I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

Haah… haah…!
I forced my trembling legs to move.
Through my blurry vision, filled with tears, I ran forward, focusing only on what was ahead.
With my poor stamina, my breath was already coming in short gasps.
Thud.

"…Ugh! …Ahh…!"
I tripped over a stone and fell.
The sharp pain in my cut arm surged, and I clutched it with my other hand, struggling to endure.
I wanted to collapse from the pain, but there was no time for that.
The overwhelming fear made me forget the pain and kept me moving.
@#%$@#$――!!!

The monstrous roar behind me made me squeeze out what little strength I had left to move.
I had to get as far away from that creature as possible.
'I don’t want to die…'
Fortunately, I had managed to distance myself from the monster.
Although I was the 3rd princess, in this place, I was still a princess.
Thanks to the expensive portable defensive magic tool I had with me, I was barely able to escape from the monster’s reach.

'Please… someone…!'
I kept looking around as I ran, but all I could see were trees lining the path.
Except for me, the only other sound was the monster’s roar behind me.
Realizing this fact again filled my mind with negative thoughts.
'Is there really no one else…?'

'Why is this happening to me all of a sudden?'
'Am I really going to die like this?'
I had just escaped from the hellish palace.
Finally, I could do the things I wanted to do, freely.

'I don’t want to die like this…!'
I wiped the tears from my face and tried to compose myself.
Alright. If I just keep running away from that monster—
Crunch—!

"…Huh?"
Was it because I had been looking only ahead?
The branch I had stepped on, thinking it was the ground, broke, and I was suddenly caught in an unexpected floating sensation.
As I looked down, I saw a steep downhill slope, like a cliff.
"AAAHH—!"
It was already too late to stop.
My body was sent tumbling forward, crashing against the uneven terrain as I rolled down the slope.
Painful impacts from the sharp rocks and branches battered me.

"…Ah, ahh… Ah, paa…"
The intense pain made it difficult to speak.
My arms were broken from the fall, and my head was injured, causing dizziness.
I coughed up blood as I hacked and coughed.
'Must… run…'

My body wouldn’t respond.
With my mind growing more and more sluggish, my vision blurred.
I tried to struggle to survive, but my body refused to move.
The sound of the monster’s footsteps behind me grew louder.
'Please, someone…!'
@#^%*%#$――!!!

The sound was now directly behind me.
The monster was almost upon me, but I couldn’t even turn my head to see it.
The fear of not knowing when I would die made tears run down my face.
In my almost fading consciousness, for some reason, someone kept coming to mind.
The man who had protected me when I was constantly in danger in the palace.
The faint memories of him kept flashing in my mind.
Is this what they call a life flashing before your eyes?
Maybe I still had lingering feelings for him.

'…Ain…'
...
Whooooosh! Boom―――!!

A sudden, deafening roar and a hot gust of wind swept over me.
At the same time, the monster’s agonized growl echoed.
"—Ra! Get a hold of yourself—!"
"‥‥."

Then, a voice that wasn’t from the monster reached my ears.
But with my dazed mind, I couldn’t make out the words clearly.
Soon, my body, which had been lying on the ground, was flipped over.
As I looked up, a man’s face appeared in my blurry vision.
Through my blurred sight, I could make out a familiar face.
'…Ain?'

Why?
I hadn’t even properly seen his face.
Considering our current relationship, there was no way he would help someone like me.
But for some reason, I was sure that the man in front of me was him.
And with that certainty, all the tension in my body suddenly released.
Even in my near-fainting state, a smile formed on my lips for some unknown reason.
***

"Ugh…"
The body of the princess, who was in my arms, was a mess.
She was covered in dirt and was in a life-threatening condition after tumbling and getting hurt while escaping.
If I left her like this, she wouldn't last long.
'Can't use divine magic right now...'

At the moment, the presence of Lilith and the demonic energy made it difficult to use the opposing divine powers.
Therefore, I temporarily used healing magic to treat her injuries.
Although it wasn't as effective as divine magic and couldn't heal all her wounds, it should get her through the immediate crisis.
After applying the first aid, I placed her against a tree behind a large rock.
I wanted to prioritize her treatment, but there was an obstacle.
%#$^*#$$――!!!

