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113th Chapter

“Leo!”

I urgently called out to Leo, who was carelessly spreading his mana.

For a swordsman to spread their mana carries a meaning similar to a beast’s growl. Given that Zigmund was threatening us with his sword, it wasn’t wise to display this.

However, it seemed Leo had no intention of listening to me.

‘Damn it, what’s wrong with him?’

Despite his rashness, Leo wasn’t stupid.

If the two of us attacked Zigmund at the same time, we would surely have the upper hand, but with Zigmund currently threatening Leo’s neck, Leo knew that recklessly charging in could result in serious harm to himself.

I continued to keep an eye on Zigmund while anxiously watching Leo.

Leo’s focus had completely vanished, his verdant eyes fixed blankly on the pouch held by Zigmund. The aura radiating from Leo while he stared at that pouch was intimidating enough to make even me flinch.

‘Leo isn’t at that level.’

The murderous intent Leo was currently emitting was close to that of a Sword Master rather than a Sword Expert. Yet, if analyzed calmly, the Leo I knew wasn’t the type who could freely wield such murderous intent.

‘There are cases where a swordsman temporarily surpasses their original limits……’

Such situations generally occur in two instances.

The first is when a person finds themselves in a life-threatening situation and exudes miraculous strength. The second case is……

“Hand over that pouch.”

When a swordsman is unable to control their emotions and their mana runs wild.

“……Interesting.”

Zigmund, looking intently at Leo while holding his sword against him, wore a sinister smile. His gaze was filled with derision.

I rubbed my forehead internally as I found the situation increasingly frustrating.

“Let him go. Talk to me instead.”

“No. I’d rather chat with him.”

Zigmund replied gently to my sharp words, teasingly lifting the sword that was pressed against Leo’s neck and thereby slightly raising Leo’s chin. It was a blatant act of mockery.

I could see Leo’s grip tightening around his own sword.

Zigmund grinned.

“I should check out your new companion’s skills. I have a rough idea of how pathetic they’ll be.”

‘That bastard really is something.’

I grit my teeth.

Zigmund’s words were a clear provocation. Having already lost his rationality, Leo, who naturally had a fiery temper, wouldn’t sit idly by after hearing that.

Bang!

A fluorescent, verdant aura erupted like a flash. In the moment Leo released his aura, I saw Zigmund’s sword move.

Swish.

‘Damn it. This is why I didn’t want to act rashly!’

I bit my lip.

Thanks to my quick reaction, I avoided the situation where Leo’s neck would be pierced, but because the distance between Leo and Zigmund was too close, my attempt to deflect the sword resulted in Leo getting nicked on the shoulder.

Ideally, when Zigmund and Leo’s distance increased, I planned to intervene, but Leo’s sudden move had disrupted the situation.

“Ughh…”

A faint moan escaped from Leo’s lips as a result.

It was some consolation that it wasn’t his right shoulder—the one using the sword—that got hit, but his left shoulder was visibly sliced deeply.

Crimson droplets, drenching the wooden floor with their metallic scent, trembled as they fell. To me, it appeared as though they merged with the sight of a glistening white-eyed creature ravenously sucking in blood.

I felt an urge to vomit, but I bit down on my lips hard to suppress it.

‘This time, I won’t lose.’

I didn’t want to lose someone dear to me again because of him.

As soon as Zigmund moved his sword, I found an opening to slip between them.

Trying to divert my attention from the sticky blood on my shoes, I readied my sword toward Zigmund.

His deep purple eyes fixed on me. Returning that gaze unwaveringly, I opened my eyes coolly.

“I see you’ve forgotten, but your opponent is me.”

I predicted that by the time Leo was Zigmund’s age, he would surpass the current Zigmund entirely.

‘But not now.’

Looking at the present, Leo was not a match for Zigmund. The gap in their skill was significant.

‘Calmly thinking, it’s best for me to take the lead.’

For some reason, Leo was emitting considerable murderous intent toward Zigmund. Though I’d prefer to let him have his way, I realized that could get Leo hurt even more.

His purple eyes flickered slightly.

Before long, Zigmund wore an odd smile.

“……Right. My opponent is you. Now and always, it’s only you.”

Bang!

The two swords collided fiercely. Even without releasing our auras, the sheer impact sent massive waves reverberating throughout the area.

‘This place might fall to pieces.’

Given that I had no attachment to this house, I felt no regret.

Quickly organizing my tumultuous heart, I nimbly wielded my sword.

As much as I despised it, Zigmund’s presence lingered within me in every way possible.

‘Your sword is nothing. It has no rules, no finesse…… Its only virtue is its simplicity and weight, but…… you don’t even know what versatility is. Do you think you’re a knight? You’re a mercenary, you fool. No matter how honestly you wield your swordsmanship, people will criticize you for it as a mercenary trying to follow a knight. Be a mercenary and act like one. Have no scruples. Be even more cowardly and cunning. Only then can you defeat me.’

