The Villainous Aristocrat's Efforts Led to a Genuine Harem - Episode 45

Episode 45

We finished our preparations and moved outside the west gate.

…The soldiers had already been positioned. Here, we were ready to intercept the black-armored knight.

The adventurers had also gathered at the west gate.

…From the manor, soldiers had been dispatched. And requests for reinforcements had been sent to the royal capital and other towns.

All that remained was to buy time until those reinforcements arrived.

It was then, as we turned our gaze beyond the gate—

—that it appeared.

“…The black-armored knight has appeared!”

At the soldier’s shout, we all fixed our eyes beyond the gate.

What emerged was a monster clad in black armor. It resembled a knight.

It strode straight toward us without hesitation. And I recognized it.

…Yes, it was a Paladin Hunter.

These were creatures created by the demon race. They specifically targeted those capable of using holy power—holy attribute magic.

Which meant, the target of that black-armored knight was most likely… Lady Fylia.

I didn’t know the exact details of Lady Fylia’s settings.  But her twin sister, the Second Princess, could use holy magic.

That girl would one day become a companion of the protagonist. She was often targeted by these black-armored knights.

This might be more troublesome than expected.

The problem was, they were extremely high-level. Defeating them was practically impossible.

In battles with them, the only real option was to fight for a while, then choose to flee.

This is… bad.

As I was thinking that, Zangell raised his voice.

…The instructions to the soldiers were left to Zangell. After a small breath, he shouted:

“Release magic!”

At his command, numerous spells were unleashed from soldiers and adventurers alike.

The Paladin Hunter, seeing that, swung the spear in its right hand with great force.

A violent gust blew through. And at the same time, black miasma-like magic swept the area.

…It’s coming!

I immediately shouted:

“Everyone, lower your heads…!”

I didn’t know how many reacted to my words.

The next moment, a black slash ripped through the space above us.

It cut through the city’s defensive walls. It sliced and swept everything around.

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

As expected, the Paladin Hunter’s combat ability was exceptional.

…Could we really stall for time against this thing?

While despair spread across the battlefield, the Paladin Hunter raised one hand.

The next moment, his black miasma took form. It manifested monsters.

…Those things could store the souls of slain creatures. And by infusing them with mana, they created monsters anew.

What appeared were monsters from the ‘Forest of Rebellion’. All of them rushed at us at once.

Because of the Paladin Hunter’s earlier strike, nearly half of our fighters had already been injured.

Zangell shouted again:

“Do not falter…! Prepare to intercept the monsters!”

Though he raised his voice, in this situation, his words probably wouldn’t reach properly.

The same was true for Lady Fylia and her group. Of course, they were preparing to fight. But after that first overwhelming strike and the threat of unfamiliar monsters, there was no way they weren’t afraid.

…Even if Reis shouted to rally morale here, it would probably only affect those related to the manor.

On this battlefield… Reis was unnecessary.

What was needed was… a hero of the unknown. Someone who could face that unknown terror.

I turned to Reem, who stood beside me.

“Reem… If anyone asks about Reis’ whereabouts, just say he evacuated.”

“…Understood.”

She must have realized everything from my words. Reem nodded firmly.

I immediately deployed spatial magic. Diving into the blue dimensional space, I moved through it while donning my black cloak and mask.

…From here on, I would fight as *Ryō*—to annihilate those monsters.

Closing the entrance, I spread a black vortex and appeared between the monsters and the soldiers.

The Validor soldiers might only know of Ryō by rumor. But the adventurers definitely knew me.

“It’s Ryō…!”

“Ryō has come to help us!”

As their cheers rose, I instantly activated spatial magic.

A massive black vortex unfolded at the monsters’ feet. It swallowed and shredded their bodies as they advanced.

“Graaahhh!”

But before I could cut them all down, a black beast like an Ulfen Beast leapt at me.

…As expected, I couldn’t manipulate everything precisely enough.

Dodging its charge, I swung my Mithril Knife. I slayed the Ulfen Beast. At the same time, I shouted:

“Hunt down the monsters! I’ll take the boss!”

Declaring so, I dove into the black vortex and appeared behind the Paladin Hunter.

He noticed me instantly and swung his spear. Which I caught with my dagger.

…Black miasma spread around us as I blocked the Paladin Hunter’s attack.

At the same time, I attempted to cut him apart with spatial magic. But his miasma interfered with my mana, disrupting it.

He was simultaneously obstructing my spell activation and my attacks. It made it hard to aim properly.

…Even maintaining magic was difficult.

In that moment, his spear thrust at me again. I crossed my daggers to block it.

Knocked back, I cast a glance at the battlefield.

…The other monsters were being handled by Zangell and the adventurers.

…All that remained was for me to suppress the Paladin Hunter.

I spread my spatial magic again. But the Paladin Hunter immediately leapt back and readied his spear.

And then—he hurled it.