Ch.5Encounter

Serena’s face was frozen stiff. I could see her grip tightening on World Eater.

If Christine was truly nearby, Serena’s reaction made sense. I carefully scanned our surroundings but couldn’t sense anything like mana flow.

Well, Serena’s ability to detect such things despite not being a mage was abnormal to begin with.

I considered drawing my weapon but decided to just observe the situation. In a fight between Serena and Christine, there was nothing I could contribute anyway.

I doubted I could even follow their exchanges with my eyes, let alone keep up with a sword. It was impossible by any objective or subjective measure.

“My lord, please stay behind me. It’s dangerous. An attack could come from anywhere.”

“Huh? I’m fine. I can just regenerate if I get hit.”

“As your knight, I cannot stand by and watch you get hurt by that madwoman.”

“If I were going to die from something like that, I would have died thousands of times already. It’s fine, really. I’ll just stay here.”

“My lord, please reconsider…”

Serena’s pleading words to me were cut short. Her sharp, curved eyes focused on something beyond the forest.

She looked as if she were engaged in a battle of wills with someone far away. Meanwhile, I still couldn’t sense anything.

It made sense—without our campfire, the forest was so dark that Serena would be hidden in shadows after just a few steps away.

—BOOM!

I heard the sound at almost the exact moment Serena’s hand shot out. I saw the back of her hand right in front of my face, gripping something tightly.

Her hand was trembling. Crunch—as Serena applied force, the object in her hand shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. It was a stone about the size of a palm.

If Serena hadn’t caught it, my head would probably have been smashed. Seeing this unprovoked attack, it seemed Christine really was nearby.

After years of silence, why had she suddenly appeared again?

“How dare you…!”

Serena’s voice grew harsh as she realized the stone had clearly been aimed at me. She looked ready to cut down every tree in the vicinity if I didn’t stop her.

Just as I was about to calm the agitated Serena, a massive object rose into the sky, blocking the moon.

—

Serena was so consumed by rage that she could barely think straight. It was clearly that lunatic’s doing.

Even though her lord was immortal and could instantly recover from any wound, allowing her lord’s body to be injured by someone was a great dishonor for a knight.

And that crazy woman was clearly targeting her lord. Serena was certain when she caught the stone moments ago.

It had been thrown with killing intent.

If Serena hadn’t intercepted it, it would have easily shattered a human head.

Though her lord’s body would recover even if his head exploded, this was a matter of pride regardless of the outcome.

And now, a massive object the size of a noble’s mansion was descending from the sky, blocking the moon. It appeared to be a chunk of earth torn from the ground, with trees and grass still embedded in its surface.

No matter how simple a mound of dirt might be, when it grows to the size of a building, it’s no longer simple. Her lord wouldn’t be able to escape even if he started running now.

She would not allow a single finger to touch her lord. Serena infused World Eater with mana and took her stance.

Taking a deep breath, she pointed the tip of her sword skyward. Her movements needed to be concise, as that madwoman could attack from anywhere at any moment.

And above all, she couldn’t let her lord suffer even the slightest injury.

Serena began enveloping her body with mana. Blue mana surged wildly along World Eater’s blade.

She poured in enough mana that any ordinary sword would have warped or melted, but World Eater seemed to howl for even more.

Serena raised the sword above her right shoulder, then slashed diagonally downward.

—Scattering Leaves.

The slash seemed pitifully small compared to the descending mass. The slash distorted the air as it flew and collided with the bottom of the massive earthen chunk.

From the moment she swung her sword, Serena lowered her gaze as if there was nothing more to see, scanning her surroundings.

At that moment, the sky reappeared.

The single slash devoured the object blocking its path, splitting it in two, and those two pieces split into four.

In an instant, tens of thousands of slashes hungrily surged forward, devouring everything in sight.

Mere dirt and stones couldn’t withstand slashes that could tear through steel as easily as salt dissolves in water.

Fragments smaller than dust scattered downward from the sky. With a single slash, a mass of earth comparable to a noble’s mansion had been reduced to pieces too small to see.

