“Haah… Haah…”
Dull eyes.
Breath is ragged.
Emily, being the closest to the monument, should be the safest, but she was getting tired from dealing with the incoming monsters.
[ KooOOOoo!! ]
A monster that looked like a black horse with two heads charged at her.
“Graah…!”
Kaboom!
Emily barely raised her shield to block the charge.
Pook!
She pierced both heads with her sword.
This was a monster that Emily alone wouldn’t normally be able to handle.
But after pushing through the front line, it was exhausted enough for her to take it down in one go.
‘This is too precarious.’
From her position at the back, Emily saw the battle situation going downhill rapidly.
Even the exceptionally strong Raphne, who seemed unbeatable, and the other three top-tier fighters from the Academy were struggling.
The sheer number of monsters was overwhelming.
More and more monsters were breaking through.
‘…Ken, please… hurry.’
Emily’s eyes remained fixed on the brightly shining monument.
According to Adrian, the moment the monument glows, a portal to hell opens.
That means an exit has already appeared where Ken is.
But even though the battle has dragged on for a while, the monument showed no signs of activation.
‘…Could it be… something happened to Ken?’
The most unwanted scenario popped into her mind.
That Ken, trapped in the trap, couldn’t hold out.
She didn’t want to think about it, but the horrifying thoughts made her tighten her fists.
She shook her head and focused on the front.
She couldn’t let those strange thoughts break her spirit.
She had to trust Ken and help her companions.
But then—
“E-Emily━!!”
Someone shouted from the front.
A desperate cry.
It meant monsters had broken through their defense.
But from that frantic voice, she sensed that the number of monsters was alarming.
Then, she immediately saw eight monsters.
[ WoOooOOoo!! ]
[ KIGIK! KIGIK! KIGIK! ]
‘…Oh no!’
The numbers made Emily tremble with a stiff face.
That number was beyond her capacity to handle.
But still, she gripped her shield tighter and clutched her sword.
She couldn’t let them pass the monument.
Yet despite her determination—
“KYAAAAAA━!!”
The horde of charging monsters could not be stopped.
“No… no…!!”
The final defenses of Emily were breached, and all the monsters lunged toward the monument.
They showed no interest in Emily standing in front.
They began to attack the monument as if it were their sworn enemy.
Bang!
Boom!
“Stop it…! No…!!”
Screeeech!
She hastily readied her stance and swung her sword from behind the monsters, but even when they were injured, they didn’t stop attacking the monument.
They were only focused on attacking it with all their lives.
Crack.
And their concentrated assault—
Ssssssss…
Slowly began to crack the monument.
In front, Raphne, who was holding back countless monsters, glanced at the monument with a sense of foreboding, confirming the eight monsters assaulting it.
“Stop it!!!”
“R-Raphne!”
With her sanity slipping away, Raphne ignored Mary’s call and dashed forward toward the monument.
If that breaks, Ken won’t be able to get out.
She couldn’t look at Ken again.
The chilling cry echoed in her mind.
And suddenly, in a burst of speed never seen before, Raphne’s Neural Acceleration skill activated.
‘…No━!!’
In the slowing scenery, with a face of despair, Emily was holding back the monsters, and Adrian, who had just noticed.
And Zigfried, who was also rushing toward the monument.
All of them lunged at the monument.
They all knew that if that monument broke, holding off the monsters ahead would be useless.
And among them, Raphne was the fastest.
A monster closest to the monument finally struck.
“NOOOOO━!!”
Even as Raphne cried out desperately, time didn’t stop.
BOOM!!
The monument that shone brightly shattered, unleashing a deafening roar that shook the air.
“Ah… aa.”
Amid the thick smoke, Raphne reached out with a face full of despair.
As if witnessing a cherished dream dissolve into nothingness.
She collapsed in shock at the completely unimagined outcome.
“…Ken.”
[ WoOOoOOO━!! ]
“Raphne━!! Pull yourself together!! The monsters are still coming!!”
Boom!!
