“This is finally getting fun!”
There’s nothing fun about it. I’m the one giving out rewards. I went too far saying “as you wish.”
A gale ripped past my right side. Even the armor of a fully-equipped Orc was like paper against Priscilla’s super-vibrating halberd.
“Did you say something!”
She decapitated the Orc and then, like it was a baseball bat, swung the halberd, sending its head flying towards me. Priscilla is just too amusing. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Every swing of Priscilla’s halberd extinguished a life. Swords, shields, even armor couldn’t stop it. It was like watching a bad joke.
During guard duty once, I blocked her halberd with a used sword. I was fine then. She must have been holding back the super-vibration. Despite everything, I love gentle Priscilla. …Hey, don’t send its head flying again!
We, who could be called the Nebel Bridge defense force, were fighting valiantly thanks to Priscilla’s great success and Rufina’s area-of-effect magic that even caught allies, but Orcs and Adventurers’ corpses littered the bridge, and we were losing our footing.
The monsters, though suffering heavy losses, did not stop their advance, and we had no choice but to retreat.
“How many are there?! There’s no end to them!”
As we retreated and the fog gradually cleared, the full picture of the watchtower came into view. Black smoke rose from what appeared to be the magic cannon emplacement, and the outer walls of the tower bore stark, black marks from bombardment.
The fog over the bridge connecting to Nordland was also clearing, revealing Orcs, Trolls, giant boar-like creatures, six-legged monstrosities, and even Sand Dragons marching in formation in the distance.
This… this is definitely overloaded. A Sand Dragon must be incredibly heavy. For all of this to be on top of it, how durable must it have been built? Old things were always built so robustly, they’re impossible to deal with.
I poked and prodded at the gaps in the Orc’s armor in front of me, and with a simple super-vibration from my shield, sent it flying without any fanfare. But if Trolls start showing up, my skills won’t work. Facing a Troll with a used sword puts me at a disadvantage.
While I was pondering how to defeat a Troll rather than the Orc in front of me, a large explosion echoed from higher up the watchtower.
Did they fire?! I thought, and looked towards the distance of the bridge, but there was no impact. That wasn’t the sound of a magic cannon firing, it was an explosion.
Looking back at the watchtower, even more black smoke billowed out. Did they fail?! Orietta and Alana are up there. What if they were caught in the explosion…
What should I do? I’m worried about Orietta and Alana, but I can’t leave this place and leave it to Priscilla. Ordering a charge would undoubtedly lead to annihilation.
“Priscilla, Priscilla! Go to the watchtower! Get Orietta and Alana and head to the South Gate first!”
“Don’t you order me around! What about us?”
“We’ll manage somehow, so go! Rufina, Rossa, engage! All out!”
“Don’t you die!”
“Ah… I see a lake of blood forming… Rossa!”
If I leave Orietta and Alana to Priscilla, they’ll be fine. Rufina, a lake of blood is too much.
“Long time no see, Mikael.”
Yeah, it has been a while. I’m busy dodging an Orc’s sword right now, so use magic before greeting me.
Priscilla’s absence leaves a big gap, but not for the safety of Orietta and Alana. I trust them to be alright, but that large plume of black smoke is really bothering me.
“Rufina, Rossa, create a poison swamp. Buy us time to retreat.”
“You’re a demanding master.”
“It’s been a while, can’t we take it a bit easier?”
Hurry up!
“We’re retreating! Fall back to the gate at the base of the bridge! Go! Retreat!”
The defense force, clearly at a disadvantage, retreated one after another.
“■■■■, poison swamp. Toxin multiplier x1000.”
“■■■■, poison swamp. Toxin multiplier x10000.”
The vanguard Orcs of the Demon Army screamed as they sank into the deep, murky green swamp that had formed at their feet. They couldn’t retreat, the poison swamp spread faster. The bridge, exuding a rotten stench, was enveloped in a pale, stagnant mist.
“Rossa! How dare you emit more poison than your master!”
“My apologies. I haven’t seen Mikael in so long, I got a little carried away.”
For now, it’s fine since no allies were caught. Also, let’s hurry and escape, this fighting is pointless. That dangerous white mist from earlier is drifting this way.
I scooped up the light Rufina and the curvaceous Rossa and used Godspeed to retreat to the gate, but they were surprisingly heavy. Rufina was still light, but Rossa, when she’d put on weight, was the same as an adult woman.
