Mary’s chair clattered loudly as she jumped to her feet. “Father gave you orders, didn’t he? Did he tell you to take me home?”
“As I’m sure you’re already aware, Princess Mary, my orders were to...” Crowell turned to Mil again. Mil had never seen her eyes look so cold. “...track down and apprehend Lady Mil.”
Mil looked at her once-upon-a-time attendant. “Crowell...”
Crowell placed her hand on her sword’s hilt. “Prepare yourself.”
A single slash from Crowell’s silver blade cut their table in half and destroyed the wall separating the inside of the building from the main street. The sound was deafening as the remains of the wall were blown into the road. Similarly loud were the cries of the panicked patrons inside the guild.
Mil’s party quickly leaped back out of the way, but if they’d remained in their seats, they would have joined the rubble lying on the ground outside.
“Crowell!” Mil cried. “What’s gotten into you?!”
“The Demon King’s orders are absolute.” Crowell sheathed her sword, then stood ready to draw.
If they fought in the guild, other people were likely to get hurt. Mil shot glances at Yulia and Kuro, then they all jumped out through the hole Crowell had made. There were plenty of people outside too, all wanting to see what was going on, but they kept some distance.
“And I’ve long been under orders to ensure your safety, Princess Mary. I’d like you to return to the castle with me as well.”
“I knew you’d come to take me back!”
“Of course. You are the Demon King’s daughter. This is no place for you.”
One of the onlookers cried, “Hey, she just said ‘Demon King’s daughter.’”
“You must’ve misheard,” said another.
“But look, they’re higher demonkin.”
Graun grabbed Crowell’s hand. “Crowell, if we cause a scene here...”
“We weren’t ordered to handle matters quietly, Graun. Don’t underestimate the scale of this task. You could die here.” Crowell shook her arm loose from Graun’s grip and stepped out into the main street.
“That’s not what I meant, but you’re right.” Graun drew the narrow blade affixed to his waist. “I’ll lose my head if I try to hold back.”
Fully aware that Crowell was serious, Mil knew there was no reasoning with her. She could sense that her old swordmaster would carry out her orders with a cold devotion, no matter who might get caught in the cross fire.
Mil drew her sword, Ragnarok.
“Mil... Are you really prepared to fight Crowell?” Mary whispered in her ear.
Mil nodded. “Yep! There’s no way my journey’s ending here!”
“Crowell climbed the ranks of my father’s forces. She could wipe an entire town off the map with ease if she wanted. No matter how strong you might’ve gotten, you’re no match for her.”
“I know she’s strong, but I only just started traveling. And I’ve only just met Yulia and Kuro...and you too, Mary. I can’t stop now!”
“Girls like you are—”
“You can run if you like,” Mil told her. “We can handle this without you.”
Kuro and Yulia were ready to fight too.
Mary sighed in astonishment. Then she raised her scythe. “What are you talking about? I’ve got no choice but to fight—I haven’t paid you back yet.”
“Mary...”
“But you’re going to stop calling me by my first name once this is over.”
“Sure thing, Mary!”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
While Mil was thankful for the help, her biggest concern was to make sure the townspeople weren’t harmed.
“Are you done chatting, Lady Mil?” Crowell readied herself to draw her sword again. She was in the same stance she’d taught Mil in the Demon King’s Castle.
“Yep... I’m gonna make you go home, Crowell!”
Mil adopted the same stance. If they were using the same technique, she was determined not to be outdone.
A flash of reflected light came from both blades in the same instant. “Demon slash!”
From their weapons came shock waves, like two black blades, that flew at each other and then collided with a metallic clash that made the onlookers scream.
“Huh...?!”
The collision sent Mil’s shock wave completely off target while Crowell’s kept traveling straight at full speed, forcing Mil to parry it with her sword.
“But why?!”
“I’ve been honing this technique for far longer than you have.” Crowell adopted the same stance once more.
“Slave chain!”
This forbidden spell could bind an opponent, but Crowell had no trouble cutting each chain the moment it sprang from a black orb floating in the air.
