I'll Borrow the Second-in-Command (3)

At the weight of that meaningful voice, my gaze snapped toward the window. Beyond the night sky sunk deep in darkness, I had to furrow my brow before the faint, pale shapes finally came into view.

Dozens of shadows flickered beyond the opaque glass, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings. That was all my hazy vision could make out. Ru, however, seemed familiar with their presence; she spoke in a calm, steady voice.

"Demonkin. Gremlins, or perhaps gargoyles of some sort. The fact that they aren't charging in blindly suggests there may be a commander among them."

"What? Are they dangerous?"

"Well. I heard you previously slew a monster in the northern mountains. How was that one?"

"Nothing special."

"Then these will not even register as a threat. Of course, if they swarm us in numbers, they could become a nuisance."

So... that means they're nothing to worry about? The tension that had briefly pulled my muscles taut began to ease. Still, the fact that they were hostile remained unchanged, so I didn't let my guard drop completely.

"They're not attacking, though. Wonder why."

"I was about to ask you the same question. Those things—you didn't summon them, did you?"

"What? So now whenever something bad happens, it's automatically my fault?"

"Are you truly saying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they have nothing to do with you?"

"If you're not going to listen anyway, I'll just exercise my right to remain silent. Besides, last time I looked, the Capital was already crawling with demonkin."

I shuddered briefly at the memory of the bloody brawl I'd had with that demon girl. The thought made me suddenly conscious of the need for self-defense, so I casually lifted my manacled arms.

"So how about taking these cuffs off first? If those things come at us, they'll definitely get in the way."

"That... no. I cannot. It is not that I distrust you, but you might use the chaos to escape. Besides, you will be safe at my side."

"Ru, I know you're strong, but those are demonkin. You said yourself they'd be a pain if they came in a pack."

"It will be fine. And more importantly, they do not appear inclined to attack. Had they meant us harm, they would have done so already."

A note of confidence crept into Ru's voice. She spoke as though she had dealt with creatures like these many times in the past; there was even a hint of leisure in her tone.

"They may simply be here to reconnoiter. Soldiers will arrive soon enough. So do nothing strange and simply stay still—"

"..."

That was the last moment Ru looked reliable.

"Kyaaaaaaak!"

"Wha—"

...!!!

In the next instant the window shattered, and a demonkin with massive wings came crashing through. Its hideous, grotesque form made me scream as a chill raced down my spine.

"What the hell is that?! It came in after all, Ru!"

"Stay calm! It is only one! But they should not be doing this..."

"Not just one—the others are coming too!"

"Stand back!"

Ru shoved me aside and immediately seized the demonkin by the throat. She barely seemed to exert herself, yet its eyes rolled back; the moment the tendons in her forearm stood out, its neck tore free with a wet crack.

There was no time to marvel at her strength. More of the creatures poured into the room. Ru ground her teeth for a moment, then whispered to me in a low voice.

"Listen. If you truly did call them, would you not call them off about now? There are many servants in this mansion who have nothing to do with me."

"I really didn't, Ru."

"Then we have no choice but to take this outside. We cannot go toward the streets, so we will fight on the roof."

"Huh? That doesn't make any sense—waaah!"

Before I could protest, Ru forced something over my head. I was just realizing by touch that it was a helmet when my body suddenly lifted and I went soaring into the air.

"Ru! What are you—"

"Stay behind me and do nothing! As long as you are a guest in my home, I will protect you with my own hands!"

"Just take the cuffs off instead!"

"Shut your mouth and put the helmet on properly!"

"Ugh, seriously!"

A flight with no warning, no view, and no consideration. In that disorienting void, the instinct that the ground was about to arrive raced up my spine. I entrusted myself to pure reflex, thrust my legs out—and the impact of landing crushed through my knees.

"Ugh...!"

"Are you all right?"

"No. And this helmet doesn't seem to fit me..."

"Duck!"

"...Oh, for crying out loud!"

Before I could even recover my stance, an invisible demonkin's strike whistled over my head. Of course, the creature's limb shattered under Ru's battle cry, and the others that rushed in met the same fate.

But just because the attacks didn't land didn't mean I could avoid the remains. Bound to Ru's arm, I was dragged all over the place; demonkin scraps stuck to me in sticky clumps.

"W-wait, just stop for a second, Ru. Let me get the helmet on right. Please?"

"Quiet! I must listen to their cries!"

"I need to see if I'm going to help at all! Just stay still for a moment!"

"There is no need for help! So... hup! Ha!"

"Urgh... the smell..."

Demonkin blood, I learned, reeked like rotting food. While that unwelcome piece of knowledge expanded my horizons, I finally found the eye slits and twisted the helmet around. Only then did the blood-soaked nightscape come into view.

But the joy of light had barely registered when another demonkin dove at my head. Pure self-preservation made me snatch its ankle and slam it down onto the roof.

"Kieeek...!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Get lost, you disgusting things!"

Maybe it was resentment over the stench. The moment the creature lifted its head, I drove a side kick into its skull. My unarmed technique was as crude as my swordsmanship, yet its head cleanly flew off.

Ru, who happened to witness the moment, seemed rather impressed; the corner of her mouth curled upward. Only then did she offer me a thin measure of trust.

"It truly seems you did not call them. Is that so?"

"How many times do I have to say it? I didn't."

"Then I can entrust you with a little. If it is not too much trouble, at least defend yourself."

"I don't mind, but first the cuffs—"

"They're coming!"

