“Hah, hah..."

Her eyes were blurred.

She was out of breath, gasping for air.

Though Emily was positioned closest to the stele, where fights with monsters were less frequent, she was growing weary from having to deal with the monsters breaking through the defense line.

[Graaah!!]

A monster in the form of a black horse with two heads charged at her.

“Ugh!”

━Boom!

Emily barely managed to lift her shield and block the charge.

━Stab!

She then pierced both heads of the monster with her sword simultaneously.

Ordinarily, a monster of this rank would be difficult for Emily to handle alone.

But since this one was exhausted from breaking through the front lines, she was able to deal with it in one go.

'There’s too many...'

From her position at the rear, Emily had the clearest view of the battlefield, and the situation was becoming steadily worse.

Despite Raphne, who seemed unbeatable, and the three other top fighters from the academy battling together, it was becoming increasingly difficult to fend off the overwhelming number of monsters.

More and more monsters were breaking through their defenses.

‘...Ken, please, hurry.’

Emily looked at the still brightly lit Stele.

According to Adrian, when the Stele shines, a portal to hell opens.

This means an exit must have already appeared where Ken was.

However, despite the considerable time that had passed since the battle had begun, there was no news from the Stele.

'...Could something have happened to Ken?'

The most unimaginable scenario crossed her mind.

It was the thought that Ken, who had entered the trap, might not have been able to hold out.

As much as she didn't want to think about it, the bad thought naturally surfaced, making Emily clench her fist tightly.

She shook her head and focused her gaze forward.

She couldn't let strange thoughts break her spirit.

She just had to believe in Ken and help her comrades for now.

But then.

"Em-Emily━!!"

Someone's shout from the front.

The urgent cry of someone.

It signaled that the monsters had broken through their defenses.

But from that urgent voice, she could sense that the number of incoming monsters wasn't ordinary.

And soon, she saw eight monsters appear.

[Uooohhh!!]

[Kik! Kik! Kikiik!]

'...No, this can't be!'

At the sight of their numbers, Emily’s shoulders trembled with a hardened expression.

Those numbers were too much for her to handle.

Nevertheless, she tightened her grip on her shield and sword.

They couldn't afford to lose the Stele.

But despite her resolve.

“Kyahhhh━!!”

She couldn't stop the charging horde of monsters.

“No... No...!!”

The monsters that broke through Emily's last line of defense rushed straight for the Stele.

They ignored Emily entirely.

They attacked the Stele as if it were their sworn enemy.

━Boom!

━Crash!

“Stop it! No!!!”

Though she quickly readjusted and swung her sword at the monsters from behind, even as they were cut, they did not fall away from the Stele.

They attacked it with all their might, as if their lives depended on it.

━Crack.

And their concentrated assault.

━Craaaack.

Gradually caused cracks to appear in the Stele.

And Raphne, who had been holding off countless monsters at the front.

Looked back at the Stele with a growing sense of dread.

She saw the eight monsters attacking the Stele.

“Stop ittttt━!!”

“R-Raphne!”

Ignoring Mary's call, the now frantic Raphne abandoned her position and rushed toward the Stele.

‘If that breaks, Ken can't come out.

I won't be able to see Ken.’

Such a horrifying thought echoed in her mind.

With a speed she had never exhibited before.

Raphne's Innate Speed skill activated.

'…No━!!'

In the slowing scenery,

Emily, with a look of despair, tried to stop the monsters, and Adrian noticed her struggle belatedly.

Just like them, Siegfried also rushed towards the Stele.

The whole party charged towards the Stele.

Knowing that if it broke, no matter how many monsters they blocked at the front, it would be meaningless.

And in Raphne’s line of sight, as she sprinted the fastest,

One monster closest to the Stele

Finally dealt the final blow.

“Nooooo━!!”

Even though Raphne screamed frantically, time did not stop.

━Boom!

The Stele that had been glowing shattered with a deafening crash.

“Ah, …no.”

Amidst the thick smoke,

Raphne reached out with a face full of despair.

As if she were witnessing the collapse of a cherished dream.

The shock of the result she never wanted to see made her collapse on the spot.

“...Ken.”

[Uooooh━!!]

"Raphne━!! Snap out of it!! The monsters are still coming!!"

