Roswaal Mansion, living room.
Rem, holding a pristine white cloth, meticulously wiped the tabletop, her movements flawless. The subtle friction of cloth against the wooden surface echoed exceptionally clearly in the empty living room.
Speaking of which, the housework for this magnificent and spacious mansion was originally undertaken jointly by Rem and her elder sister Ram. From tending the several-hectare grounds to cleaning hundreds of rooms, and handling daily cooking and laundry, this Oni race sister duo always managed to complete all tasks efficiently.
Now, with Ram accompanying Roswaal L. Mathers and staying in the Sanctuary, only the two of them remained to maintain the vast mansion. Fortunately, both maids were now extraordinary individuals; the Oni race's monstrous strength and the demi-humans' endurance made a workload unimaginable to ordinary people seem effortless.
"Rem is truly diligent. It feels like every corner of the mansion is impeccably cared for by you."
Frederica Baumann walked in, carrying a tea tray, her golden vertical pupils narrowing slightly, a gentle smile in her eyes.
"It's a maid's duty," Rem replied softly, her movements not pausing. "Moreover, the mansion is short-staffed now, so Rem must work even harder."
she said, her tone carrying a subtle emotion.
"He hoped I could guide Subaru and Emilia to the Sanctuary... and of course, he also hoped Emilia could truly liberate that place."
"Liberate the Sanctuary?" Rem's blue eyes widened slightly.
"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I returned to the Sanctuary."
Frederica Baumann's gaze drifted slightly, as if looking through the window to some distant place.
Rem looked up, a hint of confusion in her blue eyes: "Frederica-senpai, are you missing your hometown?"
"Something like that," Frederica Baumann chuckled, but her smile held a touch of complexity. "Although it's been over ten years since I left there, some things simply can't be completely let go."
"You truly trust them, don't you?" Frederica Baumann said, looking at Rem.
"Because Subaru is a person who can create miracles," Rem's tone was calm, yet filled with an undeniable certainty. "Rem has witnessed it firsthand, so she would never doubt."
Frederica Baumann gazed at Rem, and after a moment, nodded gently:
"I hope so."
"—Oh, so you're all here. Saves me the trouble of looking for you one by one."
A sweet yet dangerous voice suddenly came from the drawing-room entrance.
Hearing this, both turned to look simultaneously.
There, a slender figure stood.
The person wore dark braids, a black dress boldly outlining her fair skin, and deep, dark eyes like a poisoned vortex that made one's heart pound with just a glance.
A pervasive killing intent permeated every black detail of her attire.
The newcomer was Elsa Granhiert.
"Who are you?"
Rem's eyelids twitched sharply as she looked at Elsa Granhiert, who exuded a dangerous aura. This sudden visitor was certainly not benevolent; the dangerous aura around her was almost tangible. What startled Rem even more was that she only noticed the person when she was already in the center of the living room.
"Indeed..."
Frederica Baumann also sobered her expression and asked in a deep voice: "What is your purpose in intruding upon Roswaal L. Mathers's mansion?"
Rem mused, "Ram used to live here too, but now it's just the two of us."
"Elder sister is with Roswaal L. Mathers in the Sanctuary. Rem believes she must be doing very well."
Rem's movements paused slightly, but she quickly resumed as usual.
"After all, that place is my hometown, a place bound by trials. If Emilia can succeed... perhaps everything will change."
Rem was silent for a while, then gently nodded: "Rem believes Subaru and Emilia can definitely do it."
"Hehe..." Elsa Granhiert's lips curved into an eerie smile, her gaze sweeping across their faces as she slowly swung her braid.
"I am Elsa Granhiert. As for my purpose... naturally, it's to have some fun."
a terrifying constitution that strikes fear into those who hear of it.
Facing such a powerful and infinitely regenerating enemy... can they win?
"You're the Gut Hunter!"
Rem's blue pupils suddenly constricted; that name made her entire body tense.
It was well known that Elsa Granhiert's specialty and interest lay in dissecting people's stomachs, with an unusual obsession for intestines, hence her moniker "Gut Hunter."
Elsa Granhiert was an assassin from the northern nation of Gusteko. Beneath her clothes, she hid several kukris unique to the northern lands; these weapons could easily slice open a person's abdomen, making them extremely dangerous.
