Chapter 326
Crash!
The sheep, dressed in a suit, was flung into the air and came crashing down, splitting the table in two. Broken plates and glasses fell onto his body.
"Urgh!"
With spaghetti dumped over his head, he staggered as he tried to stand.
No, he tried to stand. But with an awkward body, he wobbled—then fell back onto his butt again. Even so, his eyes remained fixed on Simon.
"What was that just now!"
In his eyes burned half fury, and half bewilderment.
"I only put my palm on you, how could that…!"
The sheep's words never finished. A streak of crimson light flew in from the side, shoving his body away as if deleting him.
Bang!
With a heavy sound, the sheep was slammed into the wall.
When a startled Simon turned his head, he saw Loraine with her right arm raised.
"Was I interrupting?"
"No, thanks for the help."
Simon said, but his gaze was fixed beyond her.
Even now, it was astounding.
Crimson eyes peering out from rifts tearing through the space around her. What in the world lay beyond that space?
As she lowered her hand, the torn spaces closed their mouths and vanished without a trace.
"Loraine, what about your opponent?"
She jerked her chin. A cat was embedded in the wall in much the same way the sheep had been just moments ago.
[All assassin team members down.]
[Confirmation: strange game cleared.]
[Additional objective generated.]
[Additional objective: Protect the Pig Princess from a new enemy.]
"Additional objective!"
Perhaps because they had ignored the game's intended mechanics and simply gone on a wild, smash-everything spree, an extra mission had popped up.
Simon thought it was even better this way.
The very first raft game he'd cleared with class rep Jaime had been the same, once they bulldozed through all the monsters with Deimos, an additional objective had appeared. And from that, he'd obtained the glasses that let him see the terrain's colors.
Surely there would be a reward this time, too.
The sheep and the cat, having failed in their roles as assassins, melted away into the air.
Simon and Loraine locked eyes for a moment, then backed away cautiously, moving toward the Pig Princess.
"…S-spare me."
The Pig Princess stammered, trembling.
"Even with short ears, I'll say you're one of us! Even without fur, I'll admit you're equal to us! Just, please, spare my life…!!"
"Shut your mouth and stay still."
At Loraine's cold words, the Pig Princess instantly clamped her mouth shut and crouched down.
Simon added,
"Your Highness, we came here to protect you."
"L-lies!"
The Pig Princess shouted, shaking.
"You just killed the sheep and the cat, and now you say that…!"
Crash!
Smash!
The conversation was cut off unintentionally. Every window in the mansion shattered, and assassins in black hoods came leaping through.
Shff!
Shff!
In an instant, more than a dozen men surrounded them. From beneath the pulled-down hoods, no faces were visible, only gray smoke billowing out.
Simon and Loraine lowered their stances, wary, while the Pig Princess let out a squeal and shrank back.
Clank, clank.
A man in armor beneath his robe strode forward. Gray smoke also seeped from inside his helmet.
[There is only one order.]
A chilling voice flowed from his mouth.
[Kill them all.]
'Hah!'
The mysterious assassins all drew their swords and charged.
"Well then."
Loraine swept back the hair falling over her face.
"No need to hold back anymore, right?"
Once again, space behind her split open with loud tears, and crimson eyes burst forth. From within, scarlet pillars of destruction blasted in every direction, driving the assassins away.
[!]
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Nearly half of the assassins smashed into walls and died instantly.
Simon couldn't help but be impressed.
'She really is the daughter of Lady Neftis.'
"Simon! In front!"
At Loraine's cry, Simon whipped his head around. One assassin was raising his sword right in front of him.
He had been waiting for this for a while.
Vrrrm!
The first strike, he dodged lightly by stepping back. Before the second strike could come, he grabbed the opponent's wrist and yanked.
As the assassin stumbled forward, Simon released the wrist and drove his elbow into the man's head. With a crack, blood spattered, and Simon spun his body, delivering a roundhouse kick to the head.
Smack!
The assassin toppled, and three more charged in after him. Of course, he had no intention of allowing them to surround him.
'Open Gate!'
Clatter-clatter-clatter!
Clatter-clatter!
The blades of Overlord poured out, slamming into the assassins and forcing them back.
'Don't rush, take them one at a time!'
Breaking free of the encirclement, Simon dropped low and charged. He wrapped Darkness around his fist and drove it toward an assassin who had just landed on the ground.
Clang!
Fist and sword clashed, sparks flying. The assassin was crouched, so Simon's follow-up was faster.
He kicked the opponent's knee, forcing him down, then flowed smoothly around to grab the man's head and lift it.
Thwack!
An arrow from the front pierced clean into the hooded face. The assassin's body went limp.
"Well done!"
The skeleton archer clicked its jaw as it drew another arrow.
But there were still two left. From behind Simon, two assassins thrust their swords.
Clang!
Clang!
Immediately, two skeletons with shields leapt out and blocked the attacks.
In that brief moment, Simon dropped low and reached between the skeleton's legs toward the enemies.
'Cloud!'
A teal mist shot out, snaring the assassins' legs one by one and yanking hard.
Their stances broke, and the shield-bearing skeletons instantly broke apart into bones that floated in the air.
Click-click!
The bones in the air spun their sharp points downward. Simon's finger dropped.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
With vicious sounds, the bones plunged down from above, making the assassins convulse.
From a short distance away, Loraine quietly murmured in admiration.
'…Innate sense, combat logic that grasps the flow.'
