"Help... help!"

The young girl's frantic cry came from afar, causing Moen's heart to sink abruptly.

Could it be...

Those guys are already here?

Faced with the unexpected turn of events, Moen didn't have time to weigh his options. Tossing aside the miscellaneous items he held, he immediately activated Shadow Step, darting toward the source of the sound.

"Lea, hang in there. I'm coming right..."

...

Roughly half a minute later.

Moen stood at the lakeside, staring at Lea whose face was flushed red, and the monstrous beast behind her. He gripped Elizabeth in his hand, frozen in place.

"M-Moen..."

Lea's eyes brimmed with tears as she struggled, pitiful and desperate.

"Why... why are you just standing there?! S-save me... hurry..."

"Wait... hold on. Let me process this for a moment."

Moen rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling his brain faltering under the absurdity of the situation.

Assessing the scene—right, let's assess the situation.

First, there's Lea, who at this moment was half-dressed, her delicate lingerie with cute patterns barely visible. While nothing that shouldn't be exposed was visible, the tantalizing ambiguity—the sensation of something seen yet unseen—made everything infinitely more enticing.

Not that her current slightly improper appearance was the key issue—no, the real problem lay with the massive, grotesque creature behind her.

—It was a giant octopus!

What the...? Where did the octopus in the lake come from?!

The octopus bore no trace of a magical aura, which explained why Moen hadn't detected it earlier.

Then again, fantasy worlds often defy logical reasoning. After all, here, even rabbits lure and eat humans. A lake containing a slightly oversized octopus couldn’t be considered unusual anymore.

Still... judging by its appearance... would it be more appropriate to term it as a tentacle monster?

No, no, thinking along those lines is definitely problematic.

Because its tentacles—or rather, its oversized octopus tentacles, were writhing and attempting to ensnare Lea.

Were it not for Lea's currently sustained Holy Light shield, one could imagine that those tentacles, coated in suction cups and viscous slime, would soon wrap tightly around the delicate, soft skin of the young girl...

And considering Lea's future status...

Tentacle x Saintess...

Ah, damn it. This is peak aberrant content...

But experiencing the content in reality rather than illustrations brought forth an entirely different sensation.

This is seriously too risqué.

Simply imagining it made Moen feel as though his nose might start bleeding.

"M-Moen Campbell!"

Seeing Moen remain motionless, Lea puffed up her flushed cheeks indignantly.

"S-save me!"

"Uh... Lea..."

Moen spread his hands innocently, blinking wide-eyed.

"Didn't you say you liked octopuses? Now your favorite creature is right in front of you—shouldn't you be happy?"

"Wuu... no! I mean I like the small ones... palm-sized... cute ones!"

Lea's voice cracked with sobs.

"Not something this terrifying, wuwuwu, help me! Or I won't talk to you anymore..."

"Alright, alright..."

Seeing that if he joked any longer, the young girl might actually explode in anger, Moen reined in his teasing mood.

"Since it’s Lea’s request... of course, I can’t refuse."

Gripping the pure white blade tightly, Moen leapt into the air.

At that moment, the giant octopus finally noticed this uninvited guest. Its bulbous eyes, situated on either side of its body, erupted with volcanic rage.

The previously calm lake surface churned into violent waves as lengthy tentacles surged out from the pitch-black depths.

Unlike the gentle entangling motions aimed at Lea earlier, these supple tentacles now transformed into sharp spears, shooting forward with such ferocity that Moen’s ears rang with the piercing sound of air being torn.

"Really? Even creature like you only like sweet-smelling pretty girls too?"

Twisting mid-air in a bizarre manner, Moen deftly avoided the tentacles that blurred into fleeting shadows. At the same time, his twin blades crossed, producing a divine, cross-shaped glow of razor-sharp light.

"This punch of yours will be hard to deflect!"

Moen suddenly sliced downward!

Clang—

A deafening metallic sound rang out. The seemingly soft tentacle surfaces were laced with hard, fine scales.

Despite their apparent toughness, under the purity of his blade, the scales were like paper—fragile and yielding. The sacred blade sliced through the writhing tentacles without resistance.

However.

