Settled

Gashaaan!!

The sudden impact shook the study, causing everyone inside to stagger and fall.

Worst hit was Mauve, who had been by the window; he took the Queen's headbutt head-on and was sent flying, still clutching Sara.

“......Sara!!”

Sara had apparently been shielded from the flying debris by the body of Mauve, who held her, and outwardly she hadn't a scratch on her.

Mauve, on the other hand, was in a terrible state, covered in blood and severely injured, especially on his back where he had taken the brunt of the impact.

Both had lost consciousness and didn't move a muscle.

Seeing his chance, Martz tried to move to rescue Sara...... but rubble thrown loose by the impact had pinned his lower body, and he couldn't move!

He looked around the room.

His wife, Emma, had likely been knocked unconscious by the shock.

She lay collapsed on the floor.

“Aaah! Emma-sama! Emma-samaaa!!”

The butler Sneigen was safe...... but he was shaken and confused, seeing the fallen Emma.

In this state, Sneigen couldn't hear a word Martz said.

“Gi, gi, gi...... kakaka!”

A strange sound echoed from the throat of the giant Queen, whose head was thrust into the study.

“!!!”

Drawing on the knowledge he had gained during his days as an adventurer, Martz instantly realized the danger.

That was the windup for 【Poison Breath】!

“D, damn it! Move! Moooove!!”

Martz struggled to clear the rubble pinning his lower body, but he couldn't break free!

The Queen's gaze was fixed straight on Sara.

Worst of all, the target of the breath was his beloved daughter.

“Hey! Monster! Over here! Look over heeere!!”

He shouted at the top of his lungs to draw the attention of the Queen, who was extending her long neck even further toward Sara, but she didn't look his way at all.

She didn't even spare him a single glance.

Those three eyes, which should have been glowing red, were cloudy and white...... and there was no trace of will within them.

“Gi...... gigi, gigya”

The Queen opened her mouth wide, facing Sara.

All was lost.

Once it came to this, the breath would come in a matter of seconds.

“Damn! Damn, damn! DAMMIIIIIIIIIT!!”

Powerless!

So utterly powerless!

The despair of having his daughter right there, right in front of his eyes, and being unable to save her!

Martz screamed!

Help me! Someone!

Someone save my daughter!

I'm begging you!!

......God!!

That was when it happened.

Racing up the Queen's neck, a small black shadow leaped into the room through the hole in the wall.

It was Emi, the maid apprentice!

Leaping, twirling as she came down to land, Emi planted herself in the Queen's way.

She was a sight: covered in blood, her clothes in tatters, utterly exhausted and battered all over.

Even so, with fighting spirit dwelling in those deep black eyes, the girl had come.

To protect, her friend!!

“BUSHUAAAH!!”

Immediately after, the Queen unleashed her 【Poison Breath】.

Emi spread her small body as wide as she could and stood her ground, shielding Sara from the breath.

Taking the poison into her own body in Sara's stead.

“Gi, gi......”

“......Geho.”

Even after taking the full force of the 【Poison Breath】, Emi remained standing.

She was far from all right.

One cough, and blood gushed from her mouth.

“A...... aaA......”

But Emi clenched her fist.

Despite the poison in her body and the agonizing pain.

In a state where she could have passed out at any moment.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Pouring every last drop of her remaining magic power into her clenched fist, Emi punched the Queen's face with everything she had.

With no strengthening at all, the Queen's face couldn't take it, and burst apart.

It blew apart, scattering blood, flesh, bone fragments and everything else, and at last the Queen's body stopped moving.

Zu, zuuun......

The Queen's massive body collapsed, sending a tremor through the ground outside the mansion.

The mansion shook, creaking with a gishi gishi.

At the same time, Emi also fell, becha.

With a small sound, she collapsed onto the study floor, strewn with rubble and dust.

And then she stopped moving entirely.