Chapter 09
“Swell, are you okay?”
Ariel ran over to Swell and asked.
“You looked kind of off when you were using the sword.”
At that moment, Swell couldn’t hold back his boiling anger and shouted.
“Didn’t you hear me telling you to run? Why are you running over only now instead of when I told you to?!”
“I mean, you didn’t look okay. I was trying to help. If you stayed alone, you would’ve died.”
“What difference would it make if you stayed? Do you think you can fight a monster just because you’ve swung a sword a few times? If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any monsters left on this continent! All your presence does is turn this from a one-person meal into a two-person lunch box for the monster!”
“Well, we’ll just have to see about that.”
Ariel replied nonchalantly.
‘Are her nerves paralyzed or something?’
It might have been better if she were frozen in fear.
Owell had completely misjudged her.
Ariel wasn’t just calm in any situation—
‘She’s just crazy!’
Even grown men would wet themselves and flee in terror if they saw a monster that big.
She wasn’t just fearless or composed. She was clearly insane.
‘That’s why she doesn’t even think about running!’
Whether Ariel was crazy or sane didn’t matter right now.
She and Swell were trapped with that giant monster.
Either the monster died, or they’d both become its next meal.
‘If I somehow make it out alive, I’m going to wring the chairman’s neck.’
Swell gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his sword.
“Miss. I’m not even sure if I can take that thing down myself. Please, just hide behind the rocks this time. Got it?”
There was no time to say more.
“Kiiirururuk!”
A centipede crawling along the wall lunged exactly where Swell had stood.
He dodged swiftly and counterattacked, but his blade couldn’t even scratch the centipede’s hard armor.
“Damn it!”
Clang! Crash! Kaang!
Swell and the centipede exchanged brutal blows.
Ariel, just as she’d been told, hid behind the rocks and watched them fight.
‘Didn’t expect to get yelled at for trying to help.’
Ariel recalled the knights she’d lived with under Regan before the possession.
Whenever she showed up, they’d run off saying, “You’ve got this, right?” so she’d assumed Swell would do the same.
‘Do I really look that fragile?’
Maybe it was the time she’d dashed off to the bathroom after that sudden appearance of the evil dragon’s crest.
That’s probably what got her stuck here suffering in the first place.
‘Anyway, this doesn’t look good.’
Ariel’s red eyes sharply scanned the state of both Swell and the centipede.
Even at a glance, Swell wasn’t in good shape.
He was exhausted from constant attacks, and one arm hung limp, clearly injured.
Meanwhile, the centipede hadn’t taken a single scratch.
Instead, it seemed to be toying with Swell like he was a plaything.
‘Is Swell unable to use magic right now?’
Just then, the centipede’s tail moved from behind Swell.
“Urgh!”
It struck Swell harshly in the stomach.
He went flying, landing near where Ariel was hiding.
“Grrk!”
Swell tried to stand, but his body was too battered to move easily.
Kirrururuk.
The centipede’s eyes shifted toward them.
Clutching his aching abdomen, Swell cursed silently.
‘Damn it! You worthless body! Move! I said move!’
As he used his sword to try and stand, a small hand touched his shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ll take it from here.”
It was a truly strange sensation.
The moment Ariel’s hand touched him, all the strength drained from his body.
And Swell knew—he would never forget what happened next, not until the day he died.
Ariel stood before the massive monster.
There was no one left to protect her, and yet she still stood there, arms limp and face calm.
Kirrururuk!
The monster moved in to end them both.
‘This is the end.’
Swell could already picture what was going to happen.
Ariel would die first, then him.
‘I’m a knight, so dying in battle is expected… but she’s still just a child…’
He could see the monster biting Ariel in half like it was already happening.
But at that moment, Ariel’s arm moved.
A small fist pulled back and then struck forward with power.
Her punch landed squarely on the centipede’s forehead.
BOOOOM!
The monster’s massive body reeled backward and crashed into the wall.
“What… the hell…”
Swell couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
A single punch had knocked that giant monster back?
‘Am I dead and dreaming?’
That would make more sense than this absurd reality.
Whatever Swell thought, Ariel just commented nonchalantly.
“Ah. Guess I was a bit short on magic power.”
In her estimation, the monster’s shell should’ve shattered and the thing should’ve died instantly.
Ariel recalled what the spirit had said:
“Alright, I’ll share my magic like you want. But I’m weak, so I can’t give you much.”
Flexing her wrist, Ariel muttered,
“Still, this is good enough.”
