Nightmare Challenge: Guarding the Last Princess
The Nightmare Challenge Ticket for the Last Princess in the Tower suddenly popped into view. Seeing it made me tilt my head.
Was there something like this in the Tower challenges?
Neither the original protagonist nor the heroine positions focused on it. Maybe because the main characters were all about natural awakenings. This was my first time seeing something like this in the Tower's challenges. Perhaps it unlocked after achieving a new record.
Well, the choice is mine anyway.
Nightmare seemed to be a beefed-up version of the existing first floor, challenging it again. And the enhanced rewards were extremely tempting. I swallowed hard, my throat bobbing lightly.
The spider puppet had swept through the first floor with ridiculous ease. Would Nightmare be any different?
I can do it.
My baby could handle it just fine! This wasn't greed at all. Just doing what was possible. Those who don't challenge themselves can't grasp anything!
"Spider, you can do it, right?"
The spider enthusiastically raised its front leg. I trusted my spider.
"Alright, let's go."
I placed my hand on the re-challenge button.
A moment later, the scenery before my eyes flipped, and everything around me changed in an instant.
A medieval back alley. The same place I'd been before.
So the location doesn't change?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when—
"Wh-who goes there!"
A voice suddenly came from behind me. I whipped my head around in surprise, and there stood a girl wearing a hood. Golden blonde hair, blue eyes. Her skin screamed nobility, refined and pampered. What the—? This kid. Why'd a child pop up out of nowhere?
"Kiriik?"
At that moment, the Morblins revealed themselves again. Before I could even process the situation—
Special Mission Assigned
Protect the Last Princess of the Fallen World for the time limit.
59:59:59
Wha? Protect the princess?
A special mission had suddenly been added.
"S-Spider, first!"
I shouted quickly, and the spider whipped out its leg lash. The flying whip pierced straight through the Morblin's body, just like before. The Morblin dropped dead in an instant. A horde of more Morblins would come after this.
"C-Can you stand?"
Maybe because she looked foreign, my shyness was kicking in again.
"......I can stand. What do you take this girl for?"
At least she understood me. The princess furrowed her brow and staggered to her feet. Looking closer, her knee was injured. Running would be tough.
"Kiriik! Kiriik!"
"Kiririk!"
In the meantime, more Morblins were closing in. While the spider puppet predictably blew their heads off one by one, I grabbed the princess and climbed the stairs of a nearby building.
All I knew was the alley. I had no idea what was happening outside.
Rushing out blindly could be dangerous.
Assess the situation first. We reached the rooftop of the building via the stairs. The view below came into sight. The moment I took it in, I quietly drew a sharp breath.
In the distance, what looked like the royal palace was visible. But it was far from normal—utterly collapsed and ruined. And right in the center of that destruction it lay.
A colossal corpse so massive it could be called a mountain. Its back stretched like a mountain range. Its head loomed beyond the walls, and each tooth visible through its shattered jaw was larger than a fallen spire.
A monster of such mountain-like size that no human power could touch it. That beast had smashed the palace to pieces. And it wasn't the only massive monster corpse. Monsters roamed everywhere across the city, like hunters pursuing unfinished prey.
The kingdom of monsters had unfolded there. But no humans were in sight. As if censored, there wasn't a single sign of life anywhere.
Except for one. The girl who'd followed me up to the rooftop.
What the hell is this place?
It was a nightmare fitting the difficulty. And I had a gut feeling. Someday, I might have to fight a monster that size too.
To fight that thing...
I'd need to get much stronger. Well, more like my puppets would.
"......Hey."
Then, the princess, who'd been staring at the palace with me, spoke up. Complication dwelled in her eyes.
"Judging by how you're helping this girl, are you some noble's daughter?"
Noble's daughter? Did I look like that? Well, for a medieval person, I was too clean. ...Or maybe I just looked kinda fancy?
"I don't remember you. A provincial noble, perhaps?"
"Y-Yeah, something like that."
Korea had kinda become the provinces, but close enough.
"Then, one favor."
She let out a quiet breath and staggered to her feet.
"Help this girl escape the kingdom. Only if this girl lives can the kingdom be rebuilt."
