Chapter 18: I’m Happy 

The brief respite came to an end, and soon, the goblins began to swarm in.  

From the small goblin soldiers, to the fairly bulky goblin warriors, and even a goblin general whose size almost matched mine.  

Not just close-range monsters, but—  

“Ari! Take care of the shamans and archers over there first!”  

“Okay!”  

There were healer monsters and long-range attackers too.  

“Rumi!”  

“Woof! Woof woof!”  

Some goblin raiders, sneaking around and trying to leap over our heads, were also among them.  

“Gurgle?!”  

Of course, thanks to a well-timed taunt, they were forced to turn their heads mid-air, only to crash to the ground and get chewed up by Rumi.  

But we couldn’t let our guard down.  

We couldn’t take our eyes off them.  

Hold out for 10 minutes?  

Honestly, that’s easy.  

No one falling?  

Even if the goblin general’s massive axe were to strike Rumi’s sturdy body, it would be the axe that would shatter.  

However—  

“Protect the village without any damage.”  

In other words, we had to take down every single one of them.  

There was also the goal of earning three stars, but—  

“Oh, God…”  

“It’s okay. We’ll protect you.”  

“Saintess, thank you… Chosen One, thank you so much…!”  

We had to protect the villagers trembling behind us.  

……To put it coldly, we didn’t *need* to protect the villagers.  

The “village’s damage” was calculated based on the health of the defensive object in the center of the village.  

No matter what process it took,  

we just had to prevent the raiders from reaching it.  

We had to keep the goblin archers out of range.  

If this were just a game, the villagers’ damage would be nothing more than a secondary concern.  

“Ugh, this feels gross.”  

Still, even if I’ve been sucked into this world of data fragments, seeing people die in front of me is just… no.  

Not just our heroes, but even if they’re mere NPCs.  

Above Tina’s head, two gauges only I could see—  

the health gauge and the fully charged mana gauge beneath it—caught my attention.  

“Tina! Ultimate skill!”  

“Kyahaha! I’ve been waiting!”  

The moment I gave the order, Tina spread her decorative wings and floated into the air.  

Her eyes glimmered with a red light.  

The magical inscription on her stomach (not what I had initially thought it was) shone brightly.  

And then—  for just an instant,  

time froze for everyone except Tina.  

Her tiny lips parted,  

“Hehe~♡ The monsters are so dumb♡”  

……  

A ridiculously cheesy line came out.  

And then—  

a sinister glow flashed from Tina’s slender body,  

and time began to flow again.  

Ah.  

So this is what an ultimate skill cutscene looks like……

Seeing it like this really makes it feel like a game……

“Gurgle!”  

“Kyaaak!”  

“Kukikiki! Krek!”  

Chaos erupted among the goblins.  

A simple mechanic.  

Tina’s buff skill, ‘Heh~♡…’  

Just thinking about the name makes my brain melt.  

Anyway, that skill being applied in an area-of-effect was Tina’s ultimate skill.  

Ultimate, uber, special move, unique skill—whatever you want to call it.  

Just recalling the name of the ultimate skill made me feel like I was suffering severe brain damage, so I stopped thinking about it.  

Next—  

“Rumi!”  

“Woof!”  

It was Rumi’s turn.  

Time froze again.  

Rumi leaped into the air, spinning around once,  

“Rumi will protect Chosen One, woof!”  

Wow, look at that bounce.  

The attention to detail is impressive.  

With that silly thought in my head, poof!

A puff of smoke appeared and disappeared in an instant, and in its place, Rumi had multiplied into three.  

Behold, the ‘Legendary Rumi-Rumi Clone Technique’.  

That’s the actual name of the ultimate skill.  

A few of my brain cells just died.  

The clones, ‘Ru’ and ‘Mi’, shared health with the original and attacked simultaneously!  

The original had a flower tucked behind her ear, while the clones didn’t—that was the only difference.  

Wow! Three big, beautiful… no, six, I guess?  

It was a simple ultimate skill that made her three times stronger for the duration of the clones.  

But they shared health.  

Yes, they shared health…………!  

Which also meant she could die three times faster.  

But?  

“Woof!”  

“Go!”  

“Mooong!”  

Right now, thanks to Tina’s ultimate skill, the goblins were in disarray, attacking each other.  

So it was the perfect condition for Rumi, Ru, and Mi to wreak havoc.  

The so-called ‘Ru-Nya’ combo.  

Before I got possessed, I had racked my brain trying to figure out how to use Rumi effectively,  

and this tactic was born from the realization that I could control the timing of the ultimate skill.  

“Amazing. Both Rumi and Tina.”  

The results were so impressive that even the Saintess couldn’t help but gasp in admiration!  

The feeling of being acknowledged made my chest swell with emotion, and before I knew it—  

“……Right?”  

I ended up patting Johanna’s head.  

The Saintess really was different.  

Rumi’s fur felt a bit rough, while Tina’s was slightly dry.  

“What shampoo do you use?”  

“…………Is that really important right now?”  

“Ahem.”  

Anyway, with the ‘Ru-Nya’ combo, we managed to clear out the waves of enemies that had been piling up, and a brief moment of peace returned.  

“Ari and Rumi, take a little break. Tina will handle the rest.”  

Pacing was also important.  

From what I observed up close, our heroes, while possessing powers far beyond ordinary people like me, were still human at their core.  

They could get tired, after all.  

“Woof!”  

“Oh!”  

“!”

…No? A puppy?  

Anyway, the happiness was threefold.  

Ru and Mi eventually trembled, then poof!  

They turned into a single strand of dog hair and scattered away, leaving a sense of emptiness.  

