Monster no Goshujin-sama - Volume 11 - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: A Single Tenacious Thrust

The bloodlust emanating from this man was so strong it felt as though a physical force were pressing down on me. I was sure the enemy before me was the Battle Ogre, but that only made things more confusing. Why was Edgar here? We had a security net around the village. Shiran’s spirit should’ve detected him before he managed to slip this far in. So why?

“Takahiro!”

I heard a desperate cry. I could see a figure far behind Edgar; it was Lobivia. She staggered toward us, her arm limply dangling from its socket. She had obviously broken a bone, meaning she’d encountered Edgar before he’d gotten here.

“Run, Takahiro!” Lobivia screamed.

I still didn’t fully grasp what was going on, but one thing was perfectly clear. This ogre was here to kill me.

“Here I come,” Edgar declared, kicking off the ground.

There was no time for me to run away.

“Step back, Master!” Sounding desperate, Rose pulled a battle-ax from her apron pocket and stepped forth.

I knew full well that Rose couldn’t stop the Battle Ogre on her own. This man had inherited the power of a visitor—the power of a savior from the past who’d played a part in keeping peace in this world. Among my servants, no one aside from Lily, Gerbera, and Shiran could stop a single swing of his greatsword.

“You shan’t have your way, ogre!”

A door blew off its hinges as the Great White Spider barged into the fray. She’d either heard Lobivia’s screaming or sensed the Battle Ogre’s bloodlust. She hadn’t figured out what was going on, but she’d decided to charge out anyway. Because of this, she managed to land a surprise attack on him.

“Shyaaah!” Her leg thrust out like a spear, aiming for the ogre’s heart.

Even with the element of surprise, Edgar could fend it off with his monstrous strength. It wouldn’t be enough to kill him, but it would be enough to stall him. Lily was inside the house, so she was sure to come flying out at any moment. Shiran was working elsewhere in the village. I could bet that she was running toward us. So long as we could buy time, that was more than enough.

However, my read of the situation proved incorrect. Edgar didn’t slow down at all.

“Wha—?!” Gerbera shrieked.

Edgar had blocked her attack with his left arm. More accurately, he hadn’t really blocked it; he’d thrust his palm out at it. Gerbera’s leg pierced through his hand all the way up to his elbow. It tore through his muscles and broke his bones—a spectacle that made me want to shut my eyes. Nonetheless, he’d stopped her strike from reaching his heart, and he still had his weapon ready to use.

“What a madman!”

Gerbera was thrown off by the unexpected move and readied herself for a counterattack, but that wasn’t the end to Edgar’s unexpected behavior. He clenched his blood-soaked hand and grabbed Gerbera’s leg as if he felt no pain.

“Outta the way!”

“Wha—?!”

Having leaped to deliver her thrust, Gerbera’s legs weren’t on the ground. Edgar flung her aside, sending her tumbling through the air. Of course, Gerbera easily corrected her posture in midair and readied herself for another attack.

Edgar’s left arm was a mangled mess because of his reckless actions. He’d only delayed the inevitable with this sacrifice—a mistake on his part. At least, that would have been the case if he were fighting Gerbera, but she wasn’t his target. The ogre’s eyes remained focused only on me.

Something muddy lurked deep within his pupils. I hadn’t sensed it in my last encounter with him—not in that man who only prioritized having fun in battle, who didn’t care about anything else, and who laid bare his fighting spirit for all to see. The sight sent chills down my spine. He looked insane.

Thinking back on it, Shiran had defeated Edgar without any help. Despite this, he’d forced his way into the village all on his own when all of my servants were here. He wouldn’t do that unless his resolve was inconceivably stronger than when we’d last met. What had stirred him to take action?

The ogre kept advancing, paying no heed to his injuries, blood pouring from his left arm as he roared.

“Raaah!”

“Stop right there!” Rose yelled, putting her entire soul behind her axe.

“Like hell I’ll let you!” Gerbera joined in, still in midair. Refusing to give up, she sent her spider threads soaring.

“Guh...”

A pained grunt escaped my lips, and red blood trickled to the ground.

◆ ◆ ◆

A moment before that happened, Lily came rushing out of the house.

“Master?! That’s...Edgar?!” Confronted by the situation before her eyes, Lily thrust her spear with an expression of fury. “Get away!”

Edgar fended off the attack and stepped to the side as Lily charged in.

“Master! Are you okay?!” she yelled back my way, still thrusting her spear at her enemy.

“Yeah...” I replied with a deep groan.