She looked about my age, just another kid. Yet her eyes carried the weight of countless responsibilities. Why did the world have to pick on kids like this? Even here, it wasn't a place where children could stretch their legs in peace.
In that case.
"Sure, I'll get you out."
It wouldn't hurt to lighten that burden a bit. Even if this was just some scenery the Tower was showing with unknown meaning. Turning a blind eye to a kid's plea wasn't what a grown-up should do.
"Spider."
The invisibility-cloaked spider puppet revealed itself. The princess flinched upon seeing it directly. Guess its appearance freaked her out.
"Ah, it's okay. It won't hurt you. It's our spider."
"......Our spider? Just what are you?"
"M-Me? Uh, um, I'm a Karma Sewing Master."
"......A Karma Sewing Master? You mean this spider is a doll made by sewing?"
Exactly. But her face said she couldn't believe it.
"Perhaps this girl was entrusted to a witch after all."
"W-Witch? No relation to that at all!"
"Is the pretty appearance meant to deceive this girl?"
Pretty? Didn't expect the compliment. I felt a bit shy, and she sighed, bowing her head.
"Fine, witch or whatever, it's pointless talk now. I beg you."
Her body trembled faintly. Fear of what lay ahead, fear of the unknown. Overcoming both, the princess bowed to a stranger.
"Consider it done."
So I bowed politely in return. Then I mustered the biggest smile I could.
"Don't worry. I'll help you."
Kids should smile.
"Hold on a sec."
Just in case, I hadn't come with only the spider puppet. I pulled out a small cloth bird from my pocket. A bird sewn from clothes I'd worn as a kid. I tossed it high into the sky, and it flapped its wings vigorously, soaring up.
The bird shot straight upward. Through its eyes, information flowed to me.
Prepared it in case we got lost.
Always good to be prepared.
The quickest path out with the fewest monsters.
Escape route mapped. I turned immediately.
The special mission was to protect the princess. Escaping with her counted too.
"Let's go!"
"......Right."
We moved quickly through the building together. Neither of us was fast since we were kids, but thanks to the bird puppet, we avoided monsters as much as possible.
But we couldn't dodge forever. Monsters had better noses than humans. The scent of a child's flesh. They wrinkled their snouts and lifted their heads. Then they charged down the path after us.
"Princess, monsters are chasing us."
"Eek."
The princess's blue gem-like eyes shook wildly. Instinctual fear of monsters blooming. After they'd smashed her home to bits, terror was natural.
So I reached out and gripped her hand tightly.
"It's okay."
I flashed her a strong smile and squeezed.
"I'll get you out. Don't be scared."
Our eyes met, and she bit her lip.
"......Don't say obvious things. This girl isn't scared. This girl represents this nation."
Strength entered her eyes.
"Until this cursed Tower is destroyed, this girl will never die."
Huh? Cursed Tower? There's a Tower here too?
Before I could ask—
Thud!
A monster appeared at the end of the alley we'd just passed. Charred black with a metallic texture like burnt iron. Bulging muscles and a massive axe to match. A black orc. A Black Orc.
The Black Orc raised its hefty axe the moment it spotted us.
"Eek!"
The princess screamed beside me. I leaped in front of her like a shield and opened my mouth.
"Spider."
Four legs shot out from behind in an instant. They blocked the axe and pierced the Black Orc's arm and shoulder.
"GRAAAAAAGH!"
The Black Orc's scream echoed. Shielding the princess from its blood splatter, I gave the next order.
"Blast it."
The charged red beam fired.
BOOOOM!
The Black Orc's upper body melted away entirely, its body collapsing. Thud—only its legs remained. I yanked the princess's hand and ran.
"Keep going."
"R-Right."
She looked stunned but followed. We'd been running a while, and my breath started to give out. It'd been ages since I'd run like this; it wasn't easy.
"Sh-Should we rest a bit?"
Checking the time, we still had some margin. As I caught my breath, the princess stared at me intently for some reason.
"......Why are you looking?"
"You were so timid before, but now you seem like a different person."
"I-I'm not timid, though."
Don't make me sound timid.
"You're a weird one."
Don't make me weird either.
Still, I caught my breath. The walls were close now; escape from the kingdom was imminent. Just a bit more.
Crack—until the bird puppet in the sky shattered.