Chapter 119 - Weird?
Ban grabbed Belle and placed her in front of him allowing her to rest while riding the buffalo Beast.
She was gasping for breath as she patted her nonexistent chest as if to relieve the struggles she was experiencing.
"T- thank you!" She uttered a moment later when her breathing was already a little stable.
"H- help! Help me too!"
Meanwhile, at their back, Delo was already at his limit. His previous calm appearance could no longer be seen as he tried to desperately reach the Sand Buffalo Beast that Ban and Belle were riding.
The Sand Buffalo\'s don\'t have that great speed. It was the reason why Ban and the others were able to run along with them for a few minutes. But of course, the same could not be said in their stamina and endurance.
Although the Sand Buffalo that they were riding right now only has an X-Mortal Rank strength and speed, its endurance and stamina was actually greater than Belle on the same rank, and even Delo who was a Rank higher than it.
Only Ban had that monstrous stamina and endurance due to the training that he underwent from his gramps. And even though he was no longer training as intensely as before, his daily exercises were still able to help maintain his abilities.
Seeing Delo, Ban could not help but shake his head. He does not have a good impression of Delo especially when they met for the first time. However, he thought that he was only acting that way before because of his duty as her bodyguard, but apparently, from what Ban observed earlier, that was apparently his real personality.
Although he acted calm on his exterior, he actually might have been cursing everyone under his breath all the time. He also doesn\'t like how arrogant Delo was.
Although he knew that he was also a bit wrong earlier, he did not regret acting that way as he no longer needed to act submissively as he was in his \'Leon\' persona. He always felt free and unrestricted when he\'s on the \'Leon\' persona so he also wanted to act that way while using it.
Of course, he knew his limits. And he would also not purposely try to offend everyone he met.
In the end, he chose to help and give Delo another chance. He still hasn\'t done something to Ban that could warrant his full anger anyway.
Ban held Belle tightly as he reached for the Sand Buffalo\'s curved horn. Belle\'s small stature allowed him to hold her in place without any struggles.
Ban thought that having a small figure also has its merits.
He grabbed the Buffalo\'s horn with his other hand, making it turn into another direction.
Boom!
The Sand Buffalo they were riding slammed its head into another Sand Buffalo not far from them. Not wasting the opportunity, Ban also delivered a punch while still riding atop the Sand Buffalo.
The punch he delivered was on the exact same spot he punched the Sand Buffalo they were riding.
It was stated in the Book of Techniques that punching or attacking it in that area will make the Sand Buffalo\'s confused for a while. By doing that, one could then ride it like a normal buffalo without getting a fierce response from the Beast.
After Ban delivered that punch, the Sand Buffalo instantly tilted its head as if trying to comprehend what\'s going on. While doing so, it slowed considerably and its location was now just beside the exhausted Delo.
Ban did not bother Delo to ride as the man immediately saw the opportunity to rest. He jumped towards Sand Buffalo along with the Barrier Turtle as if his life depended on it.
His body landed on top of the Sand Buffalo successfully, however due to the sudden impact, the Sand Buffalo suddenly got startled.
It raises its body up in the air, as if it was about to charge into its number one enemy.
Swoosh!
It did not take long as the startled Sand Buffalo ran with all its might forward while \'mooing\' to tell the others its circumstances. However, just like what happened earlier, the others also ignored it when the Boss told them to focus ahead.
The Sand Buffalo started running as if there was no tomorrow. Only a little more and it would already have surpassed Ban and Belle and the Sand Buffalo they were riding.
However, instead of accelerating as well, Ban also purposely slowed down instead.
Strangely enough, Delo had still not positioned himself comfortably as he was still in the exact same position when he landed earlier. Maybe due to the fact that the Sand Buffalo was startled or maybe due to the fact that Delo just doesn\'t know how to ride one.
Anyways, if he didn\'t ride the Sand Buffalo properly soon, Ban knew that it would still tire him out. Although the energy he would expend would be less compared to when he was running, it was still better if he rode it properly.
However, Ban does not have any intention to reprimand him about it. Maybe the guy just really wanted to ride it that way, who knows what would be his reaction if he pointed it out.
After he purposely slowed down, Ban and the Sand Buffalo he was riding were now only ahead by a slight margin from the Delo\'s Sand Buffalo.
Ban did not worry too much about it as it was his plan all along.
When Delo\'s Sand Buffalo was now close enough to them, Ban suddenly told Belle to hold tight as she might fall if she was not careful.
Belle immediately followed his advice without any questions. She searched for something to hold and the only thing she saw as a viable option was the Sand Buffalo\'s other horn.
However, she was soon embarrassed as the moment she tried to reach it, her hands actually fell short just a few inches away. She must have forgotten her reach all of a sudden or she was just really trying her luck and hoping for a miracle to happen that she would grow all of a sudden, adding a few inches to her reach.
She could only retract her hands away while searching for alternative things to hold into. However, only one option was left for her in which she was trying to subconsciously evade. It was Leon\'s thighs.
She was afraid and also nervous at the same time. However, there was no other option other than to hold his thighs. She closed her eyes and swallowed a mouthful of saliva as her tiny hands reached down towards his thighs. Her face and ears started to become hot as a blush appeared on her cheek.
The moment her hand landed, it was as if a bolt of lightning suddenly coursed through her body all of a sudden. She does not know what is happening but nevertheless, she ignored it and waited for Leon\'s response about it.
However, a moment had passed and there was still no response. She felt relieved about it, but the blush on her face was still apparent.
She knew that she was acting weird but she could do nothing about it. It all started earlier when she was already on the brink of collapse due to exhaustion and Leon rescued her at the right moment.
The weird feelings she was showing became even more apparent when she realized that Leon\'s hands were now holding her waist quite tightly. While he was busy trying to help Delo obtain his own ride, Belle was also actually busy thinking about romantic things.
Maybe because Leon just saved her earlier but she was not opposed to his gesture of holding her waist like that. In fact, she even liked it, unlike when Delo tried to touch her before, in which she felt disgusted.
However, that would soon end as the moment Ban saw that she already had something to hold onto, he immediately withdrew his hands from her waist as he reached the horn of Delo\'s Sand Buffalo.
For the first time, Belle felt that the situation would become better if Delo was not here.
Strangely enough, Ban did not think inappropriately about their situation this time. The books he read before were still fresh in his mind. However, maybe due to their pressing situation or maybe due to the fact that he does not see any \'sexy\' traits on Belle, he was able to think straight without thinking of something dirty in his mind.
Anyways, Ban held the horn of Delo\'s Sand Buffalo. He then ordered Eva to also do the same on the Sand Buffalo they were riding. Both of them then pulled the horns at the same time, making the two Buffalos change their direction quite sharply.
The two Sand Buffalos they were riding strayed away from the rest as Ban and Eva maneuvered them to do so. They could do nothing other than observe their friends getting far from them as time passed by.
They blamed the humans for it, and they now felt that killing the humans the moment they saw them was just a light punishment.
However, the two Buffalos\' opinions suddenly took a massive change when they heard a loud commotion far away from them.
All of them, including the two Buffalo\'s, turned their heads towards that place. It was the area where the other Sand Buffalos were currently at.
The cloud of dust they produced while galloping became more intense as sounds of smashing echoed through their ears even though they were already quite far.
A moment later, the scene finally calmed down, the cloud of dust already starting to settle.
Right at the moment the cloud of dust settled, Ban and the others, including the two Sand Buffalo\'s they were riding saw something they did not expect.