Lars (Kyoya)'s Perspective I heard the Word of God.
It seemed that Taboo had been installed across all of humanity in this world.
"Hmm... Ah, well..."
We had barged in mid-conversation among the Reincarnators, timing it just right, but the situation had long since ceased to be one where any discussion could take place.
The Reincarnators were clutching their heads and crouching down, or had already passed out entirely — a truly wretched sight.
"Uguuuh!"
And on the other side of Ariel from me,
Not a shred of elegance.
They say it's when humans are pushed to the limit that their true nature shows.
If that's the case, then this rolling, thrashing figure is the real Sophia... I'll stop there.
Even Melazophis, who would normally be the first to rush to Sophia's side in times like this, had one hand pressed to his head and was leaning against a wall.
I couldn't see Fermina anywhere.
Maybe she had hidden herself because she didn't want anyone to see her suffering.
In any case, it seemed the only ones unscathed here were myself and Ariel, who had already maxed out our Taboo beforehand.
As for Ariel, she stood there with a blank expression.
The kind of face that suited the sound effect of a cold, dismissive snort.
She had pushed through her weakened state — a body greatly diminished from her battle with
It was only natural she'd end up making that kind of face.
How should I put it... it was painful to watch.
Still, I couldn't just leave this mess unattended.
"So it's just me and... Shiro's subordinates who are out too, huh?"
Fermina was nowhere to be found, and Shiro's subordinates had probably all been wiped out as well.
After all, there shouldn't be many humans who had maxed out Taboo.
It was difficult enough just to acquire the Taboo Skill in the first place without doing something extraordinary — pushing it all the way to the max was no small feat.
Even Sophia and Melazophis hadn't maxed out Taboo, so the only ones among the remaining personnel in this elf village who were fine were likely just Ariel and me.
And I couldn't very well ask a weakened Ariel to look after everyone.
Which meant I had to take care of this large group all by myself...
"No choice but to do it, I guess."
Considering how Shun had maxed out Taboo mid-battle against the elves and remained unconscious until the fight was over, everyone would probably be bedridden for about a day.
I couldn't just leave them lying on the floor — at the very least, I had to get them into beds.
"Ariel, please go back. I'll handle things here."
"Ah, right. But before that — Aeru!"
Ariel called out toward the outside.
The next moment, a girl in a maid outfit descended near the doorway.
The girl appeared to be one of Ariel's dependents.
She had apparently been ordered to assassinate the Pope of the Word of God religion, but the attempt had failed.
Ariel had summoned her here to safety, allowing her to escape danger.
The scorch marks scattered across her maid outfit suggested she had been attacked by the Ancient Dragon of Fire that had been guarding the Pope.
"Aeru, help Lars out."
Without a word, Aeru nodded and followed Ariel's instructions.
Honestly, that was a lifesaver.
I had been thinking it would be backbreaking work to handle this disaster all by myself.
"Thanks in advance."
Aeru gave a silent nod in acknowledgment.
The reason she was unharmed probably wasn't that she had originally maxed out Taboo, but rather that she didn't fall under the definition of "humanity."
She was one of Ariel's dependents — a Monster known as a Puppet Taratect, born from Ariel's Egg-Laying Skill.
She looked like a young girl on the outside, but apparently that exterior was nothing more than a doll.
Her true form was a small spider Monster, and she apparently controlled that human-like puppet from the inside using threads.
Thinking that far, I suddenly realized something.
Monsters could still move freely during all of this.
On both sides, the only ones who could move properly were probably the leaders — Ariel and the Pope.
Since practically no one else had maxed out Taboo.
Anyone else who could function would have to be an exception, like me.
That's right — I was an exception.
I wasn't sure whether an oni like me fell under the "human" category, but either way, I could move like this because I had maxed out Taboo.
And the Pope's faction had an exception too!
The Ancient Dragon that had driven Aeru back — that exception!
If they knew about Ariel's weakened state, would they miss this golden opportunity when both factions were essentially paralyzed?
"Ariel, wait!"
I called out to stop Ariel, who was about to turn on her heel.
And then I shared the thoughts I'd just had.
"...There's a possibility, yes."
"Exactly. That's why I need you to stay close to me."
"I understand."
Right now, the only ones who could fight here were Aeru and me.
Sophia had thrashed around, hit her head on the corner of the door, thrashed around some more, and finally passed out.
Melazophis had slumped against the wall and lost consciousness as well.
The Reincarnators were all unconscious too.
"I don't think an attack will come immediately, so for now, let's get these people..."
I was about to suggest carrying them to their beds when I felt a presence approaching at high speed.
It was coming straight toward us from the north.
Fast.
Terrifyingly fast!
"It seems my concerns were well-founded."
At this speed, this was no ordinary dragon.
I couldn't say for certain, but at the very least, it was faster than me before I'd activated
"Ariel, fall back. Aeru, please take care of her."
With that, I launched myself forward.
There was no way I could fight someone this powerful without causing collateral damage.
I had to move the fight as far away from here as possible, where everyone was still sleeping.
I had feared they might ignore me entirely and charge straight for Ariel, but those two stopped right in front of me.
『Hey, hey, heeey! This ain't what we were told! Why the hell is there someone up and about who looks that dangerous!?』
『How should I know? Either way, killing 'em ain't gonna be a problem, right?』
One was a massive dragon resembling a Pteranodon.
The other was a smaller dragon with a sleek, leopard-like body and wings.
Both radiated power far beyond the ordinary.
『That's true!』
『Right? Man, I'm smart!』
Yeah, the brain, on the other hand...
But their strength was undoubtedly real.
I drew my twin blades.
This fight was going to be far more grueling than looking after a bunch of incapacitated people.