━Click

I heard a sudden sound from the direction of the door, over Tirfione's shoulder, as she clung to me.

"Ken, would you become my master?"

She gazed up at me with those familiar eyes, tightly pressed against me.

Those eyes were quite familiar.

They were the eyes Raphne used to look at me with, as if I were her prey.

The eyes of someone filled with greedy desire.

"Master... Do you mean?"

"Yes, it means the owner of the Demon Sword Tirfione."

Just as I thought.

I placed my hand on her shoulder to distance her and faced Tirfione.

"Um, Miss Tirfione. You might not know this, but if I take you out of here, I'll be attacked by monsters.

...That's the nature of a demon sword."

If I leave this house with Tirfione in my possession, hordes of monsters will swarm me.

I took a guess that this was an inherent trait of the demon sword.

Anyway, the important thing is that my life would be at risk.

No matter how strong I am, fighting a multitude of enemies will put my life in danger.

Even if I had increased my stats through dieting, there's no way I can defeat that many monsters.

However, in response to my words, Tirfione chuckled softly.

"Oh, you’re quite wise."

Then she looked up at me with eyes full of admiration.

Those eyes, like those of a fanatical cultist.

I couldn’t understand why she evaluated me so highly in such a short time.

"But it's fine, Ken. As long as you don't leave, there’s no danger."

"Pardon? What does that mean..."

"We just need to stay together from now on."

Her lips curved gently.

That greedy smile aimed at me.

No way...

Pushing her aside, I urgently rushed to the door.

━Click, click.

"Damn it, what is this!"

The door was locked from the inside, and no matter how much I fiddled with it, it wouldn’t open.

“Haha, Ken.

Even you won't be able to open it so easily.”

Her voice echoed behind me in this incomprehensible situation.

When I turned to look at Tirfione, she kindly explained.

"Why do you think monsters don’t swarm when my true form is in this house?”

Slowly, she approached me and pressed her body against my back.

Despite being a sword’s spirit, I felt a definite physical presence and warmth.

“That’s because this house is also a monster that has absorbed a lot of demonic energy.”

"...This house is a monster?"

The house itself had absorbed demonic energy.

It wasn’t an impossibility.

After all, Tirfione had originally been an ordinary sword that absorbed demonic energy to become a cursed sword.

“This house is a place that preserves what’s inside. My first master painstakingly created it, and the demonic energy of this Hell caused its abilities to awaken.”

I felt her arms wrap around my waist and her face press against my back.

Simultaneously, her voice, filled with greed, echoed through the house.

“Let’s stay together forever, Master."

At her words, I thought to myself.

‘I'm screwed.’

Having been imprisoned by Raphne once, I realized she was serious.

I had no idea why she was doing this to me.

What mattered was that I was now trapped.

Trapped in a Monster House, which was tougher because it had turned into a monster.

Hoooo.

I took a deep breath to calm myself.

‘…Ken Feinstein, relax.‘

I've been locked up once before, so I have experience with this sort of… situation.

Not that it's something to brag about….

Anyway, since it’s not the first time, don’t panic and stay calm.

There must be a way out.

After gathering my thoughts, I turned and grabbed Tirfione by the shoulders.

Her eyes, now glowing with a desire fulfilled, gazed at me in ecstasy.

With a smile, I answered her.

“It looks like I've been thoroughly outplayed.”

What Tirfione wanted was for me not to leave.

To stay with her forever.

But I had to get out of here. I couldn’t take her with me.

In that case, let's act like I'm fulfilling her wish.

“Well, I guess I have no choice. Please take care of me, Tirfione.”

“...Ah.”

Tirfione's face lit up with joy at my performance, despite my worries about it seeming awkward.

It appears I played my part well.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she threw herself into my arms.

“Oh, Ken! I believed you would understand me!”

“...Yes, yes... Ugh.”

She suddenly pressed her body against mine, and I could feel her soft frame against me.

