The Extra Wants To Live

Catherine stood up as if lying and spat out spit mixed with blood.

Before she knew it, she had a dagger in her left hand, and the dagger had been greedily soaked in blood.

For a brief moment, she threw herself backward in response to the red gnoll's kick.

She curled her body into a circle to protect her torso from breaking her neck.

And with the broken sword and the dagger she pulled out in an instant,

she cut the red gnoll's instep cleanly.

Kaaaaagh!

The red gnoll let out a roar.

The top of its left foot had two deep cuts and was shaking.

All the unfinished gnolls ran to stop Carl, and the red gnoll, in its dying state, became disoriented.

But the red gnoll did not stop.

Thud!

Coogung!

It didn't even care that its left foot was shaking.

It just ran bravely.

The left foot that stepped on the ground broke off from the impact, and the wounds exposed the bone and flesh, but it continued running without hesitation.

It lay face down and placed its left hand on the ground with its finger cut off, and placed its right arm on the tree with its entire hand severed.

Even though the intestines were spilling out of its stomach and being crushed by stepping on them with its own feet, it just ran.

"Haa!"

Catherine could feel that the red gnoll was not looking at her but at those running in the distance, more specifically at Carl.

Right now, the red gnoll could see nothing except the red cloak shining in the light of the torch, the scales, and the repairs embroidered with gold thread.

Catherine rushed towards the red gnoll with her body in complete disrepair.

"We can't let him go from here!"

Catherine was too light and weak to stop the 3m tall muscular Gnoll from turning over and sprinting at full speed.

This is not the human way to fight monsters.

However, Catherine rushed straight into the red glow without hesitation.

Thwack—!

"Haaa!!"

Catherine leaped with all her might and crashed into the red gnoll's shoulder.

But the red gnoll only paused for a moment, and Catherine thought her internal organs were about to explode.

"Haaaa!!"

Swoosh—!

Catherine used the broken sword and dagger to pierce the red gnoll's neck and slit it.

But it was shallow.

If the sword had been just one finger length longer, she could have killed him with it.

Stab—! Stab—! Stab—! Stab—!

Catherine clung to the shoulder of a galloping red gnoll and stabbed it mercilessly in the neck and head.

But the gnoll didn't stop.

Even with wounds that should have already killed him, he ran like crazy.

"Hmm!"

Catherine wrapped her left hand around the Red Gnoll's neck and plunged the dagger into it, pinning it tightly.

She then twisted down with all her might.

The red gnoll's neck bent downward due to the force of squeezing out all the remaining mana, and the thick muscles on the back of the neck stretched and became thinner.

"Hwaap!"

Puck!

Catherine plunged the broken sword into the back of the guy's neck with all her might.

Thanks to the thinning of the muscles, Catherine's broken sword barely touched the red gnoll's spine.

Thud—!

The red gnoll, who was running despite the wounds that should have killed him long ago, fell down like a doll whose strings had been cut.

He skidded for several more meters, scraping the floor.

"Ugh… !"

Catherine tried hard to get out from under him, but she had used up all her mana and couldn't escape with her messed up body.

"Catherine!"

Carl's urgent cry was heard nearby.

Catherine and the red gnoll were already right behind Carl.

If it had been just one second later, the red gnoll would have pushed the soldiers and crushed Carl.

"It's okay, go!"

Catherine cried out loud, but was unable to move her body and fell completely to the floor.

Carl gritted his teeth and ran, leaving Catherine behind. He can see that there is no time.

But Catherine had no choice but to immediately prepare for defense.

Before she knew it, there wasn't a single unfinished gnoll left.

She can hear the sound of water. The valley is just around the corner.

And she, so rotten that her nose is completely paralyzed, is taking over the surroundings.

Everyone ran with all their might, even though they were sweating profusely.

Something big is about to happen.

They can know it instinctively. And the moment they jump out from between the trees and reach the valley, a heart-pounding echo bursts out.

Oooh... … .

"Ugh!"

Carl heart is pounding as if it has dropped, and he is out of breath. On a moonlit night, the valley sat quietly as a red blood fog rose.

Every time Carl breathe, he can smell and taste blood. Beyond that, a vague shape.

"Kill!"

In a situation where everyone is so scared that they can't even move a hand, Carl pushes the soldiers' backs and runs out alone.

Carl knows...

