Clank
From across Tyrpione’s shoulder, a sudden sound came from the door.
“K-Ken, will you be my master?”
She looked up at me with a familiar gaze, those eyes I often saw when Raphne viewed me as prey.
The eyes of a greedy person overflowing with desire.
“Master…means.”
“Well, it means the owner of the magic sword Tyrpione.”
Of course, that’s what it means. I placed my hand on her shoulder and pushed her away, looking at Tyrpione.
“Uh…Tyrpione. You may not know, but if I take you out, monsters will attack us. That’s what the magic sword does.”
If I leave this house with her, a swarm of monsters will certainly come. I could only play it off as a feature of magic swords.
Anyway, the important thing is my life is in danger.
No matter how strong you are, fighting against numerous enemies is risky.
Even if my stats were up from dieting, there was no way to take on a horde of monsters.
Yet, Tyrpione only chuckled.
“How wise you are.”
Then, she looked at me with a gaze full of respect, much like a fanatical devotee. How on earth she assessed me in such a short time, I had no idea.
“But it’s alright, Ken. If you don’t go outside, there won’t be any danger.”
“Huh? What do you mean…”
“We can just stay together from now on.”
Her lips curled gently.
That greedy smile was gazing at me. No way….
I quickly shoved her aside and dashed toward the door.
Clank, clank.
“D-Damn it, what the hell is this?!”
The door was locked from the inside, and no matter how I tried to manipulate it, it wouldn’t budge.
“Hehe, even if it’s you, Ken, it won’t be easy to open.”
Tyrpione’s voice came from behind me, full of amusement.
I turned to look at her, and she kindly explained, “Why do you think the monsters don’t swarm in when my true form is inside this house?”
Then, she slowly approached me, pressing her body against my back.
I could feel a definite warmth and the presence of a body that didn’t seem like a mere spiritual weapon.
“That’s because this house is a monster that has absorbed a lot of magical energy.”
“…The house is a monster?”
The house itself was imbued with magic. It’s not an impossible story.
After all, Tyrpione was originally an ordinary sword that became a magic sword by absorbing magic.
“This house protects whatever is inside. The purpose created by my first master has awakened this house’s powers through the magical energy of this hell.”
And I could feel her arm around my waist and her face pressed against my back.
At the same time, a greedy voice echoed within the house.
“Let’s stay together from now on, Master.”
I thought to myself, ‘I’m screwed.’
Having been imprisoned by Raphne before, I realized she was serious.
I had no idea why she was doing this, but the important thing was that I was currently trapped.
In a monster house that had become more solidified!
But calm down, Ken Feinstein.
You have experience with being locked up.
It’s not something to be proud of, but….
Anyway, this isn’t my first rodeo, so I should stay calm and act accordingly.
I could definitely find a way out.
With that thought settled, I turned and grabbed Tyrpione’s shoulder.
Her sparkling eyes were looking at me in delight.
I smiled at her and replied.
“Looks like I’ve properly fallen for this.”
What Tyrpione wanted was for me to not leave.
In other words, she wanted me to stay with her.
But I have to get out of here. I also can’t take her with me.
Then, I should act like I achieved what she wanted.
“Well, since there’s no helping it, I’ll depend on you from now on, Tyrpione.”
“……Ah.”
Worried that my act might be awkward, Tyrpione’s face filled with emotion.
Looks like it worked.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she nestled closer to me.
“Ah! Ken! I knew you would understand!”
“…Y-yeah… uh.”
Suddenly pressed against her whole soft body, but don’t panic.
I’ve been mentally attacked by this kind of affection from the far larger Raphne before.
I can’t lose my composure over this level of skin contact.
“T-Tyrpione. As a commemoration of living together, could I see your true form a bit more?”
“Huh? My true form?”
“I’ve thought it was so beautiful ever since I first saw it. I want to gaze at it more closely.”
“…Huh!”
Suddenly, Tyrpione clutched her chest and turned red.
What is she doing?
From the perspective of a creator, her true form, the magic sword, was indeed a beautiful masterpiece.
But what does holding her chest have to do with that?
Tyrpione soon smiled and offered her true form to me.
“H-Here it is…! But since it’s in the form of a girl, please be careful…”
“Y-yeah….”
To me, it was just a sword, but for Tyrpione, this was her true form.
I gently brushed my fingers along the blade that I received.
Hmm, the blade is definitely….
“Ah! K-Ken! That’s too stimulating…!”
“Wah! I’m so sorry!”
What on earth is this area….
Anyway, the longsword-shaped magic sword in my hand.
It certainly seemed to be an excellent sword with high worth.
“This is nice. A really good sword, Tyrpione.”
“…Buu, I’m so flattered by the compliments…”
The shy Tyrpione didn’t notice as I turned away.
And what I saw was the locked door of the house.
“……Ken?”
As I silently gazed at the door, Tyrpione called my name.
But before she could realize my intent, I leveraged my enhanced physical abilities from dieting.
Whoosh!!
In an instant, I swung the sword.
“K-Ken?!”
Tyrpione’s surprised voice came from behind me.
But it was already too late.
Chiiiing!
The ability of the magic sword Tyrpione is corrosion.
It allows any living creature cut by the blade to rot away.
And if this house has absorbed magic and turned into a monster,
That also makes it another living creature.
‘I knew it… it works!’
The latch was precisely corroded by the sword, loosening up.
I turned and smiled at her, who was staring blankly at me.
“I’m sorry. It seems there’s only one person who can lock me up.”
“A-Aah!”
Ka-BOOM!
Then I launched myself, crashing through the door and escaping the house.
Of course, I left Tyrpione behind inside.
The impact of my body barreling through broke the door, and as I tumbled to the floor, I quickly looked back at the house’s interior.
I wondered if she would come after me; would she attack?
But contrary to my thoughts, Tyrpione simply stood at the door, looking down at me with a wistful smile.
‘…Why isn’t she coming out?’
That question was short-lived.
I soon spotted something coming from her pocket, and I couldn’t help but laugh in defeat.
What she held was a stone tablet inscribed with a mark.
The key I had been searching for.
Seeing my expression, Tyrpione covered her mouth with the tablet and spoke.
“This is what you desperately need, right? Then, you’ll have to return here someday.”
Her chuckles filled the air, and I felt hopeless before the key I couldn’t obtain.
…
In the silent pillars,
Laphne’s group had come to the 10th floor monument to save Ken. They finished preparing without a word.
It was the morning of the 7th day, as Ken had described.
Soon, according to his plan, the monument would respond, attracting countless monsters to destroy it.
And to fend off those monsters, the team was solidifying its preparations with stern expressions.
“Emily, if the positions break because of the incoming monsters, stick close to me or Mary.”
Adrian adjusted the gloves Ken had made for him, approaching Emily, who was sitting next to a pillar.
She quietly nodded her head, prioritizing her safety as the only healer in the group.
“……They’re coming.”
At that moment, Laphne’s voice rang out, standing beside the monument, looking toward the forest.
And simultaneously, the ground began to rumble.
Thud thud thud thud.
It felt as if an earthquake was actually taking place.
At that, Emily, who had been sitting, stood up, and others preparing grabbed their weapons.
And then.
Fwiing.
With a strange ringing, the monument, which had been silent, started to glow.
Laphne smiled brightly for the first time in a while.
“Now, Ken’s about to arrive, right?”
“Yes, we must protect this monument until then.”
Beside her, Mary, radiating a cold magical aura, stood firm with her.
Soon, they’d meet Ken.
Despite the monsters closing in, they thought that.
Just wishing for his safe return.
“Then, shall we begin?”
A gentle smile crossed Adrian’s lips as he extended his hand.
His aura heated up and grew large; the surrounding temperature started to rise.
And like a conductor leading an orchestra, he waved his hands.
Whoosh.
A massive flame swirled in front of him, and the fire magic amassed into a devastating concentration, shot off like a cannonball into the throng of enemies.
KA-BOOM!
With an eruption of flames and a colossal explosion.
And then.
[ WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! ]
The battle commenced to protect the monument for Ken’s return, starting with the cries of certain monsters.
“Laphne! Mary! You two handle the smaller, numerous ones. We can’t let them get near the monument!”
Amidst the swarming monsters, Adrian directed Mary, spotting small creatures darting toward them.
These were forms of rodents, tiny insects, or small humanoid monsters.
Following Adrian’s command, Mary’s ice projectiles poured out like a machine gun into the swarm,
While Laphne handled the ones dodging the magic to run closer.
“Siegfried. You and I will take care of that one.”
“Ah.”
Adrian and Siegfried focused on a massive group of larger monsters.
Lastly, Adrian looked at Emily.
“Emily, heal the injured. And please restrain any monsters using skills.”
With a firm expression, Emily nodded, and soon chains of magical energy shot forth from her hand to bind a harpy utilizing a sleep skill.
KA-BOOM!
At the same time, another flame erupted from Adrian’s hands, attacking the swarm of enemies,
And then, Siegfried, creating an afterimage, lunged high into the air.
Floating in the air, his target was one.
The giant worm.
His sword swung down, bisecting the enormous caterpillar-shaped monster.
KA-BOOM!
BAM BAM BAM BAM BANG!!
With the bombardment of fire and ice crashing into the wave of monsters, they were swiftly decimated.
‘…We can do this!’
Initially overwhelmed by the incoming monsters, Emily smiled, watching the team handle the horde effortlessly.
If it’s this much, holding out until Ken returns shouldn’t be hard.
As she smiled at the possibility of an early victory.
Thud thud thud thud!
Thud thud thud thud thud!
In the center of the forest,
The sounds of another group of monsters began to echo from the left and right.
[ KRAAAAAAAAH!!! ]
Monsters roared as they charged forward.
Initially, the small swarming monsters had joined forces, overwhelming them in numbers.
“A-Adrian…!!”
With horror, Emily immediately called out to him at the sight.
“Damn! Mary! Cover the left side!!”
Adrian also witnessed what Emily saw and urgently shouted to Mary.
The two were the strongest firepower available at that moment.
They had to sweep away the enemies with maximum coverage magic.
‘…If this continues, their magic…’
But even they had limits.
As the number of monsters increased, so did the weight of firepower they needed to output.
Siegfried and Laphne continued to move relentlessly, handling the invading monsters.
Despite their incredible speed in dispatching the creatures,
With overwhelming numbers, it was impossible to hold everything back.
[ KIYAAAH!! ]
“Ugh!”
Whoosh!
Finally, a poison rabbit managed to break through Laphne and Siegfried’s barricade.
Though it wasn’t a high-ranking monster, Emily could easily cut it down with her sword.
But.
‘It’s getting through more and more.’
There were starting to be gaps in their once-impenetrable defense.
“……Ken.”
At the sight of the breach, Emily gazed uneasily at the monument Ken would emerge from.
But it only glimmered, giving no signs of him yet.
“……Hurry back.”
For some reason, a delay in his arrival made her grip her sword tightly with unease.