My swordsmanship, which had once been embarrassingly rigid in my early years, adapted into something more versatile through practical experience gained from killing monsters, but it had also been due to Zigmund’s influence.

Zigmund’s swordsmanship was completely the opposite of what I aimed for. His techniques were full of deceit.

Where he appeared to swing to the right, the actual thrust would come from the left—it was a basic technique for him, and tactics like obscuring vision with magic during battle didn’t even qualify as cowardly for him.

Zigmund was both similar and utterly opposite to me.

Just as I was ready to swing my sword at Zigmund again, he lightly flicked his hand. Below his hand, an unbelievable magic circle unfolded in the air at breakneck speed.

The moment light burst forth from the magic circle, my vision was engulfed in darkness.

As soon as my sight was blocked, my instincts sensed danger and blared alarm signals. I quickly turned my head.

Swoosh!

A chilling wind whistled right next to my cheek.

The smell of bloodied metal wafted from nearby. Had I not turned my head, that sword would have lodged straight into my face.

‘Damn it! Leo!’

Zigmund was clearly trying to attack Leo while I was distracted.

Ripping through the dark magic that had obstructed my view, I dashed toward Zigmund, pouring my ferocious aura toward him.

Swish.

I moved as quickly as I could, yet the effects of my blocked vision slightly delayed my response. My aura slashed at Zigmund’s side just as his sword struck Leo’s thigh.

Bang!

The impact knocked the side of the house down, causing injured Leo to stagger.

Zigmund, despite having taken quite a deep cut, casually flicked the blood from his injured side and turned to grin at me.

“Your reactions are getting quicker, Shushu. You used to fall prey to that technique effortlessly when you were younger.”

‘That bastard……’

I felt anger boiling within me, and I clenched my teeth.

Zigmund truly had not changed.

‘Leo! Are you okay?’

I forced my emotions down and sent a message to Leo. Zigmund was slightly obscuring my view of him, but I could see Leo drenched in blood from his shoulder and thigh.

“I’m… fine.”

The transmission came back haltingly. Leo didn’t look fine at all. I swallowed hard.

Zigmund couldn’t attack Leo anymore. I had to handle it.

“……Right. Damn you, Zigmund.”

Whoosh!

I summoned all the mana within me into my sword. With a ripping sound echoing, my black aura coiled around my sword like a long serpent.

“Today, I will definitely make you draw out your aura.”

I firmly gripped my sword with a chilling intent.

Suddenly, my reflection appeared in the dusty window. My eyes had lost their original bright pink hue, now gleaming dark red like a mythical black dragon’s eyes.

‘Is this how furious I’ve become?’

Thinking of what Zigmund had done to me, it felt perfectly reasonable. I glared at him and slammed my feet against the ground.

‘There are two ways to counter cowardly tricks.’

The first is to stoop to the same cowardly level as the opponent.

And the second is…

Clang! Clang!

To press forward so aggressively that the opponent has no chance to use cowardly tricks.

Bang!

A violent darkness, greedily swallowing the light, shot toward Zigmund’s neck like a crescent moon before crashing into the wall and exploding.

Zigmund barely managed to duck down to avoid it, but his hair was snipped away by my aura, fluttering in the air as a result of his close shave.

‘Yesterday, my right arm got injured because of him. If he didn’t draw out his aura under the condition of his already-injured primary striking arm, I would have the overwhelming advantage.’

Taking a short deep breath, I refined my aura. Reducing the violence, I aimed for precision.

‘Your aura’s greatest strength lies in its explosive ferocity, but…… you shouldn’t always fight with recklessness. Practice managing your aura with more precision.’

That was something my father had told me long ago.

Calming my mind, I began to push Zigmund back with fluid movements.

Clang! Clang!

Zigmund started to retreat further and further. Rather than retaliating, all he managed was to barely fend off my increasingly refined aura.

Whoosh!

With my sword angled downward, I surged toward Zigmund’s right shoulder.

As Zigmund attempted to block my sword by defending his right side, I struck.

Thud!

I lifted my mana-wrapped right foot and violently stomped down on Zigmund’s left hand.

Zigmund’s eyes widened in surprise, whether from not anticipating my movement or from the fierce battle that had occupied his mind. His lack of focus allowed the leather pouch to fly from his hand into the open air.

“Ugh!”

I leaped into the air and snatched the pouch as I stomped on Zigmund’s abdomen.

“Damn it! That belongs to me……!”

Zigmund, who had been shouting in a flustered manner, abruptly fell silent. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, I bound him with my aura.

Zigmund, unable to retaliate against the black aura encroaching upon him, glared at me as if he wanted to set me ablaze while I smiled smugly at him.

“Why? Did you think cowardly tricks were exclusively yours? Stupid Zigmund Haid.”

‘You’re the one who told me to be cowardly, but you weren’t expecting this, were you? Idiot.’

 

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