Chapter 17

Hidden bosses.

As the name suggests, they are secret enemies in games that only appear after meeting certain conditions, or by defeating a certain number of normal bosses from the main story. In many cases, they are much stronger than the final boss; although this depends on the game in question.

Well, in the case of the Duke of Dranalian, although he wasn't the most powerful Hidden Boss in the HAD game, he could certainly kill countless Intermediate-Class Devils with tremendous ease with his unparalleled swordsmanship, inflicting laceration damage left and right to the players and their NPC Companions until they were either torn to pieces or slowly died from the continuous [Bleeding] state.

As the highest-ranking Knight within the Hazar Empire, leading powerful knights against the warring demons, Astaroth Sophrein von Dranalian's power was no small feat; it was a true power that many both admired and feared.

The Duke of the North was perfectly capable of fighting the heroine/hero and their harem to the death by himself if he wanted, putting even those extremely talented swordsmen in a bind, not to mention bringing two of his loyal and powerful subordinates with him to prevent you from escaping his clutches once you are ambushed.

The damage he dealt was truly terrifying, and it was very difficult to deal damage to this formidable enemy not only because he is so fast and agile, but also because, being a human, he is smaller than the leaders of the demon race; creating a situation where you can end up hurting a teammate in battle against him (usually only a concern on Normal mode and above).

Naturally, fighting such a boss required a lot from the team's DD and main tank to be able to contain him and his subordinates.

And the only ones who could effectively damage them or interrupt them without running a huge risk of dying quickly are the party's RDD and the one who causes debuff to the enemies, who would be protected by the hero/heroine from constant threats, but who were sometimes questioned given the high difficulty...

Astaroth was actually a pretty strong hidden boss, second only to the much younger and evil Crown Prince of Hazar... and all you have to do to make him show up as a hidden boss is kill his only remaining daughter, Claudia, instead of arresting her.

Many players who found it easier to do the former regretted their decision after facing an enraged Astaroth in the hours after leaving the Imperial capital to go on an adventure or explore secret sites within it.

My father was very powerful and difficult to defeat even on easy mode, and fighting him was only sought out by those who enjoyed extreme difficulties. Most found it easier to ally with the other hidden boss (the Crown Prince, who only appears as an enemy under even stricter conditions) to imprison Claudia without freeing her than to kill her.

At least they were able to continue with the real story without hindrance... Well, it was mainly because the only loot Astaroth gave as the Hidden Boss was a wedding ring...

Anyway... right now I, Ekaterina-sensei, have to inform you that I am in a rather troublesome situation.

And my beloved Tutor is now under threat from the powerful hidden chieftain, Astaroth Sophrein von Dranalian, alias my father!

The murderous pressure released from his body was terrifying as he stood there with a face as cold as ice, and I wasn't the target!

My father at that time looked quite similar to the demons he killed judging by his aura alone, and looking into his eyes would probably make the average human freeze like a statue, completely overwhelmed by his strong presence.

Perhaps due to his overwhelming anger, my father's magical energy subtly leaked from his body, creating a space of chaotic magical energy that tingled on my skin and numbed my senses. It was extremely uncomfortable, and the wind roared with a subtle force as it slightly lifted my and Jessica's hair.

Arturo, the target of her anger, paled until he looked like a walking dead, I on the other hand shrank in fear, at the same time Drupi got into a fight or flight position... and Jessica simply stood expressionless by his side as if nothing had happened!

What a woman...! No, that's not it!

"Father... you're scaring me...! Please calm down!"

Trying to rectify the situation, I struggled to speak to draw his attention to me, even though I was trembling. It wasn't a lie that I was scared, so he should listen to me as long as I sounded pitiful enough, right?

Unfortunately my father did not think that way.

—Stay there for a moment, Ekaterina. Right now I'm thinking about the most appropriate punishment I should give this piece of shit for daring to touch your adorable little hand with his filthy lips…—The voice coming from her lips seemed to come from hell itself as she kept her gaze on Arthur, and only Arthur.

My face filled with confusion at those words... Kiss... my hand?

None of that happened!

I probably imagined it, but nothing like that actually happened... What's with this sudden misunderstanding? Could it be that... from his position, it looked like Arthur was kissing my hands?

"Father, this is a malem–"

—Shut up, dear, I've already decided what punishment this scum will receive...— The wind grew stronger with those terrifying words.

He doesn't want to listen to me at all!