I’m happy she kept her word about putting on weight, but my strength is barely above average. The two of them were really heavy. But since they went to the trouble of putting on weight… *squeeze*…
“Nnngh…”
Such good meat. She was a Lifeless King with only bones originally, so maybe she can put on muscle wherever she wants.
“What are you doing!”
It’s called skinship. I put them down, dodged a knife flying towards my face with Godspeed, and removed my hand from Rossa’s ample chest.
“Ugh…”
A poison-tipped knife, was it? Adventurer, I’m sorry. The knife I dodged hit an Adventurer in front of me, but I can’t afford to lose my eyes.
“Stop with the poison, you’ll kill more people.”
“Rossa, they’re coming this way!”
Rossa’s gaze, which I reluctantly broke away from, sent a shiver down my spine. This is what you call sexy. As she left, I gave her behind a squeeze.
“You bastard, not once, but twice…”
It’s not something I can pass off as a joke. I might have overdone it… But I couldn’t help it. Honestly, I’d rather be lounging on a beach sunbathing than fighting to the death on this bridge.
If things were different, I’d be playing with Priscilla in her string bikini or Christine in her halter-neck bikini… Huh?
Rufina’s right arm, the one holding the knife she threw at me earlier. Her skin was visible all the way up to her upper arm. Rufina is wearing her black Nec robe, but she usually wears dark, long-sleeved clothing underneath…
Godspeed! Mode Two!
Don’t call it wasted Godspeed. I stood before Rufina at blinding speed and unfurled her robe all at once.
Oh, no! The other side reacted like that. Rufina, under the robe, was already wearing a black monokini.
“Wh-What are you doing?”
The modest neckline tickled my male heart. The swimsuit, with its large opening revealing her navel, was a forbidden technique, showing without revealing. Her childlike physique, far from being sensual, gave the impression of a child striving to become an adult woman, which made my heart leap.
“You’re just going to laugh because it doesn’t suit me.”
Why would I do such a thing? It’s wonderful. While someone with Rossa’s body would indeed exude more allure in that swimsuit, Rufina’s youthful figure combined with the swimsuit’s sexiness creates a delightful duality.
“You look cute. You decided to wear it! It suits you so well… Ah!”
A heavily armored knight slammed on the brakes and kicked up pebbles towards us.
“What are you doing, you scoundrel!”
Huh? I’m looking at Rufina in her swimsuit. Can’t you see? This isn’t the time for war. I won’t let you see. I pulled Rufina’s robe back down, hiding her swimsuit.
“Mercenary, White Lily Corps, Captain Mikael Sin, Baron of the Asht Empire. And you are?”
The well-built man with a large spear raised his face guard and glared as he replied.
“Annihilation Brigade, Baron of Asht?! What are you doing here… I am Lamprecht Zickswalt, Knight Commander of Lauenstein, Baron of the Kingdom of Harmonia. What business do you have here!”
I-I told you, I’m looking at Rufina’s swimsuit! You’re interrupting, so I could only see a little. If you get in my way any further, I’ll send you to God!
“Monsters are attacking across the Nebel Bridge. For now, their advance is stalled by poison magic, but they will attack soon. You should close the gate and prepare your defenses.”
“What nonsense! We have never closed the Nebel Bridge gate before! You people stand aside, we Lauenstein heavy knights will scatter those monsters!”
You’re the one who told me to say it. Can’t you see the smoke coming from the magic cannon? The other side of the bridge is obscured by poison smoke, but beyond that, monsters are lined up as far as the eye can see.
“Retreat! Let’s go, Lauenstein heavy knights, follow me!”
My words are often ignored. I’m used to being ignored, but I can’t get used to this feeling of unease.
“Rufina, Rossa, dispel the poison. The cavalry is coming through.”
“There are no allies who are going to die.”
“Since they are ignoring Mikael-sama’s advice, I think it’s fine as it is.”
Please, hurry and dispel it. With a thousand times the poison, just breathing this air feels like my lungs will rot.
“Hurry! Have you forgotten the reward!?”
The words I didn’t want to say moved Rufina. I’ll gloss over the reward later.
“Though it’s trivial, for the reward. ■■■■, Purify.”
“As my Lord wishes. ■■■■, Purify.”
They couldn’t dispel the poison-laden mist, but the Lauenstein heavy knights charged across the bridge. Deploying cavalry in such a narrow space suggests they have a reasonable chance of success.
However, the monster ranks stretched across the Nebel Bridge to Nordland, filling it completely.
