Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 10 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Nestled Together

“Oooh!”

Edgar let out a hair-raising roar and closed in on Shiran. Manifesting the superpower of an ogre, his body was basically a mass of muscles now. He had a human shape, but the density of his muscles and the strength they produced was entirely inhuman.

“Hmph!”

He swung his sword. The slash came with an abnormal force that defied common sense even in this world, as if he were wielding a tree trunk. Even at this distance, I could feel its destructive potential on my skin, causing me to gulp. In terms of brute strength, Edgar was approaching the level of his ancestor who’d used this same superpower.

Nevertheless, he was facing the former strongest knight of the northern Woodlands. He rivaled the power of a savior from the past, but Shiran had once faced a full-fledged savior of the present.

“Haaah!”

A chain of attacks came at her, leaving no room for her to breathe, yet Shiran intercepted every last one. She moved like lightning. She wasn’t merely fast either. Her movements were smooth and efficient. It was clear she was outmatched in terms of physical strength, so she was making up for it with technique.

That was easy to say, but it was hard to put into action. Edgar’s swings weren’t only left to brute force, nor was there much waste to them either. He was, without a doubt, a master swordsman.

Surpassing even this master and refusing to yield a single step, Shiran displayed the true worth of her title as the strongest knight of the northern Woodlands. Her skill had been refined through maddening training and from surviving near-death experiences an unimaginable number of times. The former strongest knight of the northern Woodlands had made a complete recovery.

“Haah!”

The angle of his blows, the timing with which he stepped in to swing... Shiran read all of this and slipped through the violent storm with the precision of threading a needle, all while continuously intercepting his attacks. And then...

“There!”

At the end of this tightrope act that none could imitate, she finally counterattacked.

“Guh?!”

Edgar repelled her sword, but not because he’d made it in time to block. Shiran’s blade had bounced off the black skin covering the Battle Ogre’s entire body with a metallic clang.

“Too weak!” Edgar roared.

His power even extended to defense. He not only had regular armor protecting him, but even the skin beneath was hard as steel. In contrast, Shiran had neither armor nor shield.

“I see... You’re awfully sturdy,” Shiran said calmly.

“And you’re awfully frail. You better be careful. One touch and you’ll go flying.”

Edgar was sure of his superiority, and his attacks grew even fiercer. Shiran dodged anything she couldn’t fend off in time, but she couldn’t evade everything.

Shiran’s cheek split apart as she continued repelling his attacks. Even though he’d only grazed her skin, the Battle Ogre’s hardy sword took chunks of meat with it. Next he wounded her arms, then her legs.

“Keep this up, and you’ll be minced meat!” Edgar declared with a villainous smile.

Just a look at his grin from the sidelines was enough to give me the chills, but even as he shaved away at her body, Shiran’s expression didn’t change one bit.

“No, that won’t happen at this rate,” she said.

Her tranquil expression was like a perfectly still lake, the disinterest apparent in her voice as she dealt with a torrent of attacks akin to a raging storm.

“What?” Edgar said, his eyes widening a little. “Your wounds...”

The gash across Shiran’s cheek was already gone. And that wasn’t all. Every wound on her body was sealing in a flash. As an undead monster, all her injuries regenerated.

“You damn monster...” Edgar muttered.

“A little late to curse that fact,” Shiran retorted nonchalantly. “Have all of you not come here chasing a ghoul?”

She wasn’t bothered by being called a monster; she’d already overcome that insecurity. No matter what happened to her body, she would always be a knight. So what did this new way of life grant her? Just maybe, the one who understood that best was her opponent.

“You think you’ve won?!” Edgar shouted, his expression twisting with anger as he struck with his sword. “Don’t look down on the Battle Ogre! I’ll smash that composed look right off your damn face! You can’t win if you can’t hurt me!”

It definitely wasn’t my imagination. He looked like he was trying to shake off a bad premonition.

“No, you’re wrong there too,” Shiran declared. “The fight only begins now.”

“Nonsense!”

An ogre who was indestructible and an undead monster who regenerated all wounds clashed once more. They were equal. Nobody could intervene in their ruthless and fierce conflict, and now that it’d reached this stage, the only thing I could do was believe in Shiran.

“Majima Takahiro...”

