NOVEL WEB Chapter 108 - Chapter 108: Bird
Chapter 108: Bird
On the way back from a reconnaissance mission that turned into a playtime adventure, I ponder over the fish we caught while being rocked on Elizabeth’s back. How should I cook them?
We managed to catch about ten fish of various sizes on this fishing trip. Towards the end, Gisella hooked a sizable fish, which caused quite a stir among us due to its impressive size. Unfortunately, the fishing rod broke, and we couldn’t reel it in, but it was still a fun experience. It was unusual to see Gisella genuinely frustrated. Now, she’s making plans with Mil to improve the fishing rod. It seems she’s really taken a liking to the sea.
After cleaning the fish’s guts, we tied them securely to Elizabeth. She watched me with a look that suggested she had something to say. When we get back, I’ll make sure to wash her thoroughly in the lake.
We also caught plenty of octopus, crab, and shellfish. Considering we played on the shore for only about two hours, it’s quite the haul. I’m really looking forward to lunch.
—
“Gugyau~?”
“Hmm?”
“The wind direction… changed?”
Suddenly, I felt a shift in the wind. Until a moment ago, it was gently pushing us from the sea. Now, it felt like I was being pulled upwards by a strong gust. It seems I wasn’t the only one who noticed; everyone else was looking up too.
“Is that… a bird?”
“That bird looks strange…”
“Yeah, it’s hard to see clearly with the sun behind it.”
A dark outline flickered against the sun. Elizabeth, sensing something, stopped and looked up.
“It’s definitely a bird… and quite a big one at that—”
Before I could finish my thought, a massive force hit me, sending my body flying through the air. My world spun, and I lost all sense of direction. A sickening feeling of floating and the presence of death gripped me, causing cold sweat to pour out. I tried to grab onto something but found nothing. Panicking, I curled up and braced for impact. A violent jolt hit my back, and I tumbled onto the ground.
“Ow… huh…?”
I’m alive. But I can’t breathe. My whole body aches. I might have broken a bone somewhere, but for now, I’m alive. I tried to assess the situation, but I couldn’t speak.
“Bonus—!!”
“Zamza, get Mil! Gisella, take care of Bonus and Kuro!”
“Shiro! Got it!”
“Understood!”
I heard my friends’ voices from a distance. Did we get attacked? I couldn’t tell. But this must have been caused by the wind. The only part of me that remained calm analyzed the situation. We hadn’t been hit directly. I didn’t feel any pain until I hit the ground. It reminded me of being knocked away by a crocodile-like creature back at our hideout.
“Pink! You didn’t fall off, Shiro… good.”
I managed to regain my breath and checked my companion in my pocket. Pink had held on, though looking quite grumpy from being rudely awakened from a nap after our beach fun. At least it wasn’t crushed.
As I lifted myself a bit, I saw Elizabeth, with Shiro on her back, fighting a giant bird. At first, it looked like a small dot, but now it was clear how big it really was. It was a bit smaller than Elizabeth, but with wings spread out, it was nearly ten meters across. Its body was black with white spots, and its featherless face had red, saggy skin. The coloration made it look somewhat like a turkey, but its feathers and muscles were those of a raptor. Its disproportionately large eyes bulged out, moving around restlessly, making it look eerie.
A flying type of Kidanakemo beast… truly a monstrous bird. Shiro was on Elizabeth’s back, swinging her mace.
“Is everyone okay? Kuro!!”
I quickly checked on my friends. Mil was standing, held by Zamza, while holding Kohaku in her arms. It seemed Mil protected Kohaku during the fall, and Zamza protected Mil. But Kuro was nowhere to be seen. She weighs less than half of what I do.
I can’t help but worry about what happened after such a strong wind.
Gisella comes running to me, almost in tears.
“Bonus!! Oh… are you okay? I’m sorry… I let my guard down…”
“Miraculously, I seem to be okay. Besides, Gisella, you always do a great job! More importantly, where’s Kuro!?”
Gisella slides in to hug me and helps me sit up.
I give her a light hug in return and hurriedly start looking for Kuro, who is nowhere to be seen.
“――――――――－u~gyaou, gugyaou~!”
“Ah, ah… thank goodness.”
It seems Kuro was blown even further away than I was.
