Chapter 219
Chapter: 219
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 219
>Chapter Title: Flower Garden (5)
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Succeeding in pinning down Seongjin also meant, conversely, that the bastard could no longer move either. They were both fixed targets for each other.
In that case, all he had to do was concentrate his entire body's aura into a single point and slash.
‘Serves you right for eyeing my dog and getting distracted like an idiot!’
Seongjin inwardly sneered at the Lord, who was staring blankly at his spurting wrist.
He wanted to laugh out loud, but every breath brought a stabbing pain, making it impossible. It seemed several ribs were indeed broken.
Seongjin kept Walnut Cracker aimed at him while carefully probing his ribcage with his left hand. This was to precisely wrap aura around the suspected fractures so they wouldn’t interfere with his next movements.
Then, infusing strong intent, he called the dog’s name.
“Max!”
The wolf dog, grasping Seongjin’s will brilliantly, released the Lord’s forearm and leaped down to the ground.
[……!]
Then, it swiftly snatched the Lord’s hand that had fallen on the ice and scampered away, putting distance between them!
It was a measure to prevent the highly regenerative Lycanthrope from reattaching his hand.
[Krung?]
The Lord, who had missed the chance to reclaim his hand despite staring wide-eyed, let out a dazed yelp.
Even for a Lycanthrope with rapid regeneration, fully regrowing a hand from nothing was nearly impossible.
With a look of dismay, he awkwardly tried to chase after the dog. But Louise wasn’t one to miss that momentary gap.
Pook!
A bastard sword laden with thick purple aura pierced through his shoulder blade, its tip jutting out above the collarbone. A fresh gush of blood sprayed high.
[Kugh?]
The flustered Lord, Berseus, gripped the blade with his remaining hand to stop it from digging deeper. At the same time, his mind began racing in confusion.
‘I wondered why he wasn’t transforming despite being cornered—it turns out he didn’t even need to!’
The humans he had underestimated possessed unexpectedly high skill.
The boy, whose quick movements he had dismissed as merely annoying, had severed his hand in an instant with cutting power that skipped several aura stages.
And the girl, swinging a sword too heavy for her stature, was rapidly adapting as the fight dragged on, now stably operating her aura.
[This is… the power of Nebraska’s bloodline……!]
To top it off, that boy commanded Ionia’s wolves as familiars at will!
[If he fully transforms, who knows which way the scales will tip.]
Now firmly convinced that Seongjin was a descendant of the Lycanthropes, Berseus was seized by a sense of crisis that he might have to flee disgracefully against these young upstarts.
Deep down, he wanted to beat them to death, even if it meant burning through his familiar’s body. But he couldn’t afford to lose Bazra, who controlled the Lycanthropes en masse here.
[Grrr!]
Gritting his teeth, Berseus strained the hand gripping the sword to slowly push the blade out.
Kwaduduk.
But Louise, throwing her full body weight into driving the blade in, was no pushover either.
“Hup!”
Though invisible to the Lord facing away, Louise was already on the verge of transformation. Sharp fangs peeked from her mouth, and her nails had grown pointed.
Had Seongjin not risen in time, she would likely have fully transformed into a Lycanthrope to confront him.
“Whew…….”
Having steadied himself, Seongjin straightened Walnut Cracker and sneered.
“I was trying to avoid physical damage as much as possible, if only out of pity for the one being controlled…….”
His tone implied he had been holding back until now.
His attitude of thoroughly looking down on him made veins bulge in the enraged Lord’s eyes.
[…Don’t make me laugh!]
Unlike the body’s exterior, which could be defended with aura, internal organs were extremely vulnerable by nature.
Even slight movement could churn his back and shoulder, but to the furious Lord, such injuries were nothing.
Krrrng—
To keep the sword piercing his body from reaching his heart, he fixed the blade tip with his hand and forcibly began rising. Drududuk—the rough sound of Louise’s sword scraping bone at the collarbone echoed.
Heave, heave.
Finally, Louise’s sword, which had held firm, began to pull out bit by bit.
