ASDM 45

Chapter 45

The sound of a pig being slaughtered would’ve sounded like a lullaby compared to this.

Even a monster’s death throes were monstrous.

I clung desperately to Levi’s back.

“Asha’s scared! Levi will protect me!”
“Yeah.”
“You’re the scariest one here…”
“Franz, incoming!”

That was when Betty returned from the rooftop.

While Nina stretched her arms like she was warming up, she asked,
“How’s the situation?”

“It’s fine. Sir Benjamin prepared the defenses well, and thanks to the lady’s early warning, it looks like things will be handled more easily than expected.”

Her reply was stiff, but when her eyes met mine, she forced a bright smile.

It didn’t last long—because each time a thundering crash and a shrieking death-cry echoed in the distance, her shoulders trembled.

“Betty, are you scared?”
“…Yes.”

Oh dear.

When I held her hand, it was ice cold.

For someone so fiery, she was surprisingly timid.

“I’m so scared I just want to bury them right away.”
“Huh?”
“If you bury them, you can’t see them. If you chop them up, they rot faster.”

I let go of her hand without a word. Then I made myself a vow.

From now on, I shouldn’t tease her too much. Always treat my maid like a queen.

Meanwhile, the monstrous shrieks were growing closer.

Soo, who had been listening intently to the sounds outside, nudged me forward.

“Let’s get out, my lady.”
“What? Why?”
“They could break through the walls or windows.”
“…Wouldn’t it be safer inside, even if a few make it in?”

Like that time assassins broke into the townhouse…

Franz, casually plucking his bowstring, gave me a pitying look.
“Want to be buried under rubble?”

“Let’s go. Now.”

Why couldn’t he have just said that clearly in the first place?

I darted toward the door but stopped—snatching open the bedside drawer to scoop Ruby into my arms. She had ended up in my room by chance, but still.

If the house was going to be wrecked, at least I needed to keep my precious keepsake safe.

Hugging her tight, I set my face with determination.

“Form a train!”

“Train?” Franz and the maids tilted their heads.

I grabbed Levi’s shoulder in front, and Franz held onto mine from behind.

Good. Being sandwiched between bastions of muscle was reassuring.

Taking a deep breath, I shouted,
“All aboard!”

Levi silently started forward.

Franz grumbled about what kind of nonsense this was, but he still followed along.

“Choo-choo!” We looked like one childish train of people, and before long the maids lined up behind us, forming their own adult-sized train. That way, we all managed to reach the outside safely…

“Hoongie!”

…Only for someone to come rolling toward us.

Literally rolling, like a ball.

While we froze in shock, Soo shrieked and dashed forward.
“Charlie!”

So that was her beloved Charlie. But… wasn’t he supposed to be a frail, pitiful young man? This guy didn’t look quite like that.

Soo knelt and gently lifted his limp face.
“Are you alright?”
“Soo…”
“Damn monsters, how dare they hurt someone so delicate!”

Ah, the power of love.

Her eyes blazing with fury, Soo promptly tossed Charlie aside and vanished into the darkness.

He collapsed again, looking worse than when he first rolled in.

“Um, Charlie? Sorry, but could you crawl further in before groaning? You’re in the way.”
“O-okay…”

Betty’s kind words only seemed to make him look sicker, but our poor gentle Charlie dutifully dragged himself away to nurse his wounds.

Stay strong, Charlie. Don’t give up. Don’t cry.

While I cheered for his trembling, broad back, Nina pulled something onto her hands and said,
“Since the lady’s here, young masters, just cover the rear. Betty, what about you?”

“I’ll stay by my lady’s side.”

“Well, that’s unusual. Fine then. If you secure the ground, there’ll be no place left for them to stand…”

Shaking her head, Nina strode into the darkness where Soo had run, the same direction Charlie had rolled from.

The silver glint of her knuckle dusters flashed one last time before she disappeared—followed by a piercing monster’s scream.

Oh, come on. Where are they going? What’s happening? Which side is the rear and which is the front? The noise was constant, but I couldn’t see anything. Not that I wanted to.

Gripping Levi and Franz’s arms tightly, I darted my eyes around.

Servants held torches, dimly lighting the area, but the unseen was still far greater than the seen.

It felt like those shaky camcorder shots in horror films where idiots sneak into abandoned hospitals.

The atmosphere was suffocating—like something could leap out from anywhere. Even the half-melted, slushy snow beneath my boots felt unnerving.

