Volume 3 - CH 15

“Norwen-kun!”

“What the……!”

The Princess and I rushed to the fallen Norwen-kun.

However, there was no response when we called his name.

“Norwen-kun, get a hold of yourself!”

We could not move him because he might have damaged his head, so all we could do was call his name.

Perhaps he regained consciousness at the calls of our desperate voices, and a small moan came from Norwen-kun’s mouth. He is still alive.

I was relieved but at the same time I realized the current imminent danger and I looked back at Arturo-san. Indeed, he is trying to destroy the barrier as Norwen-kun said……

He no longer looked at us and began to chant again. The same black sphere as before floated on his palm. Moreover, it was bigger than before.

Chills ran down my back again.

……If we can’t stop him…… If we can’t stop him……!

Driven with impatience, I stood up and said to the Princess.

“Princess, please look after Norwen-kun.”

The barrier must have been reinforced by Greed-sama and the others like never before. Unless one is a Demon King, they cannot destroy it…… From the outside.

That’s right, the barrier works strongly only against from outside attacks. For instance, it is as strong as steel when being attacked from the outside, but it is as fragile as an eggshell when being attacked from the inside.

Moreover, Arturo-san has the ability of a second-ranked magician of the kingdom of Albatro. If he attacked . . . the barrier will collapse.

Tiana-sama aside, the people of Albatro surely like to create trouble, I see!

I turned my anger to him a little too personally.

“Aria, what are you planning to do?”

With her knees bent beside Norwen-kun, the princess looked up at me anxiously.

“I will interrupt him.”

Fortunately, Arturo-san is focused on chanting and paid no attention to me and the Princess.

It would be nice if there was something to throw, but there is no such convenient thing in the courtyard at the moment.

──Then, I have my body to use!

I completely forgot Rufaga-sama’s advice, rushed toward Arturo-san with all my might, and slammed myself into his body……

But . . . it was too late.

“Ah!”

In response to my tackle, Arturo-san’s body fell to the ground. I also collapsed on top of him but by that time, the chanting had already ended.

Falling from Arturo-san’s hand into the ground of the courtyard, there was an impact caused by the sphere. But at the same time, a black line popped out of the sphere and extended straight into the sky.

The line, which is darker than the darkness of the night, stretched as if it tore through the moonlit night sky, and──

──Boom.

Suddenly, the ground shook greatly. It felt like it was being pushed up from below. An unpleasant memory was revived in my mind.

……That was the day when the Princess was kidnapped by the Demon King.

On that day as well, I felt the shock of being pushed up from below, and I saw the Princess’s face. At first, I thought it was an earthquake. Earthquakes rarely occur here in Schwarze, but they can still shake once every few years.

Fortunately, there was no damage to the Princess’s room. However, the shaking was so intense like I have never experienced before, so I tried to leave the room when the Princess told me to see if there were any other damages.

……It was during that time. With a roaring sound, the wall on the window side collapsed.

In front of the stunned Princess and me, a middle-aged man with a large, solid body appeared from the dust. His eyes were red, and it was clear that he is not a human being──he is a demon.

At that time, I was heading to the door, so I was away from the Princess.

That’s why I could only watch the Princess being captured by the Demon King.

“A-Aria……!”

“Princeeessss!”

And the princess was kidnapped in front of me.

──If I were closer to her at that time……!

I regretfully remember that scene over and over again with tears in my eyes.

……I already have suffered from those thoughts a lot.

Getting up in a hurry, I ran up to the Princess.

Perhaps all the barriers have disappeared, just like that time . . . I could sense that.

It is unlikely that Arturo-san was able to destroy the barriers reinforced by the magicians of Schwarze and Greed-sama and the others all by himself, but something unusual is certainly happening.

“Princess!”

“This . . . could it be……”

The Princess’s expression stiffened. It seems that the Princess also noticed that the situation was the same as that time.

──I’m sure the demons are involved. The strange appearance of Arturo-san must be because he was being manipulated by the demons.

“Aria, go back to Greed-sama immediately.”

The Princess cast me a serious look. She looked somewhat apprehensive.

“I will take care of him. Hurry and go back now!”

