25-242

EP.242. [Charlotte Falls for Her Younger Brother Eugene Schneider, Who Exudes the Scent of a True Male.] 

‘That’s Charlotte, my sister!!!’ 

After experiencing a dimensional rift, Eugene Schneider’s ability to sense monster-related energy had become extremely sharp. When he entered Bahad, he immediately sensed a disturbing monster energy and headed toward its source. There, he witnessed an owlbear the size of a dump truck-and the nun radiating holy power in front of it was a figure more familiar to him than anyone else: his beloved eldest sister, Charlotte de Sel Oblaing. 

‘That damn owl bastard!!!’ 

The massive owlbear, claws bared, was attacking Charlotte. Seeing this, Eugene’s eyes went wild. 

-SLASH!!- 

A fierce blue aura erupted from Eugene’s drawn greatsword and his body. 

-CHARGE!!!- 

With speed that seemed to erase space itself, Eugene dashed toward the owlbear and Charlotte. 

‘That paw!’ 

The owlbear’s right forepaw swung toward Charlotte’s head. 

‘Get that thing out of here!!!!’ 

-SLASH!!!- 

Eugene’s greatsword came down vertically on the owlbear’s massive foreleg. 

-SPLIT!!!- 

With a single powerful strike, he severed the owlbear’s thick paw. 

‘I’ll protect Charlotte, my sister!!’ 

As the owlbear’s paw disappeared and dark blood sprayed, Charlotte saw a familiar greatsword glinting through the spray. At the same time, a childhood memory echoed in her mind: her beloved little brother Eugene’s earnest vow. 

‘Eugene, my little brother Eugene Schneider!’ 

The image of delicate, youthful Eugene was replaced by the profile of the adult Eugene, eyes fierce, gripping his greatsword with confidence. What she’d once thought of as a child’s innocent promise had now come true-Eugene had appeared before her, in her time of crisis, and saved her. 

“Charlotte! Please move further back!” 

Eugene called for Charlotte to retreat so he could face the owlbear himself. 

“Ah! O-okay, Eugene!” 

Eyes filled with awe and emotion, Charlotte quickly composed herself and responded to her impressive younger brother. 

-RUSH!- 

Charlotte moved back, and Eugene took her place at the front, greatsword ready. 

-THUD!!- 

The owlbear, its right foreleg severed, tumbled backward but, true to its round body, rolled and quickly regained its stance. 

“Grrrrrr…” 

Drip… drip… 

“Wow, its regeneration is intense.” 

The owlbear, wary, didn’t immediately attack Eugene. Its severed foreleg wasn’t regenerating, but its rapid healing stopped the bleeding quickly. Eugene clicked his tongue at the sight. 

“Are you okay, sister?” 

With a brief moment to breathe, Eugene kept his greatsword trained on the owlbear and checked on Charlotte. 

“I’m fine, Eugene. Just a bit tired. But how did you get here?” 

Charlotte assumed a support stance, no longer in battle mode, and asked about Eugene’s sudden appearance. 

“Uh, it’s a bit complicated to explain, sis. Let’s take care of this first and I’ll tell you everything.” 

Eugene scanned the area carefully. 

“Of course…!” 

He focused on a large boulder nearby. 

“Bishop-Nun Charlotte! Over there!!” 

The other nuns, now gathered behind Charlotte, pointed to the same boulder Eugene was watching. 

“Grrrrrr…!!” 

“There’s another owlbear!!” 

Another owlbear appeared. 

‘The energy was too big-just as I suspected, there’s more than one.’ 

Judging by the energy he sensed upon entering Bahad, Eugene thought there might be several monsters or at least two strong ones. He was right: it was a pair of owlbears. 

“With another monster like that, what do we do, Bishop-Nun Charlotte?” 

The nuns were panicked. Even with one owlbear missing a foreleg, they’d struggled, and now there was another. 

“Don’t worry, sisters.” 

Eugene Schneider appeared completely confident. 

“Sisters, let’s calmly cast the Transmutation Circle buff on this swordsman. With that, even two owlbears can be handled.” 

Charlotte seemed to understand the source of Eugene’s confidence. 

‘A high-level greatsword user is the perfect counter to an owlbear. If it’s Eugene, he can do it.’ 

