Chapter 17: Huni.
The beast’s claws slashed wildly, but Flo dodged with agile footwork, appearing calm.
Yet his heart sank—his blades struck the bandages with dull thuds, not even leaving a scratch.
The sounds of battle outside the city walls echoed in his ears.
Were the Phoenix family facing these impervious monsters too?
And those well-trained knights…
The Church’s forces were barely useful, and scattered adventurers were no match for a disciplined army.
Where was the hope of victory?
He could only hope high-tier adventurers and reinforcements arrived soon.
“Hah!”
Flo roared, lunging forward, his blades aimed at the beast’s neck with all his strength.
Clang!
A deafening clash, and the beast only staggered back two steps, unscathed.
Flo froze.
Even its neck was that tough?
Run?
The thought flickered but was quickly suppressed.
His upbringing forbade fleeing from battle.
But this beast’s speed matched his—escaping wouldn’t be easy.
He stepped back, eyeing the faint outline beneath the bandages, his breath catching slightly.
Just as Flo was at a loss, an infuriatingly smug voice echoed in his mind.
Yes, infuriatingly smug—cute, but it made Flo’s fists clench!
[Hey there, who’s this? Oh, it’s the half-elf loser who can’t even break a defense~ Doesn’t even know this beast needs magic to be beaten, just hacking away with knives. What a loser~]
Damn it, do I even know magic? Can I use it?
And putting a monster tailored to counter me here—was that on purpose?!
Who the hell was this voice?!
[Oh, forgot to mention, this beast wasn’t immune to physical attacks originally. I added that~ How’s it feel? Pretty tough, huh? Useless junior, why not try magic to beat it? Oh, right, you can’t use magic! Hahaha, guess you’re just gonna die, loser junior~]
Goddamn it!
Flo fended off the beast’s attacks while grinding his teeth.
This elementary school dropout!
But the incessant, grating voice showed no sign of stopping, prattling on endlessly.
[Here’s the deal: beg me, and I’ll let you beat this beast. Oh, but you’re too proud to beg, right? Then die, loser junior~ Hahaha]
“You helped me take down that knight commander earlier, didn’t you?”
Flo snapped, annoyed.
He was certain—back then, he couldn’t pierce Tucks’ body, but some force had aided him.
This infuriating voice, calling him a loser junior, might be hostile but only slightly.
Why?
Because what kind of senior buffs a monster to screw over their junior?!
If there was such a person, they’d definitely be an elementary school dropout!
[Not bad, loser junior. Pretty sharp. Maybe not that dumb.]
Why did this senior keep adding those weird yellow-face emojis?!
So distracting!
Flo clicked his tongue, though both his mothers had told him not to.
This voice in his head was just too much—he couldn’t help it.
If he was guilty, send him to prison, not torment him with this abstract nonsense!
“Don’t know what this… elementary dropout senior wants?”
[What do I want? To settle a score! The shame I suffered with the Astraea family? I’m taking it all back through you!]
Flo could barely hold it together.
He guessed this annoying senior was a deity, but damn it, what did their grudges have to do with him?
No need to treat little Flo like some punching bag!
“Senior, to be honest, I’ve got nothing to do with Astraea. I’m… not close to her. Yeah, not close…”
Flo sounded guilty.
[Not close? You mean her giving you private lessons, breaking rules just to meet you? 😒 Who’re you fooling, kid!]
“Then how do I get you to leave me alone?”
Flo gave up.
Goddamn it! He just wanted to ditch this abstract senior fast.
[Here’s the deal: be my proxy and work against Astraea with me 😁. From what I’ve seen, you don’t like her much, do you? 😲]
“Deal, but who’s Senior…?”
Joking aside, a god with a grudge against Astraea pulling him in?
Perfect!
Flo, born rebellious, couldn’t stand being oppressed by Astraea any longer!
[Heh, my name’ll shock you! 🤓 I am Daphne, Goddess of Nature and Poetry, Lord of All Things!]
Wait… wasn’t that the elf goddess rumored to be close with the Goddess of Time, Astraea?
Like, share-a-bed close?
Am I… part of their play?
[What’re you thinking, you little punk? Made up your mind? Join me against that jerk Astraea!]
Seeing Daphne like this, were the rumors wrong? Were they actually enemies?
Hah, that might fool others, but Flo?
You’d have better luck tricking a kid!
Still, this was a golden opportunity, and Flo had no reason to pass it up.
He’d just play along as if an ancestral friend was helping him out…
“Senior! Can we team up forever? Yo, let’s do this!”