Afterwards… the girl seemed to say something to those men again.
The burly man at the front reluctantly stepped forward, but he didn’t even draw his longsword.
He just crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood before her, wearing a condescending expression.
It was clear that he looked down on this girl quite a lot…
“Foolish…” Beina, who was watching nearby, frowned slightly.
A lion must use all its strength to catch a rabbit.
Their father had taught them the first lesson of being mercenaries: never underestimate any opponent.
But obviously… not all mercenaries shared that mindset.
So, during the following attack, the big, broad-shouldered man was clearly struggling!
He was like a clumsy bear trying to catch an agile monkey, and one that knew how to use weapons at that…
Yet this girl was truly strange.
Every movement she made was so plain and unadorned, as if she’d never undergone professional training—more like a civilian awkwardly trying to escape danger.
But her movements were so smooth, creating a strong sense of dissonance.
It seemed… this girl before them was several times stronger than she appeared, yet that strength was so elusive…
No matter what… she was indeed impressive. Several times, her blade was pressed against the mercenary’s neck.
If she had moved forward even slightly, that mercenary would have died on the spot.
But… she had obviously overestimated the quality of these mercenaries.
The imagined scene of “admiration” and “recognition,” and them inviting her to join the mercenary group, never came.
Amid the mocking laughter of the other mercenaries, the burly man appeared both embarrassed and furious!
Even though he was losing, he showed no sign of stopping his attack!
He even took advantage of the girl’s unwillingness to harm him—when her blade hovered at his throat, he suddenly lunged forward!
“Eh?!” The girl was startled by this and hurriedly retracted her longsword, stepping back, and the next moment…
Whoosh—!
Pfft!!
A large foot kicked straight into the girl’s lower abdomen, making her gaze go blank for a moment!
The pain… was worse than anything she’d experienced even in her past life’s death…
What the hell… this guy clearly lost… so why…
“Huff… huff… damn it, you little brat… how dare you mess with me!” The burly mercenary exhaled heavily, took two steps forward, and delivered another kick to the girl’s stomach!
Thud!!
“Cough cough… ah…”
If the previous kick had stunned the girl, this one completely took away her ability to resist…
It hurt, really badly…
The intense pain made it hard for her to hold the Holy Sword steadily in her hands.
“That’s enough~ Don’t waste your energy on a kid~”
The mercenary who had been standing at the back with a smirk approached, patted the burly mercenary’s shoulder, then slowly bent down and reached for the Holy Sword in the girl’s hand!
“This sword’s been wasted on you. Just consider it the price you pay for losing~”
Wh-what a joke…
The girl’s heart suddenly panicked. She hadn’t lost; it was these people who lost, not her…
Ah—!!
At that moment, a silver flash of sword light flickered before everyone’s eyes!
In that instant, time seemed to freeze, leaving everyone stunned, unable to move.
The hand reaching out had a piece of flesh and nail precisely sliced off at the fingertip.
With a plop, it fell to the ground, mixed with fresh blood…
“Eh…? Aaaahhhh!!”
The man holding his bleeding finger trembled and screamed, while those around were awakened by the scream, looking terrified in the direction of the silver sword light.
At this moment, the cold and indifferent girl slowly sheathed her slender sword, her eyes piercing and icy like a biting wind as she stared at everyone present, coldly uttering one word.
“Leave.”
“Uh… l-let’s go go go go!” Although these mercenaries lacked insight, even if they didn’t understand the girl’s strength, they knew to check the emblem on her waist.
It was the badge of the well-known Hunter Blade Mercenary Group— a large force of several hundred people, not a ragtag group like themselves who could afford to provoke them.
As the group of ruffians fled in panic…
Holly, her vision blurred with tears, slowly lifted her gaze.
She looked toward the blonde girl standing not far away against the setting sun.
Dashing, strong, righteous…
At that moment… only one feeling filled her heart—admiration.
“Hmm…” Beina stood beside Reliel, stroking her chin.
Although the cold but kind mute girl she knew was exactly the kind to do this sort of thing, if she wanted to intimidate someone, she usually just tore their clothes or hair…
But this time, she had actually sliced off that guy’s fingertip…
This wasn’t like Reliel’s style at all… It felt like she had grown more ruthless these past few days… just a little?
“Hey~ Are you okay? Can you stand up?”
Of course, no one expected Reliel to step forward and tenderly help the girl.
It was Beina who took two steps forward, crouching in front of the girl and asking in the gentlest tone she could manage.
“Cough cough… I… I’m fine… probably…”
Although her abdomen ached fiercely, Holly still managed a weak smile toward this seemingly gentle older sister.
“Sigh… with such a fine sword in your hand, it’s best not to take it out until you have the strength to wield it properly~”
Beina helped Holly to her feet while earnestly advising,
“Besides, not just with mercenaries… being cautious of everyone is very important~”
“Innocent man… accused because of his treasure… right?” The girl spoke, smiling helplessly.
“Accused of what?” Beina didn’t understand those words, but Reliel beside her raised an eyebrow.
“N-nothing~ Thank you both, sisters…”
After this incident, Holly finally understood what it meant when people said the world was harsh and society treacherous…
If it weren’t for these kind sisters passing by, she might have really been tangled up in trouble.
Even if she could make the Holy Sword disappear… those mercenaries wouldn’t let her go.
They would only pursue this “treasure” even more fervently…
If that happened… her family might get dragged into it as well…
The more she thought about it, the paler her face grew.
She had thought too little, taken too much for granted.
However…
“Um… Sisters… are you mercenaries too?” The girl turned her head, her bright black eyes looking at Beina, who was supporting her, and the still expressionless Reliel beside her.
“Ah… yes, we’re mercenaries too.”
“Then… can I join your mercenary group? I… I’m actually not weak!”
Despite having just taken a beating, with her body—especially her abdomen—in intense pain, she still lifted her head, her eyes sparkling as if filled with stars.
Seeing this, Beina found it hard to refuse her at first…
And besides…
The girl’s talent was quite good. With some training, she could definitely become an excellent mercenary.
“Although I really want to say yes…”
Hearing Beina’s words, the girl’s eyes gradually dimmed…
“But the most important thing if you want to join the mercenary group is… you have to tell me your name~”
“Huh?”
The girl was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Beina again.
At this moment, the sister carrying twin blades smiled warmly at her.
“Ho… Holly! My name is… Holly Hills!”
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