Serena paid no attention to the fragments drifting down in the wind. Finding that madwoman was her priority now.

As she scanned the area intently, she suddenly sensed something anomalous in the distance. The same sensation she’d felt earlier—a feeling of emptiness in the mana flow.

“There you are!”

Mana enveloped World Eater once more. This time horizontally, as the mana-infused blade began to trace an arc.

The mana in the blade vanished.

For someone of Serena’s skill, the time it took to infuse a blade with mana and swing it was far less than the time it took to blink. Yet in that impossibly brief moment, the mana had completely emptied.

Serena clicked her tongue at this absurd situation.

‘So I was right about the direction.’

What an incredibly annoying ability. If she could just use mana, she would have torn that filthy body in half long ago.

She didn’t think World Eater would break or that she herself would lose in direct combat, but the process in between would be extremely troublesome.

“My lord.”

“I’m listening. What is it?”

When she called out to check on her lord behind her, he immediately responded. His voice was level and ordinary, just as usual.

He probably trusted her. He maintained such calm because he believed without a shadow of doubt that Serena would protect him.

She felt a tingling sensation in her lower abdomen.

She couldn’t betray that trust. Serena steeled her resolve once more. She would not let her lord suffer at the hands of a madwoman who took pleasure in cutting and tearing his body.

Only Serena herself should be allowed to touch her lord’s body.

‘Once more from the sky…?’

The moon was obscured again. This time by an even larger boulder than before.

It was so massive that she wondered where such a thing could have been found. Serena took her stance to use Scattering Leaves again. No matter how many times that worthless object was thrown, she would shatter them all.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, the blue light surrounding World Eater vanished again.

“What?!”

Serena faltered at this unexpected development.

In that brief moment, the boulder accelerated in midair. She’s behind the boulder. Having quickly calculated this, Serena sheathed World Eater.

She could dodge if she wanted to, but then her lord behind her would be caught in it. There was only one answer.

Block it with her body.

Even without mana, she could easily bisect the boulder.

But she didn’t want to. She didn’t want even the smallest fragment to touch her lord. She would stop the boulder with her body, then take down the madwoman who was likely behind it.

As Serena clenched her fist with this in mind, she suddenly heard a murmur from below.

“Please do not interrupt my prayer.”

Serena twisted her face purely by instinct.

As her head tilted to the left, a fist grazed past where it had been. With a “pung” sound of air bursting, a strange high-pitched ringing filled her right ear.

“Ugh!”

Ignoring the buzzing in her ear, Serena narrowed her eyes.

Right in front of her was long brown hair fluttering, yellow eyes, the hem of a nun’s habit swirling violently, and garter belts stained with blood wrapped around her legs.

And a right arm swinging toward her.

When the nun’s fist struck her left shoulder, a sound like a shell exploding echoed through the forest. Caught completely by surprise, Serena’s body staggered greatly.

The pain was bearable. But the loss of balance was critical. Serena retreated significantly.

As soon as Serena crossed her arms in front of her face, a merciless barrage of blows followed. Peering through her crossed arms, she saw the nun’s yellow eyes filled with rage.

It was absurd. This madwoman had ambushed her first and initiated the violence, so why was she the one who was angry?

The final blow drove into Serena’s stomach. Despite firmly planting her feet to maintain balance, her body lifted off the ground and flew through the air.

As Serena was pushed back, she caught sight of the boulder that still hadn’t fallen. Its trajectory was now aimed directly at her lord.

“My lord!”

Serena drew World Eater and drove it into the ground just as the boulder descended. Crunch—the sound of human flesh and bone being crushed echoed through the forest.

Dust scattered around, the ground was deeply indented, and the massive boulder pressed down on it. Only fingers slightly protruding from beneath the boulder proved that someone was crushed underneath.

Despite using World Eater to decelerate, Serena only managed to stop after piercing through two more trees. She quickly infused mana into her legs and kicked off the ground.

With a single leap, Serena closed the distance again, only to see the nun praying with her hands clasped in front of the boulder, completely ignoring her.

Serena’s eyes filled with rage at the sight. As soon as she stepped toward the nun, the mana surrounding her body dissipated.