He was combining several difficult techniques at once. And beyond his mainstay Summonology, he was using Magical Combat, Haematology, and other techniques learned from Keyzen with perfect timing.
Still only a first-year, but in Simon, she could glimpse the makings of a complete necromancer.
'As I thought.'
No matter what, she could never allow Simon to be taken by Serne. She vowed it to herself again.
[What are you all doing!]
The armored man, clearly the commander, shouted angrily.
[Pathetic. I'll do it myself!]
The boss-monster-like figure hefted a heavy spear and stepped into battle.
"Squeeaaak!"
In that brief moment when the two of them glanced away, the Pig Princess, in a panic, was bawling and running away, tears and snot streaming.
It looked like she meant to escape the mansion on her own.
"Simon!"
Loraine shouted as she opened her subspace.
"I'll take the boss, you handle the Princess!"
"Got it!"
From her subspace, a flying skeleton shot out. As she spread her arms wide, the skeletons disassembled and began to attach themselves to her body.
'Loraine's Bone Armor.'
The armor design fit her body perfectly. The beak of the skeleton transformed into a spear that settled into her hands.
Then, at the same time, the boss monster and Loraine thrust their spears at each other, clashing head-on.
'Cool. I'll leave that side to Loraine for now.'
"Squeeaaaaaak!"
In front of the fleeing, screaming Pig Princess, two assassins blocked her path. The Pig Princess let out a squeal and stumbled backward.
"Honestly!"
With a sigh, Simon shoved both arms to the sides as if folding laundry.
Two skeletons shot forward like arrows and fitted Bone Armor onto the Pig Princess' body.
Shff! Clack! Clack!
In an instant, her body was covered in bone, and the Pig Princess screamed in disgust.
'Two aren't nearly enough!'
Her body was far too big. He had to add two more skeletons, for a total of four, to fully armor her.
In the meantime, an assassin leapt toward the Pig Princess with a sword.
"Squeeeee!"
Clang!
Naturally, the attack was blocked by the Bone Armor she wore.
The assassin stepped back in surprise, and Simon moved his fingers. Like a marionette, the Pig Princess clenched her fist and charged.
"W-what? My body's moving on its owwwn!"
Thwack!
A clean hit.
The assassin spewed blood as he was knocked flying by the Pig Princess' blow. This time, Simon swept his finger to the side.
Whump!
The Pig Princess grabbed a nearby sofa with both hands and swung it around in great arcs. The assassins flinched and backed away in alarm.
"Heave-ho!"
Smash!
Taking advantage of the gap, Simon came around behind one assassin and smashed the back of his head.
"…!"
The other assassin raised his sword warily. But Simon's attack didn't come from the front.
Whsssh, whsssh!
It came from above.
A web dropped from the ceiling, binding the assassin's body. It was the corpse spiders—summoned undead—that Simon had just called forth.
Simon grinned and swept his arm through the air.
"Now, Your Highness!"
"Squeeeeeee!"
Controlled by Simon, the Pig Princess charged with the sofa, slamming the assassin into the wall.
Bang!!
The assassin, trembling, finally let his head slump forward.
"Oh, oh! Oh-ho-ho-ho! Serves you right!"
The Pig Princess laughed gleefully.
'Ugh.'
Meanwhile, Simon grimaced and rubbed his forehead.
'Got too carried away, wasted too much Darkness…'
KABOOM!
At the explosive sound, he turned his head—and his jaw dropped at the sight.
The boss monster, with about five holes in its body, had slammed into the wall. Instead of smoke, blood was pouring from its helmet.
[M-monstrous…!]
Crack!
Loraine's spear pierced straight through the boss monster's helmet. She snorted, retrieving her spear, and blood splattered onto her cheek.
'No need to worry about Loraine.'
Once the leader was taken down, mopping up the remaining underlings was no trouble at all.
When all the assassins had fallen, a new message appeared.
[Additional objective complete.]
[Please claim your reward.]
The boss' body crumbled away, and where it had lain were now two treasure chests.
Simon finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Good work, Loraine."
"You too, Simon."
The two exchanged greetings and walked toward the treasure chests. As the Bone Armor released, the Pig Princess let out a squeal and dashed out of the mansion.
When Loraine twitched as if to go after her, Simon caught her shoulder.
"It's fine. It's over now."
"Mm."
Simon and Loraine each chose a chest.
What could be inside?
With a pounding heart, Simon opened his chest.
"Wow!"
An exclamation burst from his lips.
"A Crystal Skeleton?"
Inside the chest was none other than a product containing a new undead.
Like a child receiving a birthday gift, Simon beamed and took the item out.
'Th-thank you, Sir Endolas Vaudeville…!'
While Simon was lost in gratitude, Loraine snorted and turned her head with a bored look.
"I don't really need mine. Want it too?"
"!"
Simon's head snapped toward her, eyes wide.
A beat later, realizing he looked ridiculous, he cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Th-thanks, but that's too much…"
"Heave-ho."
Loraine lifted her own chest and set it atop Simon's. He staggered, quickly regaining his balance.
"Don't feel burdened, just take it."
Simon's shoulders trembled.
"I-I'll pay you back for this in cash!"
"No need. Oh,"
Loraine smiled faintly.
"Then let's just say you owe me."
Simon made a strained face.
That line sounded awfully familiar.
"Don't tell me you got that from Serne…!"
"There's a portal back. Let's go."
With light steps, Loraine took the lead.
Simon quickly stored the two Crystal Skeletons in his subspace and followed after her.