Ch.167Awakened NPC. (1)

Before Jack woke from the mental control of lust.

-KUUUNG!!!

“Kyaah?!!”

“Holy Maiden!!”

We were trying to approach the creature while avoiding its numerous tentacles, but even just dodging the attacks was proving to be quite challenging.

Not having resolved this when it was in its previous form is painfully regrettable.

“Get a hold of yourself!! The next attack is coming!!! Get a ho…?!!”

-Smooch, smooch!

“Wh-what?!!”

“Ehehe, Forest Keeper~ You’re so handsome~”

“This is insane!!”

The Holy Maiden, who hadn’t let go of her hammer even when hit by tentacles, suddenly put it down and wrapped her arms around my neck with tremendous strength, showering me with kisses.

I immediately picked her up and kicked hard off the ground, rolling forward. Right behind us, a massive tentacle smashed into the ground, making me break out in cold sweat.

-Smooch! Smooch!

“Ehehe, I’ll marry the Forest Keeper just like Luxuria said…”

-SLAP!!

“Ughak?!!”

As she was kissing me like a madwoman despite our imminent danger, I slapped her cheek hard. Her unfocused pupils gradually began to regain focus.

“Snap out of it.”

“Ah, ah? Uh… wh-what?!”

“If you’ve come to your senses, stand on your own feet quickly.”

“Uh, eh? W-why am I being held by the Forest Keeper…?”

-Whoosh!!

-KUUUUNG!!!

As I rolled to the side while holding the woman who was spouting nonsense, the creature that had taken over Luxuria’s body immediately pursued us and continued to launch attacks.

In this urgent situation, the Holy Maiden once again enveloped herself in holy power and stood on her own feet, looking for her hammer.

“Your hammer is over there between the tentacles. If you don’t need it right away, leave it and focus on bringing Luxuria back to her senses!”

“Ugh!! Yes!!”

Though I told her to focus, we had no immediate way to get close to the creature. Luxuria, after putting on that skull head—or is it a mask?—was launching an offensive incomparable to before, and the Holy Maiden and I were literally just struggling to dodge.

We need some strategy to turn the tide.

“Holy Maiden! Is there any way to return her to at least her previous state?!”

“Ow… my cheek hurts. What?! Wh-what did you say?!!”

…Did I hit her too hard? It seems like the Holy Maiden can’t hear well. I immediately pointed to her left ear, and she blinked her eyes while healing herself with holy power.

“…Did my eardrum burst?”

“I apologize. Suddenly, the Holy Maiden was kissing my chee…?! Dodge!!”

We continued to retreat while avoiding more incoming tentacles. We truly needed a plan at this point…

“Y-you’re saying I kissed your cheek?!!”

“No, that’s not the important part. A way to return Luxuria to normal…”

“No!! That IS important!! Wh-what do you think my first kiss is?!! I-I’m a Holy Maiden?!!”

“No, you did that yourself when your mind was affected by the tentacles…”

What kind of conversation am I having right now?

While dodging the attacks from the creature that had taken over Luxuria’s body, the Holy Maiden was spouting nonsense like “What do I do, am I really going to be sisters with Luxuria? I’m a Holy Maiden?! With a d-demon?!!” It was giving me a headache.

For now.

“Holy Maiden!! Calm down!! Is there any way to return her to at least her previous state?!!”

“Then, am I the younger sister? What? Ah, ah! Y-yes! If I can get close and infuse her with holy power…!!”

That’s exactly what we couldn’t do in the first place. Haah. No choice.

“So you’re saying you just need to touch her?”

“Yes. If I can somehow make contact, though it might take some time…”

“Good. Then I’ll handle all the tentacles. Holy Maiden, please find a way to approach Luxuria.”

“Y-yes?!”

After dodging another tentacle attack, I immediately started running. My destination was the collapsed hut from earlier.

“Luxuria!!! If you don’t come to your senses now, the marriage is off!!!”

[Deranged trash. Do you think my control will be broken by such words?]

“It seemed to work once before!!”

[Die.]

The creature claimed its control wouldn’t break, but the way it chased after me made me think Luxuria was hearing my voice and resisting its control.

And so, arriving at the collapsed hut…

-Slash!!

“Good. It’s been a while since I used a blade. Glad I maintained it every day.”

I started swinging the machete—a knife any forest keeper would know how to use—to cut down the tentacles.

With some regret that I should have done this from the beginning, but also relief that I realized it now, I continued cutting down tentacles. In the distance, I could see the Holy Maiden quietly approaching Luxuria without even using her holy aura.

“Hey! These tentacles are softer than wood! Just like your dick, I bet?!”

[Lowly mountain vermin. Let’s see if you can still talk like that until your dying moment.]

As flamboyantly and persistently as possible, I kept cutting tentacles and taunting to keep its attention on me, making sure it wouldn’t look back.

Then, as the tentacles gradually decreased…

“Luxuria!!! Don’t die even if you get stabbed!!!”

-Whoosh!!

[?!!]

The knife pierced the creature’s chest, catching it by surprise as it hadn’t expected me to throw my blade despite the remaining tentacles.

And simultaneously…

“I, Holy Maiden Ira, beseech and implore Caritas, who oversees Charity, one of the seven cardinal virtues!!!”

[KYAAAAK?!! Divine whore!!!]

“Punishment and purification for those who know not charity, know not justice, and commit evil!! Drive out the evil that knows not love!!!”

[⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!!!]

The Holy Maiden hooked the shaft of her hammer onto the knife I had embedded, and began to emit an incredible light while reciting prayers at an almost incomprehensible speed.

The creature possessing Luxuria screamed horribly and struggled, but the Holy Maiden embraced her even more tightly, using even her legs to hold her.

The surrounding tentacles writhed, but they seemed unable to attack us. As I watched from a distance, the time of purification by holy power began to flow.

“Holy Maiden Ira commands in the name of the Lord, the Seven Cardinal Virtues, and the Holy Spirits!! Evil one, begone! Return to where you should…!!!”

[⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯S-stop!!! Stop!!! I’ll die!! I’ll really die!! I’m burning!! My body, my heart!! My lower abdomen is burning hot!!!”

“…Luxuria?”

“Jack!! Help me!! Stop her!! Stop Ira!!! I’m dying!!! I’m really going to die!!!”

“Caritas shall not forgive those who know not giving!!!”

“Holy Maiden! Holy Maiden!! Hasn’t Luxuria returned?! Holy Maiden Ira!!”

“The life that fills the earth…!!! Eh, ah?!”

When I shouted to call the Holy Maiden, she finally seemed to notice that Luxuria was sobbing in her arms and began to reduce the divine light.

“Haa! Haa! …I thought I’d awakened to a masochistic fetish after getting hit, but no matter how you look at it, the pain of my insides burning from holy power is a bit too much to feel as pleasure…”

“Uh, eh? Have you returned?! Lu-Luxuria?!”

“Ugh. For quite a while now, the screams changed to a woman’s voice midway. That was me…”

The skull face that had been attached to her face disappeared, and her horns began to shrink as if corroding. She smiled broadly while bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth.

“Ah, ah. Th-thank goodness! The demonic energy was so strong, so strong that I thought I might fail!! I-I’m sorry!! For not noticing sooner…!!”

“Ugh, hehe. Heheh. I could tell how worried you were from the holy power stirring inside me. It turned my head inside out as if trying to find my original consciousness.”

Luxuria laughed, saying she thought her brain would melt, and then collapsed to the ground, no longer able to fly. The Holy Maiden, who had been clinging to her, fell away from the sudden drop, then immediately ran over to pull out the machete piercing Luxuria’s chest and began using holy power.

“Ah, will holy power healing work on a demon? Please tell me if it hurts!”

“Ha, haha. Me, a demon, being healed by holy power is a bit funny, right? Yeah. It doesn’t hurt now. Please continue.”

Luxuria laughed while breathing roughly, and the Holy Maiden began healing her. I approached them, finally feeling relieved.

“Phew, Luxuria. What was that? The identity of what possessed you.”

“Cough, cough. W-well? It feels like I should know, but I have no idea, it’s a strange feeling.”

“…Alright, let’s heal first and then check. And, sorry to ask while you’re being healed, but could you clear away these tentacles? It’s making me anxious…”

“…Huh? Wait? These aren’t being summoned by me? I don’t have the strength to move a finger…”

“…What?”

“…What?”

Looking at the tentacles still writhing around us, I suddenly felt a chill and rushed toward the Holy Maiden and Luxuria.

These tentacles had definitely grown whenever Luxuria waved her hand. But if they were still moving even though she had returned to normal, then…!!!

“Holy Maiden! Luxuria!! Get away!!!”

-KUGUGUGUGUNG!!!!

The moment I shouted, all the surrounding tentacles flew toward the two women. The exhausted Holy Maiden and the immobilized Luxuria could only widen their eyes in surprise.

Damn it, this is definitely going to be too late. No, even if it’s not too late…!!

‘The moment I touch the tentacles, there will be no one to protect the two of them!!’

If I suddenly lose my mind like the Holy Maiden did earlier, that’s the end. I might attack the Holy Maiden and Luxuria myself.

That thought process occurred in an instant, and so I…

“Jack!!!”

“Master Jack?!!”

Perhaps if I had just had time to pick up the machete I had thrown earlier, the outcome might have been different.

But because I had let my guard down and moved leisurely, there was no time.

I could only think of one way to prevent myself from attacking them and to keep them from dying in this attack.

So I stood with my back to them, shielding them from the tentacles.

“Both of you, please don’t die.”

With the sensation of the world slowing down, feeling like this must be my life flashing before my eyes, I slowly closed my ey…

“Fire Attribute Descendant Kick.”

-THWACK!!!

“Puhk?!”

“This situation is exactly like before. No complaining, okay?”

Instead of being impaled by tentacles as I expected, I felt an impact that nearly shattered my jaw and a floating sensation. My mind immediately found the answer.

‘…What a damn bastard of a descendant?’

Apparently, my descendant was an incredibly petty little punk.