Anthony reflexively turned to the side, throwing Kasha away and rolling quickly to the side.
“…!”
Thud.
The moment he dodged, a sphere of golden divine power fell on that spot and exploded with a bright light.
Kasha groaned as she was thrown and hit a large tree trunk due to Anthony’s strong force.
As the dazzling light created by the divine power subsided, the figure of the attacker was revealed. It was the Paladin Leon, clad in silver armor, covered in monster blood, and glaring at the enemy with fierce eyes.
Seeing Kasha collapsed, he threw off his helmet and ran over to help her up.
“Kasha, are you alright?”
“Leon….”
Leon quickly examined Kasha’s condition and, confirming the clear red handprint on her neck, turned around in anger.
“I don’t know who you are, but this is cowardly. To secretly drag a woman into this forest and try to harm her.”
Hearing Leon’s cold condemnation, Anthony snorted as if it were absurd and clenched his fist. Fortunately, the strange symptoms from earlier disappeared as soon as he let go of Kasha.
A sudden thought gripped him. If he attacked head-on now, Leon would never dodge. That foolish elder brother would never avoid his attack knowing Kasha behind him would become a sacrifice.
Of course, Leon was one of the most outstanding knights in the empire, but Anthony was currently in a superhuman state, borrowing the power of the magic stone.
‘If we fight one-on-one, I have a good chance of winning. No, I might even completely overwhelm elder brother.’
Realizing he had somehow become excited, Anthony chuckled.
‘To think the day would come when I would have a showdown with elder brother. Did you ever imagine it, elder brother?’
His blood boiled at the fact that the moment had come when he could defeat his talented elder brother, who had stimulated his inferiority complex all his life, with his own strength. Ignoring the fact that the power was not his own.
In fact, what stimulated Anthony even more was the fact that Leon also seemed quite excited.
The violet eyes burning as if to incinerate the opponent, the rough breathing that made the muscles all over his body heave. Leon was overflowing with a fighting spirit and belligerence that Anthony had never seen before. Like a wild horse that had never been tamed in his life.
Anthony tilted his head, thinking that the excitement didn’t seem to stem from the curse of lust.
Just then, Kasha reached out and grabbed Leon’s hand, trying to dissuade him.
“Leon. Wait a moment. Calm down, you can’t fight that person.”
“Don’t worry, Kasha.”
“Leon, listen to me first.”
“I have no intention of letting the bastard who did this to you live. No matter who it is.”
Leon’s voice was clearly full of bloodlust. The voice of Leon as a warrior facing a real enemy, which Anthony had never heard before.
Hearing that, Anthony felt like bursting into laughter.
‘Was that it? You got so excited because of that woman? Really, unlike you, elder brother.’
He wanted to greatly ridicule his elder brother. To look down on him, saying that despite acting so noble, his elder brother was also just a shallow human being.
But strangely, he got angry instead. The fighting spirit emanating from Leon, who stood in front of Kasha as if he would block even a demon’s attack, was maddeningly irritating.
The moment he saw Kasha’s gaze, stuck on Leon as if only caring about his well-being, ignoring Anthony, his thoughts became even more distorted.
Crack.
His fist clenched tightly, making an eerie sound.
‘Well, I didn’t expect to confront elder brother so soon… But this is all your fault, elder brother. For clumsily intervening to save a woman like that.’
Attaching such a cowardly excuse inwardly, Anthony walked toward Leon in a threatening posture.
Leon also threw away his magic tool, drew his sword, and took a perfect attacking stance as if it would appear in a textbook.
If he had received a report on the battlefield situation, he would already know that Anthony was a superhuman being.
That composed attitude, not showing a hint of fear or hesitation, was truly admirable. Because Anthony himself would never be able to do that in front of a stronger opponent.
‘This is why I hate you, elder brother.’
Anthony deliberately slowed his attack speed compared to usual. In order not to miss a single moment of the historic confrontation with Leon.
But maybe he got too excited. Due to his irregular movements, the hood of his deeply pulled-down robe was slightly pushed back.
At the same time, his shining silver hair, dark green eyes, and a smile stretched long with malice were exposed outside the shadow of the hood.
“……!”
Leon, who had been rushing forward with a tense expression, stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw the opponent’s face, as if struck by lightning.
‘You…?’
His grip on the sword loosened, losing strength. The violet eyes wavered greatly in confusion.
Realizing that Leon had recognized him, Anthony’s eyes were dyed with a deep sense of dismay.
‘Damn it.’
Now that it’s come to this.
