I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error Chapter 67
Watching McGrim with tears welling up, I sank into thought for a moment.
‘Why is she here again…….’
Normally, she should have been helping Ren in the student cafeteria.
Even if things twisted, they were twisted far too much.
‘I can’t just keep looking after her forever.’
I was wasting time dealing with this girl instead of taking down the ghouls.
I had to help her pull herself together and send her back to the cafeteria.
‘She doesn’t seem to be as scared of me as I thought.’
Well, whatever.
As long as she wasn’t frightened of me, that was fine.
It meant we could talk.
“……Sir Knight, you’re trapped here as well.”
Sir Knight? Was she referring to me?
I nodded and opened my mouth.
“Yeah.”
“There’s a place where the survivors are gathered, would you like to come with me?”
“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll have to decline.”
I rose to my feet.
“There’s something I must do.”
“Something you must do?”
At her question, I naturally slipped my hand into subspace.
“The same goes for you.”
I pulled something shining from subspace.
I placed it into McGrim’s hand.
“There’s something only you can do as well.”
“……For me too?”
In McGrim’s hand rested the Banshee’s Core, shining like a jewel.
Whoooong!
McGrim spread her large wings wide and shot off somewhere like an arrow.
Her two eyes brimmed with life.
The red sky reflected in them, making her look as if she were blazing.
In her hands, she held the jewel she had received from the ‘Black Knight’.
‘The mission given to me.’
Hearing the knight’s words, she was heading toward the cafeteria.
‘No matter how I struggle, I can’t escape this place.’
There was no way to flee from this barrier.
In that case…… I wouldn’t run anymore.
Just like the Black Knight, I would stand and fight.
Before long she landed on the cafeteria rooftop and looked down at the first floor, where a battle was raging.
Ghouls pressed in, surrounding the building.
Cadets stood on the frontlines, each keeping their distance while holding them back.
Puhhhk!
“Hah, huff…….”
Queens shouted in a weary voice.
“Why did their numbers suddenly swell like this? There are too many, let’s just run already!”
“There’s nowhere left to retreat. We must defend this building at all costs, Senior Queens!”
“Ah, damn it! This isn’t why I joined the combat department!”
Just from hearing their exchange, the situation didn’t sound good.
‘There’s the knight-captain and another fighter too. So that means three of them are guarding the building?’
As McGrim circled above the building and looked down.
She spotted someone else.
Not three, but four.
Shimmering golden hair.
An aura overflowing with nobility.
And magic of the flame attribute, just as beautiful as that aura.
‘……The Princess?’
Why was that bundle of pretense there?
She too was fighting desperately on the frontlines.
‘……Even though she’s the Princess, she’s risking danger to fight?’
I had thought she was a greenhouse flower, yet here she was standing in such a harsh place, defending it.
Nobles, for whom appearances were dearer than life itself, when faced with death’s door, would always throw away their pride and cower.
‘……I thought she’d just shove all the danger onto her subordinates and hide.’
It was a hopeless situation, yet the Princess did not run.
She looked fragile, but at the very least, she had the basics of a ruler.
How many rulers truly possessed such responsibility……
It became a moment to see the Princess in a new light.
‘She’s worth helping, at least.’
When McGrim grasped at the air, a pale pink guitar appeared in her hands.
She fixed the Banshee’s Core onto the guitar and closed her eyes.
‘Focus.’
Before long, her disguise melted away.
She returned to her true self, with pink hair, not the false form.
“Huuuh…….”
Taking a deep breath, McGrim smiled faintly.
Ghouls, you’re lucky—you get to hear the song of this genius diva.
“Something only you can do.”
The Black Knight’s voice brushed her ear.
‘Something only I can do……!’
McGrim opened her eyes wide.
Jiiing! Jiiing!
With mana coursing through, the sound of the guitar rang out, followed by her song.
“……Singing?”
As the song began, Ren and the rest of the fighters noticed strange reactions from the ghouls.
Some suddenly staggered, some grabbed their heads as if in pain.
Thanks to that, taking down the ghouls became much easier.
“Where’s that sound coming from? McGrim’s here too? This is front-page news!”
Even from the kitchen, where curry was being cooked.
“M-McGrim-nim……?”
And on the first-floor frontlines, locked in a desperate struggle with the ghouls.
“……Singing?”
Even in the break room where the barrier was being analyzed.
“……”
Even in the room where Villed was imprisoned.
Everywhere inside the barrier, McGrim’s song resounded.
‘Good.’
McGrim’s hands strumming the guitar revived the fiery passion in her heart, just like when performing live.
Before she knew it, a bright smile spread across her lips.
Playing the guitar with passion, she remembered.
That man.
It was just as the ‘Black Knight’ had said.
Thanks to the jewel attached to the guitar, McGrim’s music was converted into high-frequency waves that only affected ghouls, inflicting mental damage.
‘That’s right, call it McGrim-nim’s new song. Be grateful, you damned ghouls……!’
Countless ghouls flailed their arms or writhed violently.
They looked just like an audience enjoying a live performance.
“W-we survived……!”
Queens threw himself onto the ground and shouted with joy.
Ren and the Princess were exhausted too, but they shared bright smiles.
All the ghouls surrounding the cafeteria had been defeated.
“For now, it should be safe. Let’s go up into the building.”
Verdi said so and opened the tightly shut door.
Creak.
When the door opened, hair mixed with pale pink and blue came into view.
It was McGrim, holding the pink guitar.
