“Are you really not hurt anywhere?! Or did that guy do something to you, Lillis?”

“N-no… I’m really fine… There’s nothing to worry about.”

To be honest, the arm that Ethan had pulled on a moment ago still ached a little, but it didn’t seem right to complain to the person who had just saved me. It would be like demanding a reward after being rescued from drowning.

If Ethan had been even a little bit later, I would’ve been dragged into a mental world I might never have escaped from. I was just grateful beyond words for his timely intervention.

“But, how did you know? It was just before I was almost taken away, and I don’t think you could’ve seen my face through that tiny gap.”

“…I don’t know, I just had this feeling that you were there, Lillis.”

“What?”

“I saw a hand as the space was closing, and somehow, I just knew it was yours. I’m glad I wasn’t too late, Lillis.”

“…”

Did he really figure out I was being pulled in by McHart just by seeing my hand? It was touching, in a way, but also a little unsettling.

No, no… I told myself I would just be grateful right now. I could think about the extent of Ethan’s obsession with me later. After all, we had more pressing matters at hand.

“…What a shame. I thought I almost had you.”

McHart reappeared, as if there was no longer any reason for him to remain in his mental world once Ethan had pulled me out. From the outside, it looked as if he had stepped out of thin air, and now, standing at a slight distance from us, he muttered while keeping his gaze fixed on us.

“I was surprised to see you arrive so quickly amidst all the commotion, but it seems that so-called hero wasn’t the one who found me.”

“So it was your doing after all. I wondered why Lady Blaze’s disguise magic suddenly vanished, and then Prince Antonio appeared out of nowhere.”

“Yes, it was amusing, wasn’t it? Thanks to that, it seems the other heroes are still stuck in the banquet hall. I was worried for nothing.”

Thanks to Ethan, I had somehow escaped McHart’s mental world, but the battle between him and me was far from over. If anything, it felt like it was just beginning. Until a moment ago, there was no chance of winning against McHart, but now that Ethan, a Sword Expert, had joined, the odds were much better.

‘Not just his sword, but his entire body is radiating with blue energy. Has he fully awakened?’

Until now, Ethan had only occasionally dipped into the realm of an expert, but the energy I felt from him now was overwhelming, almost as if he had completely blossomed. I had seen a similar display during the Kraken subjugation, though I had dismissed it as a temporary phenomenon after the battle ended and his power subsided.

During his duels with Harold, Ethan had sometimes shown signs of blossoming into an expert. It made me wonder if he was the type to grow stronger in the face of great battles. Thinking back to the original game, where Ethan had been unexpectedly strong during the mid-boss fights, it seemed he was indeed the type to become more powerful in life-or-death situations. Whether this was a unique trait of Ethan’s character or just a coincidence that mirrored the original game, I wasn’t sure.

-Thunk.

I stepped down from Ethan’s arms, gripping my daggers with both hands, preparing for the battle ahead. We would have to hold out until Agnes and Cerista arrived, and until then, it would be just Ethan and me against McHart.

“Be careful, Ethan. Whatever you do, avoid getting sucked into his world.”

“…I understand, Lillis.”

“So, you’re planning to hold out until those other heroes arrive? Sorry, but it’s already too late!”

“Damn it…!”

As McHart spoke, the surroundings began to darken again. The loss of color in the environment was unsettling, but as I took in the scenery around me, I quickly assessed the situation and allowed myself a quiet smile.

This wasn’t the oppressive mental world of deep darkness that McHart had shown me before. It was clear that this space was something he had hastily thrown together for intimidation.

“Once I’ve caught a woman in my world, it’s easier than crushing an ant underfoot to trap her there again. Too bad for you—you came to save your beloved fiancée only to be caught yourself.”

It was a bluff. If he had such a method, he could have attacked me within the academy, and there would have been no need for the chase in the rear courtyard of the palace. While McHart’s mental world was a terrifying power that made even moving an arm or leg difficult, creating it in this non-contact situation posed little threat.

In this space, McHart couldn’t completely overpower both Ethan and me. This was why he had avoided using it until now, saving it for when he could fully leverage his advantage. Of course, since it was his own creation, McHart could use his unique abilities more efficiently here, but the same went for Ethan and me. Especially now that I was free from the constraints of the palace, I could use my magic more freely.

No matter how powerful his domain was, if it came down to magic versus magic, I could hold my own. And with Ethan on my side, it was hard to imagine either of us being easily defeated.

“Captured together? What nonsense.”

“…Hmm.”

“A world without Lillis is a fake world to me. So as long as she’s by my side, this place is my real world, no matter what.”

“…”

“…Good grief, seriously?”

I couldn’t tell if Ethan was saying this on purpose, but his words made my face flush. Thankfully, in this dull, monochrome world, the color of my face didn’t show much.

Even McHart seemed momentarily taken aback by Ethan’s declaration, though he quickly composed himself and continued.

“There’s no need to put on airs in front of a woman. When faced with the fear of death, men and women all become the same.”

“…”

“And besides, I’ve never really had an interest in anyone other than that woman. I don’t have any personal grudge against you. Honestly, I don’t want to fight you.”

“You talk too much. Even with the power you’ve gained from your alliance with demons, you don’t seem confident in taking on both Lillis and me at once.”

“Within this space, I can crush you both as easily as I please. The woman standing next to you knows that better than anyone. If you think I’m bluffing, I’ll give you a moment to ask her.”

“…”

McHart must have thought I was terrified of this space, having experienced it twice before. If I had been ignorant of his patterns, I might have despaired at being pulled back into this world. But I had cleared 『Luminor Academy』 24.9 times. I was an expert among experts, having slain McHart at least twenty-five times in the game. There was no way I couldn’t identify his patterns by now. If Ethan asked, I could tell him about the weaknesses of this space and how McHart was just bluffing…

“That won’t be necessary.”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve already told you. No matter what kind of space this is, the only true world for me is the one where Lillis exists.”

“…”

“…”

“The main reason I wield my sword is for Lillis. No matter how much you try to scare me or threaten me to abandon her, it’s pointless. That’s never going to happen, not until my bones are ground to dust. Rather than living a cowardly life without Lillis, I’ll stand as a shield to protect her. The only way you’ll lay a finger on her is by tearing my body apart first. And even if you’re a stronger opponent than I can defeat, I would rather fight by Lillis’s side until the very end, in this world where no one else can see us, than run away. That is the reason I started learning the sword, and that will be the outcome.”

What on earth is he thinking, to be able to say something so cringeworthy without stuttering or even flinching?

Meanwhile, here I was, finding it increasingly difficult to hold my head up because of Ethan’s knightly declaration.

…I had a strong feeling that after today, it would be even harder to look Ethan in the face, but for entirely different reasons than before.