The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 43

The moment the order to evacuate was given, Garum rammed the cage even harder than before, finally causing it to fall apart and clatter to the floor.

“Kyaaaa!”

The pale-faced people screamed and began to flee.

“Kroaaa!”

Freed from our confinement, Garum let out a tremendous roar. He was highly agitated, his ragged breaths harsh and heavy.

“W-What are you doing! Seize the monster at once! Duke! Do something!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Marquis Denroha shouted at the surrounding knights and Ian, before scurrying away faster than anyone else.

It was utter chaos.

People fleeing for their lives collided and fell.

Some even pushed others aside to escape more quickly.

The majority of the knights drew their swords and advanced towards the monster, but a few, terrified, fled with the crowd.

“Ah, Miss! Please, escape quickly!”

Ella, who had been searching the surroundings for Galloway, rushed over to us in a panic.

Celonia, naturally assuming that Ian and the knights would handle the situation, was about to turn and flee as well.

If she hadn’t seen that scene.

“Hwaaa! F-Father!”

Nenia, whom Marquis Denroha had abandoned in his selfish escape, had fallen on her bottom and was wailing.

“Kreeeeh…….”

Garum approached Nenia, making a rough, throat-scraping growl.

“Uwaaagh!”

The knights charged, swinging their swords, but they were helplessly knocked aside by Garum’s heavy forepaws.

“N-Nenia!”

Only now realizing that his daughter hadn’t escaped, Marquis Denroha, who had already run far away, cried out in dismay.

A massive, dark shadow loomed over Nenia’s small body.

“Miss! Quickly!”

Ella, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed Celonia’s hand and pulled her along.

Celonia wanted to escape this place with Ella, but Nenia’s earlier voice echoed in her ears.

“I’m so, so happy! Thank you, Princess. I’ll cherish it and wear it always.”

“Ella! Take Tan and get out of here first!”

In the end, Celonia picked up a sword that a knight had dropped and dashed towards Nenia.

Tan still stood blankly, his eyes clouded as if shrouded in darkness.

‘That damn Marquis!’

Even as she ran, Celonia cursed Marquis Denroha in her mind for causing this mess.

She had long abandoned any sense of a savior’s duty, but she couldn’t bear to let a child die.

“Knights, stay and fight! Everyone else, evacuate!”

Ian was already shouting at the people, having drawn his sword and charged towards Garum ahead of everyone else.

Celonia quickly grasped the situation.

First, she had to divert Garum’s attention, which was about to devour Nenia.

Ian must have thought the same thing, as he dodged Garum’s forepaws and leaped up.

The sword blade, gleaming in the sunlight, sliced across Garum’s shoulder.

“Kroaaa!”

As the black hide split open, Garum roared loudly.

However, his massive size made it impossible to bring him down with a single attack.

Ian probably judged that he would need to attack several more times.

It was then that Celonia, who had been running, suppressed the urge to tear off her cumbersome dress and reached out her hand.

The light of healing, shooting out in a straight line from her hand, accurately struck Garum’s snout.

Garum, who had been baring his terrifying fangs at Nenia even after being cut by Ian, had his head turned by the sudden attack.

“……Kreeh.”

Garum shook his head and glared at the direction from which the attack had come with fierce eyes.

Garum narrowed his eyes as he spotted Celonia running towards him.

Then, he began to run towards her very quickly on all fours.

The sound of his ragged, panting breaths echoed around them.

“Damn it, Celonia!”

Ian, who had lost track of Garum due to the sudden change of target, shouted and ran towards them when he realized that Celonia was the target.

However, it was impossible to catch up with the speed of the beast running at full speed.

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Celonia, sensing something strange, stared blankly at Garum as he ran towards her, unable to even think of dodging.

It seemed as if Garum, who was rushing towards her, wasn’t about to attack.

It was then.

A strong force wrapped around her waist.

“Kkieeehk!”

The monster’s loud cry echoed everywhere.

Kuuuung!

A few seconds later, the earth shook with a grand sound, and dust billowed around them.

“…….”

“…….”

A silent stillness, so quiet that even breathing couldn’t be heard, enveloped the garden.

The hazy dust gradually settled, and as the blurred surroundings became clearer, people covered their mouths in shock.

The massive body of Garum had been split in two and lay collapsed on either side.

And in front of it stood Tan, his arms wrapped around Celonia’s waist.

“A-Are you alright!”

The knights, who had been frozen like statues, rubbed their eyes at the unbelievable sight, then rushed towards the two of them as they faced reality.

“Are you okay?”

He, who had already returned to his usual self, was examining Celonia with helplessly shaking eyes.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Are you alright?”

He asked repeatedly if she was hurt anywhere, and unknowingly hugged Celonia’s startled waist even tighter.

“Ah, I’m fine. So, could you let go of my arm…….”

Celonia mumbled with a dazed expression, and only then did Tan realize where his arm was.

He flinched in surprise and quickly released her waist.

As if his body remembered, he was reminded of her snuggling into his arms at dawn.

But even after letting go, a lingering softness remained on his entire arm, making him feel strange as he touched the back of his neck.

He had experienced something bizarre today.

He could read thoughts by looking into the monster’s eyes.

When he looked at Garum, he even recalled his own voice from the past, which he couldn’t understand, and lost his mind for a moment.

But then, he suddenly heard someone shout Celonia’s name and snapped back to his senses.

Beyond his cleared vision, he saw the monster rushing towards Celonia, and without even thinking about reading the monster’s thoughts, his body reflexively leaped forward.

He instantly snatched her into his arms and slashed the monster with the sword she was holding.

He couldn’t control his strength due to the sense of crisis that she might get hurt, and ended up cutting it in half.

“…….”

Celonia looked back and forth between Tan, who was standing next to her, and the monster lying in front of her.

When Tan suddenly approached and wrapped his arms around her waist as if to snatch her away, it felt truly desperate, as if he was trying to save her.

Why does this man keep trying to save me?

Celonia was puzzled.

The Demon King she knew didn’t have such a disposition.

Could something have changed? She had such doubts, but she quickly dismissed them because she wasn’t sure, and then said.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

Tan’s lips quirked up at the gratitude flowing from Celonia’s red lips.

He hadn’t saved her expecting anything in return, but that one word made him feel completely satisfied.

“Nenia!”

“Hwaaa! Father!”

From afar, Marquis Denroha, the culprit of today’s events, ran over and hugged Nenia, who was crying.

The sounds of the father and daughter’s wails spread out.

“Th-Thank you…….”

“You are our life savers!”

The people who hadn’t been able to escape, who had watched this whole scene, gathered around Tan and Celonia in groups of twos and threes after confirming that the monster was dead.

The pale complexions of those who had been pale were gradually returning to normal with a sense of relief that they were alive.

“Thank you! Thank you! I survived thanks to you!”

Marquis Denroha, who was holding Nenia tightly, also approached the two of them.

“What is your name? Tell me what you want! I will grant it in the name of the Denroha family!”

Marquis Denroha grabbed Tan’s hand.

Tan was about to slap Marquis Denroha’s hand away with a reluctant expression, but he held back after seeing Celonia gesturing and shaking her head next to him.

Before they knew it, the two of them were at the center of everyone’s attention.

Even the knights who had been knocked away, marveling at the appearance of a great master, approached Tan with awe.

“…….”

Before he knew it, Ian was left all alone.