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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Are You in Your Right Mind, Miss?
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Are you in your right mind, miss?
[Grrr...]
The frost demon, its entire body embedded with ice crystals, collapsed limply to the ground and breathed its last.
Only after confirming that the frost demon was completely dead could I finally relax.
"You did well, miss."
Sierra offered me a handkerchief with a faint smile, telling me to wipe my sweat.
"Ah, I'm fine."
Not wanting to dirty her handkerchief, I wiped my sweat with my own collar instead.
"...Four goblins and three frost demons. That's outstanding even among kids your age."
Sierra's sincere praise, devoid of any flattery, warmed a corner of my heart.
"No, it's not. Camilla must have taken down way more than me."
"You can't compare yourself to Miss Camilla."
I pulled out the red pins I'd received before the hunt and stuck one into each of the darkbeast corpses.
They were a kind of magic tool, proof that I'd hunted these darkbeasts. I didn't know the exact mechanism.
"Let's head back now. It's getting late."
Sierra urged me to return, but my feet wouldn't leave the darkbeast corpses.
"I can do more."
"Pardon?"
"I'm going to take down something bigger."
One success made me greedy for even greater ones.
The sun hadn't set yet, and I had plenty of scrolls left. Some even held Divine Power. Right now, I could definitely take down a larger specimen.
"You've already done more than enough. There's no need to push yourself further."
Sierra wanted me to stop. As she said, felling frost demons and goblins might already be more than enough for someone my age.
"No."
But I didn't want to stop here. No, I couldn't.
I'd promised Camilla and Roselia. I'd fix any damage to the family with my own hands.
The Marchioness of the Barsha family, who openly disdained the Rahel Tani house in front of everyone. I'd hunt a darkbeast so overwhelmingly superior that it would shut her up for good.
That way, I'd restore the family's honor that she'd trampled.
For that, frost demons and goblins weren't enough. Even if it meant some risk, I planned to fell a stronger one to make up for the humiliation.
"Miss."
"Sierra, just one level up. I'll hunt just one stronger specimen and then go back."
I showed a stubbornness I rarely revealed, even to Sierra. But she didn't back down easily either.
"What if you get hurt?"
"Even if that happens... it won't be your fault. I swear, I won't let anything happen to you."
"That's not what I'm worried about!"
Sierra raised her voice for a moment. But she quickly covered her mouth, as if realizing her mistake. After hesitating, she let out a deep sigh, stepped back quietly, and drew her dagger.
"Fine. But if it looks even a little dangerous, I'll step in immediately."
Instead of yielding, Sierra offered a compromise. I had no choice but to accept.
"This will be the last one anyway."
I only had enough lure left for one more time. After this, even if I insisted, the situation wouldn't allow it.
I set up the scrolls on the ground again. I singed the fallen frost demon's corpse to create smoke, then smeared the lure over it as the burnt smell spread.
A pungent aroma spread everywhere amid the thick smoke.
Just like before, Sierra and I hid in the bushes, holding our breaths as we waited for prey. Hoping this time a higher-grade darkbeast would appear.
About thirty minutes after we settled quietly into the bushes, a sound rang in my ears, and heavy vibrations reached my toes through the ground.
Thud—thud—
It was no ordinary footfall. The rhythm suggested two feet, but the echo made it hard to gauge its size.
The footsteps grew closer, the ground tremors sharpening. Finally, before the monster that revealed itself, my eyes widened.
"...A troll."
A massive darkbeast wrapped in bronze skin gripped a club as thick as a tree trunk in one hand.
Trolls resembled orcs in form but possessed incomparable strength. They were a race powerful enough to shatter rocks barehanded.
I held my breath and slipped my hand into my left pocket. Inside was a scroll infused with Divine Power.
"Sierra, put this on yourself."
I pulled out two scrolls, handing one to Sierra while activating the other on my solar plexus. A faint light enveloped my body, forming a transparent barrier.
After confirming the same light surrounded Sierra, I turned back to the troll.
By now, the troll had entered the scroll's range. Without hesitation, I ignited the fuse, triggering all the scrolls at once.
Electricity burst forth in an instant, engulfing the troll's body. The monster grimaced and let out a groan of agony.
But it wasn't a fatal blow. As expected. A troll's hide was twice as thick as an orc's.
'It hasn't spotted us yet.'
