He Became the Only Ally of the Abandoned Warrior

EP.1

“Not yet! Do you think this will be the end here?!”

The final showdown.

Cornered, the Demon King lashed out.

Exuding dark, blood-colored magical energy, it attacked wildly, but the Shield Knight Rainfold defended himself at the front with his large shield.

“Annihilation!”

“Gwaaaah!”

“Rainfold!”

As the Demon King gripped his hand, Rainfold’s arm buckled along with his shield.

Witnessing her fiancé’s injury, Hero Lucy screamed while Saintess Arcil swiftly cast holy healing on Rainfold.

“I’m fine! Just deal with that monster!”

“Lucy! Finish it off quickly! Don’t worry about your injuries! I can heal you all!”

Rainfold and Arcil shouted in unison, quickly readying their stances against the Demon King.

“Be careful!”

Once more, as the Demon King raised his hand, Elf Archer Nydrian shot an arrow to disrupt him.

Having no choice, the Demon King swatted away the arrow, causing a surge of magical energy to explode.

“Net, Weakening, Fear, Slow.”

Seizing the moment, Wizard Tigria cast her spell.

Utilizing simple words typical of the Hero Party, she executed a spell that significantly dulled the Demon King’s movements.

“This is it!”

Continuing to shoot arrows, Nydrian ensnared the Demon King.

“This time, I’m definitely going for the finishing blow!”

Clashing her fists together, Arcil infused the holy powers into the Hero’s Holy Sword Hnonni.

“Optimal opportunity.”

This time, Tigria launched offensive magic, driving the Demon King further into a corner.

“Lucy! Do it!”

Still valiantly withstanding the billowing black magical energy, Rainfold stood firm.

Under their encouragement, the Hero raised Hnonni high.

“I draw!”

A dazzling light enveloped Hnonni.

“For a peaceful day with you!”

With her heavy yet noble Holy Sword, Lucy struck with all her might.

“Uwaaaah!”

The radiance sliced through the black magical energy.

Shattering the unholy force, the sacred power cleaved the Demon King diagonally in half.

“Keugh…!”

In the end, the Demon King fell to her knees.

Even as she collapsed, the Demon King fixed her gaze solely on one spot.

At the end of that gaze was the Porter, trembling alone in the distance, holding a small shield.

“You know this isn’t the end, right…? I will definitely…!”

But before she could finish her words, she disintegrated into black powder.

Thud.

Leaving behind a solitary, imposing horn.

“Ha… ha… We did it!”

“It’s not over yet. We have to put that horn in the coffin!”

Gasping for breath, Lucy was reminded by Arcil that it wasn’t completely finished yet.

Unfortunately, the task of placing the horn fell to the combatants.

Hero Lucy, brushing her sweaty red hair back, expressed her irritation.

“Hey, Porter! Why aren’t you rushing over here right now?!”

“Yes!”

The Porter wore a peculiar mask.

The mask, with slits for eyes and a wide smile, had holes that weren’t quite right, yet somehow he managed to see where he was going.

In truth, what was strange was not the mask but the existence of the Porter himself.

The reason he was assigned to carry the holy coffin as proof of the Demon King’s subjugation was that he could easily manage the massive inventory burden of the coffin.

To be exact, he could carry the coffin as well.

“Here it is!”

“…You want me to handle that magical energy?”

As he retrieved the holy coffin from the special item “Porter’s Bag,” Lucy frowned once more.

The Porter glanced around anxiously.

With only somewhat enhanced strength and a special item that allowed him to carry various tools and a sturdy body, he found it hard to cope with the magical energy emanating from the horn.

“Damn it, I’m at my limit.”

Immediately, the Saintess shook her head.

The other party members, excluding the typically expressionless wizard, also showed signs of trouble.

Such was the intensity of the battle against the Demon King that everyone was completely exhausted.

Ultimately, the Porter swallowed hard and approached the horn.

The energy radiating from it was no laughing matter, and he could feel it from even a size smaller than the palm of his hand.

Tzzzzzz…

“Gwaaaah!”

Despite trying to quickly snatch it, his arm holding the horn turned black in an instant.

It was clearly magical corruption.

However, none of the party members were surprised or worried.

