No to Being the Suffering Heroine!

Those who wield dual swords have short lives. Dun dun!

This isn’t just my prejudice; it’s a statistical fact. If you want to refute me, bring up a counterexample. If there even is one! Haha!

At least, to my knowledge, there hasn’t been anyone who survived to old age while swinging dual swords. I’ve seen plenty of fools who dropped dead before reaching thirty. Thunk!

I’ve seen it happen not just in my original world but also in this one. Whoosh!

They think having two weapons means they’re twice as strong, prancing around and dying twice as fast as everyone else. Bam!

I’ve never seen anyone, wielding only two swords without a shield or armor, live long. Clash!

They boast that if they watch closely, they won’t need shields, but once you toss them in a dungeon, they become goblin sushi in no time. Splat!

It’s all because of dual swords. Slash!

In their minds, they’re dancing like heroes, wielding two swords with a storm of slashes, but reality is cold and cruel. Shiver!

If they can’t handle one sword properly, how do they think they’ll manage two? Ding!

These pretentious dual-sword adventurers just flail about like a pig in water, unable to block even a single blow from the enemy and die pathetically. Oink!

Got it?

If you want to live long, don’t even think about dual swords. Bam!

“Hahaha! Yeah, that’s right! Now this is starting to feel fun!” Cha-ching!

And before my eyes, Lakan was not just wielding dual swords but swinging two claymores around. Swish!

His size made it look somewhat fitting, but… honestly, with that much strength and stamina, a single longer and heavier greatsword would have been much better. Thump!

This isn’t dual swords; it looks like he’s dying to get himself killed. Gulp!

“Oh, really? That’s great!” Woohoo!

As I recall, Lakan was in his mid-to-late thirties. Tick-tock!

For a gang leader obsessed with fighting, he had lived surprisingly long, but considering he was wielding dual swords, it was clear he wouldn’t see the new year. Yoink!

In fact, he might not even see the end of today. Doom!

At least, I was fully prepared to make that happen. Vroom!

“Then let’s see how much you can enjoy it before you burst!” Boom!

I’ll pluck that head of his, which seems to have no meaning at all, and display it in the middle of the square. Let’s see if he can still smile like that, even in that state. Haha!

“Kaahh!” Wowza!

“Hahhh!” Phew!

The earth groaned, split open, and moaned. Blood spattered everywhere. Cheers and roars intertwined. Three blades clashed violently, scattering sparks. Sizzle!

◆◆

A one-on-one duel with the strongest Pesengwigel. I couldn’t hope for help. Dun dun!

Friede and Eleadra had already sent Ashel’s half-brother outside the slums to protect him. Protect!

If I took too long, they might have to come back… But dragging the fight out would only be a disadvantage for me. Tick-tock!

Even if Friede returned quickly, other Beastfolk would join their boss faster. Zoom!

In other words, I couldn’t waste energy while it was still a one-on-one and needed to wrap things up quickly. Whoosh!

That wasn’t an easy task though. Ugh!

– KAAAAANG! Bam!

“Whoa, that was pretty risky! I almost got my neck pierced!” Eek!

A spear lanced forward like a bolt of lightning. Lakan, using one greatsword as a pivot, spun and swung the other one. Whee!

“Taking it easy, are we?” Oh no!

I avoided his attack by kicking at his abdomen to gain distance. Kick!

With a grunt, Lakan took a step back, kicking up the lodged greatsword and lunging at me with it. Swish!

– KAGAGAGAK! Swhoosh!

Blocking Lakan’s thrust with the edge of Edelmut, I countered, targeting his shoulder, but he reacted quickly, and my attack barely grazed his forearm. Zap!

Blades, edges, hilts, fists, forearms, legs. Clank!

Our fight consisted of desperate exchanges aimed at each other’s vital points, culminating in a mutually exchanged blow, causing a light spray of blood. Splash!

“Crgh…!” Ouch!

Lakan stroked his chin where blood dripped down. Drip drop!

“Grr…!” Grr!

I grimaced, clutching my lower abdomen with my left hand. The battle was nearly even. Neither of us had revealed our trump cards yet. Ding!

Lakan, relying on his basic physical abilities and regeneration, relentlessly swung his dual greatswords while occasionally attempting to hit me with his arms or legs. Smash!

Rather than refined technique, it was more about instinctive ferocity. Yet his long reach and beast-like prowess perfectly covered any gaps he created. Zoom!

In contrast, I countered his attacks with the swordsmanship of Brunhilde ingrained in me and the near-forced techniques of the Knights of the Kingdom of Hervor. Swish!