The troll scanned its surroundings, still disoriented. I needed to strike first and seize the advantage.
I drew an offensive scroll from my left pocket. Rising in the bushes, I aimed at the troll.
A brilliant light erupted. A single spear wrapped in blue energy shot from the scroll, piercing the troll's shoulder.
"Tch."
I'd aimed for its heart, but missed. Scrolls with Divine Power were powerful but hard to aim precisely.
"Roooaaar!"
A roar that threatened to tear my eardrums. My head rang, tinnitus exploding in my ears.
I immediately grabbed a scroll and charged at the troll. To improve accuracy, I had to close the distance.
Sierra's voice came from behind, but it was drowned out by the troll's roar.
My vision locked on the troll's heart. Once I was in reliable range, I drew a new scroll from my left pocket and aimed.
"...Huh?"
But the scene before me froze me in place.
The troll's arm, writhing in pain just moments ago, was now swinging toward my side at unbelievable speed. Too late to dodge.
This was my chance instead. I'd exploit the opening from its attack to pierce its heart.
A Divine Power barrier already protected me. The offensive scroll that pierced Camilla's eight-layer barrier—this shield had even blocked that. It could handle one troll strike easily.
I gritted my teeth, bracing for the impact as I aimed the scroll at the troll's heart.
"This girl really!"
But before I could activate it, Sierra suddenly leaped out beside me.
She twisted her waist toward the incoming troll arm. Her long leg extended, striking it dead-on.
Bam—!
A deafening crash echoed. Incredibly, the troll was the one pushed back.
"Attack it, miss!"
I immediately aimed the scroll at the troll.
Activate. And flash.
A sharp ice spear surged up in a blue gleam, piercing straight through the troll's head.
"Gurk..."
With a final strangled cry, the troll perished. Its massive body crumpled backward powerlessly.
Boom—!
Even its collapse was ear-splittingly loud.
I took a short breath. After one deep inhale, I calmly walked toward the troll.
Its enormous corpse lay before me. But there was no joy.
It wasn't a victory I'd earned alone. I'd needed Sierra's help. I couldn't boast about this in front of the Marchioness.
It felt unfair. I'd had the defensive spell up, and even if hit, it wouldn't have been serious.
"You didn't have to help... I could have done it alone."
I looked at Sierra with a hint of sulkiness. But the moment our eyes met, no more words came.
It was a gaze I'd never seen from her before. Her burning stare made me step back involuntarily.
"Are you in your right mind, miss?"
Her voice was chillingly cold. It was the first time Sierra had shown such open anger.
"I-I... I had the defense spell on, so it was fine!"
Flustered, my words stumbled. I hurriedly explained, but her anger didn't subside.
"What if the scroll hadn't activated properly?"
Her icy gaze and biting tone were laced with heavy reproach. Her unfamiliar frown heightened my tension.
"A-Are you mad...?"
I looked up at her cautiously. Sierra bit her tightly pressed lips, glaring down at me before reaching out without hesitation.
"We're going back. I won't allow it no matter how much you whine, so give up."
Her hand gripped my nape. Then she hoisted me up effortlessly.
"I'll report this to Lady Roselia. Just so you know."
Her tone was firm, refusing even excuses. Lacking the courage to meet her cold eyes, I pressed my lips together and rolled my eyes away, tears welling.
"...Huh?"
Beyond my averted gaze, an odd shape caught my eye.
It was a vine. Amid the giant trees, a thorny vine slowly approached Sierra.
"Sierra, behind you...!"
Before I finished, Sierra whipped her head around nimbly. A dagger was already in her hand.
Slice!
The vine hit the ground as grass blades were severed. At the same time, dozens more vines lunged at Sierra from all sides.
But Sierra showed no panic. Still gripping my nape, she dodged every attack with fluid movements.
Stepping back lightly, she keenly observed the vines' trajectories.
"...That's."
Sierra muttered lowly.
A plant creature covered in thorny vines approached us slowly, as if it had a will of its own.
At its center bloomed a single flower bud, sprouting grotesquely sharp teeth in irregular rows.
"It's a Cassandra."
Sierra calmly named the entity.
Cassandra.
One of the darkbeasts that frequently appeared in the Kairen Chronicles.
A plant-type darkbeast that wouldn't bleed a drop no matter how much you slashed it.
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