“…”

A faint silence remained in the room.

My eyes stayed locked on hers as she raised her glass of red wine and took a sip.

The wine swirled gently in the glass as she set it down, the dim light catching the deep crimson hue.

Her lips curved slightly before parting to speak, her black hair slipping down her shoulders and revealing a faint scar near the corner of her eyebrow.

She didn’t seem to care if I noticed it.

With an almost lazy motion, she reached for a single sheet of paper on the table in front of her.

“Aestrea Moon. Twenty years old,” she began. “Parents died the day he was born. He grew up in a small orphanage.”

She glanced at me briefly, then continued reading.

“Showed exceptional intelligence, so he was selected for advanced education. Excelled in every class, highest grades possible—until sixteen. That’s when the Royal Eternum Academy rejected him. Quite the tragedy, really.”

Her tone was quite playful as she seemed to have held back a laugh.

She kept going.

“After that, he joined Silverleaf Academy instead. A late bloomer, but one whose talents fully blossomed. The strongest student, they said. Raiding festivals for demon cores, selling them for who-knows-what… under the identity of the…”

“Moonlight Swordsman.”

Her dark eyes flicked up to meet mine, a sly smile tugging at her lips.

“But even with all that information, I couldn’t find a single good reason for you to break into our lab. Unless, of course…”

Her voice dropped slightly as her gaze sharpened. “…you already knew about the weapon hidden there. Did you?”

I didn’t answer.

I was silent because I obviously knew how strong she was from the novel. She alone had defeated Zeva without breaking a sweat.

It was mentioned in the first interlude of the novel since it was basically to introduce her character to future causes.

And of course, she’s one of the very few SS-level awakeners.

Before I could respond, she snapped her fingers.

“By the way… your little spell? It won’t work here.”

The room’s lighting shifted instantly, the white glow replaced by a light red hue.

My stomach dropped.

“Fuck…” I muttered under my breath.

I shook both of my hands as I felt a little heat on them, then, my gaze narrowed as I met her eyes and asked directly:

“What do you want from me?”

She tilted her head at my words.

“Hmm…” She twirled her wine glass again.

“The weapon. Hand it over, and in return, I’ll give you the high elf slave.” Her voice was almost too casual like she was bargaining over a piece of fruit at a market.

“Simple, no?” Her smile widened, teasing.

I didn’t flinch.

“Then give me a blood contract suppressor,” I said flatly.

Her brows lifted ever so slightly.

“Oh? A blood contract? That is a bit of a hassle.” She sighed but didn’t look too bothered. then, she snapped her fingers once again.

Puff!

A small glowing box appeared right in front of my eyes.

At that moment, I already knew what kind of magic she was using, but I didn’t expect her to use it too casually.

One of the strongest magics…

Space magic.

I grabbed the small box, and slowly summoned the sword, and at the same time, I reached out to Lumi.

‘Don’t worry, Lumi.’

I wasn’t about to give her up.

Not now, not ever.

Carefully, I slid the sword into the box. At the same time, Lumi, now in a miniature form, climbed up my arm and slipped into my pocket.

“Bit…”

I bit my thumb, letting a drop of blood bead up before flicking it into the pocket where Lumi had hidden.

Then, with my bloodied finger, I pressed against the suppressor’s surface.

The box flared to life, glowing softly before a sharp snap broke the silence—the sound of chains shattering.

“…Done.”

I pulled the sword back out, its blade glowing faintly.

Without a second thought, I tossed it to her. She caught it effortlessly, inspecting it for a moment before placing it neatly beside her.

Now… the high elf,” I demanded.

Her eyes lifted to meet mine, and for the first time, she looked slightly amused. Adjusting herself on the sofa, she crossed her legs elegantly and studied me with renewed interest.

“You know,” she said with a faint smile, “you’re the first person who’s ever demanded something from me.”

Her tone was light, almost playful, but there was a strange… excitement in it.

“Usually,” she continued, “people hand over what I want and slink away without so much as a word. But you…”

She leaned forward slightly, her eyes glowing dimly.

“…you’re different. Not only did you hand me the item, but you had the audacity to make a demand.”

There was a strange excitement in her voice now, her smile widening as she spoke.

“You’re clever. You must know how vastly more powerful I am than you. And yet, here you are, standing your ground…”

Her smile grew mischievous.