━Boom!!

With Adrian's shout, flames erupted and the cries of monsters echoed, but Raphne didn’t react to any of it.

She just stared blankly at what she failed to protect.

After a moment, the smoke from the explosion began to clear, revealing the scattered pieces of the Stele and the corpses of monsters caught in the blast.

And then…

“...I-I almost died.”

A man with a surprised face, holding Emily in his arms, was stuck upside down into a nearby pillar.

“Ken???”

Seeing him, the despair in Raphne's eyes began to fade.

His form was so different from what she remembered.

Although he looked different, the atmosphere and the faintly familiar face made it clear he was Ken Feinstein.

“K-Ken…”

Emily, who had been safely held and protected from the explosion, also stared blankly at him.

“Is everyone alright?”

Ken asked while looking at the still-approaching monsters.

“We're not alright, you idiot!”

Emily cried as she buried her face in his chest.

“Keennn━!!”

Raphne, who had been watching from a distance, quickly ran and threw herself at him.

“Urgh!”

“Ken! Sobbing, Keeennn!!!”

Ken, barely managing to catch the sobbing Raphne, stroked her head while checking the surroundings.

The destruction of the Stele had stopped the monsters from coming, but Adrian and Mary were still dealing with the remaining ones.

“Let’s take care of the urgent matter first and then celebrate, okay?”

With a smile, Ken gently put down the two women from his arms.

Escaping from the [Bottom of Tarlos] was truly a close call.

I could have ended up stuck there for another year.

The reason for this was none other than the spirit of the Demon Sword, who had an odd obsession with me.

“Hey, isn’t there really any way to solve this?”

“Hmph, no way. I can’t live without you, Master.”

“Master?”

Sitting just outside the door of the house emitting dark energy, I conversed with Tirfione.

My first strategy was persuasion.

Starting with a conversation was key.

If that didn’t work, I’d take other measures.

To avoid being trapped, I didn’t enter the house and stayed seated at the door, talking to Tirfione.

As we talked, our manner of speech and titles changed gradually.

Tirfione began calling me ‘Ken-nim’ and then ‘Master.’

And I shifted from using formal speech to more casual conversation with her.

Despite the considerable time that passed while we talked, her resolve remained unshaken.

“So, I really need that key to help my team. You have to give it to me.”

“Then you should come in and get it.”

With that, Tirfione gave a seductive smile and placed the Stone Tablet on her chest.

It was as if she was daring me to take it.

Given my current reflexes, I could probably snatch it in an instant, but I’d undoubtedly get swallowed by the house the moment I reached for it.

I wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such a simple trap.

‘…Ha, what should I do?’

Tirfione only wanted one thing: for me to be her owner and stay with her.

No matter how much I spoke to her, her resolve did not waver, and out of frustration, I once asked her the reason.

Blushing, she placed her hand on her cheek and squirmed as she replied.

“T-that’s because… I fell for you at first sight, Master!”

It was an utterly incomprehensible reason.

Fell for me? At first sight?

Fell in love with someone who was overweight?

The unattractive Ken Feinstein?

Ah, come to think of it, I did lose weight.

But that didn’t fundamentally change my appearance. An ugly guy is still ugly, even with less weight.

‘Does the Ego Sword have strange tastes?’

Or maybe she’s attracted to my crafting skills.

Regardless, when I realized that our conversation was getting nowhere, I noticed time was running out.

The portal would open soon.

“Hey, Tirfione. Can I ask you a few more things?”

At that moment, I gave up on persuasion and decided to dig for information instead.

And in response to my questions, Tirfione blushed and answered demurely.

"My first experience... Well, I haven't yet..."

"That’s not what I was asking!"

Embarrassed, I cleared my throat and continued more seriously.

"As a demon sword, you attract monsters when you're outside, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Then, are you also attacked by those monsters?"

This question had been on my mind ever since I met Tirfione.

In the game, whenever I carried Tirfione's physical form outside, I was immediately devoured by monsters and died.

So, I wondered if Tirfione herself was also attacked.

She looked at me with a smile in response.

"Master, you are very kind. But don't worry, I am not hostile towards monsters. They merely gather around me."

"Hmm..."