‘Stay calm.’

This is nothing compared to the mental assaults I've endured from a much more endowed Raphne.

I must not lose my composure from this level of physical contact.

“Tirfione, may I take another look at your true form to commemorate our time together?”

“My true form?”

“I thought it was beautiful from the first time I saw it. I want to take it in again.”

“...Haah!”

Suddenly, Tirfione clutched her chest and blushed deeply.

Why is she acting like that?

From my perspective as the one who repaired it, her true form as a magic sword was an undoubtedly beautiful masterpiece.

But what does clutching her chest have to do with that?

Tirfione soon smiled and handed me her true form.

“H-Here it is! But please, be gentle as it is a girl's body...”

“Yes, yes.”

From my perspective, it's just a sword, but for Tirfione, who is the sword itself, this is her true form.

I lightly ran my fingers along the blade of the sword I took.

Hmm, the edge is really...

“Ah! K-Ken! Don't stimulate it there too much...”

“Whoa! I'm sorry!”

Just what part of her body is this supposed to be...

Anyway, the longsword-shaped magic sword that I held in my hands definitely looked valuable as a weapon.

“This is nice. It's a very good sword, Tirfione.”

“Oooh, when you praise me like that, I don't know where to put myself...”

Ignoring her embarrassment, I turned around.

And what came into view was the locked door of this house.

“...Ken?”

Tirfione called my name from behind as I silently stared at the door.

But before she could realize my intention.

Utilizing my heightened physical abilities increased through training.

━Slash!

I swung the sword in an instant.

“K-Ken?!”

Tirfione was shocked by my sudden action.

But it was already too late.

━Sizzle.

The ability of the Demon Sword Tirfione is corrosion.

If any living being gets cut by its blade, the wound will corrode.

And if this house has absorbed demonic energy and become a monster itself,

That makes it another living entity.

‘Just as I thought... It works!’

The latch that the blade sliced through started to corrode and loosen.

I turned to look at her blankly staring at me and smiled.

“Sorry, but there's only one person who can imprison me.”

“...Ah!”

━Bang!

I dashed through the door, breaking it and escaping the house.

Of course, leaving Tirfione inside.

The impact from my leap broke the door, and I rolled onto the ground, quickly looking back at the house.

I wondered if she might follow or attack me.

But contrary to my expectations, Tirfione stood at the entrance, merely looking down at me with a wistful smile.

‘…Why isn’t she coming out?’

That question lingered only for a moment.

Then I saw what she pulled out from her pocket, and I let out a resigned laugh.

What she held was a stone tablet carved with sigils.

It was the key I had been searching for.

Seeing my expression, Tirfione covered her mouth with the stone tablet and said, "Is this what you really need? If so, you’ll have to return here someday."

With her chuckling sound, I felt despair as the key I needed was right in front of me yet unattainable.

Amid a cluster of silent pillars.

Raphne’s party, who came to the 10th floor's Stele to rescue Ken, completed their preparations without a word.

It was the morning of the seventh day, as Ken had described.

Soon, according to his plan, the Stele would activate, attracting numerous monsters to destroy it.

The group, with determined faces, finished their preparations to fend off the monsters.

"Emily, if the monsters overwhelm us and our positions break, stick close to me or Mary."

Adjusting the gloves Ken had made, Adrian approached Emily, who was sitting next to a pillar. The quietly bowed Emily nodded in acknowledgment. As the party’s only healer, her safety was paramount.

"...They’re coming."

Standing by the Stele and looking toward the forest, Raphne’s voice echoed.

And then, the ground began to rumble.

━Rumble rumble rumble.

It was shaking so much it felt like an earthquake was occurring.

Emily, who had been sitting, stood up, and everyone else, who had been preparing, grabbed their weapons.

And then...

━Fweeeeep.

With a strange resonance, the previously silent Stele began to glow.

