Carving Through Bone
‘Something must have happened to Derke!’ My ominous premonition was spot on. The wraiths had vanished in a hurry, so I followed them—and sure enough…
「KRRAAAAAARGH━──!!!」
“What the hell is that…?!”
A grotesque creature was shrieking outside. Nothing but a bare skeleton remained of what had once been a monster, its form eerily reminiscent of an undead.
「…Noryururururung!!!」
The skeletal beast was locked in a struggle with the wraiths, ramming its skull into the tight formation they had formed to protect Derke.
‘If this keeps up, Derke’s in real danger……!’
The monster’s target was clearly Derke. She had collapsed in the snow, her legs giving out beneath her. Trembling violently, she stared at the creature with wide, terrified eyes.
“Hauu……?”
Like a rabbit frozen before a wolf, she was too petrified to even attempt resistance. If the wraiths were breached, the monster would charge straight for her. Already, gaps were slowly forming in their defensive line.
“O-Oppa……!!!”
Instinctively, Derke called out for me instead of her parents. That aside, I couldn’t just stand here—Derke was in genuine peril.
—Clack!
Whoosh…!
In the heat of the moment, my body moved on its own. The old, dulled paring knife flew from my hand. I had grabbed it earlier when I sensed something was wrong.
‘I don’t know if this’ll even work……!’
—Thwack!
Though I had thrown it on pure instinct, the force behind it was tremendous. The blade-less knife embedded itself squarely in the monster’s forehead, sinking in as easily as if it were pudding. The hilt now jutted out like a horn, buried deep despite how worn the blade had become.
「Keheeeeeek……?!?!」
The monster let out a piercing shriek and collapsed in a heap, as though it had suffered a fatal wound.
‘What just happened? How did I do that? My body moved on its own again… the moment I grabbed the knife?’
It was hard to believe. I had done it with my own hands, yet it felt completely unreal. I had already suspected something was off when the knife sliced through fruit so effortlessly, but now it had felled a monster in a single throw?
For a split second, it felt as if someone else had possessed my body.
Ha, who cares? That wasn’t important right now.
“Derke, are you okay?!”
“B-Breeder Oppa—?! That was… amazing……!”
Derke turned at my call, her face lighting up as she said my name. The fear in her eyes melted away the moment our gazes met.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, right?”
“Mm, I’m totally fine-yap…! But how did you do that with just a regular knife……?”
Even in a situation like this, Derke’s sharp eyes hadn’t dulled. She had been shaking like a leaf moments ago, yet she had still noticed the knife was an ordinary paring knife.
“I’m here now, so relax. I’ll turn that skull into bone broth.”
「Krrrk……!」
The fallen skeleton groaned. Even with only its skull left, it was surprisingly tenacious. Then again, it wasn’t a living being anymore, so maybe physical damage didn’t matter.
—Clack, clack…!
A dry rattling sound came from the monster’s skull. Its jaw joint twitched as if its dentures were chattering.
“Guess it’s not over yet.”
—Roll…!
As if a soul still lingered within, the monster’s head slowly turned. A crimson glow flickered inside the empty eye sockets.
There was no time to waste. It could lunge again at any moment. I had to finish this quickly.
“Derke? Get inside and hide.”
—Tap-tap-tap…!
“O-Oppa?! That’s dangerous-yap…!!!”
I ignored Derke’s warning and sprinted toward the monster, intending to yank the knife free and properly exorcise it. When an opening appeared, you had to press the advantage. I was determined to end this with my own hands.
It was dangerous, just as Derke had said. Under normal circumstances, I never would have attempted something so reckless. But if I did nothing, who knew what might happen? I just wanted to protect her. That was all.
‘It’s not like I have zero chance. My body might move on its own again, just like before……?’
Besides, if even a monster infused with a dragon’s power had fallen to a mere paring knife, then splitting its skull like I was making bone broth should be manageable.
—Grab!
“Perfect!”
The knife that had been lodged in the monster’s head like a horn was back in my hand. The creature hadn’t fully recovered yet. Black demonic energy still rippled faintly across its skull, and it looked dazed.
This was my chance to pulverize it. If I could split thick fruit rinds, there was no reason I couldn’t cleave through bone.
—Grip…!
Just as I tightened my hold on the hilt with that resolve—
“…B-Breeder?! It’s dangerous to approach a monster in a human body—!”
“Howaaat…! Whitey—?!”
“Breeder Teacher……?!”
“Teacher! Split that thing in half right now—!”
Voices suddenly rang out from behind.
“…Huh? Lady Sofia? And the other girls too?”
I turned to find the others rushing out in a group. They must have followed me after seeing me dash off in a panic. Every single one of them looked worried about me. Only Eros was enthusiastically cheering me on—probably because she had seen my knife skills firsthand.
