Chương 86: Chapter 74. Failures

Jessie's Point of View What was that!? I can't believe how aggravating of a job this has become! First it was just training the Hero! But that idiot couldn't say no to anyone, so he left weaker than expected. Then, they keep my pay from me! Even if I have a soft spot for them, this is ridiculous! That blast of wind was strong, it knocked the air out of me. I had Matthew dead to rights, but I was stopped at the last moment! From the twig to this, does that guy have the luck of a devil?

Regardless, I need to pick myself up. I have to kill both of them and grab that idiot and take him back. My first aid won't be good enough to keep him alive for long. Now I'm standing. That's a start, I guess? If people at the Guild were to see me now, the laughs they would have... Best not to think about it. Hmm? They're conversing. Not good, that guy is sneaky. The more time he has to think, the better the plans he has for how to deal with me. throb... Pain...

My throbbing leg and the smell of burnt flesh and blood reminds me of that fact. I need to interrupt them. I use Flame Edge to cloak my blade in fire again. Any wind should only work to stoke the flames. Hmm?" Good! Let's get started, My Love!" Seems they're done conversing. I ready myself as Matthew stands behind the girl. He plans on working as a backliner? Not good. I need to get to him before he tries something else.

"!!!!" He already did something! The Girl, why is she glowing? What is this pressure I feel from her!?" Get ready! I plan on making you pay your debt for hurting him!" /BOOM/ The girl jumped towards me! Too Fast! I can't react in time! I have to plant my feet and grit my teeth! /CLANG/ Push! Her halberd smashes into my blade. Why are my flames being held back by her halberd!?" Too light!" Lean! Slide! I'm being pushed back! What is this!? The girl! She's smiling and releasing killing intent! What is she!?" Now!"

The pressure abated at the boy's command! What!? She's gone!

"!" Arrows! /THUNK/ Stab! Pain!" AHH!" One pierced my stomach! What the hell!? I look at the origin of the arrow's path. It's from him! What is this insane pair!? I pull the arrow out of me. Pull! Pain! / Splat! /"!!!" It's made of mana!? What the hell is that guy? I need to go on the offensive. While I was devising a plan, a voice rang out." Jessie! This is your last warning! Take the Hero and leave! You have my word we won't pursue you! Never step foot near Diablos again and we won't even have to meet again!"

That guy thinks I'm being stubborn. The truth is, if the Hero loses to a group of no names instead of someone known, I and the rest of the teachers of the Hero Party will be punished severely. It's a shame he isn't better known. But with this break in the action, I've gotten my bearings back. Burn! Pain! I seal the hole made by the arrow by cauterizing it. Now to apply some Magic myself. After buffing myself, I prepared to attack. Seems they haven't noticed it yet. Good for me." I appreciate the offer, Matthew.

But I have to win this fight unfortunately!" I ran at him. Seems the girl is too surprised to do anything about it! Good." Now die!" After yelling I go to plant my sword in his chest. / Woosh! /" That will be your fate, Human!" / Clang! /" What"" Sarah!" Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The girl got in my way again! How could she be this fast!? Wait!" So, you are buffed as well, girl!?""

For someone so slow at picking up on things, you sure have survived for a long time!"" Experience is the mother of all success!" / Crackle! Buzz! / I plant my feet and begin to channel Lightning Edge to my blade. The crackle of electricity begins to cry out!" AUGH!" The girl was electrocuted! She has fallen! Now for Matthew!

"!!!" /BOOM/ A bolt of magic assaulted me! It's the Spell from before! That melted my disguise! Pain!" Don't forget, I can fight too, Jessie!" He launched it at me and landed it to my shoulder. Oh no! He's rushing with his sword drawn! I have to defend! /CLANG/" Damn! I thought I had you!"" Why aren't you being electrocuted!"" Look at the blade that's about to take your head!" Its glowing! A Mana Blade! He used it earlier! Why didn't I notice it until now!?" Nice find, My Love!" The Girl!

Her Mana Blade is also active! I got to escape! Jump! I kick the ground before she lands a strike. I make a distance of about 20 feet from them. I catch my breath and observe them. Hm? She's glowing a different hue now. It faded! The burn marks from the electricity! They're gone! He... Healed her!? This may take longer than I thought it would. Forget it! Time to pull out a trump card! I apply Lightning Flame Magic to my blade. This is one of the deadliest Spells I can apply to my blade.

It's one of my crowning achievements as a Magic Swordsman!" Ah, no longer going easy on us anymore, Jessie?"" I admit, I underestimated your teamwork! From here on out however, I fight with my life on the line, Matthew!" They also ready themselves for the onslaught to come. It seems all 3 of us are now sitting and waiting for a signal to start. Before long, a boar pops its head out of a bush. It sounded like a starting bell to me! Jump! I rush at them with all my strength! / Clang!

