I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 39
2-25. Substitution
The man, together with the ‘Shadow Doppelganger’ unmistakably aimed the long sword at Amariaz and slashed.
It was impossible to intercept that sword with my small body, and indeed, Amariaz fell to the ground, unmoving, as a result of the attack.
I couldn’t help but involuntarily comprehend the fact that my friend had been hurt right in front of me.
However… something felt off.
The moment the attack was directed at Amariaz, I felt small impacts on my head, abdomen, and legs.
In my current mental state, I couldn’t fathom what that was.
Then, Amariaz lifted his face.
“I was surprised.”
“!!!?”
“Huh!?”
Wearing a calm expression, he turned his gaze towards me. Then, he raised his thumb, creating compressed air in his hand.
“Perfect timing.”
“!? What the…!”
” ? Air Compression? !”
Pshaaaaan!
A dry explosion echoed, blowing away everything nearby. The ‘Air Compression’ Amariaz just used had the same power as when he caught fish in the river.
The ground was gouged, nearby trees cracked, and a blast wave ensued. The men nearby and Amariaz took the full force of the attack, getting blown away by the impact.
The man and the two ‘Shadow Doppelgangers’ charged into a tree to halt their momentum, but it seemed difficult for them to breathe, as if their bodies had been relentlessly pounded. Perhaps due to the confusion of consciousness, the two ‘Shadow Doppelgangers’ vanished.
Amariaz rolled towards me.
I hurriedly tried to catch him, but considering the impact just now, I couldn’t believe he was unharmed.
Upon checking for injuries, Amariaz faced me and raised two fingers with one hand.
“Nice one, Yuuzen-kun!”
“Huh?! W-what did you mean?!”
“Unconsciously, you used a skill called ‘Substitution.’ I thought I was a goner! Hahaha!”
“What kind of skill is that!?”
“It’s a skill that takes all the damage for one target. All the attacks I just took went to you. That’s why I’m unscathed!”
Ugh, my head is spinning from this sudden information…
Anyway, he’s okay!!
Thank goodness!
After explaining, Amariaz stood up, created the ‘Air Pressure Sword’ again, and aimed the tip at the man.
I also stood up immediately, remaining on guard.
However, it seemed the man could no longer fight.
The impact from being blown away had broken his sword, and hitting a tree had damaged part of his body.
No matter how good his armor was, it couldn’t withstand the full force of Amariaz’s ultimate attack, the ‘Air Compression’.
Amariaz walked towards the man.
He pointed the semi-transparent sword at the man’s throat and questioned him.
“What is your god?”
“Ggh… Gguuh…”
“Hmm, you can’t talk, huh? Well, let me search around a bit.”
With the ‘Air Pressure Sword’ in hand, Amariaz cuts through the man’s robe, exposing the armor he’s wearing. At first glance, it looks like ordinary leather equipment, but there’s a device about the size of a book protecting his heart, emitting blue light throughout the armor.
“This is… Oh, no, I have no memory of this.”
“A-are you okay?”
“Yeah, I can’t stand up anymore. I probably shattered my spine and pelvis. Can’t move my arms either, I guess.”
“S-so, what’s that?”
“I don’t know. Well, I can tell it’s a special armor, but I think Uchikage-Ojichan knows more.”
Oh, right… Uchikage-Ojichan repairs his prosthetic legs and stuff by himself. He might be somewhat knowledgeable about machines.
But this is clearly a magic tool. I’ve heard from Mom a few times that they’re expensive and hard to come by.
A full-body armor magic tool… I wonder how expensive it is…
But the blue light is still moving. Maybe the functions are still working?
Amariaz starts searching through the belongings the man had.
Cutting the belt, he turns the magic tool bag upside down, revealing everything that was inside.
From the magic tool bag, a plethora of weapons, along with several documents and crystal-like objects, spill out.
Amariaz picks up the documents and crystal, furrows his brows as he reads through the documents.
“…”
“What does it say?”
“…I can’t read it.”
“Huh?”
Trying to read the documents Amariaz was looking at, I squint and get closer. But indeed, I couldn’t read any of it.
What is this?
The characters are completely different from what I’ve been taught.
Well, I’ll leave it to Uchikage-Ojichan. And what about that crystal?
“What’s that?”
“Communication crystal. Seems like an improved one that can communicate over long distances. But to use it, you need the magic power of registered individuals. Security seems to have been upgraded…”
“Oh, I see.”
I have no idea what he’s talking about.
I don’t know much about magic tools, and I’ll just keep it that way.
“So, what are we doing with this guy?”
“I want to take him with us. Can we discuss it with Uchikage-Ojichan?”
“I think it should be fine. But this guy isn’t moving…”
“Huh?”
Amariaz hands me all the documents and immediately checks the man’s condition.
He’s bleeding heavily from his mouth, completely limp.
Alongside the scent of blood, there’s a strange smell mixed in.
But it’s a smell I recognize, and immediately, Amariaz covers his mouth with his clothes and pulls me back.
“Did this guy poison himself?”
“Huh?! Poison!?”
“A common method used by assassins. Damn… our source of information is cut off.”
“S-so, is he… dead?”
“…Yeah, probably. Don’t worry, Yuuzen-kun, it’s not your fault.”
“O-okay…”
Rustle, rustle, rustle!!
With heavy footsteps, something is approaching us.
After a slight jump from the surprise, Amariaz and I quickly take defensive stances and stay on guard.
…Huh?
This presence… I recognize it!