Chapter 9

“What do you think you’re doing, Usher Tatum?”

Usher was barely holding back Derek’s greatsword with a small dagger.

“…Wow, look who it is. The washed-up old hero rotting away in the prayer room?”

His hand trembled slightly, but he still managed a smirk.

“What’s a former legend like you doing here?”

Though his face looked completely relaxed, I caught it. A flicker of discomfort briefly flashed through his eyes.

“Daddy!”

Derek spared me a quick glance before turning his focus back to Usher.

The warmth that passed through his gaze as it landed on me left me with a weird feeling in my chest.

“…I’m the Guardian of the Pope candidate.”

“You’re Daddy!”

“…Right, I’m Daddy.”

Why do you sound so reluctant to admit it? That’s not fair to the baby!

Usher backed off, parrying Derek’s strikes with gritted teeth.

“Hah… So the rumor about some corrupted holy knight becoming the candidate’s Daddy… was about you?”

He rubbed his chin like he couldn’t believe it.

“I thought it was just nonsense… But she really chose you? You weren’t even on the candidate list!”

“Don’t call him trash, you bastard!”

You’re the fanatic, you filthy piece of trash!

I tugged on Daddy’s robe hard, pointing furiously at the lunatic.

“Daddy, aren’t you mad?! Bite him! Bite his face off!”

“…I’m not a dog, you know.”

Still, Derek moved swiftly.

I thought he was going to swing his sword. But that was a feint. He spun around instead.

Thwack!

A kick landed squarely.

“Urgh…!”

Usher staggered, then straightened up and clutched his mouth.

‘Ugh, my head’s spinning…’

Even in the middle of all that, I felt dizzy and miserable.

…Should I remind Daddy how fragile babies are?

The dizziness didn’t last long.

Ptooey!

Usher spat out blood-tinged saliva and swept his eyes toward us. Instead of intimidation, I got goosebumps.

Wait, what’s with that face?

“Haha… hahaha… You’ve got to be kidding me. So that little brat… is a genius capable of using Guardian Summon without any training?”

…Not wrong.

Trying to avoid danger only ended up fueling this maniac’s interest further.

The creepy chill crept down my spine just as our eyes met.

“I like her even more now.”

I couldn’t move. It felt like I was bound by invisible chains.

Was this what they called killing intent?

My body trembled instinctively. At that moment, Derek pulled me tightly into his arms.

“It’s okay. Close your eyes.”

I was tucked so close into his chest I couldn’t see a thing, but his voice was calm and steady. Gently protective, yet cold.

“You told me to bite him.”

When he turned his voice to Usher, it carried a chilling hostility.

“So, where shall I start?”

I was thrown off.

‘Wait, weren’t you that gloomy, self-deprecating nerd guy drowning in depression…?’

Not that I wanted to insult my own daddy, but—

‘Honestly? I kind of love this.’

Because Usher? He was someone I absolutely had to stay away from.

Confession time.

Did I ever choose Usher as a Guardian in the game?

Yes. I got seduced by his looks and played through the route multiple times. No shame.

And the result?

…We’ll skip the rest of the gruesome details.

Bottom line: That guy is a walking poison mushroom.

Avoid at all costs!

“This is so unfair.”

I tilted my head.

And then I saw it. Dark blue energy gathering at the tip of Derek’s sword. My eyes widened.

‘Whoa… that’s so dark.’

Normally, a holy knight’s aura is pure white.

Bluish aura? That’s the mark of an elite.

But once corrupted, the aura turns black.

Derek’s sword blazed with a dark blue flame, like a black firestorm.

Usher’s gaze sharpened the moment he saw it, but his voice remained smooth.

“I was merely trying to appeal to the Pope candidate.”

“…”

“As one of the ten officially recommended Guardian candidates, I have the right to make my case.”

“I’ve never seen anything about that appeal of yours being legitimate.”

Derek growled low like a beast ready to strike.

“I only believe what I see.”

“Ahh, such a classic boomer thing to say. You’re so stuffy!”

Usher raised his hands in mock surrender and smirked slyly.

“Then let’s ask our dear candidate.”

The moment our eyes met, a chill ran through my entire body.

‘No way… Is he—?!’

[Danger detected! Fanatic “Usher Tatum” has used a hidden skill on you!]

The longer I stared into those calm yet shimmering blue eyes, the sicker I felt.

[Beware! You are being targeted by the Fanatic “Usher Tatum’s” hidden ability: Brainwashing!]

Oh, for f— Of course!

The major villains in this game all had their own ‘hidden skills.’

I suffered so much from that damn ability in the game!

It’s no exaggeration to say he was one of the main reasons I kept failing to reach the endings.

“Now, Pope candidate? Look at me~”

His voice dripped with kindness.

“Have I ever threatened you? Scared you? No, right? Because I never did anything.”

I immediately turned my head.

‘I didn’t look for more than 10 seconds. I’m fine.’

I knew the countermeasure. He’s not getting me that easily.

Did you really think I’d just nod and say okay? Think again, you lunatic.

I raised my voice and pointed right at him.

“He did threaten me! He grabbed me and wouldn’t let go! He kept telling me to choose him!”

“…Huh?”

Usher’s face went blank for a moment.

God, that felt good.

“He hurt my hand! He’s a bad man!”

I slapped Daddy’s firm arm and jabbed my finger toward Usher.

“Daddy, he’s a villain! Bite him! Tear him apart! Start with his ugly face!”

You hear that, Daddy? Go wild. Do your thing.

‘I can clean up any mess at this point.’

So let’s go. Full send.

“Your orders, I shall obey.”

“Wait! Hold on! Time out! This is unfair!”

Usher shouted—

BOOOOM!!

—but his voice was swallowed by a deafening explosion.

Whoa.

“Hic!”

I hiccuped.

‘That… might’ve been a bit much?’

A thick cloud of dust billowed up in front of us.

“Cough…”

“…Are you okay?”

I looked up to find Daddy staring at me with a guilty, almost panicked expression.

“I-I didn’t know you’d start coughing from the dust. I really didn’t…”

“Cough! I’m fine! Cough, cough!”

“What should I do? Is she dying?”

…Why would I die from a little dust?

“I’m sorry! Don’t die…!”

“Hack! I’m not dying!”

He looked like a giant dog who broke something and didn’t know how to react to his owner’s anger.

‘More importantly… I did tell him to attack, but…’

I stared blankly past the swirling dust.

The last thing I saw was him swinging that massive sword.

The key point being how easily he did it… and now the wall was gone.

‘Whoa…’

Usher had been sent flying all the way down the corridor, collapsed in the rubble like a discarded piece of trash.

‘All I said was “bite him,” and he wrecked the whole room.’

I quickly turned to look at Daddy.

‘Wait… weren’t you supposed to be the washed-up knight everyone had given up on?’

Was it the purification? This was way beyond what I knew.

‘I wanna tear open your stat screen so bad.’

Even if he hadn’t been active in the field for ages, no way should he still have this much strength.

And yet…

‘Holy crap… I hit the jackpot, didn’t I?’

Usher, slumped against the wall, coughed and slowly lifted his head.

His fanatic bloodlust gleamed in his eyes.

“Tch… What a monster.”

He wiped the blood from the back of his hand and looked between me and Derek.

“Cough… You really don’t fear punishment anymore, huh? Even though you’re just a worn-out relic?”

His expression was a mix of mockery and disdain.

But he hadn’t lost all his reason yet.

Usher composed himself and, still staggering, stood up.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted something this badly…”

His ice-cold eyes settled on us.

“You two… You won’t live long anyway.”

It was a curse-like insult.