D.E.H Chapter 4: Even if it costs me my body

Edited by: Hakuchi

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-At Arnesti, in a residence close to the adventurer guild-

*Sigh “She’s not coming back”

A slim man looked at the adventurer guild through the window with an expression full of boredom.

“Could it be, she got into trouble again?”

A woman with a school uniform, which was clearly too small for her mature body, asked. She was rolling about on the bed.

Both of them couldn’t help but feel worried for the troublesome master they have gotten.

These two were both graduates from the Freyhart institute who were trained directly by the main family and were now acting as Elinalise’s bodyguards.

“Even though we were sent as bodyguards, there is no way we can do a proper job if they don’t let us accompany her!”

The woman says so, flailing her hands while pouting.

“Simmer down; it’s unbecoming for a bodyguard of the Freyhart to act like that. Lady Elinalise is now going through an important process every Freyhart has to go through before being accepted as a proper heir.”

The slim man stands up from his position and moves a chair to sit down beside the bed. However, his expression contrasted what he was saying, full of worry.

The woman just sighed at this. She knew that this slim man, Ethan, was more worried about Elinalise than any other person. Ethan had taken care of Elinalise since childhood, and the reason he enrolled at the Freyhart academy and strived to be the best was because he was tasked with this duty since birth, though he didn’t dislike this at all, he thought of it as an honor. When Elinalise was born, this resolve strengthened.

The woman, Lylian, didn’t know how to deal with that kind of person.

But it irritates her.

*Thung. Lylian kicks the chair away, sending Ethan straight to the floor.

“You have known lady Elinalise for so long and yet, you look like that. Do you really think Elinalise will die out there?”

Lylian looked at Ethan, her face completely pissed off. She was mostly venting her boredom on him though.

But Ethan understood what she was trying to say.

Elinalise was a genius. Most people her age wouldn’t be able to control magic of the third tier, much less use them as consecutively as her. Her mana pool was one of the highest in her generation and her talent boundless.

There was no way for the talent called Elinalise, to lose against mana beasts as weak as the ones in the borders.

In fact, in the 3 times Elinalise met with misfortune, she dealt with it the best she could so that it wouldn’t affect her party members.

She blew off that misfortune with her own efforts. This chain of thoughts calmed Ethan down a bit.

“Thank you Lylian. I am better now.”

Lylian felt ashamed for a second. Most of the reason for her kicking his chair was because she wanted to relieve her boredom.

It was troublesome if he thanked her for that.

“Ah yeah… The young miss is a strong person. She won’t falter just from a little bad luck. She must have gotten lost for a bit and is now returning.”

Lylian scratches her blushing cheeks while saying this.

Ethan gets up from the floor and laughs, his worries blown away.

“Once Elinalise gets back, we will have to welcome her with a proper meal.”

With that said, Ethan begins heading out the room. Lylian just watched him walk out, throwing her body back on the bed.

Her worries still lingered, unlike Ethan.

Without letting Ethan know, she quickly jumps out the window and lands safely from the 2^nd floor of the residence. With hasty steps, she heads to the forest where Elinalise was scheduled to go.

***

A heavy roar comes out from the Blood Bear, signaling the beginning of our fight.

I was now able to move my left hand so I equip my shield, not worried about getting it broken again. The regeneration of this body was incredible.

With clear intents, I decide to test my strength against the Blood Bear, swinging my sword at its chest.

The Blood Bear just stands there and receives the sword, making a ‘peng’ sound.

“No way.”

My attack was completely absorbed by the red hide of the Blood Bear and there was no damage on its skin. I unleash a series of attacks but every time it hits the Blood Bear’s body, the attacks lose all of its power.

The Blood Bear’s grin widens at this, feasting on my shocked expression. Lifting its paws, it lashes at me with thunderous speed.

‘No good, I can’t dodge!’

The attack was too fast. Covering myself with the shield, I was expecting my left hand to get crushed again.

‘Cring!’ Suddenly a bullet of water hits the paw of the Blood Bear, freezing it temporarily.

Elinalise threw a [Freezing Arrow] in the nick of time.

Using this chance, I escape from its reach.

The Blood Bear, irritated, shakes off the ice from its paw as if it was actually water. The ice easily crumbles and not a single speck of ice remained.

Getting on all fours, the Blood Bear tackles me to the side, sending me flying to a tree.

‘It’s going for Elinalise?!’

The Blood Bear completely ignores me and headed straight for Elinalise.

Its head looked back at me, taunting me. It was another game.

With all my remaining strength I give chase.

Elinalise was cowering at the sight of the giant Blood Bear approaching.

“Freezing Bullet!” “Cold Area!” “Fire Pillar!” Throwing a series of spells, she was frantically running away.

The Blood Bear took all these series of spells. It seemed to affect its movements but proved useless at stopping its charge.

