Chapter 54: The Awkward Encounter and Faked Bout

‘Why is Lamia here?’

‘No, that’s not right. It would be strange if she weren’t here.’

‘She must have been following me, just like last time.’

‘She followed me all the way here to save that demon from my grasp.’

‘However, the fiend with such potent demonic energy was definitely not her.’

He was far too familiar with the demonic energy emanating from Lamia; Wade would never mistake it.

They had interacted for so long, both on the battlefield and…

…during their intimate encounters these past few days, that he knew her energy intimately.

‘—But that fiend was definitely here just now… Were they using Lamia to block me?’

‘Perhaps they had taken a path similar to Lamia’s, causing their demonic energies to overlap. During the time I was delayed by colliding with Lamia, their speed would have been enough to escape…’

‘So, did Lamia know that fiend?’

‘Were they working together? Or was it merely a coincidence?’

‘If it was a fiend of such immense power, Lamia, as the Demon Lord, had no reason not to recognize them.’

‘But—I can’t exactly ask her.’

‘I can’t just blurt out “Wifey!” and then ask her who just ran past. Do I have a death wish?’

“Hmph… What a coincidence, White Knight. To think I’d run into you.”

“Hah…”

Wade took half a step back, signaling his clear reluctance to engage in combat.

Last time, he had merely landed a few blows on her, and she had promptly kicked him out of bed. It seemed she was practically eager to turn his bedroom into a crime scene… Better not to provoke her.

‘Now that I’m no longer pursuing that fiend, in theory, there shouldn’t be any unavoidable conflict between us. All I need to do is leave first, just like before, then wait for her to return to her room before I go back—’

‘Hm?’

‘…No.’

‘There’s something else I need to do.’

Suddenly, Wade recalled his previous words, or rather, what he had just said to Lamia.

“—I’ll speak with her in my personal capacity.”

Wade had uttered those words just now, intending to appease Lamia.

‘Now that I’ve encountered the Demon Lord, according to what I told Lamia, I should make a show of greeting her.’

‘Ugh—this is so awkward, greeting the Demon Lord.’

‘However, we haven’t started fighting yet, so there shouldn’t be any point of contention.’

‘That fiend? Oh, that one, they have nothing to do with me. I didn’t kill them.’

‘In any case—for the sake of my wife, I should say something to her.’

Thus, after shuffling back two steps, Wade then took half a step forward. After a moment of hesitation, he extended his hand towards the Demon Lord.

[……?]

It was not a combat stance, but simply an outstretched hand.

“Shake hands?”

Normally, Wade remained silent when donning his White Knight armor. Not speaking allowed him to concentrate more effectively and added to his mystique, preventing others from guessing his identity.

But when it came to Lamia, there was nothing left to hide. She would practically strip him naked to get a good look; what was the point of maintaining an air of mystery?

He had indeed disguised himself well, yet Lamia had seen through his identity with just a glance at Wade, making any evasion impossible. It was as if she could ‘unbox’ him in three seconds flat.

Wade forced a somewhat awkward smile onto his face, aiming to appear friendly—after all, he was conversing with his nominal wife.

Only after the smile formed did he realize, ‘Ah, I’m wearing a helmet. She can’t even see my face.’

‘……’

Lamia remained silent, her inner thoughts equally quiet, which made Wade intensely awkward. His hand was outstretched, neither right to keep it there nor to retract it.

[He… really intends to talk to me, as his so-called wife?]

Hidden beneath his helmet, Wade’s face twisted into a slightly bitter smile upon hearing her thought. He subconsciously wished to reassure Lamia with his smile, but alas, she couldn’t see his face.

[But alas.]

“—?!”

[—Not now!]

*Clang!*

A dark, chilling gleam flashed past, and Wade swiftly retracted his hand, which had nearly been severed. He quickly retreated several steps.

‘—What is she doing?! Didn’t we agree to talk? I even showed sincerity!’

Wade’s hair stood on end from fright. He immediately lowered his stance, returning to a combat-ready state. He watched Lamia, who was a head taller than him in her armor, advance towards him with her greatsword. The oppressive force of her rapid strides made Wade gasp sharply. ‘Is she serious?!’

[Quickly… Let me strike you once…!]

As the distance between them closed, Wade heard Lamia’s inner thoughts grow increasingly distinct.

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

The greatsword slammed down fiercely onto the spot where Wade had just been, showing not the slightest hint of holding back. This was no mere skirmish.

‘—Let you strike me once? Are you insane, or am I?’

However, Wade also felt a pang of confusion, for these were Lamia’s inner thoughts.

She wasn’t openly discussing anything with him; rather, she was muttering these words to herself mentally.

[—He’s still watching. It would be disastrous if he didn’t see the White Knight’s power begin to wane.]

‘Who?’

‘Who?’

Amidst the scattered debris, Lamia’s voice echoed through the flying fragments.

[—If that happens, he might intervene and halt my plans…!]

‘…?! Guah—?!’

The next second, as Wade was momentarily stunned by the mention of “halting plans,” Lamia’s greatsword seized that one-second opening. Taking advantage of his momentary lapse in concentration, she slammed the heavy blade violently against Wade’s body, sending him flying.

Excruciating pain erupted across his body. Although his armor offered protection against fatal blows, preventing death or catastrophic internal damage, the sheer impact still inflicted intense agony. He was sent sprawling by the flat of Lamia’s greatsword, only stopping when he crashed violently into a building.

“Cough… cough…”

The pain caused his lungs to contract violently, and a few ragged coughs escaped him, sounding utterly disheveled.

Yet… it was difficult to comprehend that this was the result of Lamia holding back.

She had struck him with the flat of the blade, not the sharpened edge. Had the keenest part of the sword connected, even with his armor, his internal organs would undoubtedly have sustained significant damage, far beyond what might now only be a few bruises.

“Hah… hah…”

That single strike had completely bewildered Wade. He stumbled to his feet, assuming it was over. Yet, despite Lamia’s implied “one strike and done,” she was still advancing towards him.

However—while she still walked with the same powerful strides, her pace was noticeably slower than before.

‘…It’s time to go!’

Wade understood Lamia’s unspoken signal. He no longer lingered, turning to flee and enduring the pain as he departed at his fastest possible speed.

Seeing Wade turn and run, Lamia did not pursue. Instead, she lifted her head, her gaze fixed on the humanoid fiend standing on a nearby rooftop.

[Are you satisfied now, Orlan?]

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