Free Web NovelChapter 10: 10: A Curse (4)
He moved silently from the broken tree trunk to another fallen body. None of the enemies saw him. Jeff was too busy enjoying his own betrayal speech, and the hired killers were watching Peter like wolves watching an injured bull. Lucard picked up the short sword from the dead guard and held it in his left hand while keeping the dagger in his right.
The weapon was heavier than he wanted, but usable.
In the clearing, Jeff raised his hand.
"Enough talking," he said. "Kill Peter. Do not damage the girl too much. Break the boy’s legs if he runs."
The four hired killers moved.
Peter lifted his long sword and stepped forward, but his injured leg almost gave out. Jenny caught his arm from behind for half a second, then let go because she knew he needed both hands. Jake looked around desperately for a weapon.
The spear man attacked first.
His spear thrust toward Peter’s chest. Peter blocked it with his long sword, but the impact pushed him back. The axe wielder rushed in from the side, swinging one axe toward Peter’s wounded shoulder. Peter barely twisted away, and the axe cut his armor instead of flesh. The curved blade user moved toward Jenny, trying to slip around Peter’s defense.
Lucard moved at that moment. freewebnoveℓ.com
He came from behind the mage.
The mage was raising his staff, preparing to cast. He never saw Lucard. He probably did not even sense him because Lucard’s mana was almost nothing, and no one in this world expected the Mudblood Heir to move like a hunting shadow.
Lucard drove the dagger into the mage’s neck.
The mage’s eyes opened wide.
Before he could scream, Lucard covered his mouth and used Blood Absorption.
Blood rushed into Lucard’s palm through the dagger wound. The mage’s body shook violently. His skin dried around his face, and the unfinished spell on his staff collapsed into sparks. Lucard felt mana fragments enter him with the blood. They were weak and messy, but still useful. The mage’s memories flashed for a moment. Payment. Jeff’s betrayal. The order to take Jake alive. A name hidden behind fear, but the memory was too broken to fully see.
The mage died without making a proper sound.
Lucard let the body fall.
[Blood Absorption Successful.]
Level Progress Increased.]
He did not look at the notification for long. The curved blade user heard the body drop and turned his head.
"What the Fuck?"
Lucard threw the dagger.
The dagger flew badly compared to what his old body could do, but his aim was perfect. It struck the curved blade user in the side of the throat. The man staggered, clutching the wound. Blood poured between his fingers.
Peter, who had just realized someone else had entered the fight, did not waste the chance. He swung his long sword with a grunt and cut into the curved blade user’s chest. The man fell backward.
Jeff’s face changed.
"What is happening?"
Lucard stepped into the clearing with the short sword in his hand.
Jenny froze. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Jake’s eyes widened.
Peter looked like he had seen a ghost.
"Lucard?" Jenny whispered.
Lucard did not look at her.
His eyes stayed on the enemies.
The spear man and axe wielder stepped back in confusion. Jeff stared at him with disbelief, then anger, then fear. To them, Lucard Vardros was supposed to be dead. Even if he survived, he was supposed to be useless. A weak bastard. A Mudblood Heir. Someone who would tremble and hide behind others.
Lucard walked forward slowly.
His clothes were torn. His face was covered in blood. His black hair hung messily over his forehead. He looked like a young noble who had crawled out of death. But his eyes were wrong. There was no fear in them. There was no panic. There was only cold patience, as if the people in front of him were already corpses and he was only deciding how dry he wanted them to become.
Jeff swallowed.
"You survived?"
Lucard smiled slightly.
"For now."
Jake stepped forward with joy and shock on his face.
"Brother Lucard."
Jenny grabbed him and pulled him back again, but her own eyes were shaking. "Lucard, how are you alive?"
Lucard still did not look back.
"That question can wait."
Peter tightened his grip on his long sword, his face full of disbelief. "Young Master, stay behind me. These men are dangerous."
Lucard glanced at him once.
"You can barely stand."
Peter looked ashamed but did not deny it.
The axe wielder spat to the side and raised both axes.
"Who cares if the bastard survived? He killed the mage by sneaking. I will split him open."
Lucard looked at the man and said, "Come."
The axe wielder rushed.
He was strong for a mortal. His first swing came from above, aiming to split Lucard’s head. Lucard stepped to the side. The movement was not fast like his god body, but it was controlled. The axe hit the ground. Lucard moved close and slashed the short sword across the man’s wrist. Blood sprayed.
The moment blood came out, Lucard pulled it.
The axe wielder screamed as the blood from his wrist wound rushed toward Lucard’s palm in a thin red stream. It was not enough to kill him instantly, but it weakened him. His second axe swing became slower. Lucard ducked under it and stabbed the short sword into the man’s inner thigh, where blood vessels were thick.
Then he absorbed blood again. The axe wielder fell to one knee.
Peter stared with horror and confusion.
Jenny covered Jake’s eyes, but Jake pulled her hand down and kept watching with a pale face.
The spear man shouted and thrust his spear toward Lucard’s back.
Peter moved despite his injury and blocked the spear with his long sword.
The impact made Peter cough blood, but he held on.
"You will not touch him," Peter said.
Lucard looked at Peter for half a breath, then returned his attention to the axe wielder. He placed his palm on the man’s head.
"Thank you for standing still."
