Chapter 47
Fortunately, the one who bit Lily’s arm was a young monster. The creature didn’t even manage to sink its teeth into Lily’s flesh before it let go, screaming in pain as it was engulfed in blue flames and died.
Staring blankly at the young monster that had fallen to the ground, Lily quickly leaned out over the terrace.
The monsters surrounded the duke’s mansion, casting threatening gazes toward her. A low, bubbling growl echoed, and soon, massive fangs appeared between jet-black lips.
“Lily!”
Even Stewart’s scream-like shout didn’t make her turn around. No wonder there weren’t many knights inside the hall—the skilled ones had all been stationed outside the main building. Whoever had arranged the knights had made a brilliant choice, almost as if foreseeing the future.
I have to do well. That’s why the young master brought me here!
Lily gritted her teeth. The dress she had loved just moments ago now felt unbearably cumbersome. Dresses like this weren’t meant for fighting.
Gripping the railing, she swung herself over. Her previously calm shoulders screamed in pain, but now was not the time to care.
The monsters felt more like condensed mana than living beings. The overwhelming magical power they emitted radiated from their chests. Dodging the barrage of attacks, Lily directed her holy energy at the monster’s chest.
“Grrr!”
The monster writhed in pain at the holy energy, but unlike the young one, it didn’t die. It seemed more power was needed. Drawing on her energy again, she fired once more. The monster was engulfed in blue flames and collapsed to the ground.
“So that’s the limit.”
Purging the curse would require slightly more energy, but not an extraordinary amount. One by one, Lily shot her energy toward the cores of the monsters, panting as she lifted her head.
She thought the sky was unusually dark—but it wasn’t the sky; it was the monsters. The deep blue heavens had been swallowed by a swarm of black monsters.
“The mansion… hasn’t been attacked yet.”
The monsters that had been surrounding the main building had now closed in around Lily. Her energy must have drawn their attention. Luckily, she quickly covered the mansion with her blue energy, forming a dome that gradually calmed the commotion inside the banquet hall.
Clang!
Seizing the opportunity, a monster tried to dissolve Lily with its sticky saliva but collapsed with a screech. Its body was cleanly split in two, rolling across the garden.
A vile stench rose from the blood spilled from its severed body—a horrid smell Lily had never encountered before.
“Lily, don’t get distracted!”
Stewart, sword in hand, had already positioned himself beside her. Lily panted in gratitude.
“Thank you, young master. The main building is protected by my energy, so it should be safe. You don’t have to worry too much…”
“How can I not worry when you’re on the front lines?”
Stewart snapped sharply, uncharacteristically intense. Lily blinked. Weren’t they brought here so she could face the monsters on the front lines? She was just doing her job—this was the first time she’d been scolded for it.
“You don’t have to pierce their chests. There are plenty of knights here.”
Stewart sliced through the monsters one by one, perfectly halving them.
“Weakening them is already a huge help.”
“Yes!”
Following his advice, Lily spread her holy energy thinly but widely, enveloping all the monsters. Any monster touched by her energy shrieked as if its skin were burning. Skilled knights used the openings to cut the monsters apart.
Everything went smoothly. It was hard to believe Lily was facing monsters for the first time, and her performance was more than enough to justify the royal newsletter’s praise.
Even the knights, who normally suffered against monsters, looked cheerful today. Not a single person had been injured or killed.
The young master really made the right choice.
It was terrifying to think that such a valuable talent almost got lost due to Brandley’s foolishness. The thought alone made her heart drop.
Once things had settled somewhat, Stewart, who had been leading the charge in cutting the monsters, looked back at the knights. Seeing his satisfied expression, he began praising them one by one. Nobles observing from the terrace applauded in unison.
But Lily remained still, scanning her surroundings.
“Hegelston! You can stop now.”
“First-timers against monsters might be nervous, but it’s better than losing discipline the moment it’s over, isn’t it?”
Even as the knights joked, Lily didn’t move. Stewart noticed her unusually tense demeanor first.
“What’s still remaining…?”
She cast a glaring, foreboding look at the approaching Stewart.
“Young master, move!”
Though no monsters were visible in the sky, the sense of foreboding only tightened around her ankles. Where was it coming from? Looking around, no monsters were in sight. The ones that had filled the sky had all fallen.
…It’s underground!
Realizing this, Lily leapt, pushing Stewart out of the way. His face went pale as he looked around.
From beneath the ground emerged a creature covered entirely in black scales, similar to a monster. It walked on two legs like a human, but that was the only resemblance. Wings sprouted from its back, and its broad shovel-like claws were terrifying.
It was larger than ten normal monsters combined, but it had only a single eye on its forehead. The bright yellow eye fixed on Lily, and the creature paused.
“Young master… is this… also a monster?”
“Something like it,” Stewart said through gritted teeth.
This creature was infamous as a “harbinger of misfortune.” In ancient temples, it had been called the “King of Monsters.”
Though more grotesque than ordinary monsters, its power was incomparable.
Lily positioned Stewart behind her. The magical aura radiating from the creature made her eyes sting. Marquis Evoia on the terrace gaped—he had never seen such a monster. If one like this appeared in the West…
Everyone will die!
Fear surged. As Marquis Evoia trembled, the monster prepared to attack Lily. She pushed Stewart back and moved to the rear right.
As the monster swiped its massive claw from top-right to bottom-left, the nearby grass and flowers withered instantly.
“Kyaaah!”
It let out a scream, swinging its body to attack Lily. However, the holy energy she had sent left earlier wrapped around its back and constricted its neck.
The monster scratched its neck with its claws, but the tightly wound holy energy rapidly drained its strength.
Finally, the monster let out a cry that seemed to split the heavens. Its single eye squeezed shut.
Sniffing around for the scent of holy energy, the monster struck blindly, giving Lily no chance to react immediately.
“Ah… ugh…”
Its claw slashed her shoulder. When she screamed, the monster clutched her shoulder with its other claw, saliva dripping from its mouth.
“Ah, aah!”
The shoulder it grabbed had already been wounded from a previous bear attack. Jumping over the railing reopened the wound, and now it was clawed again—white spots danced across Lily’s vision.
She tried repeatedly to pierce the monster’s heart with holy energy, but her inexperience made it impossible to penetrate its thick hide.
Other knights attacked with swords, arrows, and magic, but even their combined efforts only left tiny scratches.
If I use more holy energy…
She glanced behind her. The knights were busy defending the nobles while attacking, and if she poured all her energy like at the Mana Tower, maybe she could barely defeat this one monster…
But there’s no guarantee it ends there.
From experience, she knew using all her energy was extremely risky.
It’s better to move it away from the mansion first.
Other monsters weren’t in sight nearby. A few normal ones could be handled by the knights alone.
After confirming the magical amplification stone on the monster’s chest, Lily retrieved a hidden artifact from beneath her dress: the Dragon Dagger, a gift from the Mana Tower master, which resonated with dragon magic.
She concentrated her energy, infusing it into the dagger. Then, she stabbed the monster’s hand holding her shoulder. The dagger glowed red, piercing its hide with surprising ease.
“Kraaah!”
The monster’s roar shook the earth. Lily used the opportunity to break free and infused energy into the dagger again.
Its single eye bloodshot, the monster charged toward Lily, reaching out once more.
Its massive claws slashed across her face, neck, and shoulder. Flesh was torn, blood dripping, but Lily ducked, evading the attack. She plunged the dagger deep into its palm as it passed above her head.
Unlike the thick back hide, its palms were softer, allowing the dagger to penetrate deeply.
Without removing it, Lily dashed behind the monster.
