The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

TLed by NolepGuy

Chapter 182

Rowen let out an empty laugh as he looked at me.

“What exactly have you nurtured? You.”

-Ka-ga-ga-gak…!

Seeing Hanna unleash her Sword Energy without hesitation, Rowen shook his head.

The sight of his daughter, who had grown far beyond what he had imagined, came as a great shock to him.

Rowen believed he knew Hanna’s weaknesses.

Swinging her sword honestly, as if there were a correct answer, was one of Hanna’s chronic flaws.

In the past, Rowen had observed Hanna’s sword—not out of fatherly love, but to measure whether his daughter’s sword could bring recognition to the name of Histania.

The conclusion of that observation was harsh.

Hanna’s sword lacked power.

It was honest, devoid of unpredictability, and if someone taught her one thing, she would rigidly conform to that one thing.

It lacked creativity.

It showed no persistence.

Because he had spent time observing Hanna, Rowen judged that he knew her weaknesses well.

That’s why he shared the strategy he devised with Mikhail. He believed that exploiting Hanna’s weaknesses skillfully would make a winnable battle even easier.

No matter how much Aura Hanna had awakened, the talent he had seen in her was pitiful. While others might see her as a prodigy, to Rowen, she was just slightly better than the average person, which is why he hadn’t given much thought to her swordsmanship.

To be honest, it was accurate to say he had underestimated her.

-Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak…!

Rowen clenched his fist and swallowed dryly.

“I can’t understand this.”

Rowen wasn’t the only one surprised.

I, too, was quite astonished by Mikhail’s sword.

I thought it would end in a single exchange.

If Mikhail’s skills had stagnated, the duel would have ended with one Sword Strike, but Mikhail was holding out far better than I had anticipated.

I let out an empty laugh as I watched Rowen focus on the duel.

“What on earth have you done?”

“…”

The martial arts of the two had grown far beyond the limits they had each expected.

To others, it might have looked like they were merely swinging swords, but to the two of us, their growth was clearly visible.

To be honest, I couldn’t determine the correct answer to the outcome of this match.

I clenched my fist and looked at Hanna.

*

The blade slicing through the petals narrowly grazed Mikhail’s shoulder.

In the soundless flow of the Silent Flowing Sword Dance, Mikhail received Hanna’s sword, while Hanna, without pause, prepared her next attack.

It was a sword devoid of Aura.

As if to gauge her own level, Hanna’s sword approached without carrying any Aura.

Mikhail, responding in kind, did not avoid Hanna’s sword but received it. He, too, needed to assess the extent of Hanna’s martial arts.

But then.

-Ka-ga-ga-ga-gak!

The weight of Hanna’s downward Sword Strike was far heavier than he had anticipated.

It was a hefty sword.

Unlike what his master had taught him, it was heavy, and if he misapplied his strength, it felt like he might lose his grip on the sword in an instant.

“Hold your sword properly, senior.”

“…Hoo-up!”

“Get a grip and fight properly.”

Hanna spoke as she swiftly moved her sword toward Mikhail.

“I’ve staked everything on this duel.”

As Hanna spoke firmly and brought her sword down, Mikhail met it with his own, producing a sharp clang as he was pushed back a step.

Despite Mikhail being driven into a defensive position, Hanna remained calm and continued to swing her sword.

-Even if you gain momentum, don’t rush to overwhelm them in one go. Leave room for growth. Push them back gradually.

Focusing solely on one point, as if to prove her worth through victory, she moved her sword swiftly and concisely.

Hanna took a quick step forward into Mikhail’s space and raised the blade of her sword.

“That’s why I can’t lose.”

“…Neither can I!”

“No, senior, you’re different.”

“I have someone cheering me on.”

“That’s why I…”

Hanna took a shallow breath and thrust her sword.

-Kaaang…!

“I can’t lose.”

Mikhail had sparred with Hanna before. Not enough times to grasp everything about her, but enough to identify her weaknesses.

Before awakening his Aura, he had always defeated Hanna, but after awakening it, the results of their duels were always losses.

The current Hanna was strong.

And in the past, Hanna’s sword had been weak.

While it emphasized speed, Hanna’s sword lacked the weight and destructive power of other swords.

Instead of aiming for a decisive blow, her strategy was to achieve victory through a series of minor wounds—a strength of Hanna’s sword.

A sword focused on speed.

That was Mikhail’s and Rowen’s evaluation of Hanna’s sword.

-Overwhelm her with your weight class.

Rowen had suggested one clear direction to Mikhail.

To leverage the advantage of his weight class.

-No matter how skilled a swordsman is, the difference in weight class is not easily overcome. Your sword may be slower than Hanna’s, but it has steadfastness.

-I think it would be right for you to choose a sword focused on speed like Hanna’s, but at this point, changing suddenly isn’t easy. And you don’t want that either.

-Let’s go with a classic strategy. A crude but effective method.

Rowen had told Mikhail to receive Hanna’s sword.

No matter how fast and agile her sword was, if it collided with a massive wall, it would either break or transmit vibrations, causing her to lose her grip. Rowen had advised Mikhail to exploit that opening.

Rowen had confidently stated that if Mikhail countered Hanna’s sword forcefully, she wouldn’t be able to react easily, and Mikhail had accepted that strategy.

And the strategy collapsed.

The strategy Rowen had claimed would make victory easy was falling apart.

The master’s plan to find openings by clashing swords was torn apart by Hanna’s heavy sword.

Mikhail couldn’t understand. How had she overcome the weaknesses he and Rowen knew in such a short time? Mikhail couldn’t figure it out.

And from afar, he found the answer in Ricardo, who was watching him with a stern expression.

