Chapter 148 – The Saintess and Her Guardian (26)

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A violent explosion swept across the battlefield.

A mushroom cloud, as if from a bomb detonation, rose high into the sky, nearly touching the moon.

My hair whipped wildly in the blast, and thick dust clouds obscured my vision, but my mana-enhanced eyes never lost track of Vempir’s position.

Bathed in moonlight, she soared upward, holy power erupting from her and effortlessly erasing the traces of the explosion.

“Witch, your power is nothing special. If you want, you and the Black Knight can come at me together.”

Oh, please. One blocked attack and she’s already gloating.

Edel must have bristled at her words, I could see demonic energy gathering at his chest as he prepared to summon his armor.

“Edel, stay out of this.”

“Why?”

“Because this fight is about love. Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to show her just how delicious real love is.”

A one-armed man without even his demonic sword—what kind of fight could he put up?

I knew he was itching to make up for losing his arm, but this battle had to be mine alone.

This wasn’t just any fight.

As the Witch of Love, I had to teach Vempir a brutal lesson for daring to mock the very concept of love.

What love truly is.

What happens when you insult it in front of me.

Edel just needed to watch from the sidelines.

“Love, huh…”

Edel, who usually kept his emotions locked behind an indifferent mask, widened his eyes slightly before nodding.

“I’ll show you what real love looks like. So just sit back and watch!”

I planted my right foot back, bracing myself, then gripped Triceratops with both hands.

With another surge of power, a crimson flash erupted from the broom, devouring everything in its path as it streaked toward Vempir.

The resulting explosion birthed a second mushroom cloud, reducing the landscape to ruins.

Even an attack of this magnitude, one that would require redrawing the entire map, wasn’t enough to make me lose sight of Vempir.

The Saintess’s power, not yet fully awakened, wasn’t a major threat—but the angel’s interference was annoying.

No doubt it was whispering advice in her ear: Dodge like this, attack like that, now’s your chance!

I couldn’t help but smirk, remembering how Floria in Volume 3 had complained about the angel’s constant nagging.

Right now, while the enemy was disoriented, it would surely—

“Looking for me?”

Just as I expected.

Vempir lunged at me, thrusting a blood-forged spear straight toward my eyes.

Had she forgotten how badly close-quarters combat went for her before her sealing?

Or was she just desperate to show off her newfound power from the Saintess?

Either way—perfect.

Even though I was a debuff-specialized witch, I had more than enough confidence in my melee skills.

Vempir smirked arrogantly as she infused her spear with the same three energies, clearly intending to end this in one strike.

Watching her approach in slow motion thanks to my mana-enhanced senses, I couldn’t help but find her utterly repulsive.

Her lips stretched unnaturally wide, baring fangs that gleamed a sickly blue as she closed in.

In response, I offered an elegant, almost demure smile.

Edel’s watching, after all.

I couldn’t possibly grin as hideously as she was.

“You know what?”

As I raised Triceratops, her halo pulsed, likely the angel feeding her information.

Vempir’s eyes flicked toward the broom, tracking its trajectory. She had to be paying attention—the angel’s incessant warnings would’ve left her no choice.

But what she didn’t realize was—

Against someone who knew the angel’s patterns and abilities inside out, its help was more of a liability.

Triceratops’s spear-like form dissolved mid-swing, shifting rapidly between weapons—a sword, a scythe, an axe—before morphing into something unrecognizable.

Vempir frowned.

Right about now, the angel was probably screeching:

[THREAT LEVEL ALTERED.]

Its wings twitched erratically, reacting to every minor shift in Triceratops’ movements.

While her two pairs of wings fluttered uselessly, trying to anticipate Triceratops’s movements, I casually sidestepped her spear.

“Angel, you’re way too chatty!”

Triceratops’s transformation was just a feint.

The angel processed information sequentially, it took time to analyze anomalies.

Which meant—

“Hmph!”

A clean, textbook-perfect straight punch slammed into Vempir’s solar plexus.

