I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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With a strong thud against the back of her head, Rose shivered. Jenis continued to drag her on the floor, not letting go, while Rose, holding a knife in one hand, had no way to shake her off.

In truth, using her right hand wouldn’t have caused physical strain, but the penalty of not using one hand had transformed into a matter of Rose’s pride.

Rose barely managed to stick her rapier back to her waist, then grabbed Jenis’ arm with her left hand.

“Your grip is surprisingly strong!”

“And your arm strength isn’t bad either!”

Rose spun her body sideways and hurled Jenis into the vacant tavern building. The half-human, half-horse Countess was unable to withstand Rose’s strength and crashed through the tavern wall, landing inside the building.

Patting the back of her head, Rose jumped up and walked toward Jenis, who was waiting quietly, surrounded by her wings as if protecting herself.

“Hunching down during a fight is not a good look.”

As Rose approached Jenis with her rapier drawn, Jenis spread her wings wide and revealed the magic circle concealed within.

Just before the blue flash hit Rose, she recognized the identity of the incoming magic. It was the ‘Star’s Flash,’ a spell known for its devastating power against a single target.

“Damn it—”

As Rose was sent flying back by the blue beam, she cursed. Watching Rose tumble to the ground, Jenis couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

“Those wings sure come in handy, huh?”

“You’re the only vampire who can use wings like that in this world!”

Rose growled, throwing off her military coat after being hit by the powerful spell. Star’s Flash was undoubtedly classified as a light magic attack spell, and it was something any ordinary vampire would find daunting to wield.

“I’m not a vampire. I’m a half-vampire.”

“Looking at your talents, the other half must be a pretty tough monster.”

“I’ll take that as a great compliment.”

“Because it really is a compliment!”

Rose adjusted her sword and charged at Jenis with all her power. Though her right arm was still tucked behind her back, it felt like Rose’s movements had intensified significantly, as if she truly began to sense the threat of defeat.

Jenis swung her wings and long claws alternately, barely managing to fend off Rose’s relentless onslaught. While the Star’s Flash shocked Rose momentarily, it didn’t deliver a decisive blow. Rather than slowing down, Jenis’ movements had grown quicker, and no matter how much she acknowledged her vampire lineage, Jenis’ physical abilities couldn’t match Rose’s.

As Jenis was slowly pushed back, she bumped her head against the debris of the fallen tavern and glanced back.

“Ouch!”

“An opening!”

Rose pulled back her sword and kicked at Jenis. Hit by the front kick from the Crown Princess, Jenis fell back with a yelp. This time, the noblewoman, unable to block the attack with her wings, felt a searing pain coursing through her body as she struggled to get back up.

“Can you still fight, kid?”

“I’m good. It hurts, but let me know if I’m about to go down!”

“Alright, your physical durability is beyond Margaret’s. Let’s see how far your skills can go!”

In terms of endurance, protected by the magical barrier of light, Jenis had already surpassed Margaret, the only daughter of the Fairy Royal Family.

Of course, Margaret had always been the type to avoid wearing armor in favor of maximizing agility, being a warrior who would dodge attacks and strike at openings rather than withstand them, so it couldn’t be said that Jenis was definitively stronger than Margaret just based on that.

This time, Jenis unfurled a black magic circle in one hand and a white magic circle in the other, blocking Rose’s path. The spectacle piqued the Crown Princess’s interest.

“You can use dark magic?”

“I’m about to test it. Based on my instincts, it feels possible…”

“Good intentions there. Come at me!”

In response to Rose’s provocation, Jenis extended both hands and unleashed two flames toward Rose. The flame from one hand was dark red like Dracula’s fire, while the fire from the other hand had the familiar crimson hue of a regular fire spell. The two flames converged before Rose, taking the form of a monstrous mouth as they lunged at her.

Of course, Rose, who could take a dragon’s breath head-on, had no reason to fear such flames.

Turning her head away from the scorching inferno in grimace, Rose took a deep breath and then faced the flames once more.

“Enough!”

Rose shouted powerfully toward the flames. Within her cry was the protective barrier of a solid wall, forming a sound wave that dispelled Jenis’ fierce flames. Ultimately, Jenis’ fire diminished to the size of a mere candle, getting sucked back into the caster’s hands.

Surprised by the sheer power of Rose who, with a single shout, had dispelled her dual flames, Jenis brushed off her hands in disbelief.

“Honestly, you’ve been so lenient with me, haven’t you?”

“I told you, I’m only using one hand.”

Rose waved her truly uninvolved right hand while sticking out her tongue. It was only then that Jenis sighed deeply, realizing the gap in combat prowess between them.

“In that case, I have no choice but to capitalize on that advantage.”

“Aha, so now you’re targeting my right side?”

