No time to think.
Swinging the guitar against the projectile, Konrad heard a heartbreaking crack.
The strings cushioned the impact, but not enough.
They snapped with a loud pling, the stranger's red eyes widening. He did not hesitate too long, though, grabbing two more steel balls for the follow-up shots.
"No, you're fucking not," Konrad raged, electricity arching between his fingers.
The resulting bolt was a direct hit.
It felt underwhelming for how many electric gadgets lay around in the store. The attacker shrugged it off with a smirk, pulling his arm back to gather momentum all the same.
Was he immune? Or did he fumble the spell?
His chest smoked, but he didn't seem to be in pain.
At least not enough.
Yuki-san was trembling behind him, stuck between sitting and standing up.
She was all right—shocked, but unharmed—unlike the ES-335.
The top of the guitar cracked, bending under the tension of the remaining strings.
Half a million yen. Gone. Like a year's wage, part-time.
But only if he survived.
By the time the second ball was in the air, he was ready to intercept it. He built a proper barrier that absorbed all the force—but he still used the poor Gibson as a final shield.
Or more like an alibi.
He didn't want to shock Yuki-san any more than necessary.
Saying the earlier bolt was a stun gun could've worked, but stopping a projectile mid-air?
"Stand down, Konrad von Halstadt," the stranger snarled. "The Greatest Angel does not seek your destruction. Not yet. You upset him, but he is generous. He forgives. But the girl—"
And there he went, talking chunibyo in broad daylight.
"Forgives?!" Konrad interrupted, forcing a laugh. "Tell that greatest asshole of yours to fuck off."
He put the guitar down as if it were a wounded animal, picking up the steel balls instead.
They were no joke. He tested their weight, and a proper hit would've caved in his skull. But two could play that game—and he had plenty of mana to play with.
With a quick boost of the relevant muscles, the projectile flew even faster than before.
The attacker's reflexes seemed unreal.
But trying to catch his shot was a terrible idea.
The lightning bolt might not have done him in, but the echoing of another crack—
Sickening and wet. This guy was far from invulnerable.
A painful scream followed, his wrist and fingers at an odd angle.
"Surrender, or the next one goes straight for your head," Konrad warned. But Yuki-san was finally over her shock, too, grabbing his raised arm with both hands to plead.
"W-wait, don't kill him," her voice was thin from panic.
The distraction worked in the attacker's favor.
He backed towards the door, the chime bringing his final warning.
"Lucifer-sama will hear of this," he shouted, then he was out, running.
And boy, was he fast.
No way Konrad could catch him. Not without burning through way too much of his hard-earned mana. And then—what would he do with him anyway?
Interrogation? He announced his target and who sent him, too.
Not that he didn't expect Lucifer's minions. If anything, it took that damn angel a while to set up. But the way this poor bastard looked, he couldn't exactly take public transport.
"I wasn't about to kill him," Konrad told the girl, hyperventilating behind him. "I said surrender."
But she still clutched his raised arm as if her life depended on it.
"I—I'm sorry," she mumbled, peeling off her fingers one at a time. "I panicked."
"Yeah, that was easy to guess," he said, caressing her face. "The important part is that you're fine."
And the guitar?
He'd rather the stranger broke his arm or a few ribs—or both. Kaede could have at least healed him. But this expensive instrument was gone. Strings snapped, the top plate curling up.
"It's over," Konrad breathed, but as much as he meant it to be comforting, it came out as a cry.
He was over. His job was.
The attacks—this was only the beginning.
And now that he thought of Kaede—
"I must call someone," he said, grabbing his phone to fumble with the speed dial. Was he nervous, or was it the aftermath of his strengthening spell?
No, Yuki-san looked paler than usual, too, gulping and still staring at the store entrance.
"Will he come back?" she asked. "A-are you calling the police?"
Ah. Right. The police. Calling them would have made sense, but also didn't.
"I'd rather not," he shook his head. "They'd take the place apart, then leave. There's nothing they could do about this guy. But—he won't throw another ball anytime soon. You're safe, I promise."
He hated to lie, but he had to warn the dragoness no matter what.
The phone rang out, twice, three times, but she didn't pick it up.
He hung up on the voicemail.
[Konrad H] Lu's minions are about. You safe?
No response. Message delivered, unread.
This was a girl who typed faster than lightning and always had her phone within arm's reach.
He didn't even know where she was now.
She lived in some girls' dorms, but never told him where. Or she could have been working again. Midori-kun did, for sure, in the library on the weekends.
Would they target him, too?
No, the angel wanted him back in Kasserlane. Both of them—alive.
"K-Konrad-chan?" Yuki asked, shaking him up from his stupor.
"It's okay," he forced out, trying to rein in his voice. "Your Dad's going to kill me, though."
He looked at the ruined guitar again. He laughed, but it was very much forced.
"Who cares?! Baka," the girl pouted, wrapping her arms around his waist. "He'll be forever in your debt for protecting his precious daughter. You saved me. And, uh, t-that was—kinda cool."
Konrad blushed, having an urge again to kiss her.
Even when he knew that Lucifer had brainwashed her, that she was a copy of someone—
And thinking about that, what were the odds of a random attacker showing up the second he figured it out? And why get rid of—for all intents and purposes—one of their own?
This timely appearance at least confirmed one thing.
They were under close surveillance, and for who knows how long.
Warm hug or not, a cold chill ran down his spine. What if she were the one keeping an eye on him without even realising? Will they come after her again? When she's alone?
How could he protect her?
And what was happening with that stupid dragon?!
He definitely couldn't leave Yuki-san alone now, but—
When his phone pinged with a message, he almost knocked the poor girl over to get it.
[R Kaede] Yeah, no shit.
[R Kaede] I'm fine, but might've killed someone.
[R Kaede] Any ideas on how to get rid of a body in broad daylight?!
[R Kaede] Would a pyre draw too much attention? Or do I turn him invisible and leave?
Konrad shuddered.
Yeah, those texts did answer a few things. Too much, in fact.
So they did go after Kaede, but couldn't get her. Ugh, that damned idiot.
Sure, he was glad the dragoness was still alive—but someone else was not.