What a shame. It was nice while it lasted.  

The health and mana gauges above the heroes’ heads were only visible inside the tower, but just in case, I asked,  

“Rumi, can you use your ultimate skill outside the tower too?”  

“Woof! It’s possible, woof!”  

……!  

A realization struck me like a thunderbolt.  

So that’s why Rumi’s overall color scheme is red!  

When a lot of customers gather……..

Three times faster than usual serving speed!  

The Red Comet of part-time jobs!  

“Ark? They’re starting to swarm again!”  

“If we can just hold off this wave, we should be fine. Let’s hang in there a little longer.”  

I pushed aside the unnecessary soft thoughts for a moment.  

And began fending off the goblins that started pouring in again.  

***

Another five minutes later.  

With the purification of the rift in the area where the waves were pouring out, we were able to clear the 9th area with three stars.  

Phew.  

20 divine stones clattered into my hand. 

The reward I rightfully deserved poured out.  

……More than that.  

“Thank you, thank you……!”  

“How can we ever repay this kindness…….”  

“If it weren’t for you heroes, sob.”  

The villagers, now safe, swarmed towards us, showering us with endless gratitude.  

……Well, I didn’t really do much.  

Johanna, with a benevolent expression, calmed the people.  

Ari stood awkwardly with a sheepish look.  

Rumi, with a bright expression, wagged her tail happily.  

I took a step back to let our heroes fully bask in the gratitude.  

And then.  

“What about Tina?”  

“……Master, are you an idiot? I was originally a demon. That kind of thing makes me cringe.”  

Tina, with a subtle expression, clung to the hem of my hood and fidgeted.  

But then.  

“Big bro, and… um, sis! Thank you so much for saving us!”  

A child who looked about Tina’s age noticed us and came running over, bowing in gratitude.  

Well, I really just stood there with my mouth hanging open, not doing much.  

“Hmph! How dare a human…  

Ouch!”  

I flicked Tina’s forehead as she started to grumble.  

Racist remarks are not allowed.  

There’s a saying, isn’t there?  

……Was that about politics? I’m not sure.  

“We’re really glad we could help. This sis here has a bit of a twisted personality, but she really worked hard.”  

I patted her head where I flicked her, giving her a hint.  

“Ughhh…….”  

“Sis, are you okay? Big bro! You shouldn’t hit a lady even with a flower!”  

“Uh, the pronunciation is ‘flick’… not ‘flower.’ Ugh.”  

Hey hey…………!  

Are you trying to socially annihilate me!  

There were some minor communication errors, but.  

“Oh……? Uh, it’s fine……..”  

“Hehe. Get along well! Let’s meet again next time!”  

“Uh, uh…!”  

What’s this?  

A tsundere type who acts cold to strangers but melts at the slightest kindness?  

“Where’s the demon who said she hated cringy stuff?”  

“Eek, Master! Can’t you keep your mouth shut!”  

Anyway.  

“Let’s go wrap things up.”  

With the villagers seeing us off, we moved on to the 10th area.  

Everyone looked quite proud.  

It seemed they were in high spirits, having saved a village through their own efforts.  

Even Tina was muttering, “Hehe, sis, hehe,” savoring the goodwill that came from her good deeds.  

“Ark, you look a bit silly.”  

“Huh?”  

I raised my hand and touched the corner of my mouth.  

……..A smile had spread across my face.  

Yeah.  

I guess I’m feeling a bit proud.  

***

“You, you crazy bitch……! Traitor! Spineless bitch! Chewing gum bitch…….!”  

Because demons can sense each other’s energy,  

Elis, seeing the trap she had set being effortlessly broken through, spat blood.  

This wasn’t just any betrayal.  

Seeing the active participation of a pro-human, anti-demon collaborator, her chest heaved, thump, splash, thump, splash.  

All she could do was shake her oversized body and stew in resentment.  

“What do I do? What do I do…?”  

Judging by the speed at which they were breaking through the 6th floor, it was an insane pace.  

Even though Tina had betrayed them,  

“They’re too strong…………!”  

An unprecedented level of strength.  

Earlier.  

Catching glimpses of other parallel dimensions,  

Ellis saw a red-haired archer.  

One so weak she could barely draw her bowstring.  

Ellis saw a dog beastman.  

Running out alone and getting pummeled by goblins.  

And then.  

Tina?  

A demon of a lower rank than herself in the demon world,  

……. Somehow, she had become much stronger.  

Strong enough to grab her by the hair and crush her in a one-on-one fight.  

“This can’t happen, this can’t happen……”  

Creak.  

Creak.  

At this rate, they’ll break through to the 10th floor in no time, and I’ll be forced into a humiliating position, begging, 

‘I’ll be an obedient bitch, you can use my body however you want, please forgive meeeeeee………..’ 

……Not bad.  

No, bad!  

I’m a demon! 

A reigning demon!  

I can’t, heh, submit to humans!  

Soon after.  

6th floor, 10th area.  

Watching the Goblin Lord’s head fly off with a single arrow from the archer,  

Ellis trembled in terror, and the next day.  

7th floor, 3rd area, 7th floor, 6th area, 7th floor, 9th area…  

Watching the heroes clear the floors at an insane speed, Ellis trembled in fear but also became captivated by a strange fantasy.  

“?”  

The next day too.  

“Huh……?”  

And the day after that.  

The heroes only repeated clearing the 7th floor, 9th area, ten times before leaving the tower.  

“Why……?”  

Ellis, who had already practiced the humiliating OXXko dance in her fantasies, with her corruption training progress at 98%, left a question in the air, unsure whether to be happy or sad.