Chapter 526

"Charlotte?" Shock flashed across Nehat’s face.

Not just because Charlotte’s eyes glowed a radiant gold—but because the right arm she had once severed to ensure Charlotte would never wield a blade again was whole, unscarred. Every wound that should have been beyond healing had vanished as if washed clean.

"It’s been a while, Great Chieftain," said Charlotte.

She walked through the center of Ian’s group, who had split to the left and right as if to make a path for her. Her footsteps were as calm and light as her voice and gaze, and a faint golden light shimmered from her lush black mane and fur.

"You’ve received the Platinum Dragon’s protection. Again," said Nehat, finally grasping the situation.

Although Charlotte’s eyes hadn’t held a golden glint like this before, she had experienced a similar situation in their last duel.

Despite inflicting grievous wounds, Charlotte had appeared perfectly fine a short time later and challenged her to a duel again, claiming it was thanks to the Platinum Dragon's blessing.

Inflicting a permanent injury had also been a form of punishment for that. She had thought Charlotte would meet a miserable and painful end, but it seemed she had survived and obtained yet another miracle. The one who brought that miracle, of course, had to be the Agent of the Platinum Dragon standing before her.

Shrrk—

A sudden sound drew her eye. Idris had drawn his fang sword and tossed it toward Charlotte, the weighted end first. Charlotte caught it with a sharp flick of her wrist without breaking stride.

"Yes. I have received a grace so great it will be difficult to repay."

"And yet you are so brazen. You have no shame," said Nehat, carefully taking in Charlotte’s entire form. She was wearing ragged gear that covered her vitals. It was likely a crude repair of the equipment Nehat had torn to shreds in their last duel, probably Palmer’s handiwork.

"You received divine aid as well, did you not?" Charlotte asked, stopping at a suitable distance after passing Ian's group.

Nehat responded with a tight-lipped expression. It was an obvious provocation.

At the same time, the fact that she could not receive Kruxica’s blessing in this duel crossed her mind. The moment the blessing of her bestial nature manifested, Ian Hope would surely jump in as if he’d been waiting for it.

If that happened, she would have to kill not only Ian Hope but also that silver-haired elder fairy. That would be an outcome that Central would by no means welcome.

"It’s really… Chieftain Charlotte…"

"To think she’d be perfectly fine again!"

"Charlotte the Tail Collector has returned!"

Large and small gasps of awe from behind her dug into Nehat’s ears.

The warriors had finally gotten a clear look at Charlotte. Gasps, exclamations—some even sounded relieved, almost joyful.

Nehat ground her teeth. Their voices scraped at her nerves like claws on iron.

"You have already lost to me twice. Charlotte. And I have shown you mercy twice. Yet you dare to challenge me once again?"

Facing Charlotte in a pure contest of skill was not something she relished either. Charlotte was an outstanding warrior. It would be impossible to win without sustaining injuries.

Of course, defeat was unthinkable. Losing was worse than handing Ian the very proof of her corruption. Charlotte would gladly cooperate with an investigation, and once that happened, the loyalty of the warriors would shatter.

"Then you should be able to win this time as well."

Of course, Charlotte had no intention of giving up the duel, just as she hadn’t in the previous two.

Narrowing her golden eyes slightly, she thrust the fang sword forward and added, "Prepare for a sacred duel. Great Chieftain."

Nehat’s lip curled, but her sharp eyes missed nothing—the arms holding that blade were leaner than before, her frame slimmer, the gaps in her greaves revealing legs that had lost some of their old steel. The feeling that her frame had gotten slightly smaller was not a trick of the eye.

She had recovered from her injuries, but she clearly hadn't returned to her previously trained physique. Her tail hadn't grown back either. These observations were enough for Nehat to regain her composure.

"Do not expect any more mercy," said Nehat coldly and turned.

Taking a few strides toward the warriors, she stopped, drawing the greatsword from her back. She glanced at the warriors who were standing about haphazardly.

"I, Great Chieftain Nehat, accept this challenge!"

