MLWP 4

Chapter 4

The moment she was about to run out, a whisper echoed in her head.
A voice she knew all too well.

I’m scared. Please, stop… I’m tired.

“What the hell, crazy bastard.”

Beeep—an ear-piercing ring shot through her head, as if to argue back.
A throbbing pain tightened around her skull, and her vision spun again.

Not now.

Cecilia gritted her teeth, determined not to faint again like that morning.
She slapped her own cheeks hard.
After a few more slaps and several deep breaths, her head cleared a little.
She felt disgusting.

Scared? Tired?

Now she understood why that bastard ran away, dumping everything on her.

“Damn it. You only fought when everything was already over, didn’t you?”

He hadn’t even fought properly.
To let the kingdom’s “hope” conserve his strength to face the Heart of the Earth,
the rank-and-file soldiers had been sent forward to die clearing the path.
The massacre was too horrific to recall.
Most of the few friends Cecilia had made in the army had perished then.
Her jaw tightened with a crack.

“That’s why I can’t forgive you.”

With all that power—

The moment she sensed the beast, her magic circuits flared open instinctively.
A torrent of power surged through her body over and over.
And yet he hadn’t even tried to use it properly.
He’d just thrown the Heart of the Earth—an incoming lump of disaster—onto her and ran.

In her past life she’d suffered enough paying off debts that weren’t even hers.
Now she had to do this, too?

It was insane.

“If I’m going down, you’re going down with me.”

There was no way he’d die peacefully.

“First things first—let’s deal with that damn beast.”

Cecilia leaned out through the shattered window.
Thin cracks spread under her feet as the cheap, brittle glass shards crunched.

Whoosh!

A robed figure was leaping through the air, narrowly dodging an attack.
The beast that appeared was shaped like a lizard—thankfully, not one of the dragon-like high-tier monsters.

“That’s manageable.”

Cecilia scanned her surroundings.
At the end of the annex hallway stood a dust-covered suit of decorative armor holding a sword.
Without hesitation, she ran over and grabbed it.
The sword scraped out of its scabbard stiffly—it was a practice blade, not a real one.

“Well, yeah. They wouldn’t decorate a school hallway with real swords.”

Even a small, shabby school had some sense.
This would have to do.
The weapon’s quality didn’t matter anyway.

Cecilia vaulted out the second-floor window.
The body techniques she’d inherited guided her naturally into a perfect landing roll.

“Up we go.”

She quickly turned toward the person fighting the monster.
He actually knew some swordsmanship and had a solid build.

Did this school have someone like that?

Most students here were either free citizens or poor children of fallen nobles.
Someone this capable was rare.
Or maybe, like with Julin, she simply didn’t remember them.

Then a voice screamed from behind her.

“Cecilia!”

“…Class rep?”

She turned around, startled. The name that popped into her head was—

“Margaret Abbey?”

“It’s dangerous!”

“You’re the one who’s—”

Before she could finish, Margaret dashed forward and grabbed her.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Get back!”

The robed man shouted.
The lizard-beast was charging straight at them now, mouth gaping wide.

Margaret’s face turned pale.
She was holding onto Cecilia, trembling but not running away. She looked ready to collapse.

The robed man’s blade flashed, slicing clean through the monster’s tail.
A gasp slipped from under his hood.

“—Ah!”

The severed tail writhed on the ground and began to regenerate rapidly.

Cecilia wasn’t surprised.
That was just what beasts did.
They devoured humans or animals, converted life force into mana, and regrew whatever they lost.
Without a proper strategy, they would keep regenerating endlessly.
She’d seen it far too many times.
She’d seen countless soldiers get eaten alive by things like that.

But this time was different.

Cecilia tightened her grip on the practice sword.

The robed man ran back and stood protectively in front of her and Margaret.

“I’ll hold it off! Run!”

“Don’t talk to us—focus!”

“In front—watch out!!”

Slash!