“H-huh……! M-McGrim……! T-t-the real McGrim?”
Queens fell backward with a crash and trembled violently.
McGrim transformed back into a cadet with black hair and a beret, then spoke.
“Please keep it a secret that I’m here.”
“Y-y-yes! Of course! Ah, I’m a fan……!”
Though no one knew exactly how she did it, it was certain that McGrim’s help was what made the ghouls act strangely.
“Was it you who helped us? Thank you.”
The Princess approached first and expressed her gratitude.
“……”
McGrim hesitated for a moment, then finally opened her mouth.
“The one who’s imprisoned right now, he wasn’t the culprit.”
“……What do you mean?”
At the sudden words, the Princess blinked.
“Are you saying Villed wasn’t the culprit?”
When the Princess asked again, McGrim nodded.
“That killer…… no, the Black Knight was actually a good person.”
“The Black…… Knight?”
“Yes.”
McGrim recounted what had happened.
The Black Knight and the imprisoned noble heir were different people.
The Black Knight wasn’t committing murder, he was killing ghouls, and he even saved her.
He had even taught her how to defeat ghouls.
She even shared small details, like how he refused to join them.
“So that noble heir is innocent. I’m truly sorry, it was all my mistake.”
At McGrim’s words, the Princess let out a quiet sigh.
“……So it seems.”
The Princess turned to Verdi.
“He managed without trouble while imprisoned. There’s no longer any reason to suspect him.”
The Princess answered calmly.
“Let’s release him.”
The Princess’s command was absolute.
Verdi bowed his head to her.
“Understood.”
When Verdi replied, Curio entered the room where Villed was held, carrying the key.
“……”
Villed sat arrogantly, staring in silence with cold eyes.
His cuffs were unlocked.
Clank. Though the cuffs binding his hands were released, Villed said nothing.
He remained seated in the chair.
The Princess, who had come in late, spoke to Villed.
“The charges have been cleared. You may rise now.”
“……”
Villed kept his mouth tightly shut.
Even as time passed, he did not move, and the Princess thought.
‘……He’s sulking hard.’
She almost burst into laughter.
Of course, she understood.
He had been unjustly framed as the culprit.
But to show his resentment in this way……
‘He might even have a slightly cute side.’
Barely holding back her laughter, the Princess turned her head and spoke.
“When you’ve sorted out your feelings, you may come out.”
The Princess said that to Villed, then left the room with the others.
……Meanwhile, in the cafeteria kitchen.
Everyone except Villed was gathered.
“The curry’s done~!”
Thud!
Wearing kitchen mitts, Haze placed the pot of curry on the table.
The aroma of smooth yet spicy seasonings spread through the air.
“Come now, everyone must be hungry, eat up and regain your strength!”
Bowls already filled with curry were placed on the table.
Each sat down and began to eat.
“Maybe it’s because I nearly died, but this tastes amazing!”
When Queens let out a small exclamation, Haze answered proudly.
“That’s a relief~ I like cooking just as much as reporting.”
Rupina, who had completely emptied her bowl, replied gently.
“Thank you for making something delicious.”
“Thanks to Junior Lapin’s help, it turned out even better. Would you like another bowl?”
“Yes.”
Haze served curry to Lapin and spoke.
“Oh right, earlier I heard McGrim’s song. The ones who went down to the first floor heard it too, right? Did you see McGrim? If she’s here, I want to go cover it right away……!”
“Why would McGrim even be here…….”
Bijou answered with a sigh.
“I was the one who played McGrim-nim’s song. I thought fighting while listening to it would give us more strength.”
Queens, glancing nervously at McGrim, improvised a reply.
“……Of course, McGrim wouldn’t really be here. I’m such a fool!”
Haze answered with a laugh.
In the middle of the meal.
“……”
Seeing the Princess hesitate while looking at the only empty seat, Curio immediately understood.
“I’ll deliver that bowl to Sir Villed.”
“All right. Please do.”
Curio carried the bowl and headed to the prison room.
As expected, Villed was still sitting there.
Curio placed the curry on the table and spoke.
“Here’s your meal. Please eat.”
“……”
He remained expressionless, sitting in his chair without moving.
Glance.
For the first time, movement appeared in Villed’s eyes.
Curio flinched at his sudden reaction……
But his gaze was fixed on the curry.
‘……So he’s hungry after all.’
Of course, that made sense.
He had been starving for quite some time.
‘Is he really that hungry?’
Curio looked at him with slightly startled eyes.
Drool was running down from the corner of Villed’s mouth.
He was a man who disguised himself with composure, hiding his true self completely.
Until now, no one could read his true thoughts.
‘……So even he has a sloppy side.’
Even someone like him, so impenetrable, couldn’t withstand hunger.
Perhaps she even felt glad to have discovered a piece of his heart through this.
She pushed the curry a little closer to Villed.
Villed’s gaze fixed even more intently on the curry.
His unusually eager reaction amused Curio.
As if entertained, Curio scooped some curry with a spoon and waved it left and right, and his gaze followed it exactly.
Even so, Villed absolutely refused to open his mouth.
Anyone watching might think it was torture.
At this point, she stopped the teasing, as his state seemed pitiful.
“Sir Villed, you may eat.”
“……”
“There’s no demand tied to this food. It’s not poisoned either.”
“……”
“I mean it. If you’re worried about poison, I can taste it first.”
“……”
Villed only stared with cold eyes, drooling at the corner of his mouth.