Taming The Villainesses

Episode 271.2

I heard the sword being drawn.

Feeling chills all the way to the tips of my hair, I quickly opened my palm to create a Mana Shield.

─Mana Shield!

Wooooong—.

Ten petals began to glow in front of my body. Ten layers of Mana Shields were strong enough to withstand the impact of a truck.

But the sharp sword tip that reached toward them tore through all the petals.

Shwaaa—! Crack—! Clang!

“Ugh—!”

The force sent my body flying.

I heard the thick door splintering and shattering as my body crashed into it. By the time I regained my senses, I was already sprawled out in the court hallway.

“Ugh, what is this…?”

However, what was truly startling was Reinhardt’s demeanor. He drew his sword in the palace and attacked. 

“Reinhardt, have you lost your mind?!”

I wondered if the cold and calculating Reinhardt had gone mad. Drawing a sword and attacking me in the court was something that couldn’t simply be brushed aside—

Crossing a river of no return.

But the man remained cold.

“I admit that my words alone won’t convince you. So now, you try convincing me, young mage.”

* * *

As I bent down, I vividly felt the blade brush past the top of my head.

Crash—!

At the same time, the pillar that had been behind me was impaled and shattered. It tore through the marble pillar as if it were tofu.

Is this guy even human…!?

“Come on, what are you doing? If you only keep running, you’ll end up dead. Didn’t you say you wanted to find the meaning of life? At this rate, you’ll just die a meaningless death.”

Shwaak, shwaaaak—!

The relentless attacks continued.

The man swung his blade with ease, while I had to focus entirely on dodging and creating Mana Shields. I had no time to chant other spells.

Moreover, most of my attack spells were powerful and intense. If I were to cast them in the palace, it would cause massive destruction and damage everything around.

━Kyaa! What the—?! Reinhardt-nim!? Why are you wielding a sword in the hallway? It’s dangerous…!

━What’s going on? Why are those two…?!

The palace interior, where there’s a lot of people, was an incredibly unfavorable battlefield for me.

“Reinhardt, are you seriously doing this?!”

“You should spend less time complaining and more time chanting spells. Or do you have no desire to face an old man who’s long retired from active duty?”

As he said this, Reinhardt’s blade slashed horizontally through another marble pillar. I could only grit my teeth, as the ceiling of the palace trembled. 

I have no choice but to fight.

Do I even have a chance of winning?

To be honest, Reinhardt’s skill was not something to take lightly. Despite saying he’s an old man who had retired from active duty, his condition was nothing short of exceptional.

“Are you going to run to the Queen again? You can’t. I’m afraid of what will come out of my mouth this time.”

“Ugh…”

“But if you keep this up, this will reach the Queen’s ears. What excuse will you make then?”

And he was even more difficult to deal with than Opal Belhawk, as he had fewer physical variables and knew my weaknesses well.

“I’ll give you credit for one thing: you’re good at running away like a rat.”

“And who’s the one who can’t catch a rat!?”

Even as he insulted me, I couldn’t slow down my fleeing steps. I knew I needed to lure him somewhere I could actually stand a chance.

Somewhere with a lot of sand would be ideal.

Eventually, I managed to escape the palace and arrived at the wide open space behind it. As I steadied my breath and prepared to cast a spell, Reinhardt charged at me.

“You chose a wide space? Typical of a mage—”

Pabat-. 

With a burst of speed, he launched himself forward like a piercing arrow or a charging beast rather than a human.

─Mana Shield!

Crack, shatter!

Because of his speed and the sheer force behind his attack, I had no choice but to continuously cast Mana Shield. There was hardly any opportunity to use other spells.

His relentless assault left me with no chance to counterattack.

My breath was growing ragged from the constant retreat, and I could barely keep up with the situation.

This man, he’s too familiar with fighting mages.

It seems he hasn’t aged in vain. His attacks, honed by natural talent, experience, and years of practice, were sharp and without any unnecessary movements.

Ttak-. 

After barely creating an opening, I snapped my fingers, summoning a gust of wind. A fierce whirlwind erupted from the ground, but Reinhardt easily deflected it with his sword.

“My beloved sword, ‘Fang,’ is made of the finest fairy ore. It can easily deflect and shatter most magic.”

Damned bourgeois.

He’s like a tank that combines offense and defense into one.

It’s clear that I need a powerful spell to bring him down. Something like a Rank 6 great magic, as potent as lightning—. 

But as soon as I tried to catch my breath and start the incantation, Reinhardt’s sword would come slicing toward my neck.

Shasak-!

“Ugh!”

“You dodged that? Impressive. Is it because of the nimbleness of a half-fairy? But your body is covered in small wounds.”

As Reinhardt said, my body was covered in sharp cuts. If I kept getting injured like this, I might lose consciousness from excessive blood loss.

I guess I have no choice.

“Reinhardt, I have something to say to you.”

“You’re trying to use your tongue? But it won’t work.”

Swish-!

A blade flew toward my neck.

I ducked to avoid it and quickly but clearly shouted, “If you kill me now, your daughter, Lady Elganes, will become a widow. Do you intend to make her child fatherless?”

Twitch-.

A small wrinkle appeared between Reinhardt’s eyebrows.