Help! My Overprotective S-Rank Master Who Loves Me Too Much Won't Let Me Go on Quests! - Chapter 44: I Finally Saved Aria-san!

Chapter 44: I Finally Saved Aria-san!

────About twelve minutes earlier.

Determined to help Aria-san this time, I ran to the entrance of the town on the grassy side, just where Milena-san had told me to go.

The grassy plains in the area were completely covered with monsters, and the sky, which should have been a clear blue, was blotted out by the sheer number of them.

“I heard there were ten thousand, but seeing it in person… The scale really is on a different level.”

There were many monsters I’d never seen before, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. I needed to find Aria-san────

“There!”

Aria-san was floating in the air, continuously unleashing powerful lightning magic that was wiping out vast numbers of monsters… She’s incredible. Each time she casts a spell, the monsters fall in droves.

She had said she could handle it alone, and I could see why. She was truly a powerful existence.

Knowing that I’d only get in her way if I interfered, I decided to quietly watch over her for a while. At this rate, she might actually be able to wipe out all the monsters by herself.

Just as I was thinking that, a group of adventurers came out from the town and shouted.

“Feruste-san is already fighting the monsters! Let’s join her!”

“Yeah!”

With that, the adventurers charged into the monster horde and began fighting… But with the adventurers now mixed in with the monsters, Aria-san wouldn’t be able to use her wide-area magic like before.

However, Aria-san quickly adapted to the situation, switching her focus to attacking only the airborne monsters.

Thanks to that, though I couldn’t tell the exact numbers, the monsters on both the ground and in the air were decreasing at a rapid rate… Incredible. At this rate, we might actually be able to wipe out all ten thousand monsters!

It looked like Aria-san didn’t need my help after all, but as long as she was safe, that’s all that mattered────

“…Huh?”

But then, for some reason, Aria-san started moving through the air, floating to another location… From where I was, I couldn’t see her very well anymore.

But if I wanted to follow her, I’d need to float in the air too────

“…Float in the air.”

I’ve seen Aria-san float in the air many times before. She never directly taught me how, but I’ve watched how she controls her magic closely.

“If I can’t do something that I’ve seen Aria-san do so many times—especially in a situation where I might be able to help her—then I’m a failure as her apprentice.”

I used wind magic to launch myself into the air, manipulating the air around me to maintain my position.

But being able to do it suddenly didn’t mean I could control it well and I couldn’t really move forward.

“What should I do…?”

As I struggled, Aria-san suddenly dove toward the ground.

“Aria-san!?”

No matter how I looked at it, it was a dangerous move… I didn’t have time to worry about control right now!

I forced myself forward with wind magic, propelling towards Aria-san. The effort made it hard to breathe, but right now, all I cared about was reaching her on time.

Aria-san had taken down one monster and was trying to retreat back into the air, but the ground monsters were hindering her.

…But even against those countless monsters, Aria-san handled them perfectly.

────However, from my position in the air, I could see something else. The airborne monsters were all charging toward Aria-san the moment she took down that single target.

…I may not be able to defeat them, especially since people say I can’t even handle a slime, but at the very least, I can use all the magic I have to give Aria-san a chance to escape!

I poured all my magic into a flame spell and launched it at the monsters attacking Aria-san. I managed to take down a significant number!

Then, Aria-san cast a flame spell of her own, taking down twice as many monsters as I had and retreating into the air.

I flew straight toward her.

“Aria-san! Are you okay!?”

Aria-san had a look of complete surprise on her face… But I was relieved—she was safe.

Finally, I had been able to help Aria-san! That simple fact made me genuinely happy.