She must have sensed the killing intent in her step. It didn’t matter. She didn’t need mana to beat that madwoman to a pulp.

“Ah, my God. Thank you for allowing me to begin my prayer. I am overwhelmed by your infinite mercy…”

This lunatic was even crossing her legs and blushing as she prayed.

Serena’s teeth ground together. Her clenched fist trembled. Only she was allowed to hurt her lord. She couldn’t permit anyone else to lay even a finger on him.

To end immortality at her lord’s command and follow him in suicide—that was the highest honor Serena could imagine.

Embracing her dead lord’s neck with a satisfied face, then cutting her own throat to meet her end facing each other. Just imagining that happy future made her brain melt with pleasure.

If possible, she wanted to carve out the wounds inflicted by other women with her own sword, replacing them with “wounds made by Serena” for her lord to heal.

But now, her lord was crushed under a boulder, his entire body mangled. Why? Because of that madwoman.

“Please, please allow me to bask in your mercy…”

Yes, there she was. The woman who had done this to her lord, whom only Serena should be allowed to hurt.

Her hand gripped the boulder more tightly. Her fingers dug into the boulder’s surface.

My lord, please wait just a moment, Serena muttered inwardly. And just as she was about to strike the boulder with World Eater—

“Please stop your blasphemous act.”

Her wrist was caught.

Serena turned her head. If demons from hell existed, they would have eyes like these.

The nun, who had been in ecstasy just moments ago, now emanated a menacing aura as if she would devour Serena alive.

“Let go.”

“I told you to stop your blasphemous act.”

“I need to get my lord out before I tear you to shreds. Let go. This is your final warning.”

“God is showing me mercy and rejoicing. Please do not interfere.”

“Rejoicing? My lord? Over this?”

From Serena’s perspective, the boulder was barely moving. Her lord was probably trapped underneath, repeatedly regenerating and being destroyed.

If only, if only this boulder had been thrown by her. That body being crushed and recovering repeatedly should have been suffering pain inflicted by Serena.

“Did you just refer to the mercy bestowed by my God as ‘this’?”

The force transmitted through her wrist suddenly intensified. As the angle of her elbow gradually widened, Serena applied even more strength to her arm.

Her arm, which had been slowly pulled toward the nun, stopped moving. It even began to return gradually toward Serena. In terms of pure strength, Serena had the advantage, with or without mana.

“Let me correct myself. It’s not ‘this.’ It’s something that doesn’t even deserve to be called ‘this.’ Yes, ‘garbage’ would be the perfect term. How dare you, such garbage—”

Before Serena could finish, a fist flew at her. This time, Serena caught that wrist. The fist didn’t even touch her, but the pressure made her bangs flutter slightly.

“Heretic… yes, a heretic. Are you a heretic testing my love and devotion to God? Heretic, heretic, heretic. Hoo, hoohoo, hehehehe…”

The nun bowed her head deeply and muttered something in a low, rapid voice, laughing softly.

Then both their arms—the one holding the wrist and the one being held—began to vibrate together. It was a sign that the force being applied was increasing.

After some time, the nun suddenly raised her head. Unlike before, her eyes were now filled with ecstasy.

“Ah, my God! Merciful God! Is even this a trial sent by you? I understand! I truly understand! I, your little lamb, will praise your mercy for creating this opportunity to defeat the heretic and prove my faith! Please, please watch over me!”

Serena frowned at this nonsensical raving that matched her deranged mental state. She didn’t have time to listen to such drivel.

“I, Christine, will prove…”

Serena was the first to break the strange balance of power. She threw aside the nun’s fist and drove her own fist into the nun’s face.

As the nun’s head snapped back and her grip on Serena’s wrist loosened, Serena shook off the other hand as well and swung World Eater.

There was no sensation of cutting. She felt the blade hit flesh, but not cut through it.

Serena’s eyebrow twitched slightly as she watched the nun, who had been thrown back and collapsed from the impact of having her neck slashed, stagger to her feet. Not even a wound had formed.

As Serena mentally revised her strategy, Christine charged at her with a maniacal grin.