The back alley was completely blocked.
The collapsed ceiling also sealed off any escape route. In other words, with this guy here, my path out was gone, and at the same time, I had no space left to run outside.
Is that all?
No.
Drip. Drip.
Blood dripped down from one shoulder end.
This reduced my HP by about 16%.
With my remaining HP at 70%, which is crucial for survival, and stamina, which rapidly decreases during combat, having plummeted by around 30%.
This result came from just one action.
I couldn’t block all attacks hitting the defenseless Claire with my sword. As a result, I had no choice but to push Claire away, and thorns that didn’t bounce off ended up piercing my shoulder.
Namely, to protect Claire from Mafr’s attack,
Because I protected her, this happened.
I knew very well how foolish this was.
Even though I hated her so much, trying to save Claire, who was just like my second sister.
Considering what I’ve been through, I could have just let a thorn pierce me.
If I’m enduring this much, wouldn’t a little pain be nothing compared to what I’ve taken?
I could have just watched and felt somewhat relieved, without having to act like this.
But my body didn’t react that way.
So I know exactly how foolish I was being.
Why did I do that?
After a moment of contemplation, the answer came easily.
The most plausible reason would be due to the episode’s clear condition.
It’s not good if damage occurs to Claire. If she dies, I would face a bad ending for some reason. Thus, I had no choice but to save her.
That seems to be the most plausible answer.
However,
I can’t conclude that it’s only because of that.
Because it feels similar to that time as well.
Just like when Yeongjun Lee came at me with a kitchen knife, and I subdued him and handed him over to the police.
I still hate my second sister. How many plans were messed up because of that human who constantly obstructed me. Just thinking about her criticizing everything makes me frown.
But if asked whether I wanted Yeongjun to kill my second sister…
I would clearly say no.
It’s not that I wanted anyone I disliked to die.
It’s truly meaningless and ridiculous, but it seems more likely that my foolish action to save Claire stems from this side.
…
Bam!
“This trick… daring to touch my wife!”
Ding!
>>A helper has been lost. No more helpers can be brought into the isolated space!<<
>>Since Claire is isolated, one Dead Flag is removed.<<
[The Claire death event has been successfully eliminated.]
As Mafr screamed, a system message appeared.
"...Seems my guess was correct."
Although I had a vague idea seeing those tentacles poking out from the walls and the cycle of demonic energy, there was a high possibility this room was his domain.
Plants are organisms that grow by absorbing nutrients from soil. Therefore, rather than tentacles poking through walls from everywhere, it’s better to think of this room as soil where he has rooted himself.
Positively speaking, since this room prevents him from rooting, this plant-like monster won’t be able to inflict damage on Claire.
On the negative side, since I’m in this space, I am too easily exposed to his attacks. Parts of Mafr's body will be aiming at me from every corner of this room.
Coldly speaking, it’s madness.
I blocked the path of escape with my own hand.
Now injured, I have to fight under the most favorable conditions for the enemy.
Piercing through tentacles to land an effective hit is madness.
I must face him alone after losing Claire's assistance.
>>Status Ailment: Bleeding Stage 2 has occurred!<<
>>Status Ailment: Abrasion Stage 3 has occurred!<<
>>Status Ailment: Muscle Pain Stage 2 has occurred!<<
...
...
Even in such a state, with these status ailments,
The price of my foolish action was quite expensive.
"Well, there's still a proper way..."
Being alone means, in another sense, losing the eyes that see.
"Die. Die!"
It comes. The tentacle that swung several times before.
But it's different from before.
Boom!
Much heavier and thicker.
His threatening attack seemed to have increased to 30% HP as if a switch had been turned on.
Yes. You could say we’ve entered the next phase of the game.
Boom!
Trapped in a corner by the heavy tentacle.
Mafr walked over with a smug look.
"Heh heh. But it’s fortunate I got the chance to deal with you, an obstacle, here. Yes. Then my wife will gladly accept me! Right?"
"What are you mumbling to yourself?"
"Oh, Carsein. Do you know how you want to die?"
Mafr, who was fantasizing, sneered disgustingly.
"My wife hated you a lot. I wonder what I should do to make her like you. It's really puzzling."
"Huh?"
"I wonder what I dislike most about you. Should I pluck out your arrogant eyes? Or pull out your tongue for talking nonsense? Or maybe I dislike the sight of you walking on two legs? Or holding a sword without knowing your place? Or standing upright without remembering your status? Ah, it's hard. I don’t know what to offer!"
What a ridiculous thing to say.