The giant octopus's fury magnified even further. From the slashed and spasming tentacle tips, new ones emerged, dripping with viscous liquid, regenerating almost instantly before Moen's eyes.

Countless tentacles intertwined, transforming into an inescapable net.

"This is getting a little troublesome."

Moen narrowed his eyes, skillfully weaving between the attacking appendages while conserving his stamina.

"As expected, limbs regeneration is a basic ability for mollusc, huh?"

Hard scales were no obstacle for Moen wielding Elizabeth. However, regeneration ability of this magnitude, while not bridging the vast power gap between them, would deplete his own stamina unnecessarily.

And exhaustion wasn’t something Moen was eager to accept right now.

In this situation... a tactical retreat seemed the smarter choice—

"Moen!"

At that moment, Lea's voice called out behind him, accompanied by a Holy Light enhancement that revitalized his spirits.

"Even for mutated beasts, their cores should still exist!"

"Cores..."

"Usually located at the very center, in the brain area—magical mollusc beasts tend to have theirs there!"

Moen’s eyes lit up.

That makes sense. Even if it lacks magic altogether, it's still likely to have a core.

That simplifies matters.

Wielding his blade once more, Moen faced the myriad intertwined tentacles. In an instant, the pure white blade seemed to crackle with bursting thunder.

Thunder·Fivefold!

Five stacks of compressed shockwaves enveloped the dazzling blade-light, descending straight down.

And thanks to the sacred light, the power only grew fiercer!

The lake surface beneath Moen’s feet parted instantly, along with the massive octopus's bulbous head.

Layers of soft tissue unfolded, only to recombine the next moment. Yet, the fleeting moments of exposure were enough for Moen to pinpoint the radiant core shimmering under the starlight.

"Elizabeth!"

Without hesitation, Moen hurled the short blade.

In a flash like lightning ripping through the night, the sacred weapon sliced through the giant octopus's layers of defense effortlessly, hitting its target with a sharp, satisfying crack.

The octopus's writhing suddenly froze. Its massive form collapsed like molten sludge, gradually sinking back into the water.

"Finally... The creatures in this wood are truly not that simple."

Moen exhaled deeply, gesturing with a hand to summon his pure white blade back into his grasp.

"Ill... so much slime."

Buzz—Elizabeth hummed with displeasure.

"Fine, fine. I’ll clean you thoroughly later, so don’t sulk."

Moen soothed Elizabeth, landing gently on the lakeshore to check on Lea, who had already scrambled onto firm ground.

"You okay?"

"Hmph, yeah... I’m fine!"

Lea’s puffed-out cheeks reddened further as she turned her head aside.

"Though, someone as strong as Moen probably wouldn’t understand how helpless I felt at that moment."

Guess she’s angry, huh?

But...

"Weak? Lea, weak? I didn’t see it." Moen scratched his head, genuinely puzzled.

"I couldn’t stand up to that octopus at all—how is that not weak?" Lea lamented.

Her disappointment escalated as she stared at the massive, lifeless octopus in the lake, emphasizing the vast disparity between her and someone as exceptional as Moen—someone unapproachably elite in their tier.

No matter how hard she tried, she feared such a gap would forever remain insurmountable.

"Not being good at fighting doesn’t mean weak."

Moen suddenly smiled.

"Besides, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to beat that octopus. I've just planed about bolting right away at first."

"..."

Lea’s body stiffened briefly before she hesitantly glanced back over her shoulder, secretly peeking at Moen’s sincere eyes.

And for reasons beyond explanation, the depths of her heart stirred again, sending ripples across her emotions that lingered unpredictably—much like the lake they stood by, upended yet steadying gradually.

"But, speaking of more pressing matters..."

Moen’s gaze shifted suddenly toward nearby treetops, clutching his fist to his lips as he coughed discreetly.

"Uh, Lea, are you... okay like this?"

"Like what?"

Lea tilted her head, confused.

But almost reflexively, sensing Moen’s fleeting glance, she lowered her gaze—

Hmm, after escaping the vile grip of that oversized octopus, her clothes had been promptly re-worn properly.

The issue was...

