NOVEL NEXT Chapter 48
Seconds after launching myself with the power borrowed from Bell…
In that fleeting moment, I rushed toward the Dragon Slayer at a speed impossible for a human body.
The Dragon Slayer, with a bewildered expression, tried to fend me off by swinging her fan and generating a strong wind, but thanks to Bell’s newly acquired powers, I was able to weave through the currents like a slippery eel.
And it didn’t stop there.
Utilizing that wind, I was able to approach the Dragon Slayer’s jawline.
“Yaho! So exhilarating!”
Perhaps caught up in the thrill of speed, Bell even howled like a wolf.
If she doesn’t move like this, her cravings won’t be satisfied, huh?
The thought of resolving this situation through conversation with the Dragon Slayer faded long ago.
In that case, I had no choice but to deal some physical damage.
Did she anticipate my punch or something? The Dragon Slayer spread her fan wide, priming herself for defense.
In reality, she was probably covering herself with her wings.
But what I intended to do wasn’t some mundane jab.
“Woof!”
In what seemed like encouragement for my intended action, Bell yapped fiercely.
Thud.
I grasped something hard yet warm in my hands.
The Dragon Slayer’s horn.
Honestly, I didn’t think I could inflict damage on an Outsider with my human body. I had noticed that she’d been on high alert ever since something touched her horn.
It stemmed from the suspicion that perhaps that area was a weak point.
“…?!”
For a brief moment, I could see the Dragon Slayer looking quite alarmed, but my body, already responding to the command of my brain, reflexively latched onto the horn and threw it.
“Here I gooooo!”
Shouting with excitement, Bell extended her fist forward.
That seemed to have boosted our power as I felt the Dragon Slayer, who looked like she wouldn’t budge an inch, actually starting to move.
“Hyah!”
“Kyah!”
Even using Bell’s powers, it didn’t just break.
Helplessly tossing the Dragon Slayer to the other side, she flew into the opposite wall with a scream.
Due to the impact, the snow above started to pour down, quickly accumulating over the Dragon Slayer.
Carefully landing, I tried to regain my balance, only for my body to sway dramatically again.
This is…
While it felt like there was some recoil as the Gardener had said, I was overwhelmed by the pain surging through my biceps and back muscles.
Could it be that I was pushing beyond my muscles’ natural limits?
If I keep using it, might I end up with rhabdomyolysis?
For now, I could probably manage just one more use at best.
“Are you alright, human?” (Bell)
“Ugh, um. I think I’m still fine.” (Tanton)
“…Phew. I don’t like seeing you in pain, human… Should I be a little calmer?” (Bell)
“No way! If we’re gonna do it, we need to do it right.” (Tanton)
Despite my reassurances, Bell, looking quite guilty, kept licking my ears.
As I was figuring out the limits of the power I had borrowed from Bell, a loud noise suddenly erupted from the area where the Dragon Slayer was buried.
I lowered my stance, concentrating on the unusual sound.
Whoosh!
With a sound like burning firewood, a pillar of flames shot up into the sky from the center of the snow mound.
The temperature was so high that all the accumulated snow melted into water, soaking the ground and splattering some onto me as well.
“Cough.”
Out here in the freezing cold, the water felt like it was boiling hot.
Steam began to rise from the temperature differential around the remnants of the snow mound, and beyond it, there stood the Dragon Slayer, seemingly unaffected.
Unlike before when she held a dignified stance, she slumped with her arms drooped down, looking furious.
“…This time, you’ve summoned the power of another Outsider, kid.” (White Mask)
“Yes.” (Tanton)
“My legs are trembling. I suspect this next use will be my limit. We should assist to ensure that final blow counts.” (White Mask)
The White Mask, who had arrived without me noticing, huffed heavily while Muyun, still wide-eyed with fear, seemed to be trying to focus herself, her mouth tightly shut.
Whoosh!
The steam swirling around the Dragon Slayer dispersed in an instant.
With a single flap of her wings, it vanished without a trace.
The flames hurled by the Dragon Slayer earlier…
If the water vaporized that quickly, there’s no way a human could withstand that temperature barehanded.
The most crucial factor to guard against is undoubtedly that.
“Y-you dare.”
The Dragon Slayer’s voice resounded.
Yet, her voice, which I expected to be filled with icy fury, trembled for some reason.
“Y-you dare to touch my horn…!”
In that moment, as I scrutinized the Dragon Slayer’s expression, I was caught off guard.
She had a silly look with moist eyes and a flushed face.
This is the kind of expression typically used to depict a woman being harassed in the media.
Just when I thought my surprise wouldn’t last long,
A sudden storm raged, making it feel like I’d be swept away if I didn’t brace myself.
“Gah!”
Muyun, who had been holding the heaviest weapon, was the first to be swept away, and the White Mask looked like she would have been the next casualty if the storm had lasted any longer.
