Chapter 61
Given the situation, fighting that thing right now was out of the question, so I moved in front of Erika and Shara to regroup.
Shara pointed at the demon with her right hand and shouted.
"Gross! That thing is so gross!"
Hearing Shara sum up her primal disgust for the demon with just the word 'gross,' I couldn't help but think she must be pretty dumb.
Even so, I had to admit, "Yeah, it's gross."
Last time it was a horse, and this time it's a goat.
Do demons always have to come with hooves or something?
Man, it's just so creepy.
I'm not the only one who thinks so—Erika was also furrowing her eyebrows, staring at the bipedal goat that now rivaled Oganight in sheer size.
Its smooth, pale purple skin lacked any natural wrinkles, and the tentacles sprouting from its sides felt utterly unnecessary and out of place.
It's not just the shape—it's the very existence of this thing that's creepy.
Shara, who had been repeating 'gross' over and over, suddenly went quiet.
"Wait, you mistook me for THAT!?"
Now, how am I supposed to fight that thing?
"What does that mean!? Are you saying I look like THAT to you, Shin!?"
Considering the last horse demon maintained that massive reverse barrier without even using a barrier device, it must have had a huge amount of magical energy.
Since there's no barrier this time, I can't afford to let my guard down.
"Hey, why are you ignoring me!? I demand an explanation! As a maiden!"
Shara grabbed both my shoulders from behind, shaking me back and forth to assert her presence.
So she didn't let it slide, huh.
"I said I'm sorry! Until just a moment ago, that thing looked human, with golden hair and a masked face, and it was about the same height as you, Shara!"
On top of that, Shara's magical energy and the magical energy of that masked thing were both pretty ordinary, so I couldn't tell them apart—unique magical energy like Erika's is actually quite rare.
"There's no way a human could turn into a demon! So, what is it!? Do I look like a goat to you!?"
Realizing the not-so-pleasant fact that she really only had eyes for me, I couldn't help but be dumbfounded that her main concern was whether she looked like a goat.
But man, she was really mad at me, huh.
"No, Shara, that thing really was human just a moment ago."
Erika gently peeled Shara's hands off my shoulders as she spoke.
"Even you, Erika...? Is that really true?"
This girl believed Erika's words in a heartbeat.
"Yes, it's true. But I'm sorry, I also suspected that it might have been you."
Erika apologized to Shara.
"It's due to my own circumstances."
Shara didn't ask what those circumstances were, probably because she could sense the sincere apology in Erika's voice.
"But that's just an excuse. If I had stayed calm, I would have noticed. The human version of that thing had a chest far too large to be you, Shara."
Shara let out a wordless scream, "Kuhah," at the stray bullet delivered with such sincere intent.
Well, yeah, okay. My bad.
Once this situation calms down, I'll apologize properly for everything.
With that thought, I opened my mouth.
"Erika!"
Erika reacted swiftly to my words, and I realized there was no need to explicitly warn her.
By the time I called her name, she was already in a stance to jump back, holding Shara under her arm.
Erika's golden magic showed me which direction she intended to leap, so I jumped back in the same direction.
Immediately after, the ground exploded.
The tentacles, which had somehow increased to four, gouged into the ground.
The goat demon still hadn't moved from its spot near the magic stone fragments that once belonged to Oganight.
Noticing how far those tentacles could stretch, I also realized something else—this thing, like the horse demon, seemed to possess some kind of intelligence.
That's why it's so wary of us.
The reason it attacked from a distance with its tentacles, and why it took so long to strike despite exposing so many openings, is because it's cautious of us.
Well, that's only natural. If it has even a shred of intelligence, it can't help but be wary of Erika's strength after she defeated Oganight.
As soon as I landed, I lowered my stance, ready to move at any moment.
I could tell Erika was gently setting Shara down on the ground behind me.
Facing an unknown enemy whose full strength I still hadn't seen, I felt not a trace of fear.
With Erika behind me, it's different from when my mentor watched over me from the back—it's not just reassurance, but something else; her mere presence makes something inside me surge with excitement, almost bringing a smile to my face.
So this is what it means to feel like I can't lose.
"Shin."
Hearing Erika's voice behind me, that feeling turned into certainty.
I can't even imagine a future where I fight alongside Erika and lose to that thing.
"Then I'll leave the rest to you."
...Huh?