How to Tame That Gentle Hero - Chapter 10.4

‘No. It just jumped so high that I mistook it.’

The massive body, about the size of a hill, struck down nimbly at where Eldis had been standing.

Kukukukung!

In an instant, the ground was dented and rocks shattered. Eldis had to consider himself fortunate for having rolled away to avoid it. Even though it was an illusion, with mental magic, if he got injured here, the wounds would transfer to his physical body.

“Kraaaang!”

The lion roared and charged at Eldis at high speed. Eldis gritted his teeth and ran to escape, but the sand lion persistently targeted him and began to chase.

‘I can’t win just by avoiding. I need to create an opening and split its body.’

In the Amarast-related illustrations, there was also a description below. About the sand lion’s weakness. Instead of a heart, it has a core in that place, and if you break it, it instantly turns back into sand.

Eldis glanced at the bloodied man from the corner of his eye. At first glance, his injuries didn’t seem severe. Eldis glanced at the bloodied man from the corner of his eye. At first glance, his injuries didn’t seem severe. Though his face and entire body had small wounds from being scratched by the front paws, the only injury that appeared serious was his broken arm, so it seemed that if Eldis defeated the sand lion himself, he could provide some light treatment afterward.

“Stay where you are and take cover!”

At that shout, color returned to the dazed man’s face as he exclaimed.

“Yes! …Yes! I’ll take cover right away. Please do your best!”

He soon disappeared into the white fog. Eldis felt relieved, but sensing the sand lion pursuing him, he changed direction sideways. And it was a good thing he did. The sand lion immediately jumped over his head, casting a shadow.

Pwaaaaaak!

The sand lion tore up the grass-covered ground. Then it howled again. But that was fatal. It gave Eldis an opening to attack.

And a Grand Sword Master wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.

Eldis spun his body around. And while it was roaring, he dove in from the side and thrust his sword deep into the center of its body.

“Haah!”

With a shout, Eldis forcefully drove upward. And the moment something hard touched the tip of his sword, he pushed in more aura, instantly splitting it.

“Kraaaaaaang!”

The sand lion let out an intense roar, but soon transformed into a pile of sand, scattering across the grass.

Pyususususut.

The blackened core appeared among the sand as the wind blew. Eldis slowly bent down and picked up the core. But it cracked in his hand and scattered into the wind as dust.

“A-amazing!”

The man, who had been hiding somewhere, emerged from the white fog and applauded. Eldis felt slightly amused but maintained a faint smile as he observed the man’s hand movements.

The angular posture unique to someone who wields a sword quietly raised questions.

“If you had a sword, you wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation. You went through quite an ordeal.”

“Yes. It was completely harrowing. You’re a Grand Sword Master, right? I’ve never seen anyone stab that annoying creature and destroy its core in one go.”

Eldis smiled slightly.

The man’s speech was quite refined, reminiscent of wanderers who roam places where fashion and culture flourish. Even though this was probably an illusion, Eldis spoke gently, his consideration for others ingrained in him.

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt any further. Your body seems quite damaged; if you follow me, I can at least give you some ointment to apply.”

“Ah… So kind too… Thank you very much!”

The man approached Eldis with tears in his eyes.

And when he offered a handshake, Eldis firmly grasped his hand. True to a swordsman’s hand, the man’s palm had calluses here and there, making Eldis think it was remarkably realistic for an illusion.

“I am Matis Enoch, the second son of Count Enoch.”

Eldis’s eyes widened. Wasn’t the second son of Count Enoch reported missing six months ago?

‘Then… this isn’t an illusion but reality?’

Cold sweat ran down Eldis’s back.

He had almost made a mistake. If he hadn’t saved the person being tormented by that sand lion…

‘If I had pretended not to see and passed by, he would have died. And he would have been completely processed as missing. …My instinct was right.’

Eldis reflexively recalled Resena’s words. It felt like he was newly realizing the importance of trusting his own instincts in crucial moments.

“I am Eldis Jude Crevasta. This is the first time I’ve seen you, Matis Enoch.”

“Yes… What?!”

The man jumped from where he stood. Looking at Eldis with surprised eyes, his blood-covered face changed comically.

“Ah, aah…! I didn’t recognize you. I’m sorry! There’s only one Grand Sword Master in the empire… I thought only the eccentric Mercenary King Rasen Iraz would enter the holy land…”

Eldis smiled faintly at that honest answer.

“You might think so. I’ve entered the holy land on my own to surpass my limits. By the way, how did you end up here?”

At those words, Matis Enoch’s face contorted.

“Well… that…”

Seeing how difficult it was for him to speak, it seemed his reason was probably different from Eldis’s.

But before that, he needed to clean up.

“Let’s wash up and talk. I can’t make out your expression. Besides, you’re covered in blood, so it’s better to apply ointment before it gets infected.”

“Ah. Understood. Thank you!”

Eldis took his hand and led him.

Then he inferred the direction from the traces left by the sand lion.

He walked into the white fog he had come from, crossing over giant footprints. But just when he started to get confused about where they were walking, the white fog cleared, and they found themselves standing in front of the altar on the third floor.

“Krung.”

The white divine beast raised its head, making a noise with its nose. Then it approached Eldis and sniffed him. After quietly looking down at the divine beast, he turned his gaze sideways to look at Matis.

“Hmm…”

Matis seemed uncomfortable as the divine beast began to sniff and examine his body too. It seemed he had drifted into the holy land without any knowledge of the divine beast Lirameki.

“This is the divine beast Lirameki. It sometimes acts as a guardian of the holy land, and it seems to also serve as a guide for trials, as it did for me.”

“Ah… I see. It’s a very strange creature. I just thought it was a white deer.”

Eldis laughed softly.

“Well, Lirameki does look like a white deer. But what’s certain is that you shouldn’t harm Lirameki. If you harbor hostility and swing a sword at it, Lirameki will reveal its powerful strength as a guardian of the holy land.”

“….”

Matis’s face darkened. He had probably thought of Lirameki as just a white deer and rashly tried to use his sword on it. Ignoring this, Eldis kindly asked the divine beast.

“Lirameki. Can you guide us to the cave we went to earlier? I think Matis needs to wash.”

“Hrhrung.”

The white divine beast raised its head and turned its back on Eldis and Matis. Eldis slowly walked, following Lirameki as it began to descend the stairs.

He noticed Matis cautiously walking behind, keeping an eye on Lirameki, but deliberately pretended not to notice and followed the divine beast. The white divine beast calmly led them to the cave, perhaps willing to overlook that Matis had drawn a sword against another Lirameki.

“There’s a stream…! This is the first time I’ve seen a waterway like this since entering the holy land.”

Matis’s face was contorted enough to be recognizable despite being covered in blood. He entered the stream, sobbing and rinsing his body. Though sobbing sounds could be heard, neither Lirameki nor Eldis spoke to him.

After washing for a long time and drinking plenty of water, Matis staggered toward the cave where Eldis was standing. Though he didn’t have his own sleeping bag, he could somehow gather straw to make a bed, and tears flowed from Matis’s eyes.

“Eat this. For other food, perhaps if you ask Lirameki, it might guide you.”

“Th-thank you. Thank you…!”