Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: A Devoted Reader's Rebirth Life
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<—>
If asked about Lily's swordsmanship, Sion could answer coldly that it wasn't all that impressive.
Her main strength was shaking minds, after all. Physical combat was just her way of delivering the finishing blow—or a desperate last struggle, at best.
Sure, she was better than your average knight, but compared to Kim Yuhyun? Not even close.
'Lily can just go easy and pull back if needed, but Kim Yuhyun's the problem.'
From the moment they met, he'd singled her out as his duel opponent. Even here in the training grounds, he ignored every other knight and picked her alone.
The great Kim Yuhyun wouldn't choose an opponent for no reason.
He'd definitely noticed something. Sensed something.
'This is driving me insane, for real.'
Succubus Queen Lily was a vital asset—a rare card he absolutely couldn't lose.
They hadn't even entered the main story yet. If she died in a spar with Kim Yuhyun, or if her true nature got exposed and turned the atmosphere hostile, it'd be a nightmare for Sion.
It'd be like thinking it was sugar and pouring it in, only to find out it was lukewarm water—or mistaking cooking oil for vinegar.
Whoosh!
Lily claimed the first strike, at least.
Or maybe Kim Yuhyun had yielded it on purpose, but holding the initiative was what mattered.
At first, Kim Yuhyun dodged her attacks with fluid footwork.
But soon, he raised his wooden sword to block her strikes preemptively.
Thwack!
Clack!
Dull thuds echoed as the wooden swords clashed, but if those were real blades, sparks would fly from steel meeting steel, edge on edge.
Imagining Kim Yuhyun swinging a live blade made Sion shudder, nearly pissing his pants.
Life was precious, and death felt way too close.
'Shit!
Go Lily!
Come on, sis!
You might not win, but smack him at least once!'
Cheering wildly in his head, Sion watched the duel between the two 'men' with rapt attention.
Completely oblivious to the fact that Margrave Lichten, sitting beside him, was watching him far more intently than the fight.
"Hmm."
Meanwhile, Kim Yuhyun concluded that his opponent's swordsmanship was surprisingly decent.
Her stance was a bit awkward, but she targeted vitals without a hint of hesitation—she'd clearly eaten her share of steel.
'Still not enough, though.'
The moment their eyes met as he entered the reception room.
His body buzzed, every sense and cell stirring wildly.
The unique aura and pressure from a superior being, transmitted straight to his body.
The sensation faded like smoke soon after, but Kim Yuhyun was already convinced.
That this Knight North was hiding his true strength.
'I wonder how long he can hold out, but he'll have to show it eventually.'
With that thought, Kim Yuhyun flipped his defensive stance, slowly shifting to offense.
'What the hell, this guy.
Pretty good for a human?'
Lily was shocked in her own way.
She'd judged from the start that his swordplay and movements were no joke, but she hadn't expected him to read her so quickly and counter to crush her.
She had no intention of hiding her skill, but she didn't need to go all out either—just play along moderately. Yet he was toying with her, like he wanted her to show more tricks.
'...That bastard, with Sion watching.'
She'd bragged to her contractor about how amazing she was. Getting trounced by a mere human in front of him would shatter the queen's pride.
Biting her lip, she started mixing in feints.
In that brief exchange of blows, he'd spotted that her left leg bore her weight and kept targeting it to collapse her stance.
Fine, then. She'd give him what he wanted—and take something bigger in return.
Lily acted on it instantly, letting her balance waver just a bit against Kim Yuhyun's latest attack.
Her left leg exposed to assault.
She figured he'd rush in immediately, and sure enough, he dove into the gap.
'I knew it!'
Lily whipped her sword around swiftly.
Just as she aimed the hilt at his exposed side—
Thud!
'...Ugh?'
Pain shot through her unexpectedly, twisting her face.
And the scene before her eyes left her genuinely stunned.
He'd pretended to fall for her feint, only to target her arm instead.
Exactly as she'd planned—but reversed. The hilt of his wooden sword slammed hard into her forearm.
"Krgh!"
It was a heavy hit, and an unexpected one, throwing her balance for real.
In a duel, that was the perfect weakness to exploit—and Kim Yuhyun wasn't the generous type to let her catch her breath.
Crack!
His sword traced a graceful arc, smashing into her shoulder.
Then, flowing like water, he slipped out of range, exhaled lightly, and switched his grip on the wooden sword.
"Don't pull cheap tricks."
Flames erupted in Lily's eyes as those words left Kim Yuhyun's mouth.
This puny human daring to speak to her—the Succubus Queen—like that.
Right in front of her contractor, Sion, no less!
'That rude son of a bitch.'
For a split second, she wanted to dominate his mind, break him mercilessly, force him to his knees, stomp his face underfoot, and order him to lick her toes.
Her rage boiled over like a volcano, and briefly, North's transformed eyes flickered red again.
'Hm?'
Kim Yuhyun wasn't one to miss the change.
Sensing the ominous shift in her aura, he widened the distance and prepared to strike at the first opening.
'Should I kill him?'
Lily hesitated.
By her nature, anyone who insulted the queen would be dead without question.
But now, she was just a woman bound by a enslavement contract.
And her contractor had given her a clear order.
'Never reveal your true feelings—or your power.'
'Ah, why—
Can't I just kill the cocky ones?'
