Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Round Two
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But that was as far as my understanding went.
I now knew that the Hariba before me was being controlled by someone.
His screaming of my name.
It was likely less due to hatred for me and more a side effect of having commands forcibly drilled into him.
He probably had little to no reason left in his current state.
The problem was that I had no idea where the one hiding was.
‘Are they farther away than I thought?’
A plausible theory, but I judged it to be incorrect.
That kind of domination would involve black magic, likely by intervening with his consciousness.
If so, there would have been no reason for him to hesitate when obscured by an obstacle.
‘Not assimilation, but sharing. Not domination, but control.’
I firmly established the distinction in my mind and continued my train of thought.
It was more likely that the one controlling Hariba was nearby, possessing concealment skills advanced enough to evade my senses.
‘This is tricky…’
The controller was probably the mastermind.
The one who had an assassin infiltrate the Bednicker estate and tried to kill me.
Defeating Hariba now wouldn't be difficult, but what would the mastermind do upon seeing that?
Would they reveal themselves to finish the job?
‘Not a chance.’
Judging by their actions so far, they were unsettlingly cautious and meticulous.
They would more likely lie low and wait for a guaranteed opportunity.
For me, that was the most troublesome outcome.
‘In that case…’
Just as my mind was racing.
“...!”
Seren suddenly appeared behind Hariba.
It was literally ‘suddenly.’
As if surfacing from beneath the water, or stepping out from behind a curtain.
‘A Blessing!’
In that instant, Seren’s heel came crashing down on Hariba’s head.
Was she aiming to crush his cervical vertebrae, since the neck was a weak point?
No.
The moment Hariba’s head bent at a right angle, Seren held up two fingers.
Her nails grew unnaturally long, glinting ominously like beastly claws in the moonlight.
I knew that Blessing.
The Blessing that had earned Seren the moniker [Silvermoon].
[Blessing of the Silver Moon].
*Schlick!*
A sound like slicing through a chunk of meat rang out.
I could see the blood dripping from the tips of Seren’s nails, or claws… whatever they were.
It looked like a clean hit.
For a moment, even I thought so—but then I saw Hariba’s eyes spin around.
“Get back!”
I shouted immediately, but it was no use.
Hariba, still in a slightly crouched position, kicked backward.
The crude movement looked like a horse delivering a back kick.
Seren instantly crossed her arms to block.
It was an excellent defense, but it only reduced the damage, not nullified it.
I was worried, but I couldn’t miss this opportunity either.
I clenched my fist tightly and lunged into Hariba’s wide-open guard.
Hariba’s physique was already easily more than twice my size, so when I looked up, I saw a mass of muscle and his face.
There was a perfect technique for a moment like this.
A technique inspired by the seventh form of Ironheart, the Bednicker family’s traditional swordsmanship: Heaven’s Pierce.
The same form I had once shown Keian.
White Sun Eclipse, Third Form.
Ascension Flame.
*CRACK!*
Unlike the first attack, the impact this time felt incredibly solid. Better than I’d expected.
I heard a sickening crunch as Hariba’s neck muscles tore apart.
My fist alone couldn’t have achieved this much; Seren’s claws must have sliced halfway through the back of his neck.
Hariba’s head lolled about as if it were about to snap off.
It was a nauseating sight, but what was more absurd was that he could still move even in this state.
“Ugh, uh…?”
Hariba let out a dull groan, grabbing his head as if to hold it in place.
He’s tougher than I thought.
Considering he was being controlled, I couldn’t assume he would die just because his neck was broken.
I rushed over to Seren.
Had my master not fully healed my body?
A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and I almost stumbled awkwardly as I ran.
When I finally reached her, I found her slumped against a half-shattered tree.
One look was enough to tell she wasn’t okay.
“Are you all right?”
I just hoped no bones were broken.
“My bones are broken.”
“Which ones?”
As long as it wasn’t both—
“Both of them.”
Damn it.
For someone without a weapon, having both arms broken was as good as being finished.
She could probably serve as a distraction, but that wouldn’t be very meaningful against this opponent.
Seren seemed to know this, chewing on her lip. Her face was flushed, likely feeling humiliated by the situation.
I hadn’t known her for long, but…
She seemed like the type of person who would rather die than be a burden to others.
“Ughhh…”
I heard Hariba’s voice and turned to see something astonishing happening.
“Hey, look at that…”
“I see it.”
The torn muscles in his neck were knitting back together.
Does he have troll blood in him or something?
Ever since the Jewel Mountains, nothing good seemed to come from getting involved with those troll bastards.
‘We’ve already wasted a lot of time.’
It was about time someone from the main family estate could discover us.
If the fight dragged on and someone from the estate saw this—
Honestly, I was confident I could survive one way or another.
