Volume 3 Chapter 151 Showdown! Part One
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The view from the ancient temple that morning was nothing short of breathtaking. Rays of sunlight filtered through the breaks in the clouds, casting golden beams across the distant mountain range. The wind, which had carried a chill earlier, had now stilled completely. With sunlight streaming down upon the entrance to the temple, the air had grown pleasantly warm.
It was an uncharacteristically calm day in Nordende.
In fact, it might have been the best weather they’d experienced since arriving.
Kian stood quietly under the eaves of the temple, smiling at the gathering assembled just beyond the shadow of the roof.
There were several female Wolfkin warriors posted on lookout, as well as familiar faces—Yelmar, Demete, Katyusha, and Sarah.
As for Serena, she remained inside the grand hall, resting alongside Lady Colinna. The lingering effects of the poison that Shura’s faction had administered still hadn’t faded. Kian made a mental note to introduce Serena properly later, but for now, he turned his attention to the beautiful Eastern woman standing at his side.
She wore an elegant smile, her composure flawless.
”Starting today, Linca will be joining our group,” Kian announced warmly. “Please treat her kindly.”
”I am Linca Tsai. It is an honor to meet you all. Please, feel free to call me Linca. I look forward to working alongside you.”
”Everyone, let’s give her a warm welcome! Round of applause! Clap, clap, clap!”
”Give me a break, you shameless womanizer!” Sarah snapped, her eyes narrowing. “So this is what you’ve been hiding? A woman like that, just stashed away? I thought it was suspicious when your hair suddenly looked nice, and you started acting all neat and polished!”
”H-Hey now, Sarah, let’s not jump to violence—”
Before Kian could finish, her hand reached out, gripping his jaw with just enough force to make his bones creak ominously. The strength she displayed was far from playful. His feet left the ground as her grip hoisted him slightly off the temple floor.
Sarah smiled, but veins throbbed at her temple—clear signs of barely restrained fury.
It looked like his jaw was moments from shattering when, suddenly, another voice cut in—elegant and cold. It might have been a rescue… or the trigger for something even worse.
”Ms. Sarah,” Linca said smoothly, “please release Sir Kian. No matter your personal feelings, you will not speak ill of our master.”
”Huh?”
A fresh vein popped along Sarah’s temple. Without warning, she hurled Kian aside like a sack of grain and stormed up to Linca, pressing her face in close—mere inches apart.
”Ugh…”
”Lord Kian, are you okay?” Yelmar hurried over.
”Thanks, Yelmar… Somehow I’m alive. But this place is dangerous. I have no idea how to get out of this alive.”
”──I mean, isn’t it only natural for a strong male to attract many females?”
A nearby Wolfkin warrior added casually, and the other girls around her nodded in agreement.
”We must pass down the strongest blood to the next generation,” said one.
”The more strong children we have, the greater our pack becomes.”
”I honestly don’t understand what Lady Sarah is upset about.”
”I’m upset because this idiot was cheating!” Sarah shot back, pointing furiously at Kian, who was still rubbing his aching chin on the ground.
”He told me I was cute! He said he’d be with me forever!”
”And I meant every word.”
”…Sir Kian?”
Oh no, Kian thought. That might’ve made things worse.
Linca, who had been firmly on his side until now, turned to him with a suspicious smile—one that hinted at quiet judgment.
He felt a wave of tension ripple through the air.
He couldn’t afford to waver now. Trying to placate both Sarah and Linca would only invite double the trouble. If he had to survive this day, he needed to stay focused—choose his battles carefully.
(Get it together, Kian… Think!)
He stood up, trying to put on a serious face.
”Listen, Sarah, I—”
”Shut up, you idiot!”
”Gaaah!?”
”──Hey, Katyusha. What did Lady Sarah just say? I don’t speak Azrael dialect.”
Demete stepped in before Katyusha could respond.
”She said, ‘Shut up, you idiot.’ Without a doubt.”
”Huh?”
