༺ I Will Protect You ༻
– Squeak…
“…Sigh.”
After concluding my one-on-one encounter with Aishi, I released a sigh and left the waiting room.
“Does it hurt a lot?”
Suddenly, I began to worry.
Even though I had experienced being cross-eyed, stabbed by a sword, and struck by magic missiles in the previous cycle,
I’ve never had my heart frozen even once.
‘What was written in the prophecy…?’
I recalled the prophecy, which was no longer in my possession since I had handed it over to Serena.
Even though it wasn’t with me now, I had memorized it diligently from previous episodes.
Swiftly, I recollected the information related to the curse of the frozen heart.
The curse of the frozen heart.
A mysterious curse that befell the sub-heroine, Aishi Winter Cloud.
This enigmatic curse started by making the cursed person’s chest feel numb, gradually turning everything into a chilling void that eradicates all emotions.
The only way to break the curse was to transfer it to someone else, but it could be done only once.
“…My ancestor was truly incredible.”
In the hope that it might prove useful, my ancestor had compiled all the skills and curses in Dark Tale Fantasy 2 into a dictionary format.
Beneath the entry for the ‘Curse of the Frozen Heart’ left by that ancestor, the following note was written.
The effects that manifest in the game when the curse reaches its final stage are as follows. First, permanent capture becomes impossible. Second, the probability of corruption increases by 90%. Third, emotions are erased.
Each effect was terrifying, but there was one that I found particularly appealing.
‘That was the third effect, erasure of emotions.’
“…What am I even thinking?”
Although I laughed and denied the thought that crossed my mind, my smile gradually faded as the thought reappeared moments later.
Perhaps, due to my high mental strength, was it possible that I might constantly experience ’emotion dampening’ rather than ’emotion erasing’?
If so, everything would become a bit easier.
Wouldn’t it be more helpful for a happy ending to proceed mechanically and stay true to my instincts rather than directly experiencing and struggling through every emotion?
In that sense, it might actually be a good thing…
“Young Master.”
“…You startled me!”
As I was lost in thought, someone called out to me from behind.
“Kania?”
I turned around in shock, and it was none other than Kania.
Why is she here? I had instructed her to remain on standby.
“Is it difficult?”
“Huh? No, it’s just the same as usual… Wait a moment.”
Putting that doubt aside for a moment, I realized something more important and whispered to her with wide eyes.
“How did you recognize me?”
Right now, I was wearing a deceptive robe that even the Demon King would have trouble discerning.
But how could Kania recognize me? Does that even make sense?
“Would it make sense for a maid not to recognize their master?”
“No, it’s not about that…”
“It’s a joke. Actually, I know because I embedded myself in your shadow.”
“…Aha.”
Only then could I understand how she had found me.
“Now that I think about it, you mentioned having a contract with my shadow.”
I had asked Kania about the mysterious dark magic she had been using to enter and exit my shadow since around the time the commoner dormitory raid started.
“This? It’s simple. I made a contract with your shadow.”
“…What!?”
And I received quite a surprising answer—she had made a contract with my shadow.
Although I was shocked at the time, I was touched by the fact that it was a contract that could only be made with a sincerely devoted master, so I let it be…
It seems that Kania has maintained the contract ever since then, up until this moment.
“Anyway, why did you come here, Kania?”
Having finished my thoughts, I posed the question to Kania, who was standing in front of me with her head slightly bowed.
“I came to check on you because I was worried about you, Young Master.”
“Huh?”
“I came to make sure everything is alright.”
It seemed like Kania’s words had changed in the blink of an eye, but since every minute and second were precious, I sighed and began the conversation.
“First of all, the situation itself is good. The unexpected variable, Ferloche, is actually working to our advantage.”
“It seems so. I conducted a brief reconnaissance, and a significant number of troops were focused on Ferloche.”
Hearing that, I frowned slightly and asked a question.
“Did Ferloche get hurt or pushed back by any chance?”
“The last time I saw her, a fully-armed guard was flying through the air.”
“Oh.”
After hearing Kania’s answer, my inner anxiety finally subsided, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Young Master, you’re at your best when you’re driven by your emotions.”
“What did you say?”
“Ah, I have something to report.”