Her white outerwear, thoroughly soaked by water, clung tightly to her skin, accentuating every curve. The fabric revealed a faint blush underneath, from the delicate hues of her smooth flesh.

"Wuuu..."

Instantly, she felt like a steaming kettle had boiled over.

Bright crimson surged to claim her doll-like face, as Lea squatted down with arms wrapped protectively across her chest, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.

"P-pervert!"

"Ahem, I didn’t look—I swear! I’m a gentleman through and through."

"Hmph... bad guy. I won’t talk to you anymore."

"Got any spare clothes?"

"No..."

"..."

Moen winced slightly, feeling an unexpected pang of guilt gnawing at his chest.

After all, the future saintess—Lea—looked so utterly disheveled right now. All because of him.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t hold a grudge and get back at him later for this.

Sighing under his breath, Moen removed his jacket and draped it over Lea's shoulders.

"This will have to do for now. Just don’t complain about the smell."

"Eh?"

Lea was startled. She raised her head and instinctively reached out with her slender fingers to Moen's outer garment.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

After removing his outer garment, Moen was left wearing only a vest and shirt. Rolling up his sleeves to reveal his strong biceps, he boasted confidently:

"I'm a warrior, after all. And not to brag, but when I had just advanced to Tier Two, I soaked in the icy waters of a river for an entire day and night in late autumn. Weather like this? No threat to me at all."

"Really?"

Lea blinked curiously and asked, "But why would you soak in a river for an entire day and night, Moen?"

"Ahem, that's… something I'm not proud of," Moen replied awkwardly, sidestepping the question. Then, he looked around and said, "For now, let's find a spot to set up a campfire and rest for a while."

"Campfire…?" Lea hesitated. "Is that safe?"

"It’ll be fine."

As if sensing her concern, Moen reassured her, "If those people have some way to track us, erasing all traces wouldn't help much anyway. Conversely, if they're relying purely on luck, this forest is so vast that even if we threw a campfire party, they'd still find it hard to locate us. Besides..."

Moen suddenly reached out and grabbed something in one swift motion. A gigantic octopus tentacle appeared in his hand. He looked rather excited as he continued,

"I just noticed that, possibly because of its sheer size, or something, this octopus is actually non-toxic. So—Miss Lea, even if you're not a fan of giant octopuses, you wouldn't… dislike the smell of grilled octopus, would you?"

"…"

Lea stared at the unwelcome tentacle. Words of refusal were poised to leap out of her mouth, but, embarrassingly enough, her traitorous stomach growled at the most inopportune moment.

Her face turned beet red.

Moen burst into hearty laughter, clapping his hands. "So what are we waiting for? Let’s get going—it’s not every day we have the chance for a barbecue feast!"

…

In the clearing by the lake, the campfire blazed brightly, illuminating the soft, delicate features of the young girl sitting nearby.

Lea rested her chin in her hands, silently watching as Moen used an exquisite, pure-white dagger to skillfully descale, slice, and skewer the massive octopus tentacle on prepared wooden sticks before placing them over the fire to roast.

As he worked, he ground some kind of unknown plants into powder, sprinkling it on the skewers. Before long, an enticing aroma filled the air, making it impossible for anyone to not salivate.

But as Lea swallowed audibly, she couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Could all this really be something a pampered duke’s son should know how to do?

Although Ariel, too, had been independent since a young age, Lea could bet her life that Ariel’s cooking wouldn’t be anywhere near this appetizing.

Several times, Lea tried to lend a hand but was quickly brushed off by Moen, who insisted that a lady should never have to do such things herself.

Left idle, she could only sit cross-legged with her knees hugged to her chest, sneaking glances at Moen’s focused side profile.

This person… was becoming harder and harder to understand.

…

"Here, try this."

Before too long, Moen handed her a skewer.

Lea took a small bite, and just as she’d anticipated, it was nothing short of delightful. Though there wasn’t any fancy seasoning, the fresh flavor of the ingredient itself, combined with the mysterious spices, was utterly delicious.

"Have you ever learned how to do this, Moen?" Lea couldn’t resist asking.

