episode_0071

King Serpent.

A giant monster in the form of a massive cobra.

Facing the overwhelming terror, Edan stood firmly on his two legs, trying to withstand it somehow.

He kept his sword at the ready, not letting his guard down as he faced the monster in front of him.

His body already exhausted, other soldiers long fallen, his strength and magic completely depleted.

In this situation, Edan couldn’t even gauge how long he could hold out against this giant monster alone.

Having narrowly dodged attacks several times already, he had fallen to the ground in the process, accumulating injuries that matched his struggles.

One moment of carelessness could lead to his downfall in the next attack, so even if he fell, it wouldn’t be surprising.

He knew there was no chance of winning. His only option was to delay and endure as much as he could.

Not aiming for victory itself, Edan stood up resolutely with his sword instead of collapsing or fleeing, facing the giant monster with determination.

The moment he fell, the monster would charge into the palace.

No, with its size, it might even destroy the palace itself.

At that moment, everyone inside the palace would be in danger, especially Lilith, who had been dragged out to the masquerade because of his own selfishness.

Thinking of her, Edan couldn’t afford to crumble in this moment.

*Huff, huff, huff…*

In the midst of life and death, Edan quietly pictured Lilith’s face in his mind.

Black short hair, round face, and quite a large chest…

‘No, no…’

…Anyway, his exclusive maid who was attractive in every way.

Of course, Edan’s feelings for Lilith were not just based on her beautiful appearance.

Her selfless nature to sacrifice for others, her warm heart that always considered him deeply, and her willingness to use harsh words or tough methods for his sake.

In many ways, Edan felt a considerable amount of gratitude towards her for assisting him for a long time.

He had been aware for quite some time now that he harbored feelings he shouldn’t towards his servant.

‘I can’t fall here.’

– Roar.

Gripping the hilt of his sword tighter, Edan readied himself once again.

Even if it meant becoming the most precious person to him, Lilith.

*Shriek!*

‘Here it comes!’

With a loud scream, King Serpent charged towards him again.

Suppressing the instinct to dodge, Edan watched its movements until the last moment.

Just before it lunged at him, he twisted his body to the right and slightly raised his sword against King Serpent.

– Clang!

*Shriek!*

“Argh…!”

The Blackwood’s disciple rolled on the ground once again, brushing against King Serpent’s left fang.

Although he hadn’t trained for a long time, his father’s Blackwood swordsmanship had proven effective in many ways.

Coupled with the last remaining magic power he could muster.

Above all, compared to the intensity his father put into his training, the life force of the monster in front of him was bearable, allowing Edan to wield his sword with maximum concentration at the precise moment.

Of course, physical strength and resilience were separate matters, so it was inevitable to be bounced back when colliding with monsters.

“Haa, haa, haa….”

Blackwood Swordsman, exhausted, let out a tired sigh after rolling on the ground a couple of times.

King Serpent was not an easy opponent to just leave alone for Blackwood Swordsman to recover.

The boss monster, with its posture crumbling, once again opened its huge mouth and lunged towards Edan.

“….!”

There was no time to get up. If he didn’t correct his posture, the monster’s even larger mouth would swallow him whole.

Some of the guards who were defending the gate had already been swallowed whole by that huge mouth.

Unable to take a defensive stance in his crumbled posture, Edan had only one option left.

Before long, a sword flew through the air from his hand.

– Swish!

“Aaargh…!”

With all his might, he threw the sword at the monster’s mouth, then rolled his body to evade another attack.

Some might consider throwing away the sword that was like his lifeline and fleeing as a swordsman’s disgrace, but Edan’s father, Harold, always taught him one thing as a top priority.

If his life was in danger, he should prioritize surviving, whether by throwing away the sword or rolling on the ground.

Following his father’s teachings, Edan struggled to buy as much time as possible until the last moment.

He managed to hold on for a few more seconds, buying a brief moment of respite.

– Crunch!

“Aaargh!!”

The monster, in pain from accidentally swallowing Edan’s sword and injuring its mouth, let out a scream.

Edan, hoping the monster would disappear in its agony, saw no sign of King Serpent retreating easily.

The monster spat out the sword in its mouth and immediately started running towards Edan, who was rolling on the ground.

As if blaming him for the pain it was suffering.

“Kyaah!”

“…This is it.”

Exhausted, Edan managed to evade one more attack by rolling on the ground, but he was ultimately cornered.

He didn’t even have the strength to struggle a handful more.

Facing a level 10 boss monster almost single-handedly for nearly ten minutes, his stamina was naturally reaching its limit.

Including the previous battles, he had been wielding his sword without rest for almost an hour.

