Chapter 207 – 206 – Tena, Tan
The exiled porter Tannhäuser Bantai had a dizzying and wonderful adventure.
But this is not the story of the exile adventures of porter Tannhäuser Bantay.
It rained that day. Everyone believed that the rainy season was over.
Since I don’t know when it will rain again, I will refrain from outdoor activities unless it is a party where performance is urgent. Wouldn’t the new boots you bought be ruined?
But the reason the boy’s boots are now soggy is not just because of the rainwater and mud. The blood that was soaking the boy’s pants was making the soles of his shoes sticky.
A young traveler must walk while shaking off his life at every step. The name of the man who moves at a steady pace is Tan.
It happened in my early teens, when I was a fledgling adventurer.
Tan, walking in the rain, had a companion. This is true even if the warrior being carried has already passed away.
A group of Newtrock, rodent-headed monsters, are wandering around and walking closely behind Tan.
A few people openly squeak and laugh at Tan’s situation. Some guys are poking Tan’s buttocks with stone spears.
One more wound with bleeding increased.
The blood-covered porter suddenly increased the speed of his trudging steps.
But he couldn’t move faster than that. If those monsters change their minds right now, Tan’s life will be cut off.
It’s because I can’t do my best anymore. His eyes kept closing, and his thighs were hacked and stabbed by Newt Rock.
It’s already been two days since I ran away without stopping. Just as I was about to catch my breath thinking that I had been ostracized, the damn bipedal rats appeared through the tunnel, running ahead of me.
If they were dealing with adult adventurers, they would only use the tunnel to run away or hide. Even C-class combatants are treated like low-level monsters.
That’s why they were quite happy to hunt human prey that they could handle with their power. That is why children who run away are tormented so much.
In fact, we are in their hands, so we can’t even escape. It would be correct to say that it is from a toy’s perspective.
But you can’t give up and sit down.
The blood flowing down Tan’s legs is enough for two people. This is because his dying childhood friend, Tena, is on his back.
Tan thought it was a good thing that the Newtrock group was more interested in stabbing him. The moment they attacked Tena and Tan while they were sleeping, Tena was already injured to the point where her life could not be guaranteed.
Tan resented the fact that she was a porter. If he had been a warrior too, they probably would have attacked the boy first.
The sound of Thena’s breathing, which was gradually becoming fainter, could not be heard at some point because it was simply because her own ears had darkened as she rode. Tan hoped so.
Adventurers are people who make money by risking injury or death. I was prepared for something like this to happen someday.
However, the sadness that comes over me whether it is too early is probably because my resolve is less firm than I thought.
Adventurers who are consumed by the trials of a mission are common. The prospect of common death unfolds in one’s mind. It makes the sight seem far away.
The boy began to shed tears and urinate.
“It’s ugly.”
At the sound coming from above her head, Tan raised her head.
And I felt the flame of hope burning in my heart. She has no time to think about how embarrassing her worn-out pants are.
An adult is sitting on a large tree at the corner of the road. He is even a fully armed adult.
He was even munching on bread and looking down at Tan. Tan, who was starving, was entranced by the faint smell of flour.
I don’t know why he’s eating in a place like that, but looking at that great sword that looks like it could behead even a wolf, it’s clear that he’s an adventurer. Unless you’re an adventurer or a murderous robber, why would you wear something like that on a remote mountain path?
The Newt Rock group that stopped walking seemed to think so too. Because she began to flinch and notice the man.
But the man on the tree just continued to observe the twilight. Instead of immediately scolding a group of low-level monsters and rescuing the children.
An adventurer with normal sensibilities would have done that a long time ago. Tan quickly realized that his sensibilities were not typical.
While the possibility of it being a murderous robbery was increasing, I thought it was fortunate that Tan was in such a state that he could not even be robbed.
“Do you want to live like that? Then I’ll let you live.”
Tan was wrong. He had something to lose. This is all of Tan’s remaining assets.
The man on the tree, who was looking at Tena, smiled as if he was lucky.
“If you leave that child dying on your back right here.”
Tan calculated it.
Of course, there is no benefit to be gained by handing over Tena, but rather a way to escape Tena from that madman.
“Oh my god. You will suffer something worse than death. Do you really think I will miss two orphaned babies who are dying?”
But the man in the tree shook his head, as if he had sensed his unspoken intention. And he bowed his head towards Tan.
The hideously distorted skin was not human.
Transformed adventurers often turn into monsters. It is said that highly intelligent monsters born in this way often train other monsters like dogs and make them their minions.
An insight arises in Tan’s dim consciousness. Could it be that the night attack that Tan and Tena suffered was under the author’s instructions?