Her answer made me fold my arms and think deeply.

"Have you tested this yourself?"

"Of course. It's not like I've always stayed in this house... Oh."

"So, you can come out then."

"Ugh."

Since I escaped from the house, Tirfione hadn't come out.

I initially thought she couldn't come out on her own.

But it turned out she was just not leaving to lure me back inside.

After all, if her goal was to capture me, she should have chased me as soon as I exited the house.

‘...There must be something in the house.’

"Hmph, but you'll have to come back inside sooner or later."

Although flustered, Tirfione forced a smile and waved the stone tablet in front of me.

The key I needed.

"You need this, don't you? That means you'll have to come back inside to get it."

She teased me with a mischievous smile.

I folded my arms and thought for a moment in response to her consistent behavior.

After collecting my thoughts for a moment, I opened my eyes.

"Alright, I’ve decided."

"...Pardon? Decided what?"

"I'm giving up on the key."

"...What?"

Tirfione stared at me blankly in response to my answer.

Then, as the meaning of my words sank in, she called out to me urgently.

"Wa-wait, hold on, Master! Isn’t that something you really need?!"

"I need it. But I can't stay here forever just because I can't get it."

"B-but that means..."

"I'm going to give up the key and leave this place."

With that, I pointed somewhere in the sky.

Where my finger pointed, a single beam of green light pierced through the sky.

That's the portal.

The time had come, and the exit was open.

By now, my party should be holding off the monsters, waiting for me to come out.

I couldn't afford to waste any more time.

And, faced with my unexpected answer, Tirfione looked genuinely flustered for the first time, fidgeting nervously.

I gently extended my hand to her.

"Tirfione."

"...Yes, yes?"

"Let's go together."

I spoke with a serious expression.

Tirfione looked at me, dumbfounded.

"B-but Master. As you know, if you take me, the monsters will gather."

"I know, that's why I’ve been thinking."

I gazed at the light coming from the portal up in the sky.

“The moment we step out together, we have to run straight to that portal.”

“But, Master! Far more monsters will gather than you think! Instead, why don't we just stay here together…”

“No. This is the best option.”

I shook my head.

Then, I extended my hand more firmly, urging her to take it.

“I’ll be your master. So trust me and come with me.”

“...Ah.”

Tirfione’s trembling hand reached out.

“Are you sure this is okay?”

She asked cautiously.

I nodded confidently in response.

“With you, I’m sure we can overcome anything.”

Smiling at my confident reply, Tirfione finally took my hand.

“Oh, Tirfione. Can you give me the key as well?”

“Oh, yes! Here it is!”

She smiled brightly, holding onto my hand tightly as she took out the stone tablet from her pocket.

I took it and placed the key into the Subspace Pocket.

“Alright, let’s go!”

“Yes, Master!”

With her answer, she merged back into the sword.

Her hand, which had held mine, transformed into the hilt of the sword.

“...Phew.”

Slowly, I pulled the sword out of the house.

As I stepped out the door, I felt a strange barrier at the boundary, along with a slight resistance, but I managed to bring the sword out.

And with that, Tirfione and I escaped from the house saturated with demonic energy.

[Grrraaaah!!]

━Thud thud thud thud thud!!

Immediately, the ground began to tremble with the roars of monsters and the sound of countless footsteps.

“Good! How are you holding up, Tirfione?”

[Yes, Master! I am always ready to move at your command!]

Hearing her seemingly cheerful response, I couldn't help but smile guiltily.

“Is that so?”

[...Huh? M-Master?]

I took a stance to throw.

[W-Wait a minute! M-Master?!]

“Sorry, but with those numbers, there's no other option...”

And with that, I swung my arm.

Empowered by my greatly increased strength from dieting, Tirfione flew from my hand through the air.

[M-Masteeeeeeerrrr...!!]

She soon landed in a distant forest.

[Grrraaaah...!!]

With that, the roars of the monsters and the trembling of the ground receded into the distance.

‘I'm sorry! No matter what, there was no other way!'

If I delayed any longer, the portal might close.

I felt guilty for deceiving her, though.

Tirfione wasn’t being attacked by monsters, and she could likely reemerge in spirit form and return home.

With that thought, I left her behind and sprinted towards the portal.

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