IBWMD 115

~Chapter 115~

Thud!

The sound of something breaking echoed.

I decided not to imagine exactly what it was.

But…

“……”

“……”

“……”

Hmm. I had planned to keep him alive.

‘Well… that was inevitable.’

It was frustrating, but I couldn’t say anything.

After all, Zeon had saved all of us.

Zeon himself looked stunned.

“I… I thought it was all over.”

From his dazed voice, I could roughly guess.

‘He was ready to give up, but when danger hit, he acted instinctively and saved us.’

And in the process, he awakened.

This precious pig-gorilla!

I hadn’t even praised him yet.

Hug.

A large, hot hand came around my lower back and pulled me in tightly.

That’s when my eyes finally dropped downward.

‘Right.’

I was still hugging Karl.

‘Just his head.’

Warm breath brushed against me.

He seemed to instinctively sense the danger was gone, taking a deep breath as if inhaling my scent in relief.

Squeeze.

“Hup.”

He rubbed his head against my stomach and pulled me closer, making me gasp involuntarily.

The surprising thing was—I didn’t feel like pushing him away.

Like a dog reunited with its lost master, he rubbed against me so affectionately that…

“Whoa.”

Zeon’s flustered voice snapped me out of it as I absentmindedly stroked Karl’s hair.

“……”

“……”

I came to my senses and pushed Karl’s head away.

When his face followed reluctantly, I could feel my own face heating up.

“Hey. That’s enough.”

“I wouldn’t mind holding you a bit longer.”

“Well, I mind.”

Besides, that eyeball had been squinting at us this whole time.

No, was it really okay to act like this in front of a dragon?

‘What if it tattles to the Grand Duke?’

I was still feeling awkward when—

Screeeech!

“Huh.”

That was strange.

Why was there another monster sound outside?

‘Didn’t the boss just fall down below?’

Could he have survived…?

“…It must be the other subordinates inside escaping!”

Zeon shouted, snapping to attention.

‘Other subordinates?’

“Oh.”

I finally remembered the shadows I’d seen in the hallway.

‘So it wasn’t just the boss who turned into a monster.’

They were people too.

The boss’s subordinates had turned into monsters as well!

‘Then the ones running outside now must be them?’

“That won’t do.”

“…We’ll have to catch them.”

Realizing how serious it was, we quickly jumped apart and got up.

“They probably haven’t gone far yet. If we run all night, we can—”

Crash!

Before I could finish, an explosion rang out.

Soon, flames and smoke rose in the distance.

Screeech, screeech.

It was joined by the ominous chorus of monsters.

“Move! Quickly!”

“Everyone, be careful!”

Bang, crash!

The city wall in front of them kept breaking apart. Even in the chaos, Harold tried to keep his head.

In his tense grip, the axe he’d picked up for the first time in a while trembled.

“Weapons! Where are the weapons?”

“They’ve just brought blue-titanium weapons!”

“Has anyone notified the Grand Duke’s mansion? Jeremy needs to know about this right away!”

“Someone must have! And even if not, they’ll see the flames from there and rush here soon!”

“Stay calm, everyone!”

Members of the Merchant Guild and older pickpockets who’d been hiding with them nodded as they picked up weapons.

None of them had much combat experience, but even in their fear, they looked determined.

‘At least we spotted it early.’

Harold swallowed and glanced at a burning street skewer stall destroyed by debris.

It hurt to see, but compared to human lives, it could be rebuilt easily.

‘Really, I’m glad I came out.’

Harold had only returned to the slums after the false charges against him had been cleared.

‘Harold. The Temple has suddenly dropped their charges against you!’

He had been deeply troubled when told the Temple would accuse him.

But a few days ago, the Temple suddenly withdrew the accusation.

The dark rumors about monster meat also quickly subsided.

‘That’s great, really!’
‘…I see.’

Harold clenched his fists.

It wasn’t just about being cleared—

‘I’m just glad… that it won’t harm that young lady—the Grand Duchess.’

He knew well how hard the Grand Duchess had worked to help him.

At first, he’d thought of her as just an unlucky, pale-faced noble guest.

But she was the first person to tell him his plan was a good idea when everyone else shook their heads.

‘And not only that.’

She’d continued to help him in many ways.

It was thanks to her that the plan to distribute monster meat in the slums could become reality.

Because of that, almost no one in Saint Portu’s slums starved to death this winter.

It was moving.

When he learned that young lady was the Grand Duchess, he had been shocked.

Not only because the Grand Duke had married in secret, but also thinking about how casually he’d spoken to her before.

After that, he felt regret.

It wouldn’t be easy to meet her as comfortably as before.

When the false charges and rumors about monster meat came up again, he also worried.

‘Not just for myself.’

He feared the Temple might attack the Grand Duchess, and even the Grand Duke, if they knew she was involved.

He had suffered in silence, but the problem had been miraculously solved.

‘I don’t know how… but I’m glad.’

And at the back of his mind…

‘Are you confident?’
‘But you lied first, didn’t you, Mr. Vice Priest?’

The image of the Grand Duchess boldly confronting the Temple’s priests flashed through his mind.

Maybe—it was just his own thought—but…

‘Perhaps she’s behind this, too.’

Relieved, Harold returned to the slums with his cart.

He didn’t tell Jeremy, who was busy at the Grand Duke’s estate, and brought only a few merchant friends to help.

‘It’s quite late.’
‘We can start distributing tomorrow.’

That’s what he was thinking as he was packing up when—

Bang!

Nearby, part of the city wall exploded in flames.

Dozens, hundreds of monsters had rushed in, slamming the wall until it broke.

Debris flew everywhere, hitting buildings.

Screeeech!

The cries of the monsters came from beyond the wall, making his skin crawl.

But as a former monster hunter, Harold overcame his fear faster than others.

He gathered the merchants, warning others who hadn’t heard about the monster attack.

Pickpockets who arrived later joined to help set up an emergency defense.

But things didn’t look good.

“The wall’s going to collapse soon!”

“Damn it!”

The Grand Duke’s return was a secret to the townspeople.

Today’s banquet was also private, so Harold and the others didn’t know the Grand Duke was in Saint Portu.

They could only hope soldiers from the Grand Duke’s mansion would come quickly.

‘The Grand Duke himself can’t just leave the front lines immediately…!’

Then—

“Oh—oh!”

“No!”

Someone pointed at the sky.

Harold instinctively followed their gaze and froze.

Screeeech!

A monster had climbed onto the cracked wall.

Its jaws bulged.

Knowing the sign, Harold quickly rushed forward.

“Get down!”

He shouted, shoving others away, but the monster’s poisonous breath would also hit him.

‘Too late!’

He bit his lip and lifted his twin axes like a shield.

Bang!

A bullet flew from somewhere, piercing the monster’s head like a meteor.