It happened during the operation to transport Monia.
“So it’s started…”
Boooom!!
It was an explosion powerful enough to blow away several buildings at once.
Even seeing such a scene didn’t stir much emotion in me. I must’ve really been steeped in the Cradle’s waters. I could accept that a terrorist attack had begun with complete composure.
“Let’s pick up the pace a bit.”
“Johan, will you be okay with that?”
“What do you take me for? I’ve been training too, you know. Just not where you all could see me.”
“Well, if that’s the case…”
Right now, while Lobelia was buying time by holding off Tillis for even a moment longer…
We had to return to the Cradle as quickly as possible and solidify our defenses.
“Oh dear, we’ve got company! I’ll break off first. Keep moving!”
One student who had detected the ambush in advance broke off in another direction.
Looks like we were already being tracked.
Tillis, that woman….she seemed like an idiot, but apparently she was smart enough to at least share my location.
“I’ll go this time.”
One by one, students peeled away from the group.
Each time, the sounds of battle rang out not far off.
Most of the fights were one-on-many engagements.
Given that our group only had about twenty members, while Lemegeton had likely thrown in all their forces, the difference was inevitable.
With enemies who were each worth a hundred on their own, the sight of students breaking formation one by one to buy time felt almost like they were walking toward their own deaths.
“Alright, it’s my turn now. Johan, don’t look back. Just keep running.”
“Got it.”
And just like that, within five minutes of the escape, nearly half the group had peeled away.
I gritted my teeth and pushed even harder into my legs, forcing myself to run faster.
The slower I was, the more danger I’d be putting others in. That was inevitable.
Then, at some point—
“Ugh!”
The group came to a halt.
It was because of the terrifying pressure pressing in from straight ahead.
This was different from anything before.
Not just any ordinary demon.
This was clearly a Librarian. One of Lemegeton’s executives.
A powerful foe wielding a demon’s power had locked onto us.
“Johan. Do you remember my name?”
“…What?”
“I said, do you remember my name?”
There was no way I could miss the reason Mata was asking that.
He was staring straight ahead, drenched in cold sweat.
There was no point in lying. Even if I did, the outcome wouldn’t change.
“Yeah, Mata. I remember it clearly.”
“Good. That’s all I needed.”
Once again, one person broke from the formation and charged toward the threat.
Yeah. Just one person.
When only one person charges ahead despite an overwhelming difference in power, so great that there’s no need for comparison, it means they’re prepared to make a sacrifice.
I moved my feet. I had to divert slightly to avoid the threat ahead.
“Johan… Damus.”
“Why’d you wake up already?”
I felt a squirming sensation on my back, and then Monia opened her eyes.
There was no sign of Shax. It made sense. He likely hadn’t recovered enough strength to exert any influence yet.
“This feels awful.”
“Well, obviously.”
The moment she opened her eyes, she spat out a comment filled with disgust. That kind of consistency was impressive in its own way.
“All the jostling’s making me nauseous…”
“Deal with it.”
Or maybe…
Maybe I had been looking at Monia with too narrow a perspective.
Then again, we’d been running non-stop, darting all over the place. It wouldn’t be strange if the person on my back was feeling motion sick.
Still, if she’s able to complain like that, it means she’s at least somewhat recovered.
“If you’re conscious, hang on properly.”
Carrying someone who’s awake is easier than carrying someone unconscious.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem like she was going to go wild, so I might as well get some cooperation out of her.
“Why go this far…?”
“Yeah, well. I’m asking myself the same thing. I never intended to try this hard.”
But things had already gone this far. Quitting halfway wasn’t an option.
Not for Monia’s sake. But for the sake of the Cradle students who had answered my request. I couldn’t let their efforts go to waste.
“Johan.”
“……”
And with that, the last student quietly stepped out of formation.
No… now that I’m alone, it’s hardly a formation anymore.
Fortunately, the Cradle wasn’t far. If I run a little more, I’ll reach it.
But I decided to stop.
“Get down, Monia.”
Things don’t go that easily.
From past experience, the moment just before a plan succeeds is the most dangerous.
There’s no sign of the enemy. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
“Whew……”
Clack!
I drew my sword.
The magic engineering battery attached to the scabbard overlaid aura onto the blade.
A complete aura made by a shortcut.
I could now create a full aura on my own, but that didn’t make it any less meaningful.
“All right, let’s try.”
The next step of the complete aura.
I condensed the blue aura surrounding the blade and refined it into a single beam of light.
The violent weapon Dietrich had shown at the start of the term.
I focused, recalling Dietrich when I suggested staging a setup, he’d shown up holding a finishing weapon.
Tsszzz!
I condensed the aura produced by the magic engineering battery. It wasn’t difficult.
It was actually rather simple.
Because I could devote all the resources for creating the full aura solely to compressing the aura.
Being able to skip an entire step was a huge advantage.
Tsskt!
The flame that had been burning refined into the clean shape of a blade.
It was the moment I rounded the crossroads, holding the symbol of violence born of a shortcut.
“So you’ve come.”
“……”
An alley that must be passed to reach the cradle.
There stood a demon blocking the path through that alley.
A demon standing atop a pile of corpses. I knew exactly who it was.
“Molech?”
“So you know who I am.”
“Well, it’s kind of hard not to, looking like that.”
