Chapter: 53
As soon as Jess realized Lian was gone, she tried to dash out of Mia’s mansion to find him. But Noah blocked her attempt. However, Jess didn’t give up and kept an eye out for an opportunity.
The chance soon came. The moment they were chased out of the mansion and dumped in the Forest of Death, Noah couldn’t hide her confusion, and Jess seized that moment to bolt off in search of her master.
“Master, Master…!”
From the moment Jess recognized Lian as her master, the two were tied together by an invisible bond. Lian was clueless about it, but Jess could feel it.
Instinctively, she sensed the direction to go in to find Lian. She just didn’t know how far away he was.
Dodging monsters with her sharp senses, Jess quenched her thirst in a clear stream, snatched bugs and weak monsters for food, and kept on running.
After countless rounds of running and resting, Jess made it out of the Forest of Death before Noah. Yet, she didn’t stop.
“Master!”
All that filled Jess’s mind was Lian. How long had she run? She couldn’t say, but it felt like more than a day or two.
After her hands and feet went through a blistering cycle, thick calluses had started to form when Jess finally reached Jiso’s territory.
That was a result of pure, terrifying determination.
“Ah… I’m almost there…”
Jess felt the once-distant feeling of proximity getting closer and pushed herself even faster.
That was as far as her luck would carry her.
“I got you!”
“Hahaha, this one will fetch a nice price!”
“Let me go!”
Jess was caught by professional beastkin hunters and tossed into a cage. She had only eaten and drunk enough to keep her going, so her strength had dwindled to that of a child.
The hunters immediately sold Jess to a slave trader. Jess looked for escape opportunities, but it was useless.
“Grrr…”
Captured while trying to run away, Jess bared her teeth and growled, which made the slave trader chuckle.
“This one seems quite useful, doesn’t it?”
The next day, the slave trader sold Jess to a beast fighting arena. While Lian’s arena was all about matches between monsters and humans, Jess ended up in one focused mainly on fights between beastkin.
Beasts versus beasts, or beastkin against beastkin.
The beast fighting arena treated beastkin like mere animals, forcing them to take stimulants for brutal matches.
Jess was sold to such a place.
“Today’s match features the red-haired cub against Tuoh!”
Jess faced a drugged-out, drooling beast and bared her fangs.
She had to survive. Survive to meet her master.
At the moment Jess braced herself for the life-or-death battle, her noble bloodline awakened. The sharp cries of beasts echoed, and a thick smell of blood filled the air.
*
After a long time, I stood in the training ground, holding the Demon Sword in my hand.
“Now, throw it lightly.”
“Do I really have to do this?”
“Of course! This is crucial for intimidation!”
I sighed and looked at the spear in my hand, a sleek body with a sharp blade shining brightly.
“Throw it now!”
Following the Demon Sword’s command, I tossed the spear up. Even though it was a light toss, the spear shot up three meters high.
Whoosh!
The spear spun mid-air like something from a cartoon and landed back in my hand perfectly.
“Oh! You should catch it without looking!”
“Is this some kind of adolescent fantasy?”
That phase of life where it feels like the whole universe revolves around you, huh?
I didn’t worry about my thoughts reaching the Demon Sword since I’d learned how to control them by now.
“Throw it again!”
Listening to the overly enthusiastic Demon Sword, I casually tossed the spear into the air. It spun like a trick, leaving a red aura behind and creating an incredible arc.
“Whoa…”
“Yikes…”
The training ground wasn’t just mine; others were watching too. They gasped at the Demon Sword’s spectacle.
“Definitely a sight worth seeing.”
A sword spinning and flipping in the air is not exactly your everyday occurrence.
“Now let’s try spinning it in your hand!”
“How the heck do I do that?”
“Just trust the great me! Follow along!”
The Demon Sword’s flashy movements were quite entertaining; I was less annoyed as I watched its wild antics. Curious about what it would do next, I gave the spear a light spin. The Demon Sword lifted off my hand and twirled in the air.
