IBDFSML 48

Crunch!

Tagas’s foreleg, which had been swinging down toward Diene, flew through the air.

“…!!!”

At the last possible moment, Sion had severed the monster’s foreleg with his sword.

Hummm—

‘That was…!’

It lasted only an instant, but I saw a formless aura shimmer like a heat haze around Sion’s sword before disappearing.

In that moment of crisis, Sion had revealed his true power without anyone noticing.

“Urgh…!”

“Garen! Are you alright?!”

Meanwhile, Garen, who had thrown himself forward to shield Diene, groaned as he clutched his shoulder, apparently grazed by Tagas’s attack.

Pushing him away, Diene shouted,

“Hurry and leave with the Young Master!”

“I can’t leave you behind…”

“You idiot!!!”

Diene and Garen were trapped with nowhere to go.

Sion stood facing Tagas.

It was a desperate situation.

‘This is bad! At this rate, Sion will…!’

My mind raced.

‘I have to buy some time!’

I darted out from between the folds of Sion’s clothes and shot straight toward Tagas.

“I’ll lure it away!”

“Lin!”

I unleashed my fangirl skill at the dozens of eyes staring at us.

“<A Devotion That Nothing Can Stop>!!!”

‘At least one of them has to get hit!’

The heart-shaped projectiles flew through the air and struck several of Tagas’s eyeballs.

Pop, squish.

With a disgusting sound, some of its eyes burst apart, but even more remained intact, glaring at me as though they wanted to tear me to pieces.

‘Good. I’ve got its attention…!’

After confirming that all of Tagas’s focus was on me, I immediately soared above its head.

The monster tilted its head upward to follow my movements and swung its legs at me.

Kikikik! Kikik!

I dodged frantically, avoiding its attacks with every ounce of my skill.

“Sion! Now!!!”

“…!”

Taking advantage of Tagas’s gaze being directed upward, Sion quickly slipped beneath its body.

Then his sword pierced straight through Tagas’s neck.

Crunch—!

Kiiik…

Tagas let out a dying shriek as its body convulsed briefly.

Then it collapsed.

Boom—.

Silence followed.

Having watched everything in a daze, I suddenly snapped back to reality and shot toward Tagas’s corpse like an arrow.

“S-Sion…!”

Just moments ago, Sion had been beneath Tagas’s body.

The thought that he might have been crushed under the monster’s corpse turned my mind completely blank.

I pushed desperately against one of Tagas’s sprawled legs and shouted,

“Garen! Diene! Help me! Sion’s under here…!”

Then a voice came from beside me.

“I’m here, Lin.”

It was Sion.

“…!!!”

I immediately flew around to the side hidden by Tagas’s corpse.

There stood Sion, breathing heavily as he rose to his feet.

“Sion!!!”

I flew toward him at the speed of light and threw myself against his face.

“You’re okay, Sion! Thank goodness! Thank goodness…!!!”

“…”

After remaining silent for a moment, Sion peeled me off his neck where I had been clinging and crying my eyes out.

He placed me on his palm and quietly met my gaze.

“…Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Me? I’m perfectly fine! More importantly, Sion, you— Ahhh!?”

I spotted a faint scratch near his eye and screamed.

“Y-You’ve been injured! On this precious face…!”

“…”

“Sion, promise me you’ll never throw yourself into dangerous fights again! Promise me! Okay?”

As I fidgeted anxiously and looked at him with concern, Sion’s expression hardened.

Then he asked in a low voice,

“…Then why did you do something so reckless earlier?”

“Huh? Me?”

“You volunteered yourself as bait to draw Tagas’s attention.”

“Ah, but I have wings, remember? My plan was to fly higher and higher so it couldn’t catch me.”

“That was a reckless and dangerous judgment. Against a spider-type magical beast, height and altitude are not obstacles. Do you understand that you were one step away from becoming spider food?”

I blinked blankly at Sion’s angry expression.

