Chapter 139 – I will protect you.
Chapter 137
The tentacles of the demons stretched out to the floor. Dozens of tentacles were directed at the saints, including me.
SeoGung! Chew!
As I slashed these obnoxious tentacles away from Celine and Saint Cynthia, Celine shouted.
“Kyaaak! Hero!!”
“Huh?”
Looks like it wasn’t all cut. Celine’s right leg was tied to her tentacles. Seeing that, I tried to run right away, but these monsters wouldn’t let me go.
The monsters stretch out countless tentacles again. I slashed the tentacles once more, but once again the tentacles remained. This time, Celine’s arms were caught.
Grabbing her arms and legs, Celine was slowly lifted. Thanks to that, her posture was a bit… Like that. Celine screamed in bewilderment.
“Yo, hero! Aren’t you leaving it on purpose!?”
…No.
It was because there were too many of them. The range I can handle is limited, but the tentacles come down from all sides… Only then does it feel endless.
“Celine, be patient.”
“Yes!?”
“I think I should aim for the main body.”
That way these damn tentacles don’t extend. I jumped at the tentacles that stretched out once again. I roughly cut off only the tentacles that were heading towards me, and ran while riding using the remaining tentacles as support.
“I reached it.”
And finally, the large eyeballs attached to the ceiling came within range. I grabbed the holy sword and swung it wide.
Aww!!!
“Grumble.”
“Ooh, sh*t.”
The holy sword cut down monsters like flowing water without any feeling of getting caught.
When I cut off the eyeballs stuck in the ceiling, the bodies of the monsters embedded in the ceiling boiled like boiling water.
“…Really disgusting.”
The guy who strangled Celine’s limbs isn’t dead yet. I headed for the other guy using the hardened tentacles of the dying monsters as a stepping stone.
When the sword strikes were over, the movement of the guys stuck in the ceiling stopped. It looks gross, but I don’t think it’s particularly strong. Celine, who was captured, was not particularly injured…
“Yo, hero…!”
“Huh?”
Celine still had her limbs lifted. Come to think of it, I forgot that when these guys die, their tentacles harden.
I quickly approached Celine, who was in a strange posture, to drop her off.
“I’ll drop you off.”
“Yes…Yes…”
Perhaps Celine was also aware of the position she was in, and answered in an embarrassing voice.
When I cut off the tentacles that had ensnared Celine with her holy sword, her body, which had been held a little high, slumped downwards. I quickly reached out and supported her body so she wouldn’t bump her butt.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes, thanks to the hero.”
Perhaps because of holding her by the waist, Celine blushed slightly.
…It’s kind of cute.
After raising Celine, I turned my gaze to Mother. I saw Mother muttering to herself as if the screw was still missing.
But now he was just saying things that I couldn’t understand. It’s like hearing a foreign language for the first time. I asked Alicia.
“Alicia, what is she talking about?”
“…Means nothing. I’m just making weird noises by myself because I’m crazy.”
“Ah…”
Sir, then there is no more information to obtain.
Of course, it wasn’t that I didn’t get any information at all. I did get some very important information. The reason why the demon king wants to capture me is because he wants to ask me something.
“…What are you going to ask me?”
I threw a question at Mother as if talking to myself, but Mother, who had already become a madman, did not answer me.
“Tsk.”
I raised the holy sword high. And hit it hard Mother’s hard outer shell was mercilessly torn apart by the sharpness of the holy sword, and Mother, who had gone mad after losing her child, died just like that.
“…Let’s go back.”
There won’t be any strange-looking monsters appearing here anymore. I turned around to get out of the nest with Celine and Saint Cynthia.
“Alicia, aren’t you coming?”
“Ugh, huh? I’m going!”
Alicia, who had been absentmindedly in her seat for a while, answered quickly and followed her. Do you feel sympathy because you are the same mother?
“Are you sorry?”
“Oh, no. If I hadn’t made the offer to you, I just thought I would be like that.”
“…Really?”
#
When we came out, Elfriede welcomed our return.
“All right. I’m so glad.”
“…Where is Estelle?”
I heard roughly what was going on outside, so I immediately looked for Estelle. Elfriede pointed to the shade of a nearby tree.
“He is resting.”
Below was Estelle, who was sleeping on a blanket. I quickly approached her and checked her condition. The soft sound of his breathing tickled his ears.
…You’re just sleeping. I don’t see any pain anywhere right now.
“Elfriede, did Estelle use ‘power’?”
“…I thought Goddess Solaria had descended. Is a true saintess able to use such power in the first place?”
“…Yes.”
“It was an incredible force. The Agares-class knight-type monster was subdued in an instant.”
…I guess so. It’s because he uses the power of the goddess Solaria ‘directly’. She was obviously a mighty power, but it was not good for Estelle to keep using that power.