I guess we can’t pretend to be close brothers anymore.
Then, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to make some concessions this time too, elder brother.
Anthony’s nails suddenly grew long as he rushed towards Leon. Each one was sharp and hard like a blade, aiming precisely at the area near Leon’s heart.
That’s when it happened. Anthony’s beast-like keen senses sent a danger signal again.
“…!”
Whoosh.
At the same time, a huge arrow flew in from somewhere, cutting through the heavy air.
Anthony hurriedly dodged and bounced to the side, failing to attack Leon.
And when he stood up again, an iron arrow used for hunting large beasts was stuck in his shoulder.
Pulling out the arrow from his shoulder as if it were nothing, Anthony scowled and glared fiercely in the direction the arrow had come from.
“If you don’t want to die, get lost, you half-breed creature of unknown monster or human.”
The one giving that warning in a voice full of the force befitting a war hero was Count Lyuschino.
In his hands were not only a huge bow but also a spear taller than a person.
That wasn’t all. Many knights were rushing in behind Count Lyuschino. Most of them were cheering excitedly.
‘No way, has the situation already been resolved?’
Anthony was startled. Even though he had been absent, he didn’t expect the monsters to be defeated so quickly.
He realized he had underestimated the enemies too much.
‘Of all times… Do I have to retreat like this?’
Anthony pulled his hood down deeply.
At that moment, Leon signaled to Count Lyuschino and approached Anthony. His face was hardened like a mask.
“I hope I saw wrong. You couldn’t possibly, really-.”
But before Leon could finish his words, Anthony jumped up with amazing leaping power and landed on a branch higher than a person’s height.
“Wait!”
Anthony turned back at Leon’s shout and, instead of answering, threw the large arrow he was holding at him. Due to his superhuman strength, it flew at a terrifying speed as if shot from a bow.
Leon, who tried to dodge it momentarily, realized that Kasha was behind him. So he chose not to move.
Thud!
“No!”
Kasha’s scream echoed through the forest. Startled birds flew into the sky.
At the same time, Anthony’s lips twitched into a cold and gloomy smile.
‘In the end, elder brother doesn’t deviate from my expectations.’
Looking at Leon, who didn’t even let out a groan despite being hit by an arrow just above his heart, below his left shoulder, Anthony’s face distorted. Then he turned his body and disappeared quickly, jumping across the branches.
And Leon couldn’t take his eyes off that retreating figure.
“Leon! Are you okay? Why didn’t you dodge, you fool!”
Kasha sobbed as she caught the collapsing Leon in her arms.
“Captain!”
The Paladins came running out of breath, and Count Lyuschino instructed the knights to chase the Mage with a worried face.
“I’m fine, Kasha.”
Leon said with bloodless lips and smiled. Then, with his lips pressed tightly together, he pulled out the arrow stuck in his chest. Just like Anthony had done earlier.
Thanks to wearing armor, his life wasn’t in danger, but as it was an arrow for hunting large beasts, the wound was by no means shallow.
Kasha helped the knights take off his armor. Then, barely suppressing a scream, she pressed on the wound on his chest that was spurting blood.
“I’m okay… I’m a Paladin.”
With those words, Leon smiled bitterly.
“No, Paladin or not, if you get a wound like this, do you think we won’t die? Huh?!”
Karim, who had stuck to him at some point, shouted and poured divine power into his wound. Other Paladins added their strength.
Leon, who had silently let them treat him, suddenly met Kasha’s eyes and asked.
“Kasha… The face I saw earlier… Did you see it too?”
“……”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t speak now! The bleeding has barely stopped, and the wound has reopened!”
Against the background of Karim’s nagging, Kasha silently lowered her head.
Seeing that, Leon’s lips trembled finely. Painful emotions finally spread across his face, which had been stoic even when hit by the arrow.
“I see. That Wolfbane… was that child.”
His eyes were pitch black as if the light had gone out as he muttered those words.
“I feel like… a real fool, Kasha.”
“Leon.”
Kasha approached him on her knees and held his hand.
“It’s not your fault. That person… just made an inevitable choice of his own.”
“What have I… done to that child, Kasha?”
Suddenly, Leon swallowed his breath and rested his face on Kasha’s shoulder. When he lowered his gaze slightly, his clenched jaw muscles could be seen stiffening.
It was as if his pain was being conveyed directly.
To have the younger brother he raised like his own child appear as a Mage, and on top of that, trying to kill him without hesitation.
Just imagining how he must feel made Kasha’s heart ache as if it would burst.
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
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