”She said, ‘Shut up, you idiot.’ Verbatim.”
”Oh… I see…”
”And for the record, I only translated her words directly. I did not personally choose to interpret it as something vulgar. The phrase came directly from Lady Sarah.”
At Demete’s blunt explanation, the Wolfkin girls began to blush and murmur among themselves.
”‘Idiot,’ huh…”
”So Lady Sarah prefers that over something cruder…”
”It’s a rough word, but that might be more thrilling…”
”Maybe calling someone something bold is more alluring…”
As Kian cradled his stinging cheek, he couldn’t help but wonder why, despite belonging to a race that openly embraced polygamy and shared customs, they were so hung up on the exact language used in a lover’s quarrel.
Meanwhile, Sarah—having realized the full implications of her outburst now that it had been translated for all to hear—had turned completely red and gone silent.
Kian decided it was his moment.
”Sarah,” he began, voice calm, “you act like I’ve been hiding some grand affair, but as I said earlier, there’s nothing between Linca and me besides a magic contract. She was loyal to Jibril before, but not terribly effective. So I fused her with Wraith and made her my familiar. That’s all.”
”You can perform fusion magic that mimics necromancy?” Yelmar blinked. “That’s impressive. Though, there’s no trace of death on her. She smells like roses and makeup… and a vibrant young woman.”
”…Sir Yelmar,” Linca said sharply, “please refrain from commenting on my scent. That is exceedingly unpleasant.”
”A-Ah, my apologies. I have a sharp nose, that’s all…”
”If you try that again, I’ll remove your olfactory nerves. Like this.”
She raised her hand, and in the blink of an eye, it grazed Yelmar’s nose. He had already begun evasive footwork the moment she moved, relying on his predictive instincts—but Linca’s hand adjusted mid-motion, cleanly catching his flesh using a technique laced with magical precision.
”────!?”
”As you can see,” she said, retracting her hand, “I am capable of far more. I believe Sir Kian and Ms. Sarah have told you as much.”
Yelmar staggered back, eyes wide. One of the female warriors turned to Kian with clear concern.
”Lord Kian… is this woman really safe? She’s not going to go berserk on us, is she?”
Kian gave a firm nod.
”She is completely under my control. In fact, if she weren’t, every one of us—myself included, aside from Sarah—would already be dead.”
”I belong to Sir Kian,” Linca said proudly. “As his loyal servant, I intend to remain by his side from this day forward.”
(Ah—wait, no! You don’t have to say it like that!)
Kian’s eyes widened in panic.
Wolfmen possess an uncanny ability to detect lies—through heartbeat fluctuations, subtle shifts in voice, the scent of sweat. Linca, who had no real intention of serving Kian and had even signed a magical contract with betrayal in mind, was in dangerous territory. Her statement could’ve easily triggered suspicion.
But nothing came from Yelmar or the others. Not even a flicker of doubt. It was likely Linca had taken precautions—perhaps using the spell Penetration to still her heartbeat and suppress any physical tells.
”Excuse me, Lord Kian. May I continue?”
”Uh… yes. Go ahead.”
With a calm demeanor, Linca turned toward Sarah, who sat murmuring to herself. Then, she spoke with cutting precision.
”You’ve been acting as though Lord Kian is still your fiancé, Ms. Sarah. But if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t it you who ended the engagement?”
”Ugh… Th-that’s…”
”Well? Did you break it off or not? Which is it?”
”…I did. I broke it off. So what?”
At that, Linca’s eyes gleamed with sharper light.
”Then you and Lord Kian are no longer in a relationship, are you? And yet, you shout accusations of infidelity. But as a complete stranger now, what right do you have to pass judgment on his personal life?”
”────”
”You accepted the engagement to access Vahid’s insect techniques. And when Lord Kian was exiled, you discarded him like worn-out armor. Now that you need his power to restore the Nakash family, you come crawling back with intentions that reek of manipulation. Objectively speaking, that’s the situation. But what’s your perspective?”
