𝒐𝑣𝐋xt.𝑐𝒐𝓂

Bam!

“Guhak!”

It’s been another few hours Millonia and I are fighting, but this is the seventh—ninth time she has broken my sternum. She has just kicked me hard right in the chest, and now I am lying on the ground to steady my breath, which I know is pointless.

“Fuck, I can’t breathe.” As anyone might expect from having a broken sternum, I feel an excruciating pain each time my chest contracts when I take a breath.

Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I bitterly mutter, “I don’t want to r

Reset here, but I would only prolong my suffering if I forced myself to stand.”

Reset is the way I call the absurd healing ability the Demon King’s Mark on my hand gives me. Since its healing ability will not be triggered unless I am close to dying, Reset is just a cool way to call my pathetic death.

“Hoh? You have surrendered?” Millonia sneers while looking down on me.

“Just do it, bitch. Don’t waste my time.”

“Hah! A dying man shouldn’t act that arrogant.”

“I am dying indeed,” I smirk, “but I am not going to die.”

Millonia quirks her eyebrow, then shrugs nonchalantly. Thrusting her sword into my chest, it precisely pierces my heart.

“Damn, that stings.”

From her eyes, my reaction may look nonchalant; it is apparent by the way she is mildly looking at me in confusion. She may be wondering about where the crybaby whose ass she has been kicking for all this time has gone too.

To be fair, I don’t actually understand myself too. I am not used to the pain she inflicts upon me yet—I can still feel the excruciating pain clearly—but my mind seems to have found a way to ignore the pain.

I would say that it means I have improved my pain tolerance, if I didn’t felt like I want to cry like a bitch everytime I got an injury. As I have said, the pain is still there, but I somehow find the way to ignore it despite how it much it honestly bothers me.

“Well, my vision is getting darker.” I gaze at Millonia whose figure is not that clear anymore in my eyes. “See you later, bitch.”

As my body turns cold, I feel a prick on my hand. I smirk at that, and close my eyes like I am about to take a nap; I have Reset for fifteen times in the past few hours, and it is safe to say that I am already used to it.

As usual, my Reset goes like a flash. I feel like I have merely closed my eyes for a few seconds, but I wake up refreshed with no fatigue and pain.

For the fifteen rounds I have fought with Millonia, I have learnt many things about how to dodge better—my technique is still sloppy, but she always says that it is already good. That’s because, I haven’t had a proper chance to give her a single injury.

She is too good of a fighter, and as someone who has only stood up for himself today, I can’t match her. Of course, I am not too upset with what I can’t do yet; everything is about progress, after all.

Putting one of the things I have learnt today from Millonia into practice, I swiftly do a kip-up while grasping my short sword tightly. The moment I am already on my feet, I spin on my heel 90° to the left, then jump back.

Swish!

“Lesson number 1: move as soon as you are able to.” As I say it, Millonia’s sword appears just a few inches away from my nose.

Due to my quick movement luckily, I managed to dodge it. Of course that doesn’t mean I am about to launch an attack at her this time; I distance myself further from her.

Although I can’t make that much a distance between me and her since I am running backward—I don’t know since when I can do it—I have learnt that fighting her with an arm length distance is the most advantageous for me.

I can use my short sword better at that distance, as opposed to her, who has a difficulty attacking me at that distance due to her sword length. That being said though, she still defends herself better than I defend myself.

Clank! Clank!

Upon fending off her sword, I don’t find my hands getting numb. It has been the case for the past three rounds, and I don’t think it’s because Millonia has purposely weakened her attack.

Physically speaking, I haven’t developed any visible muscle, but I do feel that I can hold my own against her way better compared to the first round. That’s why I am not sure whether I have become stronger or my body has just got used to the sensation.

A couple of minutes into the fight, I notice that Millonia’s move is getting lousier as she gradually loses the enthusiasm she has shown for the past fifteen rounds.

‘Hm? I think she is tired already … Or she might be just bored.’

