Chapter 420 (2/2)

Christoph steadied his sword at eye level before raising it above his head and softly uttering a single word.

「Come.」

That was enough for the Goldonian soldiers to take a half step backwards.

「At first glance, he's wide open…… except a fighter of his level would not leave himself so unguarded. If you get provoked by him, you're done.」

「Our spears should have a longer reach than his sword…… yet what's this pressure he's emitting!? I can't approach!」

Christoph was already encircled by the soldiers.

But n.o.body moved a single step.

「You aren't coming yet?」

Christoph glances behind him and mutters.

「T-take another half a step backwards. You don't know what he'll do.」

「Don't we have crossbows!? It's too dangerous to engage him in close combat!」

Christoph looks behind him again…… specifically at Zillia.

「C'mon, get a clue.」

「Ah.」

Zillia, whose attention was captured by the fight, realized that Christoph was simply requesting to be saved.

Then, she remembered seeing him in the corner of her eye panic after getting the retreat order and trip.

For some reason, the Goldonian soldiers are inching away from him.

「This guy―― he's holding back a smile!」

「What a guy! If you look closely, you can see his entire body trembling with excitement. Does he find pleasure at the prospect of hunting and killing all of us!?」

”No, his shaking and his face stiffening is due to fear”, Zillia commented inside her heart.

Then, a large bee wandered into the battlefield somehow and buzzed its way into a gap in Christoph's armor.

Since there was such a tense atmosphere shared by Christoph and the Goldonian soldiers, n.o.body paid it any heed.

「Even though he's a master swordsman, he's alone and we can't keep this staring contest going.」

「Yeah, we have to be prepared to accept loss when we attack him. How many will survive……」

Goldonia seemed to find the determination to make a move.

Perhaps affected by the strained mood, the bee stabbed Christoph in the a.s.s with its stinger.

「Uwaaaaah!!」

Christoph screams at the unantic.i.p.ated pain, simultaneously throwing his sword up in the air and dropping down to a knee.

He twists his body and repeatedly slaps his b.u.t.t in an attempt to expel the foreign object.

「Dowaah!」

「He beat us to the punch!」

「Not good! Retreat for now!」

Literally right when the Goldonia soldiers were about to yell and attack, they were forced to keep their distance.

「Now, save Christoph! We're making a break for it as soon as we retrieve him.」

Zillia does not miss her chance.

She was successful in dragging out Christoph who was leaking tears and snot from a tiny little poke.

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――That Night. South Yuguria Army Garrison.

「Omonly seen growing on the roadside.

「I can't take it…… my b.u.t.t hurts so much I'm going to die…… the first to die in this squad is definitely going to be me.」

「What a mysterious phenomenon, I can't explain it.」

After finis.h.i.+ng the crude application, Zillia gives the reddened a.s.s a slap.

Her unit of 20 was formed in a hurry and by no means a collection of elites.

Half are amateurs who were drafted and naturally did not own powerful weapons.

The most capable in the squad, whose individual skills are not very outstanding either, is probably Zillia herself.

Honestly, the level of her unit can be gauged by looking at the incompetence of the man thrust into the position of commander's a.s.sistant.

Nevertheless, South Yuguria could not afford to leave any resources idle and this provisional unit had already experienced five battles.

Other 20-man squads had either completely collapsed or suffered major losses or had all its members aside from the captain replaced.

Among all the squads, Zillia's unit stood out.

「Zero casualties, zero injured…… it's strange enough that commissioned officers from headquarters suspect us of deserting our duties.」

The members of the unit remained the same since establishment, in other words, n.o.body retired from battle.

Even an elite squad from the headquarters could not achieve such a feat.

「You're useless, but you have ridiculously good luck.」

Zillia couldn't help smiling when she sees Christoph in front of her, sobbing as he rubs his sore a.s.s.

The small bald spot on the back of his head was because soldiers pulled out some of his hair to keep as a lucky charm.

