Crying won’t start anything. I grit my teeth against the pain and shed tears.
First, I need to stop the bleeding. Thanks to the demon blood flowing within me, the wound will close if I just stay still. For now, I need to hide somewhere and avoid being found by the Demon Army.
I cut off both sleeves of my clothes and tied them above my severed Achilles tendon to stop the bleeding. The flow of blood lessened a bit, but the pain didn’t ease, nor could I move my leg.
I decided to illegally break into a nearby house and rest, crawling my way there. The tracks I left on the ground would be erased by the footprints of fleeing people. I entered the house, trying to lose as little blood as possible.
The deserted house was full of signs of life, as if someone had been living there until just moments ago. I managed to climb the stairs using a low crawl and collapsed in a random room.
The room was neatly organized. A faint sweet scent lingered. Was this a girl’s room? A perk of the job, it seems my luck hasn’t run out yet.
But that Yuma guy, I’ll kill him next time I see him. I knew he disliked me, but what was he thinking? What if something happens to Alna because of this?!
I want to curse Yuma Bashar, but I need to think about something else first. Where is Alna now, and what is she doing?
Even though Alna is so cute, she’s been through so many dangerous situations. Perhaps she became anxious because she couldn’t move her body and was alone. Is that why she escaped from the infirmary?
What would Alna do? Even if her body wasn’t cooperating, Alna would have headed towards the North Gate where we are. Even if she passed Orietta, she couldn’t move that fast.
But I couldn’t find Orietta. She must have searched the surroundings before bringing the injured. Alna is no longer near the infirmary.
She must have gone further towards the North Gate. Did she see us retreat then? If she did, would she have followed us?
My leg still hurts. My tears and blood have stopped, but anger is rising. Next time I see him, I’ll make him suffer the same way before killing him.
Even if Alna followed, she wouldn’t be able to catch up. Even if she moved to a point where the North Gate would be breached, it’s not that far, but the range from the infirmary to the North Gate would widen.
I’ll cut off both of Yuma’s legs and make him kiss the ground. After that, I might cut off his hands too. I’ll listen to his pleas for mercy from right to left.
If the North Gate is breached, Alna would surely hide in a nearby house. It would be a hassle to search house by house, but if she’s heading towards the North Gate from the infirmary via the shortest route, then the number of houses wouldn’t be too great.
I’ll make that Yuma guy beg for his life and scream before I cut off his head. Let him die regretting what he did. No, maybe I’ll kill him before he can regret it.
The only salvation is that Alna is a demi-human. Even if captured, she won’t suffer as badly as a human. The thought of something happening to Christine sends a shiver down my spine.
I waited, thinking about all sorts of things. My thoughts went from optimistic to pessimistic like a roller coaster, spinning around and around. Waiting was never this painful…
As night deepened, I stood up. My wound had closed, and the bleeding had stopped. The pain subsided, and I could run, even using Godspeed. Overusing it might reopen the wound, but I’ll pretend that’s not the case.
If my wound had closed, I would have wanted to leave immediately. But I hesitated. What could I do if I went now, without Godspeed?
My goal is to rescue Alna and help her escape. Fighting isn’t the objective, but even when I could move, I wondered if it was right to remain still.
Thinking about what might happen to Alna while I did nothing and waited for my Godspeed to recover, my self-questioning continued.
But it was worth the wait. My Godspeed is usable, and the Magic Power for the Sword of Light has been replenished to my capacity. Now, all that’s left is to find Alna and annihilate anything that stands in my way.
Annihilation doesn’t mean killing indiscriminately. I used Mind’s Eye to avoid Orcs and moved without being detected.
My first destination is the infirmary where we parted ways. From there, I’ll move towards the North Gate. After checking all the houses along the shortest route, I’ll head towards the central castle. If I still don’t find her… annihilation would be unavoidable.
Believing there would be fewer enemies along the walls than through the streets, I headed towards the western wall. I navigated through the town towards the infirmary, with Klinshvelbach Castle on my right.
On the way, I encountered an unavoidable group of Orcs. I didn’t have time to avoid them, so I annihilated them. I didn’t use the Sword of Light, but with Godspeed and Mind’s Eye, I gave them no chance to make a sound.
I’m fine with gore. If you’ve been a mercenary, you’ve seen blood. If you’re in the White Lily Corps, you see your own blood often. But I’m not good with gratuitous violence.
The Orcs I annihilated were apparently in the middle of a meal. A large pot was over a fire, bubbling with… people…
Are humans livestock to Orcs? They must have tastier things. I don’t deny cultural differences in diet, but this is unacceptable.
The thought of Alna being in such a state makes my Godspeed so fast that my leg pain intensifies. Alna must not be put in a pot. Alna tastes better eaten in bed. …Though I won’t share her with anyone.
In the town heading for the infirmary, I felt a large presence from my left. More than large, it felt like a lot of people. I went in that direction before heading to the infirmary. For some reason, it just felt like I should go there…
The large presence was human. They were likely prisoners of the Demon Army. Goblins stood guard around them, and they were all filthy, sitting with vacant eyes.
I want to save them… No such feeling arose within me. I came here to save only Alna, not these people.
Sorry, but if it’s Alna alone versus a thousand captured people, I’ll choose Alna without hesitation. I’m not a Hero, so if you want help, find someone else.
