The demon race, resembling an eight-foot ghost, had a grotesque body but was ultimately close to a human form.
Therefore, all patterns were judged based on human standards, but due to its elongated body, it wasn’t easy to distinguish.
Well… in the end, it just flails around, so there’s no need to classify it too much. Whether it’s a parry-able pattern or not, I’ll just dodge it anyway.
As long as I watch out for the occasional random kicks, there’s no problem.
“Gya gya gya gya gya gya gya gya!”
“Rudion! Are you okay?!”
But for some reason, Seria’s concern came flying in.
I don’t think she usually worries much no matter what I fight, and she probably knows I’ve already fought and defeated demons before.
Maybe it’s because I got hurt once, and some kind of illusion she had about me was shattered.
I have nothing to say. Sorry for making you worry.
But this is nothing. I’m totally fine.
“Whoosh. Swish. Whoosh. Swish. Dodged it.”
“Stop messing around and take it seriously!”
*Crash*
So. I even went out of my way to show off my leisure by doing unnecessary moves, but what came back was a deadly dose of magic.
Something suddenly flew in and punched a hole in the demon’s gut.
…Wow. I shouldn’t mess around.
But hey, Seria’s attacks are effective.
Well, considering she broke through the Empress’s protective magic, this demon’s durability might not be a big deal.
“Gya gya gya gya gya gya gya gya-!!!”
Whether it was in pain or just angry, the demon rushed at me recklessly and started terrorizing my eardrums.
“Kyaa! Sorry, Rudion! I didn’t expect it to get this excited!”
“Usually, if you get a hole in your stomach, you can’t get excited. You’d just die.”
“That’s not what I meant!”
Seeing that, Seria seemed restless, as if she had done something wrong, but it didn’t really matter.
‘Every time it screams, something drips from the hole in its stomach. Must be abdominal breathing.’
I had enough leisure to think that.
Compared to the hardcore dodge challenge I experienced before, this is child’s play.
Even as I thought that, the demon’s attacks continued.
Though it just flailed its limbs and looked a bit lame, its destructive power was still worthy of the name “demon race.”
The floor, walls, pillars—whatever it touched, it easily turned to dust.
Which means even a graze would be fatal.
I didn’t want to experience my body crumbling, so I stayed focused and dodged everything.
Since it didn’t use any parry-able patterns, that was the best I could do.
Then, the demon’s movements started to feel off.
Even if it’s not a special Demon Race monster, it still has its own unique pattern—like going in for a hug. You’re about to get embraced, my friend.
Sure, regular hugs are a common pattern, but this one’s hug was a bit… special. It had this gimmick where it pulls all targets within range into its arms.
Even here, that move was still effective. As soon as the hugging motion started, the danger zone became visible.
Of course, I saw the motion coming from a mile away and dodged it like a pro. Did you think I’d miss something so obvious? Dodging this is as easy as breathing for me!
Plus, I knew the hugging motion was super long, leaving it wide open during the cast. So, if Seria timed her magic just right…
**BOOM!!!**
“Gah!”
…The Demon Race guy got smacked by something and flew straight into the wall. I glanced back and saw Seria glaring at the flying demon like it had just insulted her.
“What are you trying to hug? Absolutely not.”
Is that really the important part here, Seria? I mean, good job and all, but…
I decided to just let it slide because, well, what could I even say?
“Hit it with a big one before it gets up.”
“Got it!”
With a cheerful reply, a few of the densely packed magic circles started glowing. They quickly gathered in front of Seria, combining into a highly geometric magic circle.
It didn’t even take a second. Man, that’s fast.
Having dozens of magic circles prepped before the fight definitely paid off.
At first glance, you might think it’s just for show, but mages are efficiency-obsessed maniacs. It’s not about looking cool—it’s like prepping ingredients before cooking. You just gotta have everything ready.
That’s why Seria could react so quickly when that demon tried to hug me earlier.
Anyway, another spell rushed toward the demon sprawled on the ground. It must’ve been a cutting spell because the demon’s head went *thunk* and rolled off.
It wouldn’t die from just that, but with its head detached, it couldn’t move for a while. Eventually, after taking a beating from Seria’s magic, it met its end.
Watching the demon dissolve into smoke, I looked at Seria with a wistful expression.
“That was brutal, Seria.”
“Stop saying weird things. Just praise me already.”
“Alright…”
After that, I gave her all the praise she wanted.
Honestly, she deserves it. She didn’t even need the Royal Guard’s help. I was just standing there trying to look cool, telling her to stay back because it was dangerous. Kinda embarrassing, really.
