Chapter 7
"What is the meaning of this? I'm struggling to regain my composure amidst all this chaos, and you're making such a racket."
So that muttering like a curse was her way of regaining her composure.
Erika Solnzari lightly stepped down from the carriage and smoothed her disheveled hair, likely tousled from using magic in the cramped space.
Compared to how she looked at the academy, her outfit was more suited for travel and lacked flair, but that plainness only seemed to enhance her beauty.
Perhaps catching sight of the stunned Merceja and the entranced me at the edge of her vision, Erika Solnzari turned toward us.
"The driver and... a bodyguard, perhaps?"
I felt the urge to say, "We were classmates, actually," but held back.
"Do you know where my sword is?"
I answered while stepping down from the driver's platform to the ground.
"Unfortunately, your sword is packed with the luggage."
Carefully avoiding the bloodied blade stained with bandit and demon blood, I turned the sword and offered her the hilt.
"So use mine instead."
Erika Solnzari glanced between the offered hilt and my face, then smiled warmly.
"I'll gladly accept it."
At our exchange, Merceja raised a voice that sounded more doubtful than anxious.
"Boss, are you sure this is really okay?"
It was a poor choice of words, but I understood what he meant.
From my perspective, with Erika Solnzari standing firmly on the ground with a sword in hand, there was nothing to worry about.
Still, it's understandable to feel uneasy if you don't know her.
I said, "I'll leave the rest to you," to Erika Solnzari, and sat back down on the driver's platform as she replied, "Leave it to me."
For the record, I had already deactivated physical enhancement before handing her the sword.
Merceja looked at me like he wanted to say something.
"It's fine, Merceja."
At my words, Merceja looked toward the back of the woman who had started walking on her own.
"That's Erika Solnzari."
Golden mana began to rise from her.
"There's absolutely no chance she'll lose."
"I think you're the only one convinced by that, boss."
After glancing at the now-calmed horses, Merceja seemed to think for a few moments, but in the end, he too chose to watch her back like I did.
I saw the horse-faced demon that had collapsed at the edge of the barrier suddenly spring to its feet.
I could sense Merceja getting jittery behind me, but I told myself to stay calm.
Even as a Rank 6, could he really not tell? She's so blatantly powerful.
Or maybe he could tell but was fooled by her appearance.
If that's the case, then Merceja's aesthetic sense should be praised—he understands that she's beautiful before she's strong.
Just as I was thinking that it couldn't be helped, I realized Erika Solnzari was laughing. I could only see her back, but her mana sparkled with joy.
She's definitely smiling right now.
Ah, what a shame. I should've gone with her—then I could've seen that profile again.
As expected, the horse-faced demon prioritized Erika Solnzari as its target.
It didn't even glance at us, who were full of openings.
A dull, straightforward charge—that was the attack method the horse-faced demon chose.
It has the intelligence to prioritize its target, yet it picks such a simple charge attack—it feels oddly mismatched.
In the narrow barrier, a demon the size of a carriage charging straight ahead may not be elegant, but it's certainly effective.
After all, simply dodging wouldn't be enough to avoid its tentacle attacks.
If you try to dodge widely in the confined space of the barrier, you'll eventually get cornered.
As a horse-faced demon barely able to maintain the barrier with its remaining mana, it probably wants to force a physical showdown since it can't use magic.
I watched the flow of mana stretching from the horse-faced demon to the top of the barrier and pondered.
No, seriously, what an idiot.
If the horse-faced demon truly had intelligence, the first thing it should have done was dissolve the barrier and flee.
If it had chosen to run the moment it got up, it might have actually escaped.
And yet, to challenge Erika Solnzari—especially Erika Solnzari wielding a sword—head-on...
It doesn't have a shred of intelligence.
Since I had deactivated physical enhancement, she seemed to vanish from my sight, but Merceja, who apparently hadn't, muttered in disbelief, "She's too fast..."
I wonder how much of her movements the horse-faced demon saw as it crumbled apart before it.
As I pondered that, I called out to Erika Solnzari.
"That thing has high regeneration, so you should be caref—"
Before I could finish, a pillar of fire erupted, and the pitiful horse-faced demon turned to ash.
As expected of Erika Solnzari—flawless as always.
The swirling pillar of fire shattered the reverse barrier as if it were an afterthought.
Watching the scene, Merceja spoke.
"Boss, you've got yourself one hell of a wife."
His voice was laced with something like exasperation.
But it's true—even if only in name, I am her husband.
Hearing it put that way made my cheeks loosen into a smile.
Or rather, was I grinning like a total creep?
"I don't think that's really something to smile about, boss."
This time, Merceja's voice clearly carried a tone of genuine exasperation.
...Was my smile really that creepy?