Is this how Arthur is going to die? Because of a misunderstanding? I'm so sorry...

No, no, I should clear up the misunderstanding! But will Dad listen to me? He seems ready to kill you in so many ways right now! I don't think he'll listen to me!

I was immediately reminded of the countless deaths Arthur experienced at the hands of Astaroth within the game, none of which were particularly pleasant, and I couldn't help but imagine something similar happening before my eyes...

Oh gods, please no!

Arturo, for his part, now seemed resigned to accepting death as his soul tried to escape through his mouth to avoid possible torture...

"Astaroth-sama, please don't swear in front of Ekaterina-sama. You know that I will be forced to inform Mireia-sama if your undignified actions continue. Furthermore, you are frightening Ekaterina-sama greatly with your behavior that is no different from that of a criminal. Mireia-sama will not be happy when she finds out how you are negatively affecting the girls' education..."

Against all my expectations, it was Jessica's extremely calm warning in the midst of the storm that delayed an impending disaster for my guardian when the wild magical energy suddenly calmed along with the wind and my father paled just like us; albeit for a different reason, as he began to clear his throat.

—I-there's no need to go that far, is there? It was just a minor slip of the tongue in a fit of anger. Nothing to make a big deal about, right? Please don't tell Mireia. I won't do it again...

"Fine, I'll let it go as long as Astaroth-sama can control his bad behavior in front of his daughters. He can't ruin their education with such a casual speech again."

—Yes, of course, I must be a good example for my daughters. That way I won't make that mistake again... Are you really not going to tell Mireia?

My father pleaded with the maid in a weak, somewhat plaintive voice, who merely nodded in response, leaving us dumbfounded by their exchange, which sounded like a mother scolding her child. Arthur, in particular, seemed to find the whole thing absurd, but he remained silent, afraid of attracting Satan's—that is, my father's—attention once again.

For my part, I reflected on something important. On something I'd forgotten: that a father fears his mother as much as he loves her... and how I should take advantage of that for the future...

"Ekaterina... I'm so sorry if I scared you carelessly. That wasn't what I meant to do, but Dad was really angry about what he saw. I'm so sorry..." My father lowered his head as he apologized to me. Suddenly, which brought me out of my thoughts as I blinked.

—Ah… don't worry, Father. I understand that it was a misunderstanding that led him to act that way, so I forgive you.

"Huh? A misunderstanding?" My father looked confused as he frowned and repeated my words.

“Yes, unlike what you imagined, Jairo-sama wasn’t kissing my hand; he was simply checking the stability of the Tamer Magic Crest in the palm of my hand.” I raised my hand to show the Crest as proof, and my father widened his eyes in surprise before putting on a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Oh... Is that so? I see... I rushed for nothing... hahaha... how silly of me..." He said that while looking up from me, as if he was going to find something interesting in the sky.

Hey... did he just blush? Fufu, I see Dad can be cute too.

"Ahem"

Father quickly cleared his throat once more in an attempt to regain his dignity (He failed, obviously) and looked back at Arthur with a stern expression, who trembled under his terrifying gaze once more, though he didn't seem as scared as before... possibly because of the pathetic display earlier.

Leaving that aside, he began to speak with what was clearly an excuse for his presence.

"I had just been informed that a strange ritual was being performed here with Ekaterina in the middle of it. I wanted to verify that it was happening quickly and that's why I came here, I didn't expect it to be just the ritual for taming magical beasts... But... Can Sir Arthur explain to me why that requires you to touch my daughter's hands? Even if you say it's to check the stability of the Crest or whatever, couldn't the almighty Archmage Merlin's star disciple do it from a distance?"

Father, there's no way Jessica doesn't know what the Taming Ritual is, right? You were just using this as an excuse to make your presence felt in the midst of my trials!

What if Arturo touches my hands? I'm not going to die from that, you know?

...you just don't want any other man to touch me, right? God... How am I going to marry a father like that in the future? Do I risk being single for the rest of my life?

That's what I thought as I rolled my eyes, but with effort I kept it to myself.

.....No, wait, what was I supposed to be thinking right now? Something about bleak marriage prospects...?

No, no, no, I'm not going to marry anyone, much less a man! How does that matter to me?

God... My thoughts are getting really strange lately, the evil system is really evil for doing something so cruel to an innocent soul like me...

<That's not me>

Be quiet!

