Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Tarros's Tower (7)
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"Haa... haa..."
Her vision blurred.
Her breaths came in ragged gasps.
Emily was positioned closest to the stele, facing the fewest monsters in the fight.
But even she was growing exhausted from dealing with the ones that kept breaking through the defensive line.
[ KRROOOAAAR!! ] A black horse-like monster with two heads charged straight at her.
"Urgh...!"
—BOOM!!
Emily thrust up her shield just in time to barely block the charge.
—STAB!
She then pierced both heads with her sword at once.
It was a monster she never could have taken alone under normal circumstances.
But since it had exhausted itself pushing through the front line, she managed to finish it off in one go.
'This is way too precarious.'
From her spot at the rear, where she had the best view of the battlefield, things looked increasingly dire to Emily.
Even with Rafne—who seemed unbeatable—and three other top-tier powerhouses from the academy fighting together,
they had their limits against the overwhelming numbers of monsters.
More and more were starting to break through.
'...Ken, please... please hurry.'
Emily glanced at the stele, still glowing brightly.
According to Adrian, the portal to hell opened when the stele lit up.
That meant an exit had already appeared where Ken was.
But despite the battle dragging on for quite some time, there was still no sign from the stele.
'...No way... did something happen to Ken?'
The worst possible scenario flashed through her mind.
Ken had walked into a trap and couldn't hold out.
She didn't want to think it, but the dark imagination crept in anyway, making her clench her fists tight.
She shook her head and refocused on the front.
She couldn't let wild thoughts sap her morale.
Trust in Ken and support the others—that was her job now.
But then.
"E-Emily—!!"
A desperate shout from the front.
Someone's frantic cry.
It meant monsters had broken through the defense.
But the urgency in that voice hinted at far more than a few.
And sure enough, eight monsters burst into view.
[ UROOOAAAR!! ] [ KIKIK! KIKIK! KIKIGIK! ] '...N-no!'
Emily's face stiffened, her shoulders trembling at the sheer number.
She couldn't handle that many.
But even so, she gripped her shield and sword tighter.
She couldn't let them reach the stele.
Yet despite her resolve,
"KYAAaaah—!!"
she couldn't stop the charging horde.
"No... no...!!"
The monsters that slipped past her final defense all rushed straight for the stele.
Ignoring Emily right in front of them.
They attacked it with vengeful fury.
—Boom!
—KABOOM!
"Stop...! No...!!"
—SLASH!!
Too late, she readjusted and swung at their backs, but even as their bodies were sliced open, they didn't pull away from the stele.
They just threw everything they had into attacking it.
—Crack.
And their focused assault
—CRACKLE.
began to fracture the stele, bit by bit.
Meanwhile, Rafne—who had been holding off countless monsters at the front—
glanced back at the stele with a bad feeling.
She saw the eight monsters hammering it.
"Stoooop—!!"
"R-Rafne!"
Losing all reason at the sight, Rafne ignored Mary's call and broke from the front line, charging toward the stele.
If that thing shattered, Ken couldn't get out.
She'd never see him again.
That horrifying thought echoed in her head as
she unleashed an unprecedented burst of speed.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Nerve Acceleration '...No—!!'
In the slowing world around her,
Emily blocked monsters with a face of utter despair, and Adrian spotted it too late.
Siegfried charged toward the stele just like her.
The whole party rushed it.
They knew blocking the front meant nothing if the stele broke.
And in Rafne's view, who surged ahead fastest,
one monster clinging closest to the stele
landed the final blow.
"Nooooo—!!"
Time didn't stop for Rafne's desperate scream.
—KABOOOOM!!
The final strike made the glowing stele explode, shaking the air with a deafening roar.
"Ah... a-ah."
Amid the thick smoke,
Rafne reached out with a face of despair.
Like someone watching a cherished dream turn to illusion.
Shocked by the outcome she'd dreaded most, she collapsed in place.
"......Ken."
[ UROOOAAAR—!! ] "Rafne&mdash!! Snap out of it!! The monsters are still coming!!"
—KABOOOOM!!
Adrian's shout rose with flames and monster cries, but
Rafne didn't react to any of it.
She just stared blankly at her failure.
Moments later, the explosion smoke cleared,
revealing scattered stele fragments and monster corpses caught in the blast on the ground.
And then.
"......W-we almost died."
A man with a shocked face clung upside down to a nearby pillar, holding Emily in his arms.
"Ken...?"
Light returned to Rafne's despair-filled eyes at the sight.
His form was utterly different from the Ken she remembered.
Nothing like the man in her memories.
But his aura and the faint glimpse of his old face confirmed it: Ken Fine Stein.
"Ke... K-Ken..."
Emily, safe in his arms from the blast, stared at him in a daze too.
"Everyone's okay, right...?"
Ken asked while eyeing the approaching monsters.
"Not okay, you idiot...!"
Emily buried her face in his chest, tears streaming down.
"Keeeenn&mdash!!"
Rafne, watching from afar, leaped into his arms in an instant.
"Guhk...!"
"Ken...! Sniff, Keeeen...!!"
Ken barely caught Rafne as she clung sobbing, stroking her head while scanning around.
The monsters stopped swarming after the stele shattered, but Adrian and Mary still held off the remnants.
"Let's put out the fire first before celebrating?"
Smiling, Ken gently set down the two women in his arms.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [ Bottom of Tarros's Tower ] Escaping the bottom of Tarros's Tower had been a real close call.
I might've had to hold out another year.
The reason? The demonic sword's spirit, who showed an eerie obsession with me.