“…I should have learned the sword a bit earlier.”

If he had been a bit stronger, he might have been able to somehow fend off the monster with his own strength.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have had to witness his comrades falling and being swallowed.

If he hadn’t wasted his time in his naive days, he would have been in a much better situation now.

Quietly hoping that at least others had safely escaped, Edan tried to give his tired body a rest.

“…Edan!”

A familiar voice reached his ears.

“…Lil, Liss…?”

When he opened his eyes, fearing it might be an illusion, he saw King Serpent’s huge mouth approaching him.

Just as he thought it might be a hallucination and tried to close his eyes again, a sharp impact hit his ear from close range.

– Bam!

“….?!”

The King Serpent’s mouth that had just been approaching to swallow him disappeared, and instead, something resembling someone’s calf appeared before him.

Edan quietly thought to himself that it wouldn’t be Lily’s calf in front of his eyes this time, as two large objects approached him.

As he faced the objects that were impossible to mistake, he felt a momentary sensation as if his mind was going blank.

“Edan, are you okay?!”

“….”

“What kind of injury…! Have you been fighting King Serpent alone all this time?!”

“….”

Unable to bring himself to answer Lily’s genuinely concerned voice, Edan simply nodded quietly.

His exhausted body was also a factor in not being able to even give a short answer.

Despite facing Lily’s genuine concern immediately upon reuniting, his instinct that pursued his chest before his face was too embarrassing.

Even in the midst of life and death, the fact that his gaze ultimately turned to his maid’s chest was too shameful.

Feeling the moment of embarrassment too acutely, he simply closed his eyes and silently apologized in his mind.

***

As Sarah and I arrived at the west gate, the first thing we noticed was, of course, the boss monster presumed to be King Serpent.

The huge monster, nearly 3 to 40 meters in length, was impossible to miss as it emerged from the west gate of the palace.

With its mouth wide open, it was charging towards someone.

“Edan!!!”

Seeing him lying on the ground in a pitiful state where the monster’s mouth was heading, his name naturally escaped my lips.

Could it really have been Edan who was guarding the west gate defense line?

I had some idea after hearing Agnes went to the east gate, but emotions couldn’t help but intensify when faced with the reality.

No matter how noble and maid relationship was, he had been the one I had been closest to and seen for a long time.

Even though the feelings I had for him were close to indifference, spending time together naturally led to some affection.

I didn’t want to see the creature I had known and been close to for so long die in front of me.

As I watched Edan on the verge of being attacked by the monster, my heart naturally grew anxious.

Before I knew it, I was urgently calling out for Sarah, who was carrying me.

“Princess!”

“Yes, I know!”

With her answer, Sarah set me down on the ground and ran towards King Serpent.

The princess, with her golden hair shimmering in the moonlight, leaped and slashed the monster’s head from the upper right.

The monster, about to attack Edan, was thrown to the left with a splendid kick.

-Whack!

‘Aaah!’

The monster, unable to close its gaping mouth, tilted its body to the side along with its head.

Fortunately, the surprise attack by the princess hit King Serpent properly, and we were able to save Edan’s life before it was in danger.

I belatedly ran to Edan and checked his condition first.

“Edan, are you okay?!”

“….”

His expression seemed as if his soul had left his body, not even able to meet my eyes.

How intense of a battle had he been in, as there were not just one or two torn and bruised marks on his body.

Just by looking at the external injuries, it was barely manageable, so how severe must the wounds inside his thick suit be.

As I imagined the injuries that could be guessed without even checking, my mouth was pouring out worried words towards Edan involuntarily.

“What kind of injury…! Have you been fighting King Serpent alone all this time?!”

“….”

Answering with a nod while closing his eyes, Edan showed signs of exhaustion, indicating just how brutal the fight had been.

Having defended this front up to this point, Edan had essentially done all he could. If it had been Agnes in his place…

“She probably wouldn’t have lasted this long.”

There was no need to compare who was stronger between Edan and Agnes. Agnes’s magic attacks required a long casting time, making her a less favorable match against King Serpent.

However, one thing was certain.

Edan had given his all against King Serpent, buying time until Seraphine and I could reach the western gate.

Therefore, it was now my turn to reward Edan for holding out until now.

“Rest, Edan.”

“….”

“The rest will be taken care of by Princess Seraphine and me.”

“….What?”

It was a way of letting him know that the time he had bought was not in vain.

As King Serpent lunged towards us once again, Seraphine nodded at me after making eye contact. The plan was already set, with Seraphine, who had seen the future, guiding me accordingly.

It was finally time to make the one who had put our home in this state pay for their actions.