitely Fenry.

The appearance of a 5-star warrior was sothing I hadn’t anticipated at all.

What was she doing here in the experintal prison?

“Wh-What brings you here?”

“That’s what I’m wondering. What about you? Weren’t you supposed to have escaped?”

“I did escape.”

“And you spent ten thousand gold just to end up back here?”

“Well, yes, that’s how it happened.”

Fenry chuckled as if looking at sothing utterly ridiculous.

Well, it was indeed a cosmic joke that I’d ended up in this ss. She probably found it just as amusing as I did, if not more.

Despite silently cursing her in my head, I did my best to stay on her good side. As long as I stayed near her, my safety was sowhat guaranteed.

But I didn’t let my guard down. In fact, I beca even more alert, keeping my wits about .

‘Could she have co here by coincidence?’

The answer was no.

She wasn’t the type to act without a purpose.

I needed to confirm sothing.

“What brings you here?”

“I’m looking for soone.”

Because I knew quite a bit about Fenry, I quickly picked up on her hint.

‘The case of the missing elf, Sharbadin!’

The case involving the disappearance of the elf Sharbadin, which had been assigned to Fenry by the dwarf Dorneth, was a well-known incident.

It was the only case that had left a blemish on Fenry’s career. Naturally, it had beco infamous.

She ultimately failed in the mission. All she found were Sharbadin’s corroded bones.

‘Wait a minute, this….’

Recalling the location where Fenry discovered those bones, I swallowed hard.

A 5-star warrior, Fenry Chaser.

The sight of her sparked a faint glimr of hope. If I could use this situation to my advantage, it felt like I might be able to solve the last piece of the puzzle.

I needed ti to think.

“A person?”

“Specifically, an elf woman. Have you seen any elves around?”

“Elves….”

She got straight to the point, but I had no intention of giving her a direct answer.

After all, she’d likely just leave once she got what she wanted.

“Before I answer, could you first ensure our safety?”

“Our safety?”

I gestured towards Elton.

The giant chira was dead, but this place was still a haven for chiras. Ensuring our safety was the priority.

“Why should I bother with a job that doesn’t pay?”

“Are you sure you don’t want my answer? You might regret it.”

“You seem to know sothing.”

“I’m certain you won’t regret hearing out.”

“Then maybe I’ll just ask around. Surely, soone else might know?”

“You won’t find anyone else. Didn’t you save precisely because you thought I was valuable?”

Fenry would never involve herself in sothing worthless. And yet, she’d killed a giant chira and saved without any clear connection. She must’ve thought I had so value.

Holding my ground with confidence, I didn’t let her imposing presence intimidate . For a brief mont, she puffed on her pipe, studying with detached eyes.

Her gaze was honestly nerve-wracking.

But I stared back boldly.

She was an elf; she’d be able to tell I wasn’t lying.

“Hmph, last ti I thought I’d caught a pushover in a bad deal, but you’re more troubleso than I expected, huh?”

After a mont, Fenry let out a smoky breath and gave a slight nod.

“Elton!”

I urgently signaled to Elton.

He hadn’t approached or fled, nor had he used Bethel’s Poison. He’d just stood there, staring blankly, seemingly bewildered by Fenry’s sudden appearance.

At my call, Elton cautiously approached, casting wary glances at Fenry. Considering she’d sliced a giant chira to pieces in an instant, his caution was understandable.

anwhile, Fenry tapped her pipe over , scattering ashes that glimred as they settled on my head and shoulders. I didn’t react.

It looked like she was doing sothing far worse than putting out a cigarette on , but I knew the ashes were actually Elf Dust.

‘She’s burning Elf Stones like soone smokes two packs a day; no wonder she’s obsessed with money.’

It was a slow but certain path to strength. However, even if you had the funds, this gemstone was so rare that not just anyone could use it. Only soone responsible for an entire elf tribe could afford such a thod of growth.

After a mont, she began chanting in the language of magic.

Elton and I looked around in awe as the ash settled on our clothes, shimring a deep blue before being absorbed into our bodies.

“What kind of magic is this?”

“Camouflage.”

It was an illusion magic that would make us appear as kin to the chiras for a limited ti.

“Those thick-headed brutes are easy to fool.”

Fenry was right.

The chiras that had been closing in on us stopped in their tracks, looking around in confusion.

Then, searching for prey, they quickly scattered in different directions.

“How long will this last?”

“Half a day or so. Now, it’s your turn. Answer my question.”

Fenry, puffing on her pipe, leaned casually against a rock.

I quickly ran through my options in my head. To achieve my goal, I needed her help. But how should I approach this?

Recalling her personality, I decided to speak.

“I’ve seen various creatures, but I haven’t seen an elf.”

“……”

Fenry narrowed her eyes at my response. It was disappointing for her, as she’d expected sothing more helpful.

She gazed at , as if trying to figure sothing out. But she wouldn’t get anything from that—just knowing I was telling the truth wouldn’t reveal my true intentions.

“It’s not a lie, but it feels like you’re playing gas. Didn’t you say I wouldn’t regret it? I already regret this.”

“In exchange, I believe I can help.”

“Help? What do you know?”

“Didn’t you say you were looking for an elf?”

“So?”

“I’ll assist you.”

“Damn, what a waste of ti.”

Fenry put down her pipe and stood up, clearly annoyed. If she walked away now, it would be a disaster.

She wasn’t exactly a villain, but she was a neutral figure who could be even more ruthless than one, depending on the situation.

In that regard, the fact that I’d previously crossed paths with her as a client was a stroke of luck.

“If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a client of the Black Rose, I would’ve killed you right here.”

At least, this gave one chance to convince her.