“I’ll tell you one thing you weakling can do. Put the blue-haired kid on the ground. Then go back to the city you see over there and scream for help. The healers at the temple happened to find you and saved your life. Thank Tyche, the god of fortune, for sending me and offer a coin to her temple.”
Tan looked next to her. Indeed, it looks like a pioneer city. She walked a long way and almost got there.
So just a little more.
“And forget everything. Forget today, and the friend you sold for your life. That’s right. Just like that.”
Tan trembled and put down her Thena and stuffed it into her gym bag, emptying its contents for her escape.
The reason he didn’t even throw away his bag while running away was probably because it was the porter’s last resort.
The man in the tree, frowning, tried to say that there was no need to pack it. However, Tan jumped up and hugged Thena in her backpack.
She then threw herself over the slope of the mountain path with Thena. The man in the tree was an unexpected choice.
“Beyond his age, he’s terrible.”
The man gaped his mouth. However, he did not show any further agitation.
Instead, he lifted a greatsword as white as ivory with one hand and pointed in the direction where the two children had disappeared.
It seems that the slope was gentler than expected, and the groaning sound of the boy rolling over continued.
“What are you doing? Keep chasing after me.”
The Newt Rock group ran wild. The man grinned, his pitch-black whites flashing.
———-
Before being deported, Tan, a porter, feared for his life. However, the intervention of a man transformed into a monster and throwing his body down a slope are unfamiliar. Why?
That’s because he almost forgot the whole thing. It’s not that Tan forgot because he wanted to. The brain often buries bad memories in the unconscious to protect itself.
However, if there is some opportunity, such as an old diary or undeniable evidence, the memory of falling into the abyss rises again to eat the owner.
Tena was also speechless, but she remembered the events of that day better than Tan. Because she couldn’t walk and was carried on her back, it was thanks to her that she had some stamina left to use for her memories.
So, this memory that Tan glimpsed is Tena’s.
This is not the story of the exile adventures of the porter Tannhäuser Bantay.
“Abandon me, Tan. It’s not your fault. I… I became like this because I was weak.”
Thena was whispering like that every time her consciousness flickered back. She just didn’t hear properly.
She said that from the cave where she was attacked. Even in the forest where the sound of leaves getting wet in the rain is noisy.
And she rolled down the mountainside, trembling and moaning as the branches stuck to her.
“If you just abandon me and run away, you might be able to survive. Please…”
Tena grumbled and pleaded. Her answer is not heard. It was dark out in front of her, so she couldn’t tell if her bullet was nodding.
The regret that suddenly comes to mind is strange. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have argued the day before yesterday over something trivial.
Now that I think about it, why did we fight?
Ah. I decided to decide on her course of action.
If one of us is in desperate danger, say, being bitten by a dragon lord or crushed by a fallen sunbeam, it’s a situation in which a child cannot help us.
Still, whether I should save it or throw it away.
Tena thought it would be a good story to warm up the night. However, Tan complained that Thena often said annoyingly horrible things.
Tena, who was annoyed by Tan’s overreaction, joked that she was probably going to run away anyway, so she asked for no reason. She pointed out Tan’s courage to flinch at the mere sight of an ant wiggling outside his field of vision. Thanks to this, Tan was properly offended by her.
She deserved to be offended. Because Tena underestimated his hard heart. Even at this point, she was groaning and trying to lift Thena.
It was clear that he had no intention of abandoning it no matter what the situation. Even with the front of his pants soaked in fear, the boy did not let go of Tena. Tena finally realized who she had told such a joke to, and she regretted it.
They were the last family members left by each other’s side.
“Didn’t I tell you not to run away? Were you that curious about what was worse than death?”
So, even if that scary monster who jumped up and down the slope approaches you with a sneer. Now even if I cut them down with a single sword.
The warmth of this boy who is now carrying Tena on his back will be with her until the end. Tena thought she was done with it.
Tears flowed from Thena’s tightly closed eyes. The sound of her footsteps, sloshing around in the mud, gets closer and closer.
···Not one. And not in one direction.
“Run, guys-!”
Even the content is different.
Thena didn’t need to turn her head. This is because Tan twisted her body and her vision shifted along with it.
The family’s initials are engraved on the flag held high. White, maroon, and gold embroidery flutters in the wet wind.
The man carrying the flag on his back pulled out a brilliantly shining warrior sword. And he vigorously blocked the knife of the assailant.
Following the hero, his party’s combatants rushed at the assailant. The gunman had a frustrated expression on his face, and Tan was mesmerized.
At the time, I didn’t know who the savior was, but now I know. Mencius was called the sunset-colored warrior. Mancellarion Sunstorm.
It was a time when I was much younger than I am now, and there was no need to worry about Adamantone. That’s why the voice is much more powerful than I remember.
“Look ahead and run, kid! Go!”