Elsa Granhiert had a notorious reputation in the Royal Capital, and her combat power was astonishing. She could withstand the Great Spirit Puck's Magic, and even the Sword Saint Reinhard van Astrea's attacks couldn't stop her.
Earlier, during the Magic Beast attack on the village, Rem fell unconscious. It was Subaru who confronted Elsa Granhiert, resulting in Subaru being covered in injuries.
Rem had heard about these things after waking up.
Now, seeing Elsa Granhiert come knocking alone, Rem's vigilance heightened.
"That's right, I am the Gut Hunter. What will you show me? When faced with such fresh, delicious prey, do you think a hungry carnivore can restrain itself?"
She licked her lips, her posture as if already imagining her prey being dissected.
"This is Roswaal L. Mathers's mansion, not a place for you to run wild!"
Elsa Granhiert, however, seemed not to hear. Her gaze flickered over Rem's tense face, then she suddenly chuckled softly:
"This young lady's eyes are very fierce... Are you hating me? Or are you afraid of me?"
"Al Huma!"
Rem wasted no more words. The Mana around her abruptly condensed, and four half-meter long ice shards appeared out of thin air, carrying bone-chilling cold, their tips glinting with resolute cold light.
Without a moment's hesitation, she flung her wrist, and the ice shards shot forth like arrows released from a bowstring, aiming directly for Elsa Granhiert's vital points.
"You're sending such a big gift right away? But the weather's so nice today, you don't need to be so considerate~"
Elsa Granhiert's soft chuckle was like a viper's hiss. Facing the whistling ice shards, her slender waist bent backward into an impossible arc, her black dress carving an elegant curve in the air.
Four ice shards grazed her fair skin, bursting into sparkling ice flowers on the wall behind her.
Before the ice fragments could fall, Elsa Granhiert had already executed three consecutive backflips like a phantom. Rem's subsequent throw of twelve ice shards all embedded themselves into the floor, freezing the marble surface with spiderweb-like cracks.
"The people of Roswaal's house complement each other and help one another—that is our creed!"
Frederica Baumann's low growl was accompanied by the sound of tearing fabric. Her hands underwent a horrifying transformation. Her originally slender fingers extended threefold, her nails turning into metallic-glowing claws, and her fur-covered arms became taut with muscle.
"Boom!!"
When beast claws clashed with Elsa Granhiert's kukri, sparks flew as if from a blacksmith's forge.
"Partial Beast Transformation...!!" Elsa Granhiert's pupils excitedly constricted. The blade and beast claws clashed seven times in one second, the metallic clanging forming a sharp buzz.
"You have demi-human blood! Wonderful!"
"Thank you for the overly complex compliment..." Frederica Baumann lifted her golden eyes, then let out a roar, "Rem! Now!"
Almost the instant the sound rang out, a blue figure flashed like a phantom behind Elsa Granhiert.
The Oni horn on Rem's forehead gleamed with dazzling ice-crystal light in the sunlight. She gripped the heavy meteor flail tightly, bringing it down with a wind-breaking force.
If only her opponent wasn't the dreaded Gut Hunter.
"What a truly enthusiastic welcome~"
Elsa Granhiert's red lips curved into a dangerous arc. Her figure suddenly twisted eerily, her black skirt swaying like a blossoming flower of death.
Just as the meteor flail was about to strike—
"Clang!"
The sparks of metal clashing were exceptionally dazzling in the living room.
"What?!"
Rem's pupils constricted.
Elsa Granhiert had, at some unknown moment, drawn a purple-glowing kukri, just barely parrying the fatal blow.
Rem instinctively leaped backward to create distance, but Elsa Granhiert's blade followed like a shadow.
Just at this critical moment—
"Fly away in fragments!!"
Frederica Baumann's beastial claws ripped through the sunlight, precisely grasping Elsa Granhiert's knife-wielding wrist.
Blood, a vivid scarlet, spurted out in the sunlight. Three pale fingers, along with a large piece of flesh, were forcefully torn off.
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts~"
She raised her arm to her lips, her tongue slowly licking the gruesome wound.
"I thought I was going to die~"
In the bright living room, Elsa Granhiert's injury looked even more ghastly, but her dark eyes gleamed with an even more dangerous light.
