The Male Slave of House Sianella - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: The Male Knight of Sianella (3)

‘Damn it.’

My face involuntarily twisted in a grimace.

A sharp pain shot up my wrist from the impact of the clashing blades.

The damned woman’s strength, amplified by demonic energy, was monstrous. I couldn’t tell if I was fighting a human or an orc.

How could an ordinary person withstand the strength of an orc? If I hadn't used mana, the consequences would have been irreversible.

‘This is insane.’

How could there be so many incidents, one after another, for three days straight?

A deep frustration simmered within me, but…

I had no time to vent my anger.

The lingering pain in my wrist warned me to move quickly, before things escalated.

I immediately checked on Adelheit after deflecting the attack.

She’d just had a dagger thrust towards her back…

I’d expected to see shock or surprise on her face, but…

I’d had a bad feeling about her from our first encounter, and it seemed my instincts were right. Adelheit was even more eccentric than I’d thought.

“You—”

The weariness that usually characterized Adelheit’s expression vanished, replaced by,

“—can use mana.”

Not panic or distress, but the keen interest of a scholar discovering something new.

Amusement and intrigue.

Perhaps because she carried not only human blood, but also the blood of that giant lizard…

She seemed not the least bit concerned by this chaotic situation. Instead, she simply smiled, her dragon eyes fixed on me.

“If it were simply mana awakening, you wouldn't be able to deflect the sword of someone steeped in demonic energy.”

She wasn't even focused on how to resolve this crisis, only on analyzing my mana.

There was no point in worrying about Adelheit any further. It would only lead to more stress. I turned to Sione, who was looking at me with a worried expression, and said,

“Lady Sione, I entrust Her Highness to you.”

“Are you saying…you will stop her?”

“Yes. In this situation, who else could possibly stop her?”

Sione bit her lower lip hard at my words.

So hard, in fact, that I saw a trace of blood welling up.

It seemed she was frustrated at being unable to help.

The usually timid Sione was actually considering fighting alongside me…

I smiled faintly, impressed by her unexpected bravery.

“…This is dangerous. I will try to stop her. Give me your sword and protect Her Highness from behind.”

I shook my head at Sione’s words as I adjusted my grip on my sword, ready to fight.

“It's dangerous, so I, as Lady Sione’s knight, should be the one to stop her.”

“But—”

“Trust me. I will protect you, just as I did when I caught the arachne.”

At the mention of the arachne, Adelheit’s usually impassive mouth curved upward in amusement.

Sione forced her expression into a mask of composure, but…

I saw a small bead of blood trickle down her delicate jawline as she bit her lip even harder.

I had no time to spare any further attention to them.

I turned to face the attacker, who was radiating a ferocious aura.

“That was my perfect chance to stab that damned princess in the back…and you…you…! A lowly servant dares to interfere with my grand plan?!”

The woman glared at me with pure hatred.

She was just a pathetic human consumed by demonic energy, not a true demon. I’d experienced far more intense killing intent than this as a matter of course in A-rank and higher dungeons.

This was nothing. I scoffed at her.

“I will kill you and achieve our grand design through the martyrdom of myself and my comrades!”

She crouched low and charged at me.

The tip of her dagger, imbued with a murky demonic energy, aimed for my throat.

A wave of revulsion and intense killing intent washed over me.

Park Shin-woo…no, Ray. Focus.

Even a graze from a blade infused with that dark demonic energy would be dangerous.

“…Hup!”

I held my breath, angling my sword so the blade pointed upwards.

Just as I’d anticipated…

The dagger, trailing an ominous black aura, thrust towards my throat.

Swish.

I twisted my body, dodging the attack, and swung my sword upward, intending to sever her wrist, but…

Chang!

Instead of the sensation of slicing through flesh, I felt the jarring impact of steel against steel.

“…I meant to cut off your wrist.”

“How…!”