Experiencing a sense of déjà vu in this situation, I frowned and began to listen to her report.
“I secretly overheard the guards’ radio communication earlier, and I discovered that there are two more intruders in the slave market besides Ferloche.”
“…What?”
Taken aback by her unexpected remark, I frowned and opened my mouth to respond.
“Two more… Do you know who they are?”
“I couldn’t hear properly since I was eavesdropping, but they both seemed to be quite skilled.”
“…Hmm.”
Hearing that, I fell into quiet contemplation.
‘…This is a setback, just when I was about to execute the plan.’
As a result of diligently preparing by moving through various locations, I had successfully completed all the necessary preparations for the operation.
The exceptionally strong slaves I personally handpicked were now in the waiting room, receiving power from Dmir Khan.
Irina was manipulating the cabinet, ensuring the slaves could be stealthily snuck out amidst the ensuing chaos.
And Clana, who was leading the Imperial Knights loyal to her, had already infiltrated the first floor with the aim of becoming the hero of the slave market liberation incident.
And as soon as the sun set, Serena would join the operation.
In this situation where everything seemed to align perfectly and I could command the execution of the operation right now… another unforeseen variable emerged.
This was unacceptable.
I was tired of dealing with these unexpected variables.
“I’ll go, Young Master.”
“Huh?”
As I thought about the situation with a somewhat fatigued gaze, Kania quietly spoke up.
“It would make more sense for me to go and check, rather than you, who needs to control the overall situation.”
“Kania, but…”
“Wasn’t my role in this operation to control unforeseen variables from the beginning? I’m just doing my part, so don’t worry.”
With those words, Kania disappeared from my sight before I could say anything else.
“…Sigh.”
As I blankly stared at the spot where she had disappeared,
‘I’ll inform everyone.’
I soon began to send a telepathic message to everyone.
“Prepare yourselves. We’ll begin the operation shortly.”
The highlight of the third main quest was now just within reach.
“Uwaaaaah! Everyone, get out of the way!”
– Kugwagwagwagwagwang!!!
“Th-This crazy…!”
Just as Frey was sending a telepathic message to everyone,
“We’ve surrounded them! We’ve finally surrounded them!”
“Then push them back! If they break through here, it’s all over!”
The corridor where the slaves’ waiting room was located had turned into a battlefield-like scene.
“Move! If you don’t move… you’ll face my divine retribution!”
With intense eyes and tightly clenched fists, Ferloche began to charge towards the people surrounding the corridor.
“Here she comes! If you don’t want to die, brace yourselves!”
“I’m not going to kill you!! I’ll sanctify you!!”
With closed eyes and a whining sound, Ferloche charged.
Thanks to her unique silly expression and gestures, to a third party, she looked merely cute.
“Ugh… urk…”
“He, hehehe… hehe…”
However, those who let their guard down and approached her were struck by her powerful punch and collapsed on the floor.
“Eight!”
– Kugwang!!!
No matter how cute Ferloche may have appeared, it was only natural to feel terrified.
“Ugh…”
“…Another one.”
As another victim succumbed to Ferloche’s merciless fists,
“Damn it, where did that monster come from?”
The temporary captain of the guard, who was among the remaining stronger people, began to lament with a frown.
“If only it wasn’t such a narrow corridor…”
“Evil and wicked villains! I won’t forgive you!”
The people employed as security guards at the slave market were all mercenaries, so they were able to quickly understand Ferloche’s fighting pattern.
Her strikes were overwhelmingly powerful, but they could only target one person at a time.
Because of this penalty, had the area been more open, the guards might have been able to put up more of a fight.
If one assumed Ferloche’s holy power lacked the protection of the sun god, her power was focused on defense. Therefore, if they had scattered and attacked, they might have at least reached a stalemate.
“Again, she’s coming again!”
“Damn it, how long until we make contact with headquarters?”
However, that was merely wishful thinking.
Since the place where the guards and Ferloche were located was a narrow corridor, it provided Ferloche the perfect opportunity to target each guard’s vital spots one by one.
– This is headquarters… This is headquarters.
“…Hey! This is different from the contract! Is it okay to be pushed around like this!?”
As they continued the meaningless war of attrition, slowly reducing the number of guards, the man finally screamed when he received contact from the headquarters.
