Kanna no Kanna Chapter 68

ill say it here first. rewinding time will appear again the next two chap (might as well add some prince of persia ref next time ? lol jk)

update: one man army–>legion (thanks to kureyn-san), beastmen–>beastkin

3rd pov

100% accuracy and grammatically correct not guaranteed. revisions, corrections and edits are periodically done. only on my site tho. corrections are welcome

obligatory text graaawl!

An envious spark of lightning and then, the end.

hai os.h.i.+mai da

Rewinding time for a bit.

Kanna rush into the cave without hesitation while leaving behind the totally exhausted Real.

Chloe could only watch him speeding off in disbelief.

「H-He really went ahead de gozaru.」

She never would have foreseen him to be such a cold-hearted man. Though both of them have not been acquainted for long, she thought Kanna was a heroic man br.i.m.m.i.n.g with righteousness. A feeling of disappointment, not unlike that of betrayal begins to sprout in Chloe's mind.

However, as if to chase away the emptiness swirling inside her mind, Real who was left behind lifts the edge of her lips and says…

「Despite his frivolous words, he is a reliable man.」

「Real-dono?」

「Don't look down on meーーand that man.」

Putting strength into her fatigued limbs which in the first place was due to the recoil of her support-type spell, Real picks up the greatsword beside her. Although her current appearance looks so unimaginably frail and a far cry from her earlier display of peerlessness, the strength dwelling in her eyes has not diminish, not in the least.

「Since I've known him a little bit longer than you, I understand his character just as much. He is a man who can act upon a decision instantly as soon as he decided that something needs to be done. What Kanna ought to do right now is not to concern himself about me but rather to eradicate the main culprit behind all this.」

「B-But…」

「It's true that [Dragonic Rage's] recoil is harsh but even so, I won't fall behind to the likes of Lizardman. Kanna went ahead knowing that fact. Condemning him would be barking at the wrong tree.」

Real takes a step forward.

Though there are fewer of them now, the Lizardman still has quite the number. She cannot rest and have a peace of mind while the knights and adventurers are resolutely fighting for their lives.

「Why……to that extentーー」

Chloe could not find the words to continue.

「If I'm to borrow his wordsーlet's see. If there is something that needs to be done, accompanied by a desire to do it and the determination to follow through, then there is no room for hesitation.」

Real's words as she pa.s.s by Chloe were unwavering.

「I wished for it and he responded. If so, do we need further words?」

An expression of faith, without a single blemish.

Chloe felt pain running through her chest and she unconsciously reach out to the scar that serves as a testimony of the time when she was bound under a spell. But it is also a scar she's proud of because that scar gave birth to a connection with [him].

「You don't have to worry about me. That aside, go on and chase after him. I'm sure he's going to do something reckless in one way or another.」

Leaving behind those words, Real rejoins the battlefield while holding her greatsword in one hand. Although she's grumbling that it is hard to even stand up, her fighting spirit did not decrease at all, rather it increased instead.

Chloe's heart is in chaos as she gaze upon Real's back advancing further towards the battlefield.

How can she trust him so much?

Why is he so trusted?

『This oneーーI, did I not place my trust in Kannsama?』

《sessha–>watas.h.i.+》

Recalling the two person who can communicate their intention with the least amount of words, a sludge-like feeling overflows from within Chloe.

Anger and hatred that cannot be contained burns within her, intensifying her pain.

『…………It's unpleasant.』

It is most likelyーーjealousy.

The bond of mutual trust between Kanna and Real is by far much stronger than the one she had developed with him over the course of the last few weeks. However, not once up until this moment had she ever felt jealousy to the point of causing nausea.

Although she was born as a member of the Black Wolf Clan, she was and still is critically lacking in mana. Despite her acc.u.mulation of desperate efforts to improve, young clan members of her generation surpa.s.sed her with ease. Even though she had the same lightning apt.i.tude, she could only watch the back of a clan member who had risen to the ranks of rank adventurer in a short period of time.

It would be stranger to be jealous at all.

And yet, even that is not comparable to what she is currently experiencing.

The wound on her chest hurts.

She grits her teeth while tightly clutching her wound as if she wanted to claw it off.

ーーーgigyaaaaaaa!!

Her consciousness that was in the process of sinking deeply into a quagmire returns to reality after hearing the cry of a lizardman nearby.

Lizardmen wielding swords and axes are rus.h.i.+ng towards Chloe who was standing absent mindedly on the battlefield, all while neglecting caution and defense.

「ーーー! [Thunder Blade]! !」

With a lightning spell coursing through it, the blade s.h.i.+nes to an excessive degree. In addition to the lightning strike, the blade, heated to a super high temperature slices the nearest lizardman's right hand just like a heated knife against b.u.t.ter. She press on with its left hand, both its leg next and finally killing it by decapitation.

「gaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!」

Chloe howls with fangs bared, slicing any approaching lizardman the same ways.

Due to prolonged activation of [Thunder Blade], her incandescent sword is now similar to a white hot skewer but she does not even care about the extreme heat scorching her right hand.

All of the surrounding lizardmen who are subjected to excessive amount of slas.h.i.+ng had their limbs amputated, creating a h.e.l.lish scenery of blood-painted daruma corpses.

At this moment, Chloe is reminiscent of a [wild beast] tormenting its prey and leaving it scattered afterwards.

Even with that, the pain in her chest does not subside. Portraying the very image of a [beast], Chloe continues to search around for her next [prey].

At that moment, a thunderous roar accompanied by a violent earthquake engulfs the whole mine.

「ーーー! Kannsama!?」

Chloe's eyes which had been clouded by instinct regains its clarity.

Along with her clarity, his words before speeding off into the mine echoes inside her head.

『ーーーYou wanna bring along someone whose one step away from getting injured all over? 』

She finally realized at this late hour about her oversight of the danger he insinuated.

「Just how much of a fool am I!」

Chloe wants to cry because of her foolishness.

If Kanna's a.s.sumption proves true, there is a possibility that the [mastermind] lurking inside that cave. He cannot possibly bring along someone who would only be a hindrance.

She finally understood. However, while it may be true, there was no reason for him to charge in alone.

This is no longer the time and place to be slaughtering magic beasts while driven by emotion. Compared to the worn-out Real, Chloe's consumption of mana and stamina was more or less lower. So when Kanna rushed into the cave, Chloe should have followed him without hesitation.

『ーーーIf anything happens to Kannsama by any chance…』

Just by imagining it, a sense of uneasiness that was gripping her heart surge through her whole body.

And then, she felt a freezing-like sensation from her palm.

「gh!?」

An unpleasant yelp leaks from her mouth.

The girl who regained her sanity while still holding the super high temperature sword finally registers the [pain] in her burnt right hand as [painful].

She throw the sword away and checks her hands. Her palms is just one step away from being completely burnt. Any longer and she would have suffered severe burns that will require a significant amount of time to fully recover, even after being healed by a spell.

「This is a fitting punishment for a fool.」

While enduring the pain that will cause her to scream should Chloe ever lose concentration, she breaks into a run with a stiff visage.

As soon as she enters the cave, her superior beastkin sense of hearing picks up an ominous sound.

「The bedrock is becoming brittle………… There's no time………I have to hurry!」

There are numerous auditory signs of an imminent [cave-in] throughout the cave wall. It was perhaps because of the prior earthquake. With its effect in shaking the whole crescent-shaped mine, a cave-in would be a natural result.

Chloe desperately sprints through the cave's pa.s.sageway.

As the signs of collapse gradually gets stronger…

「ーーー! Kannsama!?」

She finally found Kanna at the pa.s.sage's end. He is leaning against the wall while dragging his body towards the exit.

「………Chloe?」

「Kannsama, are you all right!?」

When she rush over to him in a hurry, he began collapsing as if utterly spent.

Luckily, Chloe manage to hold onto him in the nick of time.

「Kannsama, are you hurt somewhere!? 」

「Don't worry. I'm not injured and I took down the magical formation and the masterminds.」

His words has no vigor behind it but there were no obvious injuries at first glance. Chloe's mind is awash with relief after confirming Kanna's safety.

「It's just that, I overused Spirit Art」

After defeating one of the mastermind -the woman- using the [superma.s.sive ice sh.e.l.l], Kanna's mental strength was on the verge of exhaustion.

ーーー《kanna pov》

If she can avoid it, the I'll just have to hit her with an unavoidable attack. That conclusion inspired me to create that superma.s.sive ice sh.e.l.l but I didn't expect it to pack that much of a brutal firepower.

「…Was it a bit too flashy?」

「That earthquake was your doing, Kannsama?ーーーNow is not the time, we should escape first. This cave will collapse soon.」

That's to be expected. After all, I did launch a ma.s.sive chunk of ice with nearly six meters in diameter at the same speed of a gunpowder-type cannonball. That much force is probably enough to deal a fatal blow to this cave.

「Can you move?」(chloe)

「To be honest, even standing up is taking all I have.」

I am barely holding on to my consciousness and despite my effort to exit this cave, I'm moving so slowly that my progress is practically non-existent, surprising even myself. 《retrun later. rechck last bit. grammar n flow》

If I relax even for a bit, I'll lose my consciousness but I can't go any further as both my physical and mental strength are at rock bottom.

「We have no time. Pardon me but I'll have to carry you on my back.」(chloe)

「My bad, please do.」

《back to 3rd pov》

Without any resistance or complains, Kanna obediently lets himself be carried by Chloe.

