"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Aurelia.
"You'll find out soon enough," Ryutaro replied.
Aurelia looked confused by Ryutaro's words.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Charlotte was already exhausted, as none of her attacks had any effect on Grace.
"So, are you ready to surrender?" Grace asked.
"Hah... There's no way I'm losing!" Charlotte declared.
Charlotte unleashed one of her techniques, but Grace effortlessly deflected it.
"Divine Judgment!"
A blinding light erupted from Charlotte's attack, capable of burning any demon upon contact. However, Grace only smiled.
"Oh, that's a nice move, but..." Grace said as she snapped her fingers.
Suddenly, her own technique erased the light in an instant.
"Void Eclipse."
A dark energy consumed the divine light Charlotte had unleashed, nullifying it completely.
"You're still too weak," Grace said.
Charlotte watched in shock as her attack vanished. She felt helpless.
"Impossible… That technique can burn demons instantly! How could you erase it with a mere snap of your fingers?" Charlotte muttered as she collapsed to the ground.
Grace walked over to her and offered words of encouragement.
"That's because I'm not just any ordinary demon," Grace explained.
"Yeah… I really was foolish," Charlotte admitted.
"Don't be discouraged. You're not weak. Look, you even managed to wound me, didn't you?" Grace said, showing Charlotte the wound left by her divine attack.
"Really?" Charlotte asked, surprised.
"Of course. If you were fighting another demon, you would have won," Grace reassured her with a smile, extending her hand.
"Okay… Thank you, Grace," Charlotte said, taking her hand.
As Charlotte stood up, she suddenly asked, "By the way, Grace, why are you encouraging me? Aren't we supposed to be enemies?"
Grace's expression darkened.
"That's because I don't want you to be deceived by the Celestia Kingdom," she said.
"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked.
"It's only natural that you don't know the truth… It has been hidden for a long time," Grace replied.
"So, what exactly are they hiding from me?" Charlotte pressed.
"That… is something you must discover for yourself," Grace said.
Charlotte was left in deep thought, confused by Grace's cryptic words.
Meanwhile, on the Battlefield
The commander of the Celestia Kingdom's forces gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Damn it… Even a warrior from the church couldn't defeat her," he muttered.
"What should we do now, Commander?" one of his subordinates asked.
"We'll proceed with the plan, but remember—do not attack until I give the signal," the commander instructed.
"Understood."
"Good. I'll stay here to avoid suspicion while some of you advance toward the target," he continued.
A group of soldiers began moving quietly toward Ryutaro, while the commander remained behind, ensuring their plan remained unnoticed. However, what they didn't realize was that Ryutaro had already foreseen their actions.
"They're making their move," Ryutaro observed as he watched the soldiers approach.
Aurelia, hearing him, glanced around.
"Who's moving?" she whispered, scanning the area.
"Sigh You dumb dragon, look over there at their troops," Ryutaro whispered back, shaking his head in disbelief.
Aurelia turned her gaze toward the enemy forces.
"You're right… So this is what you meant by something interesting happening?" Aurelia asked.
"Exactly," Ryutaro confirmed.
"So what are they planning to do?" she questioned.
"They'll likely attack me when I'm off guard, and if I fall, they'll use Grace as leverage to force her surrender," Ryutaro speculated.
"Hmph… Such deceitful humans. So what should we do?" Aurelia asked.
"Act as if nothing's happening," Ryutaro instructed.
"Got it," Aurelia nodded.
They continued to behave normally while the soldiers crept closer. The commander, seeing that his men were in position, casually yawned—the signal to attack.
"That's the signal! Go, now!"
The soldiers rushed at Ryutaro, swords drawn. But before their blades could land, Aurelia discreetly cast a protective barrier around him.
"What?! Impossible!" one of the soldiers exclaimed.
Ryutaro turned to face them.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa… What do you think you're doing? You think those little swords can kill me?" Ryutaro mocked.
"Phew, good thing I reacted in time. Otherwise, you would've been hurt, Ryutaro," Aurelia said.
"It was the dragon! Everyone, focus your attacks on her! If we break her barrier, he'll be vulnerable!" a soldier shouted.
"Understood!"
The soldiers turned their assault on Aurelia, but Ryutaro swiftly intercepted them.
"What do you think you're doing? How dare you lay a hand on my people?" Ryutaro growled, catching a sword with his bare hand.
Blood dripped from his palm, but he didn't flinch. The soldiers stared in horror as Ryutaro endured the pain without a single cry.
"T-That's impossible! How can a mere farmer catch a blade with his bare hand and not even scream?!" one soldier stammered.
Ryutaro smirked.
"Because I'm no ordinary farmer," he declared.
Aurelia, seeing his bleeding hand, immediately grew concerned.
"Ryutaro, what are you doing?! You'll get seriously injured!" she exclaimed.
But Ryutaro simply smiled at her.
"Obviously, I'm saving you," he said.
"But why go this far?" Aurelia asked.
"Isn't it obvious? You're one of my people," Ryutaro stated firmly.
Aurelia's face turned red at his words.
"Idiot," she muttered.
Then, Ryutaro turned his attention back to the soldiers.
"So, how do you all want to die?" he asked, gripping the blade tightly.
A dark aura erupted from him, sending chills down the soldiers' spines.
"P-Please spare us! We were just following orders!" they begged.
But Ryutaro remained unmoved.
"Black Condemnation."
At that moment, a cursed mark spread across their bodies, and they screamed in agony.
"Aaah! The pain!"
"Please, have mercy!"
"I don't want to die!"
Ryutaro's cold voice cut through their cries.
"If you didn't want to die, then you shouldn't have touched my people. Reflect on your sins… in hell," he declared.
Charlotte and Grace, hearing the screams, rushed toward Ryutaro's location.
"Did you hear that?" Charlotte asked.
"Sounds like someone's screaming," Grace responded.
"And it's coming from where Ryutaro is!"
When they arrived, they were met with a gruesome sight—the soldiers lay lifeless in horrifying conditions.
"What happened here?!" Charlotte gasped.
"They tried to kill me… but when they failed, they targeted Aurelia instead," Ryutaro explained.
Charlotte turned to Aurelia.
"Is that true, Aurelia?" she asked.
"Yes… I protected Ryutaro, and because of that, they made me their target," Aurelia confirmed.
"T-That's impossible! Our forces would never do something so dishonorable!" Charlotte argued.
"Believe what you want. This is the truth," Aurelia said indifferently.
Grace, noticing Ryutaro's bleeding hand, rushed over.
"Why is your hand injured?" she asked.
"Oh, I caught their sword," Ryutaro replied.
"And… you caught it with your bare hand?" Grace questioned.
"Hehe… yeah," Ryutaro chuckled.
Grace sighed and tore a piece of her clothing, wrapping it around his wound.
"Next time, be more careful. I don't want to lose you," she said softly.
"Alright, alright, I'll remember that," Ryutaro said with a grin.
Meanwhile, Charlotte stormed off toward the commander to demand an explanation. But his response left her utterly shocked.
What did the commander say? And why was Charlotte so surprised?
Find out in Chapter 13!
*If I made any minor mistakes that might be distracting, I sincerely apologize. I have done my best for this novel, and if you enjoy it, please consider giving it a like and sharing your feedback, suggestions, or criticism so I can learn and improve. Thank you for reading, and see you in the next chapter!*