Page 182 of The Villainess Whom I Had Served for 13 Years Has Fallen

Rowan looked at me and let out a hollow laugh.

“What have you raised. You.”

-Clang, clang, clang...!

Rowan shook his head at the sight of Hanna, who was relentlessly pouring out her sword energy.

The sight of his daughter, who had grown more than he had thought, came as a great shock.

Rowan thought he knew Hanna’s weaknesses.

Wielding the sword honestly as if there were a correct ? NоvеⅠight ? (Read more on our source) answer was one of Hanna’s chronic weaknesses.

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In the past, Rowan had watched Hanna’s sword. Not as a father’s love, but to measure whether his daughter’s sword could make Histanea’s name known.

The answer to that observation was cold.

Hanna’s sword had no power.

Honesty and variables did not exist, and if someone told her one, she would fit herself into it.

There was no creativity either.

And no sign of perseverance.

Because he had spent time observing Hanna, Rowan judged that he knew Hanna’s weaknesses well.

So, he told Mikhail the strategy he had devised. He thought that if he skillfully exploited Hanna’s weaknesses, he would win the battle that he could win more easily.

No matter how much Hanna had awakened her aura, the talent that Rowan had seen in Hanna was poor. She might have seemed like a genius in the eyes of others, but in Rowan’s eyes, she was just one of those who were slightly better than others, so he hadn’t thought deeply about Hanna’s swordsmanship.

To be honest, it was more accurate to say that he had underestimated her.

-Clang, clang, clang...!

Rowan clenched his fists and swallowed dry saliva.

“I can’t understand.”

Rowan wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

I was just as surprised at Mikhail’s swordsmanship.

I thought it would be over in one exchange.

If Mikhail’s skills had remained the same, I thought the duel would end with a single sword strike, but Mikhail was holding out better than I thought.

I let out a hollow laugh as I watched Rowan, who was focused on the duel.

“What the hell have you been doing?”

“...”

The swordsmanship of the two had grown far beyond the limits they had expected.

To others, it might have just looked like they were swinging swords, but to the two of us, the growth of each other was clearly visible.

To be honest, I didn’t think I could make the right call on who would win.

I clenched my fists and looked at Hannah.

*

The blade that cut through the petals narrowly missed Mikhail’s shoulder.

Amidst the silent flow of sword energy, Mikhail received Hannah’s sword, and Hannah was preparing her next attack without rest.

It was a sword that contained no killing intent.

As if to confirm the extent of her own abilities, Hannah’s sword approached without carrying any killing intent.

Mikhail responded in kind, not avoiding Hannah’s sword, but receiving it. He also needed to grasp the extent of Hannah’s swordsmanship.

However.

-Clang, clang, clang!

The weight of Hannah’s descending sword strike was much heavier than he had thought.

It was a heavy sword.

Unlike what his teacher had told him, it was heavy, and if he mishandled his strength, he felt like he would drop his sword at once.

“Senior, hold your sword properly.”

“...Huff!”

“Pull yourself together and fight properly.”

Hannah said to Mikhail as she swiftly moved her sword.

“I’ve put everything on the line for this duel.”

Mikhail, who met Hannah’s descending sword with his own, was pushed back a step with a ‘clang’.

Hannah calmly swung her sword even as she saw Mikhail being forced into a defensive position.

-Don’t rush things just because you have the momentum. Give room for growth. Push forward slowly.

She moved her sword quickly and concisely, looking only at one place, as if trying to prove her worth with the goal of victory.

Hannah quickly took a step closer to Mikhail and raised the blade of her sword.

“That’s why I can’t lose.”

“...Me neither!”

“No. You’re different, Senior.”

“I have someone cheering me on.”

“That’s why I...”

Hannah drew her sword, taking a shallow breath.

-Clang...!

“I can’t lose.”

Mikhail had sparred with Hannah before. Not enough times to know her every move, but enough to know her weaknesses.

Before he had awakened his aura, he had always been victorious against Hannah, and after he had awakened his aura, the results of their spars had always been defeat.

Hannah was strong now.

And in the past, Hannah’s sword had been weak.

Although it focused on speed, Hannah’s sword was less weighty and less destructive than other swords.

Hannah’s sword’s advantage was a strategy of achieving victory through small wounds, rather than finishing off an opponent with a fatal blow.

A sword that focused on speed.

This was Mikhail’s assessment of Hannah’s sword, and Rowan’s assessment as well.

-Overpower her with your weight class.

Rowan had suggested a single direction for Mikhail.

Capitalizing on the advantage of his weight class.

-No matter how excellent a swordsman, the difference in weight class is not easily overcome. Your sword is slower than Hannah’s, but in return, it is not as unwieldy.

-I think that you would be right to choose a sword that focuses on speed, like Hannah, but it would not be easy to change suddenly at this point. And you don’t want that either.

-Use a classic strategy. A crude but effective method.

Rowan had told him to withstand Hannah’s sword.

No matter how fast and sharp a sword may be, it will break or vibrate if it hits a large wall, causing the wielder to drop the sword. Rowan had told him to take advantage of that gap.

Rowan had spoken of his strategy with confidence, certain that Hannah would not be able to react easily if he withstood her sword with strength, and Mikhail had accepted that strategy.

And the strategy had failed.

Rowan’s strategy, which had promised an easy victory, was collapsing.

The plan his teacher had given him, to find an opening when their swords clashed and shook, was torn to shreds by Hannah’s heavy sword.

Mikhail couldn’t understand it. He couldn’t fathom how she had managed to overcome her weaknesses, which he and Rowan had known about, in such a short time.

