“Hurry--”

「快点——」

“--Uooooohhhh!”

「——呜噢噢噢噢哦哦哦！」

A shout echoed all around Neia as a stone flew. It seemed to sweep away the anxiety in her heart.

四周响起了仿佛将宁亚心中躁乱一扫而空似的雄叫的同时甩起了投石索将石头甩飞。

The thrown stone hit the demihumans, who were still hesitating. While it was a long way from being fatal, it would seem that it had done a certain amount of damage.

飞出的石头打中了还在迟疑着的亚人们。虽说离致命伤还很远，但看来多少还是给予了一定的伤害。

“Hey, you guys! Hurry up and attack the demihumans! Forget about the kids they’re holding hostage!”

「喂你们！赶紧向亚人们发动攻击！放弃那些作为人质的孩子们吧！」

Neia recognized the militiaman who was shouting.

看到这个怒吼的民兵，宁亚见过这个人。

He was the father of the boy that the Sorcerer King had killed when they had liberated the first prison camp.

他正是在最初解放的那个收容所里，被魔导王所杀害的那位孩子的父亲。

Neia was surprised to find him here.

他居然就在这个地方，宁亚感到甚是惊讶。

“If they get past us, the women and children will suffer worse than they did before we saved them! If you still love your children, then throw those rocks as hard as you can!”

「要是这里被越过了的话，里面的女人孩子们都会遭到、比救助前更残酷的待遇啊！要是你们还珍惜自己的孩子、就给老子把石头狠狠的砸过去啊！」

His voice seemed to banish all their doubts, and it was shortly followed by a volley of several rocks. While they flew on weird paths and there was no telling where they were aimed at, the fact was that they had been hurled out.

因为这道声音，把心中的犹豫全打消了，接着就是数个石头飞了起来。虽说这些是连向哪儿瞄准都不知道地描绘着奇怪的轨迹，但重要的是投出去的这一事实。

By the time Neia drew her bow again, a hail of stones descended on the demihumans.

当宁亚再次拉弓的时候，石头已经一整片地向亚人们投过去了。

Many of those stones hit the front-running demihumans, the ones using children as meatshields. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that they hit the children tied to those demihumans, than the demihumans themselves.

不少石头命中了在最前线以孩子作肉盾的亚人们。与其说是命中了亚人，倒不如说是命中了捆在亚人身上的孩子们还来得正确。

The children cried and wailed in a heart-rending way. Even so, the rocks smashed mercilessly down on those pitiful children. They were the most tragic sacrifice of all, caught between the savagery of both sides.

孩子们在不停哭泣，撕心裂肺地恸哭着。即便是对着如此可怜的孩子们，石头仍然无情地砸来。他们承受着两军的野蛮对峙，成为了最可悲的牺牲品。

Neia prioritized aiming for those children.

宁亚最优先地向着这些孩子们射出箭矢。

This was a sign of respect for the sacrifices which had to be made in order to save the most people.

这是为了拯救多数人而牺牲的那部分少数，是值得尊敬的牺牲者。

Neia leaned out to find her next target, and then she felt something tearing through the air as it approached her, but all she saw was a burst of light.

为了寻找下个目标而准备挺出身子的宁亚，感觉像是有着将风给切开般的声音在接近的时候，眼前却看到像是光幕一般的东西展开了。

Is this a magic attack from the enemy?

（这是敌人的魔法攻击？）

Neia froze for a moment. At the same time, she felt a thunk from her belly. It felt like something had struck her lightly there.

一瞬间宁亚的身体僵直了。与此同时咚的一声轻微的冲击感在腹部那里传来了。就是像是被什么东西轻轻地打中了的触感。

Startled, she stumbled a step back and then she heard a clattering from her feet. She looked closely and saw something that looked less like a lance than a gigantic arrow -- in other words, a ballista bolt.

吃惊地后退了一步，听到了脚跟前咔啷地大响了一声。仔细一看，与其说是枪倒不如说是巨大的箭矢——正是弩炮的箭矢。

Its tip looked like it had been hammered into a right angle by a hammer.

箭尾像是被锤子从正面砸下来般呈现出压瘪着的样子。

Neia hurriedly ducked back behind the wall. After that, she heard a scraping sound as something huge struck the city walls.

宁亚慌张地躲回去城壁里。接着，咚嘶嗯咚嘶嗯的，听到了像似有什么巨大的东西在向着墙壁撞击的声音在响着。

Cold sweat ran down her back.

后背的冷汗直流。

Neia unconsciously stroked the part of her where she had felt the impact.

宁亚不知不觉地抚摸着刚刚发生冲击感的部位。

She thought of how the Sorcerer King had thrown his sword earlier, and it had been deflected by the field of light from Buser’s armor. That would explain what had taken place just now.

想起了之前魔导王向这边投来剑的时候，被巴萨的铠甲所展开的光幕所挡下的光景。刚发生的事就是因为这个。

It would seem she had been saved by Buser’s armor, which the Sorcerer King had lent her. In other words, Neia’s life had been saved in the nick of time.

原来是被从魔导王借来的巴萨的铠甲所保护了。也就是说，宁亚的性命被非常及时的救了下来。

Is that some kind of protection from ranged attacks? My chest, shoulders and belly are protected by the armor, but what about other places? Does that ability have to be activated? No, more importantly, how many more times can I use it? Or is it a one-shot kind of thing?

（那是——防止远程投射物的力量吗！？胸膛肩膀以及腹部虽然受到铠甲的覆盖，但除此之外的地方又怎样呢？这个力量是需要发动的吗？不对，在此之前更应该知道的是可以使用的次数还有多少次？还是说就仅仅这一次就没有了？）

Without the armor that the Sorcerer King had lent her, Neia would have been impaled through her abdomen.

要是没有从魔导王那里借来的这件铠甲的话，恐怕宁亚的腹部会被毫无疑问的贯穿。

That fact sent shudders through her body.

因为这个事实，颤抖不断地往全身传开。

“Huh… huh… huh. Come on, come on, me!”

「呼。呼。呼……加油。加油啊我！」

Neia had not entered the radius of 「Under Divine Flag」. She had felt that it was unnecessary because she had the crown which the Sorcerer King had lent her. That was why she could feel the fear of death like this. However, there were no tears in Neia’s eyes -- instead, she gripped her bow before revealing herself.

