Why was Esdeath attacking her?
Leone could barely understand what was happening as she struggled to her feet.
Those eyes again.
Esdeath stared down at her with the same familiar contempt.
"Why...?"
"Why? Because I despise you."
"Is this because of Lancer?"
Leone's first instinct was that this had something to do with Lancer—but Esdeath surprised her by breaking into laughter.
"Maybe a bit? Although he isn't exactly my 'ideal type,' since he's older than I'd prefer, he's certainly one of the closest matches so far. But you're unbelievable, still worrying about something like that at a time like this."
Esdeath walked over and roughly grabbed Leone by the collar, yanking her upward until their faces nearly touched.
"You're the one I hate most, you know?"
"Do you understand? When I first agreed to teach you how to fight, it wasn't only because of that man. I actually thought you could 'become like me.' But what a shame—I misjudged you. You're nothing but a frightened little girl cowering inside this house. You're too cowardly to even claim what you want. All you know is how to beg for others' scraps. Even when you finally got something you desired, you were too spineless to reach for more. Pathetic!"
Esdeath's answer utterly stunned Leone. She had always assumed Esdeath looked down on her because of her origins, her status. Never once had she imagined it was because of something like this.
Seeing Leone's wide-eyed shock, Esdeath's gaze hardened with disgust.
"Trash. But perhaps you can still serve a final purpose."
"What are you... going to do…?"
The pain in her stomach made Leone's voice ragged and breathless, yet her eyes widened further, sensing something even worse behind those words.
"Simple. I'm looking forward to fighting that man again. That arrogant attitude of his infuriates me! And you're the perfect bait. If I threaten you, he'll finally come at me seriously, won't he? That's your only worth!"
She wants to take me hostage?
She wants to use me against Lancer?!
What can I do? I… I can't do anything!
No! I don't want this!!
...
Esdeath watched Leone slowly lower her head in defeat, and her lips curled in disdain. She hadn't expected Leone to surrender so quickly. Feeling a surge of boredom, she bitterly mocked herself in her heart:
What else should I expect from someone who won't even resist, who only knows how to submit?
As Esdeath moved to pull Leone away, she was startled to find her grip suddenly meeting resistance. Her hunting-honed instincts flared, warning her of immediate danger. She swiftly leaped backward just as Leone raised her head sharply—
Golden, beast-like eyes flashed at Esdeath before a blurred figure lunged forward.
"I refuse!"
BOOOM!
A deep crack shattered the floor where Esdeath had stood moments before, forcing her to retreat further.
"Even if I die—I will never let you use me to threaten Sir!"
With a feral roar, Leone charged again, even faster this time. Esdeath deflected Leone's swipe narrowly, stepping aside just in time.
Although Leone's body was now enhanced, her strength and speed multiplied after growing beastly claws, Esdeath's superior experience allowed her to narrowly avoid or deflect Leone's fierce strikes.
Technique was critical—but physical capability formed the foundation of combat. Now, even though Esdeath could predict Leone's attacks, her physical disadvantage meant she couldn't fully evade them. She was forced to parry blows at the cost of injuries, retreating step by step.
Meanwhile, Leone attacked wildly, lost in a haze of fury. The once-neat villa became a chaotic ruin. She had started this fight intending to defeat Esdeath—but now, consumed by raw emotion, she simply lashed out mindlessly, venting her anger through destruction.
Though Esdeath appeared battered under Leone's relentless assault, she seemed strangely thrilled, a twisted smile on her lips.
Incredible!So this is the power of a Teigu! It could turn even someone who barely qualified to challenge me into this! Magnificent!
Yet excitement aside, her eyes never left Leone. She needed to eliminate Leone before claiming that Teigu.
A direct confrontation would leave Esdeath gravely injured—even if victorious. She had removed the nearby spies, but reinforcements would arrive soon. Escaping the city afterward would be difficult.
"You still call him 'Sir' even now. Do you even dare to call him by name?"
Esdeath's sudden question seemed completely out of place, but it served its purpose. Leone's wild attacks became more frantic—Esdeath knew she'd struck a nerve.
"You really think that man loves you? He's just pitying you! He sees you as nothing but a pathetic little girl—nothing more!"
Leone's blows became heavier with each taunt, her expression slipping further into madness…
CRASH!
A huge impact blew open the front door. Esdeath backflipped through the air and landed gracefully outside. From within the ruined house came the ragged breaths of a wild beast.
"I know…"
"What?"
Expecting Leone to rush out in pursuit, Esdeath was surprised to hear Leone's voice, broken yet defiant.
"I know! I know he doesn't have feelings for me! I know he's just pitying me! I know—I know everything! But what else can I do?! I'm just a slave he bought! Even I don't know how I fell for him, but I did! I fell in love—so what am I supposed to do now?!"
Leone screamed out the words as if to purge them from her soul.
Of course Leone knew what even Esdeath could see plainly. She'd always known; she just never wanted to admit it.
She didn't fully understand love—but she knew Lancer's care for her held nothing more profound. Even when he'd eventually accepted her, she knew it was merely to avoid hurting her further. Yes—she'd always known it was just pity.
So she'd hypnotized herself again and again into believing "this was enough." But no matter how deeply she buried herself in self-delusion, illusions shattered as easily as bubbles—just like right now.
Yes, her love was pathetic—utterly pitiful. But so what?