My words never finished. More demonkin charged us. Back-to-back with the pure-white woman, I braced myself against the oncoming wave of black wings.

Or more precisely, the wave seemed to concentrate more heavily on her side. Still, the fact that they were attacking me too remained unchanged, so I punched the first one that flew at me square in the head.

"Hup!"

"If it becomes too much, say so! Understood, Claus!"

"No, I'm fine, so just the cuffs—hup!"

"More coming from the left! Turn right for a moment!"

"What—aaagh! Don't move so suddenly, Ru!"

"And right! Front! Left!"

In the relentless assault I flailed by pure sensation, batting them away at random. Fighting while bound arm-to-arm with someone really wasn't easy, I realized far too late. Hundreds of wingbeats battered my hearing.

Eventually my stance crumbled and I nearly found myself in real danger. Yet the demonkin simply passed me by and lunged at Ru instead.

"Kieeeek!"

"Watch out, Ru! Behind you!"

"I know! Thank you!"

"And more from the left! From the right!"

"Kh. Are you all right over there?"

"Yeah! I'm... well..."

...

Only then did I notice that the space in front of me looked relatively empty, and I turned to scan every direction. The demonkin were still flapping this way, yet they weren't really charging me.

Or more precisely, they seemed to want to keep a little distance. To test the theory, I immediately stomped toward the pack.

"You bastards!!!"

"Kieeek..."

"You! You bastards!"

"Kieeek... eek..."

"...What is this."

I had merely raised my voice, yet that alone made them quietly back away. Some even brushed my shoulder by accident, then pretended not to notice and drifted back toward Ru.

Something was definitely off. I gave a casual wave of my palm. As if by prior agreement, they silently retreated from me.

"Get out of here. You lot."

"Kieeek..."

"Shoo, shoo."

"Kieek..."

"There, there. Good boys."

I almost felt like I could pet their heads if I tried. Of course Ru, who knew nothing of this, continued her solitary ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠struggle.

"Still all right, Claus? Answer me!"

"Yeah, more or less."

"Their assault is suddenly intensifying! I do not think I can cover your back for a while! If it grows dangerous, shout!"

"I'm fine."

"You truly are remarkable. If you were not an enemy... kh!"

"Hang in there, Ru."

Getting any closer would only get me hit, so I settled for modest encouragement. It felt a little like cheating, but considering the whole kidnapping thing, my conscience stayed quiet.

Come to think of it—if these things hadn't attacked first, would they have left us alone? I even started to wonder whether they were truly dangerous. One of them was even sitting off in a corner, just staring this way.

"Kieeek..."

"What about you?"

"..."

Something eerie stirred in its red eyes. It felt as though someone I had met before was looking out at me from behind those pupils.

Then Ru turned her head and spotted it. She shouted a deduction I found entirely reasonable.

"That one is the commander."

"Seems like it."

"Out of the way!"

In a flash her fist smashed into the creature's side. Our guess proved correct; the other demonkin scattered ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in panic and fled elsewhere.

The one that took the punch did not die. Instead it suddenly veered toward the outside of the mansion. It probably meant to escape like the rest, but its flight path dipped sharply from the injury.

"Wait. That one..."

"If it goes that way..."

"...It's heading for the streets!"

I shouted without thinking. The guards still had not appeared on the streets.

Instead, nearby residents, roused by the commotion on the mansion roof, were gathering one by one. And the demonkin was flying straight over their heads.

"Ru!"

"I know!"

"...Waaah!"

By the time I yelled, Ru was already leaping toward the street. Direction, speed—nothing was lacking. In moments the distant scenery rushed toward us.

Just before we hit the ground I caught, all at once, the descending demonkin's back and the terrified face of a young girl. Instinct drove my foot down onto the creature's skull as I poured every scrap of strength into a shout.

"Get out of the way!"

"Kyaaak!"

"Kieeeeeek!"

The girl's scream. The pain of landing. Billowing dust. Everything erupted at once and shook my senses. Even so, the writhing muscles under my foot still scattered the last sparks of life.

Did I need to finish it completely? In that split second I looked up and saw the trees lining both sides. While the rebound of the landing still slid me forward, I snapped off a thick branch and drove it through the center of the demonkin's torso.

"Hup!"

"...!"

Only then did it stop moving. Our speed gradually bled away, and the dust that had been rising everywhere slowly settled.

"Haa... haa..."

"Are you all right, Claus?"

"What about you, Ru?"

"Thank you for worrying. I am of course fine—"

She started to smile at me, then saw something and hastily covered her face with her collar. Wondering why, I lifted my head—citizens were approaching from every direction.

Was there some reason she couldn't show her face to ordinary people? Thanks to Lia I was used to that sort of thing, so I moved to cover my own face as well. But Ru had already forced a helmet onto my head.

I had put it on without knowing what it looked like, so I had no idea why the people staring at me wore those expressions.

"My god. That dangerous gargoyle, in a single blow..."

"There must have been hundreds of them. And he drove them off alone."

"He even seemed to be fighting while protecting someone. Probably trying to keep that woman safe."

"Just who is he, that he could..."

"..."

"...That helmet."

Every gaze fixed on my head. Then, before I could say a word, their voices united around a single name.

"Could it be..."

"..."

"The White Knight...?"

At those words every person clasped their hands. Some stood open-mouthed in a daze; others even shed tears of emotion.

Of course I, knowing none of the circumstances, merely wanted to scratch my head in embarrassment. Since I couldn't do anything so stupid on top of the helmet, I muttered quietly to myself instead.

"Something's gone wrong again..."