Let’s Make Saving a Habit - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 101
In conclusion, the Duchess’s assumption that the Red Knight Order Commander would keep Lucian well in check proved entirely wrong.
The Red Knight Order Commander, experienced in monster subjugation, had grown complacent, relying too heavily on his usual expertise.
Initially, Lucian and the Red Knights proceeded with subjugation at the entrance of the Monster Habitat, just as the Duchess had instructed.
The Red Knights under Lucian’s command easily dispatched the one or two monsters that charged at them.
It was only natural.
Though they had remained hidden behind Raspi and Elysion, accomplishing nothing, they too were knights of the formidable Papiope after all.
But perhaps such strength became their poison.
They began to grow greedy, bit by bit.
“There are too few monsters here. Should we venture a little deeper inside?”
When Lucian glanced at the Red Knight Order Commander and posed the question, the man, still clinging to reason, hesitated.
“My lord, but the Duchess ordered us to conduct subjugation only at the entrance of the habitat….”
“Shouldn’t we at least defeat the Blue Knights? At this rate, I’m not confident we can guarantee victory.”
At that, the Red Knight Order Commander’s eyebrows twitched.
His pride had been struck directly.
Above all else, he could not bear the thought of losing to the Blue Knights.
The Blue Knights and Red Knights had been rivals since ancient times.
The Blue Knights, who entered through swordsmanship alone.
The Red Knights, composed entirely of Ability Users.
The divide was inevitable from the start….
And the remaining Black Knights, with only Aiden as their sole member, were little more than a knight order in name alone.
The Blue Knights, unlike themselves who became knights through effort….
Subtly looked down upon the Red Knights, claiming they had merely been fortunate enough to be born with good abilities.
The Red Knights, unlike the Blue Knights who only knew how to wield swords, believed themselves superior in skill, using both abilities and swords simultaneously.
“Hah. I cannot lose to the Blue Knights….”
The Red Knight Order Commander squeezed his eyes shut.
“What good is awakening as an Ability User if I cannot even defeat an unawakened one.”
He could already hear the Blue Knight Commander’s mockery ringing in his ears.
The Red Knight Order Commander, caught in his deliberation, finally succumbed to Lucian’s provocation.
“Then we shall venture deeper and observe the situation, returning to the entrance if it becomes too difficult.”
“Good, let’s do that.”
Lucian grinned widely, thinking of gathering plenty of monster cores to surprise the Duchess.
Because Tania had always been so mature since childhood, despite their four-year age gap, he had somehow felt like the younger sibling.
This subjugation was his chance to show that he too had now grown into an adult.