“Princess……”

“The target of the demons is not me. It is you! Come on, hurry!”

“But……!”

I’m the Princess’s maid. I can’t leave my master……

“Hurry up, Aria! This is an order!”

As if she was on her wit’s end, the Princess shouted at me, who hesitated to move.

……Later on, I realized that with the Princess’s magical power, she must have already felt something looming at this moment.

“Hurry!”

“Well, that’s troublesome.”

Someone’s utterances overshadowed the princess’s scream, and I looked up at the sky in a daze. I heard the Princess, who also looked up at the sky, gasp.

──What floated calmly there is……

“It’s been a long time, isn't it? Hero’s fiancee?”

A blue-haired man was laughing and looking down at me.

Next to him is a young man with slightly wavy, dark emerald hair and a gentle face.

Both had sculpted faces and had blood-red eyes.

──They’re demons.

One man was familiar to me. He was the demon we encountered in the town the other day──It’s Girardière, also known as Azul.

One arm should have been cut off by Greed-sama that time, but now it was grown back.

A young man in a tunic beside him stared at me and smirked.

“Diere, is she ‘the Hero’s Fiancee’?”

“Yes.”

“I see. Nice to meet you, Miss.”

The young man smiled as he gracefully floated in the sky.

And gratefully offered his name.

“I’m under the control of Demon King Glydios, Fortunato, also known as Verde.”

“Verde……”

I gasped. My legs started to quiver.

He is a humanoid demon, and only seven executives under the direct control of the Demon King have color titles.

Two of them are right in front of me.

……And maybe their target is me.

“The fact that the demons are here means that the barrier is……”

The Princess muttered with a moan.

Azul grinned at her words.

“I destroyed it. There is another barrier in this building, you know? That puppet helped me.”

His gaze was suddenly diverted from me.

As I followed his line of sight with my eyes, I understood that it was Arturo-san he was pertaining to.

But like before, his eyes were not looking at anything. As if he had no mind of his own.

“Puppet……?”

I felt bothered by Azul’s words.

“Yes, a puppet.”

Azul then snapped his fingers.

Immediately, Arturo-sam’s body collapsed on the spot. He was like a marionette whose strings were cut.

Indeed, Arturo-san had been manipulated by them. They manipulated him so that they can enter this castle and destroy the barrier from the inside. So that Azul and the others can invade.

He did not show up using the excuse of being sick, probably because they wanted him to avoid meeting Greed-sama and the others. Had he met Greed-sama, who has [Analysis] skill, he would have found out that he is being manipulated by the demons.

They were biding their time, acting so carefully. Because of the ball, there will be a shortage of castle guards, and they will have the opportunity to perform the technique of breaking the barrier.

“The apprentice magician would have fallen in my hands if only I had hit him a little. But the young ‘un still has guts.”

Said Azul, looking at Norwen-kun lying at my feet.

At his words, I realized why Azul did not kill Norwen-kun right away at that time.

Perhaps he tried to brainwash Norwen-kun by weakening him to the point of not dying. Then, he will try to get him to destroy the barrier.

But from what I have witnessed, it was a failure. Furthermore, after that, Schwarze’s magicians became wary of the demons and stopped going out of the castle at all.

Azul and his friends, who couldn’t use Schwarze’s magicians, turned their attention to Albatro’s magician. They knew that the Crown Prince and his wife will be accompanied by some magicians when they come to Schwarze.

That’s why they took notice of Arturo-san. He is a highly capable magician and is supposed to also come to Schwarze.

I saw him sink into the ground. Is he dead or alive……?

“Ah, yes. I have a nice present for you, guys.”

Azul's thin lips drew an arc.

“It is appropriate for this glamorous night.”

As if on cue, a scream tore into the silence.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

It came from somewhere near the castle.

“It looks like it has started.”

Verde looked down at me as he answered Azul.

“That means Noir already sent a lot of demon beasts around this castle. Then the attention of the people in the castle will go there, and will it be a stalemate for the Hero and his comrades?”

Verde detailed such a terrible thing with an amiable smile.

“Wh-Why is the demon beast inside the castle……?”

The princess gasped. I can’t see the overall situation from this isolated place, but what if the scream just now was from someone who was attacked by a demon beast……?

