Ch.297297. Clearing (2)

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“Thank you for enduring the long journey, Prime Minister Sullivan.”

“It’s been a while, Krat. Your body seems to have grown even larger than before—”

-!!

Before the two could continue formal greetings at reception room of the Margrave’s castle, something exploded nearby, sending a thunderous sound echoing through the air.

“…”

“…”

Prime Minister Sullivan and Krat simultaneously closed their mouths with transcendent expressions.

“…How long has this been going on?”

At Sullivan’s question, Margrave Bellium La Kendrid sighed and looked down at the courtyard of his castle.

The aftermath of Elia and Riru’s clash had just completely destroyed one of the annexes.

“If my memory serves me correctly, I believe they’ve been at it since this morning.”

“…”

Hmm.

So these monster-class battles, where a single exchange of attacks could collapse buildings, had been continuing since morning.

Prime Minister Sullivan stroked his chin and looked around.

Indeed, it wasn’t an exaggeration—the interior of the Margrave’s castle had been transformed into something resembling ruins.

“…How much would it cost to rebuild all of this?”

“I suspect we’d need to spend an entire year’s worth of the territory’s budget to barely cover it.”

“I’ll be billing the Imperial Palace for all of it later anyway. This chaos happened because of that concubine or whatever she is.”

“…”

Seeing him speak so calmly about this, it seems this man has also reached a state of transcendent resignation regarding the existence of Darwood Campbell.

“…Given the state of things, it seems difficult to deliver our message.”

As Prime Minister Sullivan spoke, another building collapsed with a thunderous crash from the impact of their clash.

He had come with urgent business requiring Darwood’s immediate departure, but with this chaos, it certainly seemed difficult.

What was strange was that despite the situation, not a single scream could be heard, which was unusual.

“I had everyone evacuated in advance.”

“…”

“I suspected this would happen from the moment that man announced his visit to my territory.”

He’s treating the man like a natural disaster now.

Of course, Sullivan had nothing to say about that and kept his mouth shut.

“…But hasn’t it suddenly become quiet?”

At Sullivan’s remark, Krat also stroked his chin and looked around.

Indeed, the constant explosions and shouts—mostly focused on insulting each other’s femininity—had suddenly stopped.

“…Oh.”

The reason didn’t take long to discover.

While they had been fighting amongst themselves and losing track of Darwood Campbell’s location, the collapse of a building’s outer wall had instantly revealed his whereabouts.

Inside the collapsed building was Yuria, with an extremely excited expression, in the process of putting a collar around Darwood’s neck.

Rough breathing escaped from the corners of her mouth, and with unfocused eyes, she was completely absorbed in what she was doing.

In front of her, Darwood was kneeling with cold sweat pouring down his face, tethered by the collar like a criminal receiving judgment.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A cold silence descended upon everyone who witnessed this scene.

“My goodness.”

Before Krat’s sigh could dissolve into the surrounding air, chaotic screams erupted from all directions.

“She’s cutting in line—!”

“There’s such a thing as common decency, you underdeveloped flat-chested—!”

“I’ll strangle her to death with that collar—!”

“Gloomy girls should stay quietly crumpled in corners where they belong—!”

“…”

Listening to this, the intensity is truly terrifying.

How sad that these people spewing such vulgar words are mostly the promising talents who will be responsible for the future of their generation…

“This is truly unfortunate. Ah, would you like another cup of tea?”

“I’ll gladly accept.”

Of course.

Clearly, neither of them showed any particular sympathy for the situation the man was currently experiencing.

In truth, there was no reason to.

Everything is the consequence of one’s own actions, after all.

“Excuse me, Prime Minister.”

“Yes?”

“Forgive my impertinence, but aren’t you going to join them?”

From what Krat knew, considering Sullivan’s normal personality, he should already be in the fray, screaming that Darwood belongs to him.

“No, well.”

The Prime Minister shrugged his shoulders as he accepted the teacup brought by the servant.

“I have a feeling this will be resolved before I even have a chance to join in.”

“Pardon?”

“There’s a fox-like woman who’s quite clever.”

“…”

There was no need to ask who he meant.

There was only one person missing from the current situation.

●

People experience all sorts of things in life.

Near-death experiences, the danger of being stripped by nearby women, the experience of defeating a demon in bed.

However, even so.

I’ve never experienced all of these mixed together at once.

That is to say.

The danger of being stripped to death by surrounding women possessed by demons.

“I’m—telling—you—!”

Elia, who was gripping my right arm, concentrated magical power into the Holy Sword she had drawn while saying those words.

The dense magical power, creating an illusion like heat haze rising, suddenly began to condense into a single point as if being sucked away.

The surrounding area, which had been experiencing energy oversaturation like being in a gas chamber, suddenly felt like a massive void with nothing in it. And immediately after, a pressure of a completely different magnitude began to pour down.