Of course, when I see too many gaps in her defense, I quickly erase any thought of attacking those gaps. One gap is one thing, but once there is too many, she must be planning something else.

The situation persists for, at least, another three minutes, and I am really tempted to exploit the gaps she is showing me. I have tried to bait her by showing my intention to attack the gaps, but she always acts as if she is really surprised by it.

Needless to say, I am aware of the possibility that she might be pretending, therefore I keep attacking her strongest defense, just in case.

Clap!

Our movement instantly stops upon hearing the sound. We both immediately turn our head to the audience seat, and I see Darth Valeria, whose presence I have forgotten, looking at us with her hands in a clapping gesture as her scarlet hair billows graciously in the air.

“That is enough for today. You have been fighting for 8 hours straight, and Millonia is already tired.”

I quickly widen my eyes upon hearing that tidbit of information. ‘So, she’s genuinely tired! Fuck, I should’ve jabbed my short sword at her eyes!’ I feel it is very unfortunate—I want to curse myself so bad.

“She won’t be able to fight you any longer unless she uses her Mana, which in other words, utilizing Magic. When she does that, you will die in a second.”

When I hear that though, I stop cursing myself, and mentally pat myself in the back instead. Judging by the distressful look Millonia gave me earlier, if I had chosen to attack her, I would’ve been definitely blown away by her Magic.

“Hmph! You are nothing without Mana, aren’t you, bitch?”

“Bastard, you have no right to talk about privilege when you have Demon King’s Mark.”

Millonia and I are glaring at each other, and I can confidently say we are not giving the same look those shōnen anime protagonists give to their rivals. We are genuinely lusting for each other’s blood.

“Layland.” Of course, when I hear Valeria speaks, my gaze is quickly planted on her. “Although I have seen your abdomen got opened for fifteen times, I am satisfied of your progress.”

I quickly jerk my head at Millonia, then glare at her murderously. “Fucking bitch, what have you done while my body is Resetting?!”

“I was bored—I couldn’t help it.” Millonia shrugs nonchalantly with a smirk.

“Motherfu—”

“Laylow.” It is uttered softly, but my spine chills badly upon hearing it. “Do you think you have any right to interrupt me?”

Quickly turning my head back to Valeria, I look at her nervously. “N-No, ma’am!”

“As long as you are aware of it, it is fine. However, make sure to not make the same mistake twice. There are many other mistakes someone like you can try to do.”

I really want to say, ‘Have you just labelled me a lost cause?’ but I am wise enough to never question Darth Valeria. The aura she is exuding is loudly screaming ‘I am absolute, bitches!’ and only a dumbass would dare to mess with her.

“Kuhum! Since you are a fast learner, it is time to move to the next step … It is time for lunch.”

“Yes?”

“Hoh? Are you not excited?”

“N-No, that is not the case, Miss Valeria!” I wave my hand frantically before explaining myself. “I am just surprised I have forgotten about that.”

Valeria nods her head, then smiles faintly. “I am glad you seem excited about it.”

I merely laugh awkwardly as a response, then think to myself, ‘I didn’t forgot about lunch; I was just surprised we are going to do something normal. That being said though, I am not hungry yet for some reason.’

Turning her body around graciously, Valeria motions me to follow her. “Very well. Let us go now.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I nod my head and follow beside her silently.

It is very sudden, but after entering the castle, I feel that something is wrong. I believe Valeria said that I can’t eat in the dining room until I became one of the Kingdom’s official, so I expected Valeria to bring me back to the hut.

I look around at the familiar hall, and couldn’t help frowning. “This way… If I’m not mistaken…”

As I am muttering to myself, Valeria suddenly stops, then opens the door of a particular room on her left. Also at that moment, I finally figured out what the place we have arrived at is, and my face quickly turns sour.

“Ah, I am sorry for not making it clear, but you are not the one who’s going to have lunch—you are giving them lunch.”

It’s the Wyvern’s stable.