Dominic raised the sword that had been hanging loosely at his side.

In an instant, a blue aura flowed into the blade.

As he watched the faint blue light shimmer along the blade, Genovar found himself thinking:

‘Come to think of it… they said that when he wore the Silver Mask, his sword aura had been crimson, like flames.’

‘They also said its color changed after he encountered that Great Being.’

Preparing for a possible attack came only a moment later.

Whoosh—!

A sharp sound sliced through the air.

Thud! Thud!

The unmistakable sound of daggers burying themselves into something echoed through the swamp.

Then came the wet,

Splatter.

“It’s just an ordinary Mire Leech.”

The one who had thrown the daggers was the same mercenary who had helped Lesta destroy the vials earlier.

His name was Toma, if Genovar remembered correctly.

Grinning with infuriating confidence, Toma added,

“There was no need for our noble hero to draw his sword aura.”

“You got a little too jumpy.”

Dominic’s face flushed red.

Fortunately for him, the dense swamp mist concealed this from view.

He cleared his throat before replying.

“It’s only natural to stay alert for the safety of those traveling with me.”

Seeing Dominic respond so calmly to the mercenary’s mockery, Genovar thought the man was almost too good-natured.

That was when…

Eldrian’s group and Lesta’s party suddenly sprang into action, moving with perfect coordination.

“They’re coming.”

Lesta spoke only those two words as she drew her black blade.

To everyone’s surprise, she wielded the massive sword—nearly as large as her own body—with one hand as though it weighed nothing.

“Dominic Blackwood!”

“What are you waiting for? Fight!”

Despite Lesta’s sharp call, Dominic failed to react immediately.

Having embarrassed himself moments earlier by drawing his sword prematurely, he hesitated and fumbled rather than responding swiftly.

Eldrian’s white wolf leapt off the muddy ground.

At that very moment, Lesta shot forward with such speed that ‘shot’ was the only word to describe her movement.

BOOM!

With a thunderous crash, her black blade struck the enemy.

Only then did the knights regain their senses.

One by one, they infused their swords with an aura.

Even as Genovar prepared for the attack, he couldn’t hide his astonishment.

‘How did she know?’

The fog was incredibly thick.

Boom! Boom!

He could hear the deafening crashes of Lesta’s black blade striking something.

However, the fog was so thick that he could not see what she was fighting.

No one else had sensed the enemy’s approach.

Only Lesta had.

Eldrian reacted in an instant, but only because she had detected the enemy first.

As the battle continued, Lesta and Eldrian gradually fell back towards the group, as though being forced to retreat.

At last, their figures became faintly visible through the dense curtain of mist.

Eldrian’s long blue sword cut through the fog with remarkable precision.

However, it was Lesta who held Genovar’s gaze.

She wielded the enormous black blade as if it were weightless, swinging a weapon nearly as large as herself with astonishing ease.

Her movements were so fast that they were almost impossible to follow.

She slammed the blade into the monster’s shell, which was as hard as steel.

Then, using its armored back as a foothold, she kicked off into the air and brought the massive black blade crashing down once again.

The sight was both savage…

And strangely beautiful.

BOOM! BOOM!

The relentless clang of metal echoed through the swamp, like a blacksmith hammering away at an anvil.

“…A King Miredrak.”

Someone at the back muttered something under their breath.

The knights’ expressions changed at once.

They had fought that monster before.

The last time they had entered the labyrinth…

Even ten elite knights, supported by numerous ordinary knights, had struggled to break through its shell.

Back then, they had thought it would be easy.

‘Break the shell, and it’s over.’

That single moment of carelessness…

It ended in a massacre.

The instant the shell shattered, countless insects burst out.

King Miredrak’s offspring were each about the size of a puppy.

Each one had a shell that was just as hard as the king’s.

You could still dodge the King Miredrak’s attacks and fight back against one of them.

But when hundreds of them swarmed towards the heroes all at once…

There was no holding the line.

By the time they realized they had to retreat…

It was already too late.

They lost one elite knight and eight ordinary knights.

Several others were so badly injured that not even Hello’s Healing Potion could fully heal them.

They survived… only to spend the rest of their lives disabled.

The monster that Lesta and Eldrian were now facing was none other than King Miredrak himself.

“Be careful!” Genovar shouted. “Once its shell breaks, the offspring will come pouring out!”

At his warning, Lesta halted the black blade just before it came crashing down.

“Oh. Then I suppose I’ll have to finish it without breaking the shell.”

What sent chills down Genovar’s spine wasn’t what she said.

It was the fact that despite fighting so ferociously until now…

Not a single breath of hers was out of place.

In a voice as calm as if she were sitting in a teahouse, Lesta continued.

“Young Duke, move!”

“No, Lesta. You’re just going to get hurt again.”

“I’m going in.”

Genovar understood the reason behind the exchange between Lesta and Eldrian.

The very next moment…

The King Miredrak’s face was surrounded by four sets of jaws that stuck out like horns.

Each of these razor-sharp mandibles was capable of slicing anything caught between them in two cleanly.

The instant those jaws opened…

Lesta charged.

With her black blade leading the way, she threw herself straight into the monster’s gaping mouth without hesitating for a moment.

