Erich's sudden appearance did not disrupt the rhythm of the black-clad figures. The two of them each took a half-step back, creating distance to his left and right with clean, decisive movements without the slightest hesitation. Erich's heart sank. He had hoped to use the momentum of breaking through the barrier to catch them off guard, but now it seemed they would not be so easily dealt with.
The black-clad figure on the left raised his hand first, sending a wind blade scraping along the ground. It came at a tricky angle, aiming straight for Erich's lower body. Erich sidestepped to dodge, but before he could even steady himself, the person on his right followed up with a fire arrow, aiming precisely where he was about to land. He had no choice but to roll half a turn to the side. It was a bit clumsy, but he managed to avoid it.
The young princess was slumped in the corner right behind him, and Erich did not dare to move too far away from her.
The two black-clad figures had clearly noticed this. They were in no rush to launch a heavy offensive, instead pressing down on Erich from front and back. One harassed him from a distance while the other looked for an opportunity to close in, shrinking Erich's space to maneuver more and more.
Erich's magical attainments were not low for a first-year. He had trained most of the first-tier spells he knew to their maximum level, and in terms of sheer power, he was second to none. However, the spells thrown by his opponents were all second-tier. The suppression of a higher tier closed the gap in power. Worse still, the two of them constantly took turns attacking. Often, just as Erich blocked the first strike, the second was already right in front of him, leaving him completely unable to find an opening to counterattack.
After a few exchanges, Erich's rhythm was completely thrown off.
He blocked while retreating, keeping the young princess protected behind him. The cheap, damaged old staff in his hand somewhat diminished the power of his spells. The one Alicia had gifted him was excellent, but it was far too large to carry around on a casual outing, so he had to make do with this one for now.
Another fireball hurtled toward him. Erich raised his hand to conjure an ice wall to block it. The ice wall stopped the fireball but shattered into icy fragments in the process. Erich hastily wiped the ice shards from his face, a sense of foreboding growing in his heart. This war of attrition was not sustainable. His total mana pool was limited, and with two opponents, they could easily drain him dry by taking turns.
Erich had originally thought that because he possessed 【Shell】, he wouldn't need healing magic much, so he hadn't bothered to learn any. However, when facing high-damage opponents with a low frequency of attacks, 【Shell】 became less effective. After all, his attributes were still low, and the combined defense from his Constitution and 【Shell】 wasn't enough to fully mitigate the opponent's damage.
After turning these thoughts over in his mind, Erich made up his mind.
Another wind blade swept toward him. Instead of dodging, Erich lunged forward. He reached out and grabbed the black-clad figure who was rushing in to engage him in close combat, taking the wind blade directly with his shoulder. Intense pain exploded from his shoulder, but he endured it. Taking advantage of the black-clad figure's shock, he slammed his forehead violently into the opponent's brow. The impact left the black-clad figure dazed, instantly interrupting his half-cast spell. Erich's left hand condensed an ice spike, driving it ruthlessly into the arm holding the staff. The black-clad figure cried out in pain, dropping his staff. Erich snatched it out of the air and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling to the ground.
That was one down.
Erich panted heavily, blood pouring from his shoulder and staining half of his shirt red. Ignoring the pain, he turned his gaze to lock onto the remaining black-clad figure.
Without his partner's support, the opponent's offensive immediately weakened. Although Erich was severely injured, he felt much more at ease in a one-on-one fight. Forcing his way forward against the enemy's magic, he threw a max-level water blade diagonally. It struck the figure squarely in the chest. With a muffled groan, the black-clad figure was sent flying back, crashing into the wall before sliding down, completely motionless.
The battle was over, and the room fell silent.
Only after confirming that both men had lost consciousness did Erich turn around and walk toward the young princess. The barrier had still not dissipated; the purple light screen remained draped outside the window, trapping them inside this small room.
The young princess leaned against the corner, looking up at him. She had so much she wanted to say, but nothing would come out.
Erich knelt down as well, silently meeting the young princess's gaze.
He also had so many things he wanted to say—asking if she was hurt, explaining all those messy misunderstandings—but now that he was right in front of her, he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
The wound on his shoulder was still seeping blood. Erich raised his hand to wipe his face, only to smear blood all over it instead.
The young princess's tears suddenly began to fall.
Erich panicked. He wanted to reach out and wipe them away, but felt it was inappropriate. His hand hovered awkwardly in midair, frozen. The two of them just stared at each other, neither taking the initiative to speak.
From outside the barrier came Lorraine's heart-wrenching scream: “Watch out!!”
Erich's pupils contracted. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a dark shadow suddenly springing up from the floor. The black-clad figure he had kicked down first had regained consciousness at some point. Clutching a black dagger, the man lunged straight toward the young princess.
Without a second thought, Erich twisted his body and threw his hand out in front of the young princess.
The blade pierced through his palm, and excruciating pain exploded from his hand. Seizing the opportunity, Erich clenched his fingers, gripping the blade tightly to prevent it from advancing even a fraction of an inch. Blood dripped down the blade, splashing onto the young princess's skirt.
The black-clad figure tried to pull the blade back with force, but it didn't budge at all. Erich's right hand had already gathered mana, and he slammed a blow right into the man's temple. The black-clad figure's eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground, completely motionless this time.
Only then did Erich release his grip. The black dagger remained impaled through his palm. The young princess threw herself forward, cupping his injured hand with both of hers, her voice choking up. “Y-Your hand...”
“I'm fine,” Erich said, his voice laced with an undeniable weakness. “It's just a minor wound.”
The young princess did not believe him, her tears falling uncontrollably. She wanted to pull the dagger out, yet did not dare to move it.
Right at that moment, the black dagger impaled in Erich's palm suddenly began to vibrate. Dark red patterns emerged on the blade, and a magic circle expanded from it, instantly enveloping Erich's entire body.
The young princess cried out, reaching to grab him, but the magic circle had already activated. Space warped, and Erich's figure instantly grew blurry. He was shouting something, but his voice was swallowed by the violent spatial fluctuations.
In the next instant, Erich vanished from the spot.
The black dagger fell to the ground with a clatter, rolling twice before stopping by the young princess's feet. Her outstretched hand remained suspended in the air, her fingertips empty, grasping nothing at all.
Rate on N.U.