A demi-human made eye contact with me from behind a building. It wasn’t Alna. They seemed to have cat features like Alna, but taller and three times more alluring.
Their clothes were dirty, and their former beauty was nowhere to be seen on their faces. They seemed to look at me for help and reached out a hand towards me, but then their head drooped powerlessly. I didn’t know if they realized it was futile or didn’t want to trouble me.
If there was a demi-human here, I thought Alna might be among them, so I searched the entire area with Wide-Area Mind’s Eye. Towards the front, past the center, I saw familiar American Shorthair fur. Could it be Alna?!
They were lying face down, motionless. I focused my consciousness to see their face and found her. It’s Alna! I leaped from behind the building, using Godspeed. I annihilated three of the surrounding Goblins who were guarding and rushed to her side.
“Alna. I’ve come to get you.”
I said softly, as if waking a sleeping child. The Goblins would start making noise, but I could just kill them and run. Alna’s safety is the most important thing right now.
“C-Captain… I’m sorry. I c-couldn’t wait…”
I should have forced her to come with me. She must have been poisoned and crawled there, unable to move properly. Her clothes are dirty. I’ll get her out of here quickly and wash her.
“I’ll take you out of here right away. You can sleep, Alna.”
I replied, taking the outstretched hand. I have no business here anymore. She’s suffering from the poison, but I’ve treated her, so she’s safe to transport. I slung Alna over my shoulder and fled using Godspeed.
“H-Hey, take me too!”
Who are you? If you’re a man, figure it out yourself!
“T-Take me too!”
Maybe I can manage one more if I push myself.
“Take me away, and I’ll pay you.”
I want to have you cover my debt, but that’s too much weight.
“…”
Brat! Don’t look at me. It feels like I’m doing something wrong.
“C-Captain… What about the others…?”
My objective is only Alna. I’m even crossing a dangerous bridge for Alna. If I stay here, the women will be violated, and the men will be enslaved. Eventually, they’ll end up in an Orc’s stomach. I understand the desire to escape, but we’re over capacity.
“Alna, …I’m sorry.”
“No! No, Captain.”
What can one person do? How many prisoners are there here? The Goblin guards are starting to notice, and the citizens, unarmed, cannot fight. Acting rashly will only hasten their deaths.
“Alna, …I’m sorry.”
I gently lowered Alna from my back. Alana looked up at me in surprise. Did she think I was leaving her behind? Godspeed!
A gleaming black, familiar cockroach knight. Anted Knight, was it called? The hateful memory resurfaced. That perverted female demon, Alma Rosenberg.
I dodged the charging Anted Knight’s slash. I attacked with Godspeed, but it wasn’t even a fatal blow, nor did it reach her armor. A transparent membrane of magic defense clung to me, hindering me.
When I met her last time, even Godspeed worked. She added such troublesome magic defense, is this the Anted Knight’s true power?
“What a coincidence, what fate, to be drawn by a familiar scent to find my ‘husband’ here.”
I don’t feel any fate. I wish she would overlook me. She’s not a kind wife who would grant her husband’s wishes, though.
“Alma, it’s been a while. I need to get back to work, so I’d appreciate it if you could see me off to the gate.”
“Hahaha. Where my husband is, that’s where I’ll be. Let’s get married soon.”
Who would marry a demon?! I haven’t forgotten what you did to me. This time, I’ll kill you instead… Though with only Godspeed, I’ll struggle against the magic defense, but I won’t tell her that.
“C-Captain…”
How far can I escape carrying Alna? How far can I fight if we clash here… I should have gotten a Flashbang from Orietta.
“Oh, do you know each other? It seems you can’t move. What do you want to do? We can still fight before deciding.”
The Anted Knight hasn’t moved since the first strike. Is it because she knows my strength, or because Alma hasn’t given the order? If we continue to stare each other down, the disadvantage will remain the same.
“I don’t mind either. I’ve gained power on a different level than last time. Light!”
A beam saber formed, emitting high heat and blinding light. I can only sustain it for a short time with my magic power, but how effective will this bluff be?
“Oh, how scary. I only care about obtaining Mikael… That’s right! If Mikael stays here, I’ll let that girl go. Not only that, but I’m in charge of these prisoners, so I’ll give you that too.”
Such a generous offer! There’s always a catch to a good deal, and especially when it’s me. If Alna alone can be saved, I’ll stay.
It seems impossible to escape while protecting Alna against this many enemies. The fact that she’s offering the other humans too is proof that my strength is recognized to some extent.
Right now, I can barely use Godspeed, but if I can use Mode Three, I’ll be able to fight and escape. If I have to do something, it’s better to be alone and light.
“Keep your promise. —Alna, give this sword to Orietta. Replenish the magic power and have her make the grip a little thicker.”
“Captain, no…”
“I’ll be fine. It seems we’re having a wedding, so I won’t be killed. —Auntie over there, please take care of Alna…”
“It’s decided. —You lot, escort these prisoners out through the West Gate. Hurry up!”
Pushing past Alna, who tried to stop me, I walked towards Alma Rosenberg. I pray this choice isn’t wrong. For everyone to escape safely…
“Oh, we’re not out of the woods yet. Take off all your clothes. You have to prove you have nothing.”
As the prisoners were being driven out through the West Gate, I removed my clothes. They made me take it all off. At least let me keep my pants… My choice might have been wrong.
