Chapter: 10
It could not compare to the Holy Nation, ruled by the descendants of the Saint and protected by the Goddess herself.
Still, this was the capital of the Djoren Empire—Odessa—where priests and mages poured all their strength into maintaining powerful barriers.
Among the four defensive duchies guarding the empire, the one responsible for the western front was House Crishian.
“Why would a monster appear in a ducal territory like this?!”
Lynette spun around and sprinted toward the door.
With a tremendous crash behind her, the glass window shattered into pieces.
The tall, towering bookshelves toppled over, threatening to crush Lynette—but thankfully, they caught against the door and wall, sparing her from injury.
[Kraaaah! Princess!]
However, the fallen shelves blocked the doorway completely, cutting off her escape.
‘This is bad!’
Pressing her back against the wall, Lynette turned toward the window again.
True to the reputation of a family known as the Empire’s Shield, even the annex was built as sturdily as a fortress or castle.
The monster couldn’t force its way inside and instead slammed its head repeatedly into the hole where the window had shattered.
‘At this rate, it’ll break through soon.’
No—more importantly, even if it did, it was far too large to fit inside!
A gigantic monster shaped like a bird.
Its body was darker than a moonless night, blacker than darkness itself.
Lynette stared in disbelief as the beast smashed its head against the annex, trying to force its way in.
“Malphas…”
Malphas—the name of a monstrous beast resembling a bird so large it could blot out the sky.
Why was a man-eating monster like that here?
It was supposed to live at the far northern edge of the world, where the land met its end…!
Boom!
The wall shook violently.
“…!”
Lynette lost her balance and fell forward, instinctively twisting her body to protect Françoise and Gregorian in her arms.
She felt the shock reverberate through her body as she struck something, but thanks to the petticoats beneath her dress, she didn’t seem seriously hurt.
“Ow… Are you okay, you two?”
[Yes, I’m fine, Princess. What about you?]
“I’m okay too. I just fell. Françoise?”
The baby pig stared up at her blankly, apparently unharmed.
“You’re fine. Thank goodness. You’re such a good girl, Françoise—staying so calm even in a situation like this.”
But running away while carrying such a large animal would be difficult.
As Lynette bit her lip—
Bang! Crack!
Another heavy impact struck, and deep fissures spread across the wall.
Though she couldn’t see anything beyond the monster, the air grew chaotic—someone must have noticed the disturbance.
“To think I’d feel this relieved knowing the Duke has returned.”
Lynette let out a small, bitter laugh and untied the ribbon at her back, yanking it with all her strength.
The silk tore easily.
“Just a moment, Françoise.”
She secured the pig tightly against her front so it wouldn’t slip. This should be enough to run.
“It seems I carry you while running quite often these days. Gregorian, you’re holding on tight, right?”
[Yes, Princess! Please don’t worry!]
Gregorian’s resolute voice rang out.
“Good. Gregorian, Françoise—let’s run!”
Resolving herself, Lynette moved away from the window Malphas was trying to force its way through.
If her memory was right, that direction led toward the main residence of the Aster estate. If she was lucky, the knights might already be on their way.
But things didn’t go as she hoped.
Just as Lynette moved sideways—
Thud.
The monster’s blood-red eyes turned toward her.
Eyes without whites or light—nothing but a deep, bloodlike crimson—fixed squarely on Lynette.
“…!”
Her breath caught.
A feeling like pure terror washed over her.
What kind of nature did that monster have again?
She desperately recalled the books she’d read in the Holy Nation.
A man-eating beast. Once it chose its prey, it would watch and follow them until they died.
Ah. Right.
The fact that it was staring at her meant it had chosen her as its prey.
As if to prove it, the monster opened its beak.
Drool dripped down.
Rows of sharp, overlapping teeth.
And from within, a long tongue slowly slid out.
To kill it, one had to sever its neck and burn it.
But she had neither a sword nor fire.
‘So Derbel Crishian has been fighting creatures like this and coming back alive?’
The thought made her uneasy—she realized just how harsh the places he had survived must have been. And suddenly, she remembered how little kindness she’d shown him.
“If I survive, I should tell the Duke he’s done well.”
Lynette murmured unconsciously.
“That’s a pleasant thing to hear.”
“…!”
She turned in shock.
“Move aside.”
At the low command, Lynette instantly leapt away. At the same moment, two lines appeared where she’d been standing.
Like crosshairs marking a target, the twin lines intersected and stretched to the edge of the wall.
And then—
Boom!
The wall exploded into fragments.
[Kraaaah! P-Princess!]
“Oink!”
A cloud of white dust rose, blinding her.
Lynette crouched low, shielding the pig and mouse in her arms.
An explosion—inside the wall.
The voice that had told her to move aside belonged to the Duke, so it had to be his doing.
“Are you hurt?”
As if confirming her thoughts, a low, pleasant male voice reached her ears.
The casual tone—like someone asking after her in passing—made Lynette lift her head.
As the dust settled, the man standing atop the shattered remains of the wall was—
Derbel Crishian.
“Derbel…”
Was this what relief felt like?
As he lightly jumped down beside her, Lynette felt not only her heart but even her face relax.
“What on earth were you doing here?”
“As you can see.”
Lynette glanced down at the baby pig in her arms.
“Françoise ran away, so I came to find her.”
“…That thing ran here?”
“Yes.”
She answered calmly, though her hands trembled slightly around the pig.
Derbel eyed Françoise suspiciously.
At the look that seemed to ask, That pig again?, Lynette lifted her chin.
‘What else could I do? I had a perfectly good reason.’
She was rehearsing her explanation for his next question when, fortunately, Derbel let it go.
“You’re not hurt?”
“No.”
Françoise was fine. And judging by the tickling sensation in her hair, Gregorian was fine too.
The wall, however…
Lynette looked at the completely destroyed wall with complicated eyes.
Could a human really do something like that?
If she hadn’t seen it herself, she wouldn’t have believed it.
“It’s truly an astonishing ability.”
At her sincere admiration, Derbel merely shrugged. He looked rather pleased by her reaction.
“It just means I’m that skilled.”
“You’re very fond of yourself.”
“Let’s say I’m very fond of my fiancée.”
“……”
As she let out a hollow laugh at his smooth reply—
The monster, which had been frozen by the sudden explosion and Derbel’s arrival, finally moved.
—Kraaah!
Whether it was anger at being ignored or rage at having been attacked.
The monster opened its massive jaws and shoved its body into the ruined library, as if to swallow Lynette and Derbel whole.
“…!”
But it never reached them.
The moment its head entered, Derbel swung the sword in his hand.
Malphas stopped moving.
A single line appeared across the black monster’s neck.
Before it could even realize what had happened, its head and body slowly separated along that line.
Lynette’s face drained of color.
The reason Malphas had to be burned immediately after decapitation—
“No! If the blood falls, the poison—!”
That monster’s blood was a deadly toxin—capable of melting anything.
If even a single drop touched Derbel—
“Derbel! It’s dangerous! You have to move!”
As her urgent cry rang out—
Françoise’s black eyes flashed.
The pig’s pink body began to glow red.
As its color deepened like something catching fire, Lynette nearly dropped the pig in shock—but surprisingly, Françoise wasn’t hot at all.
The baby pig swelled, its entire body glowing crimson, and opened its tiny mouth wide.
“Françoise!”
The next moment—
Françoise, the pink baby pig, unleashed a massive torrent of flame toward the monster.
