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Chapter 16: Not Worthy of You

“Got it!”

Nia’s joy wasn’t just from driving off the formidable enemy, but also because she clearly caught a glimpse of the shock flashing across the young boy’s face.

If I don’t show off now, when will I?!

Nia pressed on, pushing her Extraordinary Power to its limits, racing through the wind, cutting through the gales, and in an instant, unleashed her blades.

With no time left to use 【Fog Concealment】, sensing the lethal intent behind the strike, the instinct to survive made the 【Fog Concealing Mantis】 roar and raise its blade, swinging its scythe at the incoming shadow.

The moment of decision had arrived, the murderous atmosphere was almost suffocating.

But at that moment, Roy moved.

In a turn of events, he caught the elven girl in mid-air by her waist.

As the sharp scythe came rushing in, Roy simply blocked it with a casual motion, the dark golden dragon scales making it a futile effort.

Monsters always have an acute sense of danger.

If the previous foe’s threat triggered its instinct to counterattack, this person now emanated a terror that left it too breathless to resist.

Can’t win.

Before any rational thought kicked in, the so-called top predator instinctively tried to escape with 【Fog Concealment】.

But it had no chance left.

In an instant, Roy lifted one hand and unleashed a torrent of dragon flames.

The dragon tooth spear combined with 【Ember】 was just a casual hit for Roy, but even a single blow from a high-ranked individual could shake the heavens.

Accompanied by a booming explosion like a cannon firing, the half-misted 【Fog Concealing Mantis】 was pierced through by the searing flow of flames, reduced to nothingness.

The flame spear exploded after piercing the enemy, its scorching wind pressure spreading outwards, raising a fiery storm that made the adventurers unable to lift their heads, forcing them to lie flat on the ground.

After a moment, when the air finally cooled down, the adventurers cautiously propped themselves up to look outward.

Thick mist had long dissipated, revealing a bright blue sky, showcasing a vibrant tapestry before their eyes.

It was an endless sea of flowers.

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The 【Fog Concealing Mantis】 was unceremoniously reduced to scrap, and the remaining small mantises were quickly cleaned up by the adventurers.

What was meant to be a life-or-death mission was easily resolved by Roy’s strike, and the adventurers could finally enjoy the beauty of nature.

Who would have thought that the domain of a top predator would be such a colorful scene?

The rugged man wasn’t devoid of a girl’s heart; Reid gazed at the flower fields, feeling utterly healed.

After all the adventures, savoring the hard-earned beauty was probably a shared dream among all adventurers.

The only slight resentment was that it would have been perfect to share this with a beautiful girl…

Watching the gang of rough guys dancing amidst the flowers, Reid fell into a moment of silence.

It hurt, too much pain.

The pain of being single is understood by those who’ve been there—just get used to it.

But Reid didn’t get why Roy stood by him instead of accompanying the elven girl sitting in the flower field.

“Roy… why aren’t you going to be with her?”

“Didn’t you see? I broke the agreement and made my move, and now she’s angry with me,” Roy sighed helplessly, “and also, stop calling me sir.”

At that crucial moment, Nia could indeed win.

But as a price, she would definitely be gravely injured.

That desire to show off was understandable, but it wasn’t worth risking her life to end up in a scene of bloodshed.

Nia had her insistence, and he had his, just like with Alice, where he couldn’t stand to see a girl suffer unnecessarily.

At least Alice had Holy Light to heal; if Nia got hurt, she’d really have to lie down to get back.

To risk everything for a date? Roy couldn’t accept that.

“Sigh, I specifically said not to worry about strength, so why doesn’t she listen? Sometimes I truly don’t understand what this girl is thinking.”

Reid cast a surprised glance: “You don’t get it?”

The rumors about Roy had long spread across Veszyra, and Reid thought this guy, who was ambiguously involved with both the Saint and the Princess, would surely be the type to easily understand a girl’s thoughts.

“Actually, I can understand Nia’s mindset better.”

“You?” Now it was Roy’s turn to be surprised.

“Yeah, we adventurers often yearn for adventure because we want to follow a certain idol. We want to tread the same path, undertake the same quests, become like them… I can see that Nia feels the same way because I do too.”

Reid’s expression softened, revealing a youthful spirit and gentleness, his gaze turning clear.

Roy was slightly taken aback, then furrowed his brow, carefully taking a half-step back: “You mean to say… you like me too?”

Reid nearly fell over from surprise.

“N-No! What I mean is, Miss Nia admires you greatly! That’s why she wants to impress you!”

“What’s so admirable about me…”

Laughing in disbelief, Roy suddenly realized everything.

If anyone should be admired, it should be that 【Sword Demon】 instead.

But the current him was already more worthy of admiration than the 【Sword Demon】.

Saint Trials, the great dragon-slaying feats, throughout his journey, the challenges and dangers he had to overcome for survival were viewed as extraordinary achievements in the eyes of others.

Roy didn’t think the destined girl in the original work would be that inferior to him, but for Nia herself, it was another story.

Just like a poor boy with a rich girl, Cinderella and the prince, feeling inferior was only natural.

This truly was a case of the beholder being lost.

“Thanks, I think I know what to do.”

Reid smiled, turning away and leaving gracefully.

In times like these, a real man should gracefully exit.

Roy walked over and sat down next to Nia.

“You knew there were flower fields here, so you intentionally chose this place, right? The view is indeed nice.”

At that moment, the girl was staring blankly with dead fish eyes, but when she saw Roy, her gaze brightened slightly.

However, she quickly lowered her head again, fiddling with the little flower in her hand, lost for words.

The flower field was indeed part of her date plan, but she had completely messed up the most important part.

She had wanted to defeat the 【Fog Concealing Mantis】 in a grand way, wait for the mist created by the monster to dissipate, showcase a perfect smile to the boy, and win him over!

And then, great things would happen.

But in the end, it was all a futile endeavor.

So, at least Roy still liked the scenery here.

“The view is good, but it’s a shame we ultimately crashed and burned.” Not wanting to let Roy be too affected by her emotions, Nia stuck her tongue out in self-deprecation with a smile.

However, even the cheekiest of expressions couldn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes.

“What’s wrong with crashing and burning? You performed really well!”

“But ultimately, I’m still not strong enough, cool enough, or impressive enough… not enough…”

Not worthy of you.

Nia tightened her grip on the little flower, forcing a bitter smile as she fell silent once more.

 

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