”…I can’t deny any of it.”
”If you recognize the truth, then perhaps it’s time you understood—you are the one who continues to betray Lord Kian. Personally, I find your behavior more befitting a devil than just a wayward lover.”
”B-but… but listen. Even if I’ve used him, my feelings are real. I do love Kian… that part is the truth.”
”Even though you were the one who cast him away, left him to wander the Western lands? This is what it means to say whatever suits you.”
Sarah’s face paled, as if a buried scar had been torn open. She looked to Kian for help, but perhaps from shame or resignation, her gaze quickly dropped.
”H-Hey, Linca, that’s enough. Sarah had no choice. She abandoned me because of family pressure. And… I was the one who approached her this time. I asked her to use my money and influence in exchange for her abilities. It’s a contract of mutual benefit. So—”
”I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”
Before Kian could defend Sarah further, Linca offered a composed bow and stepped back. The atmosphere was heavy—Sarah remained silent, her expression troubled. Kian rubbed his cheek where she had struck him earlier, while Linca glanced down at her with unmistakable scorn.
It was then that Katyusha, who had been quietly observing the storm unfold, raised her hand with a casual flick.
”Um, excuse me~? Since you used Necromancy to bind Linca as your familiar, I just thought… maybe we should try to get along moving forward? You know, as a team~?”
”That seems to be where we stand,” Kian nodded, voice flat.
Katyusha let out an exaggerated sigh, stretching her arms.
”Well then! I’d say this drama has run its course. No point sticking around to watch people claw each other apart~ Time to scatter!”
”I second that.” Demete grinned, his eyes glinting with mischief.
”Although…” he added, “I wouldn’t mind watching this mess explode just for fun.”
”Demete,” Kian warned. “That won’t happen. I won’t allow it.”
”…I have no intention of fighting Linca either,” Sarah muttered. “She’s nothing more than a golem—she only moves under Kian’s orders. Getting worked up over her is pointless.”
”Do you really believe that?”
Kian turned to her, voice calm. Sarah gave a slow nod.
”She called herself your loyal servant. I doubt she lied—she didn’t use Penetration. But come on… Linca? The same Linca who was like a loyal hound to Lord Jibril? There’s no way she’d willingly obey you unless her brain got scooped out by a Wraith and turned into a doll.”
”Yes, Ms. Sarah. I’m not that good with magic, but… all I did was merge with the Wraith to enslave it. No brain scooping involved.”
”See? No brain-feeding required.” Kian shrugged. “Priscilla’s not even here. And besides, you’re the only one who can become a Wraith while keeping your personality intact.”
Sarah’s gaze drifted to Linca, dark and somber. Her black eyes shimmered with tears that spilled down her cheeks in silence.
”So this is it… I lost. To a lifeless puppet? If you had that much resentment, you could’ve just told me. But instead, you had her rip out all your body hair like some twisted punishment game.”
”I only removed what was necessary, with all due care,” Linca replied tersely, a hint of irritation slipping through.
Sarah quickly glanced at Yelmar and the other wolfmen, as if searching for witnesses. For a moment, she marveled at how these days they’d basically become walking lie detectors.
”Kian… I love you. I really do. Maybe you don’t believe me, but it’s true.”
”Ah… yeah…”
”Lord Kian,” Linca interjected smoothly, “There are few phrases less trustworthy than ‘I love you’ from a battle-hardened warrior monk.”
”Shut up, you snake.”
”I am not a snake.”
”Fine, then how about a conniving fox?”
”Ms. Sarah, there is nothing more pitiable than a delusional woman clinging to the fantasy of being a man’s lawful wife.”
”…What did you just say?”
”I said: a delusional woman, past marriageable age, pretending to be the legitimate wife.”
Linca repeated it with precision.
Sarah’s sorrow melted into rage. Her expression shifted like a storm gathering in the distance.
Seated slightly beneath her, Kian broke into a cold sweat. For the first time since he was a child, his breath began to quicken—panic setting in.
