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Edward, being somewhat dense, didn't quite grasp what Mengdie meant at first and stood there, dumbfounded and unsure of what to do. To the onlookers, it appeared as if Mengdie was warning or confessing to Edward in a moment of crisis, and his surprised, clueless reaction seemed to confirm this.
"Enough! You dead rat, have you finished your love talk?!"
Mengdie glanced at Viba and took out a pocket watch from her pocket, checking the time. It was past midnight. She gently pushed Edward and whispered again, "Fifteen minutes. I just need fifteen minutes."
Edward, looking into Mengdie's determined eyes, felt somewhat ashamed. Here was a girl who could remain calm even in such dire circumstances, while he had been preoccupied with her beauty. In comparison, he felt utterly useless.
Suddenly, Edward straightened up and walked to the center of the arena, drawing his giant sword. After taking a deep breath, he gave Mengdie a thumbs up, full of confidence, and declared, "Don’t worry, Miss Mengdie. I swear on my Lansyde Mul surname, I will protect your life at all costs! No matter how you see me, I have decided to become your most loyal knight. Protecting you is the most important purpose of my life!"
Mengdie was somewhat stunned by this sudden declaration. To be honest, she didn't understand what Edward was saying at first. It wasn't until the whispering girls behind her started saying things like -
"A confession!"
"So wonderful～～～! He's proposing! Proposing at the most dangerous moment!"
"So romantic～～～"
that Mengdie realized what was happening and became even more irritated. Had it not been for fear of distracting Edward, she would have yelled out loud. Holding back her anger only made her blush again, which to everyone else looked like she was shy.
The annoying women behind her started whispering again, pointing at Mengdie's blushing face. These whispers might have been soft, but to Edward, who was always concerned about Mengdie, they were louder than anything. When he heard them mention her shyness, he quickly turned around. Seeing Mengdie leaning against a rock, gazing at him with flushed cheeks, his soul seemed to leave his body, forgetting his current predicament.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Hey! In front！！！"
Mengdie was indeed looking at Edward, but not softly, rather angrily. Viba had already started his attack, his fist, larger than Edward's head, was already swinging towards him! Mengdie's urgent reminder brought him back to his senses just in time to raise his sword and face the enemy.
"Damn it, what is that guy thinking? If I get knocked out instantly while I'm still recovering, what am I supposed to do?！... Whoa! Don't look at me! Focus on the enemy! Are you trying to drive me crazy on purpose?!"
Viba's punch roared towards Edward, who, after being loudly reminded by Mengdie, narrowly dodged it. He managed to avoid the punch, but his escape looked as disheveled as a thug losing a street fight, rolling to the side in a fluster.
"Ha ha ha! You pathetic loser, it seems that's all the strength you have! With such ability, I really wonder how you managed to trouble my men! Come, let me break one of your beloved's legs in front of her!"
Viba picked up a rock from the cave and threw it at Edward. Still rolling to dodge, Edward looked disheveled. After evading, he stole a glance at Mengdie, and seeing her worried look, his heart jolted —
That's right... how could I forget? Now... Mengdie can only rely on me! She's worried about me, and I've been so distracted?!
Depend on me...
She is...
Relying on me!
Edward slowly exhaled and stood up straight. His gaze was no longer panicked or distracted as before. He raised his giant sword steadily, gripping it tightly. He assumed the posture of a swordsman ready for combat, his eyes fixed on Viba, displaying a pure yet resolute determination.
"Hmph, finally woke up, huh?" Mengdie showed a relieved smile.
（She's depending on me... so, I absolutely won’t let down the girl who sees me as her support!）
Suddenly, Edward's aura changed dramatically! He let out a great shout and charged forward, his giant sword shining brilliantly in the lamplight!
Viba seemed somewhat caught off guard by Edward's sudden resurgence, but as he charged, Viba, relying on his massive size, swung his fist at him! However, just as his fist was about to hit, Edward spun around on his left foot, narrowly avoiding the punch that almost grazed his shoulder and hit the ground! Taking advantage of the spin, Edward swung his sword, leaving a bloody gash on Viba's right arm.
"Ugh——！！！"
Caught off guard and injured, Viba grunted and retracted his right arm. Unexpectedly, Edward saw him retracting and quickly grabbed the edge of his hand, using Viba's retracting force to let go and fly behind him! His sword, symbolizing the royal light, was tightly gripped and struck Viba's shoulder as he descended!
"Damn rat！！！"
One thing to note, as Mengdie observed, Viba was not just brawn. He had only been caught off guard by Edward’s earlier attack. After feeling the pain in his shoulder, he instinctively stepped forward to prevent Edward's sword from cutting deeper. And after stepping forward, he turned and punched without looking, accurately hitting Edward, who hadn't landed yet. In this exchange, both sides landed a hit.
"Whoa——!"
Struck head-on by the massive fist, Edward spat out blood and was flung against the rock wall like a cannonball, his entire skeleton feeling as if it would shatter. Compared to him, Viba was in a much better state; his massive injury was just a flesh wound compared to his huge body. The pain was bearable, not hindering his fight. After briefly covering his wounds, he glared angrily and advanced towards Edward again.
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