Inheritance

Inside the church.

As a warrior, Stark stretched his body after a simple treatment.

Finding that his injuries no longer affected his mobility and after confirming the church's safety with the priest, he said to Earl Granat:

"The Earl should stay right here."

Granat looked somewhat shocked at Stark, who was preparing to leave.

"Stupid brat, what are you trying to do?"

Stark put on his clothes and said earnestly, "If we just hide like this, the demons won't leave either, right?"

"Lord Stark, are you serious?"

Fern did not hold out much hope for this; their successful sneak attack last time was due to the other party's carelessness, and now they were on guard.

Stark picked up his weapon and said in a resolute tone, "Someone has to do this kind of thing, right?"

"That's true." Fern looked at Stark with gratification: "Let's do our best together."

The church was located at the edge of the town.

The two just left the church and, taking advantage of the thick moonlight, climbed onto the city wall.

Fern saw that the bandages wrapped around Stark's hands were still seeping blood, and asked with some worry:

"Are you okay like this? It looks like you're badly hurt."

"It should be fine. For a warrior, this injury is very ordinary."

Stark looked at his hands and replied indifferently.

"I've never seen a warrior with hands dripping with blood on the street," Fern said with some helplessness.

Stark looked at Fern and found that blood stains had also adhered to the lower part of Fern's robe, and laughed:

"Didn't Fern get blood stains on her too? Haha."

Fern followed Stark's gaze to look at the blood stains on her skirt hem, but felt an unfamiliar magic power.

She hurriedly stripped off her robe and threw it outside the city wall, shouting urgently: "There is magic power in the blood, it's that demon..."

Before she finished speaking, a bloody spear rushed toward Fern, pinning her to the wall.

"Fern!" Stark took down his poleaxe, shouted, and moved to cut the bloody spear in half to rescue Fern.

However, a demon named Linnie summoned a poleaxe identical to Stark's and attacked from behind.

Stark had no choice but to turn around and lock in combat with Linnie.

Yet Linnie, being a demon, possessed extremely formidable strength, and this time it was a sneak attack; Stark, turning around in a hurry, was unexpectedly suppressed for a moment.

Under Linnie's pressure, the two of them fell off the city wall together.

Upon landing, Stark seized the opportunity to put some distance between them, looking at Linnie with some disbelief.

Because at this moment, the moves and identical weapons Linnie used were completely identical to those of his master Eisen.

Linnie perceived Stark's incomprehension and said softly, "What I am imitating are the moves of the human race's strongest warrior—Eisen."

Hearing this, Stark was silent for a moment, then tightened his grip on the axe handle and charged at Linnie, the two instantly engaging in a fierce battle.

On the city wall.

Lügner looked at Fern, who was pinned to the wall, and asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Is it because I, who should have been heavily injured, appeared here, or is it because you failed to detect our approach?"

Lügner was quite interested and continued, "The ability to hide one's aura by suppressing magic power is something every demon can do. But I still think that for battles between mages, suppressing magic power is a bit too beneath one's dignity."

Fern, while struggling hard against the erosion of Lügner's magic power, retorted, "You sure talk a lot... Aren't you going to deal the finishing blow?"

Lügner looked calmly at Fern: "Since the first strike didn't kill you, let me ask you a few questions along the way. Or do you want to die right now?"

Fern: "...Ask."

Lügner nodded with satisfaction, looked at the two fighting below the city wall, and asked, "Is that brat strong?"

"He is warrior Eisen's top disciple."

Fern had already purged the magic power within her body by this point; she knew Lügner must have been aware of it, though she did not know why he had not stopped her.

"I see." Lügner paid no more attention to the battle situation downstairs: "Then that's truly unfortunate; I'm afraid he will die a very miserable death at Linnie's hands."

Linnie was exceptionally skilled at sensing other people's magic power and could remember the flow of magic power within others. For Linnie, imitating the magic power flow of powerful individuals could increase her combat power.

As it happened, Linnie had once imitated the strongest warrior Eisen.

Lügner noticed Fern's small movements, but did not care; he did not believe Fern posed a threat to him.

"The second question: where has Frieren gone?"

"Lord Frieren and brother Rienta escaped from this city, all because you killed the guards..."

While speaking, Fern seized the opportunity to summon her wand, shattered the bloody spear, and aimed her wand at Lügner's heart.

Lügner did not mind that Fern had broken free from her bonds, and carefully pondered Frieren's movements.

Escaping this city was impossible; judging by Frieren's hatred for demons, she definitely had some other purpose.

"Is it Lady Aura?"

Lügner looked confidently at Fern and spoke.

Fern probably understood somewhat why Lügner did not simply kill her.

It was merely to retaliate for her sneak attack at the Earl's mansion.

"What an arrogant and self-important demon."

"Even though I've already locked onto your heart, you still only care about Lord Frieren?"

Lügner looked indifferently at Fern and said, "Give it a try. See whether your magic shatters my heart first, or I chop off your head first."

Lügner's contemptuous words made Fern tighten her grip on her wand.

The words Frieren had once spoken gave her courage.

'Fern's speed at casting magic is even faster than mine, so you can end the battle faster.'

Watching Fern, whose gaze was gradually growing resolute, Lügner looked somewhat surprised.

"Little girl, I have dedicated more than half my life's lifetime to magic."

"Me too!"

Fern took the lead in releasing attack magic and rushed toward Lügner.

An attack with virtually no pre-casting animation genuinely shocked Lügner.

If not for his body's reflexively defensive action, his heart would probably have been pierced right then.

And Fern also confirmed Lügner's weakness: "You defended instinctively; as expected, your weakness is your heart."

Lügner no longer dared to look down upon the human mage before him, and began to unleash Blood Manipulation Magic with all his might.

"It seems you weren't just spouting nonsense earlier."

"Use your full strength to please me!"

Below the city wall.

Stark was close to unconsciousness, leaning weakly against a large tree and panting.

Damn it, if only Rienta were here, but Lord Frieren, who went to deal with Aura, seems to need Rienta's help even more.

"Has it finally started over there? Lord Lügner is as fond of idle chatter as ever." Linnie also sensed the battle on the city wall.

Linnie glanced at the blood-drenched, panting Stark, hesitating over whether to go up onto the city wall to watch the battle.

Yet she feared disturbing Lord Lügner's fight, so she sighed and muttered:

"It's already over on this side; I really want to go and watch."

Hearing Linnie's words, a mysterious power welled up inexplicably inside Stark.

That was the teaching from his master: "A warrior's victory is standing until the very end on the battlefield!"

He picked up the weapon that had fallen aside and shouted, "It's not... over yet! Have another axe from me!"

Linnie looked helplessly at Stark and re-summoned the identical poleaxe.

"How tenacious. It seems you can still let me enjoy the thrill of battle a bit longer."

Stark stared fixedly at Linnie: "Furthermore, Master's moves are far heavier than yours!"

"Then let me, someone who only knows how to imitate others, send you on your way with my own hands!"

The battle between Linnie and Stark began anew.