No Damage 12

Test

12. We're Ready To Face Them

The dinner party with Lilith, Alice, and Salome progressed in a lively atmosphere.

"You must be tired from the long journey. Please relax and rest."

"I never expected Haruto to bring three such adorable girls."

Both Mom and Dad were completely at ease.

Come to think of it, it's been since elementary school that I've brought anyone home.

I don't have any close friends from junior or senior high school.

The current situation of bringing three girls home felt awkward and strangely nostalgic, with a sweet ache in my chest.

On the table were higher-quality meats, plenty of vegetables, and what seemed to be elaborate soups.

It wasn't a luxurious menu like nobles would have, but it was a feast fit for my home.

"Thank you. It looks delicious!"

Salome's eyes sparkled with delight.

"Salome, you're drooling."

"Oh, I'm sorry... drool"

Pointed out by Alice, Salome hurriedly wiped her mouth.

"But, it feels like we're intruding... please let us pay for our meal too."

Lilith offered apologetically.

"What are you saying? Since they're Haruto's friends, let us treat them."

"We invited them, so please don't hesitate to eat."

Mom and Dad declined Lilith's offer with smiles.

"But..."

"It's our way of showing appreciation. Please accept it."

"We would be happy if you did."

With both Mom and Dad insisting, Lilith relented,

"Okay, then. Thank you very much."

Alice and Salome also expressed their thanks respectfully.

Then they exchanged glances,

"Lilith, you're being so formal~"

"Well, you know. A maiden desires to make a good impression on Haruto's parents, even a little."

"Lilith has turned into a smitten girl..."

Whispering to each other, they were suddenly interrupted.

"...I can hear everything, you know. Don't make assumptions on your own, okay?"

Lilith glared at them.

With such conversations interspersed, our friendly dinner progressed.

"So, the adventurers have arrived. Does that mean another magical beast is appearing?"

"Yes. To avoid unnecessary chaos, we plan to officially issue an evacuation advice to the townspeople tomorrow."

Lilith nodded to Mom, who looked worried.

"A magical beast... sigh, even after that dragon incident."

Dad sighed.

Technically, they're not magical beasts but demons, but I won't nitpick.

I only found out about it recently.

"Don't worry. We'll definitely stop them."

Salome declared with a serious expression.

Lilith and Alice nodded equally.

Their faces were no longer the cheerful ones from earlier but the faces of adventurers who had protected many people in numerous battles.

If I became an adventurer, would my face look like that?

And three days passed.

The Void Radar from the Adventurer's Guild predicted the time of the demon's appearance.

The predicted emergence point is on the outskirts of the town, within several hundred meters to the southeast.

The townspeople's evacuation has already been completed.

All the residents were inside the town hall in the central district.

So, Salome and Alice were assigned to the front gate, while I and Lilith got assigned to the back gate, each on standby.

"It can't use teleportation magic that consumes a lot of magic power recklessly. It also can't travel long distances. So, I think it's highly likely that the demon will come walking here."

Salome reviewed the plan.

"This building only has two entrances, the front and back gate. If magical beings appear at the front gate, Alice will signal by launching magic into the sky, and if they appear at the back gate, Lilith will. The other pair will rush to the scene for interception."

By the way, she wasn't wearing a coat and was still in her dancer-like outfit with high exposure, just like when we first met.

Her exposed tanned skin and glamorous body lines made the tension of battle forgettable and sent shivers down my spine.

"By the way, how does Salome fight? Surely not with dances?"

"There's no way it's like that. I can use dances to bewitch, but that's just auxiliary. I have separate main combat techniques."

Salome smiled, and her cleavage bounced softly.

She's really big. But now's not the time for me to think about it.

"Then, it's almost time for the predicted appearance of the demon. Let's head to our positions. Let's do our best!"

With that said, Salome and Alice moved to the front gate.

Lilith and I went to the back gate and waited there.

We had already received a lecture on the habits and abilities of the D-Eater magical beings.

There are various variations of Spatial Manipulation magic.

They know D-Eater mastered two types: [Teleportation] and [Compression], which crushes everything in the space.

Due to the amount of magic consumption, D-Eater can't use [Teleportation] recklessly, but it seems compression can be used to a certain extent.

Presumably, the demon will attack mainly using compression.

Ordinary armor or shields couldn't stop attacks that crush entire spaces.

It's a formidable attack that's usually difficult to defend against.

But I have a skill.

When activated, it can even block a dragon's breath, tail, and fangs. It's an inviolable defense.

The basic tactic will likely be for me to defend against compression while Lilith seizes the opportunity to attack with magic.

"Haruto's parents are nice people, aren't they?"

Lilith murmured softly.

Perhaps she was trying to ease the tension while waiting, smiling at me.

"Family is nice, isn't it? Warm. I didn't have that kind of family. The dinner the other day was fun. Thank you."

The rough adventurers I met before said something sarcastic 'Lilith and Alice are doing whatever they want with their father's power', didn't they?

Of course, they're not like that.

By interacting like this, that much becomes clear.

It might be due to the complicated circumstances of their families.

"I think having a 'normal and ordinary family' is very precious and important. Take care of your parents, Haruto. Things that are always there by your side can suddenly collapse."

My chest suddenly felt heavy after looking at her smile with loneliness.

"Lilith...?"

"Oh, sorry, sorry. I said something presumptuous."

Lilith waved her hands in a panic.

"Anyway, I have to do my best to protect those people. Yeah, that's what I wanted to say."

"Yeah, I feel the same way about wanting to protect them."

I nodded.

It was exactly noon.

The bells in the clock tower in the central district would ring to signal that, but today, as expected, the staff responsible for it had also evacuated, so it was silent.

At that moment, something black appeared in the sky.

Initially, it looked like a black spot, but it began to spread like a stain.

"That is—!?"

Lilith nodded as I looked up at the sky.

"Sairega— an extradimensional passage connecting the demon realm and this world."

Her voice was tense, filled with rigidity.

Finally, it's the appearance of the magical beings.

The black stain-like thing continued to spread, and a hole-like structure appeared in the center.

Black lightning descended from the hole onto the other side of the city walls.

The demon had landed on the southeast outskirts of the town.

Shortly after, the sound of steps—clack, clack—reached us.

The city walls surrounding the town were no obstacle to demons who could use [Teleportation].

They easily entered the town, probably sensed the presence of humans gathering, and approached.

Which way are they coming from1?

It came from the front gate where Salome and the others are.

Or from the back gate where we are.

The tension increased even further, and then—

"I found them... humans... our... prey..."

A weighty voice echoed, and a black figure appeared ahead.

A silhouette resembling a human wrapped in ragged hoods and robes.

On the hooded face was a white mask reminiscent of a jester.

A D-Eater magical being.

"It looks like they've come this way...!"

Lilith whimpered.

We had also considered the pattern of them teleporting directly into the evacuation center, but fortunately, this meant we could confront them.

"Hart, are you ready?"

Lilith asked, and I nodded firmly.

"Yeah, we're ready to face them."