We immediately stopped struggling and looked at each other in stunned silence.
"What was that?"
Before I could even think about what could have caused such a noise:
THUD… THUD… THUD!
Again. Only this time there were three in succession.
No, it didn't seem like the sounds were going to stop.
THUD… THUD… THUD!
Feeling the crashes getting closer and closer, I turned around and saw an enormous toad hopping straight toward us.
If normal Giant Toads could be intimidating because of their size (as their name suggests), I'm not exaggerating when I say this one could have made them look like babies.
It was huge.
"Looks like we've had really bad luck," Aqua said.
"What do you mean?" I asked, without taking my eyes off the huge beast that kept jumping toward us.
"If you kill too many toads and don't leave immediately, there's a chance the Toad King and Queen will come to avenge their children. We're in trouble, Kaizer."
"Huh?"
My ears simply couldn't believe what they had just heard.
"That's why no one wastes time and all adventurers return to claim the reward as soon as they kill all the toads on the quest. Normal Giant Toads may not be very strong enemies, but the Giant Toad King is on a completely different level. And they say the Queen is even worse!"
"And if you knew all this, why didn't you tell me sooner!? We've been wasting time instead of just heading back to the city!"
"Don't talk to me like it's all my fault, you arrogant hikikomori! It's your fault for calling me a dimwit and hurting my feelings! BUT NOW IT'S TOO LATE! THE GIANT TOAD KING IS DEFINITELY GOING TO EAT BOTH OF US! WE'RE DOOMED, KAIZER! DOOOOMED! BUAAAAAAH!"
Aqua began crying and screaming hysterically while clutching her head.
However, if the Giant Toad King had really come to avenge the offspring I had just killed and wasn't going to let us go, I had no choice but to fight. I didn't know about Aqua, but there was no way I was just going to stand there waiting to be eaten.
So I gripped my sword tightly and focused my gaze on my opponent, which continued approaching with steady… well, steady hops in this case.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"What are you going to do?" the blue-haired girl looked very worried.
"I'm going to fight it."
"Eh!? Have you gone crazy? There's no way a beginner adventurer like you can face that thing. The best we can do is leave it to someone more experienced, don't you think? Let's just run away and go back to the city to drink some beer with the reward money!"
"If we do that, the whole city will be in danger. Besides, if what you say is true, the Toad King won't rest until it kills the responsible for the death of its children."
"I-I see. Now that you mention it, you're completely right. The Toad King only wants you. After all, you are the one who killed its babies or whatever. I have nothing to do with it, right? W-Well, in that case I think the best thing is for me to return to the guild and report the quest. I'll be cheering for you from a distance!"
With that, the little traitor started running. But luckily I managed to stop her by grabbing her from behind.
"Where do you think you're going? You'd better help me kill that monster or you won't see a single eris of the reward!"
"Oh, so you finally admit you can't win without me!" Aqua exclaimed.
"This is not the time for that! Cast your support magic on me! Hurry!"
"I knew it, I knew it! It was to be expected from a hikikomori who does nothing but stay locked in his room playing video games and watching hentai all day. Well, since I have no choice because we're party members, I suppose I'll have to help you."
I suddenly felt an irresistible urge to strangle Aqua right there.
Without another word, the archpriest extended her palms toward me. They immediately began to glow with a bright light.
"Blessing!"
Instantly, a warm and revitalizing aura enveloped me. I felt an intense flow of energy coursing through my body. My muscles tensed for a moment, but then my entire body felt light and full of vitality. Even my armor seemed much lighter, and the sword itself felt strangely weightless in my hands.
Without wasting a second, I charged at the Toad King, gripping my sword with both hands above my head.