“You have a normal face and physique, but it’s a shame to kill you, woman. However, this is an order, so don’t take it personally.”
“No, don’t come any closer!”
Rachel, terrified of the soldier approaching her with intent to kill, backed away little by little. However, her knees gave out midway, and she collapsed on the spot.
“My knees have gone weak, I can’t move anymore.”
“You won’t die, little brat!”
“Nooo!”
The Duchy’s Soldier raised his sword to cleave Rachel’s neck, aiming to swing it from the side.
“Akaneee!!! Gak-!”
“O-Older brother!!!”
At that moment, Kent, who had approached unnoticed, leaped out in front of Rachel and positioned himself between her and the Duchy’s Soldier. The sword, swung horizontally to behead Rachel, struck Kent’s abdomen, sending him flying.
“Master!”
“Keeeent!”
Al and Otsupain, seeing Kent blown away, cried out in surprise at the sudden turn of events.
“Tch, I cut something strange. There’s nothing to shield you this time.”
“Youuuu! How dare you hurt Kent!”
” ” “Cap- Captain!” ” ”
As the Duchy’s Soldier was about to swing his sword at Rachel again, one woman leaped out from a group of Holy Knights of the Kingdom. Tears streaming down her face, she charged at the Duchy’s Soldier who had struck down Kent, like a demon.
“Only you, I will not forgive you.”
“Guh.”
Otsupain swung her sword and cut down the Duchy’s Soldier, armor and all.
“Pant, pant, pant. Even doing this won’t bring Kent back, and I let my emotions get the better of me. I’m unfit to be a captain. Hey, Lady Rachel, are you alright? Oh, she’s not here.”
Otsupain came to her senses and tried to call out to Rachel, whom Kent had saved by sacrificing himself, but she had vanished.
“What? What the-!”
As Otsupain looked around for Rachel, something coiled around her.
“Vines? Ah, it’s Al’s magic.”
Otsupain realized it was vines summoned by Al and stopped trying to break free. The vines moved wrigglingly and carried Otsupain to where the Holy Knights were.
“Captain, please don’t do anything reckless.”
“My apologies.”
When Otsupain returned to the Holy Knights, the vines dissolved and disappeared. Though her actions were inappropriate for a captain, the Holy Knights welcomed her warmly without complaint.
“Otsupain-sama may have been able to return on her own, but I brought her back on my own initiative just in case.”
“Ah, thank you. Oh, and what happened to Kent?”
“Master has also been retrieved and is resting in the rear.”
Otsupain thanked Al, who had retrieved her, and asked about Kent.
“Older brother, please be alright, hey, hey!”
“Hm? I should have been attacked in the abdomen, but it’s strange that there’s no bleeding.”
When Otsupain went to check on Kent, she found Rachel crying and calling his name. She too had been retrieved by Al’s vines and brought to this location. Otsupain regained her composure and looked at Kent again. After such an attack, it would not be strange for his upper and lower body to be separated, but strangely, although his academy uniform was torn, there were no major external injuries and no bleeding.
“May I?”
“Otsupain-san, what are you doing?”
Otsupain called out to Rachel, who was crying and leaning over Kent, and gently separated her from him.
“Hey, wake up.”
*Slap, slap*
Judging that there were no significant external injuries, Otsupain lightly slapped Kent’s cheek a few times.
“Hm? Hm? Here, right, I was cut in the stomach, but… huh? It doesn’t hurt.”
Kent’s slap awakened Kent. He touched where he had been cut but felt no pain.
“Older brother, I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“Yes, I’m truly relieved. For a moment there, I didn’t know what would happen, but I’m relieved now.”
Rachel and Otsupain, confirming Kent’s safety, spoke with relief.
“So, this is what protected me.”
Kent took out something he always kept close to him. It was a terminal, a device he received from God when he was reincarnated into this world, that allowed him to order products and services from the Home Center where he worked part-time in his previous life.
“The screen is cracked. My older brother’s precious terminal is like this for my sake…”
“This terminal saved both our lives, so it can’t be helped. But the screen doesn’t display anything, and it doesn’t respond to any input. It seems completely broken.”
Kent’s terminal had a cracked screen and the body was bent unnaturally in the direction it seemed to have taken the sword’s impact. Seeing this, Rachel realized the irretrievable damage and was distraught. Kent tried to turn the device on, but the screen remained blank, and it showed no reaction at all. Kent tried to appear calm to avoid worrying Rachel, but he was deeply shaken internally, having lost a precious item that had been his companion and connected him to many things since coming to this world.
“You may have many things on your mind, but for now, let’s be glad that you two are safe, and focus on dealing with the enemies in front of us. We can discuss the rest later, calmly, together.”
“You’re right. Our priority now is to deal with these guys. I will never forgive them for trying to harm my sister, nor for killing Emily.”
“Huh? So that’s why the first floor of the shop is damaged?”
At Otsupain’s words, Kent decided to focus solely on the enemies before them. Rachel, upon hearing about Emily, whom Kent had mentioned with resolve, was surprised. Seeing the first floor of Marie’s Bakery, which likely contained Emily’s main body, destroyed, she understood everything.
“Ah, we have something useful here. I’ll borrow it for a bit.”
Rachel said so and picked up a megaphone that was placed by the temple wall.
“Kuuuoooraaa, Cedric! I will absolutely not forgive what you’ve done! Just because your face is handsome, don’t get cocky while you still can! I’m going to beat you black and blue, so you better be prepared!”
Using the megaphone, Rachel shouted her current feelings towards the Duchy’s Army.
“We won’t forgive you for hurling insults at Lord Rick.”
“I’ll beat that ugly woman to a pulp for you.”
“What a vulgar woman. You’ll regret speaking such abusive words to Lord Rick.”
“Eek!”
All the members of the Magic Squad led by Cedric were women, and they were intimately involved with him. Insulted their beloved man, they sent killing gazes, excluding the male soldiers belonging to different units within the Royal Castle Infiltration Unit. The members of the Magic Squad then directed their murderous intent towards Rachel, who shivered involuntarily.
“I heard rumors, but he’s actually got all of them?”
“Building a harem, how enviable.”
“Our unit is all men, so we don’t even get to meet anyone.”
The male soldiers of the Duchy, witnessing this, envied Cedric.
“Oh, it looks like the magic attacks are concentrating in one area. Let’s thicken our defenses to protect Lady Rachel, and those who are free should target the male soldiers who can be defeated with conventional weapons.”
” ” “Ooh!” ” ”
Thanks to Rachel’s provocation, the magic attacks concentrated on her. Otsupain, not missing this opportunity, deployed the Holy Knights to protect Rachel and ordered those free to target the male soldiers who could be dealt with by normal attacks.
“You fool! Don’t fall for their provocation.”
“Wha-!”
“Ugh-”
“Kk, too late.”
Cedric noticed that his own forces’ attacks were falling for the bait and concentrating in one spot, and issued an order. However, because the Holy Knights had moved faster under Otsupain’s command, Cedric’s order was too late, and the male soldiers were defeated one after another.
“Well done. Return immediately.”
Otsupain recalled the attacking Holy Knights before the enemy could counterattack.