宁亚并没有进入<在神的旗帜下>的魔法范围内。那是因为觉得自己有从魔导王那里借来头冠，所以并不需要才下的判断。因此才会像这样感受到了由自身产生的死亡恐惧感。然而——宁亚眼角连半点的泪水都没有渗出，而是紧握长弓，现出了身子。

She had resolved herself to continue fighting, even if it meant taking the children’s lives. She could not allow herself to lose the will to fight after taking a measly little ballista bolt.

已经是下了即使要夺取孩子们的性命也要继续作战的决心了。因此仅仅是受了一箭就因此害怕而失去战意是绝不能被允许的。

This was to keep the children they could not save from suffering any further. At the same time, it was also to slay the demihumans who had dragged them into battle. The arrow she loosed embodied both these things.

为了不让无法被救助的孩子们受到更多的痛苦。同时给与将他们拿来用于作战的亚人们死亡。贯彻着这一心之念射出箭矢。

The intention to attack without regard for the children spread from her portion of the wall, until everyone was throwing rocks at the demihumans.

城壁的一小撮区域所开始的对孩子们见死不救的攻击意图开始逐渐扩散开来，变得全部队都开始对亚人们进行投石攻击。

Neia even saw the paladins throwing rocks.

宁亚看到连圣骑士们也进行着投石攻击。

“Bastards! You bastards!”

「畜※生！畜※生！」

“Ahh, dammit, those demihumans…”

「啊啊，可恶。亚人们……」

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!’

「对不起！对不起！」

“I’m sorry… please forgive me…”

「对不起……请原谅我……」

Although those cries of remorse echoed up and down the line, they did not stop throwing their rocks for a moment.

即便能听到对孩子们忏悔的声音此起彼伏，然而他们手却一刻也没有停下。

This was the attack made by those people who had accepted that “some blood has to be shed to save the highest number of lives.”

这是来自于认同“为了救助最多数的生命、而必须流下一定量的血”这一判断的人们的攻击。

However, the enemy’s numbers were far too overwhelming. By the time they had struck down the front row -- the ones who were using children as shields -- the demihumans had already reached the vicinity of the walls, and they began deploying their ladders one after the other.

但是敌人的数量太多了。打倒了把孩子当盾牌的最前排的人的时候，亚人们已经到了城壁的近处，一个接一个地架起了梯子。

While the technologically-backward demihumans could only make battering rams and assault ladders in terms of siege weapons, the truth was that there was no perfect countermeasure against both of those. Several men tried to push the ladders away with long staves or let the angels destroy them, but there were far too many who were at a loss for what to do.

虽然生产技术低落的亚人们能做的攻城武器、顶多也只有破城锤和梯子而已，但实际上也没有能完美应付那些的对策。有几个男人用长棒顶了回去或是让天使去进行破坏，但是无奈人数实在太多。

“How about the firebombs? Get the priests to assist with their spells!”

「火焰壶的准备怎么样了？快叫神官用魔法支援！」

“This is bad! They’ve got a ladder up over there! I’ll be going over, take care of this side for me!”

「不妙！那边梯子已经架起来了！我赶去那里，这里拜托了！」

“Throw those rocks!”

「把石头扔下去！」

There was a big commotion on top of the walls. The defenders were throwing rocks or stabbing with longspears to repel the demihumans who were clambering up the ladders, but the ladders went up one after the other, and it became difficult to deal with all of them.

城壁上骚动了起来。为了赶下四处登上架好的梯子的亚人，他们扔出石头或是用枪来突刺，然而梯子还是一个个的架起来，对应也逐渐变得困难。

Several demihumans nimbly avoided the spear thrusts from the militiamen, instead grasping the spears and pulling their wielders off the wall. Then there were those demihumans like the Armatts and the Bladers, who had natural armor on par with steel plates. They ignored spears and rushed all the way up.

有亚人巧妙的闪开民兵刺出的长枪，反过来抓住枪把人拉下来。还有像铁鼠人[Armot]和刀铠虫[Blader]一样防御力堪比板甲的亚人，无视刺在自己身上的长枪，一口气爬了上去。

While the paladins had been trained in combat and could deal with these heavily-protected demihumans, the number of demihumans on top of the walls grew and grew. If any gap appeared in the defensive lines, it would be filled almost immediately.

虽然受过近身战训练的圣骑士们会去对付这些高防御力的亚人，不过站到城壁上的亚人越来越多。一旦哪处出了决口，只要一瞬间就会被吞没。

After stiffening her resolve, Neia leaned out from behind a battlement and shot a climbing demihuman from the side.

下定决心的宁亚从雉堞探出半身，大胆地从侧面射击在梯子上爬的亚人。

It was not Neia’s skill so much as the weapon she wielded which killed the demihumans in one shot. She could slay the resilient Armatts and Bladers because she possessed the Ultimate Shootingstar Super.

与其说是凭借宁亚自己的技术，不如说是靠手中借来的武器将亚人一击射杀。能够干掉坚硬的铁鼠人和刀铠虫是因为有终极超级流星[Ultimate Shootingstay Super]在的缘故。

Neia’s body was clearly visible as she leaned out, and she was hit several times by stones spat by Stone Eaters. Although those stones could put dents in metal plates. Neia was protected by Buser’s armor. Still, she would probably be bruised and she might have suffered a fracture or two.

食石猿们吐出的石砾之中有几块打中、了从雉堞看得一清二楚的宁亚身上。被铁甲都能打凹的石头击中，宁亚却因为有巴塞的铠甲而平安无事。不过肯定免不了瘀青，骨头大概也裂开了吧。

Though she was sweating heavily, she did not stop firing on the demihumans for a moment.

虽然出着黏汗，但宁亚对亚人的攻击却一秒也没有停下。

I can still do this… I only have enough mana to use the necklace of healing which His Majesty lent me once, so I need to save it!

（还能、撑得住。……从陛下借来的回复项链以我的魔力只能使用一次而已，所以必须得保留下来！）

As she continued taking shot after shot, part of her mind tried to estimate how long she could hold out. After all, Neia’s single use of recovery magic was her trump card.

一边持续着精密射击，大脑的一部份尝试正确把握住自己还能坚持多久。毕竟只有一次的回复魔法可是宁亚的王牌。

She pulled an arrow from her quiver, nocked it to her bow, took aim at a demihuman’s head or heart and then loosed it. She repeated that sequence countless times.