There was a violent explosion in the direction I had just sent the monster flying.
The creature appeared from the shifting sandstorm.
'...Dammit. I hit it with a 6th-circle spell, but it's still unharmed.'
The creature, emitting suspicious mist from beneath its helmet, appeared to be painted entirely in black.
It was dragging a black greatsword on the ground as it slowly approached me.

[Death Knight, huh? A troublesome opponent.]
"Yeah. Of all the things that could pop up, why does it have to be that thing?"
[Be careful, kid. It seems to be quite high level.]
"Yeah."
The creature effortlessly ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) absorbed even my 6th-circle magic.
In terms of knightly ability, it was at least an expert-level top tier.
It was stronger than the hero Ren and on par with Adel, who had escorted me to the academy.
'It doesn't seem like it's a master yet since it's not using an aura blade...'

Even so, the difference in power was enormous.
An aura alone wouldn't be enough to take it down.
$%@^**#―――!!
The Death Knight leapt with a booming roar.
Even though it was clad in heavy armor and wielding a massive sword, its speed was far beyond my expectations.
In the blink of an eye, its sword swung at me.

'...Blink.'
Whoosh—!
The short-range teleportation magic, Blink.
Fortunately, I had predicted its move and prepared my magic in advance, allowing me to dodge easily.
The greatsword struck the spot where I had been, causing a loud cracking sound.

'For now, let's keep it away from where Helra is.'
I led its movements away from Helra by moving in the opposite direction.
It followed my movements simply.
[It doesn’t seem like it still has any sense left.]
"Well, I guess that's the one fortunate part…!"

Boom!
Again, I used Blink to dodge its leap.
Its speed was incredibly fast, but its movements were predictable enough that dodging wasn’t too difficult.
Its sturdy armor didn’t match the lack of skill in handling its power.
'The real problem is how to take it down...'

I didn’t have a weapon, so using my aura was out of the question.
And even if I tried unarmed combat, there was no way I could pierce through that solid armor.
'I don’t think magic will work either.'
At my current level, I could use up to 6th-circle magic.
If I had more time, I could try to implement a 7th-circle spell, but there was no way that brute would give me the time to do so.
In conclusion, there was no way for me to kill it alone right now.

...Not that there wasn’t a way at all, but the aftereffects were too severe.
So, I decided to go with the easier method.
"Lilith."
[Are you sure? If you summon me in this state, the curse on you will worsen.]
"It’s fine. You can still do it, right?"
[Well, there’s a bit of a lack of demonic energy, but I can manage.]
"Please."
[Hmm. You should bind its feet for now so I can use my power more efficiently.]
"Got it."
I took a deep breath and moved my feet.
At the same time, I began to channel my magic.

'Strength, Haste.'
Whoosh—!
Along with basic buff magic, I also used my aura.
The synergy between them allowed me to perform better than my natural physical abilities.
This was one of the advantages of being a magic swordsman.

―――!!!
The creature charged at me again.
I used Blink once more.
This time, I teleported directly above it.
Thud!

The Death Knight's greatsword struck the ground, and I moved above its head.
I gathered my aura into my fist and aimed for the unguarded head.
"...Hmph!"
Crack!

I struck its helmet with all my strength.
The creature didn’t fall, but it wobbled from the impact.
This was my chance.
'Bind.'
Rrrrr—!

The magic took effect, and blue chains wrapped around the Death Knight's body.
I repeatedly cast Bind, making sure it couldn’t escape.
The creature was completely enveloped by countless chains.
But I couldn’t stop there.
'Gravity.'

Boom! Crack!
The 6th-circle gravity magic weighed down on its body.
Finally, after struggling fiercely, the creature kneeled.
'It won’t hold for long, but this should be enough.'

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and signaled to Lilith.
"Lilith! Now’s the time!"
[Got it.]
...

Whoosh—!
At her response, the book I had been holding began to glow.
A violet mist began to spread around the area.
A figure materialized within that mist.
Thud.

A succubus queen, with bat-like wings flapping and adorned with horns and fangs, emerged.
Even a Death Knight-level monster was nothing before her.
She was one of the highest-ranked demons.
[The outside air feels so long overdue.]