The skeletons on the plains all turned towards them at once, as they heard a noise. The hero charged forward in the front line and blew away the skeletons in his way, along with their shields, with his two-handed sword, smashing them to pieces. It was a thin cross-shaped sword, but it was probably heavy because of its length. The skeletons were torn apart one after another.
"Okay, the skeletons haven't gathered yet. Run as fast as you can through the Demon City!"
As the hero shouted, the group ran over the rubble. Although mountains of rubble could be seen scattered throughout the Demon City, the streets remained beautifully, and it was clear that it was once a prosperous city with excellent architectural techniques. Elmia took the lead and pointed.
"There should be a door in the King's Chamber at the back. If we hide inside, the skeletons won't be able to get in. They would never do such an unjust thing."
Miss Elmia took the lead, and the others followed after her. I asked a question.
"Is he unconscious?"
"Perhaps, if they were still conscious, they wouldn't have come to the King's Chamber of their own accord. No, they wouldn't come by instinct. It's engraved in their souls."
"Got it!! So you know the King's Chamber!!"
"Of course."
Without hesitation, she ran through. As she ran, a group of bone soldiers began to gather behind her.
"Nefia! Lady Elmia! Leave the two of you there, I'll hold this place!"
"Hero?! There's no way he can take on that many!"
"Tokiya-sama... I'm counting on you."
"Yeah, leave it to Nefia. I'll catch up with her later."
The hero stops, readjusts his sword, and runs in the opposite direction. He then slashes at the group, blowing them away with great force. His sturdy back somehow looks large, and I stop there and look at the hero.
"Nefia-chan!! Run!!"
"Ah, yeah."
I felt a little uneasy about leaving the hero behind, but I continued on. Every time I heard a loud metallic crash behind me, I became worried about what was happening behind me. However, contrary to the loud noise, the skeletons stopped chasing me, and I was safe.
"He's amazing. He stands up to anything without being scared."
Miss Elmia was impressed and slowed down her pace. There was no one pursuing her, so she turned down a side street and was shown the way.
"This way is closer. Let's go."
"Hmm..."
As he walked without wavering, a question arose in my mind. Why was I questioning something so detailed?
*
"Oh, there are so many, and for some reason they always come after me."
He thought as he kicked the skeletons to shreds with his sword. Normally, he would chase after the fleeing skeletons, but instead they paid him no attention and tried to defeat him, persistently challenging him to a fight as if he was their sworn enemy. However, he swung his sword at the skeletons. They were weak because they could only do simple actions such as defending with a shield. Humans were many times stronger. However, undead were disliked because they were annoying, as they would revive even after being defeated.
"Why are you always targeting me like this? That's fine though..."
He slammed his sword down, breaking the rusted sword and shield as he thought. "What is it reacting to? What is it thinking of as an enemy?" he asked as he fought.
"So, what should we do? We want to avoid a gradual decline."
While fighting, I search for clues. I smell something, I'm sure there's something about me that's luring them.
"The Demon City was destroyed after a long battle with monsters. It was a side effect of necromancy."
I feel something hot around my heart. I remember one method I tried to use to gain strength: quitting someone.
"I see. It's the scent of your 'soul' that lures you in."
He approached the skeleton and ran past the group. He put his hand on the skeleton's body and slipped through it. Then, other skeletons started attacking the skeleton he touched, and he realized that his idea was not wrong. If he repeated the same thing, the skeletons would start killing each other to try to defeat each other.
"I didn't know what the corpses saw to attack me, but they see the soul. I learned something... Well then, I'll give you some. The souls I stripped from the monsters. I don't need them anymore."
I decided to do the same thing to each skeleton. They would just have to fight each other forever. I decided that it had nothing to do with me.
The skeletons had begun to attack when they found the souls of monsters, and reacted to me eating their souls. And their range must have spread all the way into the forest. No wonder there were no signs of monsters in the forest.
"Fight for the rest of your lives, ghosts of the past."
I hid my soul and used magic to find out where Nefia had gone and followed her.
*
As the two of us walked through, a large door shattered, revealing the skeletal remains of a large monster, swords and other weapons scattered everywhere.
After climbing over the rubble and entering the door, I was greeted by large pillars on both sides and saw a black thing sitting on a throne in the center. Looking closely at the black thing, I realized it was a black, rusty knight with his head bowed. He was holding a large, rusty iron lump like a sword and not moving at all.
"King Maximillian..."
Elmia looks at the corpse with envy and calls its name.
"King Maximillian?!"
"Yes, he is the prey I am looking for."
"Affirmation" means that this is really the throne room. It is the place where the king receives audiences. I was in the same place, but I felt that the atmosphere here was even more solemn.
"Is he still alive?!"
"No, he is dead, but imprisoned. He is here as the last king... fighting against monsters and bandits. Forever."
Zap!!
A metallic sound echoes. The knight sitting on the throne stands up and stabs his rusty sword into the ground. The once beautiful marble surface has become dull and ordinary stone, shattered by the sword.
The sound of scraping metal echoed throughout the throne room as he took each step.
"Get ready, Demon King!!"
Agreeing with Elmia's voice, he unsheathed his sword and held it in one hand. With the free hand he chanted a spell to cast an impromptu magic spell.
He stopped walking at a certain distance and looked up. He peered into the helmet but could not see anything, only a black haze.
Tight...
The moment the sound of armor creaking rang out, the King ran out and closed the distance in one go. He then swung his sword high in the air. Right in front of me.
"!?"
Right in front of me. It was so fast I couldn't do anything.
"What?!"
