Growburn Village – Demons (7)

Jade’s body trembled just from witnessing the clash of immense powers.

‘Calm down. I’m the Hero.’

Despite this, Jade suppressed his fear of Raspa and calmly observed the situation.

The conclusion he reached was simple.

‘If this continues, the battle will drag on.’

It was true that Antonio was overwhelming Raspa.

But Raspa was no pushover either.

Once Raspa, sensing the gap in their strength, abandoned attacks and focused solely on defense and evasion, Antonio couldn’t land any proper decisive blows.

From Jade’s perspective, the absence of his right arm felt particularly significant.

However, if Jade intervened in the battle, he could tip the precarious balance of the fight in their favor.

Of course, there was also a possibility that a poorly executed attack could worsen the situation.

‘Let’s set aside those worries.’

Jade had long resolved not to waste energy worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet.

The problem was that no matter how much Hero’s power he possessed, the gap between Raspa and Jade was too vast.

Under normal circumstances, even if Jade used his right eye, he wouldn’t be able to pierce through the demonic energy.

The battle between Antonio and Raspa continued.

“Are you just going to keep running away?”

-Squeak!

“You washed-up bastard! Do you think I’ll just stand still for your slow attacks?”

Raspa nimbly dodged the hammer aiming for her head.

-Fsss

But even when Antonio’s hammer merely grazed her side, the thickness of her demonic energy diminished.

That’s it.

That sight momentarily entered Jade’s vision.

If Raspa’s demonic energy was weakened by holy power, Jade still had hope.

“How irritating, flitting about like a fly.”

When Antonio stomped his foot imbued with holy power, pure white light exploded outward from his position.

-Boom!

“Tch. You’ll try anything, won’t you?”

Raspa attempted to leap into the air to avoid it.

‘Now’s my chance… I can do this.’

The moment he saw Raspa jump into the air, Jade immediately charged at her.

But Raspa seemed to notice Jade’s attack right away.

“Did you think I wouldn’t be able to counter just because I’m in the air, you brat?”

-Whoosh!

Raspa’s right leg spun as it shot straight toward Jade’s head.

If hit directly, it would be a skull-shattering blow, but Jade advanced toward Raspa without the slightest hesitation.

He trusted Antonio.

And Antonio repaid that trust.

“Where do you think you’re looking?”

“!!”

Antonio’s hammer and Jade’s thrust.

It was a situation where avoiding or blocking one would inevitably mean taking the other attack.

Raspa’s decision was swift.

She withdrew the leg she had extended toward Jade.

-Thud!

Then she kicked off the air, narrowly dodging the hammer.

Her judgment was that she could afford to take Jade’s pathetic attack.

-Squeak!

The holy power imbued in the hammer grazed right past Raspa’s right arm.

-Fsss

The demonic energy surrounding Raspa weakened once again.

‘I’ve already done this once before. I can do it.’

Pitch-black demonic energy was tangled haphazardly around Raspa’s arm.

But the connection points where the demonic energy joined were more vulnerable than other areas.

Jade aimed for those thread-like gaps.

-Shiiing!

Jade’s aura clashed with the demonic energy, creating an unpleasant sound.

“As if someone like you could pierce my demonic ener-“

No, he could pierce it.

‘Because I’m the Hero.’

-Stab!

“!!”

The tip of the sword pierced through the flesh of Raspa’s right shoulder and cleaved bone.

Jade’s thrust had pierced through the demonic energy.

“Kuh! You insignificant trash!”

-Crash!

Enraged, Raspa kicked Jade away.

“Ugh!”

Jade crossed his arms to block the kick and was sent flying far away, losing his sword.

But the fact remained that Jade’s attack had already inflicted critical damage to Raspa’s shoulder.

“…You pierced my demonic energy with that level of skill?”

Biting her lower lip, Raspa immediately pulled out the sword embedded in her shoulder.

Blood gushed from the wound, but dark energy instantly enveloped the injury, stopping the bleeding.

“That was excellent coordination. You haven’t been the Hero for long, yet you’re already this capable…”

Antonio also expressed admiration at Jade’s successful attack.

“Whew… I couldn’t have done it without you, Sir Antonio.”

Even from Jade’s perspective, successfully pulling off this gamble still felt surreal.

Regardless, he had now gained complete dominance in the battle.

“Am I… am I really going to die meaninglessly in a place like this?”

Raspa began slowly backing away.

Her pupils shook violently.

Jade recognized what she was thinking from her trembling eyes.

