The man hidden in the smoke suddenly sensed that things had taken a turn for the worse—he had been exposed, right under the other’s watchful eyes.
At this point, there was no choice but to engage in close-quarters combat.
He was confident in his own strength; years of training had given his muscles enough power to easily defeat beasts many times his size, let alone a girl this small.
But before he could even stab with the short dagger in his hand, a murderous intent that sent chills through everyone present instantly filled the entire manor.
That feeling—it was all too familiar…………….
A pure white blade, a spirited golden ponytail, and that one-of-a-kind Ancestral Sword Technique that had nearly claimed his life many years ago.
“Wasn’t it agreed that you’d be a useless wreck after losing your memories?”
No sooner had the words fallen than a vertical slash of golden sword aura cleaved through the man’s weapon and arm alike, the aftershock scattering the surrounding mist and tearing open a gap in the roof.
“Tch, can we make peace now?”
Under the crushing weight of both his past nightmares and his present helplessness, the one-armed man gave up, dropping to his knees.
Encountering a gifted monster by chance, he had fought with everything he had but still could not win.
Originally, he had only wanted to get some revenge for his past self years ago. But after all this time, he was still nothing but a worm—a trivial matter to others.
“Huh? Just giving up now? Weren’t you fighting pretty fiercely before?” Tina still found his stubbornness more interesting.
“This is beyond human limits. How could a mere mortal body possibly win? When truly enraged, she could level an entire city.”
After that slash, the light in the man’s eyes was already gone.
“Eh? Really?”
Seeing that the man didn’t respond no matter what she said, Tina turned away.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, Irene was walking toward her, sword in hand.
Her eyepatch had slipped halfway down, revealing burning red eyes that held an emotion Tina couldn’t tell—was it murderous intent or love?
She had a bad feeling. “Wait, are you still in control?”
The golden-haired girl was torn between two emotions. One, newly born, said: That’s the person you want to protect, the one you intend to make submit to you later.
The other said: That’s your enemy—forgot the beginning, forgot the middle, but eventually, they’ll also submit to you.
No matter. Both thoughts led to the same conclusion: she could only belong to herself.
“Eh eh eh?”
Tina was suddenly pressed against the wall in public, scaring the knights who witnessed it into hastily covering their eyes—but they left small gaps to peek through.
Even if she was certain she’d be killed and silenced today, seeing this scene was worth the price.
“Wait, that hurts!”
Tina’s shoulder was pressed so hard the wound that hadn’t fully healed began bleeding again.
Hearing this, Irene paused for a moment. Deep down, logic told her her primary goal should be to protect the other.
Taking advantage of Irene’s momentary distraction, Tina quickly put the eyepatch back on her, finally easing the tension.
“Uh, did you get hurt? Did I… do that?”
Irene returned to her innocent, confused expression, making Tina both laugh and cry.
“It’s fine. It’s over now. You saved me. I really appreciate it, truly.”
A sentence echoed in Tina’s mind:
When you’re not in danger, your teammates are your greatest threat.
Today, she finally understood what that meant—just seconds ago they had been a loving family, but the moment the sealing was lifted, they turned into bloodthirsty monsters.
Thankfully, there was a switch that could be turned off anytime, anywhere.
She dared not imagine if the eyepatch fully came off—would she even be able to walk out alive?
“Irene, why don’t you take care of those guys first?” Tina pointed toward the group huddled in the corner.
Now that they knew their secret, this person must not be left alive.
As the Grim Reaper’s hand finally reached out in front of them, the knights surrendered one after another, handing over their most precious belongings.
“What makes you think surrender will save you from death?”
“M-Miss, you’re so magnanimous! We’re just bottom-tier folks, here trying to make a living! Don’t believe us? Look—those hostages over there, we haven’t let them suffer at all!” they wailed.
Tina untied the ropes from Vanessa’s hands and examined her carefully. It was clear she hadn’t been abused; in fact, she’d even put on some weight.
“See? We gave all the food to that young lady. We went hungry ourselves.”
“Vanessa, is that true?”
Perhaps wanting to save face in front of Tina, or maybe denying she had gained weight, the blonde twin-tailed girl twisted uncomfortably. “They were actually pretty good to me, but I don’t eat that much.”
“Hmm, as long as that’s settled.”
***
After confirming there was no mistake, Tina’s expression shifted once again.
“Even so, I can’t forgive you so easily.”
“Please, spare us! We’ll do anything!”
“Really? I need to know where you came from and what your purpose is.”
Upon hearing this, the knights began arguing among themselves.
“R-Really say it?”
“Idiot, if we don’t say anything we’ll die here anyway. Maybe if we talk, we still have a chance.”
Finally, they sent a representative to answer all questions.
“We’re from the Empire. Capturing this young lady was just part of the plan. Our superiors ordered us to kidnap all the noble heirs in the city within a week.”
“And then? What is your ultimate goal?”
“We don’t know. We’re just conscripted soldiers, not privy to higher-level plans.”
“Is that so?” Tina grasped the knight’s neck from a distance and squeezed hard.
“Y-Yes…” The knight remained truthful despite the pain and choking.
“Alright, I’ll believe you this once.”
“Thank goodness! Thank you, Miss! We’re saved!”
“Eh? Wait, I never said I’d spare you.” Tina abruptly changed tone.
“So if you leak any information, you’ll be executed, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Also, you were conscripted because you’re male, correct?”
“Yes, yes.”
“I have a way to save you all.”
“Really?” The knights’ eyes sparkled again, as if Tina were their sun.
“Mm-hmm. To let you experience what it feels like to be a girl captured by you, I’ll reluctantly perform a little magic show~”
Tina deftly unfolded a Rune Array and took out her tools.
Since then, the residents near the border of the Valencia Kingdom gained a new well-known rumor—that an abandoned manor in the outskirts was haunted.
If you dared approach that haunted house, you could hear screams coming from inside. But once you entered, you’d see nothing but blood covering the floor and the lingering resentment in the air.
“So, there’s actually no ghosts inside?” a passing traveler asked.
“Who knows? That doesn’t diminish its reputation as a terrifying urban legend.”