After the Royal Guard, who arrived late, heard from Seria that they were late, they were so shocked that they left to train their agility. Meanwhile, Seria and I went straight to the Emperor’s room to explain the whole situation.
Even though we broke the magic stone, which was like a family heirloom, Seria somehow managed to explain it well, and we got through it smoothly.
Since it was a Demon Race that came out, there wasn’t much they could say. In fact, they’re probably debating whether they should reward us. After all, the Demon Race is that dangerous.
For me, as long as I have evasion and parrying, I’m practically invincible, and Seria is growing at an insane rate beyond imagination, so we handled it pretty easily. But normally, the appearance of a Demon Race is a national crisis.
If they interpret it as us finding and dealing with it beforehand, we’ll be hailed as heroes.
But I don’t really need that. Even if they offered, I’d refuse.
Hero? Such a grandiose title doesn’t suit a small-time person like me. It’s not like being called a hero boosts your stats or anything.
Besides, I don’t really want anything else. I’m not lacking anything, and being greedy would just make me stand out more. Just having the crime of breaking the magic stone forgiven is enough.
So, I wasn’t really paying attention to whatever they were saying or seriously pondering… until…
“Seria, isn’t it about time you got engaged?”
“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden… Ah, um… I guess it is…”
Suddenly, the conversation took a weird turn.
“You must have someone in mind, right?”
“……Yes.”
“It’s someone I know, and someone who’s here right now, isn’t it?”
“That’s… right.”
“I’ll allow it. Damn it. I never thought I’d live to say this myself…”
“KYAAAAH!! Why are you saying this here?!”
Seria got so excited she started hitting my arm.
Uh, um, excuse me, but are you not going to ask for my opinion?
Seems like they’re not planning to.
“After you graduate from Akadeumi. Not before. Absolutely do not cross the line.”
“Ah, um… okay.”
“Why are you hesitating? Don’t tell me you’ve already…”
“No! We haven’t done anything yet!”
“Yet?”
“….”
“….”
Suddenly, they both went silent and started staring at me.
What are you looking at me for?
They probably realized staring at me was pointless, so they quickly looked away.
“I can’t believe my daughter is so promiscuous. This is worrying. I take back what I just said.”
“Ah, Dad!!”
“Don’t even hold hands.”
“Stop being so unreasonable!”
And so, the two of them…
As I was watching the two bickering, the Emperor suddenly looked at me and called my name.
“Rudion.”
“Yes.”
“…Damn it. You rascal. Did you really want to take my daughter away that badly? Is it because you’re desperate to impress me?”
No, why are you guys talking among yourselves and drawing conclusions on your own… I had no such intention at all.
The Emperor let out a deep sigh and just brushed it off without continuing the conversation.
The next moment, the Emperor’s gaze sharpened.
“I won’t ask how you knew about this incident. But there’s one thing I’d like you to answer.”
“What is it?”
“You won’t betray Seria… or humanity, will you?”
“Of course not.”
“…Hah, your immediate answer makes me feel embarrassed for even asking.”
Well, it’s a world where good and evil are already defined.
There’s no reason to side with the Demon Race, and even less reason to betray humanity.
“I’m a man overflowing with love for humanity.”
“….”
But in trying to express that, I ended up rambling a bit and saying something nonsensical.
An awkward silence followed because of my unnecessary remark.
Feeling embarrassed, I stayed quiet, and the Emperor glanced at me before turning his head slightly toward Seria and asking,
“…Seria. Do you really like a guy like that?”
“I sometimes think about that too. But he’s overflowing with love for humanity, right?”
“Right. If he’s overflowing with love for humanity, then I guess it’s reassuring.”
This is why every word you say is so important.
Clearly, I’m the cool guy who preemptively handled a threat to the Royal Palace, but now I’m being made fun of.
It seemed pointless to argue, so I decided to just stay quiet.
That evening, unlike yesterday, it was decided that we would eat separately.
There was the matter of the broken magic stone, and the family had things to discuss among themselves.
I was fine with it. As soon as the meal was over, I could have some personal time.
Enjoying the room service, I reopened the path to the secret space.
From now on, no one should come looking for me. Even if they do, I’ve already told Seria, so she’ll handle it somehow.
“I think I can finish everything today.”
Apart from the grand result of preventing the apocalypse, the content itself is quite sparse. If I go in and push hard, I can finish before midnight.
With that thought, I went inside, and shortly after,
[This action may attract their attention. Are you sure you want to proceed?]
A message I had never seen before greeted me.