“So tell me—what is it? Confidence? Or pure stupidity?”

Her eyes sparkled, daring me to answer.

Looking at her, I reached up and slowly removed the mask I had been wearing, letting her see the full weight of my glare.

My voice was calm as I spoke.

“The elf.”

She stared at me for a moment, her lips parting in surprise.

Then she threw her head back and laughed:

“Hahaha…”

Her laugh filled the room, getting increasingly loud with each passing second before she finally covered her face with her hands.

Peeking at me through her fingers, she let out a breathless chuckle.

“You… are the most interesting person I’ve met in years.”

Her hands fell away, and she snapped her fingers.

CRACK!

A small, hidden cubicle of ice shattered nearby.

“You even tried casting a spell in my presence,” she said curiously, “Now I really want to know… what makes you so confident?”

Her eyes began to widen, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

‘…Damn it. Another crazy bitch…’

She leaned back into the sofa, her smile turning almost predatory.

“…What gives you such confidence?” She suddenly moved her arm.

“…Shit!”

I immediately leaped back as a small fissure of space appeared before me without warning.

A razor-thin distortion in the air that could have sliced me in two if I hadn’t leaped back just in time.

“Ahaah…” Yara took a deep breath, inhaling loudly as the blush on her face seemed to increase, “how did you dodge that? Not even SS-level awakeners can do that!”

“Gosh, Aestrea. You’re just so… fascinating… amazing… capable.” a faint cloud of lust seemed to hover over her as she kept adding more and more compliments to me.

Damn it.

This crazy bitch also got interested in me?

I only dodged that move of hers because of Lumi which warned me. Void and Space are complimentary, so she immediately senses something.

Lumi being a gluttonous slime is really useful, not only can she absorb the racial traits, but the elements of the things she eats.

No wonder people back then wanted to desperately eliminate her.

“…Fuck!”

Clang!

Crack!

I made a sword made of reinforced ice as I met the daggers of the previous rabit-masked lady.

The impact made the ice break into small cracks before falling in pieces to the ground, but I quickly made another one, with more than 20% of my mana implanted in it.

“Gosh… Aestrea, I’m so damn interested in you…haaugh…” She let out a seemingly lustful breath as she opened the palm of her hand towards me and continued…

“Let’s make a deal,” she said sweetly, “one I won’t break.”

Her hand extended toward me as if offering a gift.

“If you defeat her, I’ll let you leave with the elf.” Her voice lowered, her smile turning wicked. “But if you lose…”

She closed the palm of her hands, that probably had my figure on it.

“…You’re going to be mine.”

Her blush deepened with a voice that was soft but dangerously enticing.

What the fuck is she thinking about?

“…Also, you can only accept the deal, if not…

“I’ll take you mine directly,” her black eyes glowed a faint black smoke seeped out of them.

This bitch…

She knows that I am a swordsman and don’t have a suitable sword—

I bit my lips looking at the rabbit-masked lady holding two daggers in her hand.

“Oh, and one more thing,” she added, her smile growing sharper. “Neither of you can use Mana or Aura.”

The lights in the room changed color and I noticed a faint pressure in the air. I tried to generate some kind of ice magic, but I couldn’.t

That made me turn to the lights and noticed a faint smoke getting out of them.

There was some kind of high-grade magic implemented on those lights, but I really couldn’t decipher the exact spell.

But… if it’s a battle without using mana or aura, I am at a bit of a disadvantage, since I couldn’t even use my『Judgement Eye 』 to gauge her power and movements.

Not to mention that all of my active skills needed mana, so I needed to defeat her with pure swordsmanship and strength which wasn’t my forte.

I glanced at the rabbit-masked woman, her daggers gleaming as she shifted into a fighting stance.

This was going to be rough.

She took a few steps forward, before she leaned down, and moved.

Clang!

Her daggers collided with my blade, the impact sending a jolt up my arms. She was fast—too fast.

Her strikes came in quick, fluid combinations, one dagger reaching towards my neck while the other aimed for my ribs.

Clink, clink, clink!

I barely managed to parry the blows, my footing shaky as I staggered backward.

“Ahahahah!” Yara’s laugh rang out from behind her glass of wine. “Look at you, Aestrea! You’re barely keeping up!”