As if on cue, the warriors raised their heads and howled like wolves. Some beat their weapons together noisily.

With a feeling like her blood was boiling, Nehat, who had planted her greatsword in the ground beside her, shouted, "Anyone who interferes with this sacred duel shall pay the price with death!"

The warriors' roars grew louder. Feeling the distracting thoughts in her head wash away, Nehat turned around again.

She glared at Charlotte, gripping the jagged sword at her waist.

Suddenly, an unpleasant heat spread, and her brow twitched. A blazing red light was slowly spreading from behind Charlotte.

As Nehat took a step, her nose wrinkled slightly.

Ian Hope, who was hidden behind Charlotte, was now visible. With his head slightly bowed and his upper body hunched, he was now burning with a red divinity like fire. Right after, he flung his arms wide and leaned back.

"-----!"

With a roar that seemed to tear the very air apart, red divinity exploded from him in a circle. It instantly erased the cheers of the warriors that had filled the area.

Nehat flung up an arm to shield her face, teeth bared. The heat was unbearable, crawling over her skin like burning oil. Her beast’s blood stirred violently.

"I knew this would happen… fuck…"

The clearing fell silent in the wake of that thunderous release. In the hush, a voice brushed against her ear—a low, rasping whisper that could only belong to Ian Hope.

However, that wasn’t what truly mattered. The moment she lowered her arm, the fire revealed Charlotte’s form, now imbued with red divinity as if it had spread to her. Red mixed with the gold shimmering in her eyes.

Meeting Nehat’s gaze, with a voice filled with heat, Charlotte said, "It seems Karha also blesses our duel. Great Chieftain."

"How is this possible?" Nehat muttered, frowning.

A human god bestowing a blessing upon a beastfolk was something she had never heard of.

Charlotte replied, "Just well."

As Nehat’s eyes widened for a moment, Charlotte tilted her sword. "Draw your weapon. Great Chieftain."

At last, Nehat's face twisted again. The thought that such questions didn’t matter belatedly crossed her mind. What mattered was that Charlotte was receiving the blessing of the God of Battle. And that her gaunt body was now meaningless.

Clash!

Gritting her teeth, Nehat drew her jagged sword. Sparks flew brilliantly from the blade as it scraped against its metal clasp.

Even as she gripped the hilt, Charlotte did not charge. She simply lowered her stance, watching Nehat with eyes that were turning red—it was the eye of a predator stalking its prey. That fact ignited Nehat’s bestial nature and her rage.

Woosh—

Nehat kicked off the ground and shot forward like a cannonball. In an instant, she closed the distance to Charlotte, who stood in the middle of the clearing beyond the village entrance. The jagged sword, swung with all her fury, descended toward Charlotte’s neck.

Almost simultaneously, Charlotte raised her fang sword diagonally.

Clang!

Steel crashed against steel with a sound like thunder. Sparks and crimson fire scattered in a storm as Charlotte slid back a half-step. Nehat poured her weight into the press, grinding her blade down with brute force.

Grrrk—

Charlotte came to an abrupt halt. Just as Nehat’s brow furrowed at the feeling of pushing against a mountain, the red divinity flared for a moment.

Charlotte swung her arm as if shaking it off, and Nehat's sword arm flung wide as if repelled.

Shhk!

Charlotte charged straight into Nehat’s opening. A red trajectory closed in an instant. Gritting her teeth, Nehat stopped her arm’s momentum and swung her sword back to meet the charge.

Clang, clang, clang—

Sword met sword again and again. Sparks flew chaotically in all directions, as did the trajectories of blazing red divinity.

Crunch, thud!

It was Nehat who was gradually being pushed onto the defensive. She finally realized that their roles had been completely reversed.

Charlotte was superior in all areas, including strength, speed, and technical skill.

She could faintly imagine how Charlotte must have felt during their past two duels. Of course, it wasn't as if Nehat had no advantages at all.

Crkkk—

Charlotte's fang sword was chipping, its blade breaking away. It was a blow to her pride, but Nehat couldn’t afford to miss even a small opportunity.

