The sweet symphony of leveling up.
A warm sensation spreading throughout my body.
Normally, I would have danced with joy.
'Sob, sob.'
But right now, my heart is heavy.
Poor chimera snake.
It was still a baby, but it had its heart torn out by an old knight and died.
Even though it was a fierce creature that indiscriminately killed humans and monsters alike.
Even though it looked like a boss monster, with knights impaled on the spines that grew from its body.
Even though it led tens of thousands of monsters out of the great forest, likely to cause the death of countless humans on the continent.
Even though it kidnapped me, whom it had just met, and dragged me all the way here!
... Now that I think about it, it's hard to defend.
But still.
It was just a baby, wasn't it?
It wasn't its will to be born to lead the monster wave.
It might be more appropriate to blame the World Tree.
Above all, I seem to have grown attached to it.
'It's thanks to you, chimera snake.'
My ability to take down the knight was only possible because the circumstances aligned perfectly.
The chimera snake killed him once.
The knight revived once, turning into a skinny body.
That's why his armor became loose, allowing me to slip inside.
People tend to freak out even if a single bug gets into their clothes.
So when a whole Crystal Crown Python got in, even a hero couldn't endure it.
The dead knight went limp.
The linen clothes he wore underneath were dyed bright red with his blood and mine.
'Sob, sob, it stinks.'
The mixture of sweat and blood creates an unbearably unpleasant environment.
Chimera snake, baby. I miss the times when I clung to your back.
"Stop being so sentimental. What baby? It was just a disgusting chimera, honestly."
'You're not even human.'
"Of course not, I'm an elf, not a mere human. How many levels did you gain?"
'Ten.'
"Kya."
He just says "kya" like that.
But facts are facts.
What's gained is gained.
Moreover, I also achieved the 'Hero Slayer' achievement.
Since the opponent was clearly a hero, I think even ten level-ups might be a bit insufficient.
It seems it will take quite some time until the next evolution.
Yeah, let's not think too negatively.
I avenged you, chimera snake. Be happy wherever you are now.
Not all humans on the continent would have suffered just because a monster wave occurred.
After the chimera snake killed thousands or hundreds, it might have ended up being caught by an eccentric magician like Pelerian and subjected to live experiments.
The chimera snake was already on borrowed time. Looking at it that way, this might be a happy ending.
"That's right!"
Let's laugh, laugh.
But the situation wasn't one where I could just laugh carelessly.
Clank!
Before I could even get out of the armor, the holy knights rushed in.
"I don't think there's a pulse!"
"I'll take him to the rear."
"Then, about the command..."
"The Holy Light Knights do not retreat."
"...We'll stay and fight to the end!"
Solemn words are exchanged from all directions.
Someone lifted the corpse, armor and all.
It must be incredibly heavy.
"I'll carry him on my back and run."
"We'll cover you."
It must be a holy knight with superhuman strength.
The armor shakes violently.
I peeked out just a tiny bit through a gap in the armor.
'Eeek!'
I was startled and quickly pulled my head back in.
The holy knights are surrounding me.
They were running while carrying the Viscount's corpse.
Cutting through and breaking through the monsters.
'What should I do...'
I ended up trapped inside the armor, being taken to the humans' stronghold.
Should I escape right now?
If the knight swings his sword, my head might get cut off, so it's not an easy situation.
Should I use Gigantification as soon as I jump out?
No, that would stand out too much.
Without the chimera snake's protection, even the monsters might become my enemies.
Moreover, if my existence is discovered now, it will be revealed to the world that I killed a hero.
'Ah, Heavenly Thunder Spirit!'
If I call down lightning, it would electrocute the knight carrying me as well.
I excitedly tried to cast Heavenly Thunder Spirit, but...
「Insufficient mana.」
Oh no.
I seem to have used too much mana since trying to escape from the chimera snake.
Especially maintaining the Black Scales skill for a long time took a toll.
Then the method is...
'Old man!'
"What?"
'Do humans have mana stones too?'
I thought maybe I could eat the hero's mana stone.
Pelerian answered with admiration.
"They don't."
Unfortunately, that was the case.
Come to think of it, there were mana stones in my ring too.
Eating them doesn't immediately restore mana either.
The holy knights' loyalty must have been truly remarkable.
They finally broke through the monsters and arrived at the human camp.
"Is the Viscount alright?!"
"Does he look alright? Quickly, call the Archbishop!"
There's chaos all around.
Countless humans have gathered.
"Don't even breathe."
'Gasp.'
And that meant if my presence was discovered here, I'd be turned into grilled eel on the spot.
"Unfasten the armor!"
"I-It's not coming off easily."
"You stupid bastard!"
I hear curses and angry shouts.
Where, where should I hide?
「Using Stealth lv8.」
I hold my breath.
Moving very slowly.
First, I moved my body towards the lower part.
Click.
It was the right choice.
They must have unfastened the lock on the waist part, as light came in.
After removing the upper body armor, they drag out the dead knight commander.
I quickly hid in the empty boot part.
'Ugh!'
The foot odor is terrible.
"Ah, Viscount!"
It was a scream filled with despair.
"P-Please use healing magic!"
The holy knight who carried the Viscount all the way here begged.
"H-How did he become so covered in blood..."
"He was bitten by a snake. He seemed to be poisoned."
"How, when he was wearing plate armor?"
"Ah..."
My heart is pounding.
I bit and tore at various parts of the Viscount's body.
What if they discover the small wounds from snake bites?
They might realize that a snake had sneaked into the armor.
"I don't know how formidable that chimera snake was, but how could it penetrate Mithril gold armor... Ah!"
Did they notice?!
"Was it an ethereal attack? To think it was such a high-level monster..."
Aoh.
I almost jumped out of the boot, thinking I'd been discovered.
It seems I wasn't the only one annoyed by someone's muttering.
The holy knight exploded in anger.
"Is that important right now?! Use healing magic!"
"It seems he's already passed away..."
The Viscount had already crossed the irreversible river.
I personally sent him across.
「Stealth lv8 proficiency has greatly increased.」
「Stealth lv8 has become Stealth lv9.」
My Stealth skill leveled up from how tense I was and how much I held my breath.
A bright light flashed from outside.
It seems they're using healing magic.
"Bring clean water and cloth! Why isn't the Archbishop here yet?!"
The humans were desperately trying to save the Viscount.
By the way, if they remove his clothes, my teeth marks will be revealed.
I can't get out, but I can't keep hiding either. I'm in a dilemma.
Clank!
Someone touched the armor I was hiding in.
My heart nearly dropped.
"Um..."
The one who touched the armor had a young and naive voice.
Perhaps a knight's squire?
"Excuse me..."
No one answered him.
It's natural, given how urgent the situation is.
But the owner of the voice persistently called out to someone.
"Excuse me..."
"What! What is it!"
Someone presumed to be a holy knight finally responded.
"I'm sorry, but... about this armor..."
"What about the armor!"
"Should I tidy it up? Like usual."
Gasp.
I was shocked.
From his tone of asking and the question itself, there's an undeniable strong smell of incompetence.
"You bastard!"
The person presumed to be a holy knight screamed as if about to explode.
"You fucking idiot! Is tidying up the armor important right now?!"
"Uh, s-sorry... Should I wash it or just leave it... There's blood on it..."
He seemed to be a soldier who usually managed the Viscount's valuable armor.
"I'm really going to kill this bastard! Let go! I'm going to kill him!"
"S-Sorry."
Someone held back the enraged holy knight.
"Calm down! Hey, you there, quickly take the armor away!"
"Y-Yes, sir! Understood!"