Chapter 7: The Hero's Graveyard

"...Sigh."

In a quiet corner of the royal capital, gentle sunlight poured down over a nearly deserted bench.

Sitting there with a vacant expression was a beautiful blonde woman—the Black Knight, Mei.

Her most recent mission had finally come to a close, granting her a long-overdue day off.

Yet, despite being freed from her grueling duties, her heart remained heavy.

Suddenly, a shadow fell quietly beside her.

"You're looking rather down."

Hearing that familiar voice, Mei merely shifted her gaze.

Standing there was a sharprei-wittedri, blue-haired woman—the White Knight, Reese.

"...Is there something you require?" Mei asked.

"Only because you're sitting there with a face like that. Anyone would be worried if they saw their colleague moping on a bench so blatantly," Reese replied.

At Reese's words, Mei offered her a duubiousron look.

"...I suppose I have caused you some concern. But I am perfectly fine."

"Hmph. Try making a more convincing face before you say that. I'd wager you're worried about that imbeacilehou... Ars, aren't you?"

Mei's shoulders gave a faint tremble at Reese's words. She let out a small sigh and offered a soft smile.

"It appears you have seen right through me, Reese."

"Of course I do. You've noticed the Church of the Priesthood acting suspiciously too, haven't you? Luna-sama is the face of the Church as their Saint, so they wouldn't dare lay a hand on her, but... the Holy Knight accompanying her is a different story entirely."

Mei nodded silently at Reese's assessment.

"...Yes. I sensed a very unsettling aura from that woman named Kalmia. Something truly terrifying... I looked into it, and there is no doubt she belongs to the Church of the Priesthood, but..."

"Apparently, that scum Kalmia is positioned among the upper echelons of the Church. They say her loyalty to the Pope is unmatched."

Reese muttered those words with a bitter expression.

For the two of them, who already distrusted the Church of the Priesthood, someone devoted so fervently to its leader was inherently suspicious.

There was no doubt the Church truly revered the existence of a Saint, but whether that reverence extended to the Holy Knight sworn to protect her was something neither Mei nor Reese could confidently say.

"Well, I'm sure that bastard is stubbornly surviving somehow. The absolute scum..."

"...I suppose that is true," Mei replied, her expression still devoid of its usual color.

Reese trusted Ars's capabilities in combat—and strictly in combat alone—so she wasn't particularly worried about him, but Mei was a different matter entirely.

Seeing the look on Mei's face, Reese let out a deep sigh.

"Then why don't you just go after them?"

Reese tossed the suggestion out lightly, prompting a slight scowl from Mei.

"...I would if I could. But my position will not allow it. A Black Knight is highly in detemand, after all."

Her voice was tinged with a hint of frustration and quiet resignation.

"Don't get so defensive. I knew you'd say that."

In that instant, Reese flashed an incredibly smug grin and handed Mei a single sheet of paper.

"...What is this?"

Mei took the paper, her eyes immediately drawn to the words: [Top Secret Pilgrimage Escort Mission].

"What...!?"

Mei's eyes widened in sheer astonishment. Her breath hitched when she saw the signature at the bottom.

It bore the official seal of the King, proving it was a formally sanctioned mission.

"...How did you get this? And for what reason?"

"I made some preparations over the past while and requested an audience with His Majesty to secure his approval. The King is worried about Luna-sama as well, and he suspects foul play behind the Church's excessive fanaticism toward their Saint."

"His Majesty..."

(The Church of the Priesthood wants complete control over the Saint. If you asked me whether they'd welcome a suddenly appearing Holy Knight, I'd say it's highly unlikely. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if they tried to secretly eliminate him as an unpredictable variable...)

Reese's thoughts paused there as she suddenly grew flustered, realizing where her reasoning was heading, and quickly scrambled to justify herself internally.

(Not that I'm worried about that guy or anything?? If that scum dies, I'll be thrilled, but it would make Luna-sama sad!! Ahh, thank goodness Luna-sama is such a noble and gentle soul who bestows mercy upon all things!)

Though no one was listening, Reese passionately recited her excuses to herself, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

Then, the sensation of her hand being forcefully grabbed snapped Reese back to reality.

Before she knew it, Mei was looking up at her with unusually sparkling eyes.

"...Thank you so much, Reese. I will never forget this favor... I'll even wash your back for you once this is all over."