Such was the treatment of the non-combatant Porter.
“It’s not like I’m trembling behind my shield after facing the Demon King alone!”

“Ughhh!”

With all his might, he placed the horn into the holy coffin and closed the lid, finally stopping the magical energy from seeping out.

Yet, the Porter’s arm was still sizzling.

“Stop being so dramatic! Rainfold managed to keep it together even after his arm was wrecked!”

That was an undeniable fact.

The Shield Knight’s arm had indeed been crushed by the Demon King.

And the Saintess had healed him immediately.

But the problem was that the Saintess wasn’t healing the Porter while berating him.

“Finally, it’s over!”

Lucy, filled with joy, jumped into her fiancé’s arms.

Rainfold received her with a laborious smile.

“Be careful, Lucy. The way the Demon King thrashed about, it left a cliff behind us.”

Indeed, just as Rainfold said, what had once been a battlefield at a high elevation had turned into a steep cliff after the fierce battle.

To think a single fight could alter the landscape so dramatically—truly the hallmark of a Demon King.

“Now we’ll return to the Empire and have our wedding!”

“Haha, first we need to take care of the aftermath. We should properly allocate the rewards.”

“Hmph.”

Rainfold’s bright smile stirred Lucy’s annoyance.

“What rewards can the Imperial Family and those snobby nobles claim when they just waited safely in the Empire while we risked our lives fighting?”

“Lucy, the Imperial Family and the nobility have all done their part from where they stood. They were the ones keeping the other demon forces in check, allowing us to fight the Demon King.”

“That’s nonsense. We could push forward, smashing through those demon forces ourselves. They just caused a fuss because the frontline got a bit closer to the Empire, forcing us to crash into the Demon King!”

“Lucy.”

“‘Hero, stop the demon forces! Hero, take down the Demon King!’ They’re just all talk, those cowards! All useless and stupid. Especially that princess. She became the crown princess by sheer luck after all her siblings died, yet she struts around as if she owns the place…”

“Lucy!”

“Alright, alright.”

With her fiancé’s commanding tone, Lucy reluctantly ceased her complaints.

She certainly liked the charming and kind blond knight, but it was hard to suppress her resentment when it came to royalty and nobility.

Lucy believed that her fiancé should always take her side.

But she had crossed the line.

Pouting, Lucy stepped to the edge of the cliff and couldn’t help but utter the words no one wanted to hear.

“Maybe we should just oust the head of that wretched Empire when we return…”

And at that moment, the atmosphere shifted.

Expecting Rainfold to come comfort her, Lucy frowned and turned around when there was no response.

There, standing in stark silence, were the expressionless Wizard, the Saintess, the Archer, and lastly, Rainfold, all regarding her with cold, piercing gazes.

“Wha-what’s this? Why is everyone looking at me like that…”

“Capture, Rotate, Move, Crush.”

Crack!

In an instant, Lucy’s left leg twisted at an unnatural angle and was severed.

Losing her balance, Lucy could only emit a sound akin to air escaping from a balloon.

“Uh…?”

“Lucy!”

In disbelief, the Saintess conjured her holy power and rushed towards her.

“Arcil… that crazy girl just….”

Thud!

“Aaaah!”

In an unexpected turn, rather than healing Lucy with her holy power, the Saintess grabbed her right arm and crushed it.

Squelch!

Just before hitting the ground, two arrows, seemingly from nowhere, struck through Lucy’s arms, tearing her apart from the air.

Plop.

It sounded like something heavy being thrown into a puddle.

That was the grand noise made as the hero who had slain the Demon King landed on the ground.

“Rainfold—!”

Lucy instinctively called out for her beloved.

She anxiously sought the Shield Knight who had guarded her without laying a finger on her.

“Ah…”

However, seeing the look in Rainfold’s eyes as he approached her, she was immediately engulfed by despair.

“Why…?”

She couldn’t understand.

They had fought side by side, hadn’t they?

Why were her comrades—those who had just risked their lives to defeat the Demon King—now looking at her this way?

The answer came from Rainfold.

“Hero Lucy, now that the Demon King has vanished, you have become the greatest threat to the Empire.”

“What are you talking about… Rainfold… Morgon! Why would I be a threat to the Empire…?”

“You’ve been too presumptuous. Constantly showing hostility towards the Imperial Family. Publicly stating you plan to overthrow them.”

