The mercenary Kadin occupied the organization and sat across from Preston.
“When is your boss coming, Mr. Pants CEO?”
Preston looked uncomfortable.
“No matter how much you rush, someone who’s late will still be late. We don’t even know when they’ll come.”
“Looks like we have a true pants CEO here.”
“No, it’s my organization.”
Preston felt extremely wronged.
“Every pants CEO says that. No need to feel so wronged. It’s the truth.”
“No….”
Preston felt even more wronged.
A presence was sensed outside the room.
Kadin’s gaze shifted.
“Did they arrive?”
He grabbed his sword and left the room.
A bloodstained scene was revealed. The bodies were removed, but traces of them remained, leaving red marks.
A pastel-colored girl stared at the remains with a stiff face. After observing the remnants of battle, she turned her head toward Kadin.
Her cold eyes glared at him.
“What a rude person you are.”
Her voice was icy.
Was she the girl who slaughtered thirty people? The aura matched her infamous title. She came prepared.
Kadin’s smile widened. He placed a hand on his chest and bowed lightly.
“My name is Kadin. I’m working as a mercenary to gain experience, though I may lack skill. I wonder what your name is, young lady?”
“I have no name to share with a scoundrel.”
“What a shame.”
Kadin grasped his one-handed sword.
Pastel couldn’t contain her anger.
What kind of peaceful attitude is this after killing someone?
The people you’ve killed were kind to me. They were the ones who treated a girl who came to rescue her, rather than abduct her.
Heat filled the air, excitement enveloped her body. Her breathing became irregular.
“Don’t get carried away by emotions. Narrow viewpoints create unnecessary gaps. Erratic breathing disrupts the flow of battle.”
“I know.”
The heat was suppressed with cold calculation.
She focused on her opponent.
“Not on the level of a rapier, but it’s a long, thin sword. Small sword techniques, huh? You’re holding it with some fingers resting on the cross guard, indicating a grip suited for thrusting. Be cautious of surprise stabs.”
Kadin extended his one-handed sword forward, on guard. The sword, longer than most demon swords, extended straight as if sharp like a spear.
“You prefer close combat like me, but I focus on maintaining distance for defense. I’m waiting for you to come in first.”
He took a breath.
“Although not on the level of a semi-knight, your swordsmanship seems light and fast. Be careful.”
Pastel took her stance and pointed her sword at him.
Kadin tilted the tip of his sword invitingly. He was ready to defend with a confident defensive sword technique.
Pastel pouted her lips.
“Isn’t just waiting for your opponent to come a bit cowardly?”
Totally cowardly.
Kadin chuckled.
“You’re not very good at provoking, are you? Have you lived gently? I can’t tell if you’re skilled with a sword, given that your boss’s level is this low. It’s a pity for the deceased.”
His sword pointed to the bloodstains.
Pastel frowned.
“You definitely have the skill to eliminate a scoundrel!”
She stomped the ground. A strong force struck the floor, making a noise. The distance between them shrank explosively.
She swung her demon sword.
Kadin stepped back.
Then he moved his longsword lightly. The elegant path of his longsword brushed against the path of the demon sword. A shockwave erupted. The trajectory twisted, sending the sword strike astray.
A clean parry.
With the failed attack, an opening appeared for the girl.
At that moment, the offense turned. According to the principles of defensive swordsmanship, Kadin should have countered, and the girl would fall.
But surprisingly, Kadin couldn’t attack. The impact felt heavy. In the moment of shock, his longsword faltered, shaking under the pressure. The force reverberated throughout his body.
What kind of strength…!
Clearly, it was a longsword strike, yet it felt like he had been struck by a great sword. Far from countering, he needed to regain his stance.
This was a power that couldn’t possibly come from a frail girl’s body. The power was completely different from her appearance.
A follow-up attack came flying toward him.
Kadin suppressed his surprise and moved. He elegantly stepped back and positioned his longsword in defense. He keenly eyed the tip of his blade as it approached the descending sword strike.
According to the lever principle, the force of a sword strike decreases significantly toward the tip. A strong slash could easily be deflected if struck at the end. Small sword techniques, which valued distance, were strong against such refined parries and counters.
