‘One… two… three… four… five…. Just how many are there?’
“Grrr—.”
As if catching the scent of food again, the skeletons began to react.
“Havel! Throw one piece of bread as far as you can to the other side!”
“Okay….”
Havel did exactly as I commanded. Surprisingly, the bread flew far away. The skeletons’ attention shifted entirely to the airborne piece.
“Run now, Havel!”
“Uu….”
Havel waddled his massive body toward the opposite side.
“Over here, here. To the right! It looks like there’s a door connecting to another area!”
Krius guided Havel in the right direction. As Havel ran with a piece of bread in his hand, he once again became a target for several skeletons.
“Throw what you’re holding and run!”
Havel didn’t want to die either, so he followed my instructions well. It worked perfectly. Using the bread, Havel evaded the skeletons and passed through the door to another area.
Thud—.
After Havel closed the door, I moved into the next zone as well.
“Oh my.”
But the situation was still dire. Inside, the space was packed with skeletons arranged just like before. Havel, clearly exhausted, collapsed to the ground again.
“I… can’t….”
“Th-this can’t be.”
Krius, who had just arrived, also wore a face of despair.
“Kraaah!”
I quickly swung the Death Scythe and severed the neck of a skeleton that had approached Havel. But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Krkrk-. Grrr-!”
One, two, three, four… The number of swarming skeletons was endless, and those that had fallen soon rose again.
Whoosh—!
I trapped three skeletons inside the long crescent-shaped Death Scythe and knocked them down. But only for the moment. I could not let Havel die. After coming this far, could everything be lost so pointlessly?
“Grrr!”
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
“…Lady. Stop. There’s no hope left.”
Krius tried to restrain me.
“I have to at least try until I can’t anymore!”
I felt a pain as if my arms were being wrenched out. I felt the limit of my stamina as if I would collapse at any moment, but it didn’t matter.
“It’s useless! Stop!”
Whoosh—. Whoosh!
“Stop!”
Whoosh…
Thuk!
When I still refused to listen, Krius finally threw his Flamberge, knocking the Death Scythe from my hands. Was he trying to restrain me?
“Lady…. There’s nothing we can do.”
“If you’re not going to help, then don’t get in my way!”
I glared at Krius.
“Even if you fight with such desperation….”
Then it happened.
Rustle—.
“Huh?”
Clatter—.
“Th-there’s a sound coming from over there!”
Krius pointed in the direction of the noise.
“I’ll go check it out. Just make sure this guy doesn’t die.”
Whoosh—!
I entrusted Havel to Krius and flew off to investigate the source of the clattering sound.
‘Please let it be something helpful….’
Floating in the air, I soon found the source: a pile of skeletons in the corner, rattling and slowly moving.
“…What?”
I approached to get a closer look. Then:
“Sa…ve… me….”
“Huh?”
A voice came from inside, as if someone were buried within the heap of bones. Squinting my eyes, I could faintly see a status window.
[Mary Crow]
◇ Speed ☆☆★★★
◇ Agility ★★★★★
◇ Mental Strength ☆☆☆★★
◇ Stamina ☆☆☆★★
“Mary!”
When I called her name, the tip of Mary’s finger poked out.
[Mary Crow]
◇ Fear Level: 96%
Her fear level was dangerously high. If it reached 100%, she would lose consciousness—or worse, go insane.
“I’ll save you!”
! You can’t use 〈Possession〉 due to the target’s status ailment.
“Damn it….”
It seemed impossible to possess her because she was buried under the pile of skeletons. In truth, Mary had never been in a state where possession was possible.
Thud— thud—.
The skeleton pile continued to shift, bones falling here and there. Gradually, I could see Mary’s hands and something else among them. Her hands held an enormous tray. Inside a wide, transparent-lidded tray were all kinds of desserts.
“Bring… Havel… here….”
“What? Havel…?”
The hand holding the tray trembled violently.
‘Was that the smell of food Havel caught earlier?’
This was no time to be asking questions. It seemed she meant for Havel to eat this. After all, Havel gets stronger and faster when he eats.
“I got it. Wait right there!”
I flew back to where Krius and Havel were. For once, Krius was actually helping Havel.
Havel had narrowly avoided an attack from a skeleton.
“Havel! There’s dessert over there!”
“Dessert?”
“Yes! You wanted afternoon tea! Pies, cakes, éclairs—everything!”
Before I even finished speaking, drool ran down Havel’s mouth.
“Waaaah!”
“Run over there right now!”
Thud—! Thud—!
Driven by the single desire to eat dessert, Havel ran twice as fast as usual. I picked up the fallen Death Scythe and cut down the skeletons following him. Despite the considerable distance, Havel did not tire.
“Over there, over there!”
I pointed to the pile of skulls where Mary was trapped.
“Waaaah! Dessert!”
Havel could not hide his excitement upon seeing the tray. Taking the tray from Mary’s hands, Havel began to consume the food ravenously.
Munch, munch—!
Trait 〈Appetite〉 has been activated. Speed and Agility increase.
I remembered when I had possessed Havel’s body. I could never eat that fast, but Havel was insanely quick.
“Could it be… he’s swallowing without chewing…?”
Trait 〈Appetite II〉 has been activated. Speed and Agility increase.
Trait 〈Appetite II〉 has been activated. Speed and Agility increase.
“Wow! Delicious!”
Having finished his meal in an instant, Havel patted his stomach.
“I’ll save you, Mary!”
“What? How did you know that’s Mary?”
“Her hands—Mary Crow.”
“You even knew that?”
Havel cleared the pile of skulls with immense power. Thanks to that, he was able to easily rescue Mary, who had been pinned beneath.
“Cough… cough.”
As the bone fragments and skull piles were cleared away, Mary’s form, which had been buried between them, was revealed. Mary’s appearance was a complete mess.
“What happened?”
Krius, who had just arrived, assessed the situation.
“How in the world… is this survivor still alive?”
“Apparently, she held out inside the pile of skeletons.”
While I explained, Havel lifted Mary onto his back. She hung limply over him.
“Uuu…. Where do we go now?”
“Ah. I already found a way. This way, follow me!”
Krius guided us at the right moment.
“While Havel rescued the survivor, I located another escape route!”
“For once, you’re actually useful.”
“After all, I’m the vice-captain of the Knights. I can’t afford to be useless.”
Thud—.
Havel pushed skeletons blocking the way aside with his body. Even with many of them, none managed to scratch him. And he was carrying Mary, yet his traits clearly gave him the advantage.
“Over here, over here!”
Havel moved with speed and agility.
‘Is this the power of dessert?’
The route Krius guided us to was another passage with a door. Havel closed the door to prevent monsters from following, then set Mary down. He didn’t look tired at all. But Mary, having been buried in the skeleton pile for so long, looked completely exhausted and on the verge of collapse.
“Mary. What on earth happened?”
Mary briefly glanced at me in response to my question. Then she ignored me, scanning the surroundings warily and stepping back.
[Mary Crow]
◇ Fear Level: 93%
Her shoulders trembled. She suddenly bit her lips until they bled, then wiped the blood away with her fingers.
“Haha… hahahaha…!”
Seeing the drops of red on her fingertips, she suddenly laughed like a madwoman.
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