Chapter 17: The North – 2

Karmen Icecle.

For reasons unknown, she was the unfortunate daughter of the Grand Duke of the North who met her end at the hands of a demon.

She was the very person I had resolved to save…

But in the game, all that was mentioned about Karmen was that she was Polarr’s daughter—there was almost no information about her.

Even when I tried to dig up more details, all I found were vague mentions of her being a “mischievous girl whom Polarr adored.”

And now… her true identity is… this lunatic?

“I’ve got a decent chest myself, but hers? Damn, that’s massive. Can I touch it just once?”

“W-what?! What are you even…”

“How dare you speak so rudely! Can’t you see the Saintess is flustered?!”

She didn’t seem to be joking about wanting to touch—it was obvious from how she kept staring at Ariana’s chest like she was shooting laser beams out of her eyes.

She looked like serious trouble.

“Karmen. Didn’t I clearly tell you? The Saintess has brought her precious self all the way to this freezing northern land for the sake of our people. You are to treat her with the utmost respect.”

“Isn’t this respectful enough? Normally I would’ve touched first and asked later.”

“Haa… Saintess, please allow me to apologize. My daughter still hasn’t grown out of her immaturity.”

Looking sincerely ashamed, Polarr pressed down on Karmen’s head and bowed alongside her.

Ariana gave a sheepish smile and forgave her.

“Hahaha… It’s fine. These things happen.”

“Thank you… Karmen, go back to your room.”

“Tch, fine. But before that, just one last thing…”

Karmen’s eyes lit up like a cat spotting a mouse.

“Take this!”

Like a cat snatching prey, her hand darted toward Ariana.

—Snatch!

“Please refrain from touching the Saintess so freely.”

Once again, I intercepted her move, staying alert the entire time.

Even after getting caught, she didn’t stop pressing forward.

The result?

A tense standoff of raw strength between us.

She finally looked up and locked eyes with me through my helmet.

“…Ugh, I really don’t like touching guys.”

“I’m not particularly enjoying this either…!”

Karmen scowled as if she’d just seen something repulsive.

‘How am I supposed to save that?’

With how she’s acting, it seems like no matter what I say, she’ll keep doing whatever she wants until she ends up getting eaten by a demon.

‘Still… I have to do it. I’ll make it work.’

But who am I?

I’m the one who’s even trying to rehabilitate the disaster of a Hero, Luin.

Compared to that, maybe rescuing a rogue lesbian grand duke’s daughter won’t be so bad.

Resolving myself once more, I let go of Karmen’s hand.

“Phew… We’ll likely be seeing each other often from now on. Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t get off on the wrong foot? Let’s stop here and both.”

“Can’t I just see the Saintess more often? Guys really aren’t my thing.”

“You damn—haa… Grand Duke, may I go check on the wounded right away?”

“…Go ahead. And once again, I sincerely apologize…”

“It’s… fine.”

For now, I’d somehow managed to get away from that lesbian Grand Duke’s daughter.

On the way to check on the wounded.

“Saintess, are you all right? If you ever feel uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Any insult directed at you is something the Holy Kingdom can officially raise an objection over with the Icecle family. Truly, whenever—whenever—just say the word.”

She might’ve felt humiliated or upset deep down, so I made sure to reassure her she could speak up at any time.

At that, Ariana made a slightly awkward face, as if conflicted.

The hesitation didn’t last long.

Soon, her lips parted.

“Ace.”

“Yes, Saintess?”

“Um… d-do you think… m-my b-brea…”

“…? Please, take your time. There’s no need to rush. Speak freely and calmly, Saintess.”

As her face flushed red and she stumbled over her words, I wondered, was she still feeling uncomfortable because of Karmen?

Then what came out of her mouth was… truly shocking.

“Do you… think my chest is that big…? L-like, vulgar big?”

—Thunk!

I couldn’t help but smack my forehead.

Karmen, that damn.

***

To Ariana, who was now worried that her chest made her look vulgar.

I did my absolute best to explain—very seriously—that her chest was not vulgar at all, but rather a work of art.

Only then was I able to ease her concerns, if just a little.

After that, we treated the wounded as planned.

And all the way through the evening meal provided by House Icecle, Karmen never reappeared.

