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129 Chapter

‘Things just got complicated again.’

I sighed internally. Just when one issue seemed to resolve, another obstacle appeared to block my path.

Checking the remaining time until the explosion—just over ten minutes—I drew my sword without hesitation.

“If you step aside quietly, I won’t have to cut you down. But if you’re stubborn…”

<KABOOM!>

Unintentionally, my feelings manifested as an aura that violently surged above the sword’s blade.

I exuded a murderous intent in all directions, locking eyes with each of them, my gaze devoid of warmth.

“You won’t escape unscathed.”

If only they could understand my warning and retreat peacefully, but they seemed determined to stand their ground despite trembling in fear.

‘I’ll take care of this in under three minutes.’

Just as I took a deep breath to prepare for battle—

<KABOOM!>

“AAAH!”

A fearsome ball of fire plummeted ahead of the enemies, and one of them screamed as he clutched his head, apparently suffering some kind of mental blow.

I widened my eyes and turned to the side.

“Damn it! I was told there was only one enemy, a Mir!”

Aria, with fire magic circles in both hands, and Kal, delicately weaving a mental collapse spell, stared back at me, prepared for a fight.

“Go quickly, Mir! We’ll handle things here!”

Clearly, the two of them intended to hold the attackers back to clear my path.

‘I really don’t want to leave them behind…’

I knew it was best for me to find the bomb while they held off the attackers. Yet, my feet felt glued to the ground.

Kal and Aria made two, the attackers were three. What’s more, those attackers were no ordinary foes; they were skilled fighters.

‘Despite the damage I’ve dealt, what if Kal and Aria can’t handle them all?’

As I hesitated, Aria, having opened multiple magic circles, shouted in a stern voice.

“Go! Trust us!”

It was understandable to feel fear, considering it was likely their first real combat. Still, her youthful eyes sparkled brightly without a hint of wavering, as if she had been waiting for this moment and conveyed her unshakeable trust in me.

“…Alright. I’m counting on you.”

I decided to trust Aria. I had to believe in the potential of that child and help her soar by letting her go.

After exchanging a brief glance with Kal and Aria, I nodded heavily and dashed toward the direction where I felt energy.

Swish!

Now that my location was clear, there was nothing to conceal. Without hesitation, I released my mana, enhancing my feet, and leaped into the air.

“You little brat!”

Instinctively, I tilted my head to avoid something shooting toward me. It was a throwing dagger.

‘Got two but… looks like I can’t catch all three.’

Turning my head slightly to check behind me, I saw Kal and Aria struggling against two of the attackers.

Kal seemed to be having trouble against a Sword Expert while Aria faced a mid-level magician, so it appeared I needed to handle the Sword Expert who had thrown the dagger.

‘They’re just fodder anyway.’

Tsking my tongue, I swung my sword low at the approaching attacker. The dark aura surrounding the blade leaped eagerly as if it were a dog chasing its prey, slicing through the attacker’s ankle.

“AAAH!”

The attacker’s scream echoed through the alley as his ankle was nearly severed. Not entirely weak, he must have fortified his body with mana because it didn’t completely sever.

“Ugh, I won’t let you go!”

Grimacing in pain, the attacker lunged at me, thrusting his sword. It seemed he wanted to close the distance to prevent me from striking him with my aura at range.

‘How foolish. True, it’s easier to attack me up close.’

To gain an advantage in close combat, significant strength was required. The attacker assumed that facing me, who appeared smaller, would increase his chances of success.

Scrape.

“Ugh!”

Of course, that was a ridiculous miscalculation.

“To approach a Sword Master directly… how foolish.”

I murmured as I saw the attacker gripping his injured shoulder mid-attack.

Having faced countless magical beasts and battles of various kinds, I hadn’t been fazed by battle distance for a long time.

‘After all… I don’t want to kill him.’

Had I decided to wield my sword with the intent to kill, I could have easily done so. But the fact that I had to fight without letting him die held me back.

Dodging the attacker’s sword as it slashed at me, I drove my sword into his side.

“Gah! Cough…”

This time, I drove it deep enough for him to collapse, clutching his side.

He was definitely in a state of battle incapacity.

Gazing at the crimson blood dripping from the blade with unease, I turned to leave when—

“Stop it! Let go!”

“Hold it, Mir!”

At the desperate cries from behind, I froze mid-step. It was a familiar voice ringing in my ears.

‘Aria!’

I felt my heart drop as I turned back, pale.

“Hahaha! Take another step and this kid’s life is forfeit!”

What caught my sight was a Sword Expert grasping Aria tightly.

Her long, soft pink hair like cotton candy was being held brutally in large, coarse hands, and a dagger was pressed against her pale neck.

Aria desperately tried to pull away from the grip, but her long hair was painfully yanked out with no success.

‘W-what to do? What to do!?’

It was the situation I least wanted to be in. I couldn’t even think of moving, frozen like ice. My brain went blank after realizing Aria had been captured.

The attacker, sensing my shock, grinned broadly, revealing yellowed teeth.

“You want to save this kid? Then drop your weapons and surrender!”

“Damn it, let go!”

‘Where did it all go wrong? Should I have forcibly sent Aria away?’

Thoughts and regrets flooded my mind. I knew surrendering outright wasn’t the best solution, but all I could think of was saving Aria.

Just when I was about to drop my sword without resistance…

“Snap out of it!”