The Iron-Blooded Duke was still in the family, after all.
But what about Seren?
A scion of the Goodsprings, a thorn in our side, had trespassed into the Bednicker’s forbidden grounds.
For the Bednickers, this would be a golden opportunity.
They might even kill her.
And even if they didn’t, they would surely exploit this incident for all it was worth.
What would this proud girl think, seeing her family suffer because of her mistake?
But she also wasn’t the type to meekly retreat if I told her to escape on her own.
‘…’
I briefly recalled Seren’s various traits.
Incredibly proud, and a quick thinker.
Her speech was abrasive, but she had a good heart.
And surprisingly, she misunderstood things a lot…
“Seren.”
“What.”
“Do you remember the way we came?”
“In this situation… do you take me for an idiot?”
“Good.”
I stood up and said.
“Go on ahead.”
Seren froze at my words.
“What?”
“Was I too blunt? I’ll handle him, so you go first.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
Of course I was.
Seren’s mouth gaped for a moment before she scowled and said.
“My legs are fine, you know? And if we’re going, we should go together. Why are you telling me to go alone? That sluggish bastard is too slow to catch us anyway.”
I wasn’t so sure.
The reason Hariba hadn’t pursued us with all his might so far was likely because we were heading in the opposite direction of the Bednicker estate.
There was no need to rush after rats willingly cornering themselves.
‘Besides, I still haven’t found the one who’s hiding.’
I couldn’t predict when they might appear.
There was no guarantee that Hariba was their only asset.
The only thing I knew for sure was that their target was me.
So, they wouldn’t chase Seren if she escaped from here.
Of course, I had neither the reason nor the luxury to explain all this.
As I remained silent, Seren spoke.
“...You, don’t tell me you hurt your leg?”
What’s this misunderstanding now?
Ah. Come to think of it, I did misstep on my way here because of that dizzy spell.
She must have seen that and jumped to conclusions.
I was once again taken aback by this girl’s misconception, but I kept my mouth shut and put on a grim expression.
“...So it’s true. Dammit.”
After letting out a curse, Seren spoke again.
“Then we have even more reason to escape together.”
“Be reasonable. You can’t even support me with your arms like that.”
“And you facing him alone is reasonable?”
“Unlike you, my arms are fine. And my leg isn’t completely broken. Besides, I told you. I saw the future.”
“...The future.”
Seren fell silent, then spoke with a heavy tone.
“...What if this isn’t your original future?”
“What?”
“What if I messed things up by getting involved, and in the original future, you didn’t die here—wouldn’t that mean I killed you?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Snap out of it.”
I waved my hand in front of her face, but her unfocused gaze didn’t return easily.
I had no choice but to slap her cheek.
*Smack.*
“...Shit, what are you doing?”
Is she really a noble?
I met Seren’s glare, which looked like it could kill me before Hariba did, and said.
“That’s enough, just go. I’ll catch up to you soon, I promise.”
Seren pressed her lips together and lowered her head.
Then she looked up at me and said.
“Just wait a little. I’ll bring people.”
“Were you even listening to me? We have to keep our presence here a secret. I’m saying this for your sake too.”
Spreading this around would be a pain for me as well.
I wanted to hide the fact that we’d entered the forbidden grounds if at all possible.
Naturally, Seren didn’t listen.
“Do you hear yourself? I’d rather just fight alongside you.”
“...Then I’ll tell you who you can tell.”
“Who is it?”
“Keian and Arjan.”
“And who are they?”
“My subordinates. You can trust them.”
“What about your mother?”
“Don’t tell her. She worries too much.”
“…”
Seren bit her lip hard, her voice cracking as she spoke.
“...Why are you doing all this for me?”
“Well… I don’t know either.”
At that, Seren looked at me as if she’d been struck.
Her dazed expression was quite memorable.
“...You idiot.”
Moron, bastard.
She’d been spouting harsh words, but her final insult lacked any real force.
“Ruan Bednicker.”
“Yeah.”
“If we meet again…”
Seren said, her expression hardening.
“I’ll tell you one of my secrets.”
“What?”
There’s really no need for that…
Just as I was about to reply, Seren’s form vanished.
She reappeared a short distance away, just as she had when she ambushed Hariba.
It was like she was using a series of short-range teleports.
That was probably the power of her Blessing as well.
‘I guess she can’t use it with a companion.’
That was a relief.
If she could have, I would have had no choice but to escape with her.
But naturally, I had no intention of running away.
I still had business with Hariba.
‘It seems like she’s misunderstanding something again.’
I could clear up the misunderstanding later. For now, I decided to focus back on the Hariba in front of me.
“Ugh, uh…”
Having finished regenerating his wounds, Hariba walked toward me.
“Alright. Then…”
Shall we begin round two, without any interruptions?