Kadin attempted the parry with skilled finesse. The longsword collided with the tip. Impact followed.
Shockwaves coursed through his body.
Kadin inhaled sharply. His stance became unsteady. He needed to recover from the shock rather than counter.
He had to acknowledge it. The opponent wasn’t wielding a longsword. She was wielding something akin to a great heavy sword.
With the realization of her strength, the girl’s eyes gleamed. The blade sparkled. A unique sequence of strikes from a two-handed sword rushed at him. The sword path covered his vision.
No way to deflect.
If so, then he could just let it pass.
He had faced worse situations countless times.
Kadin retreated, stepping sideways. He placed his sword in position.
Without colliding, he simply pushed away.
The negligible impact came through. Sparks flew. The sword path twisted slightly, grazing Kadin.
Kadin’s longsword moved rapidly. Small shocks followed in succession. Sounds rang out, and sparks burst.
The executing attacks were adjusted one by one.
3, 7, 14, 23.
All the sword paths twisted and split the air.
The girl’s eyes widened in astonishment.
To be startled by this? A lack of experience indeed.
Kadin seized the opportunity to invade her emotional gap. He quickly changed his defensive posture. The blade sparkled. A rapid thrust targeted the girl.
She hastily twisted her body. The blade lightly grazed her shoulder. Blood droplets flew. The girl’s dazed gaze followed the flying drop of blood.
I’ve won.
The broken offense transitioned into a counterattack.
The girl lacked the experience to calmly overcome the change in tide. The fear of death would likely dominate her mind.
As consciousness waned and her subconscious began to surface, what lay before the swordsman was only defeat.
Kadin thrust his sword forward once more.
At that moment, the pink-eyed girl’s gaze became hazy. She watched his thrusting blade before meeting Kadin’s eyes.
A fierce killing intent surged. His stomach churned, and his skin tingled.
A clear change.
Kadin could hardly contain his surprise.
Could it be she hadn’t held any malice until now?
The girl put on a pouty smile. The demon sword slipped from her hands. The blade thrust forward, and her arms rose.
Her arms crossed fiercely as if to strike the blade. Impact resonated. The delicate sword twisted and cracked, a sound echoing as silver shards scattered.
Kadin gazed blankly at the flying fragments.
What is this… what’s happening…?
The girl’s hand stretched out. Her grip seized his nape, and a kick sent him airborne.
In an instant, Kadin crashed to the ground. Impact hit him, and blood sprayed from his mouth.
Rushing toward the fallen opponent, Pastel climbed atop him and swung her fists. The sound of blows rang out in succession.
The sound of his blocking arms twisting could be heard. Her face was split, and punches landed hard. Along with a scream, blood splattered.
From somewhere, a calm voice was heard.
“You can stop now.”
Pastel halted briefly. Her flying punches landed one last time to his face before she shook her head.
A sensation akin to waking from sleep enveloped her.
“You’ve won.”
“Huh? What?”
With a dazed mind, she looked down at her opponent. Kadin gazed up with a bloodied face, his arms twisted to block the punches, blood spilling from his mouth.
With her hormone-fueled head, thoughts emerged.
Oh well.
He’s still alive.
Pastel staggered to her feet, picked up the demon sword from the ground, and raised it in reverse grip.
“You don’t need to kill recklessly.”
“Why not?”
Pastel tilted her head with a dazed expression, then thrust the blade downward.
“Gah!”
Kadin hastily rolled away as the blade struck the ground.
Whoa.
That missed.
“You had no killing intent. It seems the purpose of this was more of a duel than a life-and-death struggle. Even if you lost, I would have spared you. Of course, you crossing the line by not controlling your power and harming her shoulder is a bit much.”
The demon paused. It appeared to be examining Pastel’s torn clothing and lightly cut shoulder.
“Hmm, right. Just kill him. He’s a scoundrel.”
Ah, got it.
Pastel drew the sword from the ground, stepped on Kadin, and raised the blade. His terror-filled eyes stared upward.
“Goodbye!”
She aimed to thrust down.