Molech had long since lost any resemblance to a human.
A demon with the head of a bull, one of the strongest among the librarians.
A core executive of Lemegeton, and a mid-boss-level monster.
“You planning to fight? Or will you quietly set the esteemed one down and leave?”
“Hmm.”
Molech referred to Monia as “the esteemed one”.
Despite his appearance, he clearly understood hierarchy.
Well, of course he did. After all, he wasn’t someone who had made a real contract with a demon. He had only been given power by the demon under Tilis’s command.
To someone like him, Monia’s existence would naturally be special.
No matter what anyone says, Monia was a real demon contractor.
Not that it’s anything impressive.
It’s just a fancy way of being branded a social outcast.
“Let me ask just one thing. On your way here, did you see any of my classmates?”
“I understand what you’re getting at. You can rest easy. I’m not the one your friend fought. I haven’t moved from this spot.”
“…Yeah, I figured.”
Around Molech, countless corpses were already strewn about.
Most were guards or imperial knights.
A level of strength capable of holding off the knight order.
If I fought him, I’d lose for sure. No tricks or miracles would change that…..I wouldn’t last even a single blow.
So, does that mean the situation is bad?
No, not really.
“In that case, I don’t see any reason why I should bother fighting you.”
Molech was the strongest of the librarians.
And more loyal and hierarchy-driven than anyone else.
Which is why…
“Step aside, before your beloved demon contractor loses her head.”
“……”
Monia could be taken as a hostage.
I pulled the staggering Monia toward me and held a blade to her neck.
An unscripted act. Not something we’d planned in advance.
However, Monia didn’t even bother to resist, as if nothing mattered to her anymore.
She was in a really bad state.
I’d have to make sure she got some counseling before I let her go later.
There was a criminal I knew who had a knack for that sort of thing.
Her name was Helena….still young, but already called a prophet.
I could ask Cattleya to arrange a meeting with Helena.
Of course, that would only be possible if I managed to get through this situation first.
“Hmm…”
Molech hesitated.
Normally, with his power, it wouldn’t matter even if I took a hostage.
He had the skill to kill me and rescue the hostage at the same time.
But this time was different.
The perfect aura blade in my hand would lead him to misjudge my true ability.
“You wouldn’t want to see a genuine demon contractor you finally found die, would you?”
“……”
For someone like Molech, who valued hierarchy more than anyone, that wasn’t something he could ignore.
“Your name.”
“…Dietrich.”
Just in case he came looking for me later, I gave him the name of the person I trusted most.
“Dietrich. A name that suits a coward like you. I’ll remember it.”
Molech growled in response.
Saying that name suited a coward… Poor Dietrich.
“Wait.”
“……”
“Gray hair, cocky look. You’re Johan Damus, aren’t you?”
“I’m not.”
Damn it. Did she even share information on us?
I didn’t expect getting acquainted with Tillis would lead to this…
“So what if you know?”
Might as well act confident.
Whether I’m Johan Damus or Dietrich, I’m still the one holding the hostage.
As long as he can’t gauge my true ability, he can’t make any rash moves anyway.
Just as I kept my guard up and tried to put some distance between me and Molech—
“Oh my, it’s not over yet?”
A soft voice, like a needle to the brain, came from behind me.
Damn it. Time’s up.
“I knew it was you, Mr. Johan.”
“…It’s been a while, Saintess.”
I slowly turned my head to see Tillis, her twin blades stained with blood.
“Yes, it really has been a while.”
“What happened to Her Highness?”
The fact that Tillis was here meant Lobelia, who should’ve been dealing with her, was out of the picture.
“Would you be sad if I said I killed her?”
“……”
“Fufu, I’m joking. I didn’t have the time for that. The sniper was a hassle, so I just left her.”
Thankfully, it sounded like Lobelia survived.
Since I had to move around with Monia, I probably couldn’t afford to allocate much time to Lobelia.
That much was within expectations.
The only problem… is that I failed to match the timing.
It was purely my own incompetence. Nothing more, nothing less.
“We’re screwed.”
Maybe the plan itself was flawed.
I’ve been through plenty of twists where unexpected variables suddenly appeared.
But this time was different.
Everything went according to plan. Only I failed because I wasn’t good enough.
Molech in front, Tillis behind.
There’s no way to escape, and I have no confidence I can hold out against both.
My lips felt dry.
“…Just kill me already.”
Monia muttered like she’d resigned herself to the situation.
This girl really has a talent for draining people’s energy.
“If you die, I die too. If you don’t know, then shut your mouth, Monia.”
To avoid the absolute worst-case scenario, the last demon must not end up in Tillis’s hands.
If the 72nd demon falls into her grasp, the world ends right then and there.
I may have snapped at Monia, but killing her now wouldn’t mean my own death.
Tillis would likely want to keep me alive more than act out of anger.
Whether she likes it or not, I’m someone Mephistopheles has his eye on. She couldn’t kill me recklessly.
Demons weren’t beings you could summon whenever you liked. Who knows when the next chance will come?
Of course, even if I refuse, there’s not much I can actually do.
“Mind if we talk for a moment?”
“Talking with you is always a pleasure, Mr. Johan, but unfortunately, I don’t have much time. So I’ll pass.”
She saw through my bluff in an instant.
This was truly a no-win situation.
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