Survival 75

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“Indeed. You’ve dealt with him even before I arrived. The high-ranking demons are the main enemies of the North. I’m proud of you.”

Luciana, who approached closely, smiled with words of praise.

However, that was something I should have said. ‘There weren’t just one or two Levains blocking the way, when did she break through them.’

Even though they are considered lower-class mercenaries, they are a race specialized in combat, having lived their lives on the battlefield.

To break through their encirclement so swiftly was unexpected. I mentally upgraded Luciana’s strength.

‘She might have been slightly inferior to a legion commander level, but perhaps it would have been okay to leave her in a duel with Lexton…?’ 

No, who knows.

Who can say she wouldn’t have gotten a scratch on that beautiful face in a fight with a legion commander.

I couldn’t bear even a single crack on my favorite. It was perfectly normal to step in to prevent a national loss.

“As you commanded, I delayed them. And in addition, this too.”

I handed her the freshly severed horn of Lexton.

With slightly narrowed eyebrows, she looked puzzled, and I enjoyed her baffled expression as I explained further.

“It’s the horn of a high-ranking demon who invaded the mansion. With this, it should be enough to widely spread the lady’s fame.”

Demons. Humanity’s enemy, invading from the North at any given chance.

Just the fact of defeating their leader, known only in oral legends in other regions, would be a great achievement.

However, Luciana’s reaction was the exact opposite of what I expected.

“It’s done. Since you earned this trophy through your efforts, you should have it.”

She shook her head and pushed away the arm I offered to her.

“What? But….”

“You were the one who said that the head of a Direwolf is worth more than Friede. Isn’t it the same logic?”

She smiled slightly and insisted I take the horn, continuing, “Rather than falsely claiming I repelled a high-ranking demon, it would be more beneficial to my reputation to have a warrior who defeated him as my servant. So don’t think about conceding it to me and take it.”

Oh no.

I never allowed even a single hit from Lexton’s hammer, and yet, to be blindsided like this.

Though I was stunned, I couldn’t deny it felt good.

“Argh! These worthless humans..!”

My moment of emotion was buried under a shrieking scream.

Annoyed, I turned around.

Head, torso, arms, and legs, of course.

And the thick tail along with the only horn left.

Lexton was writhing with weapons deeply embedded all over his body.

Like a pathetic insect pinned for display.

Luciana, with a slight smirk and a fierce look in her eyes, praised me.

“…You’ve suppressed him well. Now, all that’s left is to finish it.”

“No. We’re not there yet.”

Even though he’s considered the weakest among the Levain legion commanders, he’s still boss-level.

“He seems to be of a higher rank among demons, so he must be hiding some power. It can’t end this easily.”

That was one of the reasons why the game became known as a newbie killer.

If a game has a boss, it must have this.

Even if it’s the same boss, a mechanism that offers a unique experience to the player as time passes.

A beautifully integrated RPG system within a pretty girl romance ‘simulation’.

“Now, forget about the Golden Jade Seal and all! I’ll kill them all!”

The spread of electricity in all directions as giant wings unfold.

It was the start of phase 2.

***

“That is….”

“We better stay far away for now.”

Electricity sparking from the only horn left.

A hammer charged with the sound of thunder.

Lightning wrapping around the body instead of the peeled-off leather armor.

A crack appeared on Luciana’s brow as she stepped back.

As Hans said, getting caught would clearly result in paralysis.

“Bathory was the same, but are all high-ranking demons such formidable opponents…!”

Luciana sighed softly.

The hand that had just received the hammer was trembling faintly.

Part of it was due to exhaustion.

But within it, there was an unrestrained thrill.

‘Strong. But that’s what makes defeating them rewarding.’

Luciana smiled boldly, fueled by a rising competitive spirit.

Now holding the sword that felt empty not to have at her waist, she calmed her breathing.

An easy opponent is no different from slashing a straw man.

A battle where one can pour out all their strength is the greatest joy of a warrior, isn’t it!

However.

Luciana, gripping her sword anew, sharpened her reason.

‘Remember. The opponent is vastly stronger than me.’

A lesson and point of caution from the recent test of strength.

Soon.

Luciana naturally took a step back.

The difference in muscle from race and gender.

The strike made with the power added by an overwhelming difference in height.

-Whoosh.

His hammer missed Luciana by a whisker.

A pungent smell wafted to her nose.

A few strands of silver hair, not able to follow the body in time, were burned away.

It was fortunate it was the hair and not the skin.

‘The electricity is quite troublesome.’

Luciana’s gaze sharpened.