”R-Right… Linca. Ah, no—Sarah too.”
”I’ll kill you.”
”So violence is your default when you’re at a loss for words? Truly disappointing. And to think someone so brainless is one of Azrael’s Death Sword Users.”
”And you’re just a pathetic weakling who couldn’t even become one. Remember who beat you.”
”……”
Linca’s eyes narrowed into a chilling glare, colder than frost on steel.
In that instant, she silently invoked the skill: Penetration.
Her fingers flexed—slowly, deliberately—as if to say, “Your heart is within reach.”
On the other side, Sarah’s hand drifted toward the shamshir at her waist.
”Oh? Struck a nerve? Something’s not adding up here… Don’t tell me, Ms. Linca… are you even human on the inside?”
”Heh. What are you talking about? Sir Kian gave me self-awareness. I’m nothing more than a flesh puppet.”
”In that case… maybe I should let your body answer instead.”
”──Ah—ahh! Wait! Please don’t fight over me!”
”Move, Kian. I can’t kill her with you in the way.”
”Hehe… Sir Kian, don’t worry. I’ve got this. I’ll show you how to make a vixen bleed.”
”This is… bad.”
Kian muttered, despair creeping into his voice.
Sarah drew her blade and pointed the tip directly at him.
Yeah, this was really bad.
”Heh heh… it’s like watching a premium romantic drama. I should report this to Lord Umar later.”
”Shut up. I’ll kill you.”
Kian’s voice dropped with deadly seriousness.
Demete flinched and immediately backpedaled. “Just kidding, just kidding,” he said, though no one was laughing.
Perhaps this dark elf was someone who needed to be dealt with sooner rather than later.
”Well, I’m heading back to the gate. Do as you please after that.”
”Eh? Wait!”
”Lord Kian, I’m going too. I partied too hard last night and I’m about to fall asleep.”
”Yelmar—!”
”We’ll go too.”
”Yeah. Bye-bye, Lord Kian~. If you die, we’ll bury you next to Sven~.”
”Stop saying such ominous things!”
”I’ll be returning to Lord Umar’s as well. Please take care.”
With a courteous bow, Demete turned and disappeared down the corridor.
And then there were three: Kian, Sarah, and Linca.
”U-Um, hey. Since it’s just the three of us now… maybe we could have some tea together?”
”Go ahead and pour yourself a cup. After I kill her, I’ll join you.”
”So you’ll join me… too?”
”Ehehehe… I must commend your composure, Sir Kian. To think you’d suggest tea in a situation like this. But tell me—whose side are you on?”
”Huh?”
”Don’t drag Kian into this, you damned woman.”
”Sir Kian, letting this woman live will only bring harm to the world. Let’s settle it here. I’ll restrain her—please finish her off while she’s held.”
”Hey, Kian! I’m telling you, there’s definitely something inside this one! No way her brain’s still functioning!”
This was complete chaos.
If he didn’t at least increase the physical distance between these two soon, a bloody fight was inevitable. Sarah had already drawn her blade. Linca was surrounded by a spiral of swirling energy around her legs.
Was that… the Secret Technique ‘Pursuit of the Shadow’?
Kian recognized it immediately. He’d used it often enough himself, and Linca had been observing him closely. With her superior ability in both reinforcement and healing compared to Sarah, it wasn’t out of the question that she’d already learned to replicate it.
(If that’s true, Sarah’s head is seriously going to fly off! I have to stop this somehow—but what!?)
Maybe he could pull out the magic sword strapped to his back, spin around like a madman, and yell something stupid like “Buuun! Bamboo dragonfly, engage!”
It would be absurd. Completely insane.
But it might just confuse them enough to force some distance. Physical danger does tend to command attention.
(Alright… it’s crazy, but here goes—)
Just as Kian made up his mind—
A sudden voice cut through the temple.
”Kian!!”
A man in black armor burst through the temple entrance, leaping several meters into the air and landing hard against the rocky floor. Cracks spread across the stone as if the earth itself had winced.