According to the maids’ whispers, she’d been more or less locked in her room, and I couldn’t help but smile so hard the corners of my lips practically touched my ears.

And so, after somehow surviving our first day in the North, the next morning.

Daaang! Daaang!

“Demons! Demons have appeared!”

The sun had barely begun to rise, but outside was already filled with noise—the demons had shown up early.

I quickly equipped my gear, throwing my robe over my armor like a cloak.

Then, lastly, I pulled down my visor as I opened the door.

Elapsed time: barely over a minute.

As I stepped outside, I saw Grand Duke Polarr, fully prepared, already opening the mansion gates.

The moment the gates opened, he vanished at a speed my eyes couldn’t even follow.

At that very moment, the door to the next room burst open, and Ariana appeared, her clothes slightly disheveled.

She must’ve gotten dressed in a hurry after hearing about the demons.

Still, she had managed to grab her robe and the gem.

“Let’s go, Ace!”

“Yes, Saintess!”

I immediately lifted her in a princess carry and jumped over the railing, leaping down to the first floor.

As we landed, she cast a divine shield beneath us, softening the impact and letting us land safely.

Without a moment’s delay, I rushed through the gate Polarr had left open.

The moment I stepped outside, the cold wind slammed into my body like a ghost wrapping around me.

Even as my body trembled from the chill, my legs didn’t stop moving.

Running at full speed, I reached the ramparts in less than five minutes.

Boom!

With divine power wrapped around both me and Ariana, we leapt onto the ramparts.

Below, we saw around eighty demons charging in our direction.

Each one had wildly different physical traits, four pairs of arms, fangs protruding from their mouths, enormous feet, but all of them looked equally powerful.

As someone who wasn’t even the protagonist, just a paladin slightly above average, the only one I might realistically take on was a yeti-like demon covered in white fur.

The knights stationed here didn’t seem properly prepared, yet they stood there with a strange ease.

Wearing thick fur coats to withstand the freezing weather, they looked more like a pack of beasts than human knights, but from the way they stood, they seemed more like lazy beasts.

Something… felt off.

Just before the demons and the beast-like knights collided.

—BOOM!

A single figure crashed down like a meteor in front of the demons.

The demons charged at him with full force, but unfortunately for them, the one they had chosen to attack…was Grand Duke Polarr.

—Slice!

With a single swing of his blade, countless demon heads separated cleanly from their bodies.

In the blink of an eye, those demons ceased to exist as demons.

The spectacle left us from the Holy Kingdom speechless in awe, while the knights of this land erupted in cheers, as if to say, we knew it, praising him at the top of their lungs.

And in that moment, only one thought occupied my mind.

If there was a demon strong enough to stand against even that level of power……could our Hero—Luin—who hasn’t trained properly and is still a complete mess, really defeat it?

…He’ll be okay, right?

Suddenly filled with unease, I felt someone approach me.

A woman with snow-white hair.

Karmen.

“Kuuh, that’s my dad for you! Isn’t he amazing?”

“Lady Karmen…?”

She grinned as she spoke, her tone light.

“Don’t you think so? As long as my dad’s around, everyone can relax. You’ll be safe too, forever—right?”

To Karmen, smiling with such certainty, I replied honestly, just as I thought.

“No. That’s not true.”

I told her she was wrong.

Just as she’d said, the people of Icecle Territory placed too much faith in Grand Duke Polarr.

But the sad truth is, Polarr is still just one man.

And there are enemies even he cannot defeat.

The moment he fell to the demons, Icecle Territory was thrown into total panic.

The knights split into two factions, those who believed they had to protect the territory themselves no matter what, and those who insisted on fleeing immediately and waiting for the imperial family to solve the problem.

If there had been someone else from House Icecle to take command, they might’ve reached a decision faster.

But sadly, the head of the house, Polarr, was in a coma, and his only daughter, Karmen, had been devoured by demons.

The territory fell into chaos, and it stayed that way… until the Hero finally arrived.

All of that happened because.

“The people of this territory placed too much expectation on the Grand Duke. And the greater the expectation, the greater the despair when those hopes are shattered. Even without His Grace, they should’ve been prepared to defend themselves.”

As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a pang of worry—maybe I’d gone too far.

But…

“Heh, you think so too, huh?”

For some reason, Karmen was smiling.