“Are you really not hurt anywhere?! Or did that guy do sothing to you, Lillis?”
“N-no… I’m really fine… There’s nothing to worry about.”
To be honest, the arm that Ethan had pulled on a mont ago still ached a little, but it didn’t seem right to complain to the person who had just saved . It would be like demanding a reward after being rescued from drowning.
If Ethan had been even a little bit later, I would’ve been dragged into a ntal world I might never have escaped from. I was just grateful beyond words for his tily intervention.
“But, how did you know? It was just before I was almost taken away, and I don’t think you could’ve seen my face through that tiny gap.”
“…I don’t know, I just had this feeling that you were there, Lillis.”
“What?”
“I saw a hand as the space was closing, and sohow, I just knew it was yours. I’m glad I wasn’t too late, Lillis.”
“…”
Did he really figure out I was being pulled in by McHart just by seeing my hand? It was touching, in a way, but also a little unsettling.
No, no… I told myself I would just be grateful right now. I could think about the extent of Ethan’s obsession with later. After all, we had more pressing matters at hand.
“…What a sha. I thought I almost had you.”
McHart reappeared, as if there was no longer any reason for him to remain in his ntal world once Ethan had pulled out. From the outside, it looked as if he had stepped out of thin air, and now, standing at a slight distance from us, he muttered while keeping his gaze fixed on us.
“I was surprised to see you arrive so quickly amidst all the commotion, but it seems that so-called hero wasn’t the one who found .”
“So it was your doing after all. I wondered why Lady Blaze’s disguise magic suddenly vanished, and then Prince Antonio appeared out of nowhere.”
“Yes, it was amusing, wasn’t it? Thanks to that, it seems the other heroes are still stuck in the banquet hall. I was worried for nothing.”
Thanks to Ethan, I had sohow escaped McHart’s ntal world, but the battle between him and was far from over. If anything, it felt like it was just beginning. Until a mont ago, there was no chance of winning against McHart, but now that Ethan, a Sword Expert, had joined, the odds were much better.
‘Not just his sword, but his entire body is radiating with blue energy. Has he fully awakened?’
Until now, Ethan had only occasionally dipped into the realm of an expert, but the energy I felt from him now was overwhelming, almost as if he had completely blossod. I had seen a similar display during the Kraken subjugation, though I had dismissed it as a temporary phenonon after the battle ended and his power subsided.
During his duels with Harold, Ethan had sotis shown signs of blossoming into an expert. It made wonder if he was the type to grow stronger in the face of great battles. Thinking back to the original ga, where Ethan had been unexpectedly strong during the mid-boss fights, it seed he was indeed the type to beco more powerful in life-or-death situations. Whether this was a unique trait of Ethan’s character or just a coincidence that mirrored the original ga, I wasn’t sure.
-Thunk.
I stepped down from Ethan’s arms, gripping my daggers with both hands, preparing for the battle ahead. We would have to hold out until Agnes and Cerista arrived, and until then, it would be just Ethan and against McHart.
“Be careful, Ethan. Whatever you do, avoid getting sucked into his world.”
“…I understand, Lillis.”
“So, you’re planning to hold out until those other heroes arrive? Sorry, but it’s already too late!”
“Damn it…!”
As McHart spoke, the surroundings began to darken again. The loss of color in the environnt was unsettling, but as I took in the scenery around , I quickly assessed the situation and allowed myself a quiet smile.
This wasn’t the oppressive ntal world of deep darkness that McHart had shown before. It was clear that this space was sothing he had hastily thrown together for intimidation.
“Once I’ve caught a woman in my world, it’s easier than crushing an ant underfoot to trap her there again. Too bad for you—you ca to save your beloved fiancée only to be caught yourself.”
It was a bluff. If he had such a thod, he could have attacked within the academy, and there would have been no need for the chase in the rear courtyard of the palace. While McHart’s ntal world was a terrifying power that made even moving an arm or leg difficult, creating it in this non-contact situation posed little threat.
In this space, McHart couldn’t completely overpower both Ethan and . This was why he had avoided using it until now, saving it for when he could fully leverage his advantage. Of course, since it was his own creation, McHart could use his unique abilities more efficiently here, but the sa went for Ethan and . Especially now that I was free from the constraints of the palace, I could use my magic more freely.
No matter how powerful his domain was, if it ca down to magic versus magic, I could hold my own. And with Ethan on my side, it was hard to imagine either of us being easily defeated.
“Captured together? What nonsense.”
“…Hmm.”
“A world without Lillis is a fake world to . So as long as she’s by my side, this place is my real world, no matter what.”
“…”
“…Good grief, seriously?”
I couldn’t tell if Ethan was saying this on purpose, but his words made my face flush. Thankfully, in this dull, monochro world, the color of my face didn’t show much.
Even McHart seed montarily taken aback by Ethan’s declaration, though he quickly composed himself and continued.
“There’s no need to put on airs in front of a woman. When faced with the fear of death, n and won all beco the sa.”
“…”
“And besides, I’ve never really had an interest in anyone other than that woman. I don’t have any personal grudge against you. Honestly, I don’t want to fight you.”
“You talk too much. Even with the power you’ve gained from your alliance with demons, you don’t seem confident in taking on both Lillis and at once.”
“Within this space, I can crush you both as easily as I please. The woman standing next to you knows that better than anyone. If you think I’m bluffing, I’ll give you a mont to ask her.”
“…”
McHart must have thought I was terrified of this space, having experienced it twice before. If I had been ignorant of his patterns, I might have despaired at being pulled back into this world. But I had cleared 『Luminor Academy』 24.9 tis. I was an expert among experts, having slain McHart at least twenty-five tis in the ga. There was no way I couldn’t identify his patterns by now. If Ethan asked, I could tell him about the weaknesses of this space and how McHart was just bluffing…
“That won’t be necessary.”
“…What?”
“…Huh?”
“I’ve already told you. No matter what kind of space this is, the only true world for is the one where Lillis exists.”
“…”
“…”
“The main reason I wield my sword is for Lillis. No matter how much you try to scare or threaten to abandon her, it’s pointless. That’s never going to happen, not until my bones are ground to dust. Rather than living a cowardly life without Lillis, I’ll stand as a shield to protect her. The only way you’ll lay a finger on her is by tearing my body apart first. And even if you’re a stronger opponent than I can defeat, I would rather fight by Lillis’s side until the very end, in this world where no one else can see us, than run away. That is the reason I started learning the sword, and that will be the outco.”
What on earth is he thinking, to be able to say sothing so cringeworthy without stuttering or even flinching?
anwhile, here I was, finding it increasingly difficult to hold my head up because of Ethan’s knightly declaration.
…I had a strong feeling that after today, it would be even harder to look Ethan in the face, but for entirely different reasons than before.
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