Blades are exceedingly vulnerable to electricity.

If a test of strength like before happens again, this time, without being able to push back, she would be thoroughly cooked.

A frontal confrontation was not in her favor.

Thus, she needed to break through using her forte, not by a simple clash of strength against strength.

Dodging the hammer that swooped in swiftly while moving her feet dexterously.

-Father’s greatsword won’t stand a chance, it seems.

-Why? Because it’s too heavy?

Luciana suddenly recalled sparring with her father.

After the sparring.

As she lay exhausted, her father suddenly said that.

-If battles were decided purely by strength, you wouldn’t have lost to that servant either.

-Father, that’s because he was quick-witted….

-No, it’s fundamentally different. Of course, that’s one reason, but he understands the subtlety of softness.

‘But…!’

Hans may be smart.

But fundamentally, wasn’t it not his own strength but artifacts he used?

She had no intention of denying her defeat, but it certainly wasn’t the words she wanted to hear from her father, whom she at least wanted to be acknowledged by. As if stopping her slightly resentful retort, he offered profound advice.

-Though he may be clumsy in swordsmanship, he has mastered that one thing.

-Softness…?

-Yes. With the least movement, he avoids the sword, and even if he were to face it, he deflects it by letting it slide off the surface, minimizing the force. Hiding his weaknesses and maximizing his strengths, he is indeed clever.

When she opened her eyes again, she saw the lightning-charged hammer rushing towards her once more. Intuitively, she felt cornered. She could dodge this time, but the following counterattack, she cannot avoid.

The opponent, guessing the same, had his cruel smile torn up to his ears. “Crush!”

“Your movements are as crude as your words.”

However, Luciana ‘saw’ it. Was it because he was a mercenary? Only instinctual movements existed for him. Swinging the hammer simply because it was in his hand. Without grasping the subtlety, relying solely on strength, his movements were crude, not refined into techniques.

“Lady!”

“Do not worry.”

Boom!

Such clumsy movements couldn’t possibly get the better of her. Barely dodging the side of the hammer, Luciana smiled faintly. She reassured her servant, who was overly considerate but worried to an excessive degree.

“Do you think your lord cannot overcome even this?”

“…Be careful.”

After a moment of choosing his words, seemingly unable to hold back, he sighed and left, as she faced the true enemy.

-Clang!

Luciana, blocking a hammer almost as big as her own body with a single sword.

Crackle! Boom!

A blue aura flickering, blocking the invading electricity. The hammer, slipping off, struck the ground hard. Lexton stopped and roared.

“Argh! You weak human girl!”

“How foolish. Martial arts are not decided solely by strength.”

Compensating for lack of strength with technique. Moreover, an art of action seeking to climb to a higher realm with the strength one possesses. That was martial arts.

“Ugh?!”

“Your attack is heavy but lacks depth. You couldn’t fully leverage its weight.”

-Ting!

The second hammer flew even lighter, skimming past. The electricity was neutralized by the aura. And the heavy hammer strike was simply deflected using the flat of the greatsword.

“These rats! Previously running around, and now, defeating with cowardly tactics! Fight me fair and square!”

“Keep talking.”

Grasses do not break in a typhoon or a blade-like blizzard. They respond to strength with softness. This was how the weaker confronted the stronger. Furthermore, it could be called a new kind of strength.

‘Wait. With this flow, I could try that.’

Luciana’s eyes sparkled. Facing the attack until the last moment, creating an opening by deflecting with the flat of the sword. And then delivering a fatal blow to the opponent who had come too close. The method of the phantom thief who had defeated her.

‘I can do it too.’

As she gradually parried the hammer with the greatsword, an opportunity began to show. Each swing of his waist created a large opening after the attack. No matter how strong the inherent power, such flailing was pointless.

“Enough already! Die!”

Yes, like now. Unable to contain his frustration, the hammer swung down with all his might from above. It slid off the flat of the greatsword.

Chang- Boom!

“Ugh!”

Of course, the impact didn’t disappear entirely. It was natural for the weapons to bounce off the moment they clashed. Forcing oneself to endure and alter the trajectory.

Even though most of the force had been diverted, the remaining shock made her thighs tremble.

‘However, this means success.’

Due to the force with which the hammer was brought down from above, only the innocent ground was cracked, and the perpetrator himself was left in a completely defenseless state.

A perfect opening.

At that moment, Luciana experienced something strange.

Dust floating in the air seemed as large as pebbles, and the flow of time stretched long like hot cheese.

It felt as if one second lasted three or four seconds.

