Chapter 103
Marian had been hiding her power? Objectively speaking, the forces were so evenly matched that it was impossible to declare one side superior. The dark elves, with their relatively higher number of males, held a slight edge over the elves, and when comparing the Light Sword to the Cauli, the Light Sword carried more weight. It wasn't Baal—it was just Balam, that brutish bird bastard. Allen figured he could overwhelm him no problem. But the issue was their numbers.
As he frowned, feeling his head starting to ache from the complications, he caught Dalshinyang eyeing him warily.
"Th-then I'll be going, nya!"
She cried out and leaped into action.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Of course, Allen had no intention of just letting her go. Spotting that he was about to grab her, she hurled her signature curved dagger at him.
Thwack.
He ducked his head slightly to dodge the dagger, then stomped down on Dalshinyang's tail, which was sprawled on the ground.
"Kyaaaaang!"
Her tail must have been sensitive, because Dalshinyang let out a piercing shriek, collapsing in agony. Allen flashed a sinister grin at her as she slumped to the floor.
"You attacked first, so this is self-defense. Right?"
"N-no... You said you'd let me go, nya."
"Of course I was gonna let you go. After asking a few more questions. But you couldn't hold back on that bird bastard and threw a knife at me?"
Dalshinyang rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, then groveled, slamming her head against the ground in a pathetic display. Her personality seemed to flip-flop wildly depending on the situation.
"I-I'm sorry, nya. Human. I never meant to hurt you..."
Allen yanked her ear straight up as she started babbling excuses. Her head lifted naturally with it, and their eyes locked in midair as he bent down to her level.
"Cut the bullshit. If I hadn't dodged, that would've buried right in my forehead."
"Th-that's... I knew you'd dodge it, nya!"
"You think you know who I am?"
"Nngh..."
Running out of excuses, Dalshinyang let out a pathetic groan. Allen smacked his lips as he gazed down at her, flat on the ground.
She was annoying as hell, sure, but Dalshinyang's looks were cute enough for that Demon Queen bitch to keep her around. Thanks to her feline traits, her waist was slim, her hips nicely developed—exuding a seductive allure.
Hmm, they say beastkin feel amazing, don't they?
Unlike the elves, who chose death over submission to humans, beastkin were a bit different. Sure, with their animal features mixed in at about ten percent, they faced discrimination in human cities. But some stood out with their talents and mingled with humans just fine. Most beastkin lived in nature or their own villages, but their societies were pure survival of the fittest. Those who got kicked out of the pack had nowhere to go but human society—and the most common case was female beastkin latching onto human power players to stick around.
Not all beastkin looked as stunning as Dalshinyang, but they were exotic enough. Rich, powerful guys always chased novel thrills, and outcast beastkin fit the bill perfectly. Naturally, a rotten slave to power like Aaron had no reason to leave them alone. From dogkin to tiger, wolf, and fox—he'd messed with enough to fill a zoo.
And back in the first timeline, with his weird entanglement with Aaron, Allen had heard all the unfiltered details on how special beastkin really were.
Back then, I couldn't have cared less...
But now? Totally different story. He was clueless as hell before—frustratingly so. Now, he was starting to figure shit out. They say knowing makes it scarier, and sure enough, staring at the trembling Dalshinyang, Allen felt blood rushing south.
"How about a deal, Dalshinyang?"
"Nya?"
He leered at her with a sleazy grin as she tilted her head quizzically.
"Tch. Hero's still not back?"
Jena von Darius sliced through an oncoming orc's midsection as she spoke. The hero had stepped away briefly and still hadn't returned. But that didn't mean Jena and her party were in any real danger without him.
The endless monster horde was finally thinning out, and Karen was rampaging across the battlefield like a total maniac.
Still, Jena kept searching for the hero. She'd glimpsed a black shadow bursting from the monsters earlier, and when the hero chased after it without coming back, worry set in.
"Saintess! Why no answer?"
She bellowed over her shoulder at Marian, riding piggyback. Somehow, she'd figured out on the way to the dwarf city that Marian had a way to track the hero. Jena had been jealous of that ability and ignored it before, but now she needed it.
Yet Marian wasn't responding, even to her shouts. Jena cleaved through a wave of charging dwarves in a horizontal sweep, then whipped her head around to check.
Th-this crazy bitch!
While she was fighting for her life, sweating bullets, the saintess was limp like she was dead asleep. Jena couldn't help but boil over.
Smack.
She backhanded Marian's cheek.
"Snap out of it, Saintess!"
Marian blinked dazedly up at her. Jena wondered if she'd gone too far, but nah—sleeping on the battlefield? Her fault.
"Where's the hero?"
"...We're screwed. Haha."
Under Jena's sharp glare, Marian laughed with eerie detachment. Truth was, she hadn't been sleeping. She'd been astral projecting, tailing the hero. Buffs were already maxed out, and she figured she wouldn't help much in direct combat anyway. Plus, she trusted Jena that much to relax and project.
Following him, she'd seen him capture Dalshinyang—one of the Demon Army's elites—and overheard their talk.
-How about a deal, Dalshinyang?
The moment the hero said that, Marian felt a chill. And sure enough, he was doing exactly what she'd feared. Dwarves, succubus queen, now a cat beastkin. His tastes were eclectic, and the fact that she was the only one missing out crushed her.
Maybe the spot next to the hero for human women is already full.
She had to think that way, or her pride couldn't take it.
"What the hell? Speak clearly!"
"...You'll see soon enough. Hoo. Just finish these off!"
Marian pulled out her rarely used staff and began assembling it. Jena gawked, baffled, but once it was ready, Marian leaped straight into the orc and goblin swarm.
"You mad bitch!"
Jena had to protect the saintess—no choice but to curse. But what unfolded next was beyond belief.
Marian swung her staff—adorned with the Gaiana Church symbol—like a staff master, absolutely demolishing orcs and goblins.
Since when...?
Jena gulped as Marian crushed goblins effortlessly. Even she'd hesitate to guarantee victory against that flawless staff technique.
"Haaaang! Y-your... thing!! No, I'll die first... Hnggg!"
Karen's lewd moans echoed from above. Jena's head spun at the insane scene—like she was dreaming. And if it was a dream, it was one hell of a nightmare.
"Fuck it. Kill 'em all!!"
Jena spat a curse she didn't even realize, hacking through monsters. Nothing cleared a complicated head like working the body to exhaustion.