“Oh, by the way, it was Dier who thought of such an underhanded task. He is good at this kind of things, you know?”

“Huh?”

What’s with the playful tone that doesn’t suit this tense situation?

……Hey, beside you, Azul had an unpleasant look on his face as if he swallowed a bitter bug!

“It is a strategy to take you, ‘The Hero’s Fiancee’, as a hostage by taking advantage of the turmoil…… Well, I really don’t think the Hero can be stopped by the demon beast.”

After saying that, Verde laughed.

“Look, he is coming.”

The ground in front of me suddenly shone even before he could finish his sentence. A circle was drawn out of the light and emitted even stronger light to illuminate the dim courtyard.

……This circle of light is familiar to me.

Oh, he actually came, I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the gentle light.

A familiar person appeared in the center of the glittering circle of light.

The Hero who wore formal wear just a while ago before we parted── Greed-sama.

“Is that the Hero?”

I did not know who between Azul and Verde said that.

……Soon the light merged, and Greed-sama, who stood to protect us from the eyes of the demons, said while pulling out the sacred sword on his waist.

“Aria, Princess, stand back.”

“Y-Yes.”

“I understand.”

But right after we answered, the Princess, Norwen-kun and I were moved to the wall-side end of the corridor.

I was surprised by the sudden move, but Greed-sama must have used teleportation magic. It was to prevent us from being harmed.

──Because this is a battleground.

After moving us to the wall, Greed-sama bluntly said to Azul.

“Destroying the barrier is a flashy way of appearing.”

Still floating in the sky, Azul’s lips drew an arc.

“I just imitated the Hero’s way.”

……Immediately after that, Greed-sama moved. I think he must have kicked the ground, because the next moment, he was already above Azul.

Greed-sama swung his sword down. An ordinary demon would have been split in two. It was such a quick attack.

But as expected of the demon of color. Jumping higher, he avoided the tip of the sword by a hair’s breadth and retreated. Since they were engaged in battle before, he must have already expected Greed-sama’s moves to some extent.

Greed-sama followed Azul using the magic of flight. It was reminiscent of their battle in town that day.

However, what is different from that time is that Greed-sama’s attack was hostile.

At that time, Greed-sama was attacking while locating the core of Azul to weaken him and make him reveal the whereabouts of the other higher-ranking demons. It can be said that he adjusted his powers to some extent so as not to kill him immediately.

But it is not the case this time. He is attacking, intending to kill him.

Azul jumped out in a large arc to avoid the tip of the sword that shifted to the side. At the end of his trajectory, Greed-sama kicked the wall of the courtyard, turned around, and approached him.

“Ugh!”

It was a move that implied that he completely figured out ahead of time of Azul’s retreat.

This time it was unavoidable, and the holy sword tore Azul’s left arm.

But unfortunately, it has already been confirmed that his left arm has no nucleus. As evidence, Azul is still indifferent to his roughly torn left arm.

He frowned as he retreated, not because he was in pain, but because he was easily hurt.

I was a little relieved in my heart as I watched their battle.

This is okay. He was completely repressed by Greed-sama. If he defeats even the higher-ranking demons, the demon beast that invaded the castle will soon be……

However, I suddenly noticed something.

──The other top brass who called himself Verde . . . where is he?

Right now, it was only Azul who is fighting Greed-sama here.

……My heart started to pound loudly.

When……?

When did he disappear……?

He was there until just before Greed-sama came. He was glibly talking about their strategy, and during that time he declared that Greed-sama would arrive.

However, by the time the light of the magic circle where Greed-sama appeared had converged, he was already gone.

……Where did he disappear into……?

──Shiver.

I had a bad feeling, chills ran down my spine.

After all, it’s unnatural for him to disappear suddenly. He himself said that the purpose of this invasion was to take me hostage……!

“A-Aria!”

With a snap, the princess raised her face at the sound of Norwen-kun’s voice and called out to me, perplexed.

The expression of the princess looking at me went from surprised to ashen.

What is she so surprised at……?

“Aria, b-behind……!”

“Aria!”

He probably heard the Princess. Greed-sama looked down from above the battlefield and shouted.

