Reborn as a hero's daughter, the hero aims to be a hero again.

Chapter 27: Surprise attack

　And seeing as I was finally able to cut through it with all my weight, I don't think it would be a fatal blow even if the attack hit.

　That's why I needed to make my next move now.

'One of vermilion, one of blue, two of jade and three of mountain laurel. Give strength to the archers who have been unleashed.'

　Then, Michelle's bow is empowered. Because of the distance between them, they took extra magical power.

　I resent the clumsiness of not being able to cast magic at the same time at times like this.

　Perhaps inspired by my magical movement, the Vulture began to move all at once.

　One vulture is on me, the other on Finia.

　I quickly take off my jacket and twirl it around my left arm.

　Using this as a cushion, I caught Vulture's claws with my arm.

　Of course, Vulture's claws could not be protected by a child's clothing. It easily pierces through my jacket and wounds my arm.

'Ugh!'

　Gnashing my teeth in intense pain, I prevented myself from letting go of the weapon only. Because letting go of your weapon on the battlefield is something rookies do.

　But that's not the only problem. The claws that had dug in had caught on my jacket and prevented it from coming off.

　I'm even lighter than I should be, so Vulture and I both try to soar into the air.

　But I've done the maths so far.

　Vulture's goal is to secure food.

　If that's the case, then I, the lightest of the bunch, would make an excellent bait.

　Then I can assume that I will be lifted up like this.

"'Nicole-sama'!"

　Finia raises a panicked voice when she sees me floating in the sky.

　She immediately tried to run towards me to hold me down, but before she could do so, another Vulture attacked her, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

　That's it. If she comes this way, my calculations are off.

　The Vulture tries to gain altitude at a brisk pace. But its ascent came to an abrupt halt.

　A single thread tied me and the carriage together.

　It was the yarn I had strengthened earlier. I had tied this to the carriage and secured my body to it.

　Vulture did not understand what had happened and stopped moving for a moment.

　I used the opportunity to thrust my blade at the base of the feather. But with one hand on top of the other and an unsteady stance, no effective damage could be inflicted.

　But that's okay. My attack is a bonus, after all.

　I'm not going to let the attack be a bonus, because Michelle's arrow shot through Vulture's skull in that split-second gap.

　The arrow, which had received a strengthening enchantment to increase its power, easily shot through Vulture's head.

　That means I'm going to fall to the ground with Vulture.

　Even the earlier attack was not pointless.

　Even though the altitude is still only a few metres, I don't know if my body can withstand it.

　So, I pull the katana, which is still impaled earlier, and pull Vulture to me. I hug its carcass and use it as a cushion.

'Gghh!'

　The impact of being knocked to the ground causes an involuntary gasp.

　The body - especially the right arm - hurts, but still not so much that you can't move.

　This is because Vulture's body took most of the impact of the fall.

　Thus, he killed the impact of the crash with the ground and returned alive to the ground. But we can't lose heart. The last of the birds is still fighting ...... Finia.

　If you look, Finia's also attracted and stopped the last Vulture with a defensive move using a dagger.

　There, Michelle's father was shooting arrows at it, steadily damaging it.

　At that rate, they'll be able to take them out without me having to break in.

　

　Even Finia is a talented person who comes to the hero as a servant.

　The most important thing to remember is that the situation is not as bad as it was for me and Michelle, who have received specialist training, but they knew how to fight in their own way.

　In the end, the last Vulture was shot through the head with a blow from Michelle, who intervened, and died.

Nicole-sama, are you all right!"

Yeah, I'm fine."

'Of course not!　Show us your arm, quickly!"

　Finia rushes towards us with a great swagger just after Vulture has been cleared, and looks at the wound.

　There were tears in her eyes as well as anger.

'Oh, so many scars ...... on Nicole-sama's skin .......'

　Sobbing, I apply the herbs I always keep on my arm and bandage it.

　She has a deep knowledge of medicinal herbs, perhaps it is an Elvish habit.

　

'I was wondering what I was going to do ...... after such an imitation.'

''No, I was fine,''

'Never again!　Please don't fight that dangerous fight!　Or else I'll cry!"

''Oh, I don't want that.''

　I looked at Finia, who was not sure whether she was crying or angry, and reminded myself not to behave in a way that would cause worry in her presence.