Mikhail gripped his sword firmly.

Hanna held her sword and shouted.

“With just this much…”

-Kaang…!

“With just this much, was Father satisfied?”

-Ka-ga Ka-ga-ga-gak!

“Was it because of just this much that he killed me?”

Amid Hanna’s faintly echoing cries, Mikhail held his sword upright and searched for an opening.

He, too, had a reason he absolutely had to win.

While he knew Hanna had staked a lot on this duel, he also had a reason he couldn’t lose this time.

The Blue Window had promised to show him the past he desperately wanted to know. Unbelievable as it sounded.

Just once.

If he could see it just once, the hope of escaping the long-standing nightmare carried emotions heavier than Hanna could imagine.

As the wounds increased from the torrent of her sword,

If he continued fighting in a way that put him at a disadvantage, Mikhail would inevitably lose. The small wounds hindered the smooth movement of his body.

‘I have to make a decision.’

Just because the strategy had collapsed didn’t mean he couldn’t win. It only meant the easy path to victory was gone. The time and effort he had invested and the things he had achieved still remained. The possibility was there.

There was still much he hadn’t shown.

A sword infused with aura.

There were still newly invented techniques he hadn’t shown.

Mikhail gathered his aura.

He began to imbue the will he had placed in his sword into the aura.

As he stared directly at Hanna’s sword, which approached heavily once again, Mikhail felt it.

That now was the opportunity.

Just as Hanna’s sword grazed past his shoulder, Mikhail unleashed a bright aura in an instant, drawing a massive arc.

-Kwaaahk…!

A foreign sensation, sharp and distinct, was felt.

For the first time, Mikhail’s sword left a wound on Hanna’s body as it swept across the ground.

A dense dust cloud rose in the training grounds.

Following the faint silhouette visible through the dust cloud, Mikhail swung his sword once more. For a swordsman whose strength lay in speed, obscured vision was a significant weakness.

-Seogeok…!

In the fleeting moment when he once again felt the sensation of cutting something,

A blade glinting with a light brown hue sliced through the dust cloud, grazing right past Mikhail’s nose.

Blood was dripping from Hanna’s sword.

The blood flowing from her left arm stained the blade and dripped onto the training ground floor.

Hanna gave a bitter smile and said,

“Now I understand.”

Hanna held her sword in a reverse grip and lowered her stance.

“The senior’s weakness that the butler mentioned.”

With those brief words, Hanna’s sword began to whirl relentlessly.

One strike aimed for his side.

Another targeted his exposed chest as her sword swung swiftly.

Despite her injured arm, Hanna bit her lip and swung her sword, speaking in a low voice.

“From now on, stay sharp. I might actually kill you.”

Was it for a brief moment, distracted by Hanna’s short provocation?

Hanna, imbued with black aura, swiftly slashed at Mikhail’s side.

Thud. Small drops of fresh blood fell from Hanna’s sword. In the brief moment when he failed to notice, Hanna’s sword exploited his weakness, targeting the opening, and cold sweat began to trickle down Mikhail’s forehead.

What exactly was the weakness?

In which part had he shown an opening?

Mikhail’s thoughts grew increasingly tangled.

“You know, senior, I admired you.”

“…”

“The way you wielded your sword for the weak seemed admirable and just. I used to wonder why I couldn’t swing my sword like that. Sometimes, I even strained myself to the point of bursting veins, trying to wield my sword like you.”

Hanna’s sword no longer trembled.

The sword, which had quivered slightly from tension, now moved with steady breaths.

Hanna took a shallow breath and raised her sword.

“But not anymore.”

Watching Hanna’s composed demeanor, Mikhail thought to himself.

‘Don’t get swept up in her pace.’

He couldn’t allow himself to be carried away like this.

Hanna’s sword was targeting his weaknesses with uncanny precision. Her gaze, as if she knew everything about him, made his shoulders tremble, but Mikhail exhaled and steadied his breathing.

‘Focus.’

Blood was flowing.

Without realizing it, too much blood had already been lost.

At this rate, it was truly dangerous.

He felt as though he would lose miserably without even showing what he had prepared.

He had to take control of the flow of this duel.

He couldn’t let himself be overpowered.

He had to win.

He absolutely had to.

Because there was a reason he had to win, no matter what.

Mikhail gripped his sword.

Enduring the pain, he bit his lip and held onto his sword as his vision blurred.

Just once.

If he could find just one opening, Mikhail believed he could turn the tide.

Mikhail gathered aura into his sword.

Though it would consume a significant amount of mana, he was determined to show the technique he had created. Gathering aura, his focus was solely on Hanna.

Seeing Mikhail’s stubborn resolve, Hanna swallowed a sigh and spoke.

“Give up.”

“…”

“Even standing is difficult for you.”

“I must win.”

“You’ve lost too much blood.”

“I must win… no matter what.”

As fluttering petals fell around them, Hanna raised her sword and let out a deep sigh.

“I don’t know anymore.”

As Mikhail’s sword flashed in an attempt to regain control of the duel, Hanna closed her eyes and swung her sword in sync with the slowly flowing time.

And then.

“Enough.”

The outcome of the duel was decided.

Mikhail widened his eyes as he stared at the massive back blocking his path.

It was red hair.

Familiar.

Infuriating.

Annoying, yet comforting red hair was shielding him.

*

I turned to Rowen, who was looking at Hanna with trembling eyes, and said,

“Are you insane?”

I gritted my teeth and glared at Rowen, who stood silently.

And then.

“No…!”

Mikhail grabbed my collar and began to cry.

“Please… please…!”

It was utterly desperate.

-You have failed the quest.