Chapter 39
As a torrent of magic erupted, a suit of pitch-black armor manifested, encasing Lisbeth entirely. Her golden hair, unbound, swayed gently with the armor’s sudden appearance.
Simultaneously, Clotilde, already manifest, underwent a transformation. Her previously transparent and luminous blade darkened to an inky black, while both the blade and hilt subtly shortened, seemingly adjusted to Lisbeth’s stature.
Once the armor had fully settled upon Lisbeth, a pitch-black helmet, skull-like in appearance and large enough to cover her entire head, materialized in her hand. She then gently placed the macabre helmet upon her head, speaking softly.
“Then, let us begin.”
ROAR!!!!!!
The instant Lisbeth donned the helmet, every monster present instinctively unleashed a terrifying roar. Yet, despite their deafening volume, these roars held not a shred of battle intent; they were born not of fury, but of primal, bone-deep fear.
The fear of death itself.
‘One second.’
As if Death itself were counting down, Lisbeth softly uttered a single number. The instant the word left her lips, she vanished from her spot, reappearing before the horde of monsters as if by teleportation, and in a flash, she cut down two of them.
A geyser of blood erupted from the two slain monsters with Lisbeth’s attack. Yet, before a single drop could reach the ground, Lisbeth soared into the air, softly articulating two more words.
‘Two seconds.’
In that moment, Clotilde, clutched in Lisbeth’s hand, became wreathed in pitch-black flames. Simultaneously, Lisbeth gently closed her eyes, then slowly murmured a few more words.
‘Skill—Fatal Combo.’
As Lisbeth’s words faded, her figure abruptly vanished from mid-air. In the next instant, her shadowy form became a streak of black light, weaving through the colossal bear-monsters. Then, in the blink of an eye, Lisbeth’s presence vanished once more, reappearing precisely where she had stood moments before.
‘Three seconds.’
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The moment Lisbeth returned to her initial position, vast quantities of blood gushed violently from the monsters’ bodies. One after another, they toppled to the ground, lifeless.
‘Class change deactivated.’
Gazing at the piles of monster corpses before her, Lisbeth slowly exhaled and immediately deactivated her class change. The pitch-black armor that had encased her shattered at once, dissolving into dark motes of light that faded into the air.
‘Whew… It seems I barely managed it.’
‘Indeed, but your current physical capabilities are quite impressive, Alex. While still not comparable to your original body, they’re already remarkably strong. I truly don’t understand how you managed to get sore muscles just doing housework a couple of days ago.’
‘Ah… no… actually, my muscles are aching right now too…’
The moment Lisbeth’s words finished, she plopped down onto the ground, unconcerned about her maid uniform getting soiled. When she lifted her hand, she noticed her right hand trembling slightly, seemingly unable to even grip a sword for the time being.
‘But what should I do next? Although the crisis is temporarily averted, how am I going to explain the deaths of all these monsters to that old hag…’
‘Ah, you’re right. It seems I was so focused on survival that I didn’t think about any of this.’
Upon hearing Clotilde’s words, Lisbeth immediately clutched her head in exasperation, sighing deeply. ‘Ugh… what am I going to do… I don’t even have the strength left to deal with these corpses…’
BOOM!!!!!!
‘Hm!?’
However, just as Lisbeth found herself at her wit’s end, a tremendous roar suddenly reverberated from the sky. In the very next moment, the monsters that had been lying lifeless near Lisbeth were all incinerated into ash. Witnessing this, Lisbeth hastily lifted her head, discovering a demon man floating in the air. He wore a dark green cloak, possessed short golden hair, and appeared to be around thirty years old.
‘Huh? Why does this person look so familiar?’
Given his high altitude, Lisbeth hadn’t been able to discern his features clearly. However, after completing his attack, he didn’t depart. Instead, he descended directly from the sky, landing on the ground and approaching Lisbeth.
“Miss, are you alright? I am Krus, here at Head Maid Hilda’s request for assistance, and also one of Demon General Chris’s subordinates.”
Krus’s sudden appearance left Lisbeth frozen in place, unsure how to react. After all, she couldn’t fathom his mindset—to incinerate the monster corpses without hesitation, and then to present himself as if he had been her savior.
Though Lisbeth hadn’t yet recognized the man before her, Clotilde, who resided within her, suddenly exclaimed, “Ah, Alex, isn’t this the fellow you punched flying when you broke into the Demon Lord’s Castle that day?”
“Ah! So it was him! Now that you mention it, it really is!”
With Clotilde’s reminder, Lisbeth finally recalled the identity of the man before her. Meanwhile, observing Lisbeth’s silence, Krus suddenly unfastened his cloak, draping it entirely over her. “Hmm, it seems, young lady, you’re too frightened to answer me? No matter, I’ve burned all those monsters, so no one will harm you now.”
‘Ha…’
“Alex, is something wrong with this guy’s eyes? Those monsters were already dealt with long before he even arrived; he had nothing to do with it.”
“No, no, Little Swordy, I actually understand what happened.”
After hearing Krus’s words, Lisbeth instantly grasped the situation. She subtly lowered her head, concealing her barely suppressed amusement, and whispered to Clotilde. “Little Swordy, that fool was flying at an incredibly high altitude. From his vantage point, those monsters likely appeared no different from tiny black specks. He surely didn’t notice they were already dead when he launched his attack, which is why he’s now parading around before me as a savior.”
“Huh? Seriously? If that’s the case, your luck is incredible!”
“Right? Right? This truly feels like the Goddess herself lent a hand, providing such a perfect cover right before me. But let’s stop talking for now, Little Swordy; if I don’t say something, he’ll start getting suspicious.”
Having finished her explanation, Lisbeth forced a few tears from her eyes, then gazed at Krus with a watery stare. “Lord Krus, thank you for coming to my rescue. If you had arrived even a moment later, I truly might have perished.”
“Is that so? Is that so? You must have been terrified, being chased by so many monsters, right? But it’s alright, no one will harm you now, so you don’t need to be afraid.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
Perhaps Lisbeth’s tearful appearance had swayed Krus, for a gentle smile graced his features. He then took hold of Lisbeth’s hand once more. “However, young lady, you no longer need to be afraid. As long as I am here, no one will harm you. So your hands no longer need to tremble.”
‘Oh no, my hands are just shaking from muscle soreness… And could you please not hold my hand? It’s really gross.’
Though Lisbeth desperately wanted to voice these thoughts to Krus, she knew that revealing her true feelings here would spell disaster. Thus, enduring a strong wave of nausea, she addressed him. “Then, Lord Krus, could you please escort me to my companions?”
“My beautiful lady, that is certainly no problem at all. However, might I ask your name? And judging by your attire, you must also be a maid from the Demon Lord’s Castle, correct?”
Upon hearing Krus’s words, Lisbeth quickly nodded. “Yes, you’re absolutely right. Speaking of which, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Lisbeth, and I am one of Lord Chris’s personal maids.”
“Oh! What a truly perfect encounter! To think you are one of Lord Chris’s personal maids—it certainly lives up to the beauty expected of a servant under our esteemed Demon Lord!”
“Hey, Alex, what’s gotten into this guy all of a sudden?”
“I don’t know, but I’m just getting a really bad feeling right now…”
As the words left Krus’s lips, Lisbeth’s mouth gave a sharp twitch. As if validating her ominous premonition, Krus suddenly scooped Lisbeth into his arms, his eyes gleaming with a soft light. “Then, let us first go find Head Maid Hilda. However, our encounter here today, I believe, is a matter of destiny. Therefore, upon our return to the Demon Lord’s Castle, I shall propose to the Demon Lord that you become my wife.”
“Huh!?”