“We’ll Definitely Come Back to Save You!” — It’s Been Three Years Since I Was Left in the Most Difficult Dungeon, Isn’t It About Time for Help to Arrive...? - 34-35

Chapter 34: That Woman’s Magic (Smell)

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“Alright, Midi, calm down! I’m not dead, okay!? Look, I’m alive and well! So don’t go using such ominous magic! That’s terrifying, seriously!?”

I had noticed she’d been treating me like I was already dead for a while now, but I never imagined she’d go so far as to try doing something to me after death.

Just a moment ago, I’d been thinking, “Sure, her sudden appearance surprised me, but at least I don’t have to go looking for her now. How convenient!” —but that carefree, optimistic thought had long since been blasted into oblivion.

“Huh…? I’m pretty sure Athos did die… But, well, if I just kill that annoying girl over there, then it’ll be for sure, right? So…Whatever, I guess.”

“That is not okay at all!!! And hey, could you at least listen to me for a—!”

BOOM!!!

The earth shook violently as Midi suddenly unleashed a spell, blowing an entire section of the forest to pieces. Fire erupted like logs tossed into a bonfire, and black smoke spread across the sky. The damp soil boiled, the leaves all turned to ash, and the beasts of the forest, horrified by the carnage, fled far from their homes.

“…Stay still, Athos… Otherwise I can’t kill her…”

“…Sorry, but even I can’t overlook this one—Midi.”

I picked up Hel, who had been downed and was nearly caught in the blast, and ducked between the trees to take cover from her assault.

“…Nnh? Huh, Athos…?”

Maybe the impact had woken her, because Hel rubbed her eyes and looked around.

“…Um, Master, if you’re going to carry me like a princess, could you please give me some warning next time? This is such a rare opportunity… I feel like I’m losing out on something special…”

“I’m sorry for grabbing you so suddenly, but this really isn’t the time to worry about that! Look—there!”

As I sprinted full speed toward a safe spot beyond the fire, I jerked my chin toward the source of the destruction to guide Hel’s gaze.

“Athos… Where are you…? Why do you only ever pay attention to that girl…? Come out already… Please…!”

There stood Midi, having lost sight of me and now indiscriminately unleashing top-tier spells. She was practically a living weapon of mass destruction.

“Whoa… That’s… impressive.”

“Yeah… She’s clearly even more unhinged than she was when we met in town. It’s like she has lost all of her senses…”

“Indeed, something seems off compared to earlier. Perhaps the lie festering in her heart is destabilizing her thoughts…? In any case, we need to make contact with her quickly and bring her back.”

“Got it. But still… What the hell happened while I wasn’t around? What could possibly have driven her to this…?”

As the mystery deepened, the reality in front of me continued to present a very clear and immediate danger.

“I found you… Athos…!”

Midi locked on to me, and glowing spell circles appeared around her, spinning rapidly as a wave of magical pressure surged forward.

“That’s right… Athos was killed by that girl and became the Demon Lord because of it…! So if I kill her, Athos will praise me… Athos will definitely…!”

Raising her staff, Midi murmured to herself as the magic circle lit up. A massive surge of heat erupted, ready to incinerate everything in its path. I stopped in place and swept my left arm forward.

“—Miasmic Fog, Shagna Veil!”

Recalling how Hel had fought in town, I set the target of corruption to the incoming spell and released my magic. The surging flames clashed directly with the black mist, both dissipating in a mutual annihilation.

“…Alright, that actually worked.”

It had been a risky move on the fly, but the practice earlier paid off. I then focused my awareness into both hands, deployed the Black Thorn, and took a battle stance.

“…Just as I thought. I’ve been sensing something strange… And now I know why. That woman’s magic—her scent—it’s all over Athos’s body… Why…?”

“That would be because Master and I formed a contract, forging an inseparable and special bond between us.” 

Hell said smugly, answering Midi’s question the moment it was asked. Midi’s eyes turned dark, and she let out a cold, flat response.

“…Huh?”

“With this, Master and I are truly one in both mind and body. Unlike a certain someone clinging to faded memories, we’ve reached an entirely different st—”

“Hey, you idiot, shut up! Do you have any idea what you’ve just—!”