Controlling his breathing to calm his trembling body, Arthur opened his mouth with force of will and spoke with a calmness that belied his inner fear, bringing me back to reality, "Duke Astaroth, I hope you will allow me to explain the reason for my actions without interruption until I am finished... Is that okay?"

My father frowned at her request, but nodded with a fake magnanimous attitude as if to look good in front of his daughter (aka me) as he responded with, "Okay, go on."

Arturo sighed softly and began to speak,

“As you imply, Duke, I am able to analyze the Magic Emblem from a distance without the need for physical contact…” Feeling a sense of danger that even I perceived, he hurriedly continued, “But for the sake of efficiency, touching the emblem would allow me to more accurately detect any problems within its components that would be very difficult to capture otherwise.”

Fortunately, there's no problem with the Princess's Crest that we need to worry about. In fact, I can confidently say that the Crests formed by the Ritual on the princess's body and her tamed beast are close to perfection, demonstrating excellent quality in magic circuits that would easily become the envy of many tamers. If you were to see them, it's quite impressive, to be honest; it was a result I didn't expect at all when I began the ritual.

Hearing those words from his tutor, my father closed his eyes and immediately put on a smug expression, saying in a proud voice while laughing, "Fumu, I see... Hahaha, as expected of my daughter, she's quite talented. I guess I really was acting too exaggerated for nothing. Although I don't like my daughter being touched recklessly, it can't be helped if it's just for the sake of her safety."

He seemed quite pleased with Arturo's assessment as he crossed his arms behind his back while looking at me with shining eyes, causing an awkward smile to appear on my face.

Isn't Arthur unexpectedly good at this? He literally calmed my father's anger by indirectly praising my talent as a tamer, which made him forget about the hand issue by treating it as something inevitable!

I really must learn from him... Wait a minute, couldn't it be that he actually said all that with pure sincerity, without sugarcoating or ulterior motives?

I secretly looked at Arturo's face, and he looked serious and sincere. I knew full well he was terrible at acting, so I was stunned and shook my head slightly in disbelief.

Forget it, he wasn't spouting flowery words like the other nobles. He was being sincere with his assessment of me, wow...

Will this guy be lucky to get out of this with those words?

—Well, what is Ekaterina's tamed beast?

She asked with a beautiful smile.

""...Excuse me?" Arturo and I spoke at the same time in response to that studious question while Jessica sighed silently.

As if that didn't please him, his father asked again in a slightly displeased tone in Arthur's direction: "I asked you what your Tamed Beast is."

-It's Drupi, isn't it?

My tutor's tone was uncertain and he clearly seemed to be wondering why it was necessary to ask such a question.

Immediately, my father put on an even more somber expression than when Arthur supposedly kissed my hand in his perspective... but it quickly disappeared as he put on a neutral expression.

"Is that so?" He looked impassively at my beloved horned rabbit, who was now just staring at him indifferently as if to say, "What are you looking at, human?"

What's going on here? Why does it seem like my father doesn't think much of Drupi?

I felt a sense of apprehension at his attitude which did not seem to favor either my pet or my Tamed Beast.

Did something happen that I don't know about...?

"Father, Rina-chan! What's going on here?"

Suddenly, from the entrance of the Great Garden, my older sister appeared wearing a beautiful one-piece dress and her hair tied back in a ponytail, who upon seeing us ran towards us with a curious look before suddenly freezing.

One of her friends, Chinira-tan, froze as if she was following her from behind while her mouth was slightly open.

What's wrong with you...? Hey? Why are you clasping your hands in front of your chests at the same time? Why are you blushing a little? Because this looks eerily familiar...?

"H-hello...sir..."

"Hello..."

-Ah...yes, good afternoon, Princess Claudia, Miss...

"Chinira"

"Good afternoon, Chinira-sama."

"And..."

They both greeted and spoke timidly to Arthur while looking at my tutor with eyes shining with admiration. It was evident they were delighted with his appearance...

"..."

I don't know why, but I feel comforted because I wasn't the only one who reacted this way to seeing Arturo. I guess this is normal?

Could it be like this...? I feel like there's something wrong with that behavior...

<He asked me what it was>

Understand!

Suddenly, the atmosphere around me cooled again and my father looked at Arturo again with a murderous expression, making him fear for his life again.

"..." I lit a candle in my heart silently.

It's true that I'm not the only one with bleak marriage prospects...

Forgetting for a moment the rejection I had before towards these thoughts, deep down I felt a sad camaraderie with my older sister due to the jealous father we shared...