－－从箭筒抽出箭，搭在弓上，瞄准亚人的头部或胸部射出。这个动作重复了无数次。

A rock hit her hard enough to knock the arrow from her hand.

重重撞过来的石头冲击力让拿在手上的箭矢掉了下来。

Neia hurriedly ducked behind a battlement.

宁亚慌慌张张的躲向雉堞后面。

She had dropped her arrow because the Stone Eater’s attack had rocked Neia’s entire body, but that was not the only reason.

会弄掉箭是因为食石猴的攻击让宁亚的全身发出悲鸣，不过理由不只这一个。

Paladins were sword-users. As a squire, she had trained with swords, so even if she knew the fundamentals of archery, she had not spent much time practicing with bows. This lack of practice made her arms cramp up and her fingers ache.

圣骑士的本职是用剑。作为侍从所锻炼出来的是剑技，即使拥有弓术的底子，训练的时间却并不长。就是这份练习不足使得手臂痉挛和手指发痛。

If she could not use a bow, then she would only be getting in the way. It was far too soon for her to use her trump card now, but she had no other way to restore her ability to fight.

无法使用弓箭的自己只会碍事。在这里使用王牌实在太早了，然而除此之外没有其他恢复自己战斗能力的手段。

“Item activation:「Heavy Recover」!”

「发动<重伤治愈>(Heavy Recover)」

The mana drained from Neia’s body, and it made her feel a little dizzy. She would not be able to do this a second time.

宁亚体中的魔力被急速抽出，让她稍微感到晕眩，这再来一次的话会撑不住的。

At the same time, all the pain in her body vanished, be it the cramps in her arms or her aching fingers.

与此同时全身的痛楚都消失了，不管是手臂的痉挛还是手指的疼痛。

“I can do this!”

「能行！」

Neia leaned out again and continued shooting.

宁亚再度探出身体射箭。

Fortunately, Jaldabaoth’s forces possessed some degree of leadership. Otherwise, the ballistas would have fired on Neia to kill her without hesitation, but since they were being led, they did not shoot for fear of hitting their friendlies.

幸运的是亚达巴沃的军队一定程度上进行着统率。若非如此，弩炮应该会为了杀死宁亚毫无犹豫地进行攻击，但正因为被统率着，为了提防击中友军才没有发出攻击。

Neia focused on shooting, and eventually the hand that reached down to her quiver came up empty.

宁亚一心持续着攻击，最后取箭的手扑了个空。

She looked down in panic and saw that she was out of arrows.

慌慌张张的一看，箭筒空了。

Just then, a scream came from the militiamen.

同一时间点民兵们发出了悲鸣。

There was a very strong-looking demihuman standing in front of a ladder. While it was no different from the Stone Eaters who had fired rocks at Neia, its physique was excellent. Though it was no match for Buser, it still radiated the aura of a powerful being.

在梯子前有个看起来很强的亚人。虽然和对宁亚投出石头的食石猴的种族并没有不同，但体格却非常良好。虽然不如巴塞，但有着强者的气质。

It held a crude-looking greatsword in its right hand, which resembled a meat cleaver. The other held a helmet that seemed to contain something. It was the head of the paladin which commanded this area.

右手拿着如同切肉用的菜刀般厚实的朴素大剑。另一只手拿着装着什么的头盔。那是担任这个地方指挥官的圣骑士的首级。

“The great Jajan-sama of the Lagon Tribe has taken the head of the enemy commander! Now, you dogs, kill them! Kill all the humans!”

「拉恭族、我加将大人拿下指挥官的首级了！喂，你们快都动手！把人类们都杀了！」

***

The situation immediately turned grim.

战况一口气恶化。

Paladins were few in number, and a death from among those small numbers meant that the defensive strength of this area would plummet. That was not the only thing.

圣骑士的数量很少。而这少数中的一人被杀也就意味着这个地方的防御力将会一下子低落。而且还有一点。

There was a tremendous disparity in fighting strength between a militiaman and a paladin, even if the latter were not part of a hand-picked elite. There was no way the militiamen could win against a demihuman that could kill one of those paladins.

民兵和圣骑士之间——即使不是被严选出来的的精锐——有着决定的实力差。将那个圣骑士杀掉的亚人是民兵所赢不了的。

As the militiamen froze in fear, the demihumans scaled the ladder behind the Stone Eater from just now -- Jajan. They burst forth like water from a broken dam, one becoming two, and two becoming four. It was like mitosis.

在民兵害怕得不能动弹的时候，亚人爬上了那个食石猴——加将身后的梯子。从那里起就像是溃堤的浊流一样涌来。一个人变两个人，然后增加到四个人。如同增倍游戏。

Demihumans began to fill the top of the wall, and in turn, the number of militiamen began to diminish.

城壁上逐渐染上了亚人们，而取而代之的是名为民兵的颜色眼看着衰退了下去。

Demihumans and militiamen. THe difference in their individual abilities was plain to see.

亚人与民兵。个体的差异明显的表现出来。

She looked around in panic.

焦急的环顾四周。

Arrows. She could not do anything without arrows.

箭。要是没有箭什么都做不了。

She cast her eyes around like a traveller in a desert searching for an oasis, and then she saw a thoroughly exhausted soldier leaning against a battlement. There was a quiver with arrows beside him.

如同在沙漠中彷徨着求水的人一样红着眼寻找，接着就看到倒在雉堞上筋疲力尽的士兵旁边有箭的箭筒。

That’s it! I’ll take the arrows from the casualty and send him back to the rear.

（就是那个！从伤兵那里拿到箭，然后请他退到后面去）

But Neia sucked in a breath as she ran over. The man who looked like an archer was missing half his face. He was clearly dead.

但在宁亚跑过去的同时吞了一口气。那个弓兵打扮的男人半张脸都没了，已然断了气。

He had probably taken a direct hit from a Stone Eater. His brains were oozing out, his glassy eye stared out into nothing, and his fate might very soon be Neia’s as well.