‘Why is he angry? It was a good plan, wasn’t it? We defeated the monster because of it.’

I thought I had helped him and contributed to the battle, so his serious reaction left me confused and strangely hurt.

“…But…”

My voice trailed off gloomily.

Sion froze for a moment before furrowing his brows as if troubled.

Just as he was about to say something—

“Are you both unharmed?”

Garen and Diene approached.

A bandage for first aid was wrapped around Garen’s injured shoulder.

“Whew. I nearly crossed over to the afterlife because I let my guard down.”

Diene brushed spider webs from her clothes and spoke.

Then she looked between Sion and me and, unlike her usual easygoing demeanor, addressed us with solemn sincerity.

“We owe you both a debt. Thank you for your help.”

“It’s fine. It was nothing.”

I lifted my chin proudly as if to say, “See?” to Sion.

Garen smiled.

“I was impressed by Lady Lin’s quick thinking. More importantly, the teamwork between you and the Young Master was remarkable.”

“Right? Sion and I did pretty well this time.”

I crossed my arms proudly.

Sion turned to Garen.

“Garen, how is your shoulder?”

“A minor injury. Once we return and receive treatment from a priest, I’ll be fine.”

“And the spiderlings?”

“We confirmed that they were crushed to death beneath the mother’s corpse.”

After confirming that the situation had been completely resolved, Sion slowly exhaled.

“…Still, there may be more spiderlings that Tagas laid somewhere nearby. We should inspect the area before leaving.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.”

“Let’s go.”

At Sion’s command, Garen and Diene began walking deeper into the canyon.

Sion looked down at me, still sitting on his palm.

“Lin, if another battle like earlier happens, you must never—”

Rummmmmmble…

“…?”

“…??”

A tremendous roar echoed throughout the entire canyon.

Both Sion and I turned our heads toward the depths of the canyon.

“…!?”

“…What was that just now?”

Then it happened.

RUMBLEEEEE—!!!

The entire canyon suddenly shook violently as though an earthquake had struck.

A moment later, an overwhelming gale surged out from deeper within.

“Gyah?!”

Caught completely off guard, I was blown off Sion’s hand by the powerful wind.

“Lin!”

Watching me fly away like a helpless leaf, Sion immediately sprang into action and snatched me out of the air with one hand.

Holding me tightly, he rolled several times across the ground before regaining his footing.

Crunch!

To resist the gale, Sion drove his sword into the earth with his right hand.

His left hand remained firmly wrapped around me.

“Sion…!”

Scrraaaape!

His body was slowly pushed backward.

‘No! At this rate he won’t be able to hold on!’

At that moment, two figures came tumbling out from deeper within the canyon.

It was Garen and Diene.

The moment they regained their footing, they began sprinting toward us at full speed.

“Young Master! Run aw—…!!!”

“…danger…!!!”

They shouted something desperately toward us, but the roaring wind drowned out their voices.

It didn’t take long to understand what they were trying to say.

RUMBLEEEEEEEE—!!!!

“…!?”

“…!!??”

Behind them, a massive wall of snow surged through the canyon like a giant tidal wave.

An avalanche.

Faced with the overwhelming force of nature barreling toward us, my mind went completely blank as I called out to Sion.

“…Sion, w-what do we do?”

Sion stared at the approaching avalanche with a hardened expression.

Then, as though making a decision, he called my name with determined eyes.

“Lin.”

“Huh? Ahh!”

Sion suddenly shoved me deep inside his clothing.

Then he tightly secured his collar and said,

“No matter what happens, do not come out. Not until I tell you it’s safe.”

“B-But…!”

I was about to protest that I couldn’t be the only one protected like this, but the moment I saw Sion’s eyes, I fell silent.

His blue-gray eyes, always calm and cold, were trembling ever so slightly for the first time.

‘…Sion is afraid!’

Without thinking, I reached a hand toward his face.

At that very moment—

CRAAAAASH—!!!!!!

The avalanche swallowed us whole.