Chapter 474
Chapter 474
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 474
Chapter Title: Sword Aura Guy Kim Katt
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The outside air was refreshing.
My steps felt light, too.
One thing I'd realized lately was that even when my mana hit rock bottom these days, I no longer slipped into that dazed state like I used to.
Guess I've gotten used to it.
After constantly training myself to the point of mana depletion, I'd adapted to that part as well.
Even if I burned through all my mana in the middle of a fight from now on, I probably wouldn't end up groggy. Honestly, that shit had been fucking fatal before. Every time I imagined those worthless scum bastards charging in while I was gasping and spent, it scared the hell out of me.
Repetitive training really does make a man stronger.
Thud thud.
The city was peaceful as always.
"You fucking prick! You bumped my shoulder!"
"What the hell, asshole!"
"This bastard...? Hey, fuck? You're a pickpocket!"
"Bullshit!"
Here and there, adventurers who'd picked fights were throwing punches at each other. The fact that no knives were coming out meant this time, just past noon, was pretty laid-back. People get merciful after stuffing themselves with lunch.
If it were me, I'd drag the pickpocket to some dark alley, squeeze him for bigger compensation, rough him up a bit, check his ID, and then gut him.
"Make way!"
"Fuck!"
What stopped the brawl was a carriage, of all things.
They'd been blocking the road, so the adventurers dove out of the way the second it barreled toward them. Peaceful as ever.
I adjusted my backpack and headed for the market.
Every time I spotted guys in training robes, I'd give them a glance, and they'd flinch and look away. These dogshit bastards.
Anyway, with five of us living together, food and daily necessities vanish in no time. So I have to hit the market pretty often.
After nearly a month holed up at home training, I was out of cash on hand, but my wallet was still fat.
I'd blown through the money I'd saved buying the house and stuff, but Cloudy and Winia still had plenty left, and Karin and Lisha were chipping in living expenses too.
Living off allowances from my four wives just to go shopping.
Still, I want to be the one earning the living expenses.
But what were Cloudy and Karin up to, heading out so early?
They'd both woken up before me, rustled around, and left. Did they have something to talk about just between them? They seemed to be getting along well lately. Lisha and Winia were sticking together a lot too. The ultimate warrior-mage combo.
Lost in those thoughts, I arrived at the market street.
Bustle bustle.
The noisy market street was packed as always.
The sprawling market with tents everywhere was the biggest in the city. Prices here were on the cheaper side. As I moved to grab the stuff I'd planned to buy, I spotted a familiar woman in a cheongsam-like outfit over there.
Golden hair.
And a white cheongsam-style training robe.
Her exposed thighs looked as toned and healthy as Cloudy or Karin's, and the white boots she wore seemed sturdy at a glance.
"Mariel?"
It was Mariel, the low-rank instructor at the Martial Artists' Guild.
I watched her for a moment, and our eyes met.
"Heavenly Demon!"
"Holy shit, it's been ages. How're Lizette and the Guild Master doing?"
It's been a while since I'd seen this one too.
We live in the same city, so we bump into each other occasionally.
Anyway, she reacted like she'd seen a ghost, hesitating as she pulled one foot back. Some kind of fighting stance, but my grudges against the Martial Artists' Guild were pretty much gone, so why does this bitch do this every time?
"Fuck, you try to fight me every damn time we meet. Relax, idiot."
"Ah... right. My body just reacts on instinct whenever I see you, Heavenly Demon. Can't help it."
"Why's your body reacting first?"
"Because you turned my body into this!"
I turned her body into this...?
What bullshit!
"Y-you pervert bitch! What the hell are you saying?!"
I never did anything like that!
"What? Pervert? What're you... Argh!! How dare you insult me with that nonsense!"
"You started with the bullshit!"
"The problem is you taking it as bullshit!"
"Whatever. Anyway, I don't wanna fight, so pipe down."
"Ugh... fine."
She was carrying a sack, so she was probably out shopping too. Come to think of it, she was the one running errands for the Guild Master and shit.
Guy treats her like dirt since she's such a pushover.
"By the way, how's Lizette? What've you been up to lately?"
"She's doing fine, just normally instructing the trainees. But why do you keep asking about Instructor Lizette? If you're thinking of hitting on her, knock it off. She's pretty, sure, but no pushover. I've seen countless guys who tried flirting get wrecked."
Mariel said it like she was giving advice.
Of course I have no intention of flirting with Lizette. With four women already, no room for more.
I wasn't interested in anyone but my wives to begin with.
"Nah, it's not like that. Nothing like flirting. She's kinda like a friend, so I was just curious."
"I have no idea when you became friends with Instructor Lizette."
"Me neither. It's weird."
Probably because we survived that hellish slum race together.
We never actually went looting the slums like we talked about after, though. Kinda regrettable. If we both had free time, we could've teamed up to take down those tribute gangs. No worries now since Lina's out of the slums.
Those fuckers deserve it.
Damn, thinking about it pisses me off.
I want to kill every last one of those bastards.
"Come to think of it..."
Mariel touched her chin and trailed off.
"The Guild Master said if I saw you, Heavenly Demon, to tell you she wants to meet up sometime later."
"What?!"
Damn it!
Lizette, that bitch!
She yanked my pants off last time and still hasn't given up! Gotta watch my step from now on. Who knows what crazy request she'll make next.