The young man in armor—Rean—stood up with a beaming expression, oblivious to the lethal atmosphere between the two women. With a bounce in his step, he jogged over to Kian.
”Kian! Listen!”
”Rean… now of all times?”
”I don’t care what’s going on! This is serious! Something big just happened—the souls in the Horn Cup aren’t decreasing!”
”What?”
Rean held up the square pendant of dark onyx hanging from his chest plate, thrusting it toward Kian’s face like it held the answer to the world’s secrets.
”Look! It hasn’t changed! I noticed something strange this morning—there’s been no reduction at all. No matter how much the armor wears down or how often I use the magic sword… the soul count won’t go down!”
”Calm down. I’m not a magician. You can’t just throw something like that at me and expect me to understand instantly.”
”Ms. Sarah!”
”Keep your voice down,” she said, frowning. “I can hear you just fine. There’s no need to shout.”
”Ms. Sarah, check on Vest and Ninini—right now! Maybe they’ve regained consciousness!”
Sarah had been ignoring Rean up until now, but something in his voice—his presence—had changed. With a sigh, she reluctantly acknowledged him, sheathing the curved Shamsheer she had drawn. “You’re standing too close. It’s unpleasant. Please, keep your distance.”
Then, turning slightly, Linca said, “Mr. Rean. Pleased to meet you. My name is Linca Tsai. It’s a long story, but I was actually here the other day—”
”I see, I see. That can wait! Ms. Sarah, look at this Horn Cup—and hurry up and introduce me to Vest and Ninini!”
Sarah let out an exasperated breath. “Fine. I’ll check on them and make the introductions, so please stop yelling. I really dislike loud voices.”
With visible irritation, she glanced toward Linca.
”Personally, I don’t approve of your inclusion, but we’ll set that discussion aside for now. You don’t appear to be hostile toward Kian, and if you behave like a well-mannered doll, I’ll spare your life.”
Linca responded coolly. “You may be the one barking orders, but the party’s true leader is Sir Kian. I see no reason to obey you. That said, I’m willing to lower my weapon temporarily. When you inevitably abandon Sir Kian again, that will be our chance to eliminate the true scourge of this world.”
”Why are the two of you at each other’s throats like this?” Kian interjected.
”That’s your fault!” they shouted in unison.
The tension was high, but the atmosphere shifted when the cheerful, oblivious blonde youth tugged on Sarah’s sleeve.
”Let’s go already!” Rean urged.
Sarah clicked her tongue and brushed his hand away, striding down the corridor. Rean trailed behind.
”Ms. Linca, I’m sorry. It’s because of me that you and Sarah are arguing.”
”No. It was bound to happen eventually,” she said with a faint smile, her expression resolute. “I’ve already decided to follow Sir Kian—no matter what comes.”
”…Thank you.”
Her determined smile seemed almost intimidating as she turned to look down the corridor where Sarah and Rean had disappeared.
”What shall we do?” she asked. “If we don’t go after them, I’ll just wait for the afternoon meeting. Until then, I suppose I could greet the others.”
”Let’s follow them,” Kian replied plainly.
”Understood.”
Linca had already spoken briefly about Kian, but she still knew little of the details. It was important she learned before anything drastic happened—like losing her hair in some bizarre spiritual ritual.
”I saw Mr. Rean up close again, and that aura surrounding him… it’s unsettling.”
As she bowed politely to the wolf-eared female warriors standing sentinel on either side of the corridor, Linca continued.
”It’s like the very word ‘ominous’ put on armor and started walking.”
”I’m not sure if it’s his own magic or something radiating from the armor,” Kian murmured, “but there’s something oppressive and dark about it.”
”It’s both,” Linca confirmed. “From what I can see, that armor is fused with Mr. Rean’s soul. It reminds me of the Holy Sun Sword’s scabbard—an artifact that grants immense power to its wielder.”
”Is that so?”