Just then, someone called to me. I shifted my eyes away from the battle, where I saw a bloodied Zoltan on his feet.

“You’re still alive...”

I was honestly surprised. Even after taking Shiran’s attack, he was still clinging to life. And if he was approaching me, then...

“You still want to fight?” I asked.

I put my hand on the sword at my waist. Shiran was busy with the Battle Ogre, so she couldn’t deal with anything else. I had to handle this myself. To be frank, I wasn’t in any state to fight, drained of mana and blood as I was, but the same went for Zoltan. Actually, he was in worse shape than I was.

Half of his right arm was missing, and a deep gash ran down his collarbone. He was pressing on the wound with his left hand, but the blood showed no signs of stopping. He probably couldn’t even hold a sword, let alone swing one. I could deal with this much myself. Contrary to my expectations, though, Zoltan didn’t try to attack me.

“Be at ease. I don’t plan on fighting,” he said, shaking his head. “I have no reason to... Not anymore.”

“What...?”

I was perplexed. There was a tranquil light behind his eyes that I hadn’t expected. He showed no hostility, nor any fighting spirit. He truly had no intention of fighting anymore. So why was he going so far, enduring the pain of standing up with that wound, just to talk with me?

Zoltan faced my suspicious gaze head-on. “You never know what life has in store for you,” he said. “I never believed I’d see a real savior with my own eyes.”

“What are you spouting after coming all the way here to kill me?” I said, grimacing at his incongruous statement. “Besides, I’m not what you people call a savior. Don’t misunderstand.”

I was Shiran’s savior; I’d sworn in my heart to be so. However, that oath only had value to the two of us. There was no room in it for anyone else.

“If you wanted to see a savior, then you should’ve visited the exploration team,” I told him curtly. “They’ve got all the spectacular saviors you’d ever want.”

“No, you’re a savior. At the very least, that is what I see,” Zoltan replied with a content yet bitter smile. “Fear. Suspicion. Envy. All around me, all I see are those filthy emotions. Even when I joined the Holy Order, those who are meant to be with the saviors, that didn’t change. Saviors and knights, they’re all a convenient fiction created for legends. That’s what I believed, but it looks like I was wrong.”

It was as if acknowledging us with his words had purged all his demons.

“If you desire each other as an absolute necessity, then the knight is no replaceable pawn, and the savior is no pawn either. There is something noble there. I’ve learned that today. If possible, I wish I could’ve met you sooner.”

“What...?”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment. I didn’t know what he was thinking. How could I? Zoltan Michalek was an enemy I’d only met today. I knew nothing of him and had no way of knowing what he harbored in his heart.

Nonetheless, his heartfelt admiration for our way of life got through to me. It seemed Zoltan was different in nature from Travis’s other subordinates, and that realization brought a certain doubt to mind.

“Why do you work for a guy like Travis?”

I had no idea how many cruel acts Zoltan had witnessed under Travis’s command, but given Zoltan’s behavior now, I could see that he found such things repulsive. I thought it strange that he hadn’t quit being a knight.

“A good question. I don’t know why myself,” Zoltan said, chuckling. “It’s true that I wish I could’ve met you two sooner, but instead I met a terrifying ogre. That is also the truth.”

Zoltan spoke as if he’d found the answer he’d been looking for for years. And just then...

“Aaaargh?!”

Edgar shrieked. I returned my gaze to the battle. In the short time I hadn’t been watching, the scales had tipped significantly. Edgar had been incessantly attacking, but now he was on the back foot.

“You bitch...”

He carefully took a step away from Shiran, holding his upper arm. His hand was stained in blood, meaning his impregnable ogre defenses had been penetrated.

“Iron skin that repels swords. Your defensive strength is certainly troublesome, but that isn’t enough to stop my blade,” Shiran said, swinging the blood off her sword. “Don’t think that the ability to strengthen your body is uniquely yours.”

In response, the sprite by Shiran’s side danced in the air. It looked cheerful, twirling about like it was celebrating its contractor’s rebirth. It had deployed reinforcement magic to amplify Shiran’s strength. In other words, Shiran had been fighting on even ground against the Battle Ogre without any spirits supporting her up to this point.

“You’ve been...holding back?” Edgar asked in disbelief.

“No. Not really,” Shiran answered. “It simply took time for me to regain my sense for it.”