Eldrian reached out instinctively, as if to stop her.

But Lesta was already too fast.

Her black blade pierced the monster’s fangs first.

A split second later, the King Miredrak sensed the threat and snapped its jaws shut.

Its jagged mandibles clamped down just as her head disappeared inside.

“Gah!”

“Ah!”

Gasps that were almost screams erupted from those watching.

Genovar was no different.

Even though it wasn’t his head being crushed, his face twisted instinctively as though he could feel it himself.

‘Why would she…?’

‘No… how could she do something like that?’

BOOM!

It looked as though the monster had crushed Lesta’s head.

In reality, it was a split second away from doing so.

At the last moment, Eldrian’s sword flashed, severing one of the monster’s mandibles.

Cassandra’s sword took out another.

Leonel’s whip destroyed a third.

The last one—

Grab!

Lesta caught it in her bare hand.

She pulled herself back out of the mouth of the King Miredrak.

The monster convulsed violently.

Still gripping the black blade, she repeatedly twisted her arm and drove it further inside.

The blade was clearly tearing through the creature’s internal organs, remaining buried deep within its maw.

The King Miredrak thrashed around even more violently.

Lesta’s forearm was ripped open, reducing it to a bloody mess.

But at last…

Thud!

King Miredrak collapsed.

Everyone except Eldrian and Lesta’s companions stood frozen to the spot.

A heavy silence settled over the battlefield.

Lesta, her arm torn to ribbons, wrenched her black blade free from the corpse of King Miredrak and swung it with all her might.

By sheer luck, one of the hatchlings had managed to crawl out of its shell.

Bang!

With a single swing, Lesta cleanly split it in two.

Even then, she didn’t lower her guard.

She stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the fallen King Miredrak.

The monster twitched a few more times.

Ultimately, however, it was unable to move.

Its massive body finally fell still.

“I’ve never seen one like this before.”

Covered in blood from head to toe, Lesta spoke as calmly as ever.

Eldrian rushed to her side and poured Hellos Healing Potion over her mangled arm.

“I told you not to fight like that.”

“But it was faster,” Lesta replied matter-of-factly. “And no one got hurt.”

“Lesta…”

“By the way…”

With Eldrian still holding her injured hand, Lesta turned her head.

Her gaze stopped on Dominic.

Tilting her head slightly, she asked with genuine curiosity,

“Dominic. Why haven’t you moved at all?”

Only then did everyone remember that the hero known as the Silver Mask, Dominic, was standing there.

He had been so quiet that they had almost forgotten he was there.

Nobody cared that a mere mercenary was speaking to him so casually.

What they wanted to know was why he had stood there motionless the whole time.

Had he stepped in when it mattered, Lesta would never have suffered such grievous injuries.

Lesta would never have been hurt so badly.

Dominic knew he should say something.

But no words came.

He was utterly overwhelmed by a style of combat that no ordinary person could have imagined.

‘You expect me… to fight like that?’

‘That’s what it takes to be a hero?’

‘No.’

‘I can’t.’

No matter how intoxicating the title of hero was…

Nothing was more precious than his own life.

If he said the wrong thing now…

He might be expected to do what Lesta had just done.

When Dominic remained silent, Lesta smiled.

“Standing there like that… You look awfully weak.”

Dominic finally realized he had walked straight into the trap Lesta had laid for him.

‘I should have left earlier.’

The moment Lesta shattered every vial…

He should have ended the expedition right then.

He should have either flown into a rage or declared the subjugation invalid and walked away.

He could have blamed Sunray’s interference for ruining the operation.

Alternatively, he could have said that he had never imagined the Marquis of Isden would resort to such a thing behind his back.

He should have left in anger.

Now…

It was too late.

Nor could he think of a convincing enough excuse to explain himself.

Dominic could sense it.

The knights’ eyes were no longer filled with admiration.

There was doubt in them.

Suspicion.

Even so…

He said nothing.

He simply stared silently at Lesta.

***

Before the knights could dwell any longer on the unsettling tension between Lesta and Dominic…

Another monster appeared.

This briefly spared Dominic from the suspicious looks he had been receiving.

Once again, Eldrian and Lesta’s group were the first to charge in.

Despite having been treated with Hellos Healing Potion, Lesta’s injuries had not yet fully healed.

And yet…

She fought without holding anything back.

This left a lasting impression on everyone who witnessed it.

From the rear of the formation, Dominic watched Lesta intently.

Making sure no one was looking, he quietly uncorked another vial of the enhancement potion and drank it.

Things had taken a turn for the worse.

But he wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

He had no intention of leading the charge.

Still…

If an attack came his way, though, he would have no choice but to face it instead of fleeing.

‘I’ll smooth this over somehow.’

‘No matter what happens here, no one is going to believe she’s the real Silver Mask.’

That title…

That glory…

Had taken him more than a decade to build.

It wasn’t going to crumble because of a single battle.

‘I’ll make up for it later.’

‘There’s always next time.’

After all, nobody can shine forever.

No one can shine forever.

Even heroes are allowed to fail occasionally.

People would accept that.

Even better…

He could turn public opinion in his favor by presenting his failure as proof that heroes are only human too.