“Even for a princess, I would assume there is at least a bit of slack in your defense. Excuse me while I come in!”

There was, of course, no real excuse. In the beginning, Jenis had declared she would target just the left side out of courtesy. But having realized the skill gap between her and Rose, she became increasingly eager to inflict damage. Rationally speaking, there wasn’t much of a logical reason for Jenis to want to harm Rose, but consumed by the thrill of the duel itself, she lacked the luxury of making such rational judgments.

The more Jenis pressed her advantage, the more Rose delighted in testing her opponent’s limits. While Rose kept in mind that this fight could become a significant issue for the Imperial Assembly, she was determined to use the outcome of this battle to gather proof that “rational conversation and respectful duels with Jenis are indeed possible” and to collect evidence of just how powerful and useful she was.

Regardless, now that the stakes had risen, it was inevitable that the nobles would act due to the commotion that was about to ensue. In a sense, Rose was gathering evidence for Jenis’ future defense. Especially since Jenis had deliberately lured Rose to a secluded location to continue their duel, it could serve as crucial evidence.

But that was a matter for later. Right now, Rose focused on relishing the battle.

Jenis’ fierce claw attacks sliced toward Rose. While Rose struggled to defend against Jenis’ relentless attacks, the involvement of wings as close-combat weapons made it increasingly impossible for her to block every incoming strike using only one arm with her rapier.

“You’ve become more skilled. Adapting more and more, huh, rookie?”

“If you keep acting so relaxed, you’re going to get hit hard!”

“Let’s see if you can—”

At that moment, Jenis’ sharp claws barely grazed Rose’s face. Rose had assumed such a weak attack couldn’t possibly leave a mark on her body, but simultaneous with the fleeting pain, a thought crossed her mind: ‘Could it be?’

And then, a few drops of blood splattered from Rose’s face onto Jenis’ hand. Rose’s eyes widened with surprise and excitement. In that instant, it seemed Jenis had picked up on Rose’s anger, stepping back slightly in shock. Rather than being conscious of the social divide between them, she was momentarily overawed by Rose’s fearless spirit.

Rose raised her right hand, which she had not yet used, and brushed it across her face.

Indeed, a single line of red, a drop of blood, trickled down from her face. Rose opened her mouth slightly, letting out a laugh that bore a far greater anticipation and astonishment than before.

“A wound, huh.”

Jenis blinked, as if realizing she hadn’t been aware of herself. Rose stuck out her tongue, hiding her right hand behind her back once more.

“That’s quite something. No, maybe ‘quite something’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. So, how does it feel to see blood?”

“Um… strangely, it’s not giving me any thoughts. Honestly, I thought it might even look delicious, but not really…”

“Alright, it seems like I’ve confirmed what I needed to confirm.”

Rose sheathed her rapier at her waist. Jenis shook her head and resumed her combat stance.

“Are you backing off now, Your Highness?”

“Not a chance. I’m just getting started, missy. After that little nap, you’ll be back to your senses.”

Before Jenis could even respond, Rose swiftly approached her and threw a powerful punch to her face. Jenis faltered and attempted to retaliate using her wings, but Rose was much quicker.

A strong soccer kick connected with Jenis’ abdomen, sending the half-human, half-horse Countess soaring through the air. As Jenis flailed her wings, trying to regain control, Rose, having stepped on a nearby board, leapt several meters into the air and caught Jenis’ wings, lifting her high into the sky.

Caught high above by the Crown Princess, Jenis mumbled desperately with a nervous look.

“As nice as glamorous finishes sound, could you please not make it hurt?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll send you down in one shot!”

With all her might, Rose slammed Jenis into the ground. The noblewoman, dropped from a height of about four meters, impacted with the earth, creating a pit approximately fifty centimeters deep.

Using her fall to safely land, Rose walked slowly toward the heavily dusted pit.

Rose had kept her promise. Jenis, who had completely lost consciousness from the final throw, lay in the pit in a human-like form, devoid of wings and claws, as if simply taking a nap.

The Crown Princess’s calculations had been spot on. Rose determined that Jenis had fallen into some sort of awakening state, completely unaware of the accumulated damage she had sustained; she believed that with this last blow, she could definitely extinguish her consciousness.

That calculation was mostly correct, allowing Rose to gauge not only Jenis’ endurance but her overall resilience as well. Though still unrefined, it was undoubtedly powerful. Unlike the heroes’ warriors, who were mostly finished and expected little growth, this young lady seemed to hold great promise as a new type of combatant for the future.

“Anyway, the guards will probably try to apprehend her.”

Rose mumbled as she cautiously scooped Jenis up in her arms. If that was going to happen, it would be better to take her directly to the palace for confinement. Then, to prepare for the ensuing chaos, she would need to write a letter to Walter in the North. Walter would definitely need to take a stance regarding this matter…