Adrian’s shout ignited a fire, and the monsters’ cries echoed, but Raphne didn’t respond to any of it.
She just blankly gazed at what she couldn’t protect.
Moments later, the smoke from the explosion slowly dissipated.
Scattered pieces of the monument lay on the ground, along with the corpses of the monsters caught in the blast.
And—
“…I-I almost died.”
A man with a shocked expression had impaled himself against a nearby pillar while holding Emily.
“Ken…?”
Seeing him, the despair clouding Raphne’s eyes began to sparkle.
His appearance was drastically different from what she remembered, yet the aura and faint resemblance to his past self confirmed he was Ken Feinstein.
“Ke-Ken…”
And Emily, safely cradled in his arms, stared at him blankly.
“Everyone is okay, right…?”
Ken asked, looking at the remaining monsters.
“Not okay, you idiot…!”
As she cried, Emily buried her face in his chest.
“KEN━!!”
Raphne, watching from a distance, dashed toward him in an instant.
“Gah…!”
“Ken…! Huh, Ken…!!”
Ken barely managed to catch Raphne, who was weeping uncontrollably, as he patted her head and surveyed their surroundings.
With the monument destroyed, the onslaught of monsters had ceased, but Adrian and Mary were still holding off the remaining ones.
“Shall we put out this urgent fire first before celebrating?”
Smiling, Ken gently set down the two women in his arms.
—
Escaping from the [Bottom of Tarlos] had truly been a close call.
It felt like they might have to endure another year in that place.
The reason being the eerie spirit of the cursed sword that seemed oddly obsessed with me.
“Hey, is there really no way out of this?”
“Hmph, no can do. I can’t live without my master anymore.”
“M-master…?”
Sitting by the door of the house imbued with magic, I conversed with Tirpione.
First, I took the approach of persuasion.
Starting with dialogue.
If that didn’t work, I’d consider other actions.
So I chatted with Tirpione, sitting in front of the door and avoiding being confined inside.
As we conversed, our tone and titles began to shift.
Tirpione shifted from calling me ‘Ken’ to ‘Master.’
I initially spoke formally to her but eventually became more comfortable.
Time passed, yet her resolve remained unyielding.
“So I really need that key, okay? To help my party, you need to give it to me.”
“Then just come inside and take it.”
With a sultry smile, Tirpione placed a stone tablet on her chest.
As if daring me to take it.
With my current reflexes, I could snatch it instantly, but I’d surely get swallowed by the house the moment I extended my hand.
I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such a simple trap.
‘…Sigh, what should I do?’
Tirpione’s desire was clear.
For me to become her owner and be together with her.
No matter how much I spoke, her will didn’t waver, so out of frustration, I asked her why.
At my question, Tirpione blushed, resting a hand on her cheek and twisted her body bashfully.
“W-Well… it’s because the girl… fell for you at first sight!”
It was an utterly incomprehensible reason.
Fell for me?
At first sight?
This chubby, ugly-looking Ken Feinstein?
Oh, thinking back, I did lose some weight.
But even so, that didn’t change the fact that I’m still ugly.
‘Is Egosoth’s taste weird…?’
Or maybe she’s drawn to my crafting skills.
In any case, it became clear that the conversation reached a deadlock, and time was running short.
The portal was about to open soon.
“Hey, Tirpione. Can I ask a few more questions?”
At that moment, I decided to abandon persuasion and shift to extracting information instead.
And at my question, Tirpione blushed and replied delicately.
“If it’s the girl’s first time… then not yet…”
“Not what I asked?!”
Startled, I coughed lightly and continued with a serious question.
“Being a cursed sword, if you go outside, monsters are attracted to you.”
“That’s right?”
“So does that mean you get attacked by monsters?”
This was the one thing I’d always wondered since meeting Tirpione.
In the game, bringing out her actual form would get you instantly devoured by monsters.
So, did she get attacked too?
She smiled and looked at me.
“Hehe, Master is too kind. You needn’t worry; I’m not targeted by monsters. They just gather around.”
