Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Northern Region (5)
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"Fuck, it's a demon!"
"The child's in danger!"
In the face of the demon lunging at the child, Carmen and I both charged forward without a second thought.
The problem was that I'd been escorting Ariana, so I was fully geared up, but Carmen only had her axe on her.
"...Since you're faster than me, Lady Carmen, take the child and evacuate while I hold it off!"
"Got it!"
As I ran, I grabbed the shield and shotel strapped to my back.
The closer I got, the clearer the demon and the child became—and in that instant...
"...!"
I was instantly overcome with terror.
The child.
The figure I'd assumed was a child was, as expected, a girl from the Icicle territory who'd wandered out somehow.
But the demon.
It wasn't just any ordinary demon.
'That's the one...'
The demon that had put Polar into a coma and devoured Carmen.
It looked exactly like the one from the game.
There was no way the two of us could beat it.
Escape was impossible too. We'd die for sure.
I could feel my legs growing weak.
"...Hraaaah!"
But I couldn't run away from this.
As a holy knight, how could I abandon someone right in front of me?
With that, I threw myself between the demon and the girl, ready to face death.
"Kyaaack!"
The demon's hand reached for the girl, her pitiful scream piercing my ears.
In that moment.
-Clang!
"Gruk?"
The demon, struck in the hand by the shield I'd hurled with all my strength, let out a puzzled grunt.
Horns like a goat's protruded from both sides of its head, and its build resembled the legendary yeti—a hulking brute at least four meters tall, its eyes gleaming with murderous intent as it turned to me.
Its expression seemed to say, 'You?'
I slapped my trembling legs a few times, gripped my shotel tightly, and crooked my finger at it with my other hand.
"!! Gruaaah!"
Whether my taunt worked or not, the demon barreled toward me like a bull, dragging its massive bulk. In the meantime, Carmen scooped up the fallen child.
And kicked my shield back toward me from where it lay nearby.
I rolled aside to dodge the charge and snatched the shield mid-air.
"Thank you!"
I didn't skip the gratitude as I enveloped my body in holy power.
Carmen's physical abilities took after Polar's and were exceptional, sure—but if that demon started chasing her, it'd catch her in a heartbeat.
I'd felt it keenly from that charge just now.
"...Somehow, I have to hold out."
So Carmen could get the girl inside the walls, and until reinforcements arrived, I'd have to face this thing alone.
"Groooaaargh!"
"Ugh!"
In that instant, the demon unleashed an ear-shattering roar straight at me.
I tried blocking with my shield up front, but it wasn't enough.
No matter how hard I resisted, my body was slowly being pushed back.
In the end, I switched tactics, dropped the shield, and rolled to the side.
"Grrr..."
The demon growled at my evasion.
Then suddenly, it slammed its right hand into the snow-covered ground.
I didn't know why, but the ominous feeling made me raise my shield immediately—and in that moment, a massive impact hit me.
-Kaaang!
"Guhk!"
My shield and left arm shattered on collision with something.
I tumbled backward several rolls before forcing myself up.
"Kuh... Hoo..."
I looked up to see the demon holding what was just ordinary "snow."
It had inflicted this much damage by hurling a snowball.
'The shield...'
It was too mangled to be of any use.
My left arm was the same.
"Damn it..."
It hadn't even been three minutes since I'd sent Carmen off, and I'd already lost my defense and left arm.
'Missing the protagonist right about now.'
His personality was shit, but that guy would've shrugged off an attack like this.
...No, come to think of it, he probably would've ignored the kid altogether.
"Groooargh!"
Looking at me with my arm smashed, the demon let out what sounded like mocking laughter.
Damn demon bastard—let's see if you laugh like that in front of a hero.
"Hoo... Just you wait. In the end, the one laughing will be me, not you."
As if it understood my words, the demon narrowed its eyes in irritation and hurled another snowball.
-Whoosh!
-Splat!
No time to dodge—it hit me dead-on.
"Kuhk...!"
Even with my armor, it felt like a few ribs had cracked inside.
"Puh, kheuk..."
Collapsed on the ground, I vomited blood.
My body was a wreck, and I'd long since dropped my shotel.
Even so, the demon grinned as it gathered more snow.
