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Chapter 71 Part 1

Emmy: Today Marked My New Beginning — Part 1

 

I felt another shockwave travel through my left hand as I blocked the magic with my shield.

Then, using the sword in my right hand, which has been imbued with Russell’s dark magic, I slashed at the other two magics to prevent them from going past me.

 

The battle between the heroes and the Demon Lord. I’ve always thought of it like some distant legend.

I thought it was a world that existed only in stories, a world that had nothing to do with me.

 

Even so, Vince became a 【Hero】 and I became a 【Holy Knight】.

…I didn’t think too deeply about it back then. I was too distracted by the joy of having obtained one of the high-ranking Jobs, the busyness of everyday life, and also… the things I kept to myself… about Russell.

 

That’s why I’ve never given it a thought.

Or maybe I just wanted to turn a blind eye.

 

——But heroes are real, and so are Demon Lords.

 

When I first saw the Demon Lord, a creature with bright red eyes enveloped in a pitch black haze, I instantly understood that he was clearly not like other monsters.

Or rather, I didn’t expect he was a being who could speak like normal humans.

I thought that if it was a contest of strength, I would be all right because the me right now is stronger than Russell.

That wasn’t the case at all. The moment I turned backwards to dodge another magic, I wondered if the mysterious enemy Russell had defeated was this terrifyingly intelligent one.

 

…But even that was just my naive thinking.

 

The only thing of the Demon Lord’s true form that resembled a human was his silhouette.

Apart from that, he’s a completely different creature.

 

…No, it’s not even on the level of scary anymore! What’s with that, hairless, eyebrowless, purple skin, and pupilless eyes!

I can’t believe that the same human silhouette from earlier would give such a different impression!

I felt that I was once again confronted with the fact that I was really facing the Demon Lord.

 

On top of that, it seems like this Demon Lord is abnormal even to Sybilla-san.

 

「《Ice Javelin》!」

「《Ice Javelin》!」

「《Ice Javelin》!」

 

I didn’t expect him to have three faces and three pairs of arms. It’s so scary that the word creepy or inhuman is an understatement.

But what’s even scarier is the fact that the three heads and three pairs of arms are not just for show, but they can cast magic like it’s three mages casting magic at the same time.

 

A magic of a higher rank than before hit my shield.

Blocking the other two magic of this power with my sword will be difficult even for me. So I move my shield quickly to block the two magics.

……My shield failed to block the second ice spear completely, but it managed to change its trajectory to the sea, creating a huge pillar of water once it landed. Thank goodness… it didn’t fly toward Russell and Sybilla-san.

I have to admit, making a split-second decision like this isn’t my forte…. Figuring out a difficult problem is just too difficult for me.

 

「I see, even someone with a cheap background can perform this well once they become a Holy Knight, hm? My my~ what a truly amazing Job that is.」

 

「…humans only have two arms, you know? Shooting three magic at the same time is just unfair, don’t you think?」

 

「Says someone who came attacking with three people… On the contrary, this makes us even, no?」

 

「Then get rid of those Dragonflies this instant!」

 

「Fufufu… do you think I’ll do that just because you ask me to?」

 

Of course not.

I’m just saying.

 

…Still, this is really troublesome.

Even if I tried to attack him, that Demon Lord can just shoot three people’s worth of magic, which not only can be aimed at me, but also at Russell and Sybilla-san.

 

The only one here who has a Job specializing in defense is me.

And I don’t want to see Russell get hurt anymore.

 

Not to mention, he’s a Demon Lord with such a twisted personality… he keeps talking about money this, money that, but he bought all those gold accessories with counterfeit currency… and on top of that, he even looks down on orphans and those who take care of them.

 

How unforgivable.

 

「Tch, they’re starting to work together, huh.」

 

「Russell, I’ll take care of this side!」

 

「Got it, don’t push yourself too hard!」

 

A chill ran down my spine, and I looked at Russell and Sybilla-san.

Over there, those insects had descended to the sandy beach, just above the water surface, and rushed toward Russell and Sybilla-san to get them in a pincer.

Ah, there’s no way they can get out of that with just range magic…!

 

「《Dark Splash》!」

 

「《Fire Wave》!」

 

Russell thrust his arms out from behind Sybilla-san, who was standing behind him, and with both arms spread wide horizontally, shouted the name of the magic.

At that moment, a magic was fired from his right hand and then, with a time lag, from his left hand.

Could it be that he’s firing from his left hand without chanting?! He can do something so dexterous, that’s amazing…!

Sybilla-san then casts more magic on top of that to push the boss in front of her away.

 

But still, they’re dealing with two of them.

No matter how well they responded, they still have the advantage.

 

「Guh…!」

 

Russell’s neck is bleeding……!

A life-threatening blow to a vital spot that could not be compared to the one he received while fighting the Gigante in the third dungeon.

But Russell managed to counterattack with one hand, and by the time he did, he was already fully healed.

 

At the same time Russell’s injuries healed, I too, feel a surge of strength coming back in my arm holding the shield.

……It can’t be…… even though Russell is in the middle of such a dangerous situation, he’s still fighting while thinking about me…!?

 

「Fufufufufu… I know watching that woman of darkness and her slave struggling so much is so fun, but you can’t afford to look away, you know? 《Ice Javelin》!」

 

Right, I can’t afford to take my eyes off that Demon Lord!

I hurriedly blocked the magic with my shield.

I can’t let the magic slip through me. Maybe if I can strike it to deviate its course near the sea surface, it can act as a deterrent to the floor bosses that’s flying low…!

 

「I’ll make a place to hide from them! 《Stone Wall》!」

 

I could hear Sybilla-san yelling and followed by the sound of her dependable stone wall being built… but that hope was instantly destroyed when I heard a loud crumbling sound not long after.

 

「What the– I know the wall is quite thin, but it can just destroy it by ramming into it?! Agh, seriously, 《Fire Wave》! At this rate, hiding behind these will just make us an easy target instead!」

 

「 《Dark Splash》! So tough…!」

 

「Tell me about it, fighting these monsters outside the dungeon is really a pain in the ass…!」

 

I listened to their conversation while still glaring at the Demon Lord.

The Demon Lord with a twisted personality is grinning from ear to ear, enjoying watching Russell and Sybilla-san struggle while I’m stuck in this place, unable to do anything.

 

「——Kuh!《Dark Splash》! Damn it, I know we’ve got no options, but this is getting nowhere!」

 

……!

At the same time as I heard Russell from behind me, the three faces in front of me simultaneously bared their teeth in a sickening sneer.

There’s no doubt about it, Russell is… Russell was hurt!

I mean, I’m pretty sure he groaned in pain just now!

Like earlier, his neck… no way, could it be that he’s hurt somewhere else other than his neck too…!?