And he found the answer in Ricardo, who was looking at him with a hardened expression from afar.

Mikhail gripped his sword tightly.

Hannah shouted, gripping her sword.

“Just this much...”

-Clang...!

“Was this all Father was satisfied with?”

-Clang clang clang!

“Did he kill me for just this much?”

Amidst Hannah’s small, echoing cries, Mikhail looked for an opening, holding his sword upright.

Because he, too, had a reason he absolutely had to win.

He knew that Hannah had put a lot on the line for this duel, but he, too, had a reason he could not lose this time.

Because the blue spear had shown him the past that he so desperately wanted to know. Unbelievable as it may be.

Just once.

If he could just see it once, the hope that he could be freed from the nightmare that had gone on for so long carried a heavier weight than Hannah thought.

The wounds from the rapidly falling sword increased.

If he continued with a fighting style that put him at a disadvantage, Mikhail was bound to lose. Because the small wounds hindered the smooth movement of his body.

‘I have to make a decision.’

The fact that the strategy he had set up collapsed didn’t mean he couldn’t win. It just meant that the easy way to win had disappeared. The time and effort he had put in and what he had achieved remained. There were plenty of possibilities.

There was still much he hadn’t shown yet.

The sword filled with aura.

He had yet to show her the new technique he had created.

Mikhail gathered his aura.

He began to pour the will he had put into his sword into his aura.

Meeting Hannah’s sword, which was approaching heavily once more, head-on, Mikhail sensed it.

This was his chance.

The moment Hannah’s sword was about to brush past his shoulder, Mikhail exhaled brightly shining aura in one go, drawing a large line.

-Kwaaak...!

A strange sensation that grated on his nerves.

For the first time, Mikhail’s sword left a wound on Hannah’s body and swept across the floor.

A cloud of dust rose thickly, obscuring the battlefield.

Mikhail swung his sword once more, following the shadowy figure dimly visible through the dust cloud, because for a swordsman who relied on speed, vision was a huge weakness.

-Swish...!

The moment he felt the sensation of cutting something once more.

A blade with a faint brown hue cut through the dust cloud and flew past the tip of Mikhail’s nose.

Blood was flowing from Hannah’s sword.

The blood flowing from her left arm soaked her clothes and dripped onto the floor of the battlefield.

Hannah spoke with a bitter smile.

“Now I understand.”

Hannah held her sword in reverse and lowered her stance.

“The weakness of my senior that the butler spoke of.”

With those curt words, Hannah’s sword began to swing without pause.

Once at his side.

Another time quickly aiming for his exposed chest.

As if her injured arm was nothing, Hannah bit her lip and swung her sword, speaking in a low voice.

“From now on, focus properly. Because it seems I might actually kill you.”

Did he lose focus for a moment at Hannah’s brief provocation?

Hannah, her sword imbued with black aura, swiftly cut at Mikhail’s side.

Thud. A small amount of blood dripped from Hannah’s sword. Mikhail’s forehead began to sweat as Hannah’s sword, having detected his weakness and targeted his weak points in the brief moment he had failed to notice, began to overwhelm him.

What was the weakness?

Where had he shown an opening?

Mikhail’s thoughts grew complicated.

“Yes. Senior, I liked you.”

“...”

“The sword you wielded for the weak looked cool and righteous. I wondered why I couldn’t swing my sword like that. Sometimes, I would grit my teeth and try hard to swing my sword like you, Senior.”

Hannah’s sword no longer trembled.

Hannah’s sword, which had been trembling slightly from tension, was now breathing with her.

Hannah took a shallow breath and raised her sword.

“Not anymore.”

Mikhail thought, looking at Hannah’s leisurely appearance.

‘Don’t get caught up in her pace.’

I can’t be swept away like this.

Hannah’s sword was subtly targeting his weak points. His shoulders trembled at Hannah’s gaze, which seemed to see through everything, but Mikhail exhaled and steadied his breath.

‘Focus.’

Blood is flowing.

Unbeknownst to him, too much blood was flowing.

It was really dangerous if this continued.

Because it seemed he would lose miserably without even showing what he had prepared.

He had to take control of the flow of this duel.

He couldn’t be consumed.

He had to win.

Absolutely.

Because there was a reason he absolutely had to win.

Mikhail gripped his sword.

He bit his lip and gripped his sword with his vision blurring from the pain.

Just once.

If there was just one opening, Mikhail thought he could take control of the flow.

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Mikhail gathered his aura into his sword.

Although it would consume a lot of magic power, he was determined to show the technique he had created. He stared only at Hannah while drawing in his aura.

Hannah swallowed hard at the sight of Mikhail’s stubbornness.

“Give up.”

“...”

“It must be hard to even stand.”

“I have to win.”

“You’ve lost too much blood.”

“I absolutely have to win...”

Hannah took a deep breath and raised her sword, facing the fluttering flower petals.

“I don’t know anymore.”

The moment Mikhail’s sword flashed as he tried to find the flow of the battle, Hannah closed her eyes and swung her sword slowly to match the passing time.

And then.

“Stop.”

The match was decided.

Mikhail opened his eyes wide, looking at the large back blocking his view.

It was red hair.

Familiar.

Angry.

Irritating, yet warm red hair was blocking his view.

“Are you crazy?” Rowan retorted, his eyes trembling as he looked at Hannah.

I gritted my teeth and glared at Rowan, who was standing still.

Then.

“No...!”

Mikhail was holding onto my collar and crying.

“Please... please...!”

He was desperate.

-Quest failed.