While the Holy Sword Bearer was stiff with tension, the Lady narrowed her eyes.
‘This guy is unexpectedly stubborn.’
Ileya’s actions just now, besides the basic goal of testing whether he truly was the Predestined Traveler as she suspected, were meant to gauge his temperament.
She was also gambling…
The best-case scenario would have been this fresh transmigrator being so terrified by her display that he would break down in tears and grovel.
That hope fell through.
The greatest benefit of this tactic would have been to make Arthur lose interest in the boy. If he no longer valued him, she could stomp him to death like an ant, and Arthur wouldn’t say a word.
But now it seemed that, whether he was forced into it or not, this so-called Predestined Traveler did have some merit. At the very least, he didn’t give her the opportunity to wipe him out in this first round.
Even as these thoughts crossed her mind, mana continued to condense beneath Ileya’s foot.
If this stomp actually landed, Franlot’s head would surely explode in the next second like an overripe watermelon hitting the ground!
However…
*Thud!!*
The moment the girl’s leather boot descended, the dust on the ground—formed from the remains of the cultists—was compressed, sinking exactly 5 centimeters deep.
“Lady,” Arthur said.
Inevitably, just as Ileya expected, Arthur appeared before her in the next instant. The person beneath her foot had been silently rescued by him.
“Huff… huff, huff…”
Franlot, now held by Arthur, breathed heavily. The stubbornness from a moment ago had vanished from his face, replaced by intense terror.
His trembling pupils darted toward the mark Ileya’s foot had left behind.
In fact, he didn’t even need to look. Just by the sound alone, Franlot knew this woman definitely intended to kill him! She hadn’t held back at all. He realized it now.
‘This girl’s personality is the complete opposite of her appearance! She’s nothing but a demon!!’
“Please forgive him this once. Consider it another favor I owe you,” Arthur said, slowly bowing to Ileya, who was looking at him coldly.
Ileya remained silent, merely casting a faint glance at Arthur and Franlot behind him. It wasn’t that she lacked the means to kill Franlot right now. But doing so would be equivalent to swinging her arm and slapping Arthur across the face.
She still needed to rely on Arthur for the matter regarding the Crystal Giant Tree and her Aunt Holly. Naturally, the more favors he owed her, the better.
Furthermore, Arthur and Franlot had only known each other for a day. The weight of the bond between a “Predestined Master and Disciple” was something the Lady was unwilling to test.
Of course, beyond those reasons, Ileya didn’t have the confidence to gamble yet. She didn’t know if another Predestined Protagonist would appear if she killed Franlot.
If that happened, not only would it create a rift between her and Arthur, but even the glimpses of the future she held would change entirely, spiraling toward an unknown destination!
That was something Ileya didn’t want to see. Rather than gambling on an uncertain future, it was better to keep this controllable “Protagonist” right in front of her.
“Since you’ve spoken…” Ileya shrugged slightly at the thought. “I won’t pursue it further. This matter… ends here.”
“Thank you, Lady,” Arthur replied with a smile and a nod.
‘Hah… It’s only been one day, and he’s already favoring this disciple he hasn’t even officially accepted?’
Franlot had just spoken such bold words. If he were to apologize now, his momentum would deflate like a punctured ball.
To ensure the boy he favored maintained his pride, this Senior actually stepped forward to apologize in his place.
‘As expected of the Predestined…’
Ileya’s blood-red eyes moved away from Arthur, her lips curling into a mocking smile.
While the Lady’s mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, Holly’s mind was a complete blank.
‘Aside from myself, there’s a second transmigrator, and he also came from Blue Star… Could it really be that demon?!’
At this thought, her hands began to tremble subconsciously. The deep fear in her eyes gradually settled into a cold stillness.
‘Should I strike now? If I reveal my identity right now… what are my chances of revenge? Then again… is he really that demon?’
Holly didn’t know. That demon was a master of disguise, just like how he had pretended to be a plumber to scope out her home. He had even gone as far as learning a plumber’s habits and terminology.
‘Can I really handle such a meticulous, cruel, and vicious guy with my current strength?’
*Achoo!*
While Holly was lost in thought, Ileya suddenly sneezed. The sound drew Holly’s attention.
‘Right… the Lady doesn’t seem to like this guy either. Maybe I can get her to help me…’
‘No, no, no!!’
Holly shook her head immediately. The purpose of her choosing to be reborn in this world was revenge!
She could rely on her own hands and her hatred for that demon, but she could not borrow the strength of others!
She had to kill that demon herself! She would make him regret what he had done! She would make him kneel on the ground and repent for his crimes! She would watch him die in despair right before her eyes!!
*Whoosh!!*
The moment she made her decision, the dust and ash centered around the Holy Sword Bearer moved without any wind, swirling around her in a small-scale vortex.
“Is this…”
“A breakthrough?!” Amisa said, sounding a bit dazed.
Feeling the aura radiating from Holly, Amisa was certain that this registered disciple of hers—who had only recently touched the threshold of the Sub-Bronze Rank—had actually broken through in just a few days!
She had reached the Sub-Bronze Rank!
Though it was only the second rank of a Human Knight, it was a threshold that countless ordinary people could never cross in their entire lives.
Yet Holly, who started with no foundation, had achieved it in only one month.
The captains of some small mercenary companies only possessed this level of strength.
This signified that Holly had completely stepped out of the realm of ordinary people.
By mastering martial arts, she had entered the threshold of the Transcendent realm and obtained the ticket to gain the favor of a Supreme Being!
If the survival rate of an ordinary person receiving a Blessing from a Supreme Being to become a Transcendent was only 10% or 20%, then the survival rate for a Sub-Bronze Rank was at least 50%!
The word “genius” was perhaps no longer enough to describe the girl before them.
At that moment, a phantom image of a longsword suddenly surfaced above Holly’s head.
It was Holly’s [Saint Sword: Paradise of Desire]. The mask above the hilt, which depicted half-crying and half-laughing, began to tremble violently.
With every shudder, it split into a mask with a different expression.
Sorrow, hatred, disgust, excitement, lust…
The expressions on those masks were so vivid that it felt as if one could reach out and pull them into their own body, pinning them onto their own face.
This state lasted for about 15 seconds before the countless masks merged back into one.
The face on the hilt was no longer half-crying and half-laughing. Instead, it was a face devoid of any emotion—neither joy nor sorrow.