His expression was something I have never seen before. It feels like he is panicking……

I turned around and swallowed a scream forming at the back of my throat.

There was a cut in the space behind me that looked like it was torn by a sharp knife, and I saw a void. And it was the demon named Verde who only had his upper body sticking out of that void.

He grinned at me as he said, “Hey.”

“I’m sorry but, will you come with me?”

“……!”

I was so scared that I couldn’t speak out or escape.

Greed-sama was about to come to me but was blocked by the fire magic from Azul’s hands.

If he avoids the flames and heads towards me, the courtyard will soon become a sea of fire, burning us. So instead of avoiding the flame, Greed-sama must have used the spirit of water or magic to extinguish it. He can’t afford to come to me.

……In the air, the fire and water magic collided with each other, and steam was generated.

“Aria, run away!”

The Princess jumped in front of me.

“Princess……!”

Her stance was the same as when she sheltered me from Tiana-sama’s wine.

……The Princess defended me again. When I should be the one who must protect my master.

“What are you doing!? Run away! Hurry!”

That day was relived on my mind again. The figure of the princess who was being kidnapped by the Demon King in front of me.

Would I repeat the same thing? Would I do the same thing that day and be left again with regret and tears?

The princess said I was her dear maid and friend. How can I leave the Princess and run away……!?

“I don’t want to be rough to you, so will you step aside?”

“Kyaa!”

The moment Verde said those words, something like thunder and lightning wrapped the Princess’s body, eliciting a scream from her mouth.

“Princessss!”

……When I noticed it, my body was moving.

I wedged myself between Verde and the Princess. Like how the Princess tried to protect me earlier.

“Stop it!”

I forgot Rufaga-sama’s advice. His advice was, if I have to prioritize the life of either the Princess or me, I have to protect myself even if I have to abandon the Princess.

……No, if I remembered it, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. And if I abandon the Princess and escape from here, I can’t be myself. I’m sure that I wouldn’t forgive myself.

Verde, who is coming at me, grinned.

“Sticking up for each other? That’s nice. I don’t hate that kind of person. You guys are really interesting.”

Then he reached out and grabbed my arm.

“Yep, I got her.”

“Hey, kyaaa!”

He pulled me and I screamed.

He did not just catch me. Verde was trying to drag me into that pitch-black space.

“I’m going to get this girl. Oh, it’s okay, I’ll treat her politely.”

“A-Aria……”

“Aria!”

The voices of the Princess and Greed-sama overlapped.

However, the princess cannot move because of the lightning clinging to her body, and Greed-sama cannot come because of the flames.

It must have been their strategy. Verde will catch me while Azul will attract Greed-sama’s attention. That’s why Verde left this place until the opportunity came and let Greed-sama focus only on Azul.

“Let go of me!”

I struggled to escape. However, Verde seems to have strength despite being slender, and the arm holding me is something that I cannot deal with.

Meanwhile, the black space began to swallow my body along with Verde.

What is inside this? ……An abyss?

I felt terror in my heart.

Scary……!

“G-Greed-sama!”

Even though I knew it was impossible, I reached out to ask for help. I stuck my hand out to the sky but it never reached.

“Aria!”

Greed-sama cried in a sad voice as he looked at me while extinguishing the flames of Azul. It’s my first time hearing him with that kind of voice.

……But when I heard that voice, I felt my fear easing a little.

──Don’t look like that, Greed-sama.

It’s alright because I believe in you……

When I was mourning, you said you will definitely save the Princess. I believed in you when you said those words and rescued the Princess……

My body was dragged into the gaps in the space.

“Aria!”

Immediately before I was completely dragged in, I saw Rufaga-sama being magically teleported and looking shocked at this situation, and the Princess, who reached out to me with a sad expression. And, Greed-sama coming after me after he managed to shake off Azul.

However, my vision was soon bedimmed by darkness, and at the same time, my consciousness started to fade.

──But.

In my fading consciousness, I certainly heard it. Greed-sama’s voice.

“Aria! I will definitely save you. Even at the expense of my life, I promise you! So live no matter what. Never give up……!”

……Yes, Greed-sama. I will wait. I believe in you……

──And everything melted into the darkness.