“Ghk—! Wh-What the…?!”

She gagged, spewing foul fluids.

Technically, since it came from the Saintess’s body, it could be considered holy water—but with Vempir as the source, the stench was unbearable.

I wrinkled my nose but didn’t dwell on it.

Instead, I snatched Edel’s severed arm from her grip and swung Triceratops, now shaped like a flyswatter, with satisfaction.

Considering vampires and mosquitoes are practically cousins, this feels fitting.

“Edel, catch.”

While Vempir went flying, I tossed the arm and a high-grade potion to Edel.

“Don’t forget to apply the potion after reattaching it. Make sure it’s aligned properly—or I’ll cut it off again myself.”

“…Understood.”

With an odd expression, Edel pressed the limb into place like he was assembling a toy, then crushed the potion vial in his grip, letting the liquid flow over the severed joint.

Shouldn’t he be a little more careful with his own body?

Then again, this was Edel. The thought made me smile.

Honestly… zero delicacy.

At least he didn’t reattach it backward.

But if he treated a lover like this someday…

A strange unease coiled in my chest.

Well, I’ll just have to teach him properly.

After sealing Vempir, that is.

“Estelle.”

“Hm?”

Just as I was about to re-engage Vempir, Edel called my name, his tone uncharacteristically heavy.

No further words were needed.

Beneath that deep, steady voice, I could hear it, worry. Unease. Negative emotions he rarely showed.

He’s concerned about me.

Really, Edel…

You think I’d lose to someone like her?

Getting bisected was just a fluke.

I flashed him a bright smile to reassure him, and in return, he gave one of his own, the kind that could put anyone at ease.

“…Never mind. I’ll tell you later.”

So cute.

Just say it already.

“Oh, right—Edel.”

A thought struck me as I pondered how best to deal with Vempir, and this time, I was the one who called out to him.

“What do you… think of Vempir?”

My voice came out oddly small.

Almost timid.

My eyes might’ve even betrayed my anxiety, just like his had earlier.

“What do you mean?”

“Y-You know! She was all… Let’s make babies! Wasn’t she?!”

Don’t play dumb when you know exactly what I mean!

My face burned as I blurted out the embarrassing words.

Even if Vempir’s “love” was fake… what if Edel had taken a liking to her?

Sure, she’d cut off his arm and treated him like breeding stock, but Edel might’ve seen past that.

Unless I heard it from him directly, this unease wouldn’t leave me.

Besides… Vempir was the first person to directly confess to him.

What if…?

What if he actually wants to make babies with her?

What if I’m just getting in the way?

My rational mind screamed impossible, but my heart stubbornly demanded his confirmation.

I huffed, my breath ragged, until Edel offered a gentle smile—reassuring me this time.

“You know my type. And a woman who reeks like years-old farts is not it. If I had to add another preference…” He paused. “Hm. Someone who smells like sweet fruit, perhaps.”

“I-Is that so?!”

My lips stretched into a grin so wide it hurt, warmth flooding my chest.

Even as my rationality protested “Are you satisfied now?”, my heart swelled with relief at Edel’s unwavering standards.

Hehe. See?

There’s no way Edel would like someone like her.

I didn’t teach him about love just to hand him over to that woman.

…Though, where exactly is he going to find a woman like that?

I should’ve sighed at his ever-growing list of preferences, but my traitorous lips refused to stop smiling.

The relief burning inside me drowned out the pain creeping in from the edges of my consciousness.

SCREEE—!

Just as I was savoring Edel’s words, a surge of energy sliced through the air toward me. I cleaved it in half with Triceratops.

“You…!”

Ah, right. Vempir’s still here.

I’d almost forgotten about her while talking to Edel.

Apparently fond of the flyswatter form, I sent her flying again, leaving black grid marks on her wings as I countered her useless barrage of attacks.

Did you really think the same trick would work twice?

I can’t let Edel see me get hurt.

I want to stay strong in his eyes.

With nothing left weighing on my mind, I tightened my grip on Triceratops.