He's saying he'll give her exactly what she dislikes about Claire.
"So, nobles value honor, right?"
Click.
Mafr raised his tentacles again.
"In my opinion, the best thing would be for your neck to be cut off. So it would be better if I only took your neck, right? Hehehe."
Creepily, Mafr's tentacles wriggled into strange forms, then all gathered to form a weapon.
"..."
"The man protecting Lady Claire should look best with a sword. Including that, I'll personally cut your neck."
A tentacle suddenly sprang out.
Flowers and thorns shot out between the branches.
Seeds fired into the air, unknown what might happen upon impact.
Each attack was extremely difficult, but this time, it seemed like everything was going to come out at once.
It could be called the worst case.
But.
Clang!
"Huh, you caught it head-on? Even with mana almost depleted? I don't know what confidence you have, but... try this too!"
Clang! Clang, clang!
"Huh? Look at this kid? Despite being a commoner, he claims to be from the House of Bargrand and even knows how to use a sword?"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
His sword attacks weren't difficult at all.
"This bastard. Oops? Avoided? This too! Avoid this!"
Indeed, Mafr's swings were all missing.
Yes. This is a chance.
Smack!
"Hey."
"Huh, uh?"
By grabbing his sword with mana, Mafr looked flustered.
To him, I said:
"You never held a sword before, did you?"
It was bait for the final move.
***
'So, what!'
At Carsein's question, Mafr instinctively stepped back, feeling pressured.
He inadvertently pulled back his sword too.
Realizing this later, he clenched his teeth.
'Why am I stepping back?'
Even though I pushed him this far.
If I just pushed a little more, he'd fall.
Why is he suddenly coming forward so confidently?
'No, I shouldn't step back. I need to firmly crush him!'
Mafr stepped forward again, raising his weapon.
"Don't act like you're good just because you can use a sword!"
First, I swung hard enough to flatten his nose.
With a whoosh, Mafr's weapon swung down vertically towards Carsein's head.
As if to say his confident smile was ending here, he raised his lips.
But again,
"..."
Carsein held the weapon with bare hands, wrapped in faint mana.
"It's so slow you can see it coming, is that even right?"
"What—what did you say!"
"Swords are like this."
Clang!
"Ugh?!"
"Like this."
When Carsein lightly swung his weapon, Mafr's sword wobbled and was pushed back.
Actually, it wasn't the sword.
The whole body holding the sword wobbled and was pushed back.
"Don't act superior! That's...!"
Clang!
"Uh?"
The green branch bundle, which only had power, bounced up at a 60-degree angle this time.
Clang!
"Gah?!"
Without balance, he was pushed up 60 degrees by force alone.
Crack!
While trying to swing the sword down again, he was kicked in the abdomen.
And.
The sword made from the tentacle bundle flew through the air.
The bundled sword flew far into the distance.
'How can this...'
How big is the difference?
Even a commoner can handle a sword, but I can't?
Due to the vast gap, Mafr had to step back.
Fighting sword against sword was now impossible.
But he hadn't lost the fight yet.
"Yes, I'll admit that...! But what about this!"
He pulled out all the tentacle clusters.
The show ends here. It's time to strangle Carsein's breath.
"But I've figured it out."
Clang! Clang!
Countless tentacles, seeds, thorns, and pots were fired.
Despite that, Carsein dodged them all and lightly flicked away a few tentacles.
"What—what...!"
"I can see everything. Where your demonic energy is flowing and where your attack is aimed."
Impossible.
That kind of thing can't be possible!
Slash!
Three concealed demonic energy receptors were instantly severed.
"Didn't I say I could see everything?"
How does he see that?
How does he manage to see that?
Why is he dodging and parrying everything as if he has eyes all around?
That's something only someone in a superior position can do.
As if denying that fact, Mafr gritted his teeth.
'I... am inferior to this guy? Impossible!'
Being compared to such a lowly person is an insult!
Rumble!
There's no need to think deeply.
All I need to do is show the difference in strength.
"For now, it doesn't matter how I appear to Lady Claire."
Here, I need to use all my strength to completely crush him.
Mafr started germinating all the seeds.
Sprouts hidden here and there bloomed and rapidly grew, extending branches and blossoming flowers.
The wide room filled with various plants. With the main body revealed, the building's remains showed it was like the inside of a giant plant.
But showing everything also means exposing weaknesses.
When the only black fruit among the spread branches appeared, Carsein finally smiled.
***
No matter what, he walked a hard path.
There was no easy road.
He had to seize, protect, and endure everything alone.