Is that not enough to repay my debt to you? Mei smiled jokingly at Reese.

"Heh......"

Reese flashed a nihilistic smirk, but on the inside, she was trembling so violently with emotion that she couldn't even form words.

(F-Finally, Mei has cracked a joke with me...!! No, the fact that she's using this favor as an excuse to wash my back is an absolute certainty...!! If I keep selling her favors like this, maybe even Luna-sama will... Hehehe...)

While she was happily immersed in her vulgar delusions, Mei had already left the scene before she even realized it.

The permission slip she had held out had vanished from her hands somewhere along the way as well.

However, Reese suddenly contorted her face in frustration and muttered.

"...If I had just held out a little longer, I could've copped a feel of her boobs."

With that, she mournfully squeezed the empty air with a look of pure regret on her face.

◇◆◇

The day after I cast the curse of erectile dysfunction on Rowen, I was called out by Kalmia to meet at a spot slightly away from the carriage.

Given what happened with Rowen yesterday, I was a little bit on guard around Kalmia. However, after watching her boobs jiggle and bounce with every step she took, my wariness completely vanished at some point.

Seriously, what the hell is she showing me first thing in the morning...? So this is what true morning wood is all about... Just please settle down down there, Mr. Son, or I'm gonna be forced to walk with a slouch.

"Ars-sama, it is a lovely morning, isn't it~?"

"Yeah, I got to see something amazing right from the morning."

Oops, my true thoughts slipped out.

Why are guys so drawn down to bouncing things? I firmly believe that looking at them is just a conditioned reflex. It's not my fault.

"Something amazing...? Oh, you're right~. It's a beautiful morningmorning sunsun."

Smiling sweetly, Kalmia took my boob remark in a positive light and spent a moment gazing at the morning sun illuminating the grassy plains. Meanwhile, I was gazing at her illuminated boobs.

Then, turning back to face me, Kalmia began to explain her reason for calling me out here.

"As for today's route, we absolutely have to pass through a dangerous area crawling with monsters~. Therefore, the burden on whoever is guarding the outside of the carriage will inevitably be quite heavy... Basically, we just need to keep the monsters away from the carriage, so how about the two of us...♡ guard the outside together today~?"

Sliding her body against mine, Kalmia closed the distance between us until we were practically close enough to kiss.

Squish. An unbelievably soft sensation spread across my chest, and my Mr. Son instantly started going wild.

Ababababa!!! Calm down, calm down! Actually, hey, you're too close!! For some reason, my libido is skyrocketing at an abnormal rate!?!?

My sex drive was going so crazy that if I weren't a virgin, it wouldn't have been surprising if I laid my hands on her right then and there. Well, I'm a virgin, so I ain't gonna do a damn thing.

"Then even more so, wouldn't it be bad if no one was guarding Saint-sama by her side?"

"...Tch, I will be casting a magic barrier over it, so that should be fine~."

I felt like I heard a clicking sound for a split second, but was it just my imagination?

Phew... My body was going crazy with lust, but I wasn't stupid enough to let a momentary burst of libido cloud my judgment. Naturally, escorting took higher priority, so I made sure to answer firmly.

...Still, dealing with them outside the carriage, huh... Well, I don't think it's a bad idea, but I'm a little worried about leaving Luna alone.

Since I didn't know how strong the barrier actually was, I couldn't just put my complete trust in it.

"Is that... a no~?"

Squish♡ Her boobs smashed against me once more.

...Nnnngh... Well, whatever.

No, I didn't give in to the boobs!!! Seriously!!! In reality, the risk of letting one slip past us is high in monster-dense zones, so it completely makes sense for the two of us to handle it together!!

The boobs have absolutely nothing to do with it!!

My Mr. Son surged upward with a sort of "Ehh, are you sure about that?" vibe, but I stubbornly answered that it was the truth, all while drooling internally.

"Understood. Let's do our best together, then."

"Yes, just the two of us... Ufufufu."

...Hmm, guarding the outside alone with Kalmia.

...Just thinking about the possibility of getting to savor those boobs again raised my motivation quite a bit.

Though I probably wouldn't have the luxury to think about that in the middle of fighting monsters.

...Even so, what the hell am I gonna do with this raging Mr. Son...?

◇◆◇

We walked for about two hours, slashing apart the monsters that attacked us from time to time.