I was saving my spear techniques for another time. If I couldn’t settle it with them, I’d end up in a disadvantageous situation due to excessive stamina depletion. Whoosh!

Plus, there really wasn’t an opening to use them. Uh-oh!

As the fight dragged on, Lakan’s strength was incredible, but more than that, he was quicker than I had anticipated. Almost on par with Friede without her Holy Sword. Zoom!

When it comes to raw strength, my side had the upper hand with my enhanced capabilities, but Lakan had an absolute advantage in agility. Phew!

While I was ahead in swordsmanship, able to parry or deflect most attacks even moving a beat slower… Clash!

‘…Damn wolf. Every time I try to make a decisive blow, he just hurls himself at me.’ Thud!

Attempts to land a finishing hit were thwarted as he lunged forward and rampaged. The battle inevitably turned into a grueling stalemate. Ugh!

“Ha! I can’t seem to cut through at all. Who knew you could hold your ground this well with just a longsword?” Guffaw!

Of course, Lakan had never been interested in anything other than fighting, so he was grinning ear to ear, enjoying the drawn-out struggle. Chuckle!

What a dog, really. Growl!

Being unable to easily crush someone I wanted to kill felt quite frustrating. Argh!

I hadn’t felt this pent-up powerlessness in a long time since obtaining strength enough to tear marauders apart in a heartbeat, which was more of a relief than nostalgia. Ugh!

“Your swordsmanship isn’t what I’d expect from a human; who taught you?” Whoosh!

“Hmm, perhaps your mother?” Haha!

“Oh, is she still alive? I’d appreciate any message you could send her.” Grin!

Trying to relieve my irritation through insults meant nothing, as Lakan seemed accustomed to such taunts, only offering a bored chuckle in return. Yawn!

My displeasure deepened. Grr!

After a few cuts that breached the unarmored sections of his body, both irritation and rage reached their peak. Boom!

And just like that, a meaningless ten minutes slipped away. Tick-tock!

– Squirm. Wiggle!

Until Ashel, who had fainted from the pain, stirred, opening her eyes. Blink!

======[ Ashel ]======

‘What is this…?’ Huh?

Ashel, who fainted from rage and frustration that felt like her cranial blood vessels were about to burst. Bang!

Thanks to her wounds healing somewhat, she regained consciousness just in time to see her enemies fiercely battling in front of her. Fight!

“Just die already!” Boom!

“Try harder! This is nothing!” Ha!

One side was a crazed black guy who had been eyeing her for a while, the very same scoundrel she deeply despised for abducting and selling off his own kind. Snarl!

And on the other side stood the armored human trash she swore to kill for injuring the orphan she cared for. Slash!

– KWWAAAAAANG! Boom!

Of course, both sides were monsters that Ashel currently wouldn’t dare touch. Yikes!

While she had seen Lakan fight a few times and wasn’t particularly shocked, the woman’s performance was utterly astonishing. Whoa!

‘Lakan is being pushed back…? That insane woman, that’s not even human, right?’ Blink!

Kemohick, who had effortlessly slain four riffraff moments before, was now engaging in a nearly even fight against Lakan. Clash!

If that were purely due to swordsmanship, I might have accepted that she was a lifelong practitioner. Hmm!

Yet, it was clear that power and sheer force clashes were favoring her, even slightly pushing Lakan back. Push!

Lakan had the advantage in size and speed, thus creating this semblance of an even battle; if they had similar builds and speeds, it would have been a crushing victory for Krimhilde. Yikes!

‘No, this isn’t the time to analyze power levels.’ Snap!

Ashel shook her head, casting aside her mindless thoughts and rising her upper body from the ground. Rise!

Slither.

The bear-skin cloak draped over her slid off her body. Slide!

“Eh? What’s this?” Huh?

Noticing the cloak, Ashel squinted one eye and looked down at her body. Look!

The leather fur cloak flowed down to her waist, covering only her legs like a blanket. Hmm!

Stained with blood, splotches of red spread across it, reeking of an intense mix of blood and lemon. Yuck!

‘This is that crazy woman’s cloak…’ Gosh!

Without needing a name tag, it was obvious whose cloak it belonged to. Duh!

‘Why is it here…? Did she cover me? Why??’ Ponder!

An incomprehensible situation. Still dazed from the fainting, Ashel forced her mind to ponder why that insane troll killer showed her such unexpected kindness. Hmm?

‘Was she about to feast on me…?’ Gasp!

If Hilde heard this, she’d call it a ludicrous accusation, but to the rest, it was a theory that could certainly be taken as a probable truth. Haha!

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