Still, it was only natural they would be concerned. A human taking on a monster? And with nothing but a paring knife, at that.
‘But I can’t stop now. Wait… this sensation… I don’t think I can stop even if I want to.’
—Creak……!
The moment I gripped the knife, control of my body slipped away. My hand tightened around the hilt of its own accord.
“My body’s moving on its own again……?”
I had felt it earlier too, but holding a knife made me feel like a completely different person. As if some dormant instinct within this body had awakened.
This never happened before I accepted the Dragon Hearts and resonated with them…… Could it be connected to the unsealed Dragon Heart?
—Krrrrk…!
The toothless blade effortlessly sliced through the monster’s thick bone, moving as though someone else were guiding the hilt.
‘Just like before… it splits so easily. It’s like I’m cutting through paper…….’
It was a bewildering experience, but not an unpleasant one. In fact, the satisfying sensation lingered in my mind.
And then—
「Grooooooo……」
—Thud…!
The elongated reptilian skull split cleanly down the middle, the two halves falling apart to either side. It happened in an instant.
—Sssssst…!
“Huh? It’s disappearing?”
A black shadow evaporated from the bisected skull like mist. The monster’s remains crumbled at a molecular level, scattering like dust on the wind.
So I really had done it. Defeating a monster with a shabby paring knife—and in a single stroke, no less. I had only been driven by the desperate need to protect Derke, yet even I felt dazed by the outcome.
""……?!""
And I wasn’t the only one stunned. Everyone wore expressions of disbelief. No one could speak. They simply stood there, staring at my face and the monster’s remains. Even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
“O-Oppa took down the monster-yap……?”
“W-Whitey—?! Are you okay?! More importantly, how did you……?”
“Breeder Teacher… You might be even more incredible than I thought……”
“W-What was that just now? I knew you were good with a knife, but… how did a human cut down a monster in one strike?”
Reactions finally came after a long pause. It was understandable—they were struggling to accept what they had seen. Truthfully, even I could hardly believe it.
Sonya and Eros muttered to themselves, while Derke remained sprawled in the snow. Only Raylin approached me, checking me over.
—Step, step, step.
Finally, Sofia—who had been speechless until now—followed after Raylin and came toward me.
“……”
Her lips trembled slightly, her face filled with shock.
“Lady Sofia……?”
“I-I’m sorry, Breeder……”
“Yes? What do you mean all of a sudden?”
Her first words caught me off guard. I had expected concern, but instead she offered a heartfelt apology.
“This is all my fault. I should have properly exorcised the monster earlier……”
“Pardon?”
“I was careless. When I was fighting the monster earlier, I had to hide my true form from you in a hurry and couldn’t finish it off.”
“Ah, so that’s why only the head……”
“Yes. Because of my foolish shame, I nearly caused a disaster. How can I ever apologize for this……?”
—Grab!
Sofia clasped my hands and met my gaze. Her golden eyes wavered like rippling water, as if hot tears might spill at any moment. It was only natural—she had nearly lost someone precious because of her own mistake.
“Apologize? It’s fine. In the end, everyone’s safe, isn’t that right?”
“B-But……”
“If you really feel that sorry, could you set aside your suspicions about me, even just for a little while?”
“Huh……?”
“Just put your doubts aside for now and regain your strength by enjoying the snacks I prepared. That’s more than enough for me.”
“Haa?”
“And there’s no need to be embarrassed about your true form, Lady Sofia. You have no idea how relieved I was when you came looking for me earlier.”
“Breeder?”
“So please don’t worry about appearances in front of me. To me, you’re simply you, Lady Sofia.”
“Y-You really are……”
—Rustle!
Moved by my words, Sofia’s eyes glistened with tears as she threw herself into my arms.
“Howaaat—?! S-Senpai? It’s not even my turn yet……?!”
“Everyone back off-yap—!!!”
Raylin and Derke immediately protested the moment Sofia embraced me.
“Huh? Derke?”
But Derke’s reaction felt off. Her expression was far too serious for a simple protest. The way she told everyone to back off almost seemed directed at me as well—
“Behind…! Look behind you-yap—!!!”
—Slink, slink…!
“Huh? What’s this now?”
At Derke’s cry, I turned around—and spotted something like black smoke drifting in the air, its shape vaguely resembling a soul.
‘Don’t tell me… it’s not over yet?’
Just as that ominous thought crossed my mind—
—Ding!
The power of the Sealed Dragon Heart (No Attribute) has awakened!
With the power of the Dragon Heart (No Attribute), you may add the target wraith to your legion.
Would you like to add this wraith to your legion?