Seeing this, Raphne smiled brightly for the first time in a while.

"Ken will be coming soon, right?"

"Yes, as long as we protect this Stele from those monsters until then."

Mary, exuding a cold magical aura, stood beside Raphne.

In just a little while, they would be able to meet Ken.

Despite the approaching monsters, that was their only thought.

They just hoped he could return safely.

"Well then, shall we begin?"

Adrian, smiling gently, extended his hand forward.

His magic, heating up and growing larger, caused the temperature around them to rise.

And with a wave of his hand, as if conducting an orchestra...

━Whoosh.

A massive blaze erupted in front of him, and the fire magic, brimming with power, shot towards the enemy horde at high speed like a cannonball.

━Boom!!

The soaring flames and the tremendous explosion echoed around.

And then...

[Roaaarrr━!!!]

With the cry of a certain monster, the battle to protect the Stele, where Ken would return, began.

"Raphne! Mary! You two handle the small and numerous ones. Don't let any slip through and attack the Stele!"

Among the approaching monsters were those that were small and fast-moving, like rats, tiny insects, or little humanoid creatures.

Following Adrian's instructions, Mary's ice magic poured down on the horde like a machine gun.

Raphne took care of the ones that dodged the magic and rushed forward.

"Siegfried, you and I will handle those big ones."

"Understood."

Adrian and Siegfried turned their attention to the massive monsters.

Lastly, Adrian looked at Emily.

"Emily, use your healing magic on anyone injured. And seal the skills of any monsters that use them."

Emily nodded firmly, and soon, chains of magical power shot from her hands, binding a harpy attempting to wield a sleep skill.

━Boom!!

At that moment, another burst of flames erupted from Adrian's hands, attacking the enemy horde.

Siegfried leapt high into the air, creating an afterimage as he sprang forward.

His target was just one monster; the Giant Worm, a monster in the form of a colossal caterpillar.

His sword slashed down, slicing the beast in two.

━Boom!!

━Crackkk!!

Fire and ice rained down in bombardments, sweeping away the monsters.

‘…I can do this!’

Initially overwhelmed by the oncoming horde, Emily felt encouraged seeing her comrades handle the monsters effortlessly, and she smiled.

At this rate, holding out until Ken's return wouldn’t be difficult.

As she glimpsed the possibility of victory and smiled with early triumph…

━Ratatatatata!

━Ratatatatatatatata!

The central forest where the monsters were swarming.

From both sides, additional sounds of monster footfalls began echoing.

[Kraaahhh─!!]

Monsters screeching as they charged forward.

What started as a single stream of monsters began merging with other groups from both sides, increasing their numbers significantly.

"Ah, Adrian!!"

Emily, frozen in shock at the sight, immediately called out to Adrian.

"Damn it! Mary! Take the left─!!"

Seeing the same sight as Emily, Adrian urgently shouted to Mary.

The two with the most firepower available at the moment.

Both needed to sweep away the enemies with their broad-range magic as much as possible.

‘If this keeps up, their magic power...’

But no matter how strong they were, they had limits.

With the increase in monster numbers, the amount of firepower needed to fend them off also increased.

Siegfried and Raphne continued to move tirelessly, handling the incoming monsters.

Even though they were cutting down the monsters at unbelievable speed.

It was difficult to block everything against the overwhelming numbers.

[Kyaaahhh!!]

"Ugh!"

━Slash!

Ultimately, one Poison Rabbit breached the barrier that Siegfried and Raphne had set up.

Because it wasn't a high-rank monster, Emily could dispatch it with a single stroke of her sword.

However…

'The gaps are widening.’

Even the previously impenetrable defense line was beginning to falter.

"...Ken."

Seeing this, Emily anxiously looked at the stele from which Ken should emerge.

But it was still only emitting light.

No news yet from the stele.

"Hurry up."

Worried by his delay, which was longer than expected, Emily gripped her sword nervously.

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