Chapter 51

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A strong wind blew.

All the roots of the surrounding trees were uprooted, and the forest covered with green leaves was turned into a swampy field in an instant.

Filina, who was running blindly forward led by Henry’s hand, turned her head back.

The monster soared high in the sky and was moving its huge wings on the spot. A strong wind shook her hair.

But its target seemed to be concentrated in only one place.

From the beginning to the end, the monster’s gaze was directed only toward Filina and Henry.

She swallowed her saliva and opened her mouth.

“Sir Argeny.”

“Yes.”

Henry’s amethyst-like eyes glanced at Filina.

She parted her lips while watching the demonic monster flapping its swings vigorously.

“First…is it possible to run away?”

To Filina’s question, Henry raised his lips softly and answered.

“Do you think it is possible?”

“It meant impossible.”

She looked at Henry with an absurd face. But that didn’t last long either. The monster began to rush toward them at a very high speed.

Along the path where the huge monster flew, the trees that had stretched out were split, creating a desolate land.

From the moment Henry grabbed her hand, they ran nonstop for a long time, but the monster caught up with them in an instant.

Before long, black wings flew past Filina and Henry, and appeared in front of them.

She frowned and raised one arm to cover her face. The strong wind blew, making it impossible to see clearly.

The monster was flapping its large wings while facing them. There was tremendous pressure. Henry threw the wooden sword he was holding in his hand on the floor, and pulled out a huge long sword from his waist. The sound of a sharp blade was fierce.

His other hand was still holding Filina’s hand tightly. She lowered her gaze and looked at Henry’s hand.

From before, the hot heat was completely transmitted to Filina’s skin.

At that time, the monster who was facing them in front gathered both wings and rushed towards them.

Henry used his sword to block the sharp beak of the monster. Filina frowned and struggled to shake off his hand.

It was absurd to use one hand to hold a sword against such a large monster.

But he didn’t want to let go of Filina’s hand.

What the hell was he thinking?

She frowned with an annoyed face.

“Let go of my hand! To hold a sword with one hand, what are you thinking?!”

As Henry pushed the sword hard, the monster let out a strange cry and backed away. He turned to Filina and said in a relaxed voice.

“I’m holding you in case you’ll run away alone.”

Filina said with a puzzled face.

“Why would I run away alone? I’m not that ungrateful!”

At Filina’s words, Henry tilted his head and answered indifferently.

“I don’t know. I don’t have much trust.”

The monster flew into the air and moved its large wings back and forth. Then a great wind came in and created a huge vortex.

Filina closed her eyes tightly and turned her head to the side. The wind was so strong that her feet kept pushing back.

At that moment, Henry let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around Filina’s head. At the same time, the vortex struck them.

For a moment, their bodies floated into the air and then quickly dropped to the floor.

Thud! 

She thought she would feel great pain, but she didn’t feel it.

“Ugh.”

Instead, a small moan escaped Henry’s mouth as he embraced her. Filina rushed out of his arms and checked Henry’s condition.

“Are you okay? You can’t get hurt.”

She was genuinely worried. Because the only person who could deal with the monster right now was Henry.

If he was injured and became incapacitated in battle, the only loss was the one who was left alone.

Filina got up and found the sword Henry had dropped as he fell. She put it back in Henry’s hand and said with a serious face.

“Come on, fight hard, Sir Argeny.” ????

Henry looked at Filina with an absurd face. Then, he swung his sword at the monster that narrowed the distance behind her. The monster flew backwards with the sharp wind.

Henry grabbed the sword in earnest and started fighting the monster again.

The monster that was hit by his sword and flew away quickly regained its center and stopped, and immediately drew sharp claws towards Henry.

His large sword did not miss the gap and cut off the claws of the monster.

Shriekkkkkkkkkk!

The cry of the monster spread loudly in the quiet forest.

Filina watched Henry fight from behind, then glanced around quickly.

Seeing the gap he was fighting with the monster, she was planning to run away.

After all, if it were Henry’s skill, that monster wasn’t a big deal for him.

Anyway, his ending in the original wasn’t even death.

Despite kidnapping the prince’s fiancée to avenge his family, he avoided execution because he was the only sword master in the Alvar Empire.

It was the emperor’s order.

He sentenced Henry to life in prison for his own uses, and used him as a weapon whenever war broke out with other countries.

Perhaps it was a punishment that was more painful than the death penalty.

However, there was no need for Filina to worry about his ending. At least now, the person who was more in danger than Henry was herself.

Filina, on the other hand, had a limited proportion. Although she had the title of ‘a rare villain’, it was just a pointless supporting role to advance the main character’s relationship.