Just as I thought we had entered a mountain path, a sheer cliff appeared before our eyes. Perhaps that was the monster-infested zone Kalmia had been talking about.

Being attacked by monsters right on the edge of a cliff like that would definitely be a nightmare. It made sense that we needed a mage capable of long-range attacks.

"Phew, well then, let's do our best together, shall we~?"

"Okay. I'll take the vanguard and brace for any surprise attacks, so Kalmia, cover me from a distance."

"Fufu, understood~."

After conveying the plan to Kalmia as she stepped out of the carriage, our carriage finally began to travel along the top of the cliff.

Glancing to my left, a sheer precision stretched out endlessly; if anyone were to fall from here, even if they were incredibly lucky, they definitely wouldn't escape without severe injuries.

"Ugh, what a massive cliff."

"There are quite a few people who go missing here every year, you know~."

"Well, of course they'd fall if they got attacked by monsters in a place like this. Couldn't they reinforce it with earth magic or something?"

"Apparently, it's a space where magic that relies heavily on the environment is difficult to use~."

I nodded at Kalmia's explanation, understanding the situation.

It seemed there were naturally occurring spaces where magical energy was disrupted, so this place probably had that kind of effect. It couldn't get any more bothersome than this.

To top it off, we couldn't even reach our destination without passing through here. Talk about pain. I wasn't very familiar with the geography, but couldn't we have just taken a detour?

"Ah, a monster. I'll go take care of it."

Just then, a monster's reaction appeared on my Magic Perception.

I had the carriage stop and headed toward the source of the reaction, where I found a rabbit monster with a horn growing out of its head.

A Horned Rabbit, huh. It's a relatively weak monster.

"Kyupi!!"

The instant the Horned Rabbit spotted me and leaped forward, I slashed it down in a single strike.

"Hmph...!!"

"Gyui!"

Letting out a death cry, the Horned Rabbit was cleaved completely in half.

"Phew..."

"Brilliantly done~."

Kalmia approached me with a sweet smile.

The fact that she had her short staff at the ready meant she was prepared to cover for me in case I messed up.

She didn't need to worry about something like that, though—just as I thought that, the familiar red-haired man from the driver's seat... Rowen suddenly leaped out and shouted.

"—Please run away, Sir Holy Knight!!! They're planning to disguise it as an accident and murder you...!!"

"Rowen...?"

I looked at his face suspiciously, but it was overflowing with so much desperation that he didn't look like he was lying at all.

"Oh dear, my apologies, Sir Holy Knight... It seems this one had a little too much to drink yesterday..."

"Guh, Galia! Let me go!!"

Pinning Rowen down in a full nelson was the blonde, pretty-boy coachman who had also stepped down from the carriage... Galia. The amount of force he was using was far too strong for someone just trying to calm down a drunk.

...He wasn't lying. Rowen wasn't the type of man to lie at a time like this.

...I see, it all finally made sense.

Why Rowen had been sporting such a deeply conflicted expression. Why did he looked so pained.

I didn't know why someone from the Church of the Priesthood's side was trying to save me, but Rowen's eyes right now were filled with resolve—he had the expression of a man who had shed his old skin.

If that was the case, then all I had to do was believe in him.

"What is the meaning of this, Kalmia, Galia?"

I drew my sword once more and distanced myself from them.

At that, Kalmia's face morphed into an expressionless Noh mask before she contorted her features and clicked her tongue.

"Tch... How utterly useless... I suppose it cannot be helped now. ...Galia, keep holding that thing down. We will dispose of the Holy Knight Ars right here, exactly as planned."

"Yes, as you command, Lady Kalmia..."

"Damn it, let me go!! Please run away, Sir Holy Knight!!"

Facing Rowen, who pleaded with me with a desperate expression, I simply shook my head.

"The moment they hold murderous intent toward me, I can't just run away from this place as the Saint-sama's escort. There's no guarantee these bastards won't try to harm the Saint-sama as well, after all."

"Fufufufu, don't lump yourself in with the Saint-sama, Holy Knight!! The Saint-sama is a precious individual chosen by God!! She is entirely different from the likes of you, someone merely extolled for possessing a legendary class!!"

Galia shot back with a laugh.

Wait, I was being extolled? My abilities have been doubted from the very beginning, Reese almost castrated me, and I've been surrounded by enemies who attacked me out of spite just because I'm a "Holy Knight", though??

