Chapter 31
Chase’s half-lidded eyes landed on the hand of Luzenvic—who was holding mine.
“This bastard has to be insane. If he’s begging to be killed, I suppose I can oblige. Hestia, you’d be better off dying here as well. Is this beggar your lover? Fine, let’s say you died at the hands of your own lover. Or… would that be too disgraceful for my brother? Either way, kill that bastard first.”
Chase issued the order in a tone more indifferent than if he were placing a food order.
“Yes, my lord!”
The knights surrounding him either charged forward on horseback or dismounted to rush at us.
I thought to myself—So this is how I die.
It was a kind of end I’d never even imagined.
If everything was going to end like this, why had I even met all those good people? The thought flashed through my mind.
I had so many dreams. I never imagined they’d be cut off so suddenly and so meaninglessly.
“Don’t hesitate! Kill Hestia too! If she gets in the way, just cut her down!”
Chase’s voice rang out again, and his men, now emboldened, began to swing their swords freely.
But before any of their blades could fully follow through with their intended arcs, they were intercepted—again and again—by Luzenvic’s sword.
Clang!
A piercing metallic sound rang out as a knight’s sword was sliced clean in half.
Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to distinguish one movement from another, and the men were left staring at each other, stunned.
They seemed to be wondering—How is this even possible?
One man toppled sideways from his horse and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
A puddle of blood quickly formed around him, and he didn’t move a muscle. That’s when I realized Luzenvic had killed him.
I clamped my hand over my mouth.
I’d been through countless incidents at the palace, but never had I seen someone collapse and die like this before my eyes.
But there wasn’t even time to be shocked—Luzenvic’s sword continued its elegant, decisive dance.
It was the knights who looked stunned, horrified.
They didn’t seem to understand who Luzenvic was, and instead of fighting, they scrambled to escape.
“Don’t run, cowards! There are more of you than him! Don’t you dare flee from a bastard like that!”
But those who knew the value of their own lives weren’t swayed. They had already run far away.
By the time the dust settled, three corpses remained around Chase.
None of them could’ve predicted they’d die so meaninglessly in that spot.
“Incredible…”
Chase muttered, drawing his own sword.
I didn’t know how skilled he was. But I had heard rumors—he sometimes led the charge on the battlefield.
“If you put down your sword, I’ll let you live.”
Luzenvic’s voice was low and calm.
But the moment he said that, it was clear Chase had no choice. Luzenvic had likely known that when he made the offer.
He knew Chase would never lay down his sword after hearing that.
When Chase raised his blade, I realized something felt different from before—he wasn’t like the other knights.
It was just a sword, but something shimmered around it like heatwaves.
It hit me—I was seeing aura with my own eyes, something I’d only ever read about in books.
Aura, the visible concentration of mana. If it was visible to this extent, it meant the wielder was quite advanced.
I worried whether Luzenvic could handle Chase—but there was no way to stop him now.
Both men had no choice but to risk their lives. There was no turning back.
“Hestia. Step back.”
When Luzenvic spoke, Chase’s brows twitched violently.
He seemed to feel insulted just by hearing Luzenvic say my name.
His loyalty to the king was obsessive in a twisted way. He deeply revered the monarch, so it was no surprise he lost composure at Luzenvic’s words.
“Shut your mouth, you filthy, despicable bastard!”
Chase screamed and charged.
Luzenvic didn’t even properly raise his sword.
At first, I panicked, thinking he wasn’t prepared—but when I saw the relaxed confidence on his face, I knew I was wrong.
I wanted to warn him that Chase was dangerous—but Luzenvic seemed to be seeing something entirely different.
At first, I didn’t understand why. But then I noticed Chase’s aura wasn’t flowing smoothly—it was unstable and scattered.
I realized that Chase wasn’t truly skilled. He’d inflated his presence just to scare his opponent.
Creating aura consumed a significant amount of mana. Chase had already wasted his mana summoning an aura he couldn’t even properly use.
I didn’t know exactly how much mana he had—but Luzenvic probably had a good sense of it.
“Do whatever you want. This’ll be your last chance anyway.”
Luzenvic said playfully and rested his sword on his shoulder.
That move seemed to utterly crush Chase.
Luzenvic resting his sword like that, right before a duel, was the same as declaring: You’re not even worth taking seriously.
“Y-you bastard…! Raise your sword properly!!”
Chase screamed like a madman.
Gone was the smug look he’d worn when he taunted me earlier.
Now, he had no room left to insult or mock me.
“Save me! Somebody come and save me!!”
It seemed Chase had finally realized he was going to die.
He screamed so hard it sounded like his throat would tear—but no one came.
“Come out now! What can you fools possibly do without me?! I’ll grant new lands to anyone who saves me! I said, save me!!”
That offer seemed to stir something in the fleeing knights.
Some of them began to move again.
I thought it would be best to kill Chase before they reached him—and looked to Luzenvic.
But he showed no sign of urgency.
He just gazed calmly at the knights drawing closer—more relaxed than ever.
Even as they approached, he kept his sword resting on his shoulder.
That must have terrified them even more.
He wasn’t giving up. He wasn’t preparing to die. Yet he didn’t even bother readying himself to fight—how chilling must that have been for them?
Only when the knights were right in front of him did Luzenvic finally move.
The sword that had been casually resting on his shoulder sliced forward with a single, fluid motion—as if it had been aiming at them all along.
He cut across their chests and waists in one stroke. Nothing more was needed.
Luzenvic looked down at their fallen bodies with contempt, then finally turned to Chase.
Chase had completely lost the confidence he once had.
He’d come down to the ground, set his sword aside, and was kneeling.
“P-please… spare me…”
His eyes were completely devoid of life, more than I’d ever seen.
Now that he was certain of his death, the arrogant pride he once wore like a medal was powerless.
“No. That offer expired the moment it left my lips. You don’t get to try everything and then choose. Still, wouldn’t it be better to die fighting? Not that I care if you offer your neck like an animal.”
Luzenvic spoke, but Chase only shook his head desperately, repeating his pleas for mercy.
Luzenvic looked visibly annoyed.
I thought, from his expression, that maybe—just maybe—he’d give Chase one last chance.
But that moment never came.
With a wide, arcing slash through the air, Luzenvic’s sword descended.
Chase’s body collapsed to the ground—slowly, almost gently.
Watching someone I knew die like that was surreal. But it wasn’t so horrifying that I couldn’t bear to watch.
Luzenvic tried to block my view, but I stepped to the side, watching Chase as he died.
Relief.
A quiet sense of vengeance for Hestia.
That was all I felt.
“Hestia. Are you okay?”
Luzenvic’s voice snapped me out of it like waking from a dream.
“Yes, Luzenvic. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He smiled at my reply.
“Hestia, you’re really something. Anyone else would’ve screamed and panicked the moment blood started flying.”
“It’s not like I wasn’t shocked.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
I understood what he was trying to say.
Luzenvic searched for the right words, gave up, and just laughed.
Then, he walked over to Chase’s corpse and picked up his sword.
“I like it. I think I’ll use this for a while.”
“He was the king’s cousin. The king would recognize his sword. Others might, too.”
“Then I’ll just change the hilt and scabbard.”
I had no argument to that.
I’d only recognized Chase’s sword by the hilt—not the blade itself.
“A good haul.”
I didn’t understand what he meant at first.
