Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The North (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Carmen Icicle.
For some reason, she was the tragic daughter of the Northern Duke who met her end at the hands of demons.
She was the very person I had resolved to save... but in the game, there had been hardly any mention of Carmen beyond her being Polar's daughter, the Northern Duke. So, I had almost no information to go on.
Even when I'd tried digging elsewhere, all I'd heard was that she was a tomboy her father doted on immensely.
But her true nature... was this lunatic?
"Mine aren't exactly small either, but yours are freakin' huge. Mind if I give 'em a quick squeeze?"
"Y-Yes?! What do you..."
"What is this insolence! Can't you see the Saintess is flustered?!"
Her request to touch didn't sound like empty words at all. She kept staring at Ariana's chest like lasers were about to shoot from her eyes—it was dangerous no matter how you sliced it.
"Carmen. Didn't I tell you clearly? The Saintess has graced us with her precious presence all the way to this frigid north for the sake of our territory's people. You need to act with the utmost courtesy."
"Isn't this courteous enough? Normally, I'd have just gone for it."
"Haa... Saintess, please accept my apologies on her behalf. Our daughter is still... too immature."
Polar pressed Carmen's head down, bowing deeply alongside her with genuine remorse. Ariana responded with an awkward smile, forgiving her.
"Ahaha... It's fine. These things happen."
"Thank you... Carmen, go back to your room."
"Tch, fine. But before that, just one last..."
Carmen's eyes gleamed like a cat's.
"Hya!"
Like a cat pouncing on a mouse, her hand shot toward Ariana with lightning speed.
But—
Snatch.
"Please refrain from touching the Saintess without permission."
I intercepted it, ever vigilant. Fitting for the Northern Duke's daughter, her grip overflowed with strength even after I caught it.
She didn't stop pushing forward, turning it into a tense arm-wrestle between us. The moment she looked up and met my eyes through the visor...
"...Ugh, a man's hand feels kinda."
"I'm not exactly thrilled either...!"
Carmen twisted her face like she'd witnessed something repulsive.
'How the hell am I supposed to save that?'
Judging by her antics, no matter what I said, she'd bulldoze ahead selfishly and end up demon chow.
'Gotta make it work somehow. Time to suck it up.'
But who am I? The possessor who's even trying to redeem a total fuckup of a hero like Ruin.
Sure, redeeming a fuckup hero might be tougher than rescuing a lesbian duke's daughter...
I steeled my resolve once more and released her hand.
"Phew... We'll be seeing each other often from now on, so isn't it better if we don't make things awkward? Let's call it here and—"
"Can I just see the Saintess often? You're not my type, dude."
"This damn— Hoo... Your Grace, may I go check on the wounded now?"
"...Yes, do so. And once again, my apologies..."
"It's fine."
Somehow, I'd succeeded in separating that lesbian duke's daughter from us.
On the way to check on the wounded.
"Saintess, are you alright? If you're feeling uncomfortable, tell me anytime. Any insult to you could lead to a formal complaint from the Holy Kingdom to House Icicle, so seriously—anytime."
I emphasized it in case Ariana was inwardly tormented by shame. She wore a subtle expression, lost in thought.
Her deliberation didn't last long. Soon, her lips parted.
"Is."
"Yes, Saintess."
"Um, is my... ch-chest... that big...? Vulgarly so?"
"..."
Thwack!
I couldn't help but slap my forehead.
Carmen, you bitch—
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I reassured Ariana, who fretted over whether her breasts made her look vulgar, by telling her at full force that they were like a beautiful statue—nothing crude about them. That finally eased her worries.
After that, we treated the wounded normally, and Carmen didn't show up again until we'd finished the dinner provided by House Icicle.
Overhearing the servants, they'd practically locked her in her room. My lips curled up to my ears without me realizing.
In that way, we safely spent our first day in the north, and the next morning...
-Dong! Dong!
-Demons! Demons have appeared!
The sun had just begun to rise, but the outside was already in chaos with demons showing up at this early hour.
I armed myself swiftly, draping a robe over my armor like a cape.
And finally, as I opened the door, I lowered my visor.
It took just over a minute.
Stepping out, I saw Northern Duke Polar, already prepared, opening the mansion's doors.
The moment they swung wide, he vanished in a blur too fast for my eyes to track. At that instant, the door to the next room flew open, revealing Ariana with her clothes disheveled.
She'd clearly dressed in a rush upon hearing about the demons. At least she'd grabbed her robe and jewels properly.
"Let's go! Is!"
"Right away!"
I scooped her up princess-style and vaulted over the railing to the first floor.
Ariana cast a Holy Power barrier on the floor for a safe landing. I bolted straight out the door Polar had left open.
The moment I stepped outside, a bone-chilling wind laced with cold clamped around my body like a ghost.
Trembling from the freeze, my feet didn't stop. Running at full speed, I reached the barrier in under five minutes.
Thud!
I wrapped Holy Power around Ariana and myself, leaping onto the barrier wall.
Below, about eighty demons—each with four arms, protruding fangs, massive feet, and other grotesque features—charged toward us. They all looked overwhelmingly powerful. As someone who wasn't the protagonist, just a slightly above-average Holy Knight, only the white-furred, yeti-like one seemed like a match for me.
The knights stood leisurely despite lacking proper preparation. Bundled in thick furs due to the harsher cold than other territories, they resembled a pack of beasts—but their attitudes marked them as lazy ones.
Something felt off.
Just as the demons and beast pack were about to clash...
-Boom!
A lone figure crashed down before the demons like a meteor.
They charged at him full-tilt, but unfortunately for them, their target was...
The Northern Duke, Polar Icicle.
-Slash!
One single swing.
Numerous demons' heads separated from their bodies. In the blink of an eye, they were reduced to former demons.
We from the Holy Kingdom couldn't hide our awe at the spectacle, while the local knights cheered as if they'd expected no less, praising him.
And amid it all, a single thought filled my mind.
If even someone with that level of power couldn't prevail against the demons...
Could our hero—who was currently a total mess, skipping proper training and not even in peak shape—possibly win?
...He'll be fine, right?
Suddenly anxious, a woman with snow-white hair approached my side before I knew it.
Carmen.
"Kuh, that's my dad for you. Amazing, right?"
"Lady Carmen...?"
"You think so too, don't you? With Dad around, everyone can relax—feels like we'll always be safe."
To Carmen, smirking as she said that, I replied with my honest thoughts.
"No. That's wrong."
Wrong.
The people of Icicle territory placed far too much hope on Northern Duke Polar. Unfortunately, even he was just one man, and there were foes he couldn't beat.
Right after Polar fell to the demons, Icicle territory descended into total panic. The knights split into two factions.
One side insisted on defending the territory ourselves somehow; the other wanted to flee immediately and wait for the imperial family to handle it.
If a member of House Icicle had been around, they could have decided swiftly—but tragically, the head Polar was comatose, and his only daughter Carmen had been devoured by demons.
The territory fell into utter chaos, and it continued until the protagonist hero arrived.
All because...
"The people of this territory rely too much on Your Grace. Great expectations breed great despair upon failure. Even without him, we must be prepared to defend ourselves."
I realized my slip the moment I said it.
"Heh, you think so too?"
Yet for some reason, Carmen was smiling.