If it's not now, there's no more chance. He must die here! At that moment, something is heard from beyond the blood fog.

"… Kill me."

A small, rough voice that imitates Carl's words.

"Master Carl!"

Bilford suddenly comes to his senses and runs out.

"Master Carl."

The sound of imitation is heard again, and then everyone starts running at the same time.

Must be killed Must be killed!

In a split-second, Bilford grabs Carl, who was the first to run, and throws himself at him, and Hilfin's two knights run past the soldiers.

Even if Catherine ignores him, a knight is a knight.

The sound of steel ringing is heard, and for a split second, the backs of the two knights fade away beyond the blood fog.

Bang!

Carl don't know what happened.

Two black shadows beyond fly away and fall into the valley. Immediately after, the impact spreads and the blood fog disappears, revealing it under the moonlight.

"… … ."

Blood-red eyes.

He is 2m tall and has a sturdy body. Silver fur that shines like steel in the moonlight. And the red mane that covers the shoulders and back like a cloak...

The gnoll is looking at Carl.

Carl is also looking at him.

A completely different species, a completely different origin, a completely different being.

Nevertheless, both were able to find themselves in the other, as if looking in a mirror. The gnoll takes a step.

"Hmm!"

Bilford rushes at him with force.

All he can think about is that he has to kill that gnoll to protect Carl.

When Bilford charged with his sword placed at the bottom, the red-maned Gnoll, unlike Hilfin's knights, leaped quickly and retreated beyond the valley.

The gnolls eyes are watching Carl.

No, in the first place,he don't even pretend to look at anyone other than Carl.

The gnoll shows his teeth.

"Kill."

"…."

"Carl. Kill it. Carl. Kill it. Carl."

Muttering that, The gnoll narrowed his blood-curdled eyes. A bright red tongue flowed out and licked the lips.

"Die. Carl."

The blood mist flying in the wind obscured my vision and then flew away, leaving nothing left there.

***

Even after the unidentified gnome who spoke human language left, everyone could not easily let down their guard.

"… Check the surroundings and save Sir Catherine."

After realizing that the bastard had completely left, Carl tried to compose himself and gave instructions.

Imperial soldiers checked the surroundings with torches and rescued the knight who was attacked by the red-maned gnoll.

Hilfin's knights had all their ribs broken because their breastplates were dented and compressed their chests, and, unable to properly control their bodies, they fell into a ravine and drowned.

Not far away, they discovered something very strange.

"What on earth is this…?"

Bilford, who was close to Carl's side and protecting him, muttered with his lips quivering.

A small pond filled with blood.

The surrounding area was full of terrible traces left behind during the process of dragging the body. There must have been a body thrown in here.

"… I need to check inside. Pull out the blood."

Carl had no time to be considerate of the soldiers who were sagging from the fatigue of battle in the middle of the night.

Without a second thought, the soldiers sat around the pond and poured blood into a canteen.

The blood in the pond was hot as if it had just been gushed out, and it did not harden over time.

However, the blood that was scooped out into the canteen and sprinkled on the floor soon cooled and hardened.

The diameter of the pond was about 3m, and strangely enough, the blood was shrinking faster than the soldiers were pumping it out.

Still, it was so deep that it was impossible to drain the blood without going inside, so everyone could do nothing but stand back and look.

And everyone was able to witness the blood naturally reducing.

"… … ."

Everyone was so tense that it was difficult to even breathe.

The only sound was the torch shaking in the wind and the sound of the valley water flowing.

In this way, the bottom of a 3m deep pond was revealed, and soon the bottom was completely dry, with not a single drop of blood remaining.

"Lord Carl, please step back."

Bilford grabbed Carl's shoulder and pulled him to protect him.

There was something under the pond.

At Bilford's instructions, a soldier threw a torch down, and its shape was revealed. It was small and didn't move.

It didn't seem dangerous.

"What… is it?"

The soldiers went down with a rope wrapped around the body and carefully went in.

What they took out was a red statue of a gnoll about two spans tall.

Carl looked at it carefully and touched it lightly with his hand.

"It's hot."

It was giving off heat as if it were alive.

Plus this ridiculously detailed workmanship.

It looked like it would move at any moment.

Carl stared at the statue with narrowed eyes and realized that it was slowly sucking the blood that had been sprinkled on the floor.