In that instant, several things happened at once. First, Gerbera’s threads splendidly caught Edgar’s greatsword. It didn’t do anything to slow him down, though. Edgar let go of his weapon without giving it a second thought and instead drew a shortsword from his back. Still, depriving him of his primary weapon was a big deal. A shortsword couldn’t compare to Rose’s handcrafted battle-ax.

“Haaah!”

Rose let out a cry, prepared to protect me with a do-or-die spirit. Having lost an arm and reduced to using a shortsword, not even the Battle Ogre could deliver a proper blow without risking his own life. Although, if there was one miscalculation we’d made, it was thinking that Edgar had some shred of self-preservation. Much like with Gerbera, Edgar practically ignored Rose’s attack.

“Ugh!”

He swayed just slightly to dodge, and the axe’s blade bit into his right shoulder down to his flank. The wound was deep enough to reach his organs, but the ogre still didn’t stop.

“Raaah!”

His shortsword tore through the air as if it only had one target in sight—a single tenacious thrust, quite literally ignoring everything else. I tried to draw my sword to block it, but it was next to impossible to make it in time against an unexpected attack backed by my enemy’s entire weight. Thanks to Rose, however, the blade didn’t deliver a fatal wound.

“Are you all right, Rose?” I asked.

“Yes, Master...” she answered, standing back up after tumbling a short distance away.

She moved awkwardly, but there was no helping that. The instant they’d clashed, Edgar had rammed his way right through her.

“You’re fucking crazy...” Edgar muttered, dumbfounded by her behavior.

Even he’d found her determination unexpected. Rose had been blown away as if she’d collided with a truck. It was a wonder her body hadn’t shattered to pieces.

“My body is my master’s shield.”

Her broken left arm popped out of its socket and fell to the ground, but she maintained her grip on her axe with her right hand.

“I won’t let you kill him.”

She was being reckless, but thanks to that, I’d narrowly escaped death. Edgar’s shortsword had found its way into my left bicep, but that wasn’t enough to—

“Guh...”

A pained grunt escaped my lips.

“M-Master?!” Sensing something was amiss, Lily fell back to my side while keeping an eye on Edgar. “What’s wrong?”

“Poison...” I replied briefly.

Lily’s eyes shot open. “That sword?!”

“Yeah...”

I started to feel a strange heat from my wound, and my body gradually got heavier.

“I’m fine. I can keep it down,” I said with a shake of my head.

The mana reinforcing my body suppressed the poison. Even if I was nothing compared to the other cheaters, especially those who far surpassed the warriors, I’d leveled up my ability to reinforce my body a fair bit. This was nothing; I could even fight. Having said that, I had no reason to force myself to do so.

“I’ll heal you right away. Gerbera, protect us!”

“On it.”

Gerbera came our way. Lily remained posed for combat as a glowing white glyph took shape in her hand. Edgar observantly watched us. A significant puddle of blood was pooled at his feet. He was calmer than I thought he’d be. Judging by his behavior up until now, I figured he’d keep ignoring his wounds and press the attack.

And then Edgar quickly backed off and turned on his heel—showing his back to his enemy. His figure quickly vanished into the darkness.

“He ran away?” I murmured.

He’d failed in his assassination attempt and had made his escape like a good sport.

“Gerbera, go after—”

“I can’t possibly leave you behind in this situation, My Lord,” she refused outright. “You’re not the only one injured either.”

Now that our enemy was gone, Rose collapsed to her knees, and Lobivia reached us, her steps unsteady.

“He was targeting you specifically, My Lord,” Gerbera continued. “We must prioritize your safety above all else.”

When it came to battle, the Great White Spider’s judgment was sound. She had a point. It was risky for Lily to perform the roles of both a healer and a guard.

“You’re right,” I said, giving up my pursuit. “Thanks, everyone. You really saved me.”

I never thought the Battle Ogre would launch a solo attack on us. I had no idea how he’d managed to slip by our security net. At any rate, things had gotten pretty dangerous.

“I’m worried about the villagers, though,” I said.

“They’re fine. Shiran is giving chase as we speak.”

Right as Lily said that, a magic explosion rang out from far away. I could feel Shiran’s presence through the mental path. She was already on the move.

“I doubt even Edgar can take Shiran on in his current state. He shouldn’t have the time to mess with any of the villagers.”

Lily was right. Edgar’s sacrificial attack had been terrifying, but it had only been possible because he’d put his entire soul into that one thrust. The feat wasn’t repeatable. What’s more, we’d taken damage from the attack, but he’d suffered from it far more. Gerbera had crushed his left arm. Rose’s axe had severely wounded him all the way down to his organs. Healing magic was powerful, but it wasn’t omnipotent. I wasn’t aware of how fast the Holy Order’s Battle Ogre could recover naturally, but a wrong move could endanger his life. Even if he survived, his wounds were so severe that there would be aftereffects.