Coincidentally, she saw her faithful servant stealthily approaching from behind.

His lips fluttered as if he wanted to say something, his figure almost comical, which unwittingly made her laugh.

‘Now, together, let’s attack.’

“Good! Let’s go, Hans!”

She immediately changed the form of her weapon.

The sword, which she handled best and unmatched in speed for stabbing, was her choice.

Gathering her aura around the sword, she swung it towards the demon.

Two blades flew at the demon, who hadn’t managed to pull his hammer from the ground yet!

“Argh!”

Luciana landed on the ground with a feeling of disappointment.

She had aimed for the neck but, unfortunately, missed.

Whether it was her attack he responded to, or perhaps it was because Hans, taking advantage of being out of sight, struck first, causing the injury.

The demon crouched momentarily, and the sword, though it pierced through the armor of lightning, unfortunately only sliced off the thrashing creature’s horn.

“My horn! My tail! You bastards!”

“What to do. Should have armored your tail as well. Oh, do you not have the ability? Look at the fat on you. Friede would love it.”

In the servant’s hand fluttered the severed, brightly colored tail of the Levain.

‘Who’s the demon here?’

Such vicious banter.

Luciana unwittingly clicked her tongue.

Of course, this Levain had committed an unforgivable crime by boldly invading the family mansion.

Yet, looking at the servant smiling so wickedly, she wondered who the real villain was.

“We’ll see! I will surely come back for revenge!”

Ultimately, exhausted, he chose to flee.

‘The demon I met before, though weaker, took his duty seriously and died on the spot.’

It seems not all Levains are honorable warriors.

The disgrace of him fleeing at full speed, wings spread wide, brought a surge of displeasure.

“To think he could mess with Speda and escape unscathed.”

Just as she was about to pursue, she stopped at a hand blocking her path.

“…Hans? What is this about?”

“Lady, did you know?”

His lips curved into a crescent moon shape.

He was always cheerful, but this smile seemed particularly striking.

“Levains can regrow their horns and tails, even if they are cut off.”

“…And what of it?”

“Foolishly, he will return. Grown his horn back, right before us.”

“Ah, by the way, the horns of demons are used for various purposes. Especially the horns of high-ranking demons are said to be used in the crafting of powerful elixirs and for refining weapons.”

“Madman….”

Almost nodding off to the vampire’s voice emerging from his shadow, the comment was terrifyingly cold yet delivered in a gentle voice.

Despite the loyal servant’s facade, Luciana sighed, feeling somewhat headache-prone.

***

Pant…

Lexton, having been defeated by Luciana and Hans and even lost his prized horn, gasped for breath.

“Just you wait, you wretches! I will surely have my revenge!”

Unaware that his escape was part of Hans’s strategy, he clung to his burning desire for vengeance as he hastily scaled the fortress wall.

“This is something. Lady Luciana also didn’t finish things neatly, I see.”

However, as he landed beyond the wall, what appeared before him…

In the scene, Lexton was frozen in place.

“You, you are…!”

“How dare you enter the Speda family mansion and think you would be safe.”

However, Lexton soon let out a sigh of relief.

A shabby-looking old man dressed in a butler’s uniform.

No matter how injured, taking the life of this old man would be an easy task.

“Don’t interfere, just scram…!”

It was just a moment.

The moment his eyes widened, the world turned pitch black.

Thus, Lexton did not see it.

Click-clack.

Buttons flew off due to sudden movement.

A vicious chasm was revealed between the opened shirt.

Like a deep cliff, the angular chest muscles of the warrior contrasted with the intellectual-looking, small monocle, and the gigantic sword of monstrous size.

-Thud.

A muscular left arm twitching, dropped the demon’s head.

The old man, having sheathed his greatsword with one hand, looked satisfied.

“It’s been a while since I’ve cut down a demon. I haven’t been to the battlefield since my youth, but it’s a good warm-up.”

Unfortunately.

Hans’s evil plan to endlessly farm the demon’s horns was thwarted by the butler, Yegor.

“Hm? This is….”

Yegor quietly clicked his tongue upon recognizing the trace of Luciana on Lexton’s corpse.

“Tch, it’s a servant’s virtue to solve even the blemishes left by the master. I should re-educate him before he enters the academy again.”

Meanwhile.

“Let’s see… Just two more horns, and I’ll have all the materials for a legendary artifact.”

Hans, holding the still warm horns of Lexton, gleefully dreamed of the future.

The expedition team returned earlier than expected.

The supervisor, who barged in without giving them time to clean up, was unexpected.

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