Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Return
Countless cadets' gazes pierced Cappy.
Unlike their usual disgust, they looked genuinely thrilled.
Cappy shrank back at the sudden attention from everyone, and Dreania, sensing something off, gripped Cappy's bare hand tighter.
"Miss Dreania! Hand over that witch right now!"
"...What?"
"Only that witch! She's the only one who can take down that monster!"
"What nonsense is this...?"
They had to sacrifice the witch, Cappy, to defeat the monster.
So, they wanted her to offer up this small, fragile, kind-hearted girl on her back as a tribute to that thing?
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
They said old humans sometimes lost their minds with age, and this seemed exactly like that case.
The moment Dreania started marching toward the vice principal with a furious glare...
-Thud!
"Urk?!"
Her knees hit the ground.
Catching her off guard, Dreania looked up at the vice principal in confusion, only to see his sleazy smirk.
"You...!"
"Everyone, now's the time! Miss Dreania seems to have mistaken who she needs to protect, so hurry and pry the witch away!"
"Thank you, Vice Principal!"
"Sacrifice the witch! Sacrifice the witch!"
"That witch bitch was useless before, but she's helpful now!"
Something was wrong.
For a beastkin like her to kneel without any resistance in an instant?
"Vice Principal... what the hell did you...?"
"It's just a small sacrifice for the greater good."
"You think I'll fall for that crap...? Hide your smirk from the corner of your mouth...!"
No matter how she looked at it, the vice principal's creepy smile was way too suspicious.
Even as vice principal, he couldn't subdue a beastkin like Dreania this easily.
"You... who are you?"
"Hoho, what are you saying? I'm your vice principal."
The vice principal winked at Dreania before shouting to the cadets.
"Hurry and tear the witch away!"
"Yes!"
"Got it!"
The cadets rushed in like a pack of dogs to rip Cappy free.
Dreania desperately tried to hold on...
"Damn it...!"
But for some reason, her body wouldn't budge an inch.
"No...!"
The cadets carried Cappy toward the rising monster.
"I said no...!"
She had promised.
Promised that human she'd bring the professors.
-Whoosh!
Cappy flew from the cadets' hands straight toward the monster's maw.
Her self-proclaimed greatest strength meant nothing.
Her pride as the strongest was utterly crushed.
Ah, there was something similar when she was little, too.
Dreania's golden eyes filled with memories of the past.
Back when she was just a child, convinced she could beat anyone, fearlessly wandering into the slums that day.
She got into it with some beggars without a care, but when they realized they couldn't win with strength, they tried overwhelming her with numbers.
Even as a child, she had a stunning beauty, so the beggars' lust-filled hands reached for her.
And then.
"These bastards must've forgotten who I am?"
"Sh-shit, it's Ace!"
"What?"
"Overwhelm him with numbers!"
A boy with shaggy ash-gray hair and feral blue eyes saved her.
In the pouring rain, outnumbered.
"These bastards messing with a kid."
He looked like a wild beast, making her forget all about helplessness.
No room for powerlessness or hesitation when love at first sight hit.
Yeah.
-Thud.
"These bastards messing with a kid?"
Just like right now.
"You should be ashamed."
Right before Cappy entered the monster's mouth.
Ace dashed in and caught her.
***
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rage boiled to the top of my head.
Because Cappy had been thrown to the monster by the cadets, just like in the original story.
I thought seeing it in the game meant it wouldn't hit hard in real life.
But no.
"You should be ashamed."
Seeing it for real? It was just fucking awful.
The Goddess would understand this much.
She told humans to give them a chance to stand on their own and forgive.
But the things in front of me weren't human.
"A-Ace...?"
"Ah, Miss Cappy."
I quickly softened my expression and met Cappy's eyes.
"Sorry. Made you wait in the rain."
"N-No, it's fine..."
I gently set Cappy down, then raised my holy shield to block the rain from her.
"Miss Cappy, could you cover your ears for a moment?"
"Huh...?"
"Just for a second."
"O-Okay..."