By this point, the fight had gotten too intense for the crowd of onlookers, sending them fleeing in all directions. Now that the townspeople were less likely to get hurt, Mil could focus on finding a way to stop Crowell and Graun.
“Wind blast!” Yulia fired a ball of compressed air at Crowell.
But Graun got between Crowell and the spell, effortlessly blocking it. “Crowell, I’ll leave Princess Mil—”
“Yah!” In the short time they were distracted, Kuro had made her move.
Graun had no trouble blocking the slash from Kuro’s katana. Their blades met three more times, and each time Kuro was parried.
Kuro clicked her tongue, forced to back off.
“I’ll leave Princess Mil to you. Let me handle the beastkin and the mage child.”
“Be careful,” Crowell warned Graun. “You may find those two alone are quite a handful.”
The two sets of opponents faced off.
“Princess Mary, Lady Mil... I must confess, this has gotten me excited.”
“Huh?”
“I rarely get to fight with powerful adventurers.” Crowell vanished the moment she finished her sentence.
She’s fast!
Crowell had gone from being a safe distance away to crossing swords with Mil in an instant.
“Guh!” Mil was forced to take one step back after another as she struggled to block Crowell’s attacks. “I knew you liked adventurers, Crowell.”
“I won’t deny it.”
“But I’m not going easy on you! Mind break!”
As Mil was thrown backward, she cast a forbidden magic spell designed to induce a mental breakdown.
Black beams of light flew at Crowell, but she dodged them effortlessly.
Meanwhile, Mil had been blown clear across the street and sent flying through a restaurant window. When she finally landed, she found herself lying on a table and noticed a terrified customer backed against a wall, staring right at her.
“Gah!”
Before Mil had time to get up, Crowell entered through the broken window and slashed at Mil without mercy. She rolled across the table to dodge, then threw a chair to give herself a chance to break through another window and jump back outside.
“You won’t escape me that easily.”
Mil had to stay on the defensive to endure Crowell’s attacks. Then once she found an opening she leaped a good distance away and tried again to bind Crowell. “Slave chain!” But casting her spell was a little too distracting.
“Oops.”
Mil’s foot slipped on a piece of debris, sending her tumbling onto her behind. It gave Crowell more than enough time to break apart the chains and close in on Mil.
Crowell grabbed Mil’s right arm, restraining her and rendering her helpless.
“Ugh.”
“I’ve apprehended you, Lady Mil.”
“Ouch.”
Mil’s face contorted in pain as she fought against Crowell’s grip. She was held too tightly to break free—Crowell’s thin arms were much stronger than they looked. She was a demonkin after all.
“Mil!”
The black blade of Mary’s scythe came flying at Crowell. Knowing she had no other choice, Crowell released Mil and leaped backward.
“Thanks, Mary.” Mil slowly climbed to her feet.
“Here she comes again!”
Crowell unleashed a demon slash from afar, forcing Mil and Mary to dive to avoid it. At the same time, a dark mist filled their surroundings.
“What is this?!” Mil asked.
“One of Crowell’s skills!” Mary explained. “Watch out! She can see us through the mist!”
Countless slashes, including several small demon slashes, came at Mil as she struggled to get her bearings.
“Ugh... Kuh.”
As shallow cuts appeared on Mil’s arms and legs, she didn’t know where to turn.
“Mil! Look up!” Mary cried.
Just as the mist cleared, a shadow was cast over Mil from above. Crowell had leaped high into the air with her sword held in both hands, and she swung it down. But this was no small demon slash. The dark, crescent-shaped shock wave that came from Crowell’s blade cleaved the road in two.
A cloud of dirt and dust filled the air, blinding Mil.
“Ngh.”
But Mil still caught sight of a glint of silver within the dirt cloud. She met Crowell’s sword with her own, redirecting Crowell’s strike.
Crowell was slow to react, as if she’d never expected Mil to block her attack.
I can do this!
Mil leaped back and held out her hands. “Blast end!”
The spell created an explosion right in front of Crowell, blowing away the cloud of dirt.
“Not bad,” Crowell said. Her gear was a little scorched in places, but she was unharmed.