大概被食石猴的石弹打个正着吧。脑浆流了出来，像是玻璃珠的眼睛望着虚空，这个弓兵的模样很可能就是宁亚的末路吧。

She looked more closely, and found several similar corpses. Her usually-sensitive nose finally picked up the thick scent of gore in the air. No, her nose was fine, her brain simply had not gotten the message,

仔细一看的话，周遭倒着好几具同样的尸体。平常灵敏的嗅觉此时终于感受到周围浓浓的血腥味。不对，鼻子是正常的，只是大脑没有接收到而已。

As the oatmeal porridge rose in her throat, Neia forced herself to swallow it back down with all her might. She barely succeeded, but there was no telling if it was because she had been lucky, or because she had become resistant to this after watching the “live eating performance” earlier.

(TL note: the term here is 踊り食い, or eating live and twitching seafood)

宁亚用尽全力把往上冲的麦粥咽了下去。勉强成功是因为运气好吗，还是因为之前看过的「生吃」让她有了抗性呢。

Neia clenched her teeth and transferred the arrows remaining in the nameless archer’s quiver to her own. Restocking her empty quiver felt like she was restoring her own fighting spirit.

宁亚咬紧着牙关，将无名的弓兵留下来的箭移到自己的箭筒。随着将箭矢补充到了空箭筒，宁亚感到如同战斗的气力也得到充填一样。

I can still fight. There’s still things I can do….

（还能战斗下去。还有我能做得到的事……）

After quickly finishing up her work, Neia put the archer’s hands together and closed his remaining eye. There was no time to spare on doing that, but she could not stop herself from doing it.

宁亚快速的结束作业后，讲弓兵的尸体两手摆在一起，阖上了剩下的眼睛。虽然根本就没有做这种事的空闲，但是却无法忍着不去做。

“I’ll fight for your sake too, until the very end...”

「我会连你的份一起战斗。直到最后，一定……」

As Neia turned and rose, she no longer muttered to herself.

转身站起来的宁亚已经完全没有杂念。

Her spirit flared to a peak it had never reached before, and her senses were incredibly keen. She felt like she was a part of the bow which she held.

前所未有的精神高昂，感觉也变得极端敏锐，感觉自己彷佛变成了手中的弓的一部分。

The top of the wall was now a chaotic melee. Given Neia’s skills, it seemed almost impossible to snipe Jajan -- who was holding up the head of the paladin -- given the sheer numbers of friends and foes between them. However--

城壁上的战斗终于成了乱战，与高高举着圣骑士的首级的加将之间掺杂着敌我双方，以宁亚的技术来说要狙击对方几乎不可能。但是——

I still have these gauntlets! And the Ultimate Shootingstar Super His Majesty lent me! -- I can do this!

（我还有这个护手在！而且也有从陛下借来的终极超级流星！——能行！）

She loosed her arrow as she filled herself with that powerful conviction.

与强烈的确信一同放出箭矢。

By the time Jajan noticed the whistling in the air, it was too late.

加将注意到划空声时已经太迟了。

The arrow pierced his head, and Jajan fell limply to the ground.

一击就刺穿了头部，加将轻易地倒了下去。

“Jajan of the Lagon Tribe has fallen by the hand of Neia Baraja!”

「拉恭族，加将！已被我宁亚·巴拉哈讨伐！」

Although she shouted those words, she was not answered by a cheer. That was only to be expected. There was no time for a long hurrah in the middle of a life-and-death battle. Neia blushed a little as she realised that, but she had managed to shake the demihumans. She could feel the pressure on them easing off.

虽然大声叫了出来，却没有欢声响起。这也是理所当然的。在拼命战斗的时候根本没有空闲给出悠长的喝采声。理解到这点的宁亚有点害羞起来，但是却成功动摇了亚人。能够明白感到压势减弱了。

This had not been a complete defeat.

并不是完全失败的样子。

Neia took up her arrow again, then turned to face a suitable demihuman before sending an arrow his way. She shot the demihuman through the head and he fell from the wall.

宁亚再度拿起箭，对着看着合适的亚人射了进去。同样被贯穿头部的亚人从城壁上落了下去。

Neia reached for another arrow. She was doing it like it was nothing, like it could not be helped. Was she a master archer like her father now?

宁亚从箭头抽箭。既像若无其事一样，也像只能如此一样毫无一丝多余的动作。自己现在是不是就像用弓高手的父亲一样了呢？

Neia’s bowmanship had rapidly improved during the course of this battle. That was how she had managed to kill Jajan, though the latter had been wounded during the battle with the paladin.

在这场战斗中宁亚的用弓手段急速成长。所以之前才能——虽说在和圣骑士的战斗中负了伤——杀得了加将吧。

Amidst the chaos of war, Neia sought new prey to bring down.

乱战之中，宁亚搜索着能够狙击的猎物。

--Why aren’t they targeting me, as an archer?

（——为什么不先解决身为弓兵的我呢？）

That question was answered as her next arrow pierced another demihuman skull.

这个问题在把箭矢穿过下一个亚人的脑袋时得到解答。

“Don’t approach that human carelessly! She’s wearing the Grand King’s armor!”

「不要随便接近那个人类！她穿着豪王的铠甲呢！」

“The Grand King?”

「豪王！？」

“Grand King Buser? Grand King Buser’s armor?”

「豪王巴塞？巴塞的铠甲？」

Neia’s sensitive ears caught the chatter between the demihumans.

宁亚敏锐的听觉捕捉到了亚人之间的嘈杂声。

“No doubt about it! That’s Buser’s armor!”

「绝对没错！那是巴塞的铠甲！」

“Don’t tell me that human brought down…”

「难道说，那个人类将豪王给……」

Ah! Is that it!? When the Sorcerer King said it would protect me, was he not referring to the armor’s ability to protect against ranged attacks but the reputation of defeating Buser!?

（啊！是这样子啊！魔导王陛下所说的能够保护我、不是这个铠甲的防御飞行道具的魔力，而是打倒巴塞的评价吗！）

The Grand King Buser’s name was well known throughout the demihuman forces. Therefore, the demihumans who had mounted the wall were under the false impression that they were fighting the warrior who had defeated Buser. The fact that Neia had killed a leader-class demihuman in one shot only added to that.

豪王巴塞之名似乎在亚人军中广为人知。因此现在对于登上城壁的亚人来说，是误以为要跟可能打赢那个巴塞的战士对峙了吧。而且宁亚一击杀死了队长级的亚人也起到了帮助。

That was why they refused to advance against her, even though they knew Neia was an archer.