Knowing her skill, she must have landed well.
She comes running toward us, looking energetic.
Feeling a bit relieved, I start to feel pain all over my body.
It’s definitely a full-body bruise.
But fortunately, I can still move――――.
“――――Owwww!”
“Bonus!!”
Just as I think of standing up, another gust of wind blows me off my feet, and I roll across the ground.
A giant bird bypasses Elizabeth and rushes toward us.
Kuro seems to have been blown away too, but she’s making lively noises, so she should be fine for now.
Compared to the initial blast that felt like my body was going to shatter, this is much better.
I still feel an unpleasant floating sensation, but it’s not life-threatening.
My body hurts like hell, but more than that, I’m furious about rolling around on the ground.
“Bonus!!”
“Shiro! I’m okay!”
“Gisella! Help Kuro! Please!”
“Got it!”
Elizabeth rushes over and slams her horns into the giant bird.
However, the bird quickly changes its course and rises back into the sky.
Shiro jumps off Elizabeth and holds me with one arm.
Every time the bird flaps its wings, I feel like I’m going to be carried away, but thanks to Shiro, I manage to hang on.
A little distance away, Gisella retrieves Kuro and plants a hatchet into the ground, resisting the wind effectively.
Kuro grabs Gisella’s hand and floats in the air… she looks like she’s having a bit of fun…
“Bonus, what about Pink?”
“It’s difficult… the wind is too strong to aim properly. Besides, it’s always keeping the sun behind it from my perspective… it’s hard to see. It might be wary of me.”
“Maybe it’s been watching our fights with Pink from above all along.”
“That’s bad.”
The huge claws look like something out of a torture device; if they catch you, you won’t be okay.
They could easily tear your body apart.
The red, curved beak is sharp and large.
It could crush my head easily.
But so far, it hasn’t attacked directly.
Despite its crazy appearance, it seems to be fighting very cautiously.
Or maybe it’s enjoying tormenting us…
But in any case, it’s definitely wary of Elizabeth.
The troublesome strong wind is just a gentle breeze to her.
Her body, protected by thick fur, should be hard to wound with that beak or those claws.
And the difference in mass is obvious.
Even a glancing blow from Elizabeth’s horns would leave that bird in bad shape.
But still, there’s nothing we can do as long as it’s in the sky.
While I’m thinking about this, the giant bird periodically approaches the ground, easily disrupting our stances.
“Infuriating…”
“There must be some trick or magic behind that wind.”
Even with its large wings, the wind is just too strong.
The situation is becoming clearer bit by bit, but there’s no solution in sight…
“It’s tough. Shiro, what do you think about escaping to the hideout and sniping from the cracks? Think it’s possible?”
“I don’t know if it’ll work… but if we stay here, we’re definitely going to get killed. Let’s head towards the hideout, even if it’s bit by bit.”
“Yeah, but we’ve been running away all this time…”
I remembered the time we escaped from the Black Wolf. Which was tougher, then or now?
We all got back on Elizabeth. The monstrous birds kept trying to interfere, but this time the onis were making sure we wouldn’t be blown away. They each held onto me, Kuro, and Mil, the lighter ones, in their arms while clinging to Elizabeth. Finally, Elizabeth got Gisella and Kuro on her, and started running at full speed. Though she wasn’t going all out since we were riding her, she was still incredibly fast. Occasionally, she changed direction to check the monstrous bird.
I hoped it might leave us alone, but that didn’t seem to be the case. If anything, the wind seemed to get even stronger, as if determined not to let us escape.
Even though Shiro was holding onto me, powerful winds blew from all directions. My upper body was tossed around, and I struggled not to be blown away, ending up pressed against Elizabeth. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open, so I had no idea what was happening. With my face buried in Elizabeth’s fur, feeling Shiro’s warmth and breathing, I prayed we would reach the hideout safely.
Meanwhile, Shiro frequently looked back to check the situation, appearing much more composed than I was.
“Bonus! We’re almost at the hideout!—Wait, what is that?”
“Yeah—huh?”
At Shiro’s voice, I lifted my head and saw the familiar cliff of our hideout coming into view. I almost felt relieved at the familiar sight, but today seemed to be a day full of irregularities. From every part of the hideout, a massive swarm of small birds was heading towards us.