Chapter 70: The First Letter (70)
Chapter 70: The First Letter (70)
“Del... phine Yurdina….”
But my faint murmur didn't reach Senior Delphine. With her usual leisurely stride, she approached Seria.
Seria flinched and lowered her head. It was an instinctive reaction. She averted her gaze, her body trembling ever so slightly.
“Rest easy. You’ve proven your utility. At the very least, as long as I am the Head of the Family, you will not be stripped of the Yurdina name.”
She spoke as if Seria had caught the prey specifically for her. That couldn't be further from the truth.
More than anyone, Seria wanted to escape the memories of that day. Her blade existed for her own sake. The demonic beast she had cut down with that blade was the same.
Nevertheless, Delphine merely wore a relaxed smile, as if Seria’s intentions didn't matter in the slightest.
Using any means necessary for victory. Doing anything as long as it doesn't break the rules. So this is what it means to be of the Yurdina family.
Senior Delphine asked softly, “Are you going to fight?”
Her attitude suggested that the outcome wouldn't change regardless of the answer. Seria’s eyes quivered with fear. By then, Celine had already let out a sharp cry and dropped her sword.
A hand axe was embedded in her slumped shoulder.
“……Celine!”
The moment I saw that, I struggled like a madman, but Senior Fermin’s lean yet solid body wouldn't let me go. Instead, he struck the back of my neck with a sharp thwack, making my consciousness haze over.
I didn't pass out completely. If anything, Senior Fermin looked surprised.
“Your mental strength is remarkable, Junior. I’m impressed. Your blood loss must be significant as well.”
I let out ragged, wheezing breaths as my eyes fixed on Senior Fermin. He looked down at my blood-soaked left arm with a pitying gaze.
“If we don't apply first aid, this could get serious. Normally, I should just break it entirely, but….”
A pure white radiance gathered in his hand. As he lightly brushed his hand over my left arm, new flesh began to sprout over the gore.
Of course, it was literally just emergency treatment. A simple procedure to stop the bleeding. Even so, there was only one power capable of performing such a miracle.
“……A monk?”
At my heated breath and barely squeezed-out murmur, Senior Fermin nodded without a word.
I had thought his physical techniques were terrifying; he was a monk from the Holy Kingdom. Those who fought by reinforcing their bodies with Divine Power had skin like iron plates and were masters of brawling.
If I had known beforehand, I would have been wary of his physical combat, but I had been completely fooled because he carried a sword. Even his swordsmanship had been top-tier.
It was frustrating for me, but the reality of her comrades being suppressed enraged Seria even more. Specifically, the moment I collapsed, a cold killing intent flickered in her eyes.
She bit her lip, hardening her resolve, and forced her trembling arm to steady as she leveled her sword's point.
Senior Delphine let out a soft, mocking chuckle. Then, with a benevolent gaze, she spoke.
“Come.”
In the next instant, blue Aura flared up like a wildfire. The essence of mana, rising like a haze, drew three fine lines.
It was the Yurdina family’s secret art, the Golden Silk Sword. It was also the finest killing technique Seria could wield. Using it from the start meant she desperately wanted to defeat Senior Delphine.
However, with a single stroke—
A golden sword path swept horizontally, shattering and crushing all those fine lines.
There wasn't even a hint of a telegraph. No, there might have been, but it was at a speed the eye couldn't follow. Having displayed the difference in their skill with merciless, brute simplicity, Senior Delphine didn't swing her sword a second time.
Thud!
Before anyone knew it, Senior Delphine’s foot was buried in Seria’s solar plexus. Seria was sent flying, tearing through the air.
She was already riddled with injuries from fighting the demonic beast. The power of the kick to her vitals must have been horrific; she couldn't even let out a groan as she writhed on the ground.
It was overwhelming. It wasn't even a contest. And this was against Seria, who was so strong.
Senior Delphine let out a long sigh and sheathed her sword. Her posture remained perfectly composed, as if she had merely gone out for a stroll.
She walked without hesitation and stood before the dying demonic beast. She marveled once more.
“Incredible, truly incredible. A beast of this level is a monster even I would be reluctant to face alone. How did you bring it down? I’m impressed, Hand Axe Young Master… as the old saying goes, was it ‘earth-shattering’?”
Cough!
Another mouthful of blood spilled from my lips. Senior Fermin advised me.
“Stay still. Your injuries are severe. You can just let Delphine’s provocations slide. Peace of mind comes from an immovable mind.”
What the hell was he talking about? I glared at Senior Fermin, who looked genuinely worried, and forced my mouth open.
“Cowardly… cough… isn't this… cowardly…?”
It was the maximum amount of reproach I could muster. Hearing that, Senior Delphine looked at me with a smirk, as if she had been waiting for it.
“I told you, Hand Axe Young Master. To win, you must not be picky about your means and methods. I didn't want to do this either, but what could I do? It was obvious this wolf would be the best prey.”
“H-how… did you… find us….”
“The dagger.”
At those words, I blankly shifted my gaze to my chest.
Tucked inside was the dagger Senior Delphine had left me as a 'reward.' That meant she had intended to keep tabs on us from the very beginning.
