Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 10 - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Knight Joins the Fray

“Fiiiinally.”

A cold, penetrating voice shook the thinning mist. I came through the house’s broken door, where an ogre awaited me.

“You done stalling with this goddamn fog?” Edgar asked, his sword resting on his shoulder.

“I’m out of mana, unfortunately,” I answered honestly.

He’d have found out right away even if I’d tried to hide it. I couldn’t use the Misty Lodge anymore. My mana and stamina were exhausted, and even walking was tiresome.

Edgar noticed my limp as I came out. His sword drooped as if he’d lost interest. “Strolling out here in that state means you’re ready to meet your maker, then?” he said, sighing, disappointment clear in his voice.

The Holy Order’s goal was to kill me, but this guy only cared about fighting. Though I’d put up a bit of a fight, I was now in a pitiful state, so seeing me definitely blew the wind right out of his sails.

Kei and Ayame, who’d been holding them back until now, leaned over the edge of the roof and called out to me.

“Takahiro! It’s dangerous!”

“Kuu!”

“Stand back, Kei, Ayame. It’s all right now,” I said, taking a step outside.

“What a letdown,” Edgar said with a snort. “Zoltan, you can take all the glory.” He said it with disinterest, but no response came. Edgar turned to him with a dubious look. “What’s up, Zoltan?”

“It can’t be. This is...” Zoltan muttered, his voice trembling. He still hadn’t noticed Edgar’s call. For some reason, he was extremely shocked. His eyes, staring my way, looked unfocused. I cocked my head, while Edgar clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Tch. If you’re not feeling it, then fine, I’ll—”

Just as Edgar casually took a step forward, a quiet voice resounded through the area.

“There’s no need to hurry, is there?”

That was all it took to make known who exactly she was.

“I shall serve as your opponent.”

“You’re...”

The ogre, who was about to turn his irritation into violence, came to a stop. An elf with an eyepatch came out of the building behind me. She wasn’t wearing armor, and she wasn’t carrying a shield. She was dressed no different from a village girl, but she had a sword in hand, and the atmosphere surrounding her eloquently demonstrated who she was.

“Lady Shiran!” Edgar exclaimed, his bewildered expression changing to one of fiendish glee. “Is that so?! You’ll fight me?! Now this is what I’m talking about!”

His voice was full of heartfelt joy. Shiran took a step in front of me, and Edgar spread out his arms, welcoming her.

“I heard you got all weak,” he said, “but lookee here, you’ve got some real fight in you. Were you maybe buying time to get her ready? If so, it was a great plan. Let me praise you. Looks like things are gonna get fun!”

Even with the threat of mortal combat right before him, Edgar screamed with unbearable delight. His surging fighting spirit shook the air like an electric current.

“Hey, you’re all pissed that your countrymen got killed, yeah? Then throw all that anger at me! Entertain me with your frantic struggle as the strongest knight of the northern Woodlands!”

The blazing heat from his eyes was focused entirely on Shiran. He was an ogre who lived only for battle. His stare was enough to render any normal person unconscious, so the average soldier wouldn’t be able to maintain their willpower. Even if one had the guts to stand before him, it would be difficult to avoid getting swallowed up by those eyes. A savior’s descendant, the Battle Ogre Edgar Guivarch certainly lived up to his name.

Perhaps this was all a part of the Battle Ogre’s superpower. However, Shiran regarded the ogre’s howl like a gentle breeze and quietly readied her sword.

“I do not wield my sword to exact vengeance,” she said.

“Huh?”

“I devote my essence to the savior. A knight’s sword exists only to protect what it must. I doubt I will ever wield my blade in anger again.”

Unlike Edgar, there was nothing overbearing about her stance, yet the air enveloping her possessed a strength unaffected by the ogre’s bloodlust.

“That’s why I only wield my sword now for the sake of protecting what I must,” Shiran said, raising the tip of her blade. “In accordance with my oath, I shall exhaust everything this body has to offer. You shall not pass.”

Her fighting spirit was breathtaking. She was like a sword, her steely resolve a sharp blade at her enemy’s throat.

“Bring it on,” Edgar said, smiling. “Hey, Zoltan. How long you gonna zone out?”

This time, Zoltan responded. “Sorry... I’m fine now.”

Was it simply impossible to remain in a daze in this strained atmosphere? Zoltan’s grip on his sword was firm again. I would’ve preferred he stay there stupefied the whole time, but things weren’t going to be that easy. In fact, Zoltan’s next words were the complete opposite of what I’d hoped for.

“Edgar. I’m going all out.”

“What?”

“It’s necessary,” Zoltan said, lowering his eyelids before muttering, “I need to see this through.”

What did he mean? He opened his eyes once more, and though I didn’t see any obvious change, something felt off.

“What was that...?” I murmured.

For a single instant, I felt the mental path quiver. It probably wasn’t intentional on his part, but rather some kind of reciprocal interference. Abilities of similar nature rejected each other much like magnets of the same polarity.

My power could form a connection with a monster’s heart. Zoltan likely had an ability that also affected the heart—not that I knew what it was—and he was using it to its maximum potential. How much of the original would he be able to bring to the fore? Considering Travis and Edgar as examples, his power was presumably something far out there.

“Takahiro,” Shiran said, a heartwarming and unconditional trust in her voice, along with pure affection. “Please watch closely.”

She took a step forward. In response, Zoltan lowered his stance.

“Sir Zoltan Michalek of the All-Seeing Eye,” he announced. “Prepare yourself!”

Shiran casually strode forward as Zoltan charged. Edgar, his sword still resting on his shoulder, took a wait-and-see approach. This wasn’t a duel; he was ready to take advantage of any openings.

Zoltan wasn’t just a sacrificial pawn, of course. He’d also received the best combat training the world had to offer as a knight. In battle, his slender sword weaved in and out like a phantom, and even though the weight behind his strikes was much lighter than Edgar’s, he showed no openings while he prodded at his enemy’s weaknesses, as if he could read their mind.

He also understood that this was no one-on-one duel. Immediately after lunging at Shiran, he shot a quick glance my way. He was wordlessly informing Shiran that if she acted carelessly, that which she was trying to protect would be in danger. That simple act narrowed Shiran’s options considerably.

Now that he demonstrated the full extent of a savior’s superpower, Zoltan’s combat abilities far surpassed what he’d shown me. Yet he wasn’t being negligent either. He was definitely one of the strongest knights among the—

“I already told you. You shall not pass.”

“Hrk?!”

As they crossed, Shiran’s sword easily cut him down.

She’d defeated him with a single blow. Even if he could read minds, it became irrelevant against an opponent of such skill. Blood sprayed in the air as Zoltan collapsed.

“Wh...at...?”

There was no opening to take advantage of at all. Edgar’s eyes shot open as Shiran pointed the tip of her blade at him.

“Lady Shiran of Aker,” she announced in turn. “Prepare yourself.”