"----!" Nehat roared, stamping one foot into the ground as if planting it.

In that moment, Charlotte, who had rushed in with a low stance as if lying down, swung her sword up diagonally at her. Nehat didn't dodge or deflect it as she had until now. She gripped her hilt with both hands and swung back to meet it.

Not at Charlotte, but at the sword she was swinging.

Clash!

The moment the blades met, the center of the fang sword’s blade shattered as if torn apart. As the broken piece flew past, Charlotte completed her swing and kicked off the ground, twisting her waist without taking her eyes off Nehat, who was striking the ground in a downward slash.

A pitch-black trajectory closed in on Nehat’s face. It was Charlotte’s leg.

Clang, crash!

Nehat’s head snapped to the side as she crashed onto the dirt. She avoided losing consciousness only because, at the last moment, she hurled herself in the same direction.

Thud, thud, thud—

She rolled across the muddy ground and barely stopped by stabbing her sword into the earth. Her head was ringing, but there was no time to recover from the shock.

Woosh!

Having thrown away her broken sword, Charlotte landed and sprang forward like a coil, closing the distance. A blazing red trajectory created a long afterimage behind her like a tail.

Nehat’s eyes shot open as she swung the sword embedded in the ground forward. But Charlotte’s fist was faster.

A steel fist slammed into Nehat’s left arm, which she had reflexively raised to her face.

Clang, clang, clang!

Nehat was flung backward, crashing through the wall of the hut. She slammed against the opposite side, splintering it with her back before she was hurled out again, and the structure collapsed in a heap. A thick cloud of dust billowed into the air.

SHWIIIAK-

A searing red arc tore through the haze an instant later. It was Charlotte, her fist clenched tight.

"Our Kitty is going to win, isn’t she?" said Thesaya, who had been watching with a smile.

Idris, who had been watching with a dazed expression, nodded blankly. "It’s thanks to Karha bestowing his blessing."

He kept his gaze fixed on the wall of the hut to the side. It was likely because a roaring sound was now spreading from beyond it.

"I know, right? I thought she was crazy. You knew Karha would grant his blessing, didn't you, Ian?"

"Well, to some extent." Ian, meeting Thesaya’s gaze, nodded nonchalantly.

In truth, he had been certain from the moment the quest appeared.

[The Right Arm of the Great Warrior.]

In the game, it was a quest one could probably only get when a barbarian warrior hired a mercenary from the North. The fact that he had received it for Charlotte, who was from the South and a beastfolk, was no longer surprising.

In the first place, Ian wasn't a barbarian warrior. Besides, Karha had already acknowledged Charlotte as a warrior long ago.

As long as they fight to his liking, I guess he doesn’t care about race or origin.

In any case, it seemed this blessing was solely for Charlotte. Although a red divinity still shimmered around him, the actual stat increase was minimal.

Perhaps Karha wanted to confirm Ian’s capabilities, which had changed over the past few years. Such an act was typical of the cruel old butcher-god.

"Let’s go too, Ian. I’m curious," said Thesaya, bouncing on her heels, pulling on his arm.

Another crash split the air, rattling the ground underfoot. The fight was tearing the village apart. Palmer and Idris had already taken positions on a distant rooftop, their eyes locked on the center of the storm.

"Alright. Let’s go." Ian smacked his lips and followed Thesaya toward a nearby hut. It wasn't just Palmer and Idris who were watching the duel.

The beastfolk warriors had somehow climbed onto the palisade, packed together like monkeys. They were all precariously balanced, craning their necks to get a look. Some had run into the village and were scrambling up the outer huts as if flying.

Sacred ritual, my ass. It’s just a brawl.

Ian smirked faintly as he vaulted onto the rooftop. The boards beneath his boots creaked dangerously, but neither he nor Thesaya cared.

Clang!

The full view of the village, which had become a complete mess in that short time, spread out before them. The jagged sword, stuck blankly amidst the wreckage of a collapsed hut, caught Ian’s eye.

And the owner of that sword was currently getting beaten up in the middle of the ruins, which had clearly just collapsed.