‘Don’t tell me…?’

Raspa was now trying to escape.

“Since it’s come to this…”

Muttering something, Raspa threw a punch. A fist-shaped mass of demonic energy flew toward Jade.

-Whoosh!

But the attack traced an erratic path, passing by Jade’s side.

‘What? Did she make a mistake because of her shoulder injury?’

Even considering that, it was unbelievable that Raspa would make such an absurd mistake…

At that moment, someone flashed through Jade’s mind.

Rena.

“!!”

When Jade frantically looked back, the energy fist was flying toward where Rena lay unconscious.

Raspa had targeted the defenseless Rena.

“No!”

Jade immediately threw himself forward to block the demonic energy.

But by the time he realized, it was already too late.

-Boom!

The mass of demonic energy struck Rena directly, kicking up dust that obscured vision.

“…This can’t be real.”

Was he really going to lose Rena in such a meaningless way?

-Thud

Jade’s hands trembled violently as he fell to his knees.

A deep voice suddenly reached his despairing ears.

“Hero, she’s alright.”

-Rustle

The smoke from the explosion slowly began to clear.

Instead of Rena’s corpse, there stood the broad back of a man.

“Sir Antonio?”

Antonio had thrown himself to shield Rena.

“Ms. Rena is unharmed.”

“Thank goodness! Thank you! Thank you so much.”

Jade sighed in relief and repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Sir Antonio.

His relief at Rena’s safety was short-lived, as Jade noticed Antonio’s injury.

Antonio had taken a direct hit of demonic energy to his back, piercing through his armor.

The exposed skin had turned black.

It appeared to be a severe injury requiring immediate treatment.

“Sir Antonio, your back is injured…”

“Don’t worry about me. Holy power can heal this much.”

-Hiss

Pure white light enveloped the wound on his back, and Antonio’s skin gradually returned to its normal color.

As Jade calmed his heart, which had been startled by the sudden turn of events, rage toward Raspa welled up inside him.

How dare she target the defenseless Rena.

“Raspa… How dare you target Rena?”

“You know I’m a despicable bastard, right? I hate to say something this ugly but… I’ll definitely kill you next time.”

-Whoosh!

With those final words, Raspa swiftly flew toward the exit, taking advantage of the distance between them.

“Do you think I’ll let you escape!”

Antonio quickly threw his hammer-

-Shiiing!

“Thanks for the help!”

Raspa blocked the hammer and used the impact to propel herself away even faster.

“Tch, how troublesome.”

Even Antonio seemed frustrated, having not anticipated this move.

After doing all this to us, she thinks she can just escape?

He couldn’t possibly let her get away.

“Don’t run away!”

Jade immediately tried to chase after Raspa.

-Tap

But Antonio grabbed Jade’s shoulder with his left hand.

“Why are you stopping me!”

“You need to calm down. In our current state, capturing a high-ranking demon would take too much time.”

“Do you know what she did to us!”

Jade found himself shouting at Antonio in a voice filled with rage.

“I know. That’s why you need to tend to your comrades quickly.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Jade’s rationality return, reminding him of someone he’d forgotten.

“Rena.”

His mind had been so consumed by thoughts of killing Raspa that he’d momentarily forgotten about Rena.

Jade hurriedly ran to Rena.

Still in her pitiful state, Rena lay unconscious. A pale fluid continued to flow from between her legs.

“…Cruel bastards.”

Antonio, standing behind Jade, also let out a pained groan upon seeing the sight.

-Clang!

Jade broke the shackles around his neck and desperately shook Rena’s body.

“Rena! Rena! It’s over now. Wake up!”

“Jade…? But… I’m a little cold…”

-Thud

After briefly opening her eyes, Rena immediately lost consciousness again.

“Re, Rena!”

With dread in his heart, Jade checked Rena’s condition.

-Shallow breaths

Rena was still breathing.

But her breathing was gradually weakening.

Jade’s hands began trembling with fear that he might lose Rena.

“Ah, Sir Antonio, what should I do? Rena might die. If that happens, I…”

“Please step aside for a moment.”

Antonio gently pushed aside the panicking Jade and placed his hand over Rena’s chest.

-Hiss

Pure white light burst from Antonio’s hand before fading moments later.

Rena’s weakening breathing gradually became more regular and stable.

Confirming this, Antonio picked up a large piece of cloth nearby and covered Rena’s body.