While priests are at a disadvantage against owlbears, greatsword experts are their counter-class. The owlbear’s strengths-shock-absorbing hide and savage regeneration-are useless against the sharp, heavy, and massive blows of an expert-level greatsword user. 

“Understood, Bishop-Nun Charlotte!” 

The nine nuns quickly formed a pattern behind Charlotte. With a seeker-level bishop-nun as the head, they could cast the Transmutation Circle buff-a long-lasting, powerful enhancement. 

-WHOOSH…!- 

First, the nine nuns activated their holy power. 

-GLIMMER…!- 

That power was transmitted to Charlotte. 

-FLASH!- 

[Transmutation Circle Divine Power buff] 

Charlotte’s eyes flashed white as she recited the buff’s incantation, filling the area with holy power. 

-WHOOSH!!!- 

The nuns’ Transmutation Circle buff was cast, and a gentle white holy flame enveloped Eugene. 

“Grrrrrr!!” “Uwooooh!!” 

With Eugene’s mana surging under the buff, the two owlbears sensed a massive threat and reared up, making themselves even larger. 

‘I’ll finish you off, you owl-bear meatballs!’ 

-CHARGE!!!- 

With the Transmutation Circle buff and his own Sword Seeker mana, Eugene gripped his greatsword and charged at the two now highly aggressive owlbears. 

“Grrrrrr!!” “Uwooooh!!” 

-ROAR!!!- 

Both owlbears attacked at once, a combination that would have overwhelmed slower priests. 

‘If you come at me like that, perfect!’ 

-SLASH!!!- 

But for a professional fighter-especially a greatsword user-it was a different story. Eugene used diagonal movement to get into the owlbears’ blind spot. 

-SLASH!!!- 

Using the rotational force of his movement, he slashed the thick leg of the nearest owlbear. 

‘Not bad!’ 

Eugene raised an eyebrow. He’d severed the foreleg in one blow, but even with the buff, the hind leg was too thick to cut through in one strike. 

“Grrrr!!” 

-THUD!!- 

But his attack was enough to unbalance the first owlbear, sending it crashing forward-right onto Eugene’s greatsword. 

‘Damn it.’ 

For a moment, Eugene’s sword was pinned under the fallen monster. 

“Grrrr!!” 

-ROAR!!!- 

Now defenseless, Eugene was attacked by the second owlbear, which lunged and swung its paw. 

‘I’ll just take it!’ 

-CRASH!!!- 

But with the powerful buff, Eugene could withstand the heavy blow. The priest-class Transmutation Circle buff is optimized for defense. 

‘Now it’s payback time.’ 

His head ringing but still standing, Eugene yanked his greatsword free from the first owlbear’s leg. 

-THRUST!!!- 

He thrust the blade straight up, driving it into the second owlbear’s neck. 

-SLASH!!!- 

The greatsword pierced through the beast’s thick neck. 

“A-amazing! That swordsman’s power is incredible, even with such small movements!!” 

“Incredible!!!” 

The nuns watching were shocked and awed. 

‘Ah… That’s our Eugene’s fighting? That’s what mercenary warrior Eugene Schneider is like??’ 

Charlotte was just as stunned. Outwardly, she maintained her composure as a bishop-nun, but her eyes were wide at her brother’s ferocious fighting. 

‘So wild, strong, and decisive! He used to follow me around calling my name…’ 

Even though Eugene was now grown, Charlotte still saw the eyes of the little brother she remembered. But now, his gaze was that of a man-a warrior. 

Eugene’s battle continued. 

-SPLASH!!- 

-THRUST!!- 

“Go join your friend!” 

Dark red blood spurted from the second owlbear as Eugene pulled his sword from its neck. He then moved to finish off the first owlbear, which was half-crippled. 

-SLASH!!- 

“Guuuaaaah!!” 

With a guillotine-like blow, Eugene’s greatsword severed the first owlbear’s head. 

… 

Eugene, eyes fierce, stared at the corpses. 

Swoosh… 

He then turned to Charlotte. 

Smile…! 

Covered in blood, he smiled-a look of satisfaction and relief at having protected his big sister with his own strength. 

‘Oh my… Oh my, what do I do! Oh my, what do I do!’ 

Thump, thump, thump, thump. 

Seeing her brother’s warm, killer smile, covered in owlbear blood, Charlotte’s heart pounded hotly-especially after days of breaking her own self-restraint and fantasizing about the young man before her.