CHAPTER 17: Reunited with Ian
Reunited with Ian, and no sooner had excitement stirred than a thick, viscous killing intent radiated from behind him. Without any intent to hide it, a sword brimming with mana swung down.
"H-Husband…! Behind you!"
Not through sight, but through pure sensation—through the sharpened instincts that let her perceive her surroundings—Cheong-ah sensed it first and cried out desperately.
But it was already too late.
If this were the old her, before regaining her vision through Ian, she would have noticed long ago. Before the knight could even draw his blade on Ian, she would have detected the bastard's malicious intent and shot forward like an arrow.
Thanks to Ian, Cheong-ah had become an even more complete swordswoman. Yet that very gift had dulled another swordsman's sense she once relied on.
And now.
Shlick…!
The sound of Ian's flesh being sliced, followed by the thud of his body hitting the ground.
"Urgh…!"
A groan wracked with pain. Hot on its heels came Bella and Dina's furious roars.
"You fucking bastards…!"
"I shall not let this stand!"
Yet the only sound reaching Cheong-ah's ears was one.
"……Urk……."
A sword infused with mana. Slicing into his back, spraying blood alongside glimpses of stark white bone, Ian groaned in agony.
"Ah, ah, ah…!"
Cheong-ah's tightly shut eyes flew wide open.
Nothing was visible. While some blind people might perceive vague blurs, her world held absolutely nothing. From the start, her eyes had reflected no light, no color—as if she had no eyes at all.
Everything had been a gift from Ian.
Now that his power had vanished, it was only natural her eyes saw nothing.
And yet, why…?
Cheong-ah's vision…
"Husband…!"
…depicted Ian with unnatural clarity, sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain.
She bolted toward him like a shot. Bella and Dina rushed past her in the process.
"Urgh… Cheong-ah, long time no see…."
Ian gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain, flashing a faint smile. Before tears could well in her eyes, he hurriedly fumbled in his pocket with a trembling hand.
The handkerchief she laundered for him daily. Even after their separation due to his kidnapping—a stretch without washing—it remained impeccably maintained.
His hand shook as he reached out, gently wiping her eyes, and said,
"Doesn't hurt much. Don't cry. It's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal? You are badly hurt. I can sense your condition, Husband."
Cheong-ah clutched his hand tightly, pressing it to her cheek. Feeling the soft, smooth skin of her face, Ian grinned again, bluffing through the pain.
"Nah, you can't see right now, Cheong-ah. Trust me. I'm fine, really. Damn, wish I could just show you."
"……Liar."
She could feel his hand trembling from the pain, and his steady voice rang false—deliberately casual, as if to spare her any worry.
"Not lying. I'm really okay."
"Then share your senses with me right now. Let me see."
"Ah, well, right now it's a bit…"
Ian sounded troubled. Understanding his reluctance to burden her, Cheong-ah nodded.
It was always like this.
"……Yes, I understand. If that's your wish, Husband."
This too was her husband's will. As his wife, she would honor it.
"But at least let me nestle in your arms. Your wife wants to act spoiled with her long-lost husband."
"That much? Anytime."
I've missed you all like crazy too. Ian grinned as he spoke, and she slipped into his embrace, supporting him like a crutch.
"First, let's treat your 'minor' wound…."
Then, presences stirred all around them.
-Waaaaah…!!
Shouts and pounding footsteps closed in. Soldiers swarmed in an instant, encircling the Red Evil Mercenaries and Behena, blocking the path to the main force.
"Fuck, it's a trap. You bastards."
By now, Bella and Dina had slain two knights in a flash, severed their heads, and tossed them aside like trash as they approached. Behind them, headless corpses crumpled, fountaining blood.
"Little spitfire, how's Yeonja's condition?"
"He’s…."
Cheong-ah started to shake her head in answer to Dina's question, but Ian cut in first.
"Why ask Cheong-ah? It's my body. I'm fine. Doesn't hurt at all."
He flashed a toothy grin, leaving Dina and Bella dumbfounded.
Anyone could see blood gushing from his back, his spine exposed through the sword wound. He looked critically injured, pale as death, drenched in cold sweat….
And he claimed it didn't hurt?
Maybe the constant pain from his ability had fried his pain receptors for real agony?
"What the hell kinda nonsense is that?"
"Such a grievous wound, and you claim…?"
Bella and Dina blurted in unison, faces blank with disbelief. But Cheong-ah cut them off.
"Enough, both of you. If Husband says he's fine, he is."
"No, but that's not—"
"……Very well."
"Hey, what're you—"
Bella tried to argue, but Dina accepted it. As Bella turned to protest, Dina stared up at her pointedly.
"Yeonja says he's fine, so he is."
"……Hah, even you? Fine, whatever."
Bella sighed deeply, grinding her teeth as she turned to Ian.
"Hey, you little shit."
"Yeah?"
"……Hang in there. I'll end this quick."
"Heh, got it."
Meanwhile, Dina asked Cheong-ah,
"Little spitfire, what of you?"
"I'll protect Husband."
"Then so be it. This one shall carve a path with the beast."
Priority one: break through the soldiers blocking the main force.
"Step aside if you don't wanna die, you fucks…!"
Red mana rippled from her body, coiling around her greatsword. Normally, that bloodthirsty aura would scatter foes in terror—but not one budged.
Bella felt a twinge of embarrassment inwardly.
…Better trained than I thought?
Whatever. If they wouldn't run, she'd just plow through. A minor hassle, but no big deal.
Her greatsword, laden with ferocious energy, swung like an explosion at the soldiers' center.
Boom…!
Soldiers scattered and flew. Like a lone valiant lion, Bella plunged into their midst.
Spears thrust at her. She reinforced the targeted spots with mana, blocking them. It stung, but such scratches wouldn't—
Shlick…!
"Gah…! What the—?!"
The spear pierced her mana barrier, nicking her flesh. Blood welled. Luckily not deep—just a needle prick—but she'd been wounded.
"……Fuckin' annoying!"
Bella snarled in irritation. She felt no real oddity, just that her recent fights buffed by Ian had dulled her mana-shielding instincts a bit. No suspicions there.
As Bella rampaged in the enemy center, Dina methodically felled soldiers from the front.
Grab thrusting spears and snap the shafts. Deflect arrows and hurl them back. Dodge swords, then shatter blades with fist strikes to their cores.
Amid it, Dina sensed something off. She'd dropped dozens, yet no screams. Come to think of it, cheers had come from afar. Sure, noise rose from the main force ahead, but these foes she and Bella faced? Dead silent.
Sensing the anomaly, Dina glanced at the charging soldiers.
And realized.
"……These guys."
Like the undead that ambushed via sewers during Ian's kidnapping.
They looked alive, but weren't.
Dina's eyes gleamed fiercely.
"Time for payback from that day."
Pausing a beat to scan around while cutting down only the rushers, Dina's movements screamed one thing: hunting the necromancer puppeteering her foes.
Watching, Carol smirked faintly.
"Oh? She noticed they're undead."
"Th-Then isn't this dangerous?"
Carol lounged on the sofa, arms crossed casually at the count's anxious query.
"As if. How would she know where I am? Told you—this spot's undetectable."
Atop the lord's manor, shrouded in triple-layered barriers sealing even the tiniest mana leaks. Unless her foe specialized in mana detection—and no Platinum adventurer did—it was safe. Backup shield spells too, just in case.
"Quit fretting. I'm Carol. Carolia Emercist. The Necromancer Clan's black gold."
"R-Right. I trust you, then."
The count thought, Black gold? What's that? But kept it to himself.
Fine. Just trust her. He relaxed.