The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 139.1

Chapter 139.1: Protect

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“Klaus… sir?”

Charlotte sat on the ground with her butt planted there, staring at me in surprise.

“I’m glad you’re unharmed.”

I grabbed her hand and helped her stand up.

“Where in the world did you come from?”

The sword of the man standing in front of her had bl00d on it, and Negrei lay collapsed nearby.

“I overheard Negrei colluding with people from another country, and they kidnapped me. They planned to kill both him and me here.”

It must have been terrifying, but Charlotte calmly relayed the information to me.

(Goddess, can you heal Negrei?)

(I can, but this man’s actions put Charlotte in danger, you know?)

(Even so, I do not think he did anything bad enough to deserve death.)

“…………”

After a brief pause, Goddess Muse, controlling Neige’s body, touched Negrei and healed his wounds.

“Wh-what?! He had a near-fatal injury, and you healed it in an instant?!”

“Um, what is that monster…”

Everyone stared in awe at the miracle Goddess Muse had wrought.

“I do not want to fight any more than this…”

“You sure have guts charging in unarmed like that!”

Because it happened so suddenly, I had left the Sun Sword and armor back in the carriage.

“We do rough work year-round! A kid like you is no sweat—we’ll—”

I released rainbow threads that wrapped around the men nearby and neutralized them.

“Does this make you want to let us go?”

I thought he would flinch after I neutralized his allies in an instant, but the man in adventurer garb just smirked.

“Not bad at all.”

He held his sword ready without a hint of carelessness, showing no openings. The same trick would not work twice.

“Charlotte, stay back.”

I judged that a fight with this man was unavoidable, so I warned her to fall back.

(I will protect Charlotte, so rest easy.)

If Goddess Muse said she would guard her, it was certain.

“For a young guy, you have some real experience under your belt, huh? You do not even look tense with my sword pointed at you.”

In truth, I felt intimidation from him, but compared to the high-rank monsters I had faced before, it fell short.

Suddenly, the sword he held began to shine. It was no ordinary blade—it looked like something forged by a craftsman on Godz’s level. Challenging it barehanded would be reckless.

“I see, then…”

I picked up a nearby tree branch.

“You are not seriously thinking of blocking my sword with that twig, are you?”

The man gave me a dubious look and checked.

“That is exactly what I plan.”

I felt power surging through me more than usual. Neige’s body glowed with white light, so she must have received Goddess Muse’s blessing.

When I released the rainbow threads earlier too, it felt like I handled the familiars’ power better than before.

I poured strength into it, and the tree branch began to crystallize.

“This is a surprise! To think you have power like that too. This should be fun.”

Once the crystallization finished, I tested the branch’s feel and

“Everyone, you are coming quietly!”

charged at the man.

—Cling—

A sound like hard glass ringing echoed across the battlefield.

The crystal branch in my hand, clashing with the man’s sword, stood there without a single chip.

“No way?!”

I followed up without giving the panicking man time to recover.

“That is one of the Thirteen Swords, forged by the dwarf master craftsman Duncan! No twig you picked up should be able to block it…”

“But it is blocking it, right?”

I swung the tree branch and crossed swords with him.

Even though he must have been shaken, the way he defended against my attacks showed his skill outmatched mine. But…

“Purifying Flame”

“What?!”

I unleashed flames that engulfed both him and me. This surprise attack left him even less able to stay calm.

“Got an opening!”

“Ur… gh…”

The tree branch pierced his stomach, and he dropped his sword.

“Phew…”

When I let go, the tree branch reverted to its original state.

“Lord Klaus!”

After binding everyone there with rainbow threads, Charlotte threw her arms around me.

“You did well.”

It must have been scary, but she endured it desperately, so I stroked her head.