As a man, it is a very pathetic sight but instead of being down, the person himself is ecstatic at the excuse for a close contact with a woman. Nonetheless, he does have enough sense not to put those silly thoughts into words.

Although at this point of time, that sort of thinking would be fatal…

「hau……… We're glued together de gozaru yo………」

「………ha?」

「No, it's nothing. Nothing at all! Shall we move now?」(chloe)

Apparently, Kanna is not the only one with a silly mind.

Chloe being Chloe is also fully reaping the side benefit of their current situation.

《lol ecchi to aho no futari》

Her diligent effort as an adventurer did not go to waste at all. Even while carrying the weight of a man and his armor behind her back, Chloe starts running with a powerful gait.

A little while later, a deep rumbling echoes from the back of the cave, the place where Kanna had been moments ago, accompanied by a gust of wind.

「yikes The open s.p.a.ce where they put up that magical formation collapsed.」(kanna)

「It seems that it has begun. I'll pick up the pace.」

Intermittent sound of rocks collapsing reverberates inside the pa.s.sage, albeit at an irregular interval. Starting with the first collapse, the adjacent bedrock must have reached its limit.

「phew I'm lucky you came when you did. I wouldn't be able to escape on my own and buried alive if you weren't here. ………Chloe?」

Full of grat.i.tude, Kanna thanks her but Chloe on the contrary, keeps her mouth shut, seemingly discouraged.

Speaking of Chloe, there is something about her that Kanna only noticed just now.

Chloe words no longer include [gozaru].

The exact cause is unknown but Chloe's speech pattern switches to that of a [woman] when her mind becomes highly agitated or conversely, highly insecure.

Her change is not intentional. It is all done unconsciously. 《review reword》

Peeking at Chloe's face from behind, her profile has an atmosphere of someone brooding but before Kanna could ask her about it, they successfully made their way out of the cave.

They squinted at the sudden increase in brightness.

After recovering from the white-out, the current situation on the battlefield greets them. Any remaining Lizardman and General Goblins that were left before Kanna stormed into the cave had already been wiped out. Now, the joint expedition members are in the midst of administering first aid and confirming the state of affairs.

「How do I put this, it's like a picture of h.e.l.l I guess.」(kanna)

「There was quite the number clas.h.i.+ng here after all.」

He did not pay much attention when he was in the midst of the battle but looking at it calmly, heaps of magic beast corpses are scattered everywhere. The ground is soaked with red and a thick smell of blood permeates the air.

「wow There's even a display of grotesquely mutilated corpses. Was there someone with a lifelong grudge against magic beasts?」

Kanna caught sight of lizardman corpses at a relatively closer distance to the cave. All of the lizardman in that area are subjected to thorough amputation of all four limbs alongside their head. It is hard to determine the exact number of corpses as there seems to be more limbs than bodies.

Chloe could not provide any response. It was none other than her who ma.s.s-produced the grotesque sight and the reason was to [vent her anger] caused by extreme palpitation. By all means, it is not a detail she could divulge.

「Good job Kanna, Chloe.」(real)

「ou Somehow I barely made it.」

While both of them busy surveying the battlefield, Real who came close unnoticed greets them. She received a report from a subordinate who was tasked to monitor the cave's vicinity and promptly head to their direction.

「How's the situation?」(kanna)

「There are quite a few severely wounded but miraculously there were no casualties. Even those severely wounded would be able to resume active duty after undergoing treatment and a proper rest afterwards.」(real)

「That's splendid.」

「What about you? It seems that you've been quite reckless there.」

Real said that as she look upon Kanna still being piggybacked by Chloe. As a response, Kanna flashes a grin and gives her a thumbs up.

「I settled it properly.」(kanna)

「As expected of Kanna.」(real)

「Flattering me won't get you anything yo.」

Kanna and Real hold out their hands, lightly doing a fist b.u.mp. Long words are unnecessary between the two who had done what they had to do.

「You too, Chloe. Good job. Sure enough, he seems to have recklessly pushed himself to the limit. He would've been in jeopardy if you didn't follow after him.」

Looking towards the cave, the cave-in had reached the entrance, burying the pa.s.sageway with rocks.

「………Don't mention it, I just did what I had to.」(chloe)

Real inclines her head after hearing her words muttered while hanging her head as if she's having a guilty conscience but she did not pursue the matter.

「We will return to the encampment as soon as the emergency treatment for the severely injured are done. Further cleanup and investigation will be conducted at a later date.」(real)

ーーーThus, this strange incident that began with a goblin outbreak which ultimately led to a seemingly long but short battle came to an end.

…….つづく?

author-san said (….): this is probably the first time chloe truly unleash her [wolf] side

aww chloe ??

chloe's complex is still haunting her. wonder when kanna will complete her route n truly win her heart. real feels more like a bro atm

that backstory for chloe tho… i typed similar sentences three times now, i think…

btw this is the last chap for kanna n our heroines in this arc