Red's Trap and the Death Knights' Oath
Was there a setup like that? I scrutinized the intruder closely. Crimson short hair. An unexpectedly cute face that didn't match her savage aura. No doubt about it. It was Red, the demon we'd fought last time when she showed up talking about getting revenge on Arios.
Why the hell was that bitch here? I'd completely forgotten about this extra character, and now she was back, leaving me stunned. Then a shocked voice came from beside me.
“Seres, what’s going on?!”
Ares had sensed something off, thrown on some clothes haphazardly, and rushed out without even properly washing up.
“That’s the demon you and Arios encountered, isn’t it?”
It was Hames who spoke, her face hardening as she recognized Red.
“Word of that incident reached our temple too. She matches the description perfectly.”
As the high priestess opposing demons, she had detailed intel on this stuff. No need for me to explain—perfect for me.
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“Just as I thought. But why’s she come looking for you? If I heard right, she was talking about violating you or something…”
Hames twisted her usual stoic expression into a fierce scowl as she asked. Then a loud shout erupted from the side.
“What did you say?! Seres, what the hell is this?!”
It was Ares, freaking out.
“She’s just here for revenge after I kicked her ass!”
I calmed the two who seemed worked up and turned my gaze back to Red. She dismounted from the bizarre creature hovering in the sky. Despite the considerable drop from the air to the ground, she landed effortlessly, then crooked a finger toward my window.
“Come down here.”
She beckoned me impatiently.
“A good man comes right out and greets a lady submissively when she arrives. Otherwise, he gets dragged out like a dog.”
“Fuck off!”
Did she think I wouldn’t come down if she told me to? I immediately leaped out the window.
“Seres!”
“…Why is he so reckless?”
Ares and Hames hurriedly followed behind me. We’d jumped from a pretty high floor, but none of us were ordinary humans, so we landed lightly. The three of us faced off against Red, keeping a bit of distance.
And then—
“You pathetic bastard!”
I pointed at Red and yelled.
“Arios fought with me last time too—why target me?!”
She’d originally been after Arios, but switched targets to me and came hunting. It was absurd.
“‘Cause I’m weaker? You coward!”
“That Arios bitch is holed up in her territory right now.”
Red grumbled.
“Her lands have ten thousand private soldiers and four hundred knight-class, right? Even I couldn’t take her out in the middle of that.”
“…Her territory has that many troops?”
“You’re from the same high nobility and you don’t even know?”
I’m just a commoner at heart, so of course I wouldn’t. Red looked at me pitifully.
“Pretty face, empty head. Don’t you know what’s in your own territory?”
“I know we have two hundred knights.”
“And five thousand private soldiers too. Too tough to hit, so I waited.”
Red grinned slyly.
“For you to step out of your safe little territory like this and show up in front of me!”
That was the signal to attack. The monsters hovering in the sky began dive-bombing us. Up close, they looked like hybrids of lions or bears with bird wings and other bizarre amalgamations.
The moment one charged at us—its upper and lower body split apart.
“Did you think I’d just stand by and let these things get near my Seres?”
It was Ares’s doing. She swung her sword, slicing several monsters to pieces in an instant.
“…Ares Huferion. As expected, quite the fighter.”
Red eyed Ares annoyingly and lunged. She swung her right arm, transformed into a massive blade, aiming to finish Ares off—but
“Aura?”
Ares parried with her own aura-cloaked blade, and Red looked shocked.
“What’s this? I never heard she was a Sword Master.”
“Die!”
Ares ignored the question. No time for chit-chat—she attacked to kill faster. Red scrambled to counter Ares’s fiercer-than-expected momentum.
With the two strongest on each side clashing, the rest naturally paired off. The remaining monsters swarmed us, but Hames raised her hand. A barrier of holy power rose in sync with her gesture, blocking their advance.
“She came well-prepared.”
Having bought some time, Hames observed them and frowned.
“Seres, these were probably ordinary wild beasts originally.”
“They don’t look it at all.”
“That demon’s ability is likely body modification. She probably uses it to twist normal animals into these and control them.”
With Hames’s explanation, I understood what she meant by “well-prepared.” Capturing beasts and turning them all into monsters like this would take time. And the timing was impeccable—right after we left the territory and parted from the priests.
“She’s been stalking me for a while, waiting for an opening.”
“No idea how, but yeah. She’s obsessed with you.”