“At this rate, we might really end up killing Bazra.”
Seongjin, who had been watching silently, spoke up.
Though aimed at the glaring Lycanthrope Lord, his true audience was elsewhere.
-Aren’t you worried? At this rate, we might end up harming the one reasonable kin you have left.
Grasping his intent, Louise gritted her teeth and shouted.
“…It doesn’t matter! As long as he’s strongly bound as a familiar, he can never escape the Lord. Letting him go painlessly would be better for him!”
“Got it.”
Nodding, Seongjin commanded.
“Then release him now.”
“……!?”
Stunned by the unexpected order, Louise faltered for a moment.
Why? Shouldn’t they maximize damage while they had him pinned?
She looked at Seongjin with confused eyes, but the prince’s gaze meeting hers held no tremor.
Gray eyes filled with unwavering confidence, fully aware of her actions and their consequences—reaching some place Louise couldn’t fathom.
Sruk—
Her grip slackened unconsciously, and the sword slid out on its own.
[Where do you—!]
Suddenly freed, the Lord roared and fully rose. Realizing the human before him was about to do something ominous.
He raised his remaining hand, oozing thick murderous intent, and charged at the prince.
“Your Highness!”
[Yi Seongjin!]
Just as those ferocious claws neared the prince’s head—
Swaak—
Walnut Cracker swung silently.
Banahas Swordsmanship, Style 2, Form 2.
The form with the widest horizontal slash range among the Imperial Knights’ standard sword techniques, refined over the unparalleled genius Banahas’s lifetime.
“Lo……!”
For an instant, Louise held her breath.
That attack, swung at an oblique angle within the modest long sword’s reach, was self-evident.
Yet in Louise’s eyes, somehow the blade’s tip seemed to cleave the air across the entire gorge, reaching beyond those conifers.
Upon that beautiful sword path, cold air froze, and time froze.
The Lord’s neck, right before him, was merely on that path.
Hwiiik—
The head cleanly severed from the body floated lightly through the air.
As if by magic, the frozen time flowed again, and soon the Lord’s body slowly collapsed to the ground.
Kuuung!
The heavy Lycanthrope body brushed perilously past Seongjin’s side and crashed down. The impact scattered thick snow mist everywhere.
“…….”
Louise couldn’t collect her wits before the unbelievable scene unfolding before her.
Only Seongjin, who had delivered that tremendous strike, casually sheathed Walnut Cracker at his waist as if it were nothing.
“Urgh…….”
Clutching his side and groaning briefly, Seongjin lightly beckoned Max, who was anxiously pacing over there.
“Max, come here!”
Wong!
The wolf dog, understanding like a ghost, dropped Bazra’s hand and dashed over.
Bouncy bouncy.
Its fluffy tail wagged busily, reflecting its excited mood. Seongjin was dumbfounded.
“Hey, you rascal. What’s got you so thrilled? What did you do right?”
Pretending to scold sternly, he launched into a lecture at the dog sitting demurely before him, watching his face.
“Got it, Max? Even if you see something dangerous right in front of you, you can’t just charge in thoughtlessly like that. How do you think the people watching feel? Do you know how startled I was earlier?”
Then—
Kiiing?
Max tilted his head and looked up at Seongjin.
But—
*I beat the bad guy. Didn’t I do well?*
Just an innocent face.
“Sigh, you immature mutt…….”
Sighing, Seongjin patted Max’s head, then noticed Louise staring at him with an odd expression.
“What? Why? What?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
What? Somehow it feels off?
The Demon King let out a long sigh.
[Good grief. Put your hand on your chest and reflect on yourself, you reckless bundle of trouble!]
‘…Shut up!’
Poor Bazra’s breath had been fully cut off by that final blow.
As Louise silently gazed at his wide-open, unfocused pupils, Seongjin scooped up a handful of clean snow and rubbed his face.
“It’s regrettable we couldn’t save Bazra, but there’s no time to mourn. Louise still has investigating to do.”
“…Investigating?”
“Yeah.”
Answering, Seongjin pointed to a large rock below the gorge.
