The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 23

Episode 23

The Ulfen Beast was about to slash Shizuka with its sharp claws. I immediately kicked off the ground and jumped between the two of them. I then cut through its arm.

“Gaaaah!?”

At the same time, I turned my gaze toward the surrounding Ulfen Beasts and activated spatial magic.

Some of them noticed my spell and tried to flee in a panic. But I managed to catch about half of them in the attack. It sliced through their bodies and finished them off.

…With the current dagger, its sharpness is starting to dull a bit, huh.

In the first place, I wasn’t using this dagger expecting to fight enemies of this level.

I only equipped it because it offers the best efficiency for stat gains when leveling up—it’s not really suited for combat.

“R-Ryō…san…?”

“Shizuku, are you alright?”

“Y-Yes…!”

Shizuku and the other adventurers visibly brightened.

Since the remaining Ulfen Beasts were eyeing us cautiously, I immediately gave instructions to Inaesia.

“Inaesia, protect Shizuku and the others!”

“Leave it to me…!”

Inaesia quickly followed the command. She cast wind magic around the area to defend Shizuku’s group.

The Ulfen Beasts caught in the blast backed off warily.

…Alright, let’s do this.

I adjusted my grip on the dagger and leapt into the swarm of Ulfen Beasts.

If there was ever a time to put my recently trained agility to use, it’s now.

I instantly closed the gap and slashed through a Ulfen Beast’s neck.

Leaving its scream behind, I immediately went for the next one.

They tried to counterattack with their sharp fangs and claws. But none of their strikes landed.

…Unlike in a game, they don’t die from accumulated damage—you just have to hit a vital point. That saves time per kill, which is good.

On the flip side, It also didn’t matter how much I trained. If I get hit in a vital spot, I’ll die too.

“GAAAH!”

One of them lunged at high speed and grazed my cheek.

Damn you…

I can’t give them any chance to retaliate. …Even faster… I’ll finish them all in one go…!

I didn’t allow them a moment to catch their breath or regain their footing—just kept hitting them one after another.

“Gahh!”

A Ulfen Beast jumped at me from behind.

I reflexively turned and slashed it down.

Another came at me from the side. But I batted it away with force.

As I stood there, swaying slightly before the pack of Ulfen Beasts—

“GAAAAAAH…!”

They screamed in fear and fled.

But I had no intention of letting them escape. If they survive and breed, it could ruin the ecosystem.

Using spatial magic, I moved to intercept them and finished them off with clean cuts.

That should be the end of it.

I wiped the bl00d off my dagger and looked at the heap of corpses around me.

…I fought better than expected.

No doubt about it—I’ve grown stronger.

At this rate, even the stampede… might not be a problem.

…That said, in games, enemies during stampedes often had higher levels.

Just because I can win now doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.

After finishing the fight with the Ulfen Beasts, I took a breath—and Shizuku came running over.

“Ryō-san… no, Lord Ryō…! Are you hurt!?”

Lord Ryō? That caught me off guard, but… whatever.

“I’m fine. How about you, Shizuku?”

“Thanks to you, Lord Ryō, I’m okay.”

“I see. …Well, it’s good to help people. But it doesn’t mean anything if you die doing it.”

“Yes…”

As I lightly warned her, Shizuku seemed a bit down.

…When someone reacts so honestly, it makes me feel a little bad too.

Still, it’s something I have to say.

Even if you save someone, if you die in the process, it’ll just become a touching story that fades away.

I didn’t want Shizuku and the others to end up like that.

…That said, leaving her downcast isn’t good either.

So I gently patted her head to cheer her up.

“But your spirit is admirable. Next time, protect them with your own strength.”

“…Yes! I’ll become stronger!”

With that, I took Shizuku and the others back to the guild.

…On the way, I felt Inaesia’s sticky gaze on me again.

I was wondering why. But I still didn’t know the reason.

—

Using spatial magic, I formed a black vortex and transported us to the guild.

We appeared in the same location we left from during the rescue mission. There, a crowd of adventurers had gathered.

…Seems like we’re drawing a lot of attention.

When Shizuku and the others came through the vortex behind me, the tense atmosphere around the crowd softened. Murmurs began spreading.

“…That’s Ryō’s spatial magic?”

“…Seriously? He can move around freely like with a teleportation stone?”

I could hear voices mixed with surprise and confusion.

Some must have heard rumors about my magic. But seeing it firsthand is another thing entirely.

As we made our way through the stares of the adventurers, guild staff and other adventurers came running over.

“Shizuku-san! I’m so glad you’re safe!”

The adventurer who had begged me for help ran to Shizuku and the others. They were hugging them in tears.

I left that side to them and turned my gaze toward the guild staff.

“All the rescues went smoothly. Also, the Ulfen Beasts that attacked Shizuku’s group have been eliminated.”

“U-Ulfen Beasts!?”

The guild staff shouted in surprise. And murmurs rippled through the surrounding crowd again.

“Yeah. Pretty sure they were Ulfen Beasts.”

“Were they coming from the third layer of the ‘Forest of Rebellion’?”

“Could be.”

“…I-I’ll report to the guild leader immediately! He said he wanted to meet you too. So please wait a moment!”

“Got it.”

The guild leader, huh.

I’d heard he’s usually not around because he’s busy with problems happening everywhere.

So he’s actually here today.

Watching the staff run off, I thought about the Ulfen Beasts again.

In the game’s main story, events involving summoned monsters like this happened several times.

According to the Demon King, although they can’t choose where the summoning occurs, they do have the power to summon monsters from the demon realm.

I didn’t know anything more than that either.

…These are considered random quests. So even with game knowledge, you can’t always prepare for them.

As I was thinking that, Shizuku and the others came back over.

Even the new adventurers bowed their heads toward me.

“Ryō-san! Inaesia-san! Thank you so much!”

“Don’t mention it. I only took the request as a job.”

For me, as long as I can build my reputation as an adventurer, that’s enough.

Sure, I helped them. But there was still a hidden motive behind it—so being thanked too much kind of made me feel guilty.

“Even so… if you and Inaesia hadn’t come, not just us, but even Shizuku-san… it would’ve been a disaster… Thank you so much!”

They all bowed deeply.

Refusing that would be inappropriate too. So I gave a simple nod.

As I accepted their gratitude, a stern-looking man approached.

The same staff member from earlier was beside him. So this must be the guild leader in charge here.

He looked middle-aged.

His face was full of wrinkles. It was likely from years of hardship. And several scars added to his intimidating presence.

If I had seen a guy like this in my previous life, I’d probably have mistaken him for a gangster or someone in the underground world.

He stood right in front of me and stared intently.

“You’re… the adventurer Ryō everyone’s been talking about recently?”

His voice was low and gruff—like it resonated in your chest.

It startled me a bit, but… that wouldn’t be like Ryō.

As Ryō, I have to stand tall and firm.