"Hey, there really isn't another way?"
"Hmph, no can do. I can't live without my master anymore."
"M-Master...?"
I sat facing the house infused with demonic energy, the door as our boundary, chatting with Tirpione.
My initial strategy: persuasion.
Talk first.
If that failed, then other options.
So I stayed outside to avoid confinement, sitting by the door and conversing with Tirpione.
As we talked, her speech and how she addressed me shifted.
From "Lord Ken" to "Master."
I dropped the formalities too, and we became casual.
Even after quite some time, her resolve held firm.
"Look, I really need that key. To help my friends, you have to give it to me."
"Then come in and take it."
Tirpione smiled seductively, placing the stone tablet atop her chest.
As if daring me to try.
With my reflexes now, I could snatch it in a flash—but reaching out would get me swallowed by that house.
I'm no fool; I didn't fall for the obvious trap.
'...Sigh, what now?'
What Tirpione wanted was simple.
Me as her owner, staying together.
No matter what I said, she wouldn't budge, so I asked why once, frustrated.
Blushing, hand on cheek, wriggling, she replied:
"W-Well... because this girl fell for Master... at first sight!"
An utterly incomprehensible reason.
Fell for me?
At first sight?
For a fat slob like Ken Fine Stein?
Oh, right—I've lost the weight.
But that doesn't change the ugly mug. Lose the fat, still ugly.
'Demon swords have weird tastes...?'
Or maybe my Item Creation skill drew her.
Anyway, I realized talk led nowhere just as time ran out.
Portal opening soon.
"Hey, Tirpione. Mind if I ask a few more things?"
I gave up persuading and switched to intel-gathering.
Blushing demurely, she answered:
"If it's this girl's first time, then not yet..."
"That's not what I meant?!"
Flustered, I cleared my throat and got serious again.
"You're a demonic sword—if you go outside, you attract monsters, right?"
"That's right?"
"So do they attack you too?"
Something I'd wondered since meeting her.
In the game, taking her true form outside got you swarmed and killed instantly.
Did that mean she got attacked?
She laughed, looking at me.
"Hehe, Master is so kind. No need to worry—I don't get hostility from monsters. They just gather."
"Hmm..."
I crossed my arms, pondering her words.
"Have you actually tried that?"
"Of course. You think I've stayed cooped up in this house forever...? Oh."
"So you can come out."
"Eek."
Tirpione hadn't left the house since I escaped.
I thought she couldn't—but no, she was just luring me by staying put.
Makes sense if her goal was to catch me; she'd normally chase right away.
'...Something's up with that house.'
"H-Hmph! You still have to come in anyway?"
Flustered but playing it cool with a smile, she dangled the stone tablet before me again.
The key I needed.
"You need this, right? Can't get it without coming in~?"
She grinned mockingly.
I crossed my arms, thinking it over.
Then opened my eyes, decision made.
"Alright, I've decided."
"...Huh? Decided what?"
"I'm giving up on the key."
"...Heh?"
Tirpione stared blankly.
Then, realizing, she called out frantically.
"W-Wait, Master! D-Didn't you say you needed this?!"
"I do. But I can't stay here forever just because I can't get it."
"B-But, th-then that means..."
"I'm ditching the key and leaving."
I pointed to the sky.
A green beam pierced upward somewhere above.
The portal.
Time was up—the exit had opened.
My friends were probably holding off swarms, waiting for me.
No more delays.
Caught off guard by my answer, she fidgeted with uncharacteristic panic.
I extended a gentle hand to her.
"Tirpione."
"Y-Yes?"
"Come with me."
I said it earnestly.
She stared blankly.
"B-But Master. As you know, taking me draws monsters."
"I know. That's why I thought of this."
I looked at the portal light.
"The plan: moment we exit together, bolt straight for that portal."
"Th-That... Way more monsters than you think will swarm! D-Don't—just stay here with me...!"
"No. This is the best way."
I shook my head.
Straightened my offered hand, urging her.
"I'll be your master. So trust me and come along."
"......Ah."
Her trembling hand reached out.
"A-Are you sure?"
I nodded firmly.
"With you, I know we can beat them all."
Smiling at my confident words, she finally took my hand.
"Oh, Tirpione. Mind tossing the key too?"
"Ah, yes! Here!"
Beaming, she gripped my hand tight and pulled the tablet from her bosom.
I pocketed it in my subspace pouch.
"Let's go!"
"Yes, Master!"
With her reply, she merged into her true form.
Her hand in mine became the sword's hilt.
"...Whew."
I slowly drew the sword from the house.
A strange barrier at the door resisted slightly, but I pulled it free.
Tirpione escaped the demonic house.
[ KRAAAAA—!! ] —Thud thud thud thud thud!!
Instantly, monster roars and countless footsteps shook the ground.
"Good! You okay, Tirpione?"
Yes! Master! I'm ready to move at your will anytime! Her reply sounded thrilled, somehow.
"Got it."
I smiled guiltily and
...Huh? M-Master? assumed a javelin throw stance.
W-Wait! M-Master?! "Sorry, but even so, that's too many..."
And swung my arm.
My diet-boosted strength sent Tirpione flying from my hand through the air,
MASTEEEEEER&mdash...!! crashing into a distant forest.
[ KRAAAAA&mdash...!! ] The roars and tremors faded away with her.
'Sorry! I had no choice!'
Lingering could've closed the portal.
I felt guilty tricking her,
but she wouldn't get attacked by monsters, and her spirit could probably return home.
Leaving her behind, I sprinted for the portal.