Seemed like it was prepping a big one.
'This is it.'
At least by now, Carmen should be inside the walls.
With her and the girl safe, all I could do was leave the rest to the Northern Duke, Polar.
"Cough..."
'Didn't want to die so soon...'
But this was a life already saved once by the goddess.
I couldn't ask for more. My eyes were growing heavy.
Still, to the end, I dragged myself up to block its path.
No point dodging an unavoidable attack. No strength left for it anyway.
'Ariana, from the goddess's side, I'll pray for the saintess's happiness.'
The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was the snowball the demon hurled flying straight at me.
"Errait!"
-Kaaang!
"...?"
What was that sound?
The bizarre noise jolted me awake.
What I saw was the snowball split in two beside me, and a woman in distinctive Northern armor.
"Too late! Sorry!"
It was Carmen Icicle, fully armored.
"...Ha ha, cough! Your timing... is spot on... guhk!"
"Hey! Shut up! We'll finish this quick and get you treated!"
I turned my head with effort to see knights riding shaggy Northern horses, far more disciplined than before.
"You lot! Time to pay for all that slacking! Crush it!"
"Yes!!"
Led by Carmen, the knights formed up and charged the demon, sparking a battle between roughly fifty knights and the beast.
"Ha ha..."
It was a moving sight, but unfortunately, they couldn't win against that demon alone.
To take it down, we'd need—
In that instant.
-Thud!
"Gruk?"
A massive figure dropped like a bomb between the demon and the knights.
As it rose, gripping its axe...
"Ah..."
The Northern Duke, Polar.
This time, he'd arrived before losing his daughter.
With Ariana on his back.
Yeah, this should hold somehow.
Hurry up and get here, Hero.
With that thought, I blacked out and collapsed backward.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Slash.
-Thud!
"Grrr..."
"..."
Polar faced off against the demon.
The strongest force present at the moment sized up the demon before him and quickly assessed the situation.
'It'll be a close loss.'
He couldn't win.
He knew how to evaluate himself objectively, even if it meant pushing his body to the brink, and he swiftly admitted defeat.
And this was even assuming the saintess he'd brought along would heal him intermittently.
Painfully, neither his beloved daughter nor his knights could inflict more than scratches on the demon before them.
Not even his sword could penetrate deeply.
"Graaah!"
The demon's massive fist slammed down toward Polar.
-Clang!
Polar parried swiftly with his axe.
But bit by bit, his axe was being pushed back.
Unlike the demon, though, Polar was a human who knew technique.
-Thwack!
His sudden kick made the demon's bulk stagger.
Carmen seized the opening and charged from behind, swinging her axe at its back.
But.
-Kaaang!
"!! What the...!"
Her full-force strike bounced off without so much as a scratch, the only change being some severed fur.
'He fought a monster like this...?'
No wonder he'd been battered to hell. Suddenly, she vividly recalled how he'd kept standing against it, body broken but unyielding.
He'd faced this demon's overwhelming strength and unreasonableness to the very end.
'Incredible.'
Now he was in the saintess's arms getting healed, but until she'd arrived, Is had refused to fall despite his wrecked state.
Her admiration for his feat was short-lived—the current crisis left no time for it.
"Carmen! Get back!"
"!!"
The demon, struck from behind by Carmen, angrily thrust its right hand backward.
Its pot-lid-sized hand snatched her body in the blink of an eye—a clear result of her letting her guard down.
'Damn...!'
"Carmen!"
Her father Polar, uncharacteristically agitated, swung his axe wildly. The demon, sensing Carmen was his weakness, smirked slyly and used her as a shield.
"...Ugh!"
Naturally, Polar had no choice but to halt his axe. The demon taunted him with a mocking dance.
In this utterly hopeless moment—even Ariana, tending to Is, glanced toward the demon—
-Stab.
"Greaaahk!"
Someone's sword burst through the demon's solar plexus.
Caught off guard by the ambush, the demon collapsed.
Freed from its grasp, Carmen dazedly ran to Polar. He shoved her behind him while staying vigilant.
And from behind the demon slowly approached a figure.
"What the hell? Some dancing lunatic demon wandering around? And why are there so many people?"
Handsome features clashing with his crude mouth.
The hero, Ruin.