Welcome to the Special-Grade Guild! ~ The Beloved Elf Poster Girl Soothes Everyone’s Hearts ~
Chapter 130

130. The Situation is the Worst

『I’ll head over as soon as I’ve tidied up here. Hang in there until then.』

That was the gist of Dad’s reply. The message that came later, through Homura-kun, also said that the Don would head over immediately, and to hold on until then. So basically, we were waiting for Dad.

But I wonder if it’ll be okay? I hope he’s not pushing himself too hard… But honestly, I really want him to hurry. Because, I’m scared!!

“It’ll be fine. They can’t get in here.”

“O-Okii…”

I couldn’t help but to let out a pathetic squeak. I-I mean, there were monsters swarming around the circular barrier centered on the shrine! Their eyes were vacant, their fangs bared, and they were repeatedly attacking, trying to break through the barrier… It looked like they were being blocked by an invisible wall, it was so scary! I clung tightly to Gil-san’s clothes, enduring the fear. I’m not crying! I admit my eyes are watering though!

“What a fresh reaction. It’s alright, Meg. Even if one does get in, Gil and I will take care of it in an instant!”

I felt a little relieved by Nika-san’s cheerful laughter, but that’s not it. It’s fundamentally different!

Of course, I’m also scared of being attacked, but… I’m scared of seeing living creatures bleed, of seeing them… die. I’ve always been the type to think realistically, even about small insects, like “Will it be squished if I do this?” I can’t handle it! Just hearing about blood and injuries makes me shudder!

When Gil-san saved me. When I saw him defeat that dungeon boss, I was too surprised to even think about it… But I couldn’t look directly at the wounds, or the fallen boss…!

I know that’s naive in this world. But right now, I’m even more afraid of seeing monsters bleed. There’s a reason for it.

『The monsters are saying… they want blood…』

It’s because Shou-chan can understand the monsters’ language. Shou-chan had been trembling in fear. It said their hearts were in pain. That they were screaming for help. And to resolve that, they instinctively seek out magic power, seek out blood.

It can’t be helped that people have to defeat monsters, when it’s dangerous. When their numbers grow too large, or when they’re needed for medicine. If they harm people, they have to be defeated. Getting rid of harmful beings is something that even non-humans do.

So I understand that we have to defeat the monsters that have gone berserk because of the Demon King. I understand, but.

If you know about the monsters’ circumstances, it’s heartbreaking, it’s terrifying. The monsters aren’t rampaging because they want to. Well, there are some who have irredeemable personalities, just like humans.

But that doesn’t mean the Demon King is bad. He’s just one person, and being the Demon King makes it easy for his heart to be disturbed. Maybe it’s better now, since he’s sharing his soul with Dad… but there must still be an influence.

The next Demon King is, I hate to admit it, but it’s me, right? It wouldn’t be strange for me to end up like this too.

I don’t want the monsters to suffer. As a person, I don’t want to have to painfully defeat them. If I become the Demon King, I’ll need to control my heart for that reason. It was an immense pressure. …There’s no way I could bear it.

It was scary. I was scared. I was scared that there was no escape. No escape from responsibility.

In the end, I thought I’d end up tormenting myself, just like when I was working at the company. The present was too happy, I was too protected, too spoiled. It made it even worse.

I squeezed my eyes shut. And then, BANG! I heard a particularly loud sound, and my whole body trembled.

“Kron-dono!?”

It was Kron-san who’d come flying. She must have been blown away by something and hit the wall of this barrier. I-I don’t know where she’d flown from, but she must have been blown quite far? I hope she’s okay…

Despite my worries, Kron-san immediately stood up and glared at the monsters surrounding her. And then she started kicking them away. It was too scary to look at directly, but I couldn’t help but to be impressed. Because she was really amazing! Her light steps, running through the monsters as if weaving through them, her acrobatic moves, even doing flips! And yet, her hair, tied neatly in buns, didn’t even get messy. And more than anything.

“Her skirt doesn’t fwip up, that’s amazing.”

“Pft! That’s what you notice, Meg!”

Oops, I’d said that out loud. But it’s interesting, right? Even with such intense movements, her skirt doesn’t flip up, and her perfect maid style doesn’t fall apart!

“Let’s have her enter the barrier for now. I want to hear about the situation over there.”

Kron-san was busy defeating the monsters that were appearing endlessly. It’s true that there was no end to them, and even Kron-san would get tired eventually. And the monsters… I’d rather not injure them, if possible. Gil-san opened a hole in the barrier for Kron-san to pass through.

“Kron-dono!”

“!”

At that moment, Nika-san called out to Kron-san. She must have understood our intentions, because she nodded slightly and then sliced the air with her right hand. Water gushed out, sweeping away the nearby monsters. Kron-san entered the barrier, and Gil-san immediately closed it. Bravo!

“Kron-shan!”

Kron-san let out a sigh and knelt down on the spot. She must have been tired after all! She didn’t seem to be injured, but… I immediately ran over to her.

“Meg-sama. I’m so glad you’re safe.”

Kron-san gave me an awkward smile as I rushed over. Never mind that, Kron-san!

“How do you keep your skirt from fwipping up!?”

“That’s the first thing you ask!?”

I could sense Nika-san doing a pratfall in the distance. Ah, me! I must have been influenced by my childish curiosity. Calm down, curiosity! Th-That’s embarrassing!

Kron-san’s eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled naturally. Ah, so she can make that kind of face too.

“It’s a matter of course for a maid.”

“You’re actually answering!?”

Nika-san’s sharp retort. I mean, right? That’s not a reason, right? She says it’s only natural as a professional maid, but something’s off, right?

“The Don told me so. A first-class maid doesn’t show her mistakes.”

It was Dad!? What kind of maid training did he give her!? …No, let’s not think about it too much.

What’s more amazing is that Kron-san, a professional maid, can actually do it!

Kron-san stood up, apologizing for showing us something unsightly, and bowed with perfect poise. Seriously, not only is her outfit not dirty, it’s not even disheveled, how does it work…

“Now then, allow me to report. The situation is, how should I put it… The worst, to put it mildly.”

The words Kron-san calmly told us were not something I wanted to hear.

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