Compared to before she was possessed, it was a pitiful amount of power.
For anyone else, escaping would’ve been the only option.
But she was a master at manipulating mana and moving her body.
This was enough to take that monster down.
Perhaps insulted by being attacked by such a small girl, the centipede bared its grotesque teeth.
“Kieeek!”
“Swell, hand me your sword.”
Normally, he’d laugh at the absurdity.
But right now, something strange radiated from Ariel—
a charisma that only someone who’d fought through hundreds, thousands of battles could possess.
Swell didn’t understand it. He just found himself handing her the sword, like he was in a trance.
“Do you know how to kill it?”
Ariel asked without taking her eyes off the monster.
“Break its shell and strike the flesh inside.”
“And?”
Swell racked his brain, but came up with nothing.
“There’s one more. The small crack just behind its head. You can drive something in there.”
“That’s just theory. No one could aim for a crack that small. It’s barely the width of a fingertip.”
“But isn’t that better than just dying?”
Before Swell could reply, the centipede charged.
“Miss!”
Ariel grabbed one of its horns and jumped up.
Kiiiek?
The centipede thrashed violently when it realized someone was on its head.
Though briefly shaken, Ariel regained her balance.
Then she started running across the centipede’s back.
Kiaaaaak!
BOOM! CRASH!
Realizing its weak point was being targeted, the centipede began slamming itself against the walls.
“You’re too late.”
Right before impact, Ariel leaped into the air.
Swell swore loudly.
There was no other way to deal with the panic—
What if she hit the ground and shattered?
Why had he handed her the sword?
As she plummeted, Ariel reached out.
Kieeek!
She drove the sword into the small crack behind the centipede’s head, straight into its soft flesh.
KiIIIIEEK!
As Ariel fell, the centipede’s body slowly began to split in half.
THUUUUD!
Its massive body hit the ground first.
Then, Ariel gently landed on its head and stepped down onto the floor.
She casually brushed back her messy hair and looked at Swell.
“It’s over. Let’s go.”
Swell was speechless as he stared at her.
If Ariel hadn’t been there, he would’ve died.
That monster was that dangerous.
And Ariel had taken it down by herself.
Respect, gratitude, and regret for not recognizing her worth mixed in his chest, rendering him unable to speak.
Ariel tilted her head at his strange expression.
“Can’t get up? Did you hurt your ankle too?”
“N-no… I’m fine.”
“Then let’s get out of here. I don’t like small, dark places. Oh, and I’m out of magic. Can you break through the rocks?”
“Yes.”
“Then the entrance is yours to dig.”
As Ariel walked ahead, it looked to Swell like a radiant light shone around her.
Unshaken bravery in the face of her first monster—unbelievable strength—
It felt like divine revelation had struck him, leaving only one thought in his mind:
“It’s her.”
Ariel was the one he was meant to serve.
His chest burned. His throat tightened.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Swell asked in a choked voice,
“Miss… what are you?”
The moment he asked, Ariel’s mind spun rapidly.
What am I, he asks?
Best case, he was simply overwhelmed by what she’d shown and blurted it out, being bad with words.
But Ariel knew her life better than that.
Nothing ever went so optimistically.
He definitely suspects me. I was way too strong for someone who’s only trained for a few days.
There was only one way to resolve this.
“Me? I’m a genius.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Once in a hundred, no, a thousand years kind of genius.”
It felt humiliating saying that out loud, but she forced herself to keep a straight face.
“A sword genius worthy of being recorded in history.”
Swell’s expression turned oddly complicated.
But she couldn’t tell the truth either.
‘I got this strong from suffering like a dog in my past life, then got betrayed and died, and now I’ve possessed someone else’s body.’
Saying that would get her executed by the Pope or killed by the Duke of Clasta.
“…A genius… I see. You’re a genius, Miss.”
Thankfully, Swell didn’t press further and just nodded slowly.
Thank god. He bought it.
Ariel let out a sigh of relief.
Then she raised a finger to her lips.
“Keep it secret, alright? Who knows what the chairman would do if he found out.”
“…Does he torment you? No—never mind. That bastard sent you here in the first place…”
Swell looked at her and knelt on one knee.
“You needn’t worry anymore. I’ll inform the knights as well.”
She figured he was just being polite because she saved his life, so she gave a half-hearted nod.
Back then, she had no idea.
That Swell would one day be called a fanatic.
That he’d become famous for hanging people upside down just for speaking ill of her.
