“Kalin… Great… There you are… Ahh… Ahh…”
I’m out of breath and put my hands on my knees after opening the door.
Behind me, Ahri puts her hands on my shoulders and peeks her head through the door, talking to Kalin over my shoulders.
“Lady Kalin, it’s me Ahri.”
“Ahri! Thank goodness. I knew you’d be fine. So you all got here safely. Thanks, Rust and Roa.”
Kalin thanks me and Roa, who is standing watch outside.
In the meantime, I get out of the way by staggering inside so I can take a stamina potion with my trembling hands.
I grab one and drink it in one gulp.
Ahh… Running up the stairs at full speed is tough…
“It looks like you ran into some trouble. Was all that damage caused by blows?”
“Yes, but Master Rust’s potion healed the wounds themselves. More importantly, Roa says she saw an enemy near Princess Lily. Where is she?”
“…! That butler. She should be in the middle of an audience right now. It can’t be helped, we’ll be making a ruckus in front of his majesty, but let’s go in!”
“Yes. I will be right behind you!”
Kalin opens the door and runs off, with Ahri following her.
I can finally compose my breathing thanks to the potion, and I hurry to leave the room and go after them.
When I do, I see Roa waiting for me, and we go after Ahri and Kalin, who we see down the hall.
“It’s close.”
Roa says without hesitation, as she runs next to me while keeping an eye on our surroundings. I guess she’s concerned about me.
“Thank you.”
“Yes. There, left. Forward. That door.”
By the time we get there, there’s already a battle going on.
Kalin is crossing swords with that butler, and I see Princess Lily and Ahri guarding a man behind them. I’m pretty sure that’s King Kalzart.
When Kalin swings her big sword, the strong wind it generates blows through the room.
And yet, that butler is handling those strong swings with his bare hands.
Kalin and the man dressed as a butler take some distance from each other, and the man cracks his neck.
“Hou, not bad. Can you tell me your name? I think I’ve seen your face before, but help me remember.”
Asks Kalin, seeming very much composed.
“Gustav, but I am only borrowing this face.”
The reincarnated man named Gustav turns his right shoulder widely and cracks its joint. And then, his face starts rippling.
Once it stops, it shows a completely different face.
“Hou. So your divine protection lets you change your body when you crack your joints? I’m getting the feeling that all you reincarnated people control your powers through sound.”
Says Kalin, seeming excited for some reason. I watch their back and forth as I stick close to the wall and move towards Ahri.
“Gustav, you can become stronger, can’t you?”
“Hmph.”
Kalin and Gustav cross swords again. Now that I look at his hands more closely, I see each finger is changing into what looks like blades.
He uses those ten blades carefully to skillfully evade the crude swings coming from what’s basically brute force personified.
Kalin is provoking him. Is it so he shows an opening… Probably not. Her face tells me she really just wants to fight someone strong.
Good grief, that Kalin. She’s just throwing the responsibility of protecting the king and the princess to us without a care.
“Tch. As you wish.”
Gustav responds to Kalin’s provocation as he’s being slowly pushed back.
And then, he starts cracking the joints of his blade fingers, which makes his body start swelling.
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