This bitch…

Taking opportunity of my small distraction, the rabbit-masked woman lunged forward, one blade slicing toward my shoulder.

I twisted my body, but the blade caught the edge of my suit.

Sizzle!

A sharp, ripping sound echoed in the room as the fabric tore apart.

My eyes widened in horror.

“Fuck… that’s an expensive suit!” I yelled, momentarily distracted.

The rabbit-masked woman didn’t care. Her other dagger swept low, catching me just below the ribs.

Shnk!

The pain was instant, hot, and searing. Blood spattered onto the ground as I stumbled back, clutching my side.

“Oh my, oh my…” Yara’s voice dripped with seemingly delight.

“You’re bleeding already? And after she ruined that expensive suit of yours. What a tragedy!” She giggled, leaning forward eagerly.

Fucking hell, just shut up already…

The rabbit-masked woman gave me no time to recover. She closed the distance in an instant, spinning low before driving her heel into my stomach.

Thud!

The air was knocked out of me as I was sent flying backward. My body crashed into the wall with a sickening crack!

The impact left a crater on the surface, dust, and debris raining down around me.

I coughed violently, blood splattering onto the floor. My vision blurred for a moment, but I forced myself to focus.

“She’s going to kill me at this rate,” I muttered, struggling to stand.

The rabbit-masked woman tilted her head, her silent demeanor was somehow more menacing than words.

She didn’t hesitate, rushing me again.

Clang!

I raised my sword just in time to block her downward strike, but the force of the blow drove me to my knees.

Her other dagger came swinging toward my neck, and I barely managed to duck.

“You’re really something,” Yara purred from the sidelines, her voice thick with excitement. “Most people wouldn’t last this long against her since her power is a bit higher than an S-rank awakened.”

“But you… You’re full of surprises, Aestrea… sooo fascinating,” she moaned slightly.

This fucking sadist, can’t you fucking shut up?

I pushed back with all my strength, forcing the rabbit-masked woman to stumble slightly. Taking advantage of the brief opening, I slashed upward with my ice sword.

The blade grazed her mask, cracking it slightly.

Yara gasped dramatically, clapping her hands together many times: “Ohhh, you almost got her! Look at that, a crack in her cute rabbit mask!”

But, this small victory was short-lived.

The rabbit-masked woman’s movements became more aggressive, as she swung her daggers even faster than before.

She ducked low, sweeping my legs out from under me.

Thump!

I hit the ground hard, my head snapping back against the floor. Stars danced in my vision as she drove a dagger straight into my shoulder.

Shnk!

I turned to bite my arm to make sure that I wouldn’t scream, the pain was white-hot as blood gushed from the wound.

Yara let out a shuddering breath, her cheeks flushed even more than before. “Mmm, look at you bleed… So beautiful, Aestrea. You’re so captivating when you’re struggling…”

“Shut… up…” I growled through clenched teeth, forcing myself to roll away from the rabbit-masked woman’s next attack.

I managed to get back on my feet, my ice sword trembling in my grip. Blood dripped steadily from my shoulder, staining the ground beneath me.

However, the rabbit-masked girl wouldn’t let me breathe even for a moment.

She lunged forward, her blades a blur of motion. I parried as best as I could, but her strikes were relentless.

Slash!

One of her daggers cut across my thigh, nearly buckling my leg. Another grazed my cheek, a thin line of blood welling up instantly.

“She’s carving you up like a feast,” Yara said, her voice trembling with giddy excitement. “You poor thing… Do you even have anything left to fight with?”

I ignored her, focusing on the rabbit-masked woman’s movements. She was fast, yes, but there was a pattern to her strikes.

I just needed to hold on long enough to exploit it.

But my body was failing me.

Each movement sent pain shooting through my injuries.

My breaths were shallow, and my vision grew hazy.

The room spun as blood loss began to take its toll.

Thud!

She caught me off guard with a brutal kick to my chest, sending me crashing into the ground again.

Crack!

The impact knocked the wind out of me, and I felt something in my ribs give way. I tried to push myself up, but she was already on me.

Shnk!

Her dagger pierced my side, and I let out a strangled cry. Blood pooled beneath me, the metallic scent thick in the air.

Fuck…

I was really going to die if this continued on.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep