Chapter 55. The Lothario (3)

The moment a short cry echoed loudly through the cave.

"Good job."

A woman in black passed by Yurii and casually waved her hand.

Seeing this, Yurii's eyes widened in surprise.

"Huh?!"

She was definitely naked just a moment ago.

But in the short time Yurii exchanged a few blows with the Lothario, she had managed to put on her clothes.

It was truly an astonishing speed of dressing.

The Lothario, seeing her retreating figure, called out in confusion.

"Hey, you?"

At his call, the woman who was about to leave stopped and turned around.

Red hair, copper-colored skin.

A beautiful woman exuding health and vitality.

She winked at the Lothario.

"Seems like today isn't my day. It's a shame, but next time."

She lightly kissed her hand and threw it, then threw herself out of the cave.

Thud— Thud—.

Just like Yurii did, she kicked off the wall and climbed up.

"Huh?"

From her agile movements, Yurii could tell that her skills were far from ordinary.

"Still, her shoulder badge was white. If it's white, she's a fifth-year, so it's natural for her to have that level of skill... Huh?"

Yurii's mouth slightly opened as he thought this far.

He looked at the Lothario with a bewildered expression.

"Wow, this guy is really something, isn't he?"

Although he was called a Lothario, he was much more impressive than Yurii had thought.

The first woman Yurii saw had brown hair and a green badge, a 48th-year.

The next one had blonde hair and a blue badge, a 47th-year.

And just now, a red-haired woman with a white badge, a 46th-year.

He had met three women in less than 24 hours.

This Lothario had apparently planted a lover from each year.

"By this point, there's probably one from the 49th-year too, right?"

Yurii whistled.

Meanwhile, the Lothario, who had been staring blankly at the retreating figure of his lover, began to tremble.

Then he let out a bitter laugh.

"Haha... Hahaha!"

He brushed his bangs aside and glared at Yurii.

Thanks to this, Yurii could clearly see the Lothario's appearance.

His hair was a deep purple, almost bruised-looking.

He was about 180 cm tall with a well-built physique.

And most importantly,

"...He's handsome."

With his sunken eyes, he exuded a peculiar charm, and Yurii had to admit he was indeed handsome.

However, no matter how handsome he was, observing a naked man wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, so Yurii instinctively took a step back.

"Could you at least put some clothes on when you're swinging your sword?"

But the Lothario showed no intention of dressing.

He pointed his sword at Yurii.

"...Do you know?"

"Know what?"

"How long I've been waiting for today."

No, how would I know that?

We just met today.

"Do you also know what day it is today?"

"...What day is it?"

"Today... today is the day I become a man!"

"..."

I don't understand what he means.

But I should apologize first.

For some reason, I feel a bit guilty.

"You should have locked the door better."

...Oh no!

This damn mouth of mine is at it again?

And such unintentional provocation was perfectly received by the Lothario.

"Is that what... someone who broke down a locked door and barged in should say?!"

The Lothario's sword began to move as he shouted.

"Feel the heat of the love I was interrupted from... with your own body!"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

I don't understand what he's saying.

But there was one thing I understood perfectly.

'...His eyes are strange.'

The Lothario's eyes were slightly glazed over.

The moment he realized this, the Lothario's sword was already right in front of Yurii.

Yurii swung his beloved sword, Whitey.

Swish—!

The fight, which had been in a lull, resumed.

Clang—.

Yurii's face stiffened as he saw the smooth flow of the Lothario's swordsmanship.

'This is... dangerous.'

Despite his slightly glazed eyes, the Lothario's sword techniques were flawless.

Moreover, each technique flowed smoothly, threatening Yurii.

'Slow, but continuous... and flashy.'

That was Yurii's impression as he parried the Lothario's sword.

At the same time, he felt an indescribable sense of danger.

'This isn't the end.'

He had a strong premonition that this was just the beginning.

And Yurii's premonition was spot on.

Swoosh—.

The Lothario's sword began to shimmer with a red aura and started to draw a shape.

Like a pen tip dipped in red ink.

'This is...?'

The sword's trajectory drew a single petal.

Clang—!

The petal Yurii deflected was drawn again by the Lothario's sword.

Clang!

One petal.

Clang— Clang—.

Another petal.

Yurii tried to break the flow by thrusting his sword, but the Lothario's sword continued to stack red petals.

Finally,

Rustle—.

A flower bloomed around Yurii.

It was...

'A rose?'

A red rose.

A red rose so beautiful and striking that it could captivate anyone at first glance.

The moment he was surrounded by it, Yurii's instincts warned him.

This is dangerous.

In the face of danger, a cold, rational light flashed in Yurii's eyes.

'This is... an illusionary sword!'

Illusionary Sword (幻劍).

Johan described it like this:

"Illusionary swords are just tricks used by those lacking in strength or speed to deceive the eye! ...But I want to say that the illusionary swords of certain families, especially those that have been researched for generations, are at a level that cannot be ignored."

According to Johan, the sword techniques of families that have developed illusionary swords over a long period are not just simple deceptions but are on a different level altogether.

'The boundary between illusion and reality disappears.'

And the high-level illusionary sword technique Johan spoke of was right in front of him, in the form of the rose.

The illusionary roses surrounding Yurii were both illusions and realities, each containing a sharp, energy-filled sword strike.

Many must have suffered in this prison of roses.

But Yurii was different.

'Certainly, it's a difficult technique to break. But...'

His instincts were warning him of the danger of the illusionary sword.

But his rational mind remained calm.

'Compared to the brutal prison bars in the dungeon, this is a flimsy level of deception.'

The Redner family's secret sword technique.

Cloud Step (雲步).

Swoosh—.

To pierce through the Ax Spear Technique—Madness, he had to use Brain Wing.

But this prison of roses could be escaped with just a light Cloud Step.

As Yurii escaped the prison of roses, the Lothario's eyes flashed.

"Trying to run away?"

With that, the Lothario's sword began to move even more intricately.

A faster, more refined sword.

Small roses began to bloom around him again.

Yurii, facing this head-on, turned pale.

The reason was simple.

"Disgusting."

A naked man...

Especially one with something dangling between his legs, creating an illusionary red rose every time he swung his sword.

It was a truly terrifying situation.

Yurii, repulsed, ran backward, with the naked man closely following.

As their chase continued, Yurii finally shouted.

"Stop chasing me, you Lothario!"

"Tsk, how rude. Lothario? A truly unsuitable title for me."

"If you're not a Lothario, what are you? Not just two, but three women in one day! Not just two legs, but three! If the women knew you were cheating, they'd be so happy! They'd definitely blow you up!"

"You don't understand. The women I meet know that my love is not solely for them."

"The women... know you're cheating and still meet you? They forgive you?"

"Cheating is a bit harsh. I'm just sharing my love with everyone. I'm fairly distributing my love."

"...You're delusional. You're full of shit."

"And there's something I need to correct you on."

"..."

"Four, not three. The women I love."

"Could the last one be... from the 49th-year?"

"How did you know?"

There was not a hint of shame in the Lothario's eyes as he spoke calmly.

Yurii felt his common sense crumbling.

But thanks to this conversation, their fight entered a lull.

And at that moment,

"Huh?"

The Lothario's eyes sparkled as he looked at Yurii.

"Come to think of it, you're the Owl, aren't you?"

"Owl?"

"What else would a creature sitting on a tree at night be?"

"..."

"We've met twice, haven't we?"

Yurii's eyes widened at his words.

'He knew I was there?'

Despite thinking he had completely hidden his presence, he knew I was there.

Not just once, but twice.

Then,

'Wait?!'