因此即使他们知道宁亚是弓兵，却警戒着不肯踏前一步。

I have to hand it to the Sorcerer King, did he take this into account as well?

（不愧是魔导王陛下，连这点都考虑到了吗……）

In all likelihood, few demihumans would chase her now even if she turned tail and ran. They would probably prioritize holding their ground over chasing a strong foe, even if they were making a mistake. Therefore, Neia’s life was probably in no great danger. The Sorcerer King’s advice to “flee to the east gate” suddenly reached her mind, but she could not do it after all.

大概就算背对着逃跑，追来的亚人也不多吧。比起去追强敌——虽然是误会——还是确保这里来得优先才对。宁亚的性命大概相当安全。突然脑中浮现了魔导王所说的「往东门逃跑」的话语，但果然还是觉得办不到。

Anyone like that would never have come here in the first place.

如果是那样的人的话，根本就不会来到这里。

Neia loosed another arrow, and killed another demihuman.

宁亚放出箭，再度射杀了一匹亚人。

“Uoooh! That… that glare again…”

「呜喔！又是……那道锐利的目光……」

Glare… well, I am looking at them...

（锐利……的确是在盯着看啦……）

“It’s the eyes of someone who kills like it’s second nature! That, that human sow, she’s something else!”

「那是嗜杀成性的眼神！那个、大概是雌性的人类，不是普通的家伙！」

Probably… a sow...

（大概是……雌性……）

“Look at that bow! It’s amazing! It’s not just her skills!”

「看看那把弓！多么厉害的弓啊！不只是技术而已！」

Hehe!

（哼哼！）

“The Mad-Eyed Archer!”

「狂眼的射手！」

...Eh?

（…………欸？）

“What, what’s with that name? Do you know that human?”

「那是什么，那个名字！你知道那个人类吗？」

...No, no...

（…………不对不对）

“Does that human sow have a nickname?”

「那个雌性的人类有别名吗！」

...Hang on!

（…………等下！？）

“I once heard there was a human archer with a devil’s face and amazing skills… could that be it!?”

「以前听说有个拥有如同恶鬼一样的凶恶脸孔和厉害技术的人类弓箭手在……就是那个吗！」

That was Dad!

（那是父亲啦！）

“The Mad-Eyed Archer! The archer who killed Buser!”

「狂眼的射手！杀了巴塞的弓箭手！」

For some reason, the phrase “Mad-Eyed Archer” spread through the demihuman ranks like a wave. They’ve already decided it! As that thought ran through her mind, Neia no longer had any opportunity to correct them.

不知为何「狂眼的射手」这个词在亚人之中如同微波一样传了出去。已经确定下来了！这样想的宁亚已经没有任何修正和否定的余裕。

As Neia loosed her arrows, the militiamen began moving.

宁亚放箭的同时，民兵们也开始行动。

“--Everyone, hold the line! Don’t let the demihumans near that girl!”

「——大家快守住！那个女孩，不要让亚人接近她！」

“Ohh! Form ranks! Remember your training!”

「喔！列队！快回想起那个训练！」

“I’m moving up!”

「我到前头去了喔！」

About 20 militiamen were planning to use themselves as shields for her.

约二十人的民兵们打算让自己成为盾牌。

“Just kill those bastards for us! We’ll protect you!”

「替我们射杀那些家伙！我们会保护你！」

“Got it--”

「我明白了——」

The sound of flapping wings came from the enemy encampment.

敌方阵营传来了呼呼的拍动翅膀的声音。

Neia pivoted and pointed her arrow at the source of the sound.

立刻就扭动身子，将箭对向声音的来源。

Her eyes were filled with the sight of winged demihumans rising from the enemy formation. There were many of them.

映入眼中的是从亚人阵地里起飞的翼亚人身影。数量很多。

While it seemed as though bypassing the wall should have been their objective, several of them dove from the flock and descended on Neia.

虽然觉得跨越城壁才是主要的目的，但那之中有几匹朝着宁亚猛冲过来。

She had long since abandoned the thought of who to aim at. In this silent, pure white world where all she could see were her enemies, Neia calmly loosed an arrow at each and every one of her enemies. Her trance of unhesitating speed was inhuman in its mechanical precision.

早已从脑中抛开掉该瞄准哪个的思考。在这一片纯白，除了敌人什么都看不见的无声世界中，宁亚只是十分冷静的对着一匹匹敌人放箭。那个射击不是人类而是近乎机械般的毫无犹豫的准确。

After downing the winged demihumans heading at her, Neia exhaled lightly. She could hear again after being released from that state of hyperfocus.

击落朝着宁亚飞行而来的翼亚人，稍微缓了口气。所以才从刚刚那极度集中的状态解放出来了吧，宁亚再度能听到声音。

To the side--

正侧方——

She wanted to dodge, but a torrent of pain came from her left arm.

虽然想要立刻闪躲开来，左手臂却传来一阵剧痛。

Her arm had been torn apart by an Armatt’s claws from the side.

从侧面而来的铁鼠人钩爪撕裂了手臂。

“Gwaaargh!”

「噫！！」

Despite her cry of pain, Neia still made to pull out another arrow, but then she thought that she might not be able to properly brace her bow. In that case, perhaps drawing her sword might be better.

尽管宁亚发出悲鸣仍想取出箭矢，但能否用这左腕架好弓的不安在脑中掠过，如果是那样的话不如拔出剑会比较好吗。

Her hesitation was a huge weakness, and the savage-looking Armatt raised its arm, preparing to follow up on its previous attack with a strike to the face.

将这段迟疑判断为巨大破绽，在宁亚眼前露出狰狞貌相的铁鼠人将手举起、用钩爪瞄准脸部作进一步追击。

She wanted to backstep, but her opponent was a superior fighter and managed to close the distance to her, so she could not evade it.

虽然想要后退避开，但对方作为战士的实力在自己之上而被成功缩短了距离、没办法回避。

Intense pain filled her face. While she had managed to turn her head and thus avoided having her eyes shredded, the claws had ripped through her left cheek and opened a wound that allowed access to the interior of her mouth.

剧烈疼痛在脸上涌出。虽然至少用转头方式避免了眼睛被撕裂的情况，但左颊的肉被挖开、形成了能连接到口腔内部的切割伤口。

Fresh blood filled her mouth, and the taste of blood spread over her tongue. In addition, she could feel her warm blood oozing from her cheek, the sensation spreading down her neck and chest.