Edgar was speechless. I could understand why. The people of this world couldn’t experience a fight to the death with visitors who’d awakened to their powers, or any other beings similar to them. No matter how much one polished their skills, there was a limit because of the sheer difference in physical capabilities. To fight on equal ground, one had to amplify their physique to the point where skill could handle the rest. To that end, Shiran had had to use her full power as a spiritualist to fight Juumonji Tatsuya.

But now was different. Shiran’s body was already that of an undead monster, and now that she no longer denied it, she could draw out all of her strength as a monster. Her physical capabilities were far beyond what she’d had in life. She was still behind the Battle Ogre, but with her preeminent sword skills, she’d somehow closed the gap. So what would happen with a spirit’s support? The answer was playing out before my eyes.

“Grrr... Raaaah!”

Edgar roared, denying the reality before him. He stepped forth, and the violent sound of steel hitting steel rang out. His attacks were like a surging wave. Edgar was on the offense, and Shiran on the defense. She blocked his enormous blade countless times and used every opening to riposte.

“Haaah!”

“Hgh!”

Each time, blood sprayed in the air, and the ogre groaned bitterly. Shiran’s attacks, which had been vainly bouncing off his skin before, could now tear the ogre’s muscles to shreds.

The combat techniques she’d acquired as a knight and spiritualist combined with the physical capabilities of an undead monster. After overcoming what had been agonizing her, Shiran had finally managed to reconcile these two facets within her. The true potential of the knight who’d sworn an oath to me was on full display now. An ogre with no real purpose couldn’t possibly beat her.

“Guh... Aargh...”

Edgar groaned and fell to a knee. His black, steellike skin was covered in countless cuts.

“Ugh... Goddammit...”

Victory was no longer in sight for him, but Edgar firmly held his sword. His bloodlust remained as strong as ever. Actually, his presence became even more fiendish.

“I don’t suppose you intend to surrender?” Shiran asked.

“Eat shit,” Edgar spat back. “I’m an ogre. I’m the strongest. So...” He stood up and stepped forward. “Die!”

He swung with the last of his strength. Metal hit metal, and Edgar’s sword flew back.

“Ah...”

The Battle Ogre had already long lost what strength he’d had.

“How unfortunate.”

Having repelled the ogre’s attack, Shiran turned her sword to cut him down. Edgar couldn’t resist anymore. Her blade came down on the ogre-shaped calamity. That was the end of the battle.

At least, that was what everyone thought, until we saw something jump in between them the instant before it could happen.

“Wha?!”

“Guh, gah... Hak.”

Shiran cried out in shock, and the man who’d taken her blow coughed out blood. Edgar fell on his rear, his eyes wide.

“Zoltan?!”

Zoltan, who was supposed to be severely wounded, had taken Shiran’s blade in Edgar’s stead. Not a single person had noticed his approach, but that stood to reason. Zoltan specialized at moving between the gaps in others’ perception.

As a result, he’d gotten between them successfully and saved Edgar from danger, but Zoltan now had a deep cut running from his shoulder halfway down his chest. The tip of the blade passed all the way through his back. It was a fatal wound.

“What the fuck was that for?!” Edgar roared.

Hearing his partner bellow with his teeth bared, Zoltan’s lips curved into a smile. “Who knows? I wonder why? I’m sure it was because I was blinded by a brilliant light.”

He narrowed his eyes as if there were something dazzling before him, staring at the person who’d cut him. There was no resentment, anger, or regret in his expression, only genuine determination.

“Everyone feared and shunned me. Having someone who wasn’t scared of me was salvation. Even if it was because he didn’t think anything of me, I still felt that way. That’s why I had to do this.”

We couldn’t understand what Zoltan said. He then threw something backhandedly at Edgar. It was a violet and black jewel. It seemed Edgar knew exactly what it was.

“Don’t you dare, you son of a—!”

The gem struck Edgar, and a black shadow erupted. He tried to say something, but the darkness swallowed him. After that, the ogre was gone without a trace. Then, as if all the threads holding him together had snapped, Zoltan collapsed.

“H-He vanished...?” I said, dumbfounded by the unexpected situation. “The shadow ate him...? No, teleported him?”

The violet gem had apparently been a magic tool for the purpose of an emergency retreat. That was when I realized something.