“Hgh, hgh.”
The Dragon Slayer, after expelling that powerful force, panted heavily, pointing at me with the fan.
“I will ensure that once this situation concludes…!”
And then she just stared at me, burdened with pressure.
The Dragon Slayer, whose words faltered, trembled once more.
“To you…!”
For some reason, her face grew even redder, making me worry that she might just explode.
Suddenly, she looked away, her expression slightly embarrassed.
“Ehh, never mind. I shall just take you down!”
Then she suddenly powered up!
What on earth was she about to say!?
This is really getting on my nerves!
As if to ensure I had no time to ponder, the Dragon Slayer repositioned herself to swing her fan again.
But right next to me, the White Mask had already resumed her stance.
Ding!
In an instant, the White Mask’s sword collided with the Dragon Slayer’s fan, creating a sound reminiscent of a spring being released.
However, unlike before, perhaps due to her rampaging state…
Bong!
“Heh…!”
As the Dragon Slayer roughly brushed away the fan, the White Mask’s body collided heavily against the wall beside me in the blink of an eye.
“Master!”
Fortunately, there was no catastrophe with the wall collapsing.
Yet, as the dust cleared and I approached the White Mask, her condition was less than favorable.
The White Mask, who had previously shown nothing but strength, was now trembling in pain, and the cloth wrapped around her face was on the verge of tearing.
“Are you okay?”
“…Haha, I’ve shown a pitiful sight. It seems a human body is truly inadequate to face an Outsider.”
Her voice sounded remarkably weary; it seemed the White Mask could hardly move anymore.
An unknown entity that even the White Mask, regarded as the pinnacle of combat strength in the Knights, couldn’t match.
Outsider.
The disparity in combat power was glaringly evident.
The problem is, I could only inflict one more valid blow using Bell’s power.
But seeing the Dragon Slayer, whose eyes were alarmingly wide and filled with anger as she stared at us, I doubted whether we could subdue her.
On top of that, Muyun, who managed to regain her stance, had her eyes half-lidded, suggesting she wouldn’t last much longer either.
“…D-didn’t you think you could just toy with me and then move on to another woman…!?” (Dragon Slayer)
It was an atmosphere-breaking statement, but honestly, it sounded straight out of a villainess novel.
That’s not easy to pull off.
This whole Super Coward Mode thing? It seems like a pretty good transformation indeed?
Well, whatever the case, maybe it’s better to step back one step at a time, even if it risks things.
With the Dragon Slayer angrily growling that she would take me down, I scratched Bell’s chin gently to calm his frayed nerves.
“Arwoo….”
Because of that, as he rubbed his cheek affectionately, my thoughts began to clear up.
If a conclusion was reached, I needed to act quickly.
Our primary goal was to take down the Dragon.
After all, the Dragon Slayer had been an unexpected variable from the beginning.
Supporting the White Mask while using Bell’s powers, I aimed to make a quick exit from this place.
Suddenly, I heard a strange sliding sound across the snow and turned my head, only to be stunned.
There she was, in the Maid outfit I had gotten in town, her brown hair in twin tails, skimming down the slope.
Asti, why on earth are you here!?
As the slope disappeared, she leaped off the wall towards me.
Thud.
Asti landed quietly right in front of me and slowly stood up, adopting a Maid-like posture as if nothing had happened, gazing up at me.
“Asti… why are you here?”
“I saw from a distance that you seemed to be in danger, my Master.”
“But coming here like this! If you do, then you’ll…!”
Yet, instead of listening to my words, Asti shook her head.
“It wouldn’t be right for me, as your servant, to just watch my Master in a dangerous situation.”
She murmured it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Servant?
What is this duality she’s exhibiting?
To be honest, I hadn’t the faintest idea how to keep up with her since that day in the village.
Despite having tried to kill me several times, she maintained her Maid duties to an impeccable standard.
No, it seemed like it even exceeded that.
For example, on the morning she nearly tried to end me, her thorough tidying of my room.
And the day she attempted to poison me, there was not only a delicious breakfast waiting—though I had confirmed that the White Mask devoured it without hesitation before I did—but she even wiped the stains off my lips and did the dishes afterward.
Then there were the pained expressions she had shown before we arrived here.
What on earth are your intentions, Asti?
“If you would allow me to protect you from now on, I would be grateful.”
After that formally stated request, Asti raised the dagger she had once attempted to stab me with, holding it with both hands.
This time, however, it seemed to glow a sinister red.
“Please make your judgment, Master.”
Seeing that ominous energy emanating from her made me feel she would go against my orders if I refused.
With a heavy heart, I made my decision.
“Okay, I’ll permit it.”
“Then.”
As soon as my answer hit the air, Asti lunged toward the Dragon Slayer.
—