Hames said worriedly.
“Leave her alive, and she’ll be a danger to you.”
“Then we’ll just take her out.”
I said casually, extending my hand. With clear hostile intent, I unleashed divine power from my palm, striking the monsters in front of us. They all crumpled, bodies pierced or melting. So these were vulnerable to divine power too, thanks to the demon’s modifications. If that’s the case, they’re no match for me.
Thinking of it as properly sending the poor animals to the afterlife, I wiped out the monsters. Then I fired some divine power at Red, who was mid-clash with Ares.
“Grr, you bastard!”
Red, forced to deal with my attack while fighting Ares, gritted her teeth. She tried rushing toward me but got blocked by Ares.
“You won’t lay a finger on my son.”
“…Mother and son, both a pain in the ass!”
Seeing Red cursing as she handled both of us, I felt relieved. This should be enough to capture her. No need for Ares to even use Black Pain.
But something felt off.
This is too easy, isn’t it?
Red was cunning. Last time, she’d used people as hostages to turn the tables. Yet today, despite her thorough prep, we were handling her easily. As I pondered the weirdness, I belatedly noticed something strange.
“Why isn’t anyone reacting?”
“What?”
“This much commotion, and everyone’s just sitting there!”
Pointing out what I’d overlooked, Hames’s expression hardened too. No way!
“What, already figured it out?”
As I stopped firing divine power, Red called out boredly. Her earlier panic had been an act—she was smirking now.
The next moment, new monsters appeared a bit farther away. Dozens of them, each carrying an unconscious person tucked under their arm.
“That’s right. Just like you guessed, this was a stall tactic. The real goal was having my minions grab hostages in the meantime.”
Red said smugly. That damn bitch had taken hostages again!
“Consider this a warning. Fire that divine power recklessly, and I kill one hostage per shot.”
I reluctantly lowered my hand.
“You too—back off.”
“That bastard…”
Ares had no choice but to sheathe her sword and retreat to my side. Red eyed us approvingly for complying.
I locked eyes with her, tense.
“What do you want?”
She wouldn’t stop at just making us retreat after grabbing all those hostages. She’d demand something worse, so I asked—and Red answered.
“Before I take you away, how about I play with you a bit first?”
“…How?”
“Hmm, let’s see.”
She pretended to ponder exaggeratedly, then grinned ominously. What the hell did she plan to do? I tensed up—
“Strip.”
…Huh?
“Right here, in front of me. Hesitate even a little, and I kill a hostage on the spot…”
“That’s all?”
“…What?”
I’d braced for something brutal that’d make her ditch the hostages, but just stripping? Fine.
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
What an idiotic demand. I reached for my clothes to follow through—
“Stop!”
“Seres!”
Hames and Ares freaked out and blocked me.
“You’re really going to give in to that demon’s blackmail and do something this humiliating?!”
“It’s no big deal.”
“How is this no big deal? Did you hit your head and lose all sense too?!”
Both Hames and Ares desperately tried to stop me.
“This isn’t what I expected…”
Red looked baffled. Oh, right—in terms of my original world, I was in the “precious young lady” position. Even if this world was messed up, I hadn’t forgotten my old-world common sense yet. We bickered briefly—
And in that instant, the distant monsters holding hostages were slaughtered in a flash.
“What the hell are these guys?”
“You!”
Red was surprised, but I was horrified. Because the ones killing the monsters were the Death Knights I’d met in the Land of Death.
As the beings appeared, everyone was stunned, but the leader among the Death Knights pointed her sword at Red.
“Demon. Your filthy scheme has already crumbled. You’d best retreat now.”
“…Tch, nosy interlopers!”
Red spat angrily but hesitated. She’d seen the aura emanating from the leader Death Knight’s sword.
“We’ll meet again!”
She sprouted wings and fled immediately. I wanted to pursue to eliminate the threat for good, but I couldn’t. More dangerous presences were right in front of us now.
We all warily eyed the Death Knights, but the leader addressed me.
“We’ve been searching for you.”
“…Why me?”
When I asked, the Death Knights suddenly knelt toward me. The leader stepped forward as representative and removed her helmet—not a skull, but a beautiful woman with long silver hair like Ares’s, speaking in an emotional voice.
“Because you are the Holy King, the rightful sovereign of the Huferion royal family—the one our royal guard must pledge loyalty to!”
…What the fuck is this bullshit?