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Swish…

Kathryn slid one foot on the stone floor and took a breath.

Wharp!!

At the same time, Kathryn disappeared so fast that the air around her vibrated.

—Wow… Her speed…

‘She’s almost knocking on the level of the telekinetic blade.’

Not all Masters had the same level of skills; Kathryn Carabella’s movements of unhidden power were clearly above ordinary fighters’.

For a swordsman, the level where one gained enlightenment and was able to take control of one’s flow of power was the transcendental level of blade control.

Kathryn’s power could match Davey’s and she was the first such person who Davey had met so far. There wasn’t much of a difference, but her hard work was worthy of praise.

Bong.

Then, Kathryn, who suddenly appeared in a blur, charged toward Davey with a serious face.

Kaboom!!

At the same time, a giant shockwave flew toward Kathryn. Normally, she should not have been able to handle her own strength, so she should have been swept away by the shockwave. However…

—She dodged it?!

Kathryn dodged Davey’s attack by an inch even though she could not see nor feel it. She didn’t know that the attack was coming, but she had moved instinctively. Her movements were so instinctive that it was creepy.

Paah!!

Charging toward Davey in an instant, Kathryn swung her fist like she was not going to give him another chance to fight back.

When Kathryn came toward him with a powerful and intense blow, Davey deflected the attack with his folded fan. He lightly flicked her wrist with it, but he kept being bombarded by attacks.

The battle went on with Kathryn endlessly attacking Davey, who blocked every single one. Dozens of attacks and defenses went back and forth, exposing each other’s vulnerabilities.

Kathryn sustained more and more injuries as the battle went on, but she kept attacking without stopping. As if she had become a four-legged animal, she went behind Davey and spread her fingers out like she was showing her claws. Then, she charged in without missing her window of opportunity.

“Tsk.”

Too much of something was never good. Like the genius of battle she was, Kathryn fought with everything she had after realizing that Davey was no easy opponent.

Watching the attack fly toward his face in seconds, Davey quickly opened his fan with one hand and twirled it. He reached up with his other hand and…

Ring!

With a clear sound, a small twig appeared out of thin air. The surrounding space rippled. On the ends of the black twig were small golden bells.

“Bells?!”

If a handheld fan was a weapon specialized in defense, this charred twig was a weapon made for offense.

Considering Davey’s recovered strength, Kathryn was definitely strong. Since he could actually be in trouble if he joked around, Davey seriously prepared for her incoming attacks.

[Scorching Hell-Fire]

[Vermillion Bird’s Blade]

[True Scorching Flame]

The flame of the guardian god burned the Earth and swallowed the Sun. Even the World Tree, which had near-perfect resistance to magic flames, wouldn’t be able to withstand this type of power.

Ring!

A clear and beautiful bell ringing could be heard again, as if signaling the end of the battle. Then, the sparring session came to an end.

Thud…

In the end, Kathryn’s attacks could not reach Davey. Her fist, which blazed with bright red energy, was stopped right before it could land on Davey’s face.

Similarly, Davey’s attacks didn’t reach Kathryn either. The black twig with bells ringing stopped right in front of her stomach. Perhaps that was why the very weak flame held inside the bells merely dissipated into the air.

“Haah…”

Both of their attacks were stopped before striking the opponent. However, there was still a clear victor and loser.

Wheezing and gagging, Kathryn looked around and stepped back. She was drenched in cold sweat. “Hup! Cough!”

Kathryn collapsed to her knees, because she was no longer able to support herself. The emotion that momentarily flashed in her eyes was that of an overpowered prey looking at its predator. All of Davey’s killing aura had been poured onto her without control because Davey had released it instinctively.

“Are you okay?” Davey asked cautiously while hiding the slight guilt that he felt.

“...” Kathryn, who was on the floor, glanced at Davey.

Although Davey’s attacks didn’t reach her, Kathryn still felt like she had severely lost this battle. Unable to give Davey an answer, she simply stared at Davey like he was this unbelievable monster putting pressure on her chest.

* * *

“Your Highness! Everything is ready!”

“Thank you.”

In the dark room, there was a girl who silently stared at the white silver longsword in her hand. Upon hearing that urgent voice, she rose from her seat.

Clink clang.

Illyna usually didn’t wear metal armor, but this time was different. She looked at her armor, which was said to be made of mithril and orichalcum, before putting on an arm guard and a helmet.