“Rainfold!”

“Under the orders of Crown Princess Linacien Carlun, I, Morgon Rainfold, along with the Hero Party, will arrest you, Sorceress Luciena Estelle, for rebellion!”
The knight raises his shield.

Below, the sharpened edge was designed to push back and strike the enemies.

Without hesitation, Rainfold jabbed the tip of his shield into Lucy’s remaining thigh.

Crack!

“Argh!”

Crack!

“Morgon—!!!”

Crack!

Though it was just a shield, it was still sharp.

Amidst the crushing pain of shattered bones and mangled flesh, Lucy suddenly realized.

Rainfold had never called her by name up until now.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Blood poured out as doubts began to bloom.

“You… planned this from the start…?”

Crack!

“W-What about loving me…?!”

The knight raised his shield one last time, offering a final act of mercy.

“I’ve only ever had feelings for Linacien Carlun.”

That mercy was an answer to her doubts, and the descending shield effortlessly severed her last remaining left leg, now nothing but a rag.

Yet, the pain in her heart far outweighed that of her lost limbs.

An unbelievable reality.

No, the reality she had believed in was a festivity of lies.

“Are you going to kill him?”

“Now that we’ve severed her limbs, we should bind her and escort her to the Empire. As a demonstration alongside the declaration of defeating the Demon King, we’ll make her an example on the streets to reinforce the imperial authority.”

“Tsk, sure doesn’t leave her with much attachment to her body.”

The fallen hero listened blankly to the conversation between the Saintess and the knight, her heart sinking.

Even when the Wizard used magic to cauterize her severed limbs under the knight’s orders, she only flinched, providing no further reaction.

“Surely you haven’t forgotten our promise?”

“It’s not over yet. The contract stipulates we escort her to the Empire. Nydrian, don’t be too hasty.”

Is this how it ends?

“Seems like they have a point. We need verification; surely you haven’t forgotten the promise?”

“I never expected the Saintess to harbor such deep suspicions.”

Not that she had expected much at all.

“If we were to break down the contract, the first step was to subdue the Hero, and the second was to escort her. Therefore, now that the first step is completed, I request a reaffirmation of our promise.”

“Right, I understand. We don’t have time, so we’ll revisit it here.”

All she wanted was a normal daily life with someone she loved, and she had only complained about things that threatened that peace.

“First, you elves, Nydrian…”

Was I that arrogant?

At the moment a single tear rolled down Lucy’s cheek,

“Porter: Spatial Leap.”

An unseen voice, forgotten by everyone else, rang out.

“What?!”

Amid the confusion, someone closed in on Lucy at an unimaginable speed.

It was none other than the Porter.

“Porter?! Damn, I forgot about…!”

“Nydrian, shoot!”

Shoving aside the panicking Arcil, Rainfold shouted urgently, but it was already too late.

No matter how skilled Nydrian was, he couldn’t track the movements of the Porter utilizing the one-time item “Porter: Spatial Leap” with an ultimate mobility skill.

By the time Nydrian pulled out an arrow, the Porter was already cradling Lucy and soaring above the cliff.

“Tigria!!”

“Capture… Failed.”

Leaving their shocked companions behind, the Porter sighed in mid-air.

“Oh, this wasn’t part of the plan.”

The Spatial Leap was more than just a means to increase speed.

It was an ultimate skill that accelerated the outcome of the caster’s actions.

Thus, the speed of falling from the air could not be compared to regular descent.

Splash!

Just as if someone had planned it, the Porter and Lucy were sucked deep into the water below the dizzying heights of the cliff.

Thanks to the Porter’s familiarity with the map structure of the game, this dive was possible.

Especially if it were the final battle map of the original game—there’s no way he wouldn’t know it.

“Luciena—!!!”

From above, Rainfold’s anguished scream echoed.

What a thunderous voice it was.

The Porter, Lin, sighed in relief, even if only internally, deep within the water.

They had left behind the holy coffin containing the Demon King’s horn, so they wouldn’t be chasing right away.

He relaxed his body.

If this followed the DLC’s storyline, they would surely land somewhere decent.

Meanwhile, Lin made sure to hold Lucy’s body closely so that no water would enter her eyes or nose.