Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 121

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 121

 

The fight between Terry and Hound continued quietly but fiercely.

 

Though not even footsteps could be heard, sparks flew as their blades clashed, and though neither let out a single pained groan, flesh and blood stained the dirt ground.

 

In the end, it was Terry who first had her back against the ground.

 

Bang!

 

Terry, kicked by Hound, went tumbling to the ground.

 

She tried to get up immediately, but couldn’t move due to the deadly sensation pressing down on her abdomen.

 

“Terry, give up.”

 

Hound looked down at Terry and spoke in a voice devoid of any emotion.

 

Under Hound’s shoe pressing down on Terry’s abdomen, a willow leaf-like blade, smoothly sharpened without a handle, was pressing against her skin.

 

If Hound put even the slightest pressure on his toes or if Terry moved her body, that blade would mercilessly cut through Terry’s flesh and pierce into her body.

 

And it was aimed at the pancreas, the most difficult organ to treat when damaged.

 

It was truly the textbook method of the Strays.

 

“By now, the men I hired should have caught up with the other three carriages. All I want is the Notary’s life and Lady Eleanor’s letter. If you return Lady Eleanor’s letter and promise to stop repaying your debt out of consideration for old times, I’ll spare your life.”

 

Damn it. Terry swallowed her curse.

 

Something had seemed strange. With skills like that, he could have killed the Notary long ago while she was off guard, so why had he dragged it out until today?

 

Now she thought she knew the answer.

 

He had been waiting for Terry to make contact with the Notary, trying to figure out what her purpose was and what the Notary was hiding.

 

‘Disgustingly meticulous bastard.’

 

At least, if it could be called fortunate, Eleanor’s letter wasn’t in her hands right now.

 

Terry took a deep breath. Even that caused the tip of the blade to dig slightly into her skin.

 

However, Terry didn’t hesitate as she grabbed Hound’s ankle and looked straight up at him.

 

“Don’t give me that crap. Return what? And Hound, have you already forgotten how I survived in the dog fighting pit?”

 

Saying that, she pulled Hound’s foot toward her chest.

 

Stab.

 

A chilling sound like something sharp tearing through a thin membrane echoed in Terry’s head.

 

Not expecting her to pull his foot so the blade would pierce her, Hound’s stance crumbled for a moment.

 

Terry didn’t miss that instant.

 

Though her insides felt hot as if she’d swallowed a ball of fire, she ignored the pain and swung the finger-sized blade she’d hidden on her inner wrist.

 

Swish.

 

“Ugh!”

 

The attack aimed at his eyes, however, unfortunately only grazed Hound’s eyelid.

 

While Hound stepped back a couple of paces, Terry quickly got up, clutching her abdomen.

 

The blade had already pierced deep into her abdomen, its tip no longer visible.

 

“Hah, hah.”

 

She thought strange sounds were coming from her throat with each breath.

 

Terry spat out a clump of blood that surged up her throat. It seemed her organs had been properly hit.

 

“Right, that’s how you survived. I had forgotten.”

 

While her skills with hidden weapons and poison were impressive, everyone had gradually avoided her because she was a mad dog who would leap into danger with a smile.

 

Just like right now.

 

“Then negotiations have failed.”

 

Wiping away the blood that kept obscuring his vision, Hound readjusted his grip on his weapon.

 

Though they had barely escaped from the dog fighting pit, they were still pointing swords at each other, aiming for each other’s lives.

 

But the situation was very different from back then.

 

In the past, they had to eliminate others just to survive, but now they held their swords for their own beliefs.

 

Just as Hound was about to step forward and charge at Terry.

 

Suddenly his focus became blurry.

 

He blinked lightly.

 

Though he had only been cut on the eyelid, his vision began to blur more and more. He had been affected by the poison Terry used.

 

Even at this sight, Terry didn’t let her guard down.

 

That monster could take her battered life even with his eyes closed.

 

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but let out a snicker.

 

“Hound, in that damn dog fighting pit, you lost if you died. But the world outside doesn’t work that way.”

 

From far away came the sound of the ground rumbling. It was the sound of a horse running.

 

There was only one, so it wouldn’t be the guards from the county.

 

Hound remained alert but allowed himself a slight relaxation. He had already confirmed that Terry had no allies except Jerry.

 

That sole helper had already left the county in one of the three carriages, so what was approaching now would just be a passing traveler.

 

So he needed to focus on taking Terry’s life before him.

 

“The outside world isn’t a survival-of-the-fittest world where you lose if you die and win if you survive. But you’re acting like you’ve won everything, aren’t you? As if you’re still inside the dog fighting pit.”

 

“….”

 

“Stupid bastard. This is my victory, Hound.”

 

At that moment, a horse at full gallop swept past Hound’s side.

 

“Sister! Your hand!”

 

Jerry on horseback extended his hand toward Terry, and Terry quickly grabbed that hand and climbed onto the horse.

 

Hound, who realized the situation a beat too late, threw his dagger, but due to his blurry vision, it only grazed Jerry’s nape.

 

“Ah! That monster bastard! Is he really unable to see properly? That sword just grazed my neck!”

 

Jerry made a fuss while whipping the horse.

 

Neither the Notary nor Jerry were in any of the four hired carriages that had left first.

 

They had just given money to the coachmen and porters hired from the carriage rental to disguise themselves as the Notary or Jerry and sent them to the outskirts of the village.

 

In other words, Jerry and the Notary had never left the county.

 

By now, the men Hound had hired would have realized they had come up empty-handed.

 

“I had the Notary evacuated in advance. We just need to return to the Royal Capital like this.”

 

“….”