I was worried about the village, but now that Shiran was at his heels, Edgar couldn’t focus on anything else. Also, there were no signs of other enemies attacking from elsewhere. We couldn’t let our guard down, but it was safe to assume that we were past the worst of it.

“More importantly, Master, worry about your own health,” Lily said, a tinge of anger in her voice. “I’m using healing magic, but there’s nothing better than some proper rest. Just believe in Shiran for now and keep still.”

“I know...”

I did feel somewhat despondent because of the poison, so it was better to obediently listen to her right now.

“Oh, Lobivia, you’re injured too, right? How’re you holding up?” I asked.

“This’ll heal on its own,” she replied, even as her broken arm dangled about. “Just be quiet and take a damn seat, moron.”

I couldn’t really argue with everyone telling me to be still. I did as I was told and sat down.

“Master, please forgive me,” Rose said. “You suffered that wound only because of my inadequacy.”

She walked closer to me as she apologized, each step accompanied by creaking wood.

“What, this? Don’t worry about it,” I told her.

“But...”

Rose’s expression was dark. Her eyes were focused on my wound.

“You have it way worse than I do,” I said, smiling bitterly.

“The damage I suffered is in fact great, but I can simply swap out my parts. You are made of flesh and blood, Master. Your body is very precious too. We cannot be compared.”

“Your body is very precious to me, Rose.”

So I said, but it didn’t seem to get across to her. She was clearly depressed. She was probably thinking that Gerbera or Lily would’ve managed to protect me somehow. Lily, who was leaning against me and using healing magic, gave me a sidelong glance. Gerbera and Lobivia also looked my way. I knew what they were getting at.

“Rose, sit over here,” I ordered.

“Yes.”

She obediently did as she was told and sat on her heels. She still had her boorish axe in hand, just in case, which looked a little weird with her sitting like that.

“You listening?” I said, now that our eyes were level. “Rose, I wasn’t injured because of you. I was saved because of you.”

In that last instant, if Rose hadn’t risked her life to protect me, I would likely be dead now. The only reason I still drew breath was because of her. She’d once told me that she didn’t care if her body was reduced to wood chips if it was for the sake of protecting me, and her actions today proved she hadn’t been lying.

“Thank you, Rose,” I said, charging my words with all the gratitude and affection in my heart.

“Master...”

This time, my words got through to her. Rose’s stiff expression relaxed a little. Once I saw that, I felt relieved. I didn’t want to see her looking so depressed. I wanted to see her gentle smile, the one nobody could call a fake imitation anymore. That was the only thing on my mind. I reached out to touch Rose’s axe-wielding hand.

And then I collapsed.

“Huh?”

I could no longer see Rose’s surprised expression. The ground obstructed half my vision. I tried to get up, but my body wouldn’t move.

It’s cold. It’s so very cold. This is weird. This is wrong.

With those last thoughts in mind, my consciousness snapped and faded away instantly.

◆ ◆ ◆

Before I knew it, I was a light floating in the darkness. The space was familiar; one could call it my inner world. That was supposed to be the case, but for some reason, I felt cold. Something was wrong. I could feel it. It was as if something inexplicable was lurking in the darkness.

What exactly happened? I had no idea why I was here. I couldn’t remember the events that had led to this. In any case, staying here wouldn’t solve anything, so I started moving the fiery projection of my body. The last time I was here, I’d figured out how this worked. If I surfaced, I would wake up.

However, the moment before I could, something leaped out of the darkness.

“Wha?!”

Something muddy coiled around my wrist, and I got goosebumps. That thing had the shape of a human hand. It looked like a poorly made clay model—or perhaps a rotting hand moments away from falling off a corpse.

“Caught you...”

I heard a man’s excited voice. It wasn’t mine, but a third party’s. I shouldn’t have been able to hear it in this world.

“Caught you... Caught you... Caught you...”

Another hand grabbed my shoulder, then a face came out of the depths of darkness.

“I caught...”

The face was also like melting mud. Not even a shadow of his once-elegant features remained. A deep laceration ran horizontally across his face. His eyes were crushed. Nevertheless, a dreadful tenacity born of karma had driven him to find me.

“I caught you, Majima...”

“Travis?!”

The crumbling face twisted in evil delight, and the broken remnants of the man smiled.