Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Tapchimi's fingers froze.

He blinked.

When I looked again, her hair had once again obscured her eyes.

She still looked scared and flustered.

But Tapchimi's heart was beating much faster than before.

'She was just now...'

The bottom of the bowl is empty.

The little girl put down her bowl and looked up.

They adopted a posture of offering their necks for slaughter.

'Was it just my imagination...?'

Tajimi thought to himself with a hint of helplessness.

The night grew deeper.

The oil lamp flickered a few last times before finally going out, plunging the tent into darkness.

Tapimi remained in that position, one hand still resting on the girl's head.

The breathing under his palm had become even and long.

She fell asleep.

Tajimi gently withdrew his hand and moved his slightly numb fingers.

He listened intently to the sounds outside the tent. In the distance, he could hear the footsteps of sentries changing shifts, and further away, the faint clanging of chains coming from the direction of the orc prisoners.

Business as usual.

He leaned against the tent post and closed his eyes.

Under the blanket, the girl opened her eyes.

Those eyes shone like two stars in the darkness. She turned her head and looked at the boy next to her who had already closed his eyes.

The faint light from the campfire shone in and fell on his profile.

The girl's lips curved slightly.

Like the first tender sprout emerging from the frozen earth in spring, it carries an undeniable vitality.

She buried her face in the blanket, and the smile on her lips widened.

Then she closed her eyes, and this time she truly fell asleep.

the next day.

The sun had already climbed above the hillside, and everything in the camp was proceeding as planned.

Smoke drifted from the direction of the kitchen. The soldiers guarding the prisoners had changed shifts and were leaning against the fence, yawning with boredom.

"Enemy attack!"

Suddenly, a shout amplified by amplification magic shattered the peace of the camp.

Chapter 92 Guardian

Before the alarm had even faded, the peace of the camp was shattered.

The figures of the boar-orcs poured in through a gap in the fence on the east side of the camp.

They were bulky, with two fangs that gleamed a dark yellowish-white, and they held crude, massive clubs in their hands, which could leave a dent in the ground with a casual strike.

Next are the lion-beastmen, fewer in number than the boar-beastmen, but with significantly higher combat skills.

They entered from the north to encircle the camp, coordinating seamlessly and quickly cutting through the space within the camp.

The camp instantly descended into chaos.

The pots in the kitchen were overturned, hot soup was spilled all over the floor, and several soldiers nearby were knocked away by the boar-like beastmen.

A loud clanging of chains came from the direction of the prisoner-guarding fence, and the orc prisoners inside began to stir. Some of them struggled to their feet and surged toward the edge of the fence.

"Stay calm! Don't panic!" The adjutant's voice rang out amidst the chaos, but was quickly drowned out by the fierce fighting noise.

Tachimi reacted the moment the alarm sounded.

He was sitting in the tent, leaning against a wooden stake, with the girl curled up on the blanket beside him.

Hearing the alarm and shouts of battle outside, he immediately stood up and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The girl also raised her head, her big eyes looking at him, but there was no panic at all, only a sense of relief as if "the beautiful dream is finally coming to an end".

Tapchimi had no time to comfort her.

The heavy footsteps outside the tent grew closer, mixed with the hoarse roars of orcs.

He quickly scanned the inside of the tent; there was nowhere to hide. The tent's canvas was too thin to withstand any attack. Leaving the girl here would be tantamount to letting her wait to die.

Tajimi grabbed the blanket.

He moved swiftly, unfolding the blanket before walking around the girl from behind.

Tapimi knelt on the ground, pressing the girl against his back, wrapping the blanket around her body, and tying it tightly under his armpits.

The whole process took only a few seconds.

The girl was somewhat resistant, feeling that she would become a burden and that returning to her original fate would be the best choice. However, the familiar yet unfamiliar sense of security she felt from the boy made her reluctant to leave.

Tapimi stood up, one hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and the other hand reached out to make sure the blanket was tied tightly enough.