”Yes. Due to my family circumstances, I’ve been exposed to many cursed artifacts since childhood. I can generally tell their nature at a glance. That armor would qualify for the highest rank under the Western Church’s regulations. Even Azrael wouldn’t dispute that.”
”With that equipment, even monsters classified as Rank 3—capable of wiping out entire parties—would be nothing to him. Their fangs and claws can’t pierce the armor, and that blade… even a shallow cut drains the target’s life. The armor amplifies strength and speed to unnatural levels. Even a total novice with courage and resolve could become the most formidable warrior.”
”How can the authorities here sleep at night knowing such a weapon is wandering freely?”
”In the Western lands, there’s no organization with the authority of Azrael. The Western Church exists, yes, but it lacks the legal framework to regulate these things. If all the local lords united under the Church’s command, maybe it could be done. But with the way magic arms are leaking into other territories, it’s no wonder no one trusts each other enough to cooperate.”
”So instead, they grant certain powers to groups like the Knights of the Sun, keeping them tethered to specific lands?”
”Exactly. That’s the theory. Even so, they failed to contain Oswald.”
”Wasn’t Lady Eleonora content with her position before him?”
Kian shook his head slowly.
He knew both Oswald and Eleonora better than most diplomats. But their temperaments were complete opposites.
Eleonora, born of noble blood, believed that safeguarding her own territory—Sunlightland—and maintaining order within the knight order was enough. Her worldview was stable, cautious. Oswald, on the other hand, had once been a slave. He was consumed with ambition, burning for revenge and social ascension.
When knights like Eleonora wield such weapons, the realm remains relatively stable. But when men like Oswald get hold of them, they become the seeds of chaos. The recent coup was proof enough of that.
For the nation’s stability, magical armaments should be tightly regulated—just as Azrael does.
Ideally, Maribel would install a capable Defense Minister and relocate all magic-armed individuals to the capital under strict supervision. But the frontier lords would never allow such centralization. Even the Franz royal family appears to be watching silently from the sidelines.
Maribel had spoken to Kian of her desire to bring peace to the frontiers. But in terms of managing the magic equipment scattered throughout the land, the road ahead was long and treacherous.
”Lady Eleonora values order above all. She’d never dream of rebelling against the Margrave.”
”She’s obsessed with order,” Linca replied. “Which means… she probably doesn’t get along well with Sir Kian?”
Kian opened his mouth to respond, but hesitated. Linca’s comment hit closer to the truth than he expected.
Their personalities were completely incompatible.
To make matters worse, it was Kian who had toppled Oswald—the one Eleonora cherished like a younger brother. And during the Burgkain affair in the Royal Capital, Kian, acting as Defense Minister, had effectively used Eleonora to elevate his own reputation.
She was likely to be relieved of her Defense Minister role soon. And considering Maribel’s determination to promote Kian to that position, Eleonora’s feelings were surely complicated.
She disliked the spotlight. But if Maribel kept pushing Kian into public prominence, Eleonora would inevitably be dragged into the center stage—against her will.
(If only that ‘fame’ Umar spoke of actually existed… Perhaps then Eleonora would’ve viewed me differently. If I were recognized as a true knight, a hero of the people, maybe… maybe her heart would’ve shifted away from Oswald.)
Soon, Natra and Rufna would arrive. Assuming they didn’t get lost, they should be here any minute.
When they do, Kian knew he’d have to tread carefully. A single misstep in their interactions could lead to complications down the line—ones they couldn’t afford.
Notes:
• Katyusha – A female warrior monk of the black panther race and a follower of Abbas Hashmalik Shakerdoust.
• Demete – A male dark elf shaman and a servant in the Umar household.
• Colinna – Serena’s mother.
• Serena – Wolfmen Girl
• Linca – Jibril’s favorite girl. High-ranking warrior monk woman from Shin, with strong abilities like ignoring attacks and poisons.
• Sven – The Wolfman warrior, appears to be a leader or prominent figure among the warriors. Assisting Kian to the Ancient Temple.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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