Chapter 34: The Arrival of the Storm

"What’s that shabby-looking building over there, Ains?"

"Huh? That? …Oh, that’s probably a beach hut."

"A beach hut?"

"Yeah. It’s a place where beachgoers can eat, rest, and take shelter from the sun."

"Hmm. I see. Then what about that thing?"

"Uh, that’s… um…"

Right now, I was walking with the Demon King near Zex’s private beach, having wandered into a nearby public swimming area.

Zex had business to attend to today and left us on our own. Meanwhile, His Majesty the Demon King suddenly decided he wanted to “observe how common folk spend their leisure at seaside resorts.” And somehow, I ended up as his guide.

Come to think of it… why me, exactly?

Kamina had offered to accompany me as my bodyguard, but since we couldn’t risk people realizing Princess Sonia was away, she stayed behind at Eclear Castle as her double.

Honestly, though, with the Demon King around, I don’t need extra protection. If anything, it’s overkill.

…Still, walking side by side with him on a public beach—it’s no wonder everyone’s staring.

I could feel their gazes stabbing into me from every direction.

From the men: hungry, lustful eyes sweeping up and down my body. (For the record, I’m wearing a bikini with a cardigan over it.)
From the women: sharp, jealous glares that could probably kill.

Oh no. I have no allies here!

"What’s wrong, Ains? You look rather grim."

"A-ah, it’s nothing at all."

I forced a laugh to cover my nerves.

The Demon King, of course, was completely unfazed by the crowd’s attention. He was definitely drawing plenty of looks too—envy from men, admiration from women—but he didn’t seem to notice or care.

As expected of the Demon King, really.

"So this is how people here bask in sunlight. I suppose one cannot deny that sunbathing promotes good health."

"Ah—well, there are some health benefits, sure, but most people just do it for fun."

"Hm. I see… So this is what humans call ‘recreation.’"

He muttered thoughtfully, as if analyzing some grand mystery of the mortal world.

After we’d been walking for a while, the Demon King suddenly stopped.

"What is it, Lord Maor?"

"…Hmm. That frozen delicacy they were selling earlier—‘shaved ice,’ I believe—has caught my interest."

"Shaved ice, huh."

Apparently, there’s a trade that transports ice stored in mountain caves during winter all the way to southern regions like this. Thanks to magical refrigeration, even this hot coastal area can enjoy shaved ice, once considered a luxury.

Of course, unlike in my old world, it’s quite pricey here—a true delicacy.

"Anyway, I’m going back to buy some."

"Eh… wait, really?"

"Heh. Don’t look at me with those pleading eyes. I’ll get one for you too, so just wait here."

"Ah, wait—!"

Before I could stop him, the Demon King vanished like the wind.

It happened in an instant.

…

…Wait a second. Did he just leave me behind again?

A wave of unease washed over me. The sense of security I’d felt moments ago evaporated completely.

Uh-oh. My strongest bodyguard just disappeared.

I glanced around, hoping to spot Berial—my loyal little dog-shaped demon familiar—but he wasn’t anywhere nearby either. Right, he went out early this morning…

With the Demon King gone, the only “armor” I had left was the flimsy fabric I was wearing.

Eek! Please don’t leave the poor little lamb alone in a den of wolves!

"Hey there, cutie. You all by yourself?"

As expected, the moment the Demon King vanished, I was immediately surrounded by a group of sleazy-looking guys.

Seriously—five of you? Isn’t that a bit much? Got nothing better to do?

"Why don’t you hang out with us?"
"It’ll be fun, promise."
"Yeah, seriously!"

They closed in, forming a loose circle to cut off my escape.

Ugh. How annoying.

"I-I’m sorry, but I’m waiting for someone right now," I said, keeping my tone polite.

"What? Any guy who’d leave a cute girl like you alone isn’t worth your time."
"Exactly."
"Forget him—come have fun with us."

"N-no, I really can’t—"

I could feel irritation bubbling up inside me.

Why the hell did I have to end up in this situation?

This is all the Demon King’s fault for ditching me!

He’s supposed to escort me properly. That’s his duty.
Yes—absolutely. I’m right about this.

"Come on, let’s go."

One of them grabbed my arm, trying to drag me along.

"I said stop it!"

Instinctively, I twisted my wrist, locking his joint and forcing him to let go.

He yelped and stumbled back, giving me just enough time to pull free.