"Hm?" Moen blinked in surprise, then chuckled lightly. "Not really. I just occasionally indulged in a little barbecue skewering back in my rare moments of free time during the 9-9-6 routine."

"9… 9-6?"

"Don’t mind it. Just think of it as a bad cultural custom," he shrugged.

"Oh… What about those spices?"

"This?" Moen said with a laugh. "For that, I must thank my ancestors."

"Eh?"

"Yes, thank my ancestors who, when stocking the ducal family’s library, preferred to fill the shelves with thousands of strange, obscure books rather than a single book on magic." Moen shook his head with exaggerated lamentation.

"I see…" Lea replied, half-comprehending as she pressed further. "Then those two blades of yours… were they also left behind by your ancestors? Somehow, they seem…"

"An illusion! Pure illusion!" Moen interrupted hastily, cold sweat forming on his brow. He promptly tucked Elizabeth beneath himself, his voice firm.

"What you've sensed is absolutely a trick of the mind. These blades have nothing to do with the church. Nothing at all!"

"Is that so…" Lea pursed her lips in doubt but didn’t press the topic. Instead, she glanced briefly at the flustered and sweat-drenched Moen and let out a soft, amused chuckle.

Afterward, she said nothing more and simply hugged her knees, watching the flickering flames of the campfire.

How strange.

Despite being in such a precarious predicament… despite the horrors they had just faced…

At this very moment, just sitting beside this person, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace. A calm so deep, it was almost serene.

"Feeling sleepy?" Moen’s voice broke through her thoughts. "Then sleep well, Lea. We’ll need to wake early tomorrow to continue our journey."

"…Is that so."

"Mm. Goodnight, Moen."

"Goodnight."

…

The night sky, studded with stars, remained as breathtaking as ever.

A chill wind blew across the lake, causing Lea to open her eyes and exhale softly, white puffs visible in the suddenly sharp cold.

Was the temperature difference really this drastic? The daytime heat was almost unbearable, but now, it felt like stepping directly into the heart of winter.

Glancing over at Moen, sitting not far away and leaning against a tree trunk in just his thin shirt, Lea hesitated. After some thought, she shuffled closer.

"Hm?" Half-asleep, Moen seemed to sense her approach. He lazily cracked open one eye.

"Still cold?"

"…"

Lea quietly nodded. "A little."

"Then come closer. I won’t mind… if you don’t."

He slightly adjusted his posture, allowing her to rest more comfortably against him if she wanted to.

The girl leaned in softly.

This way, perhaps he could feel a little warmer too, she thought.

With such pure thoughts and an unfamiliar flutter in her chest, Lea drifted off to sleep.

…

"Hm?!"

After a while, Moen’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open. Glancing at the sleeping girl leaning against him, his expression turned unusually complicated.

It was as if his logic and emotions were waging a fierce battle within the confines of his brain.

After all, Moen wasn’t some dull, blockheaded protagonist. He had noticed the girl’s subtle reactions.

And that was precisely why he felt so puzzled.

In the end, though, it was the rationality that had been deeply rooted in his mind for a long time and was more persuasive that prevailed.

"I knew it. I’m just overthinking it. Lea's simply kind by nature, that’s all… And loves to blush."

"As someone destined to be a saintess, it’s only natural for her to treat everyone this gently."

"Besides, it’s not like I’ve done anything significant for her yet—in fact, I’ve caused her nothing but trouble. There’s no way a relationship could… evolve like that."

"No way. Absolutely no way."

Having assured himself, Moen let out a relieved smile.

That’s right. If Lea could see him as just a good friend, nothing more, that was already a pretty desirable outcome.

After all, considering Lea and Ariel’s near-indestructible bond in the original story, Moen didn’t even dare to imagine what Ariel would do to him if he… tampered with their relationship.

In any case, Moen wasn’t the kind of opportunistic protagonist who tried to romance every attractive girl he met.

So this arrangement was fine.

He’d safely escort her to the Holy City, where Ariel would help her ascend to saintess.

Everything would unfold just as per the original plotline.

As for him? A minor, uninvolved bystander of negligible importance? He would quietly watch the story proceed as it was meant to.

With these thoughts, Moen closed his eyes, finally at ease.