[Ghislaine Pov]
I opened my eyes and found myself in a humid, hot jungle landscape. It was afternoon, and the heat was scorching. Eris and I had barely escaped a horde of bandits intent on killing us both.
It's been two months since we appeared in this place, and while we haven't been in any real danger of dying, tiredness, hunger, and thirst were quickly building.
Not long ago, Eris fainted in the middle of a battle due to fatigue. I decided to retreat right then and there, but the mercenaries wouldn't let me down. Although they're all like ants to me, fighting nonstop with them for two months exhausts anyone.
Sometimes water is so scarce that we have to resort to magic, but because of this, one of us is out of action for hours due to exhaustion from the mana drain, which puts us in an even more critical situation. "Mmm..." Eris moaned weakly beside me. Both she and I were starving, and I honestly didn't know which direction we were going. I even thought we'd been going in circles this whole time.
"Tch..." This simple thought was enough to irritate me deeply.
(Grr..)
"Hah?" I could hear a guttural growl from the bushes.
Thanks to my superior hearing and sense of smell, I've been able to avoid enemies and trouble that humans can't.
(Screak..crack!)
From the bushes, a tiger appeared.
I frowned at this. Alone, tigers are nothing more than C-rank beasts, but they are never alone. They always come in packs of 20 to 30, which makes them A-rank beasts.
I slowly drew my sword while slowly waking a sleeping Eris.
"Hmm?" She made a noise before opening her eyes.
She'd gotten used to getting up without making a sound, which I'm grateful for. Ever since Rudeus started teaching her, the young mistress's personality transformed from a violent brat to a girl with mild temper issues...
But ever since we both appeared in this place, her violent and impulsive personality calmed down even more.
She looked at me, bewildered, for a few seconds until her eyes fell on the tiger. She frowned, and her hand slowly moved toward the handle of her sword.
(Raaaw!)
Sensing danger, the tiger lunged at me at high speed, but with a simple diagonal strike, the beast was split in half.
There's our dinner...
Seeing the death of their companion, the other tigers revealed their presence by lunging at us at high speed, but slowly enough for Eris to react.
One by one, the tigers fell, letting out growls and barks of pain. Only when the pack was less than half full did the others change their strategy...
Instead of fleeing in terror like most of the creatures I've faced, the tigers became much wilder.
"tch..." I clicked my tongue once as I decapitated one of them.
I hadn't felt this way in years, and I never thought I'd feel it again.
My arms cramped, my breathing became ragged, and my grip on my sword weakened, though only for a millisecond.
I was tired; I was reaching my limit, and my body was about to pay the price.
I quickly glanced at Eris, who looked much more tired than I did.
She wasn't as fast anymore. She was hyperventilating, her footwork was off, and her attacks were less powerful, forcing her to take a defensive stance.
I knew this situation was desperate, so I decided to retreat.
I dodged one of the tigers' attacks and ran straight toward Eris, who was struggling with one of the tigers.
"Haaa!" With a swift movement, my sword slashed the tiger's neck, killing it instantly.
Eris looked at me in surprise, and I picked her up and started running.
"Ghislaine! What's wrong? I had everything under control!" she complained.
I didn't respond and kept running. Fortunately, I was still faster than the tigers, so we quickly lost them.
"Haaa...haaa..." I sat down, leaning against a tree as I caught my breath. This must be the first time Eris has seen me like this, judging by the expression on her face.
"...don't worry, everything will be okay," I murmured with a smile.
I had said this phrase to her more times than I can remember, and she always accepted it, even though even she must realize it wasn't true.
I was already at my limit. I had only felt worse when I was rescued by Lord Saurus and Lord Philip...
I clenched my fists as I calmed my breathing and silently prayed for her well-being.
"Ghislaine...I- hmmmp!"
Eris's words were interrupted by an arrow hurtling toward her. She barely had time to dodge it, and I could see the anger in her eyes.
I quickly stood up only to see hundreds of arrows that were heading towards us at high speed.
"Haa!!" With a guttural cry, I parried as many arrows as I could, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see several men quickly surrounding us.
"Ghislaine..."
"Yes, stay alert," I replied. She must have noticed too.
The arrows eventually stopped, and we were now surrounded by a total of thirty men.
I frowned as I raised my sword to the height of my head.
"What do you want now, huh?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Haven't you had enough with the death of your general?! I am the Sword King Ghislaine! Do you think you can take me on?!" I could obviously take on these guys, but I'd rather not fight. I was already very tired, and I don't think I could withstand another ambush...
I glanced at Eris, who was equally nervous, sweat running down her forehead and her hands trembling slightly.
We were both in critical condition. We had to get out of here quickly.
