Moving on with the story, Elina resolves to keep fighting despite Michel giving up...?
Enjoy!
She flatly rejected his decision.
“That’s really stupid. Let me make this clear, right now.”
The girl poised her spear and gave a deep breath:
“I am a born ruler! I’m not the kind of sleazebag who finds value in achieving victory if it means sacrificing their subordinates or not helping them survive! So, I will always help you, Michel. Don’t ever forget that I promised to protect you!”
A powerful declaration. However, despite the intent behind the words, Leina did notice there were tears in Elina’s eyes.
“So you decided to protect him.”
“But of course, Big Sister.”
Agreeing with the decision, the older sister lined up beside the other, sword in hand.
[It seems she’s grown as a person since I left. I’m glad she chose protecting him instead of killing him.]
“Good. Let’s go and save that kid then, Elina.”
“Big Sister!”
“Let’s all defeat the Demon and come home.”
Leina smiled.
“Let’s show them the ruler’s duty, Big Sister.”
At the same time Elina replied, Airi covered Leina with a coat.
“Allow me to cover your lovely naked body first.”
The wraith smiled mischievously.
“I think the stimulus is too strong for our boy.”
“T-Thanks.”
“Good call, Airi.”
“I am delighted by your praise.”
From the foot of the bowing maid, Melona rose up as well.
“I’m fine with helping Michel too. Elina’s friends are my friends.”
The four looked up straight at the demonic beast’s head.
“Michel, hang on for just a bit longer!”
The boy felt his eyes heat up when he heard them. They weren’t giving up on him. And in that case, he couldn’t choose death either.
Their weapons would work their hardest to accomplish their role: destroying the demonic beast.
A strong hope was rekindled in him, small as it was.
“I... don’t want to return to the Demon...”
***
The boy’s consciousness might have halted the demonic beast, but that didn’t mean it could keep doing so for long.
“Okay. Airi, Melona, bring me and my Big Sister to him!”
“Roger!”
“I’ll shave off that guy’s power.”
Melona changed her body into a bridge that reached the head of the restrained demonic beast, while Airi used her summoned lesser spirits to drain the monster’s stamina.
“Quick! We don’t know how much Michel can take!”
Rushing the shapeshifter, the sisters ran across her.
[There’s no resistance so far.]
If things stayed that way, they could rescue the boy soon.
“Michel, I’m pulling you out!”
The moment Elina reached out to him, her sister behind her saw something: the Demon ahead of the demonic beast was grinning. A smile that showed confidence in her victory.
[Something is coming!]
“Elina!”
And the Exiled Warrior’s instincts didn’t fail her; another monster of the same size as the one Michel’s consciousness kept in place broke the ground and appeared beside it.
“Why?”
The sudden development puzzled Elina, and the newly appeared demonic beast didn’t miss that chance; the tentacles growing from its back entangled her body.
“Kuh!”
She grimaced. As she was raised into the air and slammed into the ground at once, the spirits Airi had summoned rushed towards the blonde.
“Go help Lady Elina!”
As Airi’s command echoed, a cloud of dust soared. It was almost like a volcanic plume.
“Elinaaa!”
The heiress headed straight towards her sister’s landing point without even waiting for the dust to settle down.
“Things are getting ugly...”
Melona gave a sigh as she quickly approached the boy.
“Oh well, I still have a job to do.”
Having said that, she spread her body very thin and wide, covering the demonic beast that had captured Michel.
“If this goes well, my presence will be the key to our comeback, Elina.”
Thrown into the ground, Elina coughed once and again. The impact was softened by the lesser spirits Airi had wasted no time to deploy; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been weird if it had killed her outright.
“Kuh... I was caught off guard...”
Enduring the pain, she slowly stood up.
Unable to absorb the full shock, her armor had broken, and it slid down from over her skin.
“Oh... now we have matching looks, Big Sister.”
So to speak, she was totally nude by that point.
Still, she didn’t want to show that appearance to anyone. Only her Big Sister and the one who would one day become her husband could see it.
“Elina... thank goodness, you’re still alive!”
Leina appeared from the other side of the dust—still settling down—, cutting down the demonic beasts’ tentacles to make a way for herself.
“But of course, Big Sister!”
She answered bravely... but there was nothing they could do anymore.
The demonic beast still trapping Michel might be immobile for the moment, but they couldn’t figure out how to beat another of those monsters—which seemed to have an equal strength.
“Even if we can’t save Michel, we can still die together trying, Big Sister.”
“Ah, might be too early for that tho.”
An unexpected voice came from above in response to Elina’s murmur.
“Eh?”
“Now’s when the real show starts, Elinaaa.”
There was Nanael, smiling fearlessly.
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