Somehow, the horse-drawn carriage attracted the Tri-Horn Minotaur's attention, and all its aggro was directed right at it. The scream of the man echoed to the passengers as he briefly turned away to warn them.
This was a regular occurrence outside the kingdom. Of course, it's not like the adventurers patrol the outskirts of the kingdom when they're snugly protected inside it. Cities outside were left to fend for themselves, unless of course, they requested assistance from the guild. But that could take a couple of days at most if the adventurers were preoccupied with something else.
Hence the reason why cities like the City of Caharsa have an existing guild in them. Nevertheless, if their guild had a problem, the city would most likely fall before help arrived.
"GET OOOOUT!" The man screamed a second time, stopping the horse-drawn carriage by pulling at the horse's bridle. A neigh after, the carriage stopped, and the passengers found time to get out of there before the Tri-Horn Minotaur smashed it to pieces.
And smash it to pieces it did. As the passengers screamed and fled from the scene, the Tri-Horn Minotaur mercilessly charged at the carriage like an enraged bull. There was still a kilometer gap between the passengers and the city, and their only means of transport had been smashed to smithereens.
The last thing that they could do was panic. That's why, despite the threatening presence of the Minotaur, the passengers huddled together, moving away from the Tri-Horn Minotaur while trying to appease it with their minimal movements.
"It would take a couple of minutes before another party arrives here. And from the looks of it, I think my daughter and the adventurers from the guild were engaging this Tri-Horn Minotaur in combat earlier." Julia assessed, biting her lips as she showed concern to the passengers.
She was an old lady, so death didn't really mean anything to her. While she knew that her daughter would grieve her passing, she was aware of her age, and that's why it didn't matter that much. However, there were children and a baby among the group of passengers. If it comes down to it, they'd be the first ones to die should the Tri-Horn Minotaur attack.
Seeing the situation unfold, Albrecht clenched his teeth in frustration as he realized his own uselessness. He was chosen by the space-time continuum, and out of all the renowned people from the past, he was brought here to the future as a hero. And yet, the only thing he could do was store things with his spatial storage skill.
"I was brought here for a purpose... but now that that purpose was stripped away from me... there's nothing left," Albrecht muttered to himself. And it's not like he could just go back to the past after retiring as a hero. Even if there was a chance he could return, there was no way he would return.
Mustering his resolve, Albrecht clenched his fists and gritted his teeth to the point where they chattered. There was no one in the group who could keep the Tri-Horn Minotaur at bay... except for him.
"I'm going to keep it at bay. All of you, head straight to the city." Albrecht announced. Despite the uncertainty in his mind, he steeled his resolve and displayed false bravado in front of everyone. With sheer determination, he pulled out a silver sword from his spatial storage. There were other swords and weapons in his spatial storage, but he couldn't wield them for some odd reason.
'Pathetic,'
'Fool,'
Albrecht kept on hearing insults in his mind, but he was well aware that he directed those insults at himself. This was his final stand, and he knew he wouldn't survive it.
'Then again, this is a better outcome than going back to the past. Even if I won the Nobel Prize, I wouldn't give her a single damned cent.' He muttered to himself before screaming at the Tri-Horn Minotaur.
"HEY! YOU DONE WITH THAT PLAYTHING OF YOURS? COME GET ME!" Albrecht yelled out, his voice faltering as he said those generic lines. Before the Tri-Horn Minotaur swiveled its head at him, he was already running the opposite way, away from the passengers who were heading straight to the City of Caharsa.
Almost tripping on his legs, Albrecht picked up the pace as he ran for his life. He knew that one small misstep, literally, would result in his death. At this point, he began rethinking his life decisions. 'As long as I don't die, as long as I don't die from this.' He repeated in his mind.
BAM!
BAM!
BAM!
In three strides, the Tri-Horn Minotaur caught up to him, swinging its bear-like claws at Albrecht and slamming him to the side. He flew a couple of hundred meters before he hit a tree.
"Aghk~!" He exclaimed, a spray of blood coming out of his mouth. He could've sworn he heard a snap on his back.
Fortunately, the Tri-Horn Minotaur didn't redirect its attention to the people who were fleeing. That didn't help with their guilt though, since they believed that Albrecht would be able to take care of the Tri-Horn Minotaur.
When he announced that he'd take on the Tri-Horn Minotaur himself, he sounded too confident to the point that they were convinced he was powerful. As it turned out, he just pushed himself as a sacrificial pawn in order for all the other passengers to survive.
There were a couple of times when Julia wanted to come back and get Albrecht out of there. However, she realized that doing so would attract the Tri-Horn Minotaur's attention, and that would endanger everyone else in the group. Despite the urge to save Albrecht, she didn't do it. That's not what Albrecht wanted anyways.
More blood escaped Albrecht's mouth as he tried to get up. With his uninjured hand, he propped himself up. "Urgh~ as long as I could stand up. I'd live." He told himself.
Slip!
The moment his hand slipped. He realized one thing.
The impact had broken his back, and he couldn't stand up anymore. He couldn't even feel his legs.
All the colors drained from his face as he watched the Tri-Horn Minotaur approach him. Rage could be seen in the Minotaur's eyes, and Albrecht could tell that it was determined to kill him and smash him to a pulp.
"I'm really going to die, aren't I?" Albrecht asked himself forcing a chuckle out of his mouth.
'After losing my purpose. And then trying to act as the hero. I'm going to die. Just like this.'
'Yeah, you're really going to die if you don't use your power properly.'
'For someone who's got Albrecht as a name, you're a disgrace. Seriously, what are you doing?'
'Give him a break. It's only been six months since he transmigrated.'
"What's going on?" Albrecht asked as he heard other voices in his head. He had no idea whether they were his thoughts or not, and it confused him. For a brief moment, he forgot the existence of the Tri-Horn Minotaur.
While Albrecht was lost in thought, the Tri-Horn Minotaur swung its hand at Albrecht, intending to kill him in one blow.
[Memory Transfer]
[Recalling Transfer]
[Unzipping Reminiscence Files]
[Unlocking Interdimensional Memory Logs and Archives]