Facing unfairness and irrationality directly, he had to untie and solve problems, and ultimately overcome them.
Thus, even in such a dire situation, he could open a single lifeline.
Unlike Mafr, who always chose the easy path, he managed to grab a single opportunity by mobilizing everything.
By calculating relentlessly and finding answers even in the worst scenarios, he turned impossibility into possibility.
Just like when he subdued a large man, who was drunk and causing trouble with a kitchen knife.
Zap!
Mana sparks flew from Carsein's sword.
"Wait...! Could he be aiming for this...!"
"It's too late, you fool."
Don't forget, Carsein. Using more than half of your mana at once means this is your last desperate move.
>>More than 50% of the mana in the weapon is consumed!<<
>>Skill activates automatically as conditions are met.<<
[Holy Sword of the Kingdom of Wederos - Demon Annihilation]
>>In this moment, the skill level of Wederos-style Swordsmanship temporarily increases from Level 2 to Level 4!<<
"Wait! I don't want to die─!"
Mafr, sensing danger, tried to cover the fruit with his back.
But it was already too late, as Carsein had said.
"You have to work hard to claim unreasonable power, instead of easily accepting it. Foolish guy."
---
With a short grunt,
The shining sword pierced Mafr's body.
It shattered, crumbled, and disintegrated.
Mafr's body turned to ashes along with the white light, spreading infection-like through all the branches.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
The piercing finally reached the only opened fruit among the tree monster's branches, erasing its existence.
The eerie scream faded away.
The demonic voice mixed with the human voice purified.
The scream gradually turned into the sound of ashes scattering.
Then, as the sound of ashes falling indicated, the air in the room returned to normal.
Silent stillness.
The fight's end was unveiled.
"Cough."
In the silent stillness, blood flowed. The boy, holding the knife on a stand, was breathing heavily with blood and sweat mixed in his mouth.
Just like before.
Under extreme burden and with injuries, he nearly exhausted his mana.
Before even looking at the status window, his body was telling him he couldn't hold on anymore.
Thinking again, this was too foolish.
So, he thought he wouldn't repeat the same mistake this time.
But, just like before, he ended up with the same result.
Thump, thump, thud!
Then, sounds of something being hit broke the silence.
The collapse of stone piles.
Carsein's body swayed like the fallen stone piles.
"Carsein! ──! ───!"
In the distant vision, pink hair came into view.
She’ll start nagging again.
My second sister, I dislike her no matter when I see her.
***
Stumbling, Carsein's body finally gave out and fell.
Claire rushed over with a heart sinking feeling.
"Carsein... Snap out of it...! Huh?"
Claire, who caught Carsein's body as she fell, was scared and shook his body. Her knees were slightly scratched from the fall, but it didn't hurt.
She was scared.
The fear of losing her brother.
She was terrified.
The realization that her brother would die in her place.
With a trembling heart, she put her hand to his neck.
What if he stopped breathing?
What if his life was cut off because of her? She couldn't bear that.
Please.
With a desperate wish for him to be alive, she placed her finger.
"..."
Weak, but beating.
Feeling the shallow pulse at the tip of her finger, Claire could finally breathe.
Thank goodness. What a relief.
"..."
Her finger, which had touched Carsein's cheek by accident, made her twitch and pull back, staring deeply in thought at both Carsein and her hand.
With this hand, she had slapped Carsein's cheek countless times.
Had she ever properly caressed or stroked him?
...She was certain she never had.
On the contrary, someone else remembered birthdays and carefully picked out things they liked.
She was full of care.
Squeeze.
Claire bit her lip, recalling her harsh past actions.
In her memory, all she did was slap his cheek, leaving scars, and spew insults.
Those weren't actions for her brother.
Even if she wanted to help, she would get angry and ruin it, unable to control her emotions. Instead, she only caused Carsein pain.
In Shatren, she even messed up by hitting him outright.
That wasn't protecting her brother.
"I'm sorry, Carsein."
Holding the fallen Carsein tightly, tears streaming down her face, Claire whispered.
Ding!
>>Episode XII: Found Claire’s whereabouts.<<
>>CHAPTER 2 cleared!<<
>>Cleared Chapter 21st Eastern Nobles’ Meeting with top results, and successfully protected Claire.<<
>>Successfully triggered outcomes beyond the choices!<<
>>Rewards will be given.<<
■Rewards
[Obtained Shatren Territory as a reward for clearing Chapter 2.]
[As a reward for clearing Chapter 2...]
...
[Even if Claire's affinity drops, no more Dead Flags will be created.]
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