口中满溢着鲜血、血的滋味在舌头上大量蔓延开来。并不止如此，感觉到温热的血液从左颊滑落、传到了脖颈以及胸部。

Neia had no time to draw her sword, and so she slammed Ultimate Shootingstar Super into the Armatt’s face.

宁亚没有拔剑的余裕，用终极超级流星用力敲进了铁鼠人的脸部。

The Armatt had probably not expected her to do that with the bow, so it tried to back up to avoid the attack.

铁鼠人从未想过会使用弓做如此动作吧，因此退到后方想要闪避那个攻击。

Since she could not move her left arm well to brace her bow, Neia drew her sword with her right arm.

没法好好活动的左手持着弓，宁亚用右手将剑拔出。

Neia stabbed with a charge like she was pouring her life into it. The Armatt immediately countered with razor-sharp claws, but a nearby militiaman had wounded its leg and its aim was off. The claw missed her ear by a fraction of an inch, but her own steel blade sank into the Armatt’s throat.

宁亚以豁出性命的方式使出冲撞般的猛地一刺，铁鼠人虽然放出锐利反击、但因为旁边的民兵砍伤了脚而使得瞄准偏差了。宁亚被钩爪略微削过耳朵、取而代之钢剑刺穿了喉咙。

She glanced down to the Armatt as it collapsed and then surveyed the situation.

斜视铁鼠人咕咚倒下后环视周遭确认情况.

While she had been focusing on loosing arrows, her militiamen blockers had been almost completely wiped out. The demihumans had reached Neia, and there were only five more men remaining, all pressed close to the wall.

在集中精神放箭的这段时间里，作为墙壁的民兵几乎被杀尽，亚人已到达了宁亚的身边，而紧贴着都市的城壁侧边残存下来的民兵只有五人。

The nearest reinforcements were fighting on the other side of the demihumans who had scaled the ladders, and they would be hard-pressed to help her over here. Frankly speaking, they seemed to be engaged in melee, so they would not have the free time to come help her.

最接近的援军以呈现包夹的方式与上了梯子的亚人们在另一侧作战着，难以帮助这边。而说到背后、看样子因混战而没有来这边的余裕。

There were over 30 demihumans in Neia’s sector, and there were only six people on her side.

宁亚所在的区块里亚人的数量有三十只以上，与其相对这边只有六人。

Neia glared at the demihumans, and they backed off a little, easing the pressure on them.

宁亚以锐利眼光瞪了瞪，让亚人们往后面退了些许，而使得压力减轻。

“My apologies, Baraja-sama!”

「抱歉、巴哈拉大人！」

The militiamen who had been pressed to the wall took a defensive formation in front of Neia.

被逼迫到墙壁的民兵们在宁亚的前面筑起了防御的队列。

“We won’t let those bastards past us, even if it’s the last thing we do!”

「我们至死都不会放那些家伙们通过！」

The person who said this looked like a cowardly man in his 40s, with an unhealthy, protruding gut. However, his face was flushed with what seemed like the excitement of battle, and his body was covered in so much blood that one could not tell if it was his or the enemy’s. Even so, he refused to kneel, standing tall with an indomitable spirit.

对宁亚这么说的是腹部不健康地向外突出、约四十岁左右的胆小男人。但是、那张脸上浸染着可能是因为战斗而兴奋的红潮，以及全身上下受到了分不清是他自己的、亦或是飞溅回的血那般程度的伤痕。即便如此也绝不屈膝、以坚强气魄一同站立着。

He certainly looked like a reliable warrior.

确实是能让人依赖的战士模样。

“Thank you very much!” Neia said as she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood which had pooled there. Then, she continued -- “I’ll leave this to you!”

「非常感谢！」宁亚一边将口中积累的鲜血吐出一边道出感谢的话语、然后——「就拜托您了！」

He was not the only one who was like this. None of the militiamen’s fallen bodies showed any sign that they had attempted to leave the perimeter they had formed around Neia. What else could she do except place her faith in them?

并不只是他，倒卧民兵们的尸体之中没有任何一个离开宁亚的范围诉说着死守的事实，那么除了信赖的话语之外还有什么可以说的呢。

The man’s eyes went to Neia’s left arm, and his face stiffened.

男人将视线移往宁亚的左腕、脸色变得僵硬。

“You can see the bone…”

「能看得到骨头噢......」

“Please don’t say that, it hurts a lot when you point it out.”

「请别说那样的话，被明确说出来的话会感觉非常痛」

“Ah, ahhh, sorry.”

「啊、啊啊、抱歉」

Once one reached a certain degree of skill as a paladin, they would be able to use low-tier recovery spells. However, Neia was only a squire, so she could not do so. There were no paladins or priests by Neia’s side, and her mana had not yet recovered enough to use the magic item again. It would probably be best to abandon the thought of using her left arm in this battle.

身为圣骑士如果有一定程度实力的话，姑且能使用低位的回复魔法，但对于只是从者阶级的宁亚是做不到的。在宁亚的身边没有圣骑士也没有神官，魔力也还没有回复到能够再一次使用魔法道具。在这场战斗中应该放弃使用左手比较好吧。

Neia glared at the demihumans, but just moving her eyeballs made the wound on her face ache.

宁亚瞪向亚人们，即便只是移动眼珠也让脸上的伤口阵阵发痛。

The pain made her gaze that much more ominous, and as the demihumans felt it, they went on their guard.

因疼痛的关系而更加险恶的视线，使感受到的亚人们架好姿势戒备。

“Baraja-sama, you kept shooting them down with your bow, so now there’s nobody left like that guy who charged in just now. That’s how we managed to survive.”

「多亏了巴哈拉大人用弓不断地打倒他们、像刚刚那种闯进来的家伙也没了呢，因此我们才苟活了下来。」

If the demihumans before Neia’s eyes rushed them all at once, the militiamen would probably be routed in an instant. However, they were all wary of Neia the archer, so they could not move together. In truth, she could understand their caution once she heard what the demihumans were saying.