Ha. I swallowed a hollow laugh, stunned by the absurdity.
It was my fault. I hadn't been wary enough. It was an item given by a potential competitor. I should have doubted it again and again.
Self-reproach tightened its grip on my heart.
What about Seria, who had gritted her teeth for this final chance? What about Celine, who had followed my hellish training for a week without a word of complaint, or Senior Elsie, with whom I had promised to win?
“You despicable bitch! Even so, you didn't have to beat the kids half to death! They’re already injured!”
Senior Elsie screamed. Senior Aisia, with her sky-blue hair, was now standing in front of her. I didn't know what she had done, but Senior Elsie couldn't budge an inch.
When Senior Aisia met my eyes, she winked and held out the stick candy she was biting.
It seemed to be her way of saying hello. Senior Delphine didn't even look at Senior Elsie.
“Elsie, it’s quite impressive to hear you say that. The troublemaker who used to cause all sorts of problems by using more violence than necessary….”
“T-that’s different from this!”
Senior Elsie shrieked at the top of her lungs. She seemed to want to protect us as much as possible. A faint dew formed in her sapphire-blue eyes, born of frustration.
Celine had a hand axe embedded in her shoulder.
My vision blurred. My breathing grew increasingly labored.
Haa, haa, haaaa. The frequency of the gasps escaping my mouth quickened. My field of vision hazed over and gradually narrowed.
Everything went black. Senior Fermin’s worried voice drifted into my ears.
“Junior, are you alright? Junior! Junior?!”
But even that soon faded. My world was nothing but darkness. And in that moment when all senses were cut off—
The world flipped.
Memories flooded in. A woman was collapsed. I couldn't even make out her features. Only her blood-soaked, slender hand was leaving a palm print on my chest.
My arms trembled. Tears welled up. I didn't know why, but it felt incredibly sorrowful. I wanted to wail and roll on the ground right this instant.
The woman in my arms smiled weakly.
“……Don't forget.”
Forget what? I wanted to ask back. But in this inverted world, I had no freedom of movement.
However, the moment that pale hand slid down, leaving a trail of blood on my chest—
I will not regret it.
Only the monologue of a man, his throat choked with resentment, whispered to himself.
Never again, will I regret it.
As I locked eyes with those burning golden irises, the world shattered once more.
And then, my breath returned.
Delphine looked down at the dying demonic beast with emotionless eyes. Its gasps were ragged. It would die soon anyway, but ending its life personally was the proper etiquette toward prey.
With that simple thought, Delphine drew her sword. She had already caught the prey she was after. Her pitiful half-sister, and the Hand Axe Young Master who had given her her first taste of shame.
It was a conclusion so easy it felt anticlimactic. To think they had been injured while fighting the beast—it was fortunate for her, but she felt a slight sense of disappointment.
It had been a while since she’d found an opponent who made her heart race. But now that the victory was decided, she had no interest in them.
Of course, her pride was slightly stung. No matter how she framed it, the fact remained that her actions were an act of plundering others' hard work.
But such were the laws of the world she lived in. The strong take everything, and the weak are stripped bare.
Right now, she was simply the stronger one. It was the same logic as a village’s hard-earned grain being seized when an army marched in.
She heard Elsie screaming and Fermin making his usual fuss, but she didn't care. There was no longer any room for the situation to be overturned.
She raised her sword high into the air. A brilliant golden radiance gathered on her blade. With her Aura, she could grant this poor creature a peaceful end.
But in that moment—
“Aaaargh!”
A scream rang out. The voice felt so familiar that Delphine paused and looked back.
And in that instant—thwack!—a hand axe flew in.
It grazed past her face by the narrowest of margins, exhibiting a ghost-like drop as it buried itself directly into the demonic beast’s neck.
Spurt! Blood erupted. Only then did the beast finally cease its lingering breaths. But Delphine didn't even register that fact.
I didn't notice it?
Her blood-red eyes went blank with shock. It was impossible. To not sense a flying hand axe until the very moment she turned around.
That meant if that hand axe had been aimed at her—
She would have met her death without being able to do a thing.
A chill ran down Delphine’s spine. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, she who was always arrogant.
Her crimson gaze turned toward only one place.
There stood a man, panting, with his hands on his thighs. His left arm was already a mess, and his labored breathing clearly showed his exhaustion.
From the start, his skill was insufficient to face Delphine. And to be injured on top of that—by any logic, he was no match for her.
Yet, why could she not tear her eyes away from those burning golden eyes?
Delphine couldn't understand it at all. Her eyes blankly scanned the surroundings.
Fermin, who had been suppressing him just moments ago, was now rolling on the ground, clutching his face with both hands. It wasn't even clear what he had been hit with. The man simply spat something out.
It was a piece of flesh. It was painfully obvious whose flesh it was.
When Delphine’s eyes met the man’s again, he smiled.
“……Let’s have a go at it, Pink-Haired Young Lady.”
Crazy bastard, Delphine muttered to herself instinctively.
With eyes that held an unhideable trace of fear.