While the woman before me stared in shock and disbelief, I needed to quickly take advantage of the opening and strike her throat.

My mana, amplified to its fullest extent, was depleting faster than I’d anticipated.

Prolonging a fight with someone infused with demonic energy was never a good idea.

I couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

‘I have to gain the upper hand, somehow.’

As our swords rebounded from the impact, I tightened my grip on the hilt, bringing the blade parallel to the ground.

Abandoning my initial plan to sever her wrist, I thrust the tip of my sword towards her throat.

Tzzzzzz!!

The screech of metal scraping against metal echoed through the gardens.

Just as my sword was about to reach the attacker…

“A mere man…!”

She twisted her face in a grimace and deflected the tip of my blade.

Scrape.

I’d definitely cut her.

But she’d tilted her head at the last moment, and the wound was shallow.

“…Tch.”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

A trickle of blood flowed down her cheek from the graze.

I’d expected black blood, since she was empowered by demonic energy, but…

Contrary to my expectations, bright red blood flowed from the long gash on her pale cheek.

I shifted my arm, preparing for a diagonal downward strike, but,

“Do you think such an obvious attack will work on me?!”

The attacker quickly recovered her stance and blocked my attack.

Damn…I’d meant to slice her chest open.

She parried my blade with the flat of her dagger and closed the distance between us.

Hearing the screech of metal, I brought my sword back to middle guard, the blade pointing upwards.

As her dagger thrust towards me, I caught the blade against mine, and,

A struggle of strength ensued.

“…Ugh…!”

“If I’d had my bow—”

I channeled a surge of mana, releasing it explosively. A dizzying rush of exhilaration surged through me—

“—I would have already pierced your forehead…!”

I twisted my sword and struck her throat.

Her vision, focused on me, tilted.

She stared at me in disbelief, her expression frozen as she breathed her last.

“Whew…shit…”

After confirming the demonically empowered woman was dead, despite not using spirit magic, I took a deep breath and cursed in Korean.

It had only been possible because she’d been wielding a short dagger.

If she’d had a sword of similar length to mine, she would have blocked my attack before it reached her throat.

The adrenaline from the close call faded, leaving me feeling drained.

I wanted to forget about quests and run away, but…

I still had things to do. I couldn’t afford to relax yet.

‘Adelheit.’

The quest notification from earlier had said Adelheit's fate, originally destined to be pierced in the back, had been altered by my intervention.

And judging by the words of that damned woman I’d just killed…

All the demon worshippers here were targeting Adelheit.

It seemed that, in the original course of events, Adelheit would have been seriously injured in this incident.

To change this damned world’s history and return to Earth…

I had to protect Sione and Adelheit.

‘The Royal Knights and mages will surely rush to protect Adelheit…’

But they were currently engaged with the demon worshippers who’d appeared simultaneously throughout the gardens.

Until they arrived, I had to intervene and protect Sione and Adelheit myself.

I lowered my sword and calmed the mana surging through me, circulating just enough to be ready for immediate use. As I turned to check on Sione and Adelheit…

I saw Sione running towards me, her brow furrowed.

“Lady Sione?”

Sione, without acknowledging my call, ran past me and,

Picked up the dead woman’s dagger.

Sione turned towards another attacker, who was charging at me, her eyes filled with a killing intent so intense it surprised even me.

Wooong—

The demonic energy clinging to the dagger dissipated, cleansed by the Demon Slaying Authority, and the blade began to resonate with Sione’s surging mana.

Thud!

Sione’s dagger plunged into the attacker’s throat.

“Gurk…gurgle…”

Sione twisted the blade, and the attacker collapsed, spitting blood.

Sione, her beautiful blue dress now stained crimson, looked at me and asked,

“Ray…are you alright?”

Though she tried to project a calm, composed demeanor like her sister…

I could see through her.

I'd spent too long with her not to notice.

Her eyelids were trembling faintly, betraying her fear.

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