/ The girl's halberd is my first opponent. It's blade is covered in what I can only call an eye of a tornado and it rushes towards me. Swing! /CRACK/ Our blades and mana dance against each other. We seem to be evenly matched. Wait, what is going on? Her mana and presence start to lessen. That glow she had, its also fading. Seems the buff has ran out!" Seems time is on my side, if not luck, girl!?" She musters every ounce of strength to resist my blade, but its futile!" That may be the case! But I'm not!" / Shing!

/ Slice! Pain! / Splat! /" NO!" Matthew snuck behind me! He landed a slash across my back from my carelessness! I was too focused on the girl! Wait, no! He's never been one to approach! Every time! His attacks were counters to what I did! He waited for a chance like this! Thankfully, I leaned away so the cut wasn't too deep. Jump! I kicked off the ground to create space. The Hero is behind me. Great, now my student gets a front row seat to his master's failures. Matthew speaks." SARAH! NOW!" What!?

They're both closing in on me on different sides! Matthew from my left and Sarah the right! /THWUMP Squelch... / I hear something behind me. I turn to look." What the hell!?" The Hero's blood! Its rising from the ground! It's fired at me in the form of blades!" This is the end, Jessie!" Him again! How many more tricks does he have!? I shout in anger at the source of my frustration!" MATTHEW!" All three of the attacks close in on me! They're seconds away from killing me! Fuck it! I have no choice!

I have to say the words to channel this one!" EXPLOSION BLADE!" And like that my blade glows white and orange. And the sound of it groaning grows louder and louder. / boom! / With the sound of a tiny explosion, I can tell that the Spell is finally ready to explode in the direction I point the blade tip to. I then take a deep breath and I point it in front of me. Where they both are! And I scream!" DIE!"" SARAH! NO! REFLECT!" / Clang! / Matthew casts a Spell and drops his sword, but it's useless.

Wait, he cast it on the girl? His body is glowing! It's that buff from before! He isn't attacking me; he's covering the girl!" NOOOO!" / BOOM! / The girl screams but it's too late. Everything goes white and the sound of an explosion disrupts the calm of the forest we're in. Bright! The light from the explosion begins to die down and I see two bodies on the ground. One is fine, the other is half black from behind. Seems he shielded her in his last moments. I begin to hobble over to the two." Hck..."

I hear the sobbing of the girl. Grip! Throw! I pick up and throw the boy whose armor is half blown off to the right of me. His body rolls a few times before landing on its charred back." YOU!" /SNAP! THUD! / Pain!

"UGH!" The girl! She... She punched me! I thought she couldn't move! She pushed me back a few feet. What power! The girl looks at me with eyes full of intent to kill. Wait! Her mana! It's different! Black and purple mana begin to swirl with a malicious presence in it! What is this!? Tremble...

"!" I feel... Fear? Before the girl can act, something to her side catches her attention. That evil mana dissipates as the girl... She scrambles to the boy. Why? He's dead. She cradles what's left of the boy." MY LOVE!" Why call to him? He's dead. The girl yells again." MY LOVE! I'M HERE! SARAH'S HERE!" I thought she went crazy. Shock ran through me when I heard the impossible. The boy spoke in response to the girl." Sar... ah.."" YES! I'M HERE!"" Yo.. u're... O... k.... Than... k... God..." The boy's eyes shut.

But I can see his chest still moving. How is he alive still? Wait! He called himself the Demon King's Paladin! Paladins! That's the answer! They're supposed to be the Shield of Humanity. That can mean that his Defensive Abilities are higher than what would seem natural! That must be it! He's sleeping peacefully and steadily! There's no drop in the rhythm at all! He's hurt, yes. But he's not dying! I need to change that! This boy is going to be too dangerous moving forward if he's left alive!

He survived my strongest trump card in the Explosion Blade! He can already beat the Hero singlehandedly! And the girl too! If she's here that means she and her friends beat the other party members! That and the mana just now... I can't let them live. Look at what they did to me for crying out loud! I'm one of the top 30 strongest Adventurers in Promethia and they were about to kill me. If I didn't have Explosion Blade, it would have been the end of me!

I pull a spare sword from the dozens I have in my inventory in the bracelet I wear. Thank the Gods for Enchanted Items in a time like this. I approach from behind them with my sword raised. I hear the girl crying tears of joy at the boy. Swing! I swing the blade down with intent to make this fast, I may have to do this for my country. But that doesn't mean I take pleasure in this. Grip! Stop! I apologize to them in my mind, until my wrists and the momentum of my swing is stopped in an instant.

I look at my wrists to see a big hand holding them in a firm grip. I look further up to see cold red eyes staring back at me." I won't be allowing you to kill My Child or my Son-In-Law, Human." A tall Demon stared down at me with piercing red eyes that masked killing intent. His white hair hung down with his eyes staring at me between them, like strands of silk hiding a red death behind them. I've seen this warrior on the battlefield once before. His name to us Humans was The Red Death.

But his real identity was The Demon King, Warrick Dreadnaught!