Sister, I Hit You Because There Was a Ghost Behind You - Chapter 69

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

Chapter 69. The Last Raven and the Prayer of Dawn
The air in the basement had grown thick with acrid miasma, far exceeding the oxygen that should have filled it.
Count Vain, now a monster—or rather, a swarm of ravens tangled with tens of thousands of vengeful spirits—swelled to the point of piercing through the ceiling itself. Each beat of its wings released a stench that seemed to emanate from the very depths of hell.
“Violetta, close your eyes. Something so grotesque deserves no place in your sight.”
Demian Lyart raised his holy sword vertically and unleashed a blinding torrent of sacred power.
Pure white wings unfurled from behind him, enveloping me in a dome-like shelter while purifying the cascading fragments of miasma. His hair danced in the sacred radiance, radiating an otherworldly nobility.
Witnessing this, Kairik von Herzen let out a derisive snort and launched himself upward from the ground.
“Look at you, all talk! Why should she close her eyes? She needs to see exactly how I flay the hide off this old bastard!”
Crimson mana erupted from Kairik’s entire body in a violent explosion.
His shadow took the form of a colossal wolf, tearing into the monster’s throat. The sickening sound of rending flesh echoed through the basement—crunch, crunch!
Kairik drove his claws mercilessly into the glowing red core embedded in the monster’s chest, laughing with savage delight.
The sight of the two men—one a perfect shield, the other a ruthless spear—driving the monster into retreat was truly magnificent.
When Kairik dove into the shadows and tore away the monster’s massive wing joint entirely, black miasma screamed forth in agony.
As the creature thrashed in pain and struck the ground, the basement trembled as if it would collapse, yet Demian remained utterly unmoved, his holy sword sweeping through the falling debris and reducing it to particles of light.
“Your Majesty, please refrain from such violent thrashing. The dust is not beneficial for Violetta’s breathing.”
Demian elegantly swept his blade through the air, cleansing the poison from the atmosphere, while Kairik growled as he trampled the monster’s face.
“Stop worrying about dust and focus on your swordwork! Those disgusting things keep crawling toward the weakling!”
True to Kairik’s words, the severed flesh of the monster was transforming into raven spirits, creeping toward the hem of my dress.
But the moment Demian drove his holy sword into the ground, a massive wave of light swept across the floor, obliterating them without a trace.
The monster, now completely devoid of reason, fused tens of thousands of ravens into a single entity and formed a colossal maw to engulf us.
Though the overwhelming weight of darkness cracked the basement ceiling, Demian and Kairik merely mocked each other and unleashed their full power.
Twelve chains of light erupted from Demian’s holy sword, binding the monster’s limbs and suspending it in midair, while Kairik seized the opening and tore through the creature’s chest with crimson eyes blazing.
I reclined leisurely against their reassuring backs, taking another sip of the remaining carbonated water.
Carbonated water in this hellish basement, of all places.
It was certainly an incongruous pairing, yet nothing else could quench the thirst born from my depleted mana.
“Your Majesty, please be more careful! If blood splatters, I’m charging extra for cleaning!”
At my cry, Kairik snapped the monster’s neck and replied.
“Forget the cleaning fee! I’ll buy you a brand new dress later, so just sit back and enjoy the show!”
“Demian too! Stop just shooting light everywhere and be careful not to break the furniture! The interior restoration costs are no joke!”
Demian swept his holy sword through the flock of ravens and responded with utmost courtesy.
“Understood, Violetta. I shall handle this with precision to minimize any damage to the furnishings.”
They pressed their assault on the monster with even greater ferocity, as if determined to prove who was the more capable guardian before me.
The thirty-year-old vengeful spirit that had moments ago threatened to consume the entire mansion was reduced to a perfect punching bag between these two extraordinary powerhouses.
Demian’s flawless swordwork traced brilliant arcs to cut off the creature’s escape routes, while Kairik tore through space with bestial leaps and slammed its massive form into the ground, pulverizing it.
The sacred light and feral miasma clashed endlessly as they checked each other, creating a strange synergy that swept away even the stale, acrid poison that had festered in the basement.
I sat like a VIP spectator, sipping my carbonated water and leisurely observing this overwhelming display of physical devastation.
But I knew the truth.
The