NoveLight ™
Lilith, witnessing Ethan's injury, awakened in rage and continued her battle against the younger Okam, a Sword Expert.
Meanwhile, Ethan, despite his injuries, was also continuing his fight against the elder Okam, an Axe Expert.
...Though calling it a battle might be a bit of a stretch, as it was more akin to a one-sided massacre. A more accurate description would be a chase rather than a fight.
“Haah, haah, haah...”
“You look like a girl, but all you’re good for is running away quickly! What a waste!”
They were on an empty plain with no trees, rocks, or buildings to provide cover.
The battle between Ethan and Okam, though between two Experts, was becoming more and more one-sided as time passed, and the situation was gradually turning unfavorable for Ethan.
‘Damn it. If it weren’t for this damn injury...’
Had he not lost his arm trying to block the axe with his sword, there was a good chance he could’ve won.
He should’ve used his faster footwork to gradually widen the distance from the start, instead of recklessly charging into the range of Okam's axe.
Ethan hadn’t gauged his opponent’s skill correctly at first, but he had also avoided using hit-and-run tactics because of the potential problems that could arise from it.
He and Lilith had to face the enemy alone, without any help from others.
If he had chosen to retreat, the strength of an Expert would have been completely redirected toward Lilith, so he had intentionally stood his ground. However, it was only after losing his arm that he realized his judgment had been wrong.
“Hahaha! Let’s see how long you can keep running like a rabbit!”
“...Damn it.”
At least the eyes of the man chasing him seemed to have no interest in Lilith, only in him.
Ethan had heard of nobles with perverse tendencies, some of whom had an excessive fondness for young men. However, he hadn’t imagined that a bandit living near this remote village would share such tastes.
...Had he known earlier, he would have used the same retreating tactics that Lilith employed. But it was far too late for regrets now.
“Guh, haah…”
“Damn, for someone so pretty, you sure are good at running away. Hah, haha…”
“Haah, haah, guh…”
Ethan, who had lost his right arm, had been focusing solely on buying time, running a twisted game of cat and mouse for as long as he could.
But even in perfect condition, he had been allowing Okam to land hits. In his severely injured state, there was no way he could stand against him. Eventually, the chase ended with Okam's axe blade burying itself into Ethan's remaining arm.
“Aaaaaargh…!!”
“Let’s see if you can cut and run again like a lizard. Though I doubt it this time.”
“Guh, hng…”
The excruciating pain, heightened by the fading effects of the painkillers, and the excessive blood loss clouded Ethan's consciousness.
With legs too fatigued to move, Ethan slumped down where he stood, quietly thinking of a woman in his mind.
‘What happened to Lilith...?’
If the twin brother was as strong as this one, even Lilith might not make it through unharmed.
Ethan wished she had escaped, thinking it was better for one of them to live than for both to die namelessly in this forsaken plain.
And, of course, the person more precious to Ethan was Lilith. He silently hoped that, at the very least, she had made it out safely.
‘If I had known it would end like this, I should have set up camp closer to the hero's party.’
At least then, neither he nor Lilith would have had to face these dangerous enemies.
Because of his discomfort around the hero, he had put Lilith in danger, and now he couldn’t help but resent his own decision.
“Guh, gah!”
“Haha, if you stay still, it’ll hurt less. I prefer doing it to the living rather than the dead, you see.”
“Guh, guh, gah…!!”
...Damn it.
If only he could at least die a proper death, it would’ve been some small comfort.
But to suffer such a disgrace at the hands of a bandit with such vile tastes—this was a fate worse than death for Ethan.
‘Really, nothing ever goes right for me...’
Still, as he closed his eyes and braced for the inevitable, hoping Lilith had run far enough during the time he had stalled—
“Guh, gah?!”
The sound of chains wrapping around something, followed by agonized groans, reached Ethan’s ears. It didn’t take long for him to realize those groans belonged to Okam, the man who had just been choking him.
“Y-you...!! Guh…!!”
“Guhhhh...!! Ka-haaa…!!!”
“...”
Okam, who had been strangling Ethan moments ago, was now the one being choked by magical chains.
Writhing in agony, the massive man’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed to the ground. Standing behind his fallen body was a maid Ethan knew all too well.
“...”
“...Lilith?”
Lilith’s eyes, glowing with madness like those of a werewolf staring at the moon, gazed down at Okam’s body.
With both hands, she lifted the massive axe that Okam had wielded earlier and, without hesitation, swung it down at the back of Okam’s neck...
“...”
“...”
She struck him over and over. Even though Okam was already dead, Lilith continued to bring the axe down on his corpse.
“...Hah, hah, hah…”
Finally, after severing Okam’s thick neck completely, Lilith dropped the axe, and Ethan could only stare at her in stunned silence, unable to utter a word.
“You’re… not in good shape, Ethan.”
“...Sorry, Lilith.”
“No, it’s my fault. I should have come to help you sooner.”
“...”
It was more than enough.
Lilith had faced an Expert on her own and had come to his aid after her victory. Unlike him, she had won.
Though he had served as a decoy, Lilith had practically taken down two Experts by herself—a feat worthy of a hero.
“...Still.”
“...”
“I’m… I’m just glad you’re alive.”
“...”
“Hngh, huh… Huuu…”
As Lilith hugged him tightly, pouring out her pent-up emotions, Ethan quietly reflected.
When he had rescued Lilith from Mechart, had she felt something similar to what he was feeling now?
Having saved each other's lives, they were bound to each other more than ever. Ethan realized that they had now become truly inseparable.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
Lilith has leveled up to 31!
Lilith has leveled up to 32!
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
3 A.M. After all the battles had ended.
The troublesome group that had disturbed their sleep had been thoroughly wiped out, but the wounds left behind by the battle ran far too deep.
Some had their fingers cut off, others had their knees shattered, and some had even severed their own arms in the desperate fight.
However, to the hero’s party, even those injuries could be considered a blessing, thanks to the presence of their ally, the Saintess Ceresta.
"...O all-powerful Goddess Aurelia, please bestow upon this person the miracle of healing and blessing!"
As soon as the Saintess finished her prayer, a mystical light enveloped the right shoulder of Lord Blackwood.
Ethan bit down hard on his lower lip, trying to stifle his groans as the divine power painfully forced his body to regenerate.
“Grr, hngh...! Haaa...!!”
Standing beside him, holding his severed arm with a worried expression, was a maid watching him silently.
“Please endure just a little longer, Young Master Ethan.”
She had used Clean Magic to purify his arm, but Lilith's maid uniform, still covered in the blood of a dozen men, remained unclean. Holding Ethan’s arm as still as possible, she waited quietly for the Saintess’s recovery spell to take effect.
...A few minutes passed as Ceresta’s divine power seeped into the wound.
“Haah, haah, haah…”
Through excruciating pain, as if his bones were being ground down, Ethan finally recovered his arm and exhaled the breath he had been holding.
Ty