A voice carried on a magical wavelength sharply pierced my ears. It was Kal’s voice.

I hesitated dropping my sword and glanced up at Kal.

‘Don’t let go of your sword just yet. I have a plan!’

Though Kal appeared to be surrendering with both hands raised since he had also seen Aria being held hostage, he was simultaneously sending me a clear message.

‘But what about Aria…?’

‘Do you really think they’ll let go of her just because you surrender? And if the bomb goes off, both you and Aria are as good as dead!’

Kal’s cold voice stirred my reason back to life.

Taking a deep breath, I fought to clear my foggy mind, tightly clenching my trembling hands. I shouldn’t reveal my agitation.

‘What’s the plan?’

‘I’ll cast mind-control magic on that guy. He’s strong, so I’ve no guarantee I can fully shatter his mind, but I can at least distract him momentarily. That’s when you must attack!’

Kal’s plan was rather simple, but in the current situation, it seemed like the best option. I weakly nodded in agreement.

‘On the count of three. One, two…’

“Y-You want to see this kid die? Drop your weapons now!”

“Let her go, you bastard!”

Noticing my determination not to drop my weapon, the panicking attacker pushed the dagger deeper against Aria’s neck. Aria struggled desperately, but it was futile.

I was grasping onto my fading consciousness.

‘Two…’

“LET GO OF HER!”

Aria’s luscious long pink hair, which everyone admired, was ruthlessly ripped out. Just seeing it made me ache inside, and I wished she would stop struggling, gripping my sword tightly.

‘Ah…’

And just when the count was about to reach its end, an unexpected event occurred.

“I will…!”

CRACK—

A spark of electricity erupted from the tips of my fingers, striking the attacker’s eyes. The attacker, completely taken by surprise, instinctively covered his eyes.

“Damn it, Aria!”

In a situation where even I couldn’t move, it was incredibly reckless for her to act on her own. Even as I shouted, Aria didn’t stop. She twisted her body, breaking free from the attacker’s grip.

A clump of tangled pink hair was yanked out, and as she escaped, her pale neck was deeply scratched. It looked like a painful injury, yet Aria let out no sound.

Whoosh!

A brilliant flame erupted from Aria’s fingertips, igniting her disheveled hair.

FWOOSH!

Under flames that burned a color far more vivid than her pink tresses, her waist-length hair blazed vigorously.

Consumed by fury, Aria’s face transformed.

As if unable to endure the part of her engulfed by the attacker, she resolutely set her own hair ablaze.

In that moment, Aria appeared like a proud, ferocious predator standing atop the food chain.

“I told you to let go, you bastard! How dare you lay a hand on her?”

Flames leapt from her hair in every direction, and that fire spread into her eyes.

Aria’s gaze turned cold and venomous, a terrifying mix of fury and killing intent directed at the attacker.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, she spread a magic circle above the attacker’s head without uttering a word, swiftly maneuvering her hands. A colossal fire surged down toward him.

“AAAH!”

Caught off guard, the attacker had no time to defend himself as the flames consumed him. Kal, who had been frozen in shock, quickly fell into battle stance.

I stared at Aria, half in a daze.

Her once long pink hair, maintained in a graceful length except for when she was very young, now appeared too short, barely reaching her shoulder blades. The sight felt very strange yet evoked a bizarre sentiment.

It felt like she was no longer the frail Aria who had only ever stayed home.

“Go! Quickly, go!”

Aria shouted as she turned back to me.

‘I want to kill him, but…’

For a moment, I gazed at Aria before shifting my focus to the attacker who had seized her.

Fury surged fiercely within me at the audacity of someone touching my sister. My emotions unfurled like a fog of murderous intent.

“This bastard is mine to deal with. You go. Go finish this!”

Sensing my intent to tear the attacker apart, Aria spoke firmly. She held the will to take revenge on the attacker herself.

Our gazes locked, and the azure eyes I cherished were blazing with determination.

Not merely a flower rooted and anchored in place, but a fiery blaze consuming everything in her path.

Aria was no longer just a kid relying on my help; she had become an independent person capable of vengeance.

‘Gulp.’

I could no longer hinder Aria. I felt that deeply. I engraved her fiery gaze into my heart and turned my body to charge ahead at full speed.

Honestly, I was still anxious about Aria.

I wanted to drop everything to comfort her, holding her closely right now. I didn’t want to expose her to such dangerous situations; I wanted to bear everything and ensure she felt no harm.

But now I had to accept the truth. Aria was no longer just a child.

She was strong enough for me to entrust my back to.

I gathered all the mana I could and rushed like a shadow, moving at a speed invisible to the wandering eyes of the perpetrators. Thankfully, I wasn’t far from the source of the energy.

Creeeak!

I halted in the darkest corner of the plaza. The sound of the ground cracking echoed as my feet made contact, refusing to let go of their mana.

“What the hell?!”

What I found was four figures in masks, similar to the previous attackers, setting an ominous bomb against the wall.

‘Finally.’

With a sense of brief relief, I exhaled deeply and immediately raised my sword.

Swoosh!

With the sound of slicing air, black smoke enveloped the area. Everyone held their breath.

A thick intent to kill surged, as if it were about to drown all life forms, and I faced the terrorists with ferocious determination.

“If you don’t want to die, step aside.”

It was time to put an end to this commotion.

 

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