‘I won’t make it in time!’ with that thought, I began forcing my legs to the utmost, stretching my muscles to a level that a normal body shouldn’t be capable of.

[You have unlocked [Speed Burst]!]

[You have unlocked the J-]

Ah! Annoying!

I shove away the uncalled notifications and spring out from my position.

In the blink of an eye, my body appears beside the Blood Bear.

The Blood Bear was obviously startled at this as it just stared in blank amazement.

I was equally amazed by that sudden burst of speed.

But I didn’t waste any time about it as my legs were giving out. I do the exact same process with the arms. Throwing away my shield, I take the sword with both hands and force my arms to my limits. This time the burst was stronger and my bones begin making cracking sounds. My left arm was stinging already but I ignore this pain and swing the sword at the running Blood Bear.

The Blood Bear didn’t dodge this time either. It was most likely expecting the same result as last time.

[You have unlocked [Limit Break]!]

[You have unlocked [Heavy Blow]!]

‘BOOM!’ Contrary to that, my attack smashed the Blood Bear to the ground. A sound resembling that of an explosion accompanied. My slash penetrated his innards and sliced through the previously scratch-proof skin.

My sword gave out midway from the force and broke in two.

I couldn’t believe what was happening.

Notifications began popping like crazy in my head but I didn’t pay them any attention.

The Blood Bear isn’t dead yet.

The blood of the Blood Bear coated my broken sword. Its body pinned to the ground.

In my state of confusion, I immediately began doing the exact same thing.

My arms began to crack once again. With the recoil from the previous attacks on top of this, my bones were already at their limit as the muscles contracted and swelled to its utmost limits.

[Warning! Your body cannot handle a second [Heavy Blow]!]

Numerous red warning notifications appeared one after another.

‘Both of my arms will break if I do this one more time, but…’

The Blood Bear had already regained itself and was beginning to stand up. I didn’t have time to falter. The injury I inflicted was clearly hindering its recovery.

I swing my broken sword down once more, attempting to finish off the Blood Bear. The sword descends as it cuts the wind, making a sharp sound in the air.

The Blood Bear didn’t stand idly to take my blow again.

Seeing me swing my broken sword, the Blood Bear did an unusual thing: it jumped up to the air and twisted its massive body to turn in mid-air. Accomplishing an impossible feat, the Blood Bear was now upside down, a paw coming down directly to intercept my attack.

‘My attack will fail!’ I immediately thought that after witnessing the impossible acrobatic this Blood Bear performed. As its claws approached my body at heart wrenching speed-

‘Guish!’ A geyser of water suddenly sprouts from the ground, hitting the incoming paw and instantly freezes itself. It was Elinalise’s magic!

It would most likely only stop the attack of the Blood Bear for 1 second, but that 1 second was more than enough!

With its movement stopped, my attack continued without interruptions and smashes the head of the Blood Bear. Its head smashes on the ground, bursts, and is crushed into pieces, brain matter scattering in the area.

The Blood Bear’s body spasms for a few seconds before going completely limp. It was finally dead.

[Level up!] [Level up!] [Level up!]

Notifications kept popping up as the fight finished.

*Ding [Your body has surpassed its limit. <Bleed> <Disable> <Fatigue> will now be applied]

But there was no time to rejoice.

As the tension disappeared, “GAAAAH!” I let out a cry, the pain was unbearable. My legs were constricting in pain and my hips and chest were no better as they were also burning. The recoil for using this attack was crushing me.

Both of my arms were now almost totally broken, the pain setting in as my rush of adrenaline dissipated.

“Youma!” a voice calls out my name. I could hardly hear it as my ears were ringing and my mind was shutting down.

A hand forcefully pulls up my face from the ground and pours an unknown substance into my mouth.

I almost choke as the liquid gushed through my throat.

***

After a while of intense pain, I regain a bit of myself.

A girl with beautiful light blue hair entered my vision. My head was currently resting on her lap.

“Are you okay now?”

The girl, Elinalise, asked me, her voice showing her worries.

My body still ached. I couldn’t feel my arms and my legs, they didn’t respond.

“If I had to say, then no, I’m not fine at all”

Even though I said this, I smiled, a laugh accompanying it.

Elinalise began laughing too, but her laugh was a bit forced. Her face still looked worried.

I scan my surroundings and see that we are in the plains now, the sky already dark.

Closing my eyes again, I let my body seep in the soft and warm sensation at the back of my head. It is quite a comfortable feeling.

“This is a reward for your hard work. How’s the feeling of my laps?”

As if she knew my thoughts, Elinalise says these words.

I smile at this and respond with a “yeah, this is fine.”

My mind drifting, it begins to shut down. It was demanding a serious rest now to recover from all the events that it was forced to take today.

I had to comply with its wish.

“I will be counting on you with my body” with those words, I fall into a deep sleep.

Before my mind completely shuts down, I hear a soft “Geez that sounds so wrong” filled with warmth.