It’s hard to believe this power is emanating from a single human.

Indeed, a hero who has drawn the Holy Sword. Worthy of being called humanity’s strongest, impossible to face unless you’re demon-class.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I’m the mistress here, and all of you are breaking protocol by doing this—!”

Elia, exuding such spirit, let out a battle cry like roaring thunder.

“I’ll be the first to devour the teacher—!”

“…”

If only her intentions weren’t so impure, I could purely admire this person’s determination.

“There’s such a thing as human ethics, human morality, and humans have the free will to make their own choices!”

And there’s also demonic energy opposing that.

On the opposite side of the arm Elia was holding—that is, gripping my left arm—flames shot up with such firm and strong battle cries.

When those flames clashed with the energy from Elia’s Holy Sword, dust erupted in all directions with a clash that created an almost magical vacuum.

A violent scene unfolds in all directions, worthy of being called a divine-demonic war. The earth trembles. The sky tears. The air vibrates…

“Who he chooses to sleep with is his decision to make!”

“…”

Of course, her intentions are just as fucked up as Elia’s.

“That’s not the point, this guy obviously likes big breasts, not you idiots—!”

Riru, Riru…

Please stop…

“D-Darwood will want to spend his first night with a woman who can obediently do anything for him—! R-Right?!”

“N-No! Darwood needs to go for a walk with me—!”

Faynol… Yuria…

You guys shut up too…

“Who would like those lumps of fat—! And you’re not obedient, you’re just a masochist—!”

Surprisingly, despite facing multiple Demonic Vessels spewing demonic energy, Elia is holding her own.

It seems she wasn’t just being confident despite knowing they would all come at once.

The problem is that I’m caught in the middle, with my right and left arms seized, taking the impact of their clashes with my bare body.

It’s also a problem that they’re pulling me toward themselves with all their might like a tug-of-war during these clashes.

Help me…

I’m being torn apart…

It feels like my entire body is being torn apart alive…

[So this is what being drawn and quartered feels like…]

What are you realizing now with that voice…

As I was experiencing what felt like hell on earth, I suddenly heard a tearing sound from below my neck.

“…?”

Worried that my body was actually being torn apart, I looked down.

Fortunately, nothing strange had happened to my body.

It’s just that my clothes, unable to withstand this situation, had all turned to rags.

In other words.

I was now standing in the middle of the Margrave’s castle wearing nothing but underwear.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell all around.

Not just from those fighting over me, but also from those watching this scene from afar like some sporting event, all focusing their gaze on my half-naked body.

Someone covers their mouth and murmurs something like, “Oh my, nice body,” faintly audible.

“…”

I remain silent too.

My body trembles.

I feel like I might cry from shame…

“…Um, s-sorry—”

“If saying sorry could end this, you shouldn’t have started it in the first place.”

Someone began to stammer those words, but before the sentence could be completed, they received a blow to the back of their head and collapsed with a groan.

“W-Wait!”

“W-What—”

And not just them, but all the people who had been playing tug-of-war with me simultaneously received blows to the backs of their heads and continued to collapse.

Normally, these weren’t people who would easily allow such strikes, but they had already exhausted much of their strength fighting amongst themselves, making it difficult to respond.

And the person striking them was someone they couldn’t guarantee victory against even if they fought at full strength.

“I’ve come to rescue you, Darwood.”

“…”

“You seem to have suffered a lot.”

Elnore said this while draping her coat around my body with a flutter.

She looks incredibly dependable. Just like a hero who rescues a heroine suffering through terrible hardships and smiles brilliantly. I’m so moved that tears actually start to well up…

“…C-Cutting in line, seriously, stop—”

Elia, who had received a powerful blow to the back of her head from Elnore and was still squirming, mumbled those words, but was met with only a snort and a contemptuous response.

“Well. I heard that if you want this man, you need to prove it with your skills.”

Elnore looked around at the people scattered all over the floor and spoke in a slow voice.

Her face wore an unusually triumphant smile.

“Wouldn’t you say I’ve proven everything by being the last one standing?”

“…”

“So I’ll be taking Darwood. Besides, there’s somewhere I urgently need to take him right now. A summons from the Imperial Palace.”

“…”

“…”

“Do any of you have objections?”

Of course, there would be many people full of objections, but unfortunately, there was no one who hadn’t exhausted their strength from playing tug-of-war over me with Elia.

It was clear that no one could get up and fight right now.

“…Excuse me, Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“I’m asking just in case…”

Elia spoke with a trembling voice.

“You didn’t… wait for us to exhaust ourselves fighting each other, did you…?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“…”

“And even if I did, what could you do about it right now?”

“…”

In the end, this chaos ended more anticlimactically than expected.

With everyone being dealt with by the strongest and worst lady.

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