“Oh yeah... Travis’s group just appeared in the village. Did they also do that with that jewel?”

“Maybe,” Shiran agreed. “Having said that, I’ve never heard of magic capable of teleportation. Perhaps it’s a magic tool related to a great savior of the past.”

“A magic tool... If so, there’s probably more than one.”

“Agreed.”

“That means...” I started, knitting my brow at what I predicted would happen next.

“Takahiro!”

A voice called my name. Lobivia, who was supposed to be fighting Travis, was running my way. She was in quite the rush. Her sash was crudely wrapped around her, and her clothes were in a mess. It was rather immodest.

“Are you okay, Takahiro?!”

“How about you, Lobivia?” I caught her tiny body as she hugged me with a tackle. “Well, you look energetic, at least.”

“Hmph. Of course I’m fine,” Lobivia answered, pouting and frowning at being treated like a child as I brushed her head. Then her expression suddenly twisted. “Sorry, Takahiro. That Travis guy got away.”

“Thought so...”

“That asshole used something weird. A big shadow ate him up, and then he was gone.”

So Travis really did have the same tool on him. He’d apparently used it to run away, sensing that he was in danger of dying.

Lobivia looked vexed, but she didn’t swat my hand away like she usually did, maybe because she unconsciously wanted someone to dote on her.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it,” I said.

“Takahiro...”

“We didn’t really want to kill Travis and all his men, anyway.”

Our goal was to overcome this crisis without losing anyone. We couldn’t forget that. I could feel Lily and Gerbera through the mental path. They’d completely annihilated the detached force and linked up with Rose. Seeing how they were all together, the main force was also done for. Travis had gotten away, but pretty much all of his subordinates were dead. The survivors wouldn’t be able to put up a proper fight anymore. They weren’t in any state to consider another assault either.

We’d managed to repulse the Fourth Company of the Holy Order. We would have to consider our future relationship with the Holy Order itself, but this at least bought us some time.

I then noticed Zoltan stirring on the ground.

“Ma...jima...Takahiro, and...Lady...Shiran,” he said in a muffled voice.

Lobivia jumped in shock. “Whoa! This guy’s still kicking?!”

Zoltan had simply looked like a corpse.

“It’s fine, Lobivia,” I said, lowering my eyes to Zoltan. “There’s no need to be on guard against him.”

Edgar had gotten away because of him, but I couldn’t bring myself to finish Zoltan off. He didn’t seem properly conscious to begin with.

“A true...savior and knight... Heed me... There is...a darkness...in this world... A darkness...called reality...that nothing...can be done about...” Zoltan continued in a delirium. “Marshal Harrison... Vice Marshal Gordon...good people...but even so...to protect the world... But you two...might be able to...prevail...”

His words gradually became more and more unintelligible, and I was having problems hearing him. His very last words sounded like he was speaking to himself.

“Bonded...hearts... Overlapping...souls... Aah. So that way...existed too...” His eyes were unfocused, staring at something only he could see. “Just that...has saved...me...”

Zoltan’s voice cut off, and his breathing stopped. I kneeled in front of him and closed his eyes. I’d crossed blades with him, but I hadn’t sensed any lies in his dying words. I’d only felt genuine concern for us.

“Darkness, huh...?”

What did Zoltan know? It worried me, but I had no way of probing him for answers anymore. If there was one thing I knew for certain, it was that he believed that we had the strength to beat this darkness if it came upon us.

“Takahiro, over there,” Shiran said, looking off into the distance.

“Masteeeer!”

Lily, Gerbera, and Rose were running our way. I could see Gerbera waving both her hands energetically. Behind us, I could hear Kei noisily coming down the stairs and Ayame yipping. We’d managed to bring this battle to an end without losing anyone. Right now, that was worth celebrating.

“Takahiro...”

I was holding Lobivia’s hand as I waited for everyone to arrive, when Shiran nestled up against my side. She was closer to me than ever before.

“Do you remember my oath?” she asked willfully, giving me a beautiful yet bashful smile. “No matter what calamity should show itself in your path, I shall cut it down with my sword.”

“Yeah, I believe in you,” I replied, feeling a little embarrassed by the emotions behind her eye.

And so we waited, our shoulders pushed together, until our companions safely reached us.