And I'm a Sexual Knight, too!!!

When exactly was I ever extolled!!

...No, wait, now isn't the time to be complaining about that. Galia is currently holding Rowen down, so this is essentially a one-on-one fight... Up on a sheer cliff like this, my footing as a swordsman is severely limited, and out of my current Sexual Knight skills, the only one that could counter her is... [Grip of Libido] maybe... But the moment I'm forced to close the distance, I'll be at a disadvantage against a mage.

What should I do... I feel like my only option is to slash at her at speeds she can't react to, but I still don't fully understand Kalmia's strength.

...React. I should at least be able to see her magic and dodge it.

I focused intensely, straining my eyes so I wouldn't miss a single one of Kalmia's movements—then, in that exact moment,

"Kyaaaaaaah!!!"

"W-What the!?"

The cry of a monster rang out from the direction of the carriage.

Turning toward the sound in a panic, I saw a monster shaped like a giant eagle ascending into the sky, its talons hooked onto the carriage's ornaments.

"That monster is... a Fall Eagle!!"

"Wait, that's the bastard that snatches up its prey and drops them to their death!!"

Kalmia looked at the monster and revealed its name.

It was a name I had seen in a monster encyclopedia, an incredibly malicious beast that snatched up its prey with massive talons and dropped them from high altitudes to kill them...

...Luna is in danger!!

Damn it...! But the carriage has already been carried out over the cliff's edge...!! If I shoot the monster down now, it'll plunge straight down!!

"Kyua!"

The Fall Eagle scoffed, laughing at us mockingly, and at that exact moment, it cleanly released its talons from the carriage.

The carriage began to plummet.

Even before I could fully process the sight, I had already thrown my body off the cliff.

—The carriage rattled and shook.

Luna was thrown out into midair from the broken door, wearing an expression that said she had no idea what was happening.

"A-Ars...!!"

"Luna!! Grab my hand!!"

Paying no mind to the howling wind battering against me, I relied on pure willpower to desperately force my body closer to Luna in midair.

Perhaps my preemptive adjustment of my position had paid off, because Luna was just within arms reach.

Unable to hide my panic, I bellowed at her to grab on, and Luna desperately stretched her hand out toward me.

Just a little more... Just a little more...!!

Got it!!!

"Kyah!"

Using our firmly clasped hands as an anchor, I pulled her body in, bringing us into a tight embrace. Though, considering I was fighting for my life, even as her soft curves pressed against my entire body, the most I could muster was a tiny thought of Muhoho.

...Crap, crap, at this rate we're both gonna die.

The distance to the bottom of the cliff was much longer than I had anticipated.

"Luna, activate the magic tool on your necklace!"

"Y-Yeah!!"

The magic tool necklace we bought at the market was supposed to have a protection spell enchanted on it. I felt like it was just a drop in the bucket, but anything to raise our survival rate even a little.

Luna nodded and poured her magic into the magic tool, erecting a round, blue barrier that enveloped us.

...Our falling speed was reduced quite a bit...!! With this, I might just be able to pull something off!!

"Uwoooohhhh, here's everything I've got, goddammit!!! [Holy Shield]oooooo!!!!!"

The degree of freedom when shaping the shield is incredibly high!!!

If we smash into a solid shield at this falling speed, we'll straight-up die from a completely different cause!! The shape of the shield needs to be spherical to cushion us!! And I have to pour all my libido into it while instructing it to become as soft as possible!!

After that, the absolute worst-case scenario is me acting as a cushion for Luna so that I'm the only one who dies, repositioning myself at the bottom!!!

And right at the moment I maneuvered us so that I'd be underneath her, a small, squishy sensation brushed against my cheek—and a faint, agonized "Nn..." struck my ears.

However, before I even had the time to rejoice in that, the moment I invoked the skill, a sensation of my libido being completely sucked dry spread over me—and feeling thoroughly nauseated, I lost consciousness.

《Extra Skill [Sword Demon of Lust] has activated.》

"Hmm, it seems you've done all you could. Excellent, excellent. That being said... at this rate, only this body will end up dying, so—I suppose I shall lend you a little hand. —[Intercept]"

After it chanted something, a few seconds later, the shock of the fall crashed into Ars—and this time, his consciousness faded away completely.