Chapter 13: What a Narcissistic Woman
Within the dim forest, the black-robed figure raised its dagger, preparing to stab the weakened silver-haired girl.
Just as the dagger was about to strike, a figure emerged from the shadows and carried the silver-haired girl away.
Eh?
Eh eh eh?!
The sudden scene completely blanked out Dolores’s mind.
She seemed to have…
Been princess-carried?
Before her eyes, a strand of pink hair hung down and lightly brushed against her cheek.
Pink hair?
That color felt awfully familiar.
Wait, don’t tell me—
She raised her head and immediately met a pair of amber eyes.
Philly again?
Why was she everywhere?!
After escaping the Shadow Demon’s transfer array, shouldn’t they have returned directly to the academy?
Don’t tell her…
Philly came here specifically looking for her?
And planned to secretly finish her off here?
Holy crap, she still hasn’t given up on delivering the finishing blow?!
“Miss~ we meet again~”
A charming and seductive female voice drifted beside her ear.
Warm breath brushed against her ear, making her entire body tremble.
At the same time, a faint orange blossom fragrance lingered around her nose.
Only then did Dolores realize—
She was actually being princess-carried by Philly, the game’s heroine.
Dolores’s face instantly turned bright red.
The blush spread from her neck all the way to her ears as her brain completely crashed.
Aaaahhh!
Philly lowered her head and looked at her.
Within those amber eyes reflected Dolores’s bright red face.
“Oh my~?”
“Miss, your face is sooo red~”
A meaningful smile hung at the corner of her lips, while unconcealable delight filled her eyes.
“Could it be…”
“You’re shy?”
Who’s shy?!
Dolores finally snapped out of her mental shutdown.
Wait, no!
She had been just about to succeed earlier.
Then Philly suddenly rushed in and carried her away?!
Who asked you to save me?!
Do you even realize you ruined everything?!
The moment she thought of that, her face became even redder.
Philly gently landed while still holding Dolores.
Seeing the girl in her arms becoming even more “red-faced,” she couldn’t help letting out a soft laugh.
“Pfft, a shy Miss is really adorable~”
“Put me down.”
Dolores turned her head away.
The redness on her face was impossible to tell whether it came from embarrassment or pure frustration.
But one thing was certain—
Most of it was probably frustration.
“Of course~”
Philly carefully lowered her to the ground with a gentleness usually reserved for treasures.
Her fingers lingered around Dolores’s waist for an extra moment, secretly brushing the tips of her silver hair as well.
Why is this woman getting handsy again?!
Dolores clearly felt Philly’s little movements.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she immediately jumped away and widened the distance between them while staring at Philly with vigilance.
“Oh my my?”
“Miss, you really are heartless~”
Philly made a gesture as if wiping tears from the corner of her eye, sounding slightly aggrieved.
“I clearly saved you, yet you’re still so wary of me…”
What exactly is that supposed to mean?
You ruined all my hard work and still expect me to thank you?!
I thank your entire family!
Dolores calmed herself slightly and thought things through.
Philly really did arrive at the perfect moment.
Earlier, she genuinely planned to gamble.
She intended to take one hit in exchange for landing an attack with the Holy Sword enhanced by 【Blood Devour】 to absorb the Shadow Demon’s strength.
But now that she reconsidered it…
That plan had been far too risky.
She couldn’t guarantee she’d successfully hit the Shadow Demon.
After all, it was an experienced assassin.
The moment it sensed her intentions, it might instantly dodge away.
And even if she landed the strike, she had no idea exactly how much 【Blood Devour】 could absorb.
What if it only stole a tiny amount?
Wouldn’t she just die for nothing?
Not to mention that dagger wrapped in black mist.
That thing looked incredibly dangerous.
In the game, the Shadow Demon never managed to hit Philly even once.
So Dolores had no idea what would happen if she got stabbed.
What exactly was that black mist?
Poison?
A curse?
If she took a hit from that dagger, nothing good would happen.
Thinking about it that way…
Did she really owe Philly thanks?
“…Thank you.”
After hesitating for a moment, Dolores quietly expressed her gratitude.
Damn it.
Within a single day, Philly had already saved her twice.
She turned her head aside, refusing to look directly at Philly.
There was no need to look.
She already knew that woman was definitely staring at her with a delighted expression right now.
The air fell silent for several seconds.
Hm?
Why wasn’t there any reaction?
Unable to resist, Dolores secretly glanced sideways.
Sure enough, Philly was covering her mouth while secretly giggling.
Hmph, laugh all you want!
Just as Dolores prepared to look away again, the corner of her eye suddenly caught a black shadow.
The Shadow Demon had somehow already appeared behind Philly, and the dagger in its hand was stabbing toward the back of her neck.
“Watch out behind you!”
Dolores immediately shouted a warning while gripping the Holy Sword tightly, preparing to rush forward.
But Philly didn’t even turn her head.
She still maintained her giggling posture while casually drawing the sword at her waist with one hand and lazily lifting it behind herself—
Clang!
She perfectly blocked the incoming attack from behind.
“What?!”
The Shadow Demon looked utterly incredulous after its sneak attack failed.
It had completely concealed its presence.
How did she notice it?
Immediately, it shifted angles and launched another ambush.
But the result remained exactly the same.
Philly flawlessly blocked it again.
And once more, she didn’t even bother turning around.
???
The Shadow Demon refused to believe it.
It continued launching sneak attacks over and over.
Yet after attacking for ages, it still couldn’t even touch a single strand of Philly’s hair.
The sight completely stunned Dolores.
Seriously, just how many times had Philly reincarnated?
Why did it feel like she understood the Shadow Demon’s attack patterns better than the Shadow Demon itself?
Did she literally memorize the entire boss pattern through repetition?
While continuously blocking the attacks behind her, Philly stepped closer toward Dolores.
Throughout the entire process, her eyes never left Dolores’s face.
“You’re welcome~”
“Being able to save Miss is my honor~”
Hey!
You actually still have time to say things like that?!
At least show a little respect toward the Shadow Demon behind you!
Aren’t you worried it might suddenly change tactics?!
Dolores crazily complained inwardly.
Her gaze passed over Philly and landed on the increasingly enraged Shadow Demon behind her.
Its attacks were becoming completely chaotic.
At this point, it looked like it was just randomly stabbing wildly.
Apparently, Dolores wasn’t the only one currently overheating with rage.
“You…!”
“You actually dare look down on me?!”
The Shadow Demon’s voice brimmed with fury.
It retreated several steps.
The black mist beneath its robes suddenly swelled outward as countless daggers formed from dark energy shot from the mist, densely flying toward Philly.
This time, Philly finally stopped ignoring it.
Crimson flames ignited across her sword blade as she turned and swung.
【Sword Skill · Crimson Flame】
A scarlet wave of fire erupted from her blade, instantly shattering every dark dagger.
The remaining shockwave continued forward, blasting the Shadow Demon several meters backward before violently slamming it into a tree trunk.
“Gah!”
The Shadow Demon cried out painfully before collapsing onto the ground.
Philly calmly sheathed her sword with elegant composure.
While turning around, she even casually brushed back her hair.
“So~?”
“Don’t you think I’m very reliable, Miss~?”
Hearing that, the corners of Dolores’s mouth twitched.
Ughhh—
What an unbelievably narcissistic woman.
If Philly hadn’t said that line, Dolores might’ve actually thought that sword strike looked kind of cool.
But the moment she opened her mouth…
The entire atmosphere got ruined.