Guess my training with Kamina’s finally paying off—in the weirdest possible way.

"Oww!"

He laughed it off and started creeping closer again, joined by the others grinning wickedly.

"…Ugh."

Why does it always have to turn into something like this? I wanted to cry.

My mind scrambled for a plan, cycling through desperate escape ideas.

Can I do this…? Yeah. I can.

I gathered my resolve, tightening my core and bracing myself for what was coming next.

Yes. We of the Royal House of Sugarcreek are a family of warriors.
If I back down here, the honor of our lineage will be tarnished!

Who am I?
That’s right—I am Sonia, First Princess of the Sugarcreek Kingdom!

…
……

"Haahhh!"

I focused my energy, drew back my fist at my hip, and—using the spring of my waist and perfect footwork—drove a full-powered straight punch right into the nose bridge of the sleazy guy standing before me.

"Guheh!"

His nose burst with blood as he went flying backward.

Without missing a beat, I spun on my heel and landed a sharp roundhouse kick squarely on the cheek of the man to my side.

"Gwah!"

He crumpled to his knees and fell face-first into the sand.

When I turned toward the rest, their eyes flickered in panic.
Looks like they hadn’t expected me to fight back—and they were already losing their nerve.

Not wasting that moment, I lunged straight at the biggest one—their apparent leader.
He swung his fist wildly, but I deflected it with a knife-hand block and slipped around to his flank.

"…Ah."

The man let out a dumbfounded noise.

I ignored it and slammed a palm strike up into his jaw, following immediately with a perfectly timed sweep kick.

He flipped backward beautifully through the air before crashing headfirst into the sand.

And just like that, silence fell across the beach.

Heh. Perfect.

"…Anyone else feel like trying their luck?"

I glared down at them with my most triumphant smirk.

……
……

…Or at least, that was the glorious battle scene playing out in my head when something completely different happened.

"Hey, wait—"
"Is that what I think it is…?"
"Holy crap, we gotta get outta here!"

Muttering frantically to each other, the sleazy guys suddenly bolted, scattering in every direction like cockroaches.

…Heh. I see. They must’ve finally realized what kind of powerful aura I was giving off.
Pathetic weaklings.

But strangely, it wasn’t just them—everyone around started screaming and fleeing the same way, toward where those guys had run.

Hmm. That’s… odd.

When I turned toward the ocean to see what was happening, I saw crowds of swimmers shrieking and scrambling away as fast as they could.

I just stood there, frozen.

And then—it arrived right in front of me.

"Heh heh heh! Found you at last, you filthy harlot!"

The voice came from above—from atop the head of something enormous looming before me.

Sure enough, it was that same indescribable giant octopus creature I’d encountered before at the Torte Central Market.

But this time, there was one key difference.

A small human figure was standing proudly on top of the octopus’s head.

"…W-wait—oh no, this is really bad!"

I bolted without a second thought.

Fighting something like that is not in my job description!

Damn it! What kind of incompetent worldkeeper lets this happen?
Throwing an Elder God–level boss like Cthul—well, you-know-who—at a low-level explorer is absolute amateur-hour GMing!

If I were a TRPG player right now, I’d be punching the Keeper straight in the face!

…but the size difference between us was overwhelming, and running through sand was slowing me down. After a few frantic steps, I slipped and fell, and the monstrous octopus caught up to me.

"…Tch."

So this is how it ends.

Just as I thought that, the small figure on the octopus’s head suddenly shouted "Haaah!" and leapt down.

She spun gracefully in midair and landed before me with a stylish, flawless pose.

Then, rising smoothly to her feet, she glared daggers straight at me.

She looked like a cute girl—probably a bit younger than me.

Long, straight black hair. Delicate features with a distinctly Japanese air.
But her outfit—a frilly black dress, pure gothic lolita fashion.

The girl walked toward me with slow, deliberate steps.

When she reached me, she stopped and pointed a finger right in my face.

"You filthy tramp! How dare you get close to my brother!"

Wh—what is this girl even talking about!?

"Uh, wait—m-maybe you’ve got the wrong person?"

I raised both hands in a surrender pose, trying to defuse the situation.

"Hmph! Don’t play dumb, you hussy! You’ve bewitched my brother, you wicked witch! And today, I’ve come to deliver divine punishment!"

With that, the girl struck a dramatic pose, hand raised before her face.

…Wait. Who even is this kid!?