Some soldiers pa.s.sing by outside the tent can be heard talking.

「Did you hear what happened? Apparently the army that landed in the west was ma.s.sacred.」

「Yeah, it was Hardlett―― the demon who destroyed the eastern army, right?」

「I hear he himself killed and ate a hundred male soldiers, and also raped to death a hundred female soldiers.」

Zillia automatically turns to Christoph to measure his reaction.

「The boss's fights are real spectacles. He always generates crazy rumors wherever he goes. He's actually a really nice guy though.」

The man stops sniffling and a troubled smile forms on his face.

「This is between you and me―― but I hear Meldora's fleet was pretty badly beaten.」

「You're kidding. Hardlett may be a demon, but he shouldn't have s.h.i.+ps. In the first place, I thought demons were afraid of flowing water.」

「That's an urban legend related to vampires…… Well, I don't really know the details. All I know is that an equally frightening female demon appeared…… that demon turned a human head to mush with her bare hands and laughed maniacally.」

Christoph agreed how horrible that sounded and stifled a chuckle.

Zillia briefly laughed along, though her face quickly became dark as she rubbed Christoph's back.

「Scary…… it's a good thing this is happening on the west side.」

「Idiot, we're going all the way to the capital. That means we'll eventually meet up.」

The soldiers' voices grew distant and could not be heard anymore.

Christoph's smile disappeared.

「I'll have to face the boss one day. No, it won't just be him. My man Agor, big sis Irijina, the little Celia-chan, I'll have to confront them and――」

Zillia cuts Christoph off by pressing her lips on his.

Her tongue slips inside his mouth.

「Nn……」

The kiss lasted for ten seconds before the two separated, creating a strand of saliva connecting their lips.

「Zillia……」

「Hardlett is a commander who leads several tens of thousands. There's no way he'll appear in front of a worthless squad like ours.」

Zillia quickly spat out what she had to say before pus.h.i.+ng her lips against Christoph's again.

「Still, if that happens…… I'll protect you. Even if I'll be called a traitor…… no matter what……」

Christoph's firm gaze made Zillia blush and insert her tongue deeper.

Her m.u.f.fled words were unclear, but the man did not bother asking her to repeat them.

A moment of silence followed after their prolonged kiss.

「Christoph……」

Zillia's eyes dropped to the man's lower half, who, after being satisfied by his reaction, started to strip down to her underwear.

「I helped tend to your a.s.s. Now it's your turn to ma.s.sage me.」

Zillia climbs on the bed and lays flat on her stomach, conscious of the man's attention to her a.s.s.

「It's tiring being captain. My whole body feels stiff…… why don't you ma.s.sage me the way you like.」

The man's hands gingerly touch the woman's pale back.

「Do a thorough job in the front and in the back. I want a careful and comprehensive one.」

The man's ragged breathing hits her neck.

「If you need to, you can take off my underwear. Otherwise, there'll be places you can't ma.s.sage.」

The man grabs the woman's shoulders and flips her onto her back.

「You know where I'm feeling tight, don't you? Why don't you use that…… to ma.s.sage me here. I'll let you do as you please…… so do it to your heart's content……」

Zillia relaxes her entire body and closes her eyes, leaving the man in charge of everything.

<hr>

One Hour Later.

「Fuu…… alright, I'm taking a bath first.」

Christoph kisses the woman's sweaty back and exits the tent with a gentle smile.

Zillia, left half-naked, did not respond.

Long after the man parted, the woman slowly lifts her body up and mutters in frustration.

「He actually just gave me a ma.s.sage and left!」

Zillia pounds her fist on the bed angrily.

「Even after I said all that! And did all that! Wouldn't it be clear to him!? Is he a child!!? Embrace me, gos.h.!.+ You got a woman in the mood, so reap the reward!」

Zillia's fist slams the bed a couple more times.

「Ah, my shoulders feel light. Wow, all the knots are gone.」

Zillia rotates her arm smoothly before dressing herself and running after Christoph.

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