'No.
Absolutely not.'
'Why, why why why!
I wanna go wild sometimes too!'
'I don't want to lose you, Lily.'
'...Huh?'
A 300 km/hr fastball of restraint, out of nowhere.
Standing there dumbfounded as Sion grabbed her shoulders, Lily had blushed like an idiot, too flustered to reply.
'Promise me.
Say you'll listen.'
'Uh, uh...'
'Say you promise.
I'll die if I lose you, sis.'
'O-okay.
I promise... I promise.'
She'd squirmed and answered, and only then did Sion smile.
How pathetic and hateful she'd felt, just flapping her lips like a fool.
She was the dream demon, yet why was she the one always getting dragged around!
'Damn... even made a contract with a weirdo like this.'
Sighing, Lily kept moving.
'What the...'
The opponent's ferocious momentum—ready to devour her—vanished in an instant.
That savage glare from moments ago, the killing intent pouring from his body—all gone.
Clicking his tongue, Kim Yuhyun felt his irritation rise.
Hiding his strength against him, of all people, trying to make him yield.
This was beyond insulting.
'No choice, then.
Push him to his limit in one go—force his instincts to draw out his true power.'
Swoosh!
Kim Yuhyun's movements changed in a flash.
If they'd been somewhat trackable before, now even the Lion Knight Commander's eyes struggled to follow.
'What... is that guy?'
Movements even he, the Margrave's Knight Commander, couldn't track properly.
Lion was floored, a laugh bubbling up in disbelief.
Where the hell did this monster come from!
'...Ah, no!
Knight North!'
If he was struggling, how was Knight North faring?
As expected, North was taking hits from multiple angles in seconds.
Fearing disaster, Lion moved to stop the duel—
"..."
At some point, Kim Yuhyun's sword halted mid-air.
And right in front of it stood a young man.
"Y-Young Lord!"
"Brother!"
Even a wooden sword at that speed meant fractures at best, death at worst.
Yet Sion Klausen—the Young Lord who never respected knights, who ignored martial arts—had leaped right into the heart of this deadly duel.
"Enough."
Kim Yuhyun's wooden sword hovered inches from his face.
One slip, and he'd be dead, but Sion was unfazed.
No—unfazed didn't cover it.
Cold yet noble, brimming with confidence, overwhelming his opponent.
"...What is this?"
Kim Yuhyun seemed genuinely startled by Sion's sudden appearance.
If he'd reacted a fraction slower, the young man's head would've split open—yet he stared back with icy eyes, oblivious or not.
"Knight North's ploy was blocked, and your strike landed. Victory was decided then. But pressing like you're out for blood? That's excessive."
"It's a duel."
"And you've won it.
So stop."
"The outcome isn't settled yet."
"It is.
That's as far as it goes."
Kim Yuhyun's lips twitched involuntarily, his fierce gaze locking onto Sion under the pressure.
Killing intent radiated, thick enough to choke an ordinary person.
"..."
But Sion's cold eyes gleamed steadily, meeting his without flinching.
The tension could've sparked blades at any moment, yet neither moved first.
"Why are you doing this?"
Kim Yuhyun finally retracted his aura and spoke.
"You, Sion Klausen, proposed this duel to prove yourself to the Margrave Territory's knights.
And now you're stopping it?"
"It's proven already.
No need for pointless blood."
"Deciding if blood is 'pointless' before swinging the sword is foolish..."
"It's not foolish.
Kim Yuhyun.
Those who wield swords must know their weight."
Kim Yuhyun flinched, trembling as he stared at Sion.
That line—it matched exactly what a man he'd once idolized madly had said.
"Shedding blood.
Taking a life—it's never light.
The moment you get used to it, a swordsman becomes a mere murder tool. A blade without purpose or meaning.
So..."
Gulp.
Kim Yuhyun swallowed dryly without thinking.
He bit his lip and clenched his fist tight.
A faint voice echoed from far away in his ears, hazy yet clear.
'So stop the foolish nonsense and ease up, little bro.'
"So stop the foolish nonsense and ease up.
Kim Yuhyun."
Sion said it, pointing to Knight North—Lily—slumped behind him.
"He's mine.
I told you last time—a master's gotta protect his own, right?
Same here.
Let's call it even."
Kim Yuhyun eyed Sion briefly, then nodded as if understanding.
He apologized to Knight North—Lily—for going too far and stepped back.
'...Fuck, feels like I aged ten years.'
A bit longer, and either Lily's head would've cracked, her identity exposed, or he'd have ended up dead himself.
Recalling his old master's line at that pivotal moment? Divine intervention.
"You okay, Knight North?"
"Y-yeah.
I'm fine...
Sion."
The middle-aged man fumbled, blushing embarrassedly.
Sion knew what was inside, but the shell made him nauseous, goosebumps rising.
After helping Lily up, Sion turned to Margrave Lichten, who was sighing in relief, and spoke.
"Father.
I think everyone acknowledges Kim Yuhyun's skill now."
"...Yes.
Even the Knight Commander deems it sufficient."
Lion, who'd been staring at Kim Yuhyun in a daze, nodded.
And so, Kim Yuhyun officially stayed in the Klausen Margrave's castle for a while.
Two days later, at dawn, the expedition he initiated began.