Like Karin said, old maids are scary as hell.
"Got it... But don't tell her you saw me."
"Why should I do what you say, Heavenly Demon?"
Mariel widened one eye provocatively.
"..."
No need for words.
Whoosh!
"Execution Fist Technique."
Whirr whirr!
I immediately unleashed the Execution Fist Technique to intimidate her, and she yelled in shock.
"I-it's a joke! I can't even joke? Of course I won't tell! I don't wanna get dragged into your mess either!"
"Heh heh, good you get it. So, you out shopping too?"
"Y-yeah. Restocking guild supplies is part of my job."
"Rough life for a low-rank instructor."
Mariel was salaried, so she couldn't talk back to the Guild Master. We chatted lightly after that, bought our stuff, and I stuffed it in my backpack. Our paths overlapped anyway.
Serka—that unforgettable name—was just your average adventurer, paying her dues with quest money while diligently honing her martial arts.
"Well, I'll be off then, Heavenly Demon. Honestly, I'd rather not get tangled in anything weird again."
"What weird shit would we even get tangled in?"
"As long as you don't flip out again... Nah, probably not. Wait, no. You are an adventurer. As long as you don't pick fights with my guildmates, nothing weird will happen."
"I don't start shit, bitch. Train your martial artists' personalities properly."
"We do!"
Every martial artist I'd met was a total thug.
With that, Mariel left.
I'd gotten most of what I needed and parted ways with her.
All that's left is the general store for sundries, the bakery for bread, and the butcher for meat. Then home. What's for dinner? Lisha's been handling it and I feel bad—maybe I'll start helping with cooking from today.
I took a shortcut into the bustling district for the butcher there.
Slipped right into the gap between two buildings. This alley cuts the travel time.
The alley was dark.
Tall buildings on both sides blocked the light, making it cooler than elsewhere. Not the slums, so no homeless sprawled around.
I was midway through the fairly long passage when—
"Hmm, you look pretty busy?"
"Not really..."
Swish.
The woman's voice from behind was one I remembered.
Fwosh!
That voice, laced with winter's chill, made me instantly draw the sword at my waist and whirl around, blade pointed.
"Fuck!"
"Nice to see you, knight. Been well?"
The woman behind me was none other than Pandemonium's demon, the succubus Hildegaard!!
"Fuck! Pussygaard!"
"Pussygaard...? My name is Hildegaard."
"Cuntgaard!"
"..."
Sensing extreme danger, I instinctively thrust my blade into her chest. The stab, repeated countless times, pierced her at lightning speed. Muscles bulging, sword wind howling—a clean, powerful strike.
Whish!
But the blade passed right through her body. Physical attacks didn't work on this unreal existence!
"Doesn't work, you know?"
"Your mom!"
I tried pulling up mana right away, but after that apple-peeling training at home, I had barely any left inside. Sword aura could damage non-physical beings, but I didn't have enough mana now.
Of all timings, she shows up like this...!
I wasn't even wearing armor. If I took her magic in this state, I'd be done for. And in this straight alley, dodging was tough.
Luckily, the alley wasn't too long.
Time to bolt!
A demon infiltrated the city! Gotta alert the church!
"Don't run, knight. I'm not here to fight today. No, I don't want to fight you at all."
I turned to flee, but she was already blocking me—high-speed movement or blink? She wasn't gonna let me go easy.
Her outfit was a bit odd, though.
Not the lewd getup from last time, no wings or tail, no horns on her head, and her sclera were white, not black.
Like she'd transformed into human form.
Possible with succubus magic. Anyway, aside from her blue hair, she looked normal.
"Shut up, you Satan-spawn demon bitch! I got nothing to say to demons!"
This bitch! She took a fatal wound and crawled back to hell, but now she's recovered and infiltrated the human world again!
"Still so stubborn?"
"Today's your last day! City's crawling with priests and holy knights! You walked right into your grave!"
I pointed my sword at the succubus and berated her. But she spoke like she couldn't care less.
"Hee hee, they can't fly, can they? And I'm confident in running away."
"Think you could say the same in front of the Brass Celestial Society's bronze holy knights?"
"Verde's lackeys?"
"Yeah!"
I spun to run the other way, but there she was too. Blink again? She didn't use this skill last time. Her magic was no joke, even if she wasn't combat-focused.
"Really... Other men melt just seeing my face, but you're so rigid, knight. I can see your burning desire raging like karmic flames. Don't you want to unleash all that pent-up energy?"
I am not sexually frustrated.
"Let's talk, you and me."
Pussygaard was laying on her succubus charm full throttle to seduce me.
"Like I said before, I have zero intention of harming you. Love and peace. Even as a demon, we could love each other and achieve peace, right?"
"Shut it, demon! Why the hell do you keep coming at me like this?!"
Of course, her seduction doesn't work on me.
"...I'll be honest. Your vitality looks so tempting. A bit of pride involved, but... I just want a taste in exchange for giving you pleasure. You don't hate pleasure, do you? Doesn't seem like it."
She narrowed her eyes and spoke coquettishly.
"If you want something else, I can give you items from my inventory. Pretty useful stuff. Wanna trade with Hildegaard? Give you items, you give me your essence."
"You dare try to pimp me out?!"
This hellspawn bitch!!!!
"Get the fuck out!!!"