✦ ✦ ✦
Lucian made a vow that if he returned safely to Duke’s Mansion, he would address Tania as his elder sister.
“Damn it…!”
As he swung his sword, the monster before him shrieked and collapsed.
Without even a moment to harvest its core, he swung his blade toward the next creature.
Using his ability, he’d obscured the monster’s vision with flying insects, which at least slowed its movements.
Animals feared the monsters too much to be useful in combat.
“How did things come to this?”
Watching the endless tide of monsters, he couldn’t help but think this place might become his grave.
Certainly, when we first ventured deeper into the Monster Habitat, everything had been manageable.
The monsters appeared in just the right numbers, and watching them fall without so much as scratching us, my confidence had grown steadily.
Even the Red Knight Order Commander had seemed cautious at first, but relaxed upon seeing the number of creatures appearing.
The problem was that as this continued, we gradually moved deeper into the Monster Habitat.
Lucian and the Red Knight Order suddenly realized they were in the very heart of the Monster Habitat.
But by the time they tried to escape, it was already too late.
They were surrounded by an endless swarm of monsters, experiencing hell itself.
“Lord Lucian! Could you perhaps use your ability to send a messenger bird to the Duchess?”
“I could send one, but I don’t have time to leisurely write a letter asking Mother for help! Don’t you have some kind of emergency flare?”
“If we fire a flare, the monsters in the vicinity will swarm even more!”
Lucian bit his lower lip and activated his ability.
A raven from nearby descended onto his shoulder.
He tore a blood-stained handkerchief that Aiden had thoughtfully given him into a long strip and tied it to the bird’s leg.
It was the same handkerchief Aiden had made sure to give to Lucian before he departed on the monster subjugation with the Duchess.
“Find Mother and show her your feet, then guide her to this place!”
The raven nodded as if it understood and took flight into the sky.
This was the best I could manage while fighting the monsters.
“I can only hope Mother notices the danger from the bird…”
Not long after sending the messenger bird.
Lucian was holding on by sheer force of will, but he felt the limits of his stamina approaching.
The Red Knight Order soldiers seemed to be reaching their breaking point as well.
Then it happened.
While watching the others, Lucian twisted his ankle and lost his balance.
He fell, and before he could scramble up, a monster rushed at him with its jaws wide open.
He tried to swing his sword, but his arms had no strength left.
Thinking it was the end, he squeezed his eyes shut.
Shwing—!
A cutting sound rang out, followed by a heavy thud.
Opening his eyes at the realization that he was alive, the first thing in his vision was the monster that had attacked him, now a lifeless corpse.
Lucian’s gaze shifted to find whoever had saved him.
Standing before him were two men: one built like a bear, and another with a slender frame who looked like a typical scholar.
Behind them, dozens of sturdy men appeared from nowhere, slicing through the surrounding monsters with effortless precision, as though they were cutting through wheat.
Their movements were economical and practiced, as if hunting monsters was merely another day’s work.
Lucian opened his mouth in astonishment and asked carefully.
“W-who are you people…?”
What kind of madmen had ventured into the heart of the Monster Habitat?
Yet even before the countless monsters, they showed not a trace of fear.
Then a lean man with sky-blue hair smiled warmly and spoke.
“Fortunately, we arrived in time. I am Arthur, Vice Commander of the Golden Silver Mercenary Company.”

✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, Duchess Papiope was resting alongside the Blue Knights after a fierce battle with monsters.
Suddenly, a raven flew down from somewhere and landed on her lap, cawing loudly.
She immediately recognized it as a messenger bird sent by Lucian and checked if there was a letter or anything else it had brought.
But what the raven carried was not a letter—it was a blood-stained handkerchief.
Upon recognizing that the handkerchief was the same one Aiden had tied to each of his companions’ hats that morning, Duchess Papiope’s face went deathly pale.
The raven flew about the area as if beckoning her to follow.
Duchess Papiope sprang to her feet and summoned the resting Blue Knights.
“Lucian and the Red Knights are in danger. Follow this raven at once!”
Duchess Papiope hurried after the raven with the Blue Knights in tow.
The deeper they ventured into the Monster Habitat, the darker her expression became.
Though she pressed forward with the resolve to save Lucian and the Red Knights, the number of monsters appearing grew increasingly overwhelming even for her.
She had replicated Raspi’s monster taming ability, so any number of monsters posed no threat to her.
But Lucian and the Red Knights were another matter entirely.
Upon arriving at the location the raven had guided her to, Duchess Papiope was bewildered to find only monster corpses scattered about—no sign of any people.
“Where is Lucian? Where are the Red Knights? Have they already fallen?”
“P-please calm yourself. Since there are no bodies, they must be nearby.”
But consumed by anxiety at the thought of her son in danger, Duchess Papiope ultimately chose to reveal her ability.
“It is too dangerous to remain here long. You must leave the Monster Habitat at once. I will search for Lucian and the Red Knights alone.”
“Y-Your Grace?”
The eyes of the Blue Knights widened in shock.
Duchess Papiope had taken flight into the sky.
It was the fastest method to reach Lucian’s location.
This too was one of the many abilities she had replicated.
Yet Duchess Papiope soon realized her judgment had been flawed.
Monsters harbor no malice toward animals.
They possessed an instinct to kill only humans with deliberate cruelty.
This was precisely why the raven Lucian had sent could reach Duchess Papiope safely.
Naturally, such logic did not apply to Duchess Papiope, who was human.
Since she could only use one replicated ability at a time, she could not employ her monster taming either.
“Ugh—!”
Driven by a single resolve to save Lucian, Duchess Papiope took flight, only to be ambushed by a winged monster and plummet from the sky.

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