 

“Sister? Hey, why aren’t you answering?”

 

Jerry, who was riding with Terry behind him, anxiously called to his sister.

 

“Hey, are you dead?”

 

“….”

 

“Sister Terry! You’re not dead, are you? You can’t die! I’ll take you to a doctor, so just hold on until then, please.”

 

“…I’m not dead. So go to the Blanche Family’s Annex.”

 

“What? Are you crazy? You’ll really die at this rate!”

 

“If we delay even for a moment… we’ll be tracked….”

 

Terry barely continued her explanation in an increasingly fading voice.

 

Hound also had resistance to poison, so his loss of sight was only a temporary phenomenon.

 

In the end, the moment they delayed looking for a doctor, they would be caught by him and truly lose their lives.

 

“Blanche Manor is the safest.”

 

“I don’t want to! I’m going to a doctor!”

 

“Jerry, listen to me. That bastard is a real monster. But there’s an even worse monster at Blanche Manor.”

 

The reason why Hound hadn’t personally sought out the annex despite sending so many assassins.

 

It was because of the loyal Lord Penandel who guarded Belinda’s side.

 

So right now, there was no place in this world as safe as the Blanche Family’s annex.

 

* * *

 

Late at night.

 

I opened my eyes to the sound of someone pounding on the manor door so loudly it could be heard up to the second floor.

 

Looking out the window that showed the entrance, I saw a hired carriage of unknown origin parked there.

 

Soon I heard the sound of someone running up the stairs with loud thumping, and then Vivian, her face pale as a sheet, burst open my room door without even knocking.

 

“Be, Be, Lady Belinda, Te, Terry has returned but….”

 

Vivian couldn’t continue speaking beyond that and just trembled with both hands.

 

My heart was pounding anxiously to an unsettling degree.

 

“Terry has returned?”

 

I wasn’t the only one awakened by the commotion, as Leo opened his door and asked while rubbing his eyes.

 

“Yes. For now… Jui-bam-tol, don’t come out of your room.”

 

Saying that, I hurriedly followed Vivian toward the guest room on the first floor.

 

I realized the severity of the situation when I caught the thick metallic smell wafting through the slightly open door.

 

No, this wasn’t a metallic smell.

 

“Terry?”

 

The white bedsheet where Terry lay was a mess, soaked in bright red blood.

 

“Lady Belinda! A, a doctor! My sister said to come here first, so I brought her… but we couldn’t even see a doctor. She might die at this rate.”

 

Jerry, whom I had seen a few times before, clung to me while sobbing.

 

But I couldn’t say anything.

 

A doctor? Could a doctor really heal Terry if one were available? Could a mere doctor really… fix someone in this condition?

 

Terry’s condition was so terrible that such thoughts came to mind unconsciously.

 

“We need to… bring a priest.”

 

The medical arts of this world are unreliable compared to my previous life. A priest would be better than that…

 

‘But would a priest even help?’

 

Even Uncle could barely summon one using enormous wealth and power.

 

I’m just a mere marquess’s daughter with neither money nor power to protect my people right now.

 

‘If Terry dies like this…’

 

“Master.”

 

Having noticed me belatedly, Terry looked at me with strangely clear eyes and smiled brightly.

 

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve seen Master make that kind of expression.”

 

“…That kind of expression?”

 

“You’re looking at me like I’m about to die. I’m still alive though.”

 

Terry spoke playfully, as if giving me a morning greeting.

 

That familiar face and attitude snapped me back to my senses.

 

I calmly observed Penandel, who was applying pressure to Terry’s wounds, then spoke.

 

“Vivian, bring that thing.”

 

“Yes, yes? Th, that… that thing? Ah, ah! Yes, yes!”

 

Vivian, who had been crying helplessly, rushed out of the room in a panic.

 

I sat beside Terry and firmly grasped her hand.

 

I didn’t know what to say. No, it would be more accurate to say I couldn’t open my mouth.

 

The moment I opened it, words telling her not to die would likely spill out.

 

“Master, there’s something I haven’t told you yet…”

 

“Don’t say it.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Save those ominous words for when you’re fully recovered.”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

Terry answered with shameless boldness.

 

“Master, as of today, I’ve finished repaying my debt. Thank you for saving my father’s life.”

 

“Save those words… for after you’re healed.”

 

“If I had lost Father so meaninglessly, I probably would have died a miserable death while rampaging to catch the culprit without thinking. Then Sewer Rat would have been ruined. No father, no me… Jerry probably would have suffered to death, right?”

 

I couldn’t just listen to the original story of 【Hirome】 coming from Terry’s mouth any longer.

 

“Terry, shut your mouth.”

 

“I don’t want to. Even if I keep talking, Master can’t punish me anyway. I’m in this much pain.”

 

Terry, who had been annoyingly cheeky to the end, suddenly gripped my hand tightly.

 

“From now on, not because of repaying a debt, but without any conditions or reasons, I want to make Master my master. Hmm, my words are getting tangled. Is it because I’ve lost too much blood?”

 

“…”

 

“I won’t die. Please believe me. So will you allow it?”

 

Terry began to pant. I could see the light gradually fading from her once-clear eyes.

 

I gripped Terry’s hand tightly back to hide my trembling.

 

“I allow it. So Terry.”

 

Bang!

 

“Lady Belinda! I brought it!”

 

Vivian, who had run back breathlessly, hurriedly handed something to me.

 

I immediately poured the contents of the red bottle into Terry’s mouth and spoke like a warning.

 

“Survive for now.”

 

Vivian’s masterpiece, the Spring Water of All Things, spread throughout Terry’s body, breathing life into her.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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