Chapter 239: Laios
As Camula hugged me once again, my HUD screen silently appeared, showing me the gains we had earned from our latest battle, with special emphasis on a reward for my Slime.
[ Congratulations! Camula’s Affection Level has reached Level 10. She will now receive the skill Dark Veil as a reward! ]
My eyes widened at what I had just seen. Dark Veil, the skill that had caused us so much trouble, was now being given to me as a wonderful gift.
[ Dark Veil: This passive skill prevents the user, if they are a Demon, from taking damage from nature-type skills, regardless of the skill’s specific effect. Status effects can still be applied. In this context, the user is treated as though they were not a Demon. ]
After seeing such a wonderful gift, I returned Camula’s tight embrace.
"Aah, Master. You sure are excited!" she said, as though she had just gotten turned on.
"Of course I’m happy," I told her with a wide smile, barely able to contain myself. "Who wouldn’t be happy after hearing news like that?"
This changed everything. I could now pair Camula, who had the highest defense in our party, with Alicia, who specialized in healing.
I was so excited about the possibilities this opened up for our party that I couldn’t stop squeezing Camula in my arms.
"Ahh, Master! Yes, hold me tighter~" the girl moaned with a shameless smile.
Before I knew it, my other Valkyries were staring at us with disappointment, while Camula trembled in my arms, her body limp and an expression of bliss on her face, as though she had reached her peak.
I released Camula from my arms and stood up, coming face-to-face with my Valkyries, who were staring at me, clearly displeased. They were probably jealous of Camula, who lay exhausted on the ground, smiling like an idiot.
"Ahem!" I pretended to clear my throat and faced the rest of my party. "Let’s keep moving."
"Right..." Their voices didn’t sound nearly as enthusiastic as they had a few minutes earlier.
"Master, hehehe." Camula remained on the ground, looking blissful. "I want to feel your embrace one more time, hehehe."
"What a deplorable sight," Sarah said, glaring at Camula.
"You may be a Demon, but you’re also a girl," Alicia said in a disapproving tone.
"Have at least a little self-respect," Diane said, looking at the girl lying there with a depraved expression on her face.
"It doesn’t look like she’s going to move..."
"Then you carry her, Erina," Justine told the Marksman.
"No way! She’s too heavy!"
"Then drag her by the feet."
...
"Gah!"
I fell onto the hard ground of the training area once again. The man teaching me rested his wooden training sword on his shoulder.
"How many times have you lost today?" he asked.
I didn’t answer, still trying to catch my breath. Honestly, I didn’t know. After the fifth time, I’d lost count of how many times he had knocked me down or disarmed me. I simply focused on getting back into the fight and trying to take him down.
The difference in power between us was impressive, especially considering how small the age gap between us was.
He was only one year younger than me, but my body had already learned through pain not to underestimate him. His reflexes were sharp, his footwork was quick, and the force behind his sword strikes was top-notch.
He was a little shorter than me, standing at 1.78 m (5’10’’), and his blond hair was brighter than mine, standing tall and spiky as though he had been struck by lightning and the strands had remained upright ever since.
"That’s the tenth time, Leo," Laios said, watching me as I tried to pull myself together. "But I suppose I could say you’ve made some improvement."
"Really?"
"The fact that you keep training with me while the others run away like pussies is admirable in itself. Above average, as some would say."
I managed to stand up, gripping my sword with both hands and assuming a battle stance.
"You’re pretty persistent. I don’t know whether it’s perseverance or if you’re simply thick-headed, but I suppose the difference doesn’t matter."
I launched myself into the attack, putting all my strength into my legs and pushing my speed to its limit. Holding my sword in a thrusting position, I aimed for the battalion leader’s chest.
"But," he continued to criticize me, never once stopping the movement of his sword.
The two wooden swords we wielded collided head-on, forcing me to take a step back from the impact.
’One more time!’
I readjusted my sword, raised it, and attempted a diagonal strike against him. All that effort, only for our swords to collide again. This time, however, I stood firm and kept pressing against him.
"You’re pretty dull. Your attacks are very predictable. Even if you persist, persist, and persist, you’re still missing something," Laios told me as he effortlessly held back my attack.
"And what is that something?" I asked, still trying to hold my ground against a much stronger opponent.
He merely laughed, giving me a perfectly innocent smile. Then he hissed like a snake.
"Losing your virginity."
After hours of training, that comment irritated me. Virgin this, virgin that. Sorry, Master, but I don’t go out with a different woman every night.
"Don’t mess with me!" I finally let my anger spill out.
"See? You’d definitely have a clearer head if you’d slept with someone."
Every day on this training field, he pestered me about the same thing. Our training consisted of the constant physical strain of trying to keep up with him while he annoyed the hell out of me about it, all because I had refused to go to a brothel with him.
I pushed my sword farther forward, trying to knock his blade aside and end the fight.
The wooden blade moved slightly towards my opponent.
"You’re fairly strong, but you still don’t have it."
"What is it?" I asked, a vein bulging on my forehead.
At that moment, the sword blocking my path vanished along with its wielder. Laios had been standing right in front of me, but in a fraction of a second, he disappeared as though he had dissolved into mist, leaving behind only a faint static sensation in the air.
"Malice," his voice echoed in my ears. "The genuine desire to kill your opponent."
I sensed his presence only when he materialized behind me. I had seen him do this several times before. Usually, when he used that power, it meant he wanted to end the fight quickly and find a woman to spend the night with.
I didn’t know why, but this time, I felt there was a small opening, as though he were moving more slowly than usual.
I gave my opponent no breathing room. Taking advantage of that tiny opening, I spun around and swung my sword at him. His eyes widened in surprise at the strike, but only for a brief moment.
He immediately blocked my counterattack and knocked both my sword and me aside with a strike that was even faster than his movements. Before I knew it, I was lying on the hard ground again.
Laios approached my fallen body and stood over me with a judgmental look in his eyes.
"You’re too innocent, which makes it far too easy for your enemy to get inside your head," he told me coldly. "In a fight, whether it’s against a human or a monster, it’s eat or be eaten."
His eyes were yellow, almost golden, and shone with intensity and power.
"Your movements aren’t bad, and your body isn’t weak. In fact, you’re already on the same level as our more experienced recruits. But you’ll never become stronger than someone like me without the genuine desire to crush your opponent."
He spoke as though he truly wanted me to reach his level as a fighter. Impossible. It sounded like empty instructor talk. The difference in our strength was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"I’m not joking, Leo. Malice is more powerful than you think. Let the power inside you run wild and become an opponent worthy of facing me."
Laios was a strange man. At times, it seemed as though he couldn’t take anything seriously, but his expression and words never seemed insincere whenever he spoke about fighting. Even his taunts in the middle of a fight were calculated to teach me something.
"But I’m serious when I say that sleeping with a woman can make you a better fighter," he continued. I regretted thinking well of him, even for a second.
At that moment, something in the distance seemed to catch Laios’s attention. A mischievous smile appeared on his face before he turned towards me.
"Hmm, speaking of virginity, it seems a beautiful young lady has come to visit you in person. Rejoice, young man. That’s a luxury most men never get to enjoy."
I stood up and looked in the direction he had been watching. My eyes widened when I saw the young woman smiling at me.
"Equidna? What are you doing here?"
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