The spinning Demon Sword even generated a breeze.
“Wait, that’s just you spinning around!”
“But from the outside, it looks like you have crazy strength! Now, catch it!”
Being closely linked to the Demon Sword, I knew exactly when to catch it. I grabbed it mid-spin, and it hummed happily.
“You’re the best partner!”
The Demon Sword looked like it was on cloud nine. I felt a little buzz from the compliments.
“But I don’t know jack about spear fighting, is that alright?”
“Oh… I didn’t think of that.”
The Demon Sword sounded serious, almost like it realized it had skipped over something important.
“Hmm, give it a light swing.”
“Like this?”
As I attempted to swing the spear, the Demon Sword suddenly froze. I was just there, holding it up, like a person dangling from the Demon Sword itself.
“That’s not it! Not cool at all!”
I sighed at the childish whining.
“Of course it’s not! I’ve never properly swung any spear or sword, you know!”
“Ugh… Then… Ah!”
The Demon Sword exclaimed and started shrinking. In an instant, it transformed into a small, round, ruby-like orb and climbed onto my hand, speaking.
“When I enter, make sure to call me out immediately. Got it?”
Its cheerful voice sounded like it had an exciting idea. Wondering what it had in mind this time, I absorbed the Demon Sword into my hand and called out ‘Gargandoa’ after a short wait. Then—
Whoom.
A bright, neon-like light burst forth from the engraving on my hand as blood gushed up from the pattern. The sluggishly rising blood began to travel up my wrist and arm. I winced as it felt like waves were washing over me.
In the blink of an eye, the blood-red fluid enveloped my body, and, like a magical girl transformation scene, my outfit changed. It was some flashy attire fit for a noble.
Once the outfit was set, the blood that had poured from my hand began to flow down again, as if gravity had taken its toll. Droplets dripped from my fingers and gathered in my palm, morphing back into the form of the Demon Sword.
“Haha, how’s that for an amazing entrance!”
It seemed like he finally nailed his wish to change clothes. I looked down at my outfit and thought to myself.
“Isn’t this a bit too flashy? There are decorations everywhere.”
Muttering about the extravagant uniform, the Demon Sword shot back.
“This much flair is absolutely necessary to boldly declare you’re my partner!”
Looks like it was totally his style.
“Now, give that spear another swing.”
I wondered if anything had changed, and as I prepared to swing the spear, my body started taking its own stance.
“Hehehe, it’s working!”
“What, what is happening?”
“The clothes you’re wearing are made using part of my power, so I can control them as I see fit!”
“What?”
It was both unnerving and frustrating. Just when I was getting a hang of using the Demon Sword, now I was being controlled by it?
“Are you going to let me go?”
“Huh? Are you uncomfortable? It should fit perfectly.”
The Demon Sword sounded confused, not quite getting the problem. I sighed internally.
“If you do this, you’re no different from those other contractors you’ve had.”
“What are you talking about! You’re a far superior being compared to those guys!”
“It’s the same if you’re controlling me. It feels so annoying.”
“Mmm, but this way, you can wield the spear quickly and impressively…”
The Demon Sword continued mumbling until it suddenly brightened up.
“Alright, how about this! I, the Demon Sword Gargandoa, will only control Partner Lian’s body when he wants it, and will relinquish control whenever he wishes! How about that!?”
Its tone was so cheerful that my resistance melted away. The Demon Sword seemed to be relishing in showing off its swordsmanship.
“Geez, if this guy were human, he would’ve been swindled out of everything — from his family registry to his parents and friends — in no time.”
In the world of comedy, when a sucker gets played, it’s not just organs that get taken; girlfriends, parents, friends, clothes, wallets, and sometimes even underwear get swiped too!
The Demon Sword would probably have even its blade swindled if it ventured into that world.
“Alright, go ahead, do as you wish.”
“Ehehe, wise decision!”
I blurted it out without much thought, but the outcome was anything but light.
Boom!
With a single swing, the walls of the training ground crumbled down.
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