Volume 8 Chapter 306
– Buuuuu! –
The guy in the lead blew his horn.
Simultaneously, someone from Lil’s side also made a similar sound, as though to overrule it. It came from right under her tree and the loud echo repeated a beat she had never heard before.
“You bastards! Why are you just standing there?! Up in the tree at ten o’clock!”
At their leader’s warning, four guns were drawn towards Lil without delay. As a sniper, crossbows were useless once discovered, so Lil drew her rifle, shrinking her body in order to dodge the bullets.
Splinters of wood shattered sharply upon impact.
“Damn it! Cover the Captain!”
Two more people collapsed when Lil’s side opened fire as well, leaving the remaining two to run and hide behind a nearby tree.
Lil aimed her rifle again.
‘It will be for the best if we can end it here. But those who disappeared seem like they won’t go for an offensive strike anytime soon… I can only hear the horns blowing…’
Lil had a hunch.
‘Support is not far away. Both sides are waiting for backup. Our victory or defeat depends on whether Linhardt, who recognises Ed’s call, arrives first, or whether our opponents’ reinforcements get here before that.’
Lil loaded her crossbow to increase the chances of survival for their party.
At that time, figures began to move towards them. Lil stopped manipulating her weapon and stared at them blankly, from the corner of her eyes she also saw Ed approaching their opponents with a dagger.
Looking at her feet, Alain and Jericho couldn’t bear to follow him and looked up at her as they fidgeted.
Lil raised her palm in gesture before aiming her crossbow in order to cover him.
Ed continued to close the distance as if he were a phantom and disappeared behind a tree. It would’ve been impossible for Lil, who was up in the tree, to hear footsteps, so she couldn’t gauge any sound from the other party. Shortly after, the shadows that had been moving steadily froze before falling one for one. This all happened without a single gunshot being fired. Ed’s shadow then crouched over them and reached for their guns and sheath.
Standing restless at the base of the tree, Alain was in awe.
“…Is… Isn’t that crazy? Does that even make sense?”
Since it wasn’t intended for anyone to hear, no one answered.
‘Ed isn’t coming back, he’s probably trying to find an advantageous spot over there.’
After finishing her reload, Lil lay down on her belly against the branch again.
“Their backup should be coming soon. So stay alert.”
The hooves of several horses pounded the earth not long after that and the tree branch Lil was lying on shook dully.
Alain muttered below.
“…I mean, what now? We could get unlucky…”
Lil received those words alone.
“It’s not that bad…”
‘…Ten shots are more than enough. Knowing that they’re on horses, it’s better to attack from the front. Once a horse is scared or excited, their formation will be disorganised.’
Lil pulled the trigger in quick succession as soon as her opponents were in range. The startled horses raised their front hooves and neighed, causing the three horsemen in the lead to tumble down all at the same time.
The horses, whose saddles had become lighter, jumped out at will.
“Sniper!”
Multiple gun muzzles rose without delay.
In general, it was difficult to take down a sniper from a running horse, so all the attacks aimed at her were missed. When the rain of bullets ceased, Lil, crouching, immediately counterattacked with her rifle. Two more opponents fell. But that was it. After all, her accuracy would inevitably decrease the more her targets moved while riding.
The fast-approaching horsemen eventually jumped over the wooden pillar where Alain and Jericho were hiding. The two, with their backs now fully exposed, ran forward without hesitation and swung their swords.
Lil moved her head to the side to cover her allies’ backs, when a shout was heard from below.
“…Sniper’s position secured!..”
“…Kill the sniper first!..”
In seconds, several gun muzzles pointed directly at her forehead.
“Shit!”
Lil hunched her shoulders and ducked back up the tree.
– Bang! Bang! Bang! –
The vibration of the tree branch resonated throughout her entire body.
“…Aim for the branch instead!..”
Bullets penetrated the joint between the tree trunk and its branch.
‘Even if I try to shoot them back, it won’t be easy because Alain and Jericho are entangled with them…’
The sound of swords clashing continued repeatedly and as they were evenly matched, none of her three allies seemed to have the capacity to cover her.