A satisfied feeling that made it seem as if everything that occurred were lies.

‘Dad, I managed to maintain the principles you have taught me’

***

The black haired man, Youma, ran straight to the Blood Bear, but his hit didn’t even make it budge.

‘I knew he was all talk!’

With this thought, I shoot my already prepared ‘Freezing Bullet’ to provide him cover.

What I didn’t expect was that the giant Blood Bear would switch its attention to me.

Shoving Youma aside, the monstrous mana beast comes rushing towards me on all fours, its face contorted in a devilish grin. An expression I was quite familiar with, the face it had when it butchered all of my companions in the forest.

With my mind in disarray, I began casting all the spells I knew, but that didn’t make it stop at all. Its roar penetrated through the core of myself and made my body cower in fear. I immediately began running.

As I did so, something unbelievable happened. Youma’s body suddenly appeared beside the running Blood Bear, his speed equal to the Blood Bear on fours.

Raising his sword with both hands, he attempts to strike the running Blood Bear. The Blood Bear didn’t even attempt to dodge it and just laughed at this futile attempt, as expected.

I mean, how can he damage it when his strikes didn’t do anything?

Contrary to my expectations, ‘BOOM!’ a sound resembling that of an explosion accompanied by raging gusts of wind were generated by that single swing.

The earth trembled for a second and my body fell to the ground.

“No way, what was that?”

The blow was unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was only now that I noticed that his supposedly broken arm was working when not long ago it was hanging limply.

‘What in the world is he?’

I stared with blank amazement as he firmly raises the sword again; I thought that it would be okay if he did that attack again. But when I see the body of the Blood Bear moving, I immediately felt that something was wrong, that the Blood Bear with all its craftiness, still had more cards up its sleeve.

Aiming at the Blood Bear, I prepare the magic ‘Rushing Geyser’, pouring every bit of mana I had left into it.

Just as the sword went down, the Blood Bear did something that defied common sense. Its heavy looking body twisted; rotating itself 180 degrees, its paw was about to slice Youma before his attack would even reach.

I unleashed my spell before all of this happened. The spell barely makes it in time and traps the Blood Bear in a case of ice. With its resilience, I was sure it wouldn’t last for long, but it had already done its job.

‘CRASH!’ the head of the Blood Bear exploded and its body falls to the ground.

“It’s dead!” my voice was filled with joy, but it was short lived.

Youma began screaming and squirming on the ground. His hands that were holding a sword not long ago, were now bent in a weird direction. His legs were swelling and his body was writhing.

“Youma!”

I immediately rush to him and take out a flask of high-potion, tears falling from my eyes. Pinning his body down, I try my best not to hurt it and began pouring the high-potion in his mouth.

“Why didn’t I notice it sooner?”

If mana was the cost of powerful magic, then the price for a powerful blow would be the body.

Such an amazing attack couldn’t possibly be without repercussions.

I should have noticed the moment he first used that sacrificial technique. He went all the way to attack the Blood Bear normally to avoid using it. Not being able to finish it off, he was forced to use that attack, risking his life.

My heart began to ache as I poured the potion into his mouth.

It pained me that I couldn’t do anything to prevent that from happening.

Lifting Youma’s body carefully, I carry him as far as I could. His flailing body made it difficult for my weakened body but that was a laughable hardship.

Reaching my limits, I lay Youma’s body carefully on the ground. We were now in the plains.

His body was finally calming down. Lifting his head, I place it on my lap.

‘I heard from Lylian that many men sought for this pleasure’

I didn’t understand the reason, but if this made him feel a bit better I would be happy.

With the sun sinking, Youma finally woke up.

I was extremely happy with this.

“Are you okay now?”

“If I had to say, then no, I’m not fine at all”

Saying this, he laughed.

He tried joking, but it was a joke in bad taste. I tried laughing to accompany him, but it was hard.

When the laughing stopped, silence took its place. In those moments, his head seem to sink into my lap and his face had a comfortable expression.

I’m glad I did this.

With a joke of my own, I said: “This is a reward for your hard work. How’s the feeling of my laps?”

But an unexpected “Yeah, this is fine” that carried his sincere opinion, made me blush for a second.

Entrusting me with his body, he shuts his eyes once more and his breathing grew constant.

“Youma, such a mysterious man”

I say these words while looking at the vast night sky.

“Lady Elinalise!” Interrupting my trance, a familiar voice calls out my name.

A blur approaches and lands beside me. It was Lylian.

“Thank you for your advice. It worked.” I said blissfully.

Her worried face quickly changes to a question mark but switches to a serious just as quickly.

“Lady Elinalise, why did you take so long to return? Wait-“

Her expression changes completely, staring at Youma and back at me.

“What happened? That boy is terribly injured, and you are covered in blood!”

Those words slapped me back to reality.

I quickly explained the situation and had Youma’s body transported back to the capital for emergency treatment.

 

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