“Hmmm…”
Her response made me cross my arms and ponder deeply.
“Have you tried that yourself?”
“Of course. I don’t just stay inside all the time—oops.”
“So you can go outside then?”
“Ugh!”
Having seen her never leave the house since I’d escaped, I initially thought she couldn’t.
But it seemed she was just waiting for me.
After all, if capturing me was her goal, she’d normally pursue me the moment I stepped outside.
‘…There’s definitely something in that house.’
“Hmph! But you’ll have to come in anyway!”
Though flustered, she tried not to show it and smiled while shaking the stone tablet again.
The key I desperately needed.
“This is a must for you, right? You won’t be able to get it without coming inside, will you?”
Mockingly, she laughed.
I paused and considered her consistent demeanor for a moment.
Then I sorted my thoughts and opened my eyes.
“Alright, I’ve made my decision.”
“…Huh? What do you mean?”
“I give up on the key.”
“…Huh?”
Tirpione stared at me blankly.
But upon understanding my words, she quickly started panicking.
“W-Wait, Master! You need that, don’t you?!”
“I do. But I can’t be stuck here for the rest of my life.”
“B-but, that means…”
“I’m going to give up on the key and leave this place.”
I pointed to somewhere in the sky.
A ray of green light pierced brightly above.
That was the portal.
It was time for the exit to open.
I’d hoped my companions were holding off any incoming monsters.
I couldn’t waste any more time.
Seeing my unexpected response, Tirpione’s face lost color as she grew frantic.
I gently reached out to her.
“Tirpione.”
“…Y-yes?”
“Let’s go together.”
I said earnestly.
Tirpione stared at me blankly.
“B-but Master, if you take me, the monsters will swarm!”
“I know, so I’ve thought it through.”
I gazed at the portal’s light overhead.
“The strategy is to dash toward that portal the instant you come out with me.”
“T-that… Master, there will be much more monsters than you think! Let’s just stay here together…!”
“No. This is the best option.”
I shook my head.
I extended my hand even further, urging her to take it.
“I’ll become your master. So trust me and come with me.”
“…Ah.”
Her trembling hand reached toward mine.
“Are you sure this is alright?”
She asked cautiously.
To which I firmly nodded.
“If I’m with you, we can surely overcome everything.”
Her smile returned at my confident answer, and Tirpione finally grasped my hand.
“Oh, Tirpione. Can you give me the key too?”
“Ah, yes! Here it is!”
She beamed as she held her stone tablet tightly.
I accepted it and put the key into my Subspace Pocket.
“Let’s go!”
“Yes! Master!”
At her response, she entered her core.
Suddenly, her hand that was in mine transformed into the sword’s hilt.
“…Huh.”
I slowly pulled the sword from the house.
As I crossed the threshold of the magical barrier of the door, I felt a slight resistance as I withdrew the sword.
And thus, Tirpione stepped out of the house anchoring her magical energy.
[ KAAAHHHH!! ]
Thud thud thud!!
Immediately, the howls of monsters rang out, and countless footsteps began shaking the ground.
“Alright! You good? Tirpione.”
[ Yes! Master! I’m ready to act according to your will at all times! ]
Feeling her pleased response—
“Good to hear.”
I smiled mixed with guilt.
[ …Huh? M-Master? ]
I took a stance for throwing my spear.
[ W-Wait! Master?! ]
“Sorry, but no way I’m facing that many monsters head-on…”
Then I swung my hand.
With the strength gained immensely from my diet, Tirpione, who left my hand, soared through the air.
[ M-Masterrrrr!! ]
She soon fell into a forest far off.
[ KAAAHHHH!! ]
Along with that, the cries of monsters and the ground-shaking sound faded away.
‘I’m sorry! I had no choice!’
If I delay any longer, the portal might close.
I felt guilty for deceiving her, but she wouldn’t be attacked by monsters, and I’m sure she’d be able to turn back into her spirit form and return home.
With that resolved, I dashed toward the portal, leaving her behind.