‘The entire tree shakes as if I’m caught in an earthquake…’
Lil crawled, pulling her knees up from the rippling branches.
‘Shit. With just a few more shots…’
The branch, unable to withstand her weight, bent sharply. Fortunately for her, it wasn’t completely separated from the trunk yet.
Lil glanced back at the branch’s joint.
‘A few more shots and it will completely tear off…’
Just in time, she spotted another branch of the opposite tree.
‘The angle isn’t perfect, but I only need a buffer to hold my body.’
She drew her gun and shot at the partly broken joint.
– Bang! –
Along with her gunshot, the old branch began to break. The vibration of the tree’s bent joint transmitted through her shins and palms.
Her vision slanted and she sank.
The giant sized branch tore completely and fell.
The gunfire instantly stopped and the voices below shouted.
“…Ugh! Get away!…”
“…It’s falling on us!…”
In a panic, the horses neighed and loudly pounded their hooves on the ground.
Lil stretched her arms just as she was about to fall vertically along with the old branch. As soon as the branch of the opposite tree grazed her forearm, she gripped its damp wooden surface with great difficulty. But when her shoulder felt like it was going to detach from the gravitational force, she had to let go. As she fell, she hung her arms frantically on the other branches below her. This time her entire sternum heaved and ached.
She tapped her foot in the air but soon her arm slipped again.
“Shit…”
Lil’s palms desperately tried to hold on to something. She carelessly grabbed at the foliage and broke several branches along the way. Nevertheless, she continued to fall…
Looking down, she saw she had nothing more to support her body. Only the ground was getting closer every second. Lil, however, thought if she fell and rolled sideways a few times, it would be enough to cushion the impact.
‘I’ll perhaps break an arm, but that won’t be that big of a problem.’
Lil twisted her body slightly, hoping to fall to the left…
“…Liloa!”
At first, Lil didn’t recognize who it was because the voice came from someone riding horseback, but soon she saw Ed throwing away the sword he was holding. He then slammed down on the reins and stood with his feet in the stirrups. Since Lil was falling quickly, their movements alone brought the two closer together.
As Ed let go of the reins, he reached out toward her. No words were said, but his purpose was obvious. Lil thought he was crazy, but she also reached out to him unintentionally. Ed then threw his body sideways and jumped off his horse. As he was spinning in the air, he snatched Lil from her orbit.
Lil felt his arms wrapping around her head and the blood that had wafted from his upper arm covered her. Instinctively, she grabbed him by the waist. They rolled straight to the ground with no time to prepare for the suffocating feeling caused by the centrifugal force that pressed down on their bodies. It even felt like they were being squeezed like laundry. Their rotating bodies only came to a stop when they hit a wooden beam.
Ed, who was curled up while holding Lil, suppressed a groan and breathed out heavily.
Lil immediately tried to break free, pushing away the arms that were so tightly wrapped around her that it felt like they were about to break her. It was then that Ed rolled on his back with an exaggerated gesture and lay sprawled out towards the sky.
When Lil raised her upper body, it was lighter than she had expected.
‘Of course, pain is unavoidable. But whether Ed absorbed the impact or because of the direction I threw myself in the air, the pain is far less severe than I had anticipated..!’
Lil instantly hid herself behind a wooden pillar and surveyed the situation around them.
‘One of our remaining opponents is coming this way.’
The moment the guy climbed over the branch she had broken, Lil became as nervous as she could be. However, like water poured over a burning fire, the childish complaints from her side instantly relaxed her body.
“Oh, I’m dying…”
Bewildered by Ed, who was still lying flat on his back, Lil slapped his forearm.
‘Does it even make sense for him to make such a fuss in this situation?’
“You can get shot! Why are you lying around and not taking cover?”
Only then did Ed turn to face Lil. He frowned and let out a groan.
“…I think I’ll die of pain before a bullet hits me. You look fine though, so I guess you can protect me…”
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Bell Rock Translations 
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