Didn't she want to wear a beautiful gown at a gala, where she'd meet her destined one? But the reality was she had only ever been a petty thief. The only way she'd appear at such an event would be to sneak in and steal.
Didn't she want to receive a romantic proposal in a lovely garden? But she was merely a slave, a maid. And the man she loved didn't even see her that way!
Yet as Leone stood trembling, eyes wild like a wounded beast's, Esdeath calmly shook her head, cold and utterly indifferent.
"You're wrong."
"What?!"
"I said you're wrong! Love, wealth, power—even everything I desire—I will seize with my own hands! Only what you take for yourself truly belongs to you! Anything handed down by others is nothing but a mirage!"
They were nearly the same age. Their circumstances hadn't been all that different.
Both had lost their parents young. Both had fought to survive in their own ways.
The only difference was where they had started.
Raised and trained by her father from childhood, Esdeath had mastered the art of hunting Danger Beasts and had never known fear in battle. Leone, on the other hand, hadn't even known what future awaited her. Becoming a thief had been little more than drifting with the current—she had no other path available.
Their values were fundamentally opposed. Faced with the same situation, they arrived at entirely different answers.
And so—
"I really do hate you."
There was no attempt to conceal the disgust on Esdeath's face. It wasn't Leone alone she despised—she loathed anyone who bowed their head, anyone who chose submission.
"I hate you too!"
In the past, Leone had barely dared speak in front of Esdeath. Now, with power coursing through her veins, she found the courage to say it.
She hated her. Hated that Esdeath could sit brazenly at the table chatting with Lancer, while she herself could only stand silently at the side, shrinking her presence as much as possible. She hated her!
The pressure around them thickened, their auras rising. Esdeath's smile grew wilder and more unrestrained—not only from the thrill of facing a powerful opponent, but because Leone's expression now satisfied her.
Hunting was hunting—but bringing down a lion would always be more exhilarating than slaughtering cattle.
...
BANG!!
Great General Budo slammed his palm against the table, his face dark as he glared at the man before him.
"Say that again."
The messenger delivering the report was drenched in cold sweat, his back soaked through, yet he didn't dare disobey.
"The six guards assigned near General Lancer's residence have all been killed. The woman named Leone… her whereabouts are unknown."
"…Hah."
Though Budo had kept a lower profile lately, that did not mean he had grown weaker. If anything, a beast that concealed its fangs was more dangerous than one that bared them. He had heard the report clearly the first time; he demanded it repeated only because it was so unbelievable.
"Who did this? No—if you knew, you'd have already captured them. Tell me. Who are the suspects?"
He wasn't boasting. As far as he knew, aside from that mysterious teleportation-type Teigu, no one could evade the Imperial Guard's pursuit. Several Teigu users were currently stationed in the Capital, including one specialized in tracking. Once marked, escape was virtually impossible.
"There are two primary suspects. One is Gozuki a personal guard of the rebel leader Honest, along with the assassination squad he commands. The other is Esdeath, champion of the previous tournament."
Budo was thoroughly familiar with Gozuki—an officially listed high-risk individual.
But Esdeath…
"Why her? If I recall, she once refused recruitment into the army. Someone with that temperament wouldn't willingly serve under another."
Reason told him the likelihood was low. But experience had taught him never to rely solely on instinct.
"I want a full report of everyone Esdeath has been in contact with recently."
"Understood!"
With the Imperial Guard now controlling the Capital, intelligence would come swiftly once the machine moved in full force. But the truth was, it might already be too late. The person was gone. This was damage control at best.
What he feared most was how this would affect Lancer.
Budo had every intention of grooming Lancer as his right hand. Not his successor—that was impossible. The Empire's military must remain in his family's hands. But as second-in-command? Lancer had enormous potential.
He was powerful. Not suited for high command, perhaps—but on the battlefield, his fearless charge made him the perfect vanguard.
Budo still remembered the sight of Lancer cutting through enemy ranks.
I just hope he doesn't lose himself over that woman…
All Budo could do now was repair what he could—and hope Lancer would remain calm.
But…
"Troublesome…"
The blockade Budo had established should have been airtight—even Teigu users would struggle to slip through. Yet here they were. If it was truly Gozuki, then the deployed guards had never been enough to begin with. Only a select few could hold him off; the rest would fall. But as one of Honest's key hidden pieces in the Capital, activating him meant sacrificing long-term infiltration.
As for Esdeath… she hadn't even been considered a suspect. In Budo's original plans, she might have been recruited as part of the protective force.
Damn it. What is happening?
For the first time, Budo felt the situation edging toward loss of control.
...
Meanwhile, Esdeath sat calmly inside a carriage departing the Capital.
Seated beside her was none other than the very man Budo had just suspected—Gozuki.
"Lord Honest is very much looking forward to your arrival," Gozuki said evenly.
"Mmm."
"You don't seem particularly pleased."
"Yeah. I thought I'd get to enjoy myself… but…"
Esdeath's expression was complicated as she glanced at Leone, unconscious beside her.
She had expected a satisfying fight. Instead, at the height of the battle, Leone had suddenly deactivated her Teigu and collapsed.
At first, Esdeath hadn't understood.
Then she'd heard it—
Leone's stomach growling.
Her stamina had simply run out.
---
T/N: ESDEATHHHHHHHHH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH YOU YOUUUU YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
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