– We have evacuated all the slaves and VIPs from that floor to another floor. You may proceed with the operation you proposed.
“Are you insane?! We’ve already lost half of our forces, half! There’s no way we can carry out that operation with limited manpower…”
– We will dispatch additional troops, so please hold on a little longer. We are currently negotiating with the captain of the Royal Knights and the leader of the Holy Knights.
“Damn it!”
When the communication ended, the man cursed, threw the walkie-talkie to the floor, and screamed.
“Commence the operation!!!”
“Wh-What’s this! Are you trying to use magic like Frey’s evil comrades!? Are you planning to be as wicked as Frey!?”
– Krrrrrrr!
“…Ahh!?”
As Ferloche, who had been carefully watching the situation, charged in again with a whining sound, she was startled by the loud noise and stopped in her tracks.
– Shooooo…
“Ah! Aaah!”
A cloud of dust billowed around as Ferloche began to retreat, waving her hands as if she were swatting away a mosquito.
“…Good, it worked.”
“Ugh!”
After waving her hands for a while, Ferloche opened her eyes to find herself in a rather difficult situation.
“Everyone, scatter and approach her cautiously. If you don’t understand, think of it as hunting an orc.”
“O-Orc!? I’m the Saintess!”
The guards, who had been facing off against Ferloche, immediately attacked the surrounding walls as soon as they received permission from headquarters.
This was because they wanted to turn the narrow corridor into a wide-open space.
“Ugh, what should I do…?”
Of course, her innate divine power protected her from immediate danger, Ferloche, who was now helplessly trapped in the guards’ encirclement, began to worry and ponder her next move.
“Hey, kid! Give up!”
“Relying on strength with that stupid-looking face…”
“But doesn’t it really feel like hunting orcs? I’ve done it a few times on the western continent, and it was really like this.”
Seeing her in this situation, the guards, who had regained their confidence, approached Ferloche with smirks on their faces.
“Aha! I’ve got it!”
Ferloche’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, instantly freezing the scene.
“Since you guys broke the walls and cornered me! I’ll…”
“Wha-What?”
“No way, right?”
Ferloche, brimming with confidence, continued.
“…I’ll break the floor and corner you all!”
“Cr-Crazy!!”
“Get out of here! Hurry!”
Astounded by Ferloche’s unexpected solution, the guards hastily made their way towards the stairs as she targeted the floor with the blessing of the Sun God. However,
“Hyup!”
– Crumble!!!
In less than a second, Ferloche’s power struck the floor, causing it to crumble and collapse.
“Ugh, aaaahhhhh!!!”
The floor, situated at a considerable height, caved in, along with everyone on it.
“Sun God! Save me!!”
Initially proud of her successful strategy, Ferloche soon realized that she was also in danger of crashing down, and began praying with her hands clasped.
– Thud!!!
Just as she finished her prayer, Ferloche, who had almost reached the floor, managed to land safely by using someone as a cushion, all the while humming a tune.
“…Ugh.”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Although she was happy to have landed safely, Ferloche’s eyes widened with concern, realizing that she had unintentionally harmed an ordinary person.
“I’ll heal you right away!”
She quickly gathered divine power in her hands to heal the person she had used as a cushion, but then,
“Huh?”
She found herself staring wide-eyed at the person’s face.
“Lady Ruby!?”
“Ah, umm, hello, Saintess.”
“What are you doing here? Were you captured? Did you get involved in Frey’s evil plan?”
“Well, you see… that’s…”
Ferloche, bombarding a sweating Ruby with rapid-fire questions, was suddenly interrupted.
“There they are! Catch them!”
“Both the intruders are together!”
“…Headquarters, do you copy? The intruders seem to be acquainted. Please confirm.”
“…Ahh!”
Spotting the reinforcements closing in to capture them, Ferloche quickly grabbed Ruby’s arm and started running.
“Don’t worry, I’m with you!”
“Wa-ait a moment…”
“I, in the name of Ferloche!”
Cutting off Ruby, who was about to say something hesitantly, Ferloche continued with a smile.
“I’ll definitely protect the pretentious Lady Ruby!”
“Right here in this place!!!”
The quest was, quite literally, entering its climax.