宁亚眼前的亚人们如果一齐进行突击的话，民兵们恐怕在一转眼间就会被驱逐了吧，但是由于警戒着弓兵的宁亚而没有办法一齐行动。事实上，如果听到从亚人们口中流出的言语就能明白那个警戒。

“The Mad-Eyed Archer… she’s nothing much using a sword?”

「狂眼的射手......用剑没有什么了不起？」

“Don’t get careless, she’s just pretending she can’t use a sword to throw her opponents off.”

「别大意，那家伙是装作不会用剑而引诱对手的粗心大意」

“Really? You’re a real smart guy.”

「是吗，你的脑袋真灵光呢」

“Should we get the Snakemen over and kill her from a distance with spears?”

「叫蛇身人[Snake Man]过来，拉开距离用枪杀了她吗？」

Neia mocked them in her heart. It would seem that she had gained quite an undeserved reputation thanks to the power of the magic bow she had borrowed.”

宁亚在心中嘲笑，在借来的魔法弓力量的帮助下，看来受到了相当大的过分评价呢。

“...Is there hope for me?”

「......能抱以期待吗？」

Neia asked herself that question quietly enough that the demihumans could not hear, and then she laughed.

以亚人无法听见的声音做出的提问，宁亚对此笑了笑。

“...If it’s the bow… the bow I borrowed from His Majesty, the Ultimate Shootingstar Super, shooting wouldn’t be a problem, but…”

「......如果是弓的话......从魔导王陛下借来的这把弓、终极超级流星如果能射出去的话也许不成问题，但是......」

The man tried saying the name Ultimate Shootingstar Super, and then he laughed sadly.

口中玩转着终极超级流星的男人有点寂寞地笑了。

“Really… so it’s very bad, huh. Say, Baraja-sama… jump down from the wall and flee. You should live on.”

「是吗......很不妙吗。吶阿、巴哈拉大人。......从这个城壁跳下逃走吧，妳应该活下来」

宁亚看着男人。

“Aiieee! For-forgive me. It’s only natural for you to be angry at such foolish words. But, but, while I don’t know what sort of hell you lived through, you’re around my daughter’s age… I think, but letting a girl like that die is just…”

「唏！抱、抱歉。说出这么狂妄的话而惹您生气也是当然的。但、但是，虽然不知道您过去从什么样的地狱中幸存下来，如同我的女儿一般的年龄......虽然只是大概、让这样的孩子死去实在是......」

I wasn’t angry, I was just looking normally at you. The thought crossed her mind, but this was a common thing by now and Neia did not take offense at it.

并没有生气、明明只是普通的看着，虽如此想着但也不过是一直以来常有的事，宁亚并没有在意。

The man was speaking the truth. It would be wiser to fall back for the time being and heal her wounds until she could use her bow, rather than swing a sword she was not used to.

男人所说的话是真实的，与其在这里挥舞不擅长的剑，暂时撤退、将伤口治愈到能够用弓还比较明智吧。

--What’ll happen to them if I do that? I know very well. I can’t help them even if I stay and fight. I’ll just die for nothing. But...

（——如果那样做的话，他们怎么样。我很清楚。我就算在这里作战也没有办法帮助他们，只是白白送死。但是......）

Neia swept the bow in her left hand down and to the side.

宁亚一撇左手持着的弓。

I need to return this weapon. There’s many reasons why I should run. But, but, what will His Majesty’s enemies think if I run away while I’m wielding a weapon that He lent me? In that case--

（不得不将这个武器还回去，作为我逃亡的理由有非常多，但是、但是啊、如果在我拿着魔导王陛下借来的武器而逃亡的情况之下，对陛下抱持着敌意的人们会说什么呢。那么——）

“How could I run!?” she bellowed. “How could I, as one who holds a weapon borrowed from His Majesty, turn and run!?”

「怎么可能逃走！」大声怒斥。「我怎么可能、从陛下借来武器的我怎么能逃走！」

She tightly gripped the sword in her right hand.

紧紧握住右手持有的剑。

Repaying good unto good was only natural for a human being.

以恩义回报恩义，作为人是理所当然的。

The people of this country -- specifically, the head of their paladins -- were not the sort to do that, but she wanted to show the Sorcerer King that not everyone in this country was like that.

这个国家的——特别是圣骑士的顶点实在是难以让她报答恩义，然而自己还是想要向魔导王传达、在这国家里的并不尽是那样的人。

“Yeeeaaaart!”

「唔哇阿啊啊啊！」

Neia charged in with a battlecry that sounded like a wail. Since she could not use her bow, the militiamen would die for nothing protecting her. In that case, she ought to take advantage of the demihuman’s mistaken fear of her power and attack while they could not bring their might to bear.

一边发出有如悲鸣的声音、宁亚断然进行突击。即便保护无法用弓的自己，民兵们也不过是白白送死而结束。那么、趁着将宁亚误认为强大的敌人感到害怕的现在，正是亚人们无法发挥实力的机会。

The enemy had probably not expected Neia to charge so many enemies, and they moved slowly enough that even Neia’s meager swordsmanship was enough to cut them up.

对方恐怕也没有想过宁亚会朝着大量敌人突击吧，动作迟钝到就算宁亚的不入流剑术也能够砍得到。

The remaining militiamen behind Neia followed her lead.

跟在宁亚之后残存的民兵们也跟着冲了出去

Neia swung her sword.

宁亚挥出剑。

It bounced off, and the demihumans swung at her open body, only to have their attacks deflected by Buser’s army.

被弹开、亚人陆续的向着那满是破绽的身体发动攻击，而巴塞的铠甲则将那些攻击接下。

Neia thrust her sword.

宁亚将剑挺出。

She stabbed a demihuman’s body, and when she pulled it out, its organs followed. Before that demihuman hit the ground, another demihuman’s claws struck at Neia’s face. The wound on her left cheek was followed by one on her right, and the blood which flowed out got into her eyes.

刺穿亚人的身体、拔出，脏器溢了出来。在那个亚人倒地之前、亚人的钩爪从侧面方向朝着宁亚的颜面袭击过来，继左颊之后在右侧的额头造成伤口，流出的血液进入了眼睛。

An intense pain filled her legs.

脚发出剧烈疼痛。

A demihuman drove his dagger deep into flesh.

亚人所持的短剑深深地插入。

One of the militiamen fell.

民兵一人倒下。

Swords swung.

用剑挥舞。

Two more militiamen went down.