Suddenly, her uninjured right hand spun fiercely—
"I actually quite admire you, demi-human maid~"
The kukri in Elsa Granhiert's hand sliced through the air with a sharp hiss, its edge pointing directly at Frederica Baumann's throat.
Confronted by the sneak attack, Frederica Baumann sharply dodged sideways.
The blade tip grazed her neck, drawing a string of blood beads.
Rem's meteor flail whistled towards her, the Oni horn on her forehead emitting a dazzling blue glow. She knew well her limitations as a single-horned Oni.
Unable to absorb Mana as fully as twin-horned Oni, she could only rely on Magic and weapons to compensate for her lack of physical stamina.
But at this moment, she had no choice.
Elsa Granhiert was known for her formidable explosive power and deadly assassination techniques, and Rem had to rely on her Oni horn.
After all, her own defenses were weak; she had to attack aggressively in close quarters.
This strike was immensely powerful, enough to crush an ordinary person's skull—
"Boom!"
Elsa Granhiert managed to adjust her posture in an instant, using her kukri to parry the fatal blow.
But the immense impact still sent her sliding back several meters, her shoe soles screeching on the marble floor.
"You really are brave, aren't you? It's rare for me to feel a little angry~"
Elsa Granhiert licked her lips, her eyes glittering with morbid excitement. She suddenly released her grip on the knife, letting the kukri drop. At the same time, her body twisted like a snake, kicking out a leg from an impossible angle.
"Thud!"
Rem's abdomen took a heavy blow. She was sent flying backward, shattering an antique cabinet behind her. Wood splinters and porcelain fragments scattered everywhere. She painfully curled up, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Frederica Baumann roared, her beastial claws extending several inches, every golden hair standing on end.
Immediately, she lunged at Elsa Granhiert with astonishing speed, her sharp claws tearing through the air with a loud crack.
"Resistance will only bring needless pain~"
Elsa Granhiert, however, merely chuckled softly, her figure twisting eerily, easily dodging the fierce attack.
Simultaneously, her falling kukri was back in her hand at some unknown moment. With a flick of the blade, it aimed directly for Frederica Baumann's back.
"So naive~"
"Thwack!"
The muffled sound of blade entering flesh made Rem's heart almost stop.
She watched, wide-eyed, as a gruesome wound bloomed on Frederica Baumann's back, blood gushing out like a crimson fountain.
"Frederica-senpai!"
Rem endured the intense pain and stood up, her Oni horn glowing again.
But this time, the light was noticeably much dimmer.
Her Mana was almost depleted.
"I'm quite looking forward to this, can you two please me~"
Elsa Granhiert's sweet voice rang out.
Even more incredibly, the arm she had just had torn by Frederica Baumann was now completely healed, without even a scar.
This discovery made both maids' hearts sink to the bottom.
No Healing Magic fluctuations, yet continuously self-healing in combat—this was the Gut Hunter's terrifying
Frederica Baumann knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.
Her Beast Transformation was receding; her claws had already reverted to human fingers, though her nails remained sharp.
"It's truly wonderful, I'll enjoy this thoroughly~"
The sharp kukri sliced through the air, emitting a piercing hiss—
"Thwack!"
The sound of blade piercing flesh was exceptionally jarring in the quiet living room.
"Listen—!"
Frederica Baumann let out a cry of pain, her right shoulder completely pierced.
The gleaming blade tip protruded from her back. Blood dripped down the blade, splattering a shocking pool of blood on the floor.
"What color are your intestines?"
Elsa Granhiert's breathing grew rapid and hot. Standing over Frederica Baumann, she stepped on her shoulder and suddenly pulled out the kukri. Blood gushed out like a fountain, drawing a crimson arc in the air.
"I have a feeling your intestines will be as beautiful as amber honey~"
"Let her go—!"
The Oni horn on Rem's forehead flared with its final azure light. She squeezed out every last bit of Mana from her body, swinging her meteor flail in a fatal arc.
The iron hammer ripped through the air with a piercing shriek, crashing down on Elsa Granhiert with immense force.
"Boom!"
Amidst the loud crash, this desperate, heavy blow unexpectedly landed!
______
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