In front of her was Preston. He came running, grabbing his gun with a stunned expression.
They locked eyes briefly. Preston slowly averted his gaze.
“Uh, just go about your business.”
His voice trembled.
Pastel inhaled deeply.
Wow, it’s the boss.
It’s really the boss.
She cheered.
“Boss! Boss! I’m here! I brought the contraband! No fee, right?”
Oh yeah, zero percent fee.
Pastel was now rich.
Rich!
#
A little while later, after treating her light shoulder wound, Pastel was astonished.
“You only wanted a duel?”
Kadin, his face swollen and his arms wrapped in bandages, began to explain.
His lips were so swollen it was hard to pronounce, but she understood what he meant.
The rival weak organization had exerted their money and connections to hire Kadin. It was something he had to accept, but upon hearing the tale of the girl who slaughtered thirty, Kadin agreed.
This was indeed reckless hiring, meaning he could do as he pleased.
So, he decided to casually visit Preston’s organization peacefully, then wait for Pastel.
“I was curious about your skills. I never intended to kill a young talent. I just wanted to gauge your strength by provoking you.”
No way.
Pastel’s astonishment returned.
“A peaceful visit? People died! What’s peaceful about that?”
Kadin flinched and fell silent.
Silence hung in the air.
Preston, who silently listened, looked awkward.
“That much seems peaceful, right?”
“Huh?”
“Although I did kill some organization members through force, I didn’t engage in unnecessary killing. While there was a high chance of my attitude changing after facing you, it was peaceful for now.”
What kind of nonsense is this?
I completely don’t agree.
“Wasn’t that force unnecessary? People died! If you wanted a duel, you could have politely asked! Can’t you understand?! Politely! Peacefully!”
All around, glances of sympathy were cast at the naive girl.
No way.
“Little Craft, think about it. Where is this place?”
A zero percent fee supplier?
“This is a crime organization. A dirty crime organization. How can you visit peacefully?”
But everyone here is so nice.
“With a crime organization, the use of force is almost mandatory. If you don’t, they’ll shoot you with a smile. We need to let them experience risks in advance to ensure safety.”
Ugh?
The harsh reality?
Preston casually spoke to Kadin.
“Why not just come over since you lost? While you’re healing, we’ll take care of any contract issues.”
Kadin also casually participated in the conversation.
“I don’t need the money. I just want to observe the future of your boss.”
“No, I’m the one in charge here.”
“Every pants CEO always says that.”
“No.”
Watching the banter left Pastel utterly dumbfounded.
Am I the only one crazy here?
She leaped up from the couch, and everyone stared at her.
“Enough! I’m going to pay my respects to the deceased! People I met last time have died; I can’t just sit around!”
With that said, Pastel flailed her arms.
“You cold-blooded monsters! Cold-blooded people! Cold! Cold! Oh, it’s cold!”
Preston calmly corrected her.
“Oh, the rookie didn’t know. It’s those who just died. Considering the family left behind, you might be better off not visiting.”
Pastel was left speechless. She hesitated, torn between going to pay her respects and finally broke down and shouted.
“Whatever!”
She dashed out of the room.
It’s such a weird world.
I’m Alice who fell down the rabbit hole.
This is a strange country.
“Are you going to pay your respects?”
Pastel pondered briefly.
“No. As the boss said, it seems disrespectful to the family. I’ll just send my condolences personally.”
“You thought well.”
The demon smiled faintly.
“Don’t find them too strange. They’ve merely adapted to a rough world. They’ve lived harsh lives where they can’t mourn each death deeply.”
She nodded vaguely.
“If empathy is difficult, try putting yourself in their shoes. You engage in smuggling to survive, right? While you say that smuggling is good and just?”
“Huh?”
Pastel’s eyes widened.
“Devil! Demon Lord! Smuggling is a kind thing! Sending necessary items to those in dire need!”
The demon was truly perplexed.
“That’s strange! What’s wrong with sending necessary items to those in dire need? You’re wrong, Demon Lord! When Professor comes, I’ll have another talk! Let’s see who’s right!”
She stuck out her tongue.
Boo.
The demon was left speechless.
“No…”
