Chapter 7: The Marquise’s Revival 3
“What is all this? Just when a person is trying their best to regain their self-control amidst the difficulties that have befallen them, you have to go and make such a racket.”
So those curse-like mutterings were her process of regaining self-control?
Erika Solntsalri lightly stepped down from the carriage, quickly smoothing down her hair, which seemed to have gotten messy from using magic in the cramped carriage.
Compared to her appearance at the academy, her traveling clothes lacked flamboyance, but that plainness only seemed to enhance her beauty.
Perhaps catching sight of the stunned Merseja and me, captivated, in the corner of her vision, Erika Solntsalri turned towards us.
“The Coachman and… a guard, perhaps?”
Her words made me want to say, ‘I’m the guy who was your Classmate,’ but I held back.
“Do you happen to know where my Sword is?”
I answered as I climbed down from the coachman’s seat to the ground.
“Unfortunately, your Sword is packed away in the luggage.”
Being careful of the blade stained with the blood of bandits and Majin, I spun my Sword around and offered her the hilt.
“So, please use mine.”
Erika Solntsalri looked back and forth between the offered sword hilt and my face, then smiled brightly.
“I shall gratefully accept its use.”
At our exchange, Merseja spoke up, her voice tinged less with anxiety and more with suspicion.
“Husband, are you sure this is alright?”
Her words were lacking, to say the least, but I understood what Merseja wanted to say.
From my perspective, with that Erika Solntsalri holding a Sword and standing firmly on the ground, what was there possibly to worry about?
I suppose it’s natural to feel uneasy if you don’t know her.
I told Erika Solntsalri, “Well then, I leave the rest to you,” and hearing her reply “Leave it to me” behind me, I sat back down on the coachman’s seat.
Incidentally, I had already deactivated my Physical Enhancement before handing her the Sword.
Merseja looked at my face as if wanting to say something.
“It’s alright, Merseja.”
At my words, Merseja watched the back of our protection target, who was walking off on her own.
“She is Erika Solntsalri.”
Golden Magicka began to rise from her.
“There’s absolutely no chance she’ll lose.”
“I think you’re the only one convinced by that, Husband.”
Looking at the finally calmed horses, Merseja seemed to ponder something for a few moments, but in the end, she decided to watch Erika’s back, just like me.
I saw the Horse-Faced Majin, which had collapsed near the edge of the Barrier, vigorously stand up.
I could sense Merseja getting restless behind me, but I thought, ‘Calm down.’
Even for a Rank 6, is it something they can’t grasp? Even though she’s so obviously strong.
Or perhaps, even understanding her strength, they get deceived by her beauty?
If that’s the case, Merseja’s aesthetic sense should be praised, because it means she understands that before being strong, Erika is beautiful.
As I was thinking, ‘Well, that can’t be helped then,’ I sensed that Erika Solntsalri smiled. I could only see her back, but I could tell her Magicka was shining joyfully.
She must be smiling.
Ah, what a shame. I should have gone with her. Then I could have seen her profile again.
The Horse-Faced Majin that stood up seemed to prioritize targeting Erika Solntsalri, just as expected.
It didn’t even glance at us, who were wide open.
A straightforward, artless charge—that was the method of attack the Horse-Faced Majin chose.
It has the Intellect to prioritize its target, yet choosing such a simple charging attack feels inconsistent.
Within the narrow Barrier, having a Majin the size of a carriage simply charge at you is, well, artless but likely effective.
After all, simply dodging the charge wouldn’t be enough to avoid attacks from its tentacles.
If you tried to avoid that by dodging widely within the confined Barrier, you’d eventually be cornered.
For the Horse-Faced Majin, whose Magicka was likely stretched thin just maintaining the Barrier, it probably wanted to force a battle of stamina since it couldn’t use magic.
I thought this while watching the flow of Magicka extending from the Horse-Faced Majin towards the apex of the Barrier.
No, it really is an idiot.
If the Horse-Faced Majin truly possessed Intellect, the first thing it really should have done was dispel the Barrier and flee.
If it had chosen to escape as its first move upon getting up, there might have been a chance it could have gotten away.
But instead, it chose to challenge that Erika Solntsalri head-on—Erika Solntsalri, who was even holding a Sword.
Not a shred of Intellect.
To me, having deactivated my Physical Enhancement, it looked as though she had simply vanished. But Merseja, who apparently hadn’t deactivated hers, muttered in a stunned voice, “Too fast…”
I wonder how much of her movement the Horse-Faced Majin, collapsing in pieces right before its eyes, managed to see?
Thinking such things, I called out to Erika Solntsalri.
“That thing has high regeneration, so you should be careful—”
Before I could finish, a pillar of fire erupted, and the pitiful Horse-Faced Majin vanished into ash.
As expected of Erika Solntsalri. Flawless.
The pillar of fire, created by swirling flames, shattered the inversion Barrier as if it were an afterthought.
Watching this, Merseja said.
“You’ve gotten yourself quite the wife, Husband.”
Her voice held a tone of exasperation.
But it was true. Even if only nominally, I was her husband.
Being reminded of that made my cheeks loosen into a smile involuntarily.
Or rather, isn’t this a pretty creepy smile I’m making?
“I don’t think that’s something to be smiling about, Husband.”
This time, Merseja’s voice was clearly filled with exasperation.
…Was my smile really that creepy?