It takes a price to bring great power. In return for using the divine power directly, Estelle’s divine power will gradually weaken.
“…I was supposed to be there.”
“Abel, even if you were there, the situation might have been the same. To put it bluntly… In fact, only Saint Estelle was able to deal with that monster here.”
Agares-class knight-type monster. It was unexpected from the appearance of such a guy, but at that level?
“I also beat an Amon-class knight-type monster.”
“…I know. I mean, it must have been difficult.”
“…Well, that’s why Estelle must have used her strength.”
If I was at a level I could deal with, Estelle would have taken care of it with her s*xual skills. I lightly brushed Estelle’s flowing bangs.
“Since when have you been sleeping?”
“It’s been less than an hour now.”
“Um.”
Then it would be better to take a break.
“We camp nearby.”
“Yes, you are not hurt either, right?”
“Yes, I am fine.”
There were only strange-looking monsters in the nest, and none were that dangerous. None of those who went with me were hurt.
In order not to wake Estelle from her sleep, she made a temporary camp near her. She made a campfire and spread a blanket near the shade to make a bed.
From noble mtl dot com.
“What should I do with rice?”
Honestly, I didn’t think it would take this long, so I didn’t have enough food to last another day. Then Elfriede spoke.
“I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be back too.”
“Me too.”
Celine, Cynthia, and Elfriede left for a while, saying they would come to find food. Thanks to that, only me, Alicia, and Estelle, who slept soundly, were left at the campsite.
“…Alicia.”
“Huh?”
“Is there anything the demon king should ask a human?”
“…I don’t know that either. Even if you want to predict, there is nothing to guess. It’s strange that my father is interested in a certain person, but the fact that he wants to ask something…”
I asked, slightly surprised.
“Is it strange that you pay attention? Originally, the demon king had no interest in the warriors either?”
“Ugh, yes. It was originally like that. He was someone who didn’t really care how active your warriors were. It must have been about four months ago that such a father suddenly gave the order to bring you.”
…Four months? It was before I even took down the high-risk monster in earnest. It was the time when I met Celine… It was the time when I was beating up high-ranking monsters.
“… Huh?”
Wait, then the fact that the demon king gave such an order…You mean it was a time when I was slowly emerging as a hero? The time when my name started to be known to people coincided with the time when the demon king gave the order to capture me.
Is it a coincidence? Or something…
“Ugh…”
“Estel!?”
I called her urgently at the sound of her voice coming from her blanket. Estelle blinked her eyes, glanced at me, and raised the corners of her mouth slightly.
“Abel, you are safe♡”
“…Are you okay? I heard You used your strength…”
Estelle said, slowly raising her body.
“It’s okay. Her head hurt a little earlier, but she’s fine now.”
“…I’ve never used my strength before.”
When Estelle drew her divine power, she had never felt her head hurt as much as she does now. If so, wouldn’t she be proof that Estelle is getting weaker? I have such an uneasy feeling.
But Estelle chuckled and smiled mischievously as she told me.
“…Abel, are you worried about me?”
“Of course.”
“It’s okay. It will still be enough to protect Abel♡”
“…!”
At those words, my expression hardened a bit. The word ‘still’ came to me a little differently. It sounded like they wouldn’t be able to protect me next time.
…Was that weak already?
“…You don’t need to protect me, Estelle.”
“Yes?”
I saw Estelle. Maybe it’s an illusion that comes from her insecurities, but she looks a little thinner today. I gently held her hand. Perhaps because she suddenly took her hand, Estelle reacted a little cutely.
“Huh…”
“…Now I will protect Estelle.”
“…Yes?”
“As much as Estelle becomes weak, I just need to become stronger. So you don’t have to think about protecting me.”
Estelle’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Looking at her like that, I talked.
“I am no longer a poor fellow. With a little more effort, we can be sure to protect Estelle.”
Yeah, it doesn’t matter if she’s weak. It’s enough if I work hard and become stronger. Just as her Estelle protected and helped her when I was weak, now I just need to protect and help her.
Estelle, who was still looking at me with round eyes, slowly curled the corners of her eyes. Her eyebrows curved like crescent moons and the corners of her lips slightly pulled up. And she talked like she was lovely.
“…Ah, it’s so cute♡ I’m dying&”
“Yes?”
“When did you grow up like this, you say all the arrogant things about protecting me~♡”
Are you cocky? This b*tch… I was thinking of you.
“I’m happy&”
“…Yes?”
Estelle said, holding her hand that I had gently held.
“I’m glad that Abel can say such a cheeky thing& I guess I raised Abel into a proper warrior~♡”
Estelle said that and she smiled very happily. Her tone was cocky, but her smile was not cocky at all.
I nodded slowly. Then, affirming her words, he smiled slowly.
“You raised me properly, saintess.”
Until now, you have protected and raised me… I will protect you from now on.