Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Variable
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"Hoo..."
No, calm down.
When I think about it, he's the protagonist.
In this world, playing with just one heroine is the minority path in what’s actually a minor harem dating sim.
I get that on a rational level, but from my position—where I care about Ariana so much I’d do anything for her—I just can’t look at Ruin favorably.
It’s kinda like the feelings of a dad with a daughter.
"...Y-Yeah. There's no law saying you can't have multiple women. Right, even nobles often take multiple wives, so there's no reason the Hero can't."
"Right?! So I'm not the weird one—"
"But going off to play and eat with another woman right after the Saintess hates on you? Honestly, that doesn't look good."
"...Ahem."
Stabbed right in the gut, Ruin cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze before suddenly pointing at me and launching a counterattack.
"What about you! I heard you were holed up in a secret spot with the Duchess here while glued to Ariana! And now you're glued to this knight too!"
"Haa... Hero."
Probably because he's still immature, he twists a simple conversation and some sparring into this.
Looks like he's got a long way to go before he acts like a proper person.
Tedious as it was, I was about to clear things up when—
"You crazy bastard!"
-Smack!
"Eek!"
Carmen smashed the axe handle into Ruin's head.
"Wh-What..."
"You punk! Do you even know what he's thinking when you say crap like that?! Unlike you, he's loyal one hundred—"
"Hey now!"
-Smack!
"Argh!"
"Hoo..."
That was close to disaster.
She shot me a resentful glare, and I nodded sheepishly back, like I'd messed up.
"A-Ahem... Anyway! Unlike you, he doesn't go for multiple women! You disloyal jerk!"
"Kuhak...!"
With Carmen's final blow, Ruin flopped limply backward.
"...Tch. I almost fell for him for a sec since he one-shotted that demon, even though he's a guy, but no manners, no loyalty, just a kid."
"!!"
Ruin bounced back up like he'd been repelled.
He pointed at Carmen and asked,
"'Almost fell' means there's potential—"
"Shut your trap, punk!"
"Gueaaaak!"
In the end, Ruin got grabbed by the hair and beaten like a dog in the dog days of summer.
...Honestly, I held back from saying they seemed suited, since I might end up in his place otherwise.
"...Lady Adel. Shall we head back?"
"That might be best..."
Yeah, they'll sort it out themselves.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The demon Ruin took down.
Thanks to that, we got to live relatively peacefully for a while.
Afterward, the knights in the territory hustled too, and I'd gotten stronger than before.
"Hup!"
"Kieeeek!"
I cloaked my body in holy power and darted through the demons.
My power, which could barely handle the weakest-looking one before, had grown noticeably after absorbing Ruin's holy power.
Receiving the Hero's holy power wasn't an excuse to slack on training.
Just like when I first got holy power, I pushed my body hard even after absorbing Ruin's.
The massive holy power let me ramp up my training intensity several times over, and there was no way I'd miss that growth opportunity.
"Hoo... Hoo..."
After finishing battles with demons, I'd return to the training grounds and work my body over. Rinse and repeat.
Thanks to overflowing holy power, I could sweat even in the freezing north.
"You're working hard."
"Ah, Lady Adel."
True to her knight heroine creds, Adel always trained beside me while I did.
Unlike me with my overflowing stamina from holy power, she only had her own endurance, yet she trained as hard as me—no, harder.
"Haha, I'm always amazed by Lady Adel's level."
"Sir Is's growth is remarkably fast too, so no need to be surprised."
"Is that so?"
As we chatted, Adel noticed my sweat and handed me a canteen.
"The mages gave it a special coating, so it shouldn't be frozen. Here."
"Ahaha... Thank you."
Perfect timing—my throat was parched.
-Gulp. Gulp.
I drank without touching my lips to it.
Ruin might make a fuss about indirect kisses or whatever.
"Kuh... My thanks for the kindness."
I handed the canteen back, undid my top two buttons to rest a bit.
I'd love to strip my shirt off entirely, but Adel's here.
"Hoo..."
Ah, much better.
Even the north's skin-splitting winds were just a cool breeze before my massive holy power.
Now I get how Ruin wanders around in thin clothes.
"...."
"Hm? Lady Adel?"
"Ah, no. By the way, Sir Is. Have you heard the rumors going around the territory?"
I thought she was spacing out staring at me, but she brought up something intriguing.
"Rumors? Hmm, nothing in particular... Care to tell me?"
Adel nodded and explained.
"I only overheard it in passing, but lately, people who went outside the territory have been coming back with no memory of their time out there."
"What? What does that...?"
I never heard of this in the game?
As far as I know, the named bosses left in the north are just the one black mage, Screaming Plea, and...
As my thoughts deepened—
🚨 EMERGENCY ALERT! 🚨 -Dang! Dang!
Threat Level: MAX!!
Everyone in the territory: Assume defense positions immediately and prepare to evacuate at any moment!
The voice was far more urgent than during the demon outbreak.
"!! Sir Is."
"Yes, let's move."
Adel and I nodded, headed straight to our rooms, and I quickly geared up once there.
"Is!"
"Yes!"
Ariana had just been talking with Polar, so we met up, and I scooped her into a princess carry right away.
"His Grace the Grand Duke has already departed."
"Yeah, let's hurry."
"Full speed. Hold on tight."
I moved my feet faster than ever before.
'If it's this level of crisis...'
No way.
My thought reached that point when a massive shadow appeared overhead.
"Damn..."
The most noble and powerful race in this world.
Each one a tactical nuke, the rulers of the skies.
A 'Dragon' had appeared.
"D-Dragon..."
Ariana was instantly overwhelmed by its majestic form.
"...Saintess, look closely. That's no ordinary dragon."
"Huh? What do you...?"
Trembling at my words, Ariana peered at the dragon, then cried out in shock.
"I-It’s... dead?!"
"Exactly. It's barely a reanimated corpse."
That thing's no ordinary dragon.
It's just forcibly moving a body that froze to death up north and stayed preserved.
It shows up in the game, but the problem is it shouldn't be moving.
In the game, it's clearly just material Screaming Plea uses to summon a devil...
'Damn, no clue what's going on.'
Why's an undead dragon showing up in the north?
There's only one black mage here: Screaming Plea.
Then, as if to answer my doubts, the dragon's mouth opened, and a weary male voice boomed out.
"Ahh, nice to meet you... I am Raising Death..." 'Raising Death?!'
I knew of him.
A tricky necromancer from the game’s late stages.
Someone that skilled could probably make an undead dragon.
But the question remained.
Why’s he here?
According to the lore, Raising Death sleeps until the late game.
Before my doubts could resolve, Raising Death spoke through the dragon’s mouth again.
"For now... I'll fire one breath, so hold on tight... With the Northern Grand Duke, Hero, and Saintess all intact, it's tricky to deal with, so I gotta do this..." "Breath?!"
Ariana startled and looked at me.
"Wh-What do we do, Is?! Dragon breath—even if the Grand Duke and Hero are strong..."
"..."
Ariana pleaded for an answer, but sadly, I was just as flustered.
Still, we can't die like this. Think.
Okay, early game, yet late-game Raising Death is using a 'Dragon' as an undead minion.
And about to fire breath, because the Northern Grand Duke, Hero, and Saintess are all fine.
What I can do here is...
"...Nothing—"
As despairing conclusion loomed, I heard something I shouldn't.
"The Hero's charging outttt!"
"...This idiot— Saintess! Let's go for now!"
"Y-Yes!"
You mad bastard.