“I’ve performed basic first aid. Her physical condition was already poor due to the mana suppression shackles, and she pushed herself too hard. I can only use simple healing spells, so we need to get her to a priest in the Holy Kingdom quickly.”

“What should I do?”

“Let’s leave the dungeon immediately. I’ll take care of the red-haired comrade over there. You carry Ms. Rena. I installed a warp magic circle in the village beforehand. We can use that.”

Antonio slung his hammer over his back and lifted Annie with one arm, tucking her under his side.

Seeing this, Jade quickly hoisted Rena onto his back.

Though Rena’s chest and stomach pressed softly against his back, Jade felt nothing but concern for her condition.

‘Please hold on just a little longer.’

Praying fervently to the goddess, Jade hurriedly exited the dungeon.

**

The village chief greeted Jade warmly upon his return to the village.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re back. Is the dungeon alri-“

But he fell silent upon seeing the party’s wretched state.

“There’s no time to explain, but the dungeon has been resolved. I apologize for leaving without proper farewells. Thank you for all your help during our short stay.”

“Th, thank you.”

After giving the chief a brief farewell, Jade urged Antonio onward.

“Where do we go now?”

“Just follow me.”

Antonio led Jade to a warehouse in the eastern part of the village.

-Creak

When Antonio opened the door and entered the warehouse, Jade followed him inside.

Upon entering, Jade saw a large magic circle engraved on the warehouse floor.

-Hum

The magic circle, composed of complex runes, emitted a blue light.

“This will take us directly to the Holy Kingdom. But this magic circle is single-use, so we won’t be able to return here. Is it acceptable to proceed directly to the Holy Kingdom?”

Jade briefly thought about the belongings they’d left in their rooms…

But those could always be replaced.

Speed was crucial now.

“We’ll go immediately.”

“Understood. Then please stand in the center of the magic circle.”

With Rena on his back, Jade stood at the circle’s center.

Confirming this, Antonio also stepped onto the magic circle with Annie in tow.

“We’ll depart now.”

Antonio stomped on part of the magic circle with his foot wrapped in holy power.

-Thud

The magic circle glowed brilliantly, and Jade’s party began gradually disappearing.

-Bang!

A man suddenly burst into the warehouse.

“W, wait! Where are you going?!”

‘Karlson?’

Jade tried to speak upon seeing Karlson’s bewildered face,

“Kar-“

-Flash!

At that moment, the warp activated.

**

“What in the…”

Karlson stood dumbfounded, staring at the now-empty warehouse.

Just minutes earlier, Karlson had rushed out of the inn upon hearing of the party’s return.

“Do you know where they went?”

“They ran toward the eastern village warehouse? Not sure why though.”

Following the villager’s words, Karlson ran to the warehouse. Upon entering, he found his guests disappearing in a blue light.

Left alone, Karlson trudged back to his inn room.

-Thud

Karlson collapsed onto his bed with a sigh.

“They left without even saying goodbye… Is Ms. Rena alright…?”

Karlson recalled the sight of Rena being carried on Jade’s back.

Clearly something had happened to her in the dungeon.

“Wait. What about my payment? Did they skip out? This is a bit…”

No matter the circumstances, they should have paid before leaving. As Karlson ran his hands through his golden hair in frustration, he noticed something on the desk.

“What’s this?”

It was a small pouch.

Karlson quickly got up and approached the desk.

“I’ve never seen this in the room before.”

Naturally, Karlson opened the pouch to check its contents.

“…?”

To his astonishment, it contained dozens of gold coins.

This was nearly equivalent to what he might earn from a year of backbreaking work.

“Wh, why would such a large sum…”

Karlson panicked, unsure what to do.

He feared he might have been involved in something dangerous.

“A note?”

Then he accidentally noticed a small piece of paper beside the pouch.

Karlson quickly read the message.

Only one line was written:

-The sex was great♡

“….”

After momentarily freezing, Karlson began laughing hollowly.

“Ha, ha… You’re quite the character.”

The note’s author was obvious.

“At least Ms. Rena seems to be safe.”

Karlson felt like he’d awoken from several days of blissful dreams.

Dreams where he’d indulged in physical pleasure with his ideal woman.

Rena’s beautiful face and soft skin.

The tightness that had intensely gripped him inside.

The sweet words she’d whispered while seducing him.

All of this would remain as unforgettable memories for Karlson.

“I should leave soon too.”

Karlson stuffed the pouch into his bag and began gathering his equipment to return to Vail City.

It was time to wake from his sweet dreams and return to his ordinary life.