My body trembles. The murderous intent in front of me makes me appear twice as tall as I am. The pressure makes my body shrink.
The thought "I'm going to die" welled up in my mind in an instant. My heart trembled with fear. It was the first time I'd ever felt the absolute feeling that I was going to be killed. It reminded me of the fear I'd felt in the past, of being assassinated.
"What are you doing? Why are you just hanging out like that?!"
"Fireball!!"
The encouragement brought him back to his senses and he aimed the magic he had just learned at his face. He ducked his head and the sword came down on him, and he frantically tried to block it with the sword in one hand. I was able to keep up with the movement.
"Hmmm!?"
Gakkin!!
A loud metallic sound. My hand went numb, and the sword I was blocking hit my forehead. I cried out from the intense impact and pain on my head. I tried to hold back from losing consciousness. The sword was extremely heavy. "I have to block with both hands... This guy! He's holding the sword in one hand!?" I thought, biting my lip. I was outmatched.
The sword then becomes lighter with a "fuh". However, the next moment, I feel a fist on my right cheek. My vision changes direction, and I feel pain and darkness in front of my eyes. The pain doesn't come immediately.
"Nefia!!"
I felt as if I heard Elmia's voice right next to my ear. Then I fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
*
A cold collar and wooden handcuffs.
Here, I don't think about where it is.
Because I'm a doll.
"Hey!!"
"Yes... I wonder... how many people are here today...?"
"Haha, I'm alone."
"Yes… Master."
With that, the master removed the handcuffs and collar, tore off her clothes, massaged her breasts, and did the usual.
A few minutes later, something sticky white stained my body.
"Now, clean yourself up with water. And put this on!!"
I wiped my body with the water prepared by my master and was given some white clothes. I didn't know how to wear them so my master helped me put them on.
"Okay then, let's go!"
He is covered with a cloth and starts walking.
"..."
Where were we going? I had no interest.
I hear a lot of voices. I can see the red carpet through the gaps in the fabric. "There are a lot of people. Will I be told to deal with everyone?" I think.
As I followed him, my master began speaking.
"Maximillian! I'm sorry for taking up your time!"
"Hmmph... Don't worry about it."
A man's heavy voice rang out.
"Well then, Maximillian! Let me show you!"
The cloth covering me was removed with great force. A lot of people gathered and looked at me.
"My gosh! She's a resident of the Demon Kingdom. A demi-human elf girl! When I found her she was just a tiny child! But now she's a doll with firm breasts, buttocks, and legs! What do you think?"
I kept my head down and listened to my master's words. What should I do?
"Let me look up."
"Hey, look up. The King wants to see you."
"yes...…"
I raised my head and our eyes met. His sturdy body and deep-set face were facing me.
"...How much is it?"
"Hahaha, if you give us permission to do business with you, it will be free of charge."
"Very well. I'll arrange it right away. Take me to the bedroom."
"Haha... I understand. Come on, go."
I was pushed from behind and took a step forward. A soldier guided me into a luxurious room and locked me in. After staring blankly around the room, I sat down.
The sun is setting.
there is nothing.
Gatcha‼
"Whoa... What are you doing in front of the door?"
It's the same deep-set guy from earlier.
It must be the new master.
"…Master, what may I do for you?"
"I see. So you've already trained her."
He stares at my body.
"Go wash yourself, ask the soldier... and get clean."
My head is being stroked. A gentle stroke.
"Ahh… Ugh."
"Well then, go on then....huh?"
I grabbed the hand that was caressing me.
"...Okay. Let me pet you some more."
My master greets me with a gentle voice.
"Now that I think of it, I haven't heard your name. What's your name?"
"It's Elmia, my lord."
*
"Cough?! Cough."
The sound of metal clashing reaches my ears. I spit out the small bit of sand I had bitten into onto the cold floor. I was unconscious and dreaming, but I managed to get up.
"Elmia?"
I heard his name, in my dreams. Rather than worry about that, I sat up. My face and stomach hurt, but I had no time to sleep. In front of me, a silver knight and a rusty black knight were fighting with swords. I realized that this was... sad.
"King Maximillian!! Do you know me? Do you remember me? I'm Elmia!!"
Elmia called out to him over and over again. His armor was broken, scratched, and in tatters everywhere. He could tell that they had exchanged a great many blows while he had fallen, and he felt impatient. They were no match for each other. His sword was deflected and he was on the defensive.
"Please!! Let me hear your voice!!"
GAAAAAAAAAANG
"Ah!"
The rusted black knight raised his sword and swung it aside. His torso was completely open, and he realized that the sword would be thrust into it, so his body moved of its own accord.
"...If you kill me"
"Don't give up!!"
Hyung!!
He picked up a rusty sword that was lying around and threw it. The rusty sword spun and passed in front of Elmia's eyes. Then, he continued to throw the nearby rusty sword at the rusty knight. He deflected it firmly.
"Nefia!! You're awake!!"
"Sorry!! I was unconscious."
I picked up the sword and continued to throw it. All I could do was distract him. I was weak. I couldn't beat him. I was knocked down in an instant. I could understand his frustration. Elmia was slumped on the floor. Her face was distorted with fatigue. Yes, that was the difference between her and the living. Her stamina was different.
"Damn it! Magic..."
I need time to recite it. No, I'll recite it now.
Guln
"Nefia-chan!! Get out of the way!!"
The rusty black knight didn't shoot the rusty sword down, but instead caught it in mid-air, then spun around and threw it back.
The thrown back blade was approaching my eyes. I was too late to use magic in the split second it hit me. It pierced my forehead. My heart was filled with fear. No, I don't want to die. I was unable to move again.