THSMW 47

chapter 47

…Who is it?”

I flung the door open.

In the pitch-black darkness, only a faint glint of violet eyes could be seen. Siegfried stood there, looking at me with a startled expression.

Oh goodness. If you’re here, why not knock instead of hesitating outside like that?

“Your Highness? Please come in.”

“…You’re inviting me into your room this late at night? How exactly am I supposed to interpret that?”

“Oh, right. You’re technically still an unrelated man.”

“For now.”

What was that supposed to mean? I didn’t know where to look, so I ended up staring at Siegfried’s shoulder. Had he gotten taller? Kids his age grow alarmingly fast.

“Can’t sleep?”

“I saw you walking outside through the window. You looked… troubled, somehow. It bothered me.”

Well, someone died. It’s not exactly a relaxing time. I nodded silently. Siegfried stepped closer to me.

“Ah, you stepped inside. Your right toe is technically already in my room.”

When I pointed out this rather pointless detail, Siegfried gave me a look of mild exasperation. I gave a sheepish smile. And then, warmth wrapped gently around my cheek. Siegfried softly stroked my face.

“Ah…”

“Sorry. You didn’t like that? Was it unwelcome?”

He glanced at me cautiously. He must’ve remembered when I scolded him for touching my lips before.

“No. It’s fine tonight.”

“I’m glad.”

He seemed to gain a bit of confidence from my answer. His fingers lightly brushed beneath my lips.

“I’m sorry, but no kissing yet. Maybe when you’re older, Your Highness.”

“…I wasn’t even thinking about that.”

Oops. I overreacted. I felt a little awkward.

“Do you want me to grow up quickly? So you can see the adult me, enchanted by a siren, as your ideal type?”

There was laughter in Siegfried’s voice. A mischievous undertone I wasn’t unfamiliar with. I shouldn’t have said that—he was definitely going to tease me with it from now on.

“Y-you’re the one who said you saw me first!”

“Isn’t that obvious? Though I was a bit surprised to see you in pajamas… Now that I think about it, this is exactly how you looked in that vision I saw.”

Siegfried’s tone turned serious.

“I don’t know what you mean, but if we’re going to make progress, it has to wait until you’re an adult, Your Highness.”

“So you’re saying you’ll wait for me? All my efforts weren’t in vain then. Even if the vineyard… burned down.”

We both fell silent at the same time, recalling the tragic news about the vineyard. Siegfried’s expression darkened. I reached out and held the hand that had been sliding down from my cheek.

“We’ll rebuild it. Once you go east, I’ll stay and take care of the vineyard while waiting for you.”

Just try bringing the female lead with you. I found myself feeling jealous of the heroine, whose existence I wasn’t even sure of.

But wait, this novel definitely has a romance element. So why can’t I remember who the female lead is?

“Don’t go falling for any other guys. Especially that young noble—what was his name, Manuel?”

“I told you, there’s nothing going on with Manuel…”

—CRASH!

Suddenly, the ground trembled and a loud explosion erupted somewhere nearby. I gasped and grabbed Siegfried’s sleeve in shock.

He pulled me into his arms immediately. I couldn’t tell if the pounding I heard was his heartbeat or the sound of something else breaking nearby.

“…What’s going on?”

—Grrr… Grrrrrk…

From far in the shadows, I saw a pair of golden eyes rolling toward us, accompanied by raspy, saliva-mixed breathing. Goosebumps prickled across my skin.

“That’s a monster…!”

A wall-mounted candelabrum got knocked over by the monster’s claws and fell. Flames spread over the carpet, lighting up the corridor.

And then the creature’s full form came into view—grotesque enough to make me grimace. Tusks the size of my forearms, and a body so massive that the floor sagged with each step.

“Sis, we’re in trouble!”

Milliard came running from the opposite end of the hall, shouting.

“I checked the box! It was a monster summoning stone! Ahhh! What is that thing?!”

He pointed at the monster, now snarling with its jaws wide open. You idiot!

Other members of the household seemed to have heard the commotion. Servants began appearing one by one.

“Eek! T-the hallway…!”

“Oh heavens, what’s going on?!”

Panic spread among the staff as they screamed. Meanwhile, the monster kept thundering down the hall.

—Grrrk!

It stopped in front of a maid frozen in place, her mouth covered in horror. The creature raised its claw high.

“P-please… save me…”

The maid was sobbing, unable to move. Her legs visibly trembled beneath her uniform.

I tried to run to her, but Siegfried pulled me back and shoved me toward Milliard.

“It’s too dangerous.”

“B-but… Your Highness!”

Milliard caught me with practiced ease. Held in his arms, I turned my head to see Siegfried rushing forward, placing himself between the monster and the maid.

The monster was so tall it nearly touched the ceiling. Luckily, that made it relatively slow. Its claw nearly grazed Siegfried’s hair.

“M-Mommy…!”

Siegfried slung the maid over one arm and rolled through the monster’s legs just in time. Its claws slammed into the ground behind him.

“Holy crap…”

Milliard muttered, pale as a ghost. That claw would’ve meant certain death.

The monster roared in rage as it struggled to pull its embedded claws from the floor. The rescued maid clung to Siegfried’s waist and sobbed uncontrollably.

“I-I thought I was going to die!”

“Get back. Stay behind me. Ariel, do you have a sword in your room?”

“Yes…!”

I shouted, pushing away from Milliard. The monster slowly turned, baring its teeth at Siegfried again.

“Your Highness, hang in there! You have to!”

There was no time for Siegfried to respond. The monster swung at him again, and he narrowly dodged. I dashed into my room and grabbed two swords from the corner.

When I came out, the hallway was a complete war zone. Servants were panicking and running about.

Most of them had never seen a monster before and didn’t know what to do.

Siegfried was still facing off against the beast, holding it at bay even in the short time I had been gone.

The hallway floor and walls were shredded by the monster’s claws. Thankfully, Siegfried wasn’t hurt.

“What are you all doing?! Get to the front hall and evacuate! Where are the knights? Milliard, go get Brother Avicion!”

“O-on it!”

Milliard, who had been helping the maids get downstairs, nodded quickly and bolted upstairs.

The monster must’ve been summoned in a secluded corner of the mansion, since neither the knights nor Avicion had arrived yet.

As Milliard ran off, I gripped the swords tightly and advanced toward the monster.

Its bulging eyes were tracking Siegfried’s every move.

He staggered, holding his shoulder—he must’ve crashed into something while dodging.

The monster was so focused on Siegfried that it hadn’t noticed me. Without hesitation, I stabbed it in the back.

—Grrrrrk!

It howled in pain and thrashed wildly. Broken wall fragments flew in all directions.

Even after years of slaying siren-like monsters, this one was beyond formidable. Its sheer size was tearing the ceiling apart. Worse, the sword hadn’t penetrated deeply.

The monster turned its wrath toward me.

I tried to duck between its legs to hand a sword to Siegfried, just like he had earlier. But it wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice. It roared and tried to stomp me flat.

—THUD!

I rolled aside just in time, barely dodging its foot. As I tried to stand, my skirt caught on a sharp edge from the collapsed wall. There was a loud rip.

—GRRRK! GRRKK!

Its gaping maw filled my vision.

Where were the knights?! Where was Avicion?!

I shut my eyes tightly. I couldn’t think anymore. My body was so tense, it wouldn’t even move.