"Don't be afraid," he whispered to the girl, and to himself, "We will survive."

Tapchimi felt the weight on his back shift slightly, and his two small hands gripped the armor on his shoulders.

The curtains were torn open from the outside.

A boar-man's massive body squeezed in, its ugly boar head looking particularly ferocious, and the foul breath coming from its nostrils was pungent.

Tajimi didn't wait for him to stand up properly.

He took a step forward, and [Flow Acceleration] activated instantly, a cool sensation spreading from the top of his head.

The blade slid out of its sheath and headed straight for the boar-man's neck.

The boar-orc didn't even have time to raise his giant club.

The blade cuts into the rough skin, severing hair and fat, until it reaches the vital point at the carotid artery.

Blood gushed from the wound, and the boar-man grunted incoherently. Its massive body swayed twice before collapsing to the ground with a thud.

One corner of the tent collapsed under the weight, and the canvas, covered in dust, fell down.

Tachimi rushed out of the collapsed tent.

The scene outside was worse than he had anticipated.

The camp was filled with orcs, with boarmen and lionmen mixed together, like demons crawling out of hell.

The cavalry of Aindora had drawn their swords to meet the attack, but the orcs arrived too suddenly, and many of them did not have time to mount their warhorses and could only fight like infantry.

The adjutant stood in the center of the camp, trying his best to direct the soldiers around him, who managed to form a circle to block some of the lionmen pouring in from the north.

But the boar-men on the east side were far more numerous, and they pressed into the depths of the camp like a moving wall of flesh.

That direction led directly to the fence where orc prisoners were held.

Tachimi felt a chill run down his spine. If those prisoners were released, they could be attacked from both inside and outside, and the entire camp would fall.

But he doesn't have time to think that far ahead right now.

The two boar-like orcs noticed him and charged at him simultaneously.

The giant club crashed down with a whooshing sound.

Touchmy turned to the side, and the first giant club grazed his shoulder armor, sending sparks flying.

Instead of taking the hit head-on, he used the momentum of his sideways movement to insert the tip of his sword into the armpit of the boar-man, where there was no hair covering it and it was relatively soft, so the resistance to the blade penetrating was minimal.

The boar-orc let out a painful howl, and the giant club in his hand fell to the ground.

Tajimi drew his sword, swung it backhand, and the blade sliced ​​across the knee of another boar-man, causing the boar-man to stagger and fall forward.

Tachimi didn't linger in the fight; he stepped over the fallen orcs and ran towards the edge of the camp.

He needs a relatively safe position, at least one where he can't be attacked from both sides.

But the sound of wind behind him forced him to stop.

A lion-man pounced from the side, much faster than the boar-man, its claws aimed straight for the back of his neck, where the girl's head would be.

Tachimi's pupils suddenly contracted.

There was no time to dodge. If he managed to dodge, he might be fine, but that claw would definitely land on the girl.

He activated the martial skill [Fortress].

The lion-beastman's claws were forcefully deflected by Tapimi's longsword, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound.

Tachimi gritted his teeth, slashed horizontally with his sword, and swept across the lion-beastman's abdomen. The lion-beastman staggered back in pain, and Tachimi took the opportunity to create distance, panting heavily.

A slight vibration came from her back, and the girl clenched her hands even tighter out of worry.

Tapchimi didn't have time to turn around and check on her condition; more orcs were surging towards them.

The battle continues.

Tapchimi's breathing became more and more rapid, and each swing of his sword was draining his remaining strength.

His arms began to ache, and the effect of [Flowing Water Acceleration] was not as noticeable as it had been at the beginning. The "concentration" required to activate his martial arts skills was gradually being depleted.

A boar-orc seized the opportunity when he swung his sword, and swung his giant club, smashing it into his left leg.

Tapimi's body swayed, and he knelt on one knee.

A sharp pain shot through his left leg, spreading like fire, but he gritted his teeth and endured it.

But the second blow has already come.