Chapter 295: Paying by Proxy

Some distance away, the fight between Fenrir and Envy was getting more intense.

Envy finally managed to use his ability to dodge Fenrir’s attacks successfully. Tampering with the fabric of reality—changing cause and effect. Thanks to this, he was always moving a meter ahead of Fenrir’s weapon, completely dodging the attacks.

Of course, each recast needed time, but after he got used to Fenrir’s fast-paced attacks, he was getting hit less and less.

Axel, seeing this, gritted his teeth. Thanks to the sigil on his back, he was way too weak to even walk—much less battle.

“Listen…”

Thus, all he could do was tell the girls what he’d figured out.

Beatrix, Nina, and Ria all leaned in closer, listening to his quick summary. Things about Envy’s ability, his weird dodging, and how even the sigil on Axel’s back was linked back to the demon.

“I surmise that this sigil is the application of his ability as the Deadly Sin, Envy.” Axel whispered. “Through it, he’s robbing my vitality and energy.”

He realized this when he noticed fluctuations in the speed at which his energy flowed out, as if leaking. And those fluctuations perfectly matched Envy’s actions. Whenever he moved abruptly, the consumption spiked. When he was relaxed, it steadied.

“In short, the one fighting Fenrir right now might be him, but the one getting wasted is me.” Axel summarized.

Of course, all of this was speculation. He might be completely wrong. But thinking about what it meant if he wasn’t was a scary thing. The girls quickly realized they couldn’t handle this situation as they would any other.

“First, we need to figure out how to disable this sigil…” Beatrix muttered.

“I’ll do it. Please leave it to me.”

The one who raised her hand was Ria. “I think I already figured out how to protect husband. I just can’t explain it…” she added.

This time, although she was still smiling, her usual silly air was nowhere to be felt. She was dead serious, making even Nina frown.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “If you fail, you know that Sir Axel will—”

“I know.” Ria interrupted, smiling at her older sister. “But this time, I’m confident I can do it.”

“…”

Seeing such a resolute Ria was a first even for Nina. Thus, although she still wasn’t convinced, she nodded.

“Alright. Please take care of Sir Axel and yourself.” She said. “Beatrix, let’s go and inform Fenrir about what’s happening—and help her fight against that demon too!”

“Got it!”

Just like that, the two of them ran off toward Fenrir and Envy.

Of course, Nina and Beatrix weren’t on par with Fenrir or Axel, but they weren’t to be looked down upon either. Nina had lived on a battlefield since long ago. And now that her stats had risen past the mortal limit, she was one tough nut to crack.

Beatrix, too, wasn’t to be underestimated.

Although she usually handled the bureaucratic matters of Axevaria Kingdom, she was once known as the Duchess of the Battlefield. Her wits and leadership were enough to conquer a fortress with just a single battalion, and her swordsmanship was nearly on par with Arianne’s.

Those might’ve been stories of the past given her age, but now that her stats had risen, she didn’t even need a week to regain—and overtake—her recorded abilities.

The first one to move was Nina.

As soon as she got in range, she waved the staff in her hand. Along the shaft, something like a black snake—or a gray, smoke-like, formless thing in the shape of a snake—was wrapped around it.

When she swung her staff straight toward the enemy, the black mass flew forward, slithering through the air and homing on its target as if it had a life of its own.

“…!”

Envy didn’t miss this attack, of course, and quickly used his ability—tampering with the laws of cause and effect—completely erasing the “entity” coming for him.

Right, instead of dodging, he “erased” the attack!

“Just as Sir Axel predicted…!” Nina grinned.

She didn’t stop running either, heading toward Envy’s back while boosting her body with a normal Body Strengthening Magic. Her speed fell behind Fenrir and Axel’s, but it was still more than enough to keep pace with the enemy.

SCHWING!

And while Envy was keeping an eye on both Fenrir and Nina, Beatrix jumped into the fray, swinging something about twice her height downward.

No, it wasn’t a sword.

It was the same stake used to pin Fafnir to his cage some time ago—made completely out of God’s Mineral!

“Tsk!”

Envy had no choice but to activate his ability once more, his body instantaneously shifting backward by one meter. He dodged the stake cleanly—but it put him in a different kind of trouble.

His sudden retreat gave Nina the opening to land her black snake-like curse.

It wasn’t anything special, though. At most, it could hinder movement for a brief moment, or disrupt the casting of spells. But when Fenrir moved to capitalize, her attack with the club still failed to land.

Even with the curse latched on, he’d cast his ability and dodged to safety!

“So it’s not a type of spell that’s cast…” Nina took note. “Then next is…!”

Using the information from Axel, verifying each piece one by one and hunting for weaknesses along the way, Nina didn’t stop her attacks even for a second. Her control and finesse were sharp enough to thread her curse past the other two girls and have it land on Envy alone.

It was a chaotic battle of three against one. And although the enemy was more powerful than what Beatrix and Nina could normally handle, he couldn’t afford to focus on them—any opening he showed would be seized by Fenrir without fail.

A sort of deadlock settled between the four of them.

“Ugh…”

On the other end, Axel was feeling the burden grow heavier.

With Nina and Beatrix added in, Envy had to move almost without rest—and Axel’s life force and energy were draining at a rapid rate to match.

“Alright, husband.” But then, Ria held Axel’s face, pressing his cheeks with both palms. “Close your eyes.”

“Ria…”

There was no joke in her tone. She wouldn’t be playing around when their lives were on the line.

After he closed his eyes, Ria moved.

She… kissed Axel. Not on the lips, but on his forehead. An action that bewildered him.

Right then, the burden from the sigil lessened greatly. Comparatively, it felt as if he’d switched from a 200 kg bench to a 25 kg one.

“It works…!” Axel whispered as he opened his eyes. “…!”

But the moment he did, he saw it—what Ria had done, and how.

“T-That’s great…” she whispered.

Although her smile was there, Axel could tell it was strained. She looked like she was holding something back, her limbs trembling as she hugged him.

Even without asking, he knew.

Ria was using his body as a conduit—and paying the energy dues using her own.

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