What the hell am I doing…?
I pull the blade of the borrowed knife from the Night Beast's chest. Though it had a different appearance than I was used to, I had settled on just calling it that for convenience's sake. This was the third incapacitated Night Beast I had to kill on the orders of my new master. I gave her another irritated look.
"...What? Ya' need glasses or somethin'?"
This was also the third time I had been giving her signals of my crushed and pulverized pride. As she couldn't understand a word I could say, this was the only way I could tell her anything. While writing could have easily solved the problem, that would require literally otherworldly knowledge. That was basically the same thing as running in a circle and hoping for a different destination.
Begrudgingly, I move away from the Night Beast and towards the next one. The Night Beast I had moved away form was frozen unlike the first one. It's entire body was covered in ice, rendering it's mobility to zero.
I was confused at first, clueless on how I could kill something behind such a dense wall of cold. It was then that the witch went "Oh!" and undid the ice around the beast's chest.
She didn't even try to let me fight
While illogical, I prefer to fight my own fights. Requesting help or reinforcements was a common thing to do, some even relying entirely on it to survive. The difference was just, that, I was too stubborn to accept that way of thinking.
I prefer to fight my own prey. It makes the feeling of satisfaction after achieving a difficult task that much more rewarding. I won't compromise when it came to this. Truly stubborn.
My feet drew me to the next prisoner. This one – like the second – was just barely alive. Unlike the first and third, this one's death was a guarantee. It's arms and legs were gone–incinerated, burnt, and frozen then crushed.
I probably shouldn't mess with her if I don't want to become like this guy
Like the others, I approach the beast with unhidden boredom and annoyance. The beast's eyes went wide. It tried to attack me, only damaging itself further. It didn't even had the strength or willpower to stand or put itself into a proper sitting position. I had to be careful not to become like it.
I grab the flailing beast by the neck, restricting it's movements. Despite being in an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position, it was still struggling. I respected that.
Just because you're certain you've lost, doesn't mean you've lost. It just means you can do better. Loss isn't something certain. It's nothing more than a steppingstone for your eventual victory. It is important that you keep sight of your goals before looking back at your past mistakes and reflecting. A journey without a destination is no different than a casual morning stroll.
What a hypocrite
I laughed at my idle thoughts. The Night Beast noticed my slight chuckle and frowned it's singed brows. Even it's brows were not left untouched.
What a cruel witch
"…Hmm…? I feel like I'm being insulted."
S-scary
Is this what they call women's intuition? My former master would often do the same things: read my mind, guess my intentions, even outright predict my actions. It got to the point where I thought she had clairvoyance or something. She was really scary.
The beast choked and died, it's eyes gradually losing color. I looked around.
There were still a bunch of them that I would need to kill. I doubt that I was going to finish all of them quickly.
Seriously, what a drag
◇◆◇◆◇
"You… what?!"
A swift blow came from my side. I use my wooden sword to block the wooden blade of my imstructor's practice sword. Despite being made of a light and weak material, the sword felt heavier than a bus or truck slamming against me.
"Kh–!!"
I grunted from the enormous force assailing me. Panic overtaking my mind, I poured as much mana as I could to my arms and legs to keep myself stable. Despite all the talent and power I was blessed with upon coming to this world, this was the most I can do against the monster in front of me.
No more than a second later, my practice sword flew. It spun midair before eventually crashing against a glass window.
"Ah! Wait!!"
Mary reacted, a little too late. Mary wasn't a fighter in anyway. Her strength lied in logistics. She would much rather prefer to use a pen rather a sword. I can understand how she reacted so belatedly.
"Never take your eyes off your enemy."
Another blow came, this time stronger and faster than all the others. She probably expected me to dodge–or at least block it. Spending time every morning practicing swordsmanship with her has given a basic understanding of her mentality.
"…!"
I dove into the blow, surprising her. She tried to jump back, to take distance from my oncoming punch. While she couldn't make ample distance to dodge my blow, she could still twist her body to mitigate the damage.
She did exactly this, leaning her body to her left to evade my punch to her face. However, that was a mistake.
"A feint.."
She whispered something under her breath, but I was too focused to hear it. I grab her collar and arm. I planted my feet to the ground and lowered my center of gravity. Twisting my body, I pull her body form my back into my front in an attempt to slam her onto the ground as a last ditch effort.
However, nothing came.
"…Huh?"
I pulled even harder, this time pouring as much mana as humanly possible to my arms to further enhance my physique. Again, nothing came.
There was no whizzing of the wind. No crumbling od the earth. No slamming of her body to the earth. There was nothing. Still, I persistently kept pulling.
"Are you seriously going to keep trying?"
My instructor's colder-than-ice voice resonated behind me. She sounded more irritated than usual for some reason.
Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around. Don't turn around
I persistently convince myself to NOT turn around. It would be practically suicide after all.
After a bit of silence, I relented. My arms went limp and I was fatigued both physically and mentally. Swallowing my saliva, I smile and turn around.
"Hehe. If you keep trying, eventually something will happen right…?"
She also smiled at me. It was a little crooked, almost like she was using such unfamiliar muscles. She very well had been, considering her usual attitude.
The next second, I lost consciousness.