Chapter 25: The cold cuts deep all the same

The surface of the water in the moat froze.

And we were in that water when it did. Unless something was done, we would be completely immobilized.

<<Oi, Baal! What’s the meaning of this!? Oi!? I know you can hear me, oi!>>

Tsk, he’s not responding. It’s all because of him that we’re in this mess. I won’t forgive you for this, Baal!

Then I thought of something even worse than Baal’s incompetence. What if the people of this village had captured him and made him lie to us?

They’ve set us up?

Despite my panic, I tried to move forward. However, the frozen water made my progress slow. The other members were in a similar struggle.

“Ha! You think this is enough to stop me? I’ll show you!”

While everyone else was helpless against the frozen water, the boss and the boss alone made great progress on going forward. Before long, the boss reached the other side of the frozen moat.

“Lass! You’re the one who used magic to freeze the water, weren’t you!?”

The one the boss scowled at was the blue-haired girl who was the closest among the villagers to the water.

“Oraaa!!”

The boss swung his axe at the girl.

I couldn’t believe what happened next. The girl not only managed to avoid the boss’s powerful attack, she was also able to snuck in a couple of slashes with the swords in her hand while moving to his side.

The boss had a Gift called [Axe Techniques].

It was impossible for someone to be able to avoid his attack and then attack him in return…unless they had a similar Gift, of course…

“Gah… You! You can use magic and you’re even great with swords? What, are you a Double Gift!?”

Double Gift was the term for the rare people who had two Gifts.

But what’s a Double Gift doing in a village like this? What the hell’s going on…?

I shuddered at the thought. However, I realized that because the girl was fighting the boss, the moat stopped freezing further. Now was the best chance to get out.

I hit my body so that the sensation I lost would return, and desperately swam forward. Thanks to that, I made it to land. The other members were reaching the shore one by one as well.

The blue-haired girl was surprisingly still managing to fight the boss on about equal terms, but that should change soon. We could fight alongside the boss or simply take the other villagers as hostage.

“Gugaa!?”

“Buu!”

We who made it to land were suddenly sent back to the water by the other villagers who had weapons in their hands.

“Tsk, don’t you dare underestimate us!”

“Sick ‘em!”

Our bodies might be sluggish at the moment due to the cold water, but we’re still veteran bandits, damnit. Having weapons don’t make you any less of an amateur. You’re no match for us!

I thought so, but…

“Gyaa!?”

“Ugh”

“What the hell!? These guys are too strong!?”

We got beat one by one.

How can this be!? Their movements, they’re of amateurs, aren’t they!? So how?

What shocked me more though was boss’s fight with the blue-haired girl.

“Guh…this lass…”

The boss was bleeding all over his body.

Has all that bleeding made him slow? No…it’s something else…

“My body’s gotten heavier…? Is this your magic’s doing!?”

“Correct. Each time I slashed you, I lowered your body’s temperature a little. Your muscles made it hard for my blades to slash deep enough, but the cold cuts deep all the same, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I think I’ve heard about you…The Frozen Blades Princess of the Bazurata family, that’s you, right? …but then, what the hell are you doing all the way out here?”

“I have my reasons.”

“Tsk. Well, you’ve pushed me like no one else has…and I admit defeat…”

After his declaration of defeat, the boss’s large body fell forward.

The boss has been defeated? Y-you’re kidding me, right…?

After seeing that, there was just no way our group could muster up any will to fight further.

And so, we surrendered.