The monster’s claws ripped through the man’s robe, revealing soft light-brown hair underneath.
Their eyes met—vivid emerald against Cecilia’s silver.
He had a gentle, tidy face: slightly upturned eyes, strong brows, and a sharp nose that gave him an air of firmness.

But what stood out even more was his physique.
Even at a glance, he was clearly well-trained.
His torn shirt exposed toned muscle underneath.
From a martial artist’s perspective, Cecilia couldn’t help admiring him.

Not bad.

“Kyaaaah!”

The beast shrieked, retreating, and the sound snapped Cecilia back to focus.

“Ugh!”

The wind pressure from its breath blast made the man stagger.

As expected.

He was holding his ground well, but against a monster, that wouldn’t last.
He looked to be about her age—there was no way he had real combat experience.
The kingdom hadn’t faced a true beast since the Great Beast War a century ago.

“What to do.”

Cecilia realized she could end this instantly if she stepped in.
With her inherited power and battlefield knowledge, killing a beast like that was nothing.

But she didn’t want to reveal her abilities before she had a plan.
Unnecessary attention was the last thing she needed.

Fwoosh!

“It’s coming again!”

The monster lunged, swinging its tail this time.
The man raised his sword to block, and Cecilia clicked her tongue.
Brave, but stupid.

Take that hit head-on and you won’t even leave bones behind.

You never face that tail from the front.
Pretending to panic, Cecilia grabbed both Margaret and the man by the arms and yanked them backward hard—
then faked a clumsy fall.

“Ah!”

“Waaah!”

The three of them crashed down together, just as the spot where they’d stood split open with a violent boom.
The impact left a crater in the ground.
If either of them had been thinking straight, they might’ve realized a small girl like Cecilia couldn’t possibly drag two people that easily.

“…”

“Margaret, snap out of it! You too!”

Both were dazed.
Cecilia steadied Margaret, who had collapsed.
She had to deal with her first—this girl wasn’t fit for fighting.

“Get up! We have to run!”

“S-sorry, I…”

Margaret’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears.
Cecilia was about to scold her when she saw Margaret looking down.

“Oh, great.”

Her right ankle was swollen and bent at a strange angle.
Probably twisted when they fell.

That’s on me.

She must’ve yanked too hard in her rush.

Margaret hung her head and began mumbling.

“Mom, Dad… please stay healthy. Second, third, fourth, fifth siblings—take care of them for me…”

“Can you not start leaving your last words right now?”

“There’s still so much I haven’t done…”

“Yeah, no. You’re not dying.”

“Huh…”

“Margaret?”

The moment she looked up and locked eyes with the beast, she fainted dead away.
Not that Cecilia blamed her.
Most normal people lost consciousness or froze under the sheer pressure a beast emitted.
Honestly, she’d lasted longer than most.

“Don’t worry.”

Cecilia murmured softly to the unconscious girl.
Judging from what she’d said, she had a big family with lots of younger siblings.
Must’ve had a rough time taking care of them.
That was all the more reason Cecilia couldn’t let her die here.

Then her gaze flicked back to the man.
He was already back on his feet, sword raised, facing the lizard-beast again.

Slash!

His sleeve tore as he rolled away, revealing his forearm—veins bulging with effort.

Looks like he’s got strength to spare.
He could easily carry Margaret and run.

Maybe I should ask him to do that?

The man seemed to notice her looking.
He tightened his grip on his sword and motioned to her.

“It’s dangerous. Get behind me.”

If he could carry Margaret away, Cecilia could fight freely without worry.
It was worth a shot.
She faked a desperate tone.

“Excuse me! My friend’s unconscious!”

His face went pale.

“She can’t even stand! What should I do?”

“Support her and run! I’ll buy you time!”

“No, I’m too weak to carry or drag her!”

A complete lie, of course.
At her current level, she could sling ten Margarets over her shoulders, run ten laps around the arena, and hover afterward.

“Could you maybe—”

She didn’t get to finish.
The lizard’s tail came crashing down again, with power far greater than before.