I quickly covered Hel’s mouth, but it was already too late. The aura Midi radiated now made even Shagna Veil seem tame by comparison—an overwhelming blackness seeping out of her as she smiled with empty eyes.

“…I see. Then I’ll just have to start by getting rid of that girl first… All the filthy pests clinging to Athos… I’ll burn them all to ash…”

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Chapter 35: Beyond the Limit

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BOOOOM!!!

Each flash of light stole another part of the forest’s natural form. The ground was gouged by the force of the explosions, trees collapsed in flames, and fire devoured the once lush greenery.

Left behind in what had become a literal hellscape, I ran with Hel tucked under my arm, doing everything I could to escape the onslaught of magic.

“What the hell do we do now!? This is all your fault for saying that stuff! Now she’s completely out of control!”

“No, Master. This is exactly what we want. Just look at her. She’s lost all reason… Fufu, it’s actually kind of amusing.”

“This is no time to laugh! Can you please take this seriously!?”

Hel kept flashing a smug grin, her relaxed demeanor only provoking the increasingly destructive rage and magic pouring from Midi. My instincts screamed at me: taking a direct hit from her spells now wouldn’t end well.

“That’s why I said, Master, this is good.”

With a strangely calm tone, Hell met my anxious gaze and continued.

“Right now, she’s stopped thinking. She’s acting on pure, unfiltered emotion. Which means… Now’s your chance. I’m sure the lies inside her heart can be dissolved like this. It’s a perfect opportunity, Master.”

I blinked in surprise at her unexpected advice. Could it be that all the provocations earlier… Were actually for Midi’s sake?

“…I see. Thanks, Hel. I won’t let the chance you created go to waste.”

I pushed off the ground, creating distance as I set Hell down and turned to face Midi head-on.

“Master, just one warning. You’ll have to subdue her while she’s still conscious—”

“Leave it to me. You’ve set the stage. From here on, it’s my job.”

I took my cracked sword and the black thorn whip in hand, and charged straight at Midi.

“Athos…? Athos… Athos!!!”

As she shouted my name, her voice turned into thunder. Her magic power surged and burst forth as arcs of violet lightning. Bolts of electricity curved through the air, slicing it apart in layers.

I instantly lashed out with the black thorns in the direction of the lightning to neutralize it, and dodged left or right to avoid what I couldn’t intercept. The sizzling aftershocks of magic scorched my skin, but I had no intention of stopping for pain. Even if I had taken a direct hit, I still wouldn’t stop running.

“Athos… Athos is mine…! Even in death, you came back for me…! So we have to be together—forever!!!”

Lost in her rampage, Midi’s face was flushed yet pale, her breath ragged as she chanted spell after spell.

Fire, ice, lightning—the full arsenal of attack magic rained down. And now, as I closed the distance, even necromancy. She summoned a horde of undead monsters. Her attacks only grew more intense the closer I got.

“—Midi!”

Drawing on the power I’d received from Hell, I burned it as fuel and surged forward at a speed far beyond my normal limits.

First, I intercepted the large-scale spells with Shagna Veil, the Miasmic Fog. The ones I couldn’t block—I simply took the hit and forced my way through the explosions, teeth clenched against the pain.

Then came the undead—easily over a hundred of them, swarming all at once. I either sliced off their legs or melted them with the black thorns, disrupting their movement and breaking through their ranks without slowing down.

“—Ggh…! …Athos…”

Whether from panic or because her body had finally hit its limit, Midi dropped to one knee, struggling to lift her trembling body as she looked at me.

But the very next moment, she summoned a magic circle unlike anything I had ever seen. A massive construct, drawing in a staggering amount of magic power, incomparable to any spell before it. From it formed a single spear so enormous it dwarfed the great trees behind her.

“You idiot! There’s no way your body can withstand casting a spell with that much power!”

“…I know. But if I want to go beyond your limit, Athos… This is what I have to do.”

Her face turned pale, and blood began to trickle from the corner of her mouth. Even so, she didn’t stop chanting. I threw aside my sword—and just as she was about to complete the spell and give the signal to release it—I grabbed her hand.

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