民兵两人倒下。

One demihuman collapsed.

击倒一只亚人。

All the militiamen were dead.

民兵全灭。

There were nothing but enemies in front of her and to her sides.

旁边及前方都是敌人

Her breathing was ragged, and her heartbeat irritated her.

呼吸失调、心脏的鼓动令人烦躁。

The parts of her body which had been struck by the enemy blazed hot, and every time she moved them, waves of seizing pain filled Neia with agony.

被敌人的攻击所切开的身体发出高热，每当活动时的阵阵抽痛都让宁亚感到痛苦。

--I’m scared.

——好害怕。

Neia was afraid.

宁亚很害怕。

She was going to die, and the thought of that frightened her.

自己要死了，一想到这里就不自主觉得害怕。

She had been prepared to die here.

确实有着觉悟，自己将在这里死去。

The enemy outnumbered them several times to one, and they were better individual fighters as well.

敌军是我军的数倍之多，个体的战斗能力也是对方较高。

The enemy had all the disadvantages, and the only advantage her side had was their defensive position.

不利的地方数也数不完，有利的点也不过这边是防守方罢了。

That being the case, it would be stranger if she did not die.

在这个状况下自己不会死反而比较奇怪。

Even so, looking death in the eye was terrifying.

尽管做了这样的觉悟，果然直面死亡时还是太过恐怖。

The word “east gate” -- said by the person she deeply respected -- echoed through her mind. Though she was prepared to die, she still wanted to live.

所尊敬的人物说出的「东门」这句话在脑中回响、即便有觉悟还是出现了活下去的念头。

Neia had once thought about what would happen when people died.

人在死去之后会变得如何呢、宁亚在还小的时候曾经思考过。

What would the moment of her extinction be like?

自己这个存在完结的瞬间，会如何呢。

Her soul would return to the great river, where the gods would judge her, and those who did good as described in the scriptures would go to a land of eternal rest, while the wicked would be delivered into a land of torment.

回归到伟大河流之中的灵魂，在那里接受神的审判，在圣典中写道行善之人往安息之地、而行恶之人将被送往苦痛之地。

Still, even if she had accumulated good deeds throughout her life with the aim of reaching her eternal rest, she was still afraid to face the end of her life.

但即使以安息之地为目标而一直累积善行，在自己的生命终点仍感到害怕。

She swung her sword.

挥剑。

That powerless strike could not possibly slay a foe in one hit.

已经失去力量的攻击，要将对方一击毙命已是不可能的了。

Anyone attacking even when surrounded, would take vicious counterattacks from the enemy.

在被包围的状态下即使想要追击也会受到敌人的强烈的反击。

Swords pierced Neia’s armor, and she was covered in wounds.

宁亚的铠甲被剑所刺穿、满是伤痕。

Neia was still alive thank to the armor which the Sorcerer King had lent her. She would have died long ago without it. Indeed, she would have become a corpse like the countless dead militiamen and civilians who had been scattered throughout the city like they had been carelessly thrown away.

宁亚还能活着是受到魔导王借来的铠甲的帮助，如果没有这个的话早就死了吧。没错、就好像在城壁四处散落、嫌碍事而被随意弃置在都市内的市民兵尸体一般。

I must be in really bad shape...

（全身上下、状态一定很糟糕吧......）

Neia laughed at herself for being able to think about such inappropriate things even as she was this close to the afterlife..

宁亚笑了笑，笑自己在能看见彼世的这个状况之中还能思考那样不合时宜的事。

Her feet slipped due to the force of her swing. Her left thigh seized up and her right thigh was injured and could not hold her upright.

脚因挥剑的势头而打滑，左大腿痉挛、右大腿因伤而无法坚持站住。

She lost her balance and fell. She leaned against the battlement, but it was all she could do not to collapse.

失去平衡、即将要倒下。使身体倚靠胸壁、忍着不倒下已是尽全力。

The world was turning white and cloudy, and she could hear a distant, wheezing panting.

世界变得白色而浑浊、听见远方唏唏的喘气声。

It was an annoying sound. She wondered who was making it, and realised that it was herself.

觉得很烦、想着是谁发出的呢原来是自己。

She was at her limit

已是极限。

Neia was going to die.

宁亚会死。

“Just a bit more and the Mad-Eyed Archer will be dead!”

「狂眼的射手、再一步就死了！」

“Ahhh! All together now!”

「啊啊！我们一起上！」

The voices of the demihumans came from far away.

远处传来亚人的声音。

This is… a real pain...

（真烦人、呢——）

Neia could no longer tell what the demihumans were saying. However, they were probably not singing her praises. As her thought processes failed one after the other, a part of her mind thought only of things like that.

亚人们在到底说什么、宁亚已经听不到。但是、不可能是说对自己有利的事吧，在思考不断散落的其中一个角落中只是想着那样的事。

She was simply waving the sword in her hand to keep them away -- her attacks were meant to keep the enemy at bay.

现今不过是摆动手上的剑，不让别人靠近——如牵制程度一般、或是那以下的效果的攻击。

I’m… so scared… but everyone… is waiting for me...

（好、怕......但是、大家、在等着我、呢。）

In that white and cloudy world, she saw the smiles of her mother, her father, and her friends from her home village.

在变得白浊的世界中看见了父亲和母亲的笑容，以及与自己故乡相同的友人们。

Who… are they… ahh… Bu-chan… Mo-chan.. Dan-nee…? I’m… scared… Your… Majesty…”

（是、谁呢、啊啊、小布和小莫、丹姐、吗。好、害怕。陛、下）

Her lungs and her heart and her arms and her brain wanted to rest.

肺和心脏和手腕和脚和脑想得到休息。

Neia could no longer resist that temptation, but still, she had not broken yet. Why was that?

宁亚已经无法抵抗那个诱惑，但、即使如此仍未崩坏、是为什么呢。

She was afraid of death. She was filled with her squire’s conviction to fight to the very end.

有着对死亡的恐惧。有着不战到最后不行的从者信念。

Apart from that -- she wanted to achieve results that were worthy of the wargear she had borrowed.

除了那些之外——想要做出与借得武具相符的功劳。

The demihumans’ weapons thrust out at once, stabbing into Neia’s body.

武器一齐伸出、刺穿宁亚的身体。

And after that, Neia Baraja died.