Cappy nodded with a dazed look and covered her ears with her small hands as best she could.
Alright then.
"...Have you all lost your damn minds?"
"Wh-what?! Hey, transfer student! Mind your own business and move!"
"Fuck off, move! We feed her, we live!"
"If you don't throw that bitch quick, you're killing us!"
"Bullshit."
"What?"
I smiled gently at the dumbfounded cadets staring at me.
"Total bullshit. Just cowardly excuses from sheep pretending to be wolves."
"Fuck! You done talking shit?!"
"Yes. I'm done."
I extended my index finger, pointing behind me to the collapsed academy building.
"What does the academy teach?"
"Just how to fight monsters and survive-"
"No. The academy teaches cadets to defeat enemies and save people."
Fight monsters to save people.
Survive and fight to the end.
In this precarious world threatened by black mages and demons, the academy was a school that trained cadets into heroes.
"But right now, you're throwing a classmate persecuted just because her parents were demons to the monster. Is that right?"
I walked through the frozen, flustered cadets and helped Dreania to her feet.
The vice principal must have been suppressing her.
"Lady Dreania, grab the vice principal."
"R-Right."
"Wha- Gahk!"
In the blink of an eye, Dreania subdued the vice principal, and the cadets backed away from us.
I wanted to smash these bastards in the face with fists full of the Goddess's grace right then, but I held back.
"Hup!"
Because the monster was rising.
-Clang!!
I whipped out my shotel in a hurry and deflected the monster's attack.
[Kraaaagh!]
Was it pissed that a nobody like me dodged? The Gnawer roared in fury.
"Ngh..."
Beating this thing would be tough for me.
It appeared faster than in the original, so I didn't have my prep, and I'm not the protagonist.
But retreating here would put Cappy and Dreania in danger.
The cadets had no intention of fighting; they just wanted to sacrifice Cappy.
"Somehow... I have to."
I'd faced unreasonable situations like this countless times before.
In the slums, at the cathedral, everywhere.
"Ace..."
As I gripped my shotel tight, recalling those memories, Dreania called out from behind.
"Sorry... for being useless."
"...Pfft, it's fine."
"Huh...?"
Sorry for being useless.
Seeing her, who always lived so nobly, cower against an opponent her strength couldn't touch—it was kinda cute.
"Don't worry. As your friend, Lady Dreania, I won't go down easy."
"Friend..."
"I'm not some pampered noble kid, you know."
I tossed aside my annoying uniform.
It only got in the way of movement, and soaked from the rain, it was heavy.
"Hoo..."
Given the opponent, I took a deep breath and waited for an opening.
[Kraaaagh!]
The Gnawer lunged at me again with its forepaw, screeching.
The moment I ignited holy power through my body and raised my holy shield...
[Kreeegh!]
Sharp tentacles shot from its mouth.
"!!"
Why it's hard for me to beat this thing.
Even at full power, one hit from it would be fatal.
"Damn..."
But refusing to give up, eyes wide, I raised my holy shield higher—right then.
-Whoosh!!
[Kraaaaaaaaaaagh!]
A massive golden sword beam sliced clean through the Gnawer.
Its body split in half, howling in agony.
Stunned by the sudden event, I looked up.
"Hey, you moron! Getting your ass kicked by this shit?! Hahahahaha!"
"Hero...?"
Up in the sky.
The Hero, Ruin, was rocketing toward the Gnawer at top speed.
"How-"
"I heard all your cursing earlier! So your mask cracks eventually too! Haha!"
"No..."
"Whatever! Catch!"
-Fling.
-Thud! Thud thud!
The moment Ruin finished speaking, heavy iron chunks dropped in front of me.
My armor.
"How's a weak-ass punk supposed to survive without armor?! Ariana was worried!"
Shouting that, Ruin reached the Gnawer's head.
"I'll show you how hard I trained while spinning circles!"
He proudly raised his sword overhead.
And, unbelievably...
"Holy Sword...?"
In his hand was the Hero's exclusive— the holy sword.