Being outside in the open only made it worse. It seemed like monsters could swoop from all directions at once.

Sure, indoors meant risk of being crushed—but still…

“My babies!”
“What?”
“My wolfies! Why aren’t they howling?”

Right. The wolves that had warned me earlier were now silent.

If this mansion was a lunchbox, then their pens were just snack packs ready to be popped open.

And what about the stables? If monsters went in there, the horses wouldn’t even have a chance to flee.

“What do we do? If they—”
“The animals will be fine.”

“…Huh?”

Franz added after Levi,
“Monsters only attack people.”

“Seriously?”

So they followed a moral code? No hurting animals?

Strange—but relieving.

“But why…? Wouldn’t it be easier to eat animals than people?”
“Eat? They don’t eat anything.”

They don’t? Then what do they live on?

Questions flooded my head. Maybe I had misunderstood monsters all along.

“Monsters just tear people apart.”

…Sometimes prejudices exist for a reason.

“What the hell, then? They don’t even eat us? What a sick joke.”

Everyone shot me a look as if to ask, So it’d be fine if they ate you? Of course not!

At least the wolves and horses would be safe. That was some consolation.

I was just sighing in relief when—

Hop!

A tiny sound.

Hop, hop!

Wait—where’s that coming from?

I scanned the empty snowfield, and Levi suddenly gripped his sword tighter and strode forward.

Following his gaze, I finally saw it.

On the filthy, blotched snow, a little black monster was hopping toward us.

It was tiny. Barely the size of two fists put together.

“…Thought it was a rabbit.”

Honestly, it looked almost cute.

It wasn’t frightening at all—almost too adorable to kill.

Until its round black eyes suddenly turned blood red.

“Kyaaaaah!”
“W-what the hell!”

The little monster swelled grotesquely and lunged at Levi, baring needle-like fangs.

One wouldn’t be a problem.

But there was a second.

“Watch out—!”

Smash!

At the exact same time, both monsters were shattered—one cleaved by Levi’s sword, the other pierced by Franz’s arrow.

I stared blankly at Levi’s effortless swing and Franz calmly reloading beside him.

What… what just happened?

As if responding to my bewilderment, more of the small monsters hopped into view, inviting us to watch.

Levi wove fearlessly among them, his blade flashing, while Franz fired arrow after arrow, covering Levi’s blind spots.

It was incredible.

And horrifying.

Because every time a monster was killed, its body burst apart—spraying squirming bugs and eggs everywhere!

“Ughhhh!”

My eyes! I hated it! Absolutely hated it!

It was the kind of thing that needed a big red warning: “Not suitable to view while eating.”

So that was what Benjamin had meant. Too many monster corpses meant too many insects.

It was revolting enough to haunt my nightmares.

Disgusting…!

And worse—the smell.

Even with my nose pinched shut, the stench was unbearable, like rotten corpses long past decay.

“…Huh.”

Huh?

Who said that?

It wasn’t Betty beside me, her face tense, and Levi and Franz were both too busy.

But I definitely heard it.

As I strained my ears, trying to locate the unfamiliar voice—

Bwooooom!

A horn blared from the rooftop where drums had been pounding.

Then—Crash!

A man plummeted from above. A servant I’d seen around the estate.

He landed hard, gasping in agony, ribs likely broken, his shoulder badly torn.

Servants rushed over with a stretcher.

Blood dripped steadily from his limp arm as they carried him away.

I gasped, and Betty scooped me up into her arms.

“Flying-type monsters.”
“F-flying?”
“They’re rare… I haven’t seen one in almost six years.”

Why was I always being dragged into rare experiences I never asked for?

I swallowed hard and wrapped my arms around Betty’s neck.

Crash!

Under moonlight and starlight, a massive winged shadow smashed windows left and right as it fluttered in and out of the house.

Look at that! It’s wrecking the house with its wings!

A chill ran down my neck. If we’d still been inside, we would’ve been crushed already.

Meanwhile, at the horn’s sound, Franz had lifted his bow high, eyes narrowed at the night sky. An arrow streaked upward.

Skreee!

“Damn, missed.”

He clicked his tongue, already reloading, eyes locked on the dark heavens.

Of course he missed. How could anyone hit a flying bird in this murky night?

“…Shouldn’t we light more torches?”

I whispered, but Betty shook her head.

“Monsters have worse eyesight than us. At night, keeping lights low is to our advantage—”

“Down!”