Her ending was predictable even if it did not follow the original.

She could die anytime, anywhere.

The first realization of this fact was in the second life, in which none other than Cecilia had to die before the kidnapping took place.

It was the day she lost her life horribly at the hands of Henry.

Filina’s red iris created a dry glow.

The red eyes looking at Henry who was fighting the monster were terribly cold.

She pondered for a moment where to run.

Are Bessi and Leon looking for the tree of hallucinations now? Or just like her, get caught by a monster and are fighting?

Her eyes looked straight ahead.

The huge monster quickly escaped Henry’s sword. Only dust was scattered on the floor swept away by the strong wind. 

If there was even a large tree, he would have used it to jump high and attack the monster, but the empty land limited his attack.

On the other hand, the monster with large wings used the wide sky to easily dodge Henry’s sword.

Henry’s sword moved greatly. The blade of the sword he was holding with both hands reflected the sunlight and emitted a soft light.

A small wind blew around him. A huge energy that could not be described in words passed through the sharp blade.

Supernatural energy that transcended human power.

This phenomenon was expressed as ‘mana’ in the original story.

Henry was already able to handle mana freely before entering the Swordsmanship Academy.

Normally, even acquiring mana was very difficult. But he had inhuman powers.

He was born with an extraordinary talent for creating and controlling it.

The person who recognized his genius was, of course, the Duke of Argeny.

Henry’s life was ruined from the moment his talent was revealed.

Family expectations and unbearable high-level training at a young age. Henry endured all of his father’s cruel corporal punishment and created the ability that lived up to the family’s expectations.

Moreover, when he reached the appropriate age, he had to receive separate knight training at the Imperial Palace, but Henry simultaneously accomplished what other people would never have been able to do.

So, the monster in front of him wouldn’t be a big deal.

Unsurprisingly, Henry slashed his sword diagonally at the monster who spread its wings wide and rushed in.

The blade reflected in the scorching sunlight created a colorful flame. The monster fell to the floor and fluttered. A terrifying smell of charcoal vibrated through the grass.

Filina covered her nose with her hand and stepped back.

The monster writhing on the floor forcibly moved its black wings and flew back into the air.

Seeing it rushing towards Henry, Filina turned around.

Now was the chance. She had to quickly get out of the forest while Henry was dealing with the monster.

It was better to go to Lawrence immediately and inform him of the fight against the monster. It was a stupid idea to continue training in this situation.

But Filina could not go far and had to stop walking.

Thud!

It was because of one of the black wings of the monster that fell in front of her.

“Where are you going?”

Henry, who suddenly approached her, asked with a soft voice. The expression on his face looking at Filina was somewhat desolate.

Filina rolled her eyes in embarrassment and answered awkwardly.

“Uh, go for a walk…… .”

Henry frowned slightly and opened his mouth.

“Didn’t you say earlier that you definitely don’t intend to run away alone?”

Filina said with a look of embarrassment at his dull voice.

“Not to run away, but to ask for help… … ”

While she was speaking, she saw the monster rushing behind Henry and pulled out the sword from her waist.

Cheng!

It was the long sword that Enoch gave her.

The sword she was holding struggled to block the sharp beak of the monster. A swear word flowed from between Filina’s lips.

Despite losing one wing due to Henry’s sword, the monster didn’t seem to have any major damage. 

It was proof that it was not a common form of an animal.

Henry swung his sword in the air and walked in front of her. Filina, who glanced at him like that, made a puzzled face.

His gait was strange.

“Sir Argeny, are you okay?”

Henry didn’t say anything to her question. Filina turned and looked at his condition.

She could see cold sweat forming on Henry’s white skin. Filina looked at him with a bewildered expression.

She turned around and swung her sword at the monster again. With a sharp wind, the monster retreated. She grabbed Henry’s forearm and checked his face.

Henry’s purple eyes stared at Filina quietly.

She asked with a frown.

“Since when?”

This time, Henry still didn’t say anything, he just moved his gaze and checked the location of the monster. His lips were pale white.

She looked at Henry with her expression hardened.

Why didn’t I notice it until now?

His body temperature, which was particularly hot from the moment he grabbed her hand and ran away.

At the same time, the day he collapsed while training in the morning flashed through her mind.

The voice of the instructor looking for Henry in the infirmary and his foolish behavior in not receiving treatment until the end. She forgot for a moment.

Each time Henry was ill, it lasted quite a long time.

Filina looked at him with dry eyes. Henry was fixing his sword with a blurry vision. The sound of the monster running from behind was heard. He stood in front of Filina and tried to face the monster. But Henry couldn’t go further because she grabbed his clothes.