I crouched slightly, air filling my lungs as I calmed my thoughts and prepared to attack.
"Sword King Ghislaine, huh?!" A man's voice echoed loud enough to draw my attention to him. "I never thought I'd find you here, of all places!"
The crowd of mercenaries split in two as they made way for a man, and instantly my frown deepened.
From among the mercenaries, a middle-aged man appeared. The beast was wearing full body armor, only his head free, and he carried a blue sword at his waist.
"Parian..." The words tumbled like venom from my lips as I stared at the man in front of me.
Parian Neutke, the man I defeated to become Sword King.
"I didn't know you'd stoop so low as to become a mercenary, Parian," I murmured with a mocking smile.
The man simply clicked his tongue as he slowly drew his sword.
"Do you think I'd stand idly by while you took the title I rightfully deserved?! I trained for over a decade, and you come along and get it in a year! Totally unacceptable!" he yelled. I could swear I saw a vein in his forehead pop out.
"That's just a matter of talent." I looked behind me at Eris. She was on guard as she glared at our enemies. "I hope you understand..." I muttered, and Parian gritted her teeth.
"Enough! You've caused enough damage to our kingdom to let you continue killing innocent soldiers forever! The time has come for you to pay for your crimes!" he yelled as he got into a fighting stance, just like the other mercenaries.
I immediately went on guard and without a second thought, I lunged at him.
"Raaah!" I yelled with all my might, and the distance between us closed in a split second, but to my surprise, Parian was faster than me.
(Claaank!)
My sword collided with his, and a metallic sound rattled my eardrums.
I opened my eyes in surprise and a sadistic smile appeared on Parian's face.
"What? Surprised Kitten? Did you forget that I also knew the Water God style?!" He shouted as his sword repelled mine leaving me vulnerable for a thousandth of a second.
"nnngh....haaa!!" I screamed as I threw a long sword of light at him, but surprisingly he managed to repel it.
"I understood that I could never defeat you in the Sword God style, which is why during these years I have trained and gained more power, it would be better if you greet the Water King Parian Naukte!!, the man who will take you life away!!"
I gritted my teeth and my gaze briefly fell on Eris, she was eliminating the bandits in front of her but she was already reaching her limit.
I have to finish this!!
"You talk a lot for a loser," I muttered and lunged at him on all fours.
The distance closed in less than a millisecond, I raised my sword to the height of my head and executed a long sword of light diagonally directly at his chest...
But when my attack approached him, I felt as if a force was holding me back, as if something was repelling me.
The next moment a stabbing pain surged through my chest and I was sent flying towards the ground at tremendous speed.
"Ghislaine!!" I heard Eris scream as she tried to get to me but the mercenaries blocked her way.
"Heh...what did you think of that, Kitten? Surprised, huh? That's the secret technique Ocean Morror, perfect for an animal to act before thinking," Parian said as he slowly approached me.
I tried to get up but an immense pain settled in my chest and when I realized, a huge cut on my chest had been revealed.
"gah!" I tried to speak but blood flooded my throat as I glared at Parian.
"Interesting, isn't it? It's like walking along the seashore. No matter how hard you try, the ocean will always give you everything back." He murmured in my ear as I glared at him.
"Besides... you're not as strong as before," he said, then kicked me so hard I flew onto my back.
With all the strength I could muster I sat on the floor but I couldn't stand up, my feet wouldn't respond.
"Don't kill the girl!" He announced with a mocking smile as he watched helplessly as the mercenaries relentlessly attacked Eris.
"Your disciple is strong, I won't lie, it will be a shame to have to kill her...along with her parents" the man said with a mocking smile while I looked at him in disbelief.
"Hehe...didn't you know? The Lords of the Fittoa region were teleported near here and we captured them without thinking, I thought it would be a good idea to attract you and it seems to work." Parian's voice was slow and mocking.
Lord Philip and Lady Hilda?
Are they here too?!...I must rescue them...
at one point I tried to reach for my sword but my strength faltered and with a thud I fell on my back.
"Hey, hey! Don't give up! You can do this...You still have a chance to win! You just need the right motivation" Parian muttered as my vision began to darken and panic began to invade my mind.
Am I going to die?...no! I can't die now! I must protect Eris and take her to Lord Philip!...
Suddenly my heart started beating more slowly, I felt extremely weak and I felt cold.
"Oh well, I think this is as far as the big black wolf Ghislaine goes" Parian said as he put the tip of his sword to my neck.
"Ghislaine!!, Ghislaine get up!, Ghislaine!!" Eris's screams felt like a distant memory as she stared at Parian.
"See you in hell, kitty!" He said, and his sword plunged into my body, and my consciousness disappeared...