It hadn’t been long since her return from the Heins Territory, but Illyna felt like everything had changed completely.

‘When did it become like this?’

Illyna just stared at her hand silently, as if she did not have the energy to wipe the bitter smile off her face. She was about to stain her beautiful hands with human blood.

‘This isn’t why I learned swordsmanship. I didn’t learn it to slaughter fellow human beings.’

Complicated thoughts filled Illyna’s head.

—Illyna, get it together. The damage will get worse if you don’t do anything. Don’t think of them as people. Do what you think is right.

Illyna just clenched her jaw even as Caldeiras advised her. She muttered, “Caldeiras, it doesn’t change the fact that I am slashing humans in the end, whether it be for the greater good or not.”

—You always said that the virtue of a knight is to protect the weak. And get it right; they are corpses. They are monsters, not humans. They are just a shell of a human being, that’s all.

The circlet on Illyna’s didn’t look like protective gear, but it had protection magic, so it was much more effective than any other armor piece.

Dozens of knights wearing flamboyant armor pulled out their swords and saluted Illyna when she appeared before them. They all wore solemn and determined expressions.

Illyna, who quietly glanced at the thousands of soldiers lined up behind the knights, closed her eyes for a while. Then, she slowly raised her head.

The White Bird was one of the Pallan Empire’s strongest forces; they were knight orders and soldiers who had pledged their allegiance and loyalty to her. They were also a prestigious army that was known as the best in the empire.

‘What would happen if Davey was here? Everything would probably be resolved easily, no doubt.’

Illyna thought for a second, but she found that thought to be shameless. There was no reason for Davey to take care of dangerous tasks because of his strength. This was strictly an internal problem of the Pallan Empire; as such, it was right for her to put an end to it.

Illyna cleared her mind of all thoughts. Looking at the army, she said calmly, “White Bird.”

Illyna’s eyes sparkled like she was making a determined declaration.

“Right now, all members will begin marching,” Illyna announced as she stopped the sadness from showing on her face.

* * *

“Ahahaha! I was completely trampled like an ant!”

“Seriously! Why did you do that all of a sudden?”

“Don’t be like that, Your Highness. Take care of me, I’m hurt.” Kathryn hugged Aeria and asked the princess to take care of her wounds.

Aeria was flushed as she pushed Kathryn away.

‘But… Oh my! He was so handsome.’

Aeria did not think that such a thing would happen.

The Davey she knew had cat eyes that made him seem a little scary, but he was actually a warm-hearted person. He had cured her disease without any compensation and had saved her from assassins. He had even stopped her from trying to commit suicide…He had always given her help without asking for anything else.

People said that men fit themselves into the world and women fit the world into themselves; Aeria couldn’t help but feel her attraction grow for the charming prince who seemingly went out of his way to help her.

Aeria knew that Davey was strong. She remembered what he had shown her in the Ordem Forest; he had rescued her with magic that seemed to cause natural disasters. She also knew that he had outstanding skills in the art of medicine. She knew that he had the stigmata, the symbol of holy power, and that he had the title of ‘Saint’.

However, Aeria did not expect Davey’s strength in close-range battle. Humans usually thought that if someone was good at one thing, they would lack at other things; in fact, Aeria thought that people who were good at everything didn’t exist.

When the prince she had feelings for was about to spar with none other than Kathryn, Aeria had been so worried and scared. Even the most skilled mages were at a disadvantage if they fought one-on-one battles in a small space unless there was a large difference in power. As such, she had been worried that even Davey may be in trouble this time. She had even wondered what she should do if he had gotten himself hurt; should she take care of him, or should she bow and apologize? However, those concerns had flown out the window once the sparring started.

Kathryn was an extremely strong individual that remained undefeated even in an empire full of talented people. Watching Kathryn, who was unbelievably powerful, admit defeat, Aeria couldn’t help but think about the battle. Then, she lowered her head as she thought about Davey, who did not back down and had calmly tried to counterattack Kathryn who was using her full strength.

Then, Aeria covered her face with her hands and smiled. Everything Davey had done seemed charming and amazing, especially since she was in her honeymoon phase of infatuation.

Suddenly, Aeria looked at her outfit like she just remembered something. ‘What do I do?! What if he doesn’t like what I’m wearing? What do I do if this isn’t pretty enough for him?’

Kathryn, who was quick-witted, looked at Aeria in amusement. She thought that perhaps this was a good thing.