Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 190
190. Mari-nee and Odd Timed Proposal
Unlike before, the monsters now turned their attacks not only on people but also on buildings. They were destroying everything in their path, spreading waves of destruction indiscriminately.
The ones who suffered the most damage initially were Ben and his people, who were holed up inside the palace. With the walls breached, a flood of monsters poured in, overwhelming those inside.
The rapid changes in the situation made it difficult for the people remaining in the palace to respond coherently. Their disorganized reactions only amplified the damage.
Screams echoed as calls for retreat repeated, but the momentum of the monsters pouring into the palace didn’t cease. When their advance finally began to weaken, the number of human voices coming from the palace had noticeably diminished.
The overflowing monsters, now aimlessly moving outside the palace, inevitably turned their attention in our direction. Just as I was about to alert everyone, Kanna-san, who had already noticed the anomaly, began leading everyone away.
After a brief explanation of the situation, Kanna-san, looking toward the palace, muttered, “Judging by the looks of it, the damage must be significant.”
“They’ve had their trump card turned against them, it’s no joke,” someone else remarked.
“And that’s true for the other side too,” Mareus-san said mercilessly, pointing towards Sahar, who had collapsed, muttering, “Why?” and “How?”
Having witnessed Sahar-san’s skilled interactions with the king on the ship, this was a stark contrast.
“That one’s finished,” Jade-san commented as he leaped down from the building where Sahar-san had been and made his way toward us.
However, his approach was blocked by Gils and Graham-san. Given what happened at the Colosseum, their reaction was understandable.
Despite this, Jade-san seemed genuinely disheartened.
“If you’re going to be this wary, even an old guy like me will get hurt, you know? Right, Jou-chan?” he said, trying to draw me into the conversation.
“Don’t pull me into this… And didn’t we have a similar exchange before!?” I retorted.
That was from the first time we met, and it wasn’t that long ago. It’s frustrating that this seems more like his natural behavior than deliberate harassment.
“Whatever the case, we need to prioritize dealing with those things,” Jade-san said, nodding towards the swarm of blackened monsters.
Indeed, if they continued advancing, Caleb-san and the others could also be at risk.
There were many people gathered at the eastern stronghold, but they weren’t in any organized state to act, leaving it up to us to handle.
The monsters were numerous and large. But thanks to everyone being here, I felt no fear.
As I gazed at everyone, unknowingly standing in a line beside me, a thought occurred to me… until—
“Everything involving Maria always ends up on a grand scale,” someone noted.
“I’m curious about the cause-and-effect relationship. Did Maria-chan come first, or did the chaos?” another mused.
“Regardless, not ignoring it was the right call,” a third added.
“Maria-sama is a hero, after all!” one exclaimed.
“Maria-san is someone worthy of admiration!” another chimed in.
“What is going on here!?” I protested.
Ignoring my almost wailing objections, they smoothly transitioned from factual confirmation to speculation and finally to a definitive statement.
“Looks like you’re quite loved, Jou-chan,” Jade-san summarized in one sentence.
Was he seriously summing up the entire exchange with that one remark? I gave him a sharp stare, but he remained unfazed.
“Well, I suppose I can trust things to you all now,” he said.
“Trust to us?” I asked.
“I’m going to use my one special skill, my last resort. But I need you all to protect me until the skill is activated, okay?” he proposed.
Before I could respond to the sudden request, Mareus-san spoke up skeptically, “Is this skill of yours really capable of breaking through this situation?”
“At the very least, I can guarantee it will neutralize everything around here,” Jade-san answered.
“I find that hard to believe,” Roulette-san commented. “I can’t imagine a single person using such a powerful skill.”
Jade-san’s unexpected proposition left everyone around him in a mix of curiosity, doubt, and urgency. The tension in the air was palpable, and all eyes were on him, waiting for his next move.
“I feel the same way. At least give us a bit more explanation about this skill, Oji-sama.”
“Being cautious is a good thing. Alright… This skill is one I learned after undergoing two class changes, just like you all. In exchange, I abandoned every other skill I had. Is that still not enough for you?”
His words left everyone speechless.
As someone who regularly relies on skills, I could at least somewhat imagine just how significant this was.
At the very least, I knew it wasn’t a choice I could easily make.
“That’s insane…” Mareus-san muttered in a strained voice.
“Well, I learned it for moments like this, after all,” Jade-san replied, still in his usual light tone.
Mareus-san didn’t say anything more. He glanced at me briefly, his eyes telling me that the decision was now mine to make.
When I looked back at Jade-san, there was no sign of him feeling pressured.
A mix of reliability and anxiety surged within me.
But the situation was urgent, and there wasn’t time to hesitate.
“…Alright. We’ll do everything we can,” I said.
After all, facing that many monsters with just us would be impossible.
Looking around, everyone gave me a silent nod in agreement.
And so, our defense began, with Jade-san as our trump card.