“The remaining Lycanthropes.”
“…They’re still alive?”
“Yeah. Seeing this one regain his senses made me wonder, so I spared the rest somehow.”
*Which is why it took a while to finish them off.*
Ignoring Seongjin’s words, Louise rushed behind the rock. She froze in horror at the gruesome sight there.
“This is…….”
Two Lycanthropes, limbs entirely severed and only torsos left, were wriggling.
Their torsos were meticulously buried in snow to freeze the stumps and halt regeneration. The severed limbs were all placed far away on high rocks.
The two Lycanthropes, barely exposing their intact heads above the snow, bared their teeth at Louise with clouded eyes.
Ururur—
Yap yap!
She stared at the atrocity Seongjin had wrought, her face vacant.
She understood they regenerated quickly and couldn’t be bound, but this was too cruel.
“There was no other way. If we could restore their reason, I left their limbs nearby intact on purpose so we could reattach them.”
As Seongjin approached with an excuse, Louise replied listlessly.
“…It would have been better to kill them cleanly with one stroke.”
“That’s your opinion. Theirs might differ a bit?”
The prince’s eyes seemed not just indifferent, but cold.
“As long as they’re alive, there might be a next time.”
“…….”
It was reasonable. But somehow, her heart couldn’t agree.
Thinking so, Louise placed her hand over the heads of the pitiful things that merely writhed mindlessly.
“…Climb via the ice. Seek the vibrating place. That’s all the thoughts I could barely read.”
No change occurred.
After probing their consciousnesses as familiars, Louise sighed and stood.
“Their minds are too muddled already. Even as familiars, there’s no gap left to communicate properly. They can’t regain reason.”
Then she swung her bastard sword herself.
Puk! Puk!
The Lycanthropes’ heads shattered in one blow. Hot blood spurted briefly before freezing cold on the ice.
Louise gazed silently at the scene, then turned to Seongjin with a flat voice.
“I’ll escort you to the nearest outpost, Your Highness.”
Her tone was so dry it sounded mournful instead.
* * *
Louise, transformed into a Lycanthrope, moved incredibly fast.
She leaped over several ice cliffs and crossed the gorge in moments, stopping at last atop a snow hill overlooking a small outpost.
“That’s it, Your Highness. By now, word from the Ice Wall Base should have arrived, so they won’t attack without recognizing you.”
Explaining, Louise set Seongjin down from her back onto the snow.
Seongjin, feeling slight motion sickness from the rapidly shifting views, also released Max, whom he’d been holding in both arms.
Wong wong!
Finally free from the awkward position, Max wagged his tail and bounded through the snow.
“How’s the injury? Can you walk?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
Compared to Captain Masayn’s CPR, this was just a light bruise.
“But aren’t you going, Louise?”
Her tone suggested sending Seongjin alone.
Louise gave a wry smile.
“Yes. I’d like to escort you to the end, especially with your injury, but if I show myself, won’t sneaking past the outpost be exposed? Besides, Your Highness, that flower field in the Demon Realm…….”
Pausing there, Louise looked up, gazing distantly.
Toward the deep heart of the Demon Realm beyond the sheer gorge, invisible from here.
“I must confirm the true nature of that [Flower Garden] with these eyes.”
*No, it’d be better if she just returned to the territory with me.*
The thought crossed Seongjin’s mind.
“For that, wouldn’t it be better to assemble a proper scouting party from the territory?”
“Aren’t they gathering forces to prepare for a large invasion? The territory lacks the manpower. It’s faster if I go alone.”
“…….”
Seongjin pondered what to say to stop her.
But the moment he met her resolute black eyes, he realized no words would sway her decision.
Sometimes, knowing something will go terribly wrong, you still can’t interfere.
“Alright. Be careful.”
*I doubt you’ll return here soon.*
Louise tilted her head curiously at Seongjin’s weaker-than-usual farewell. But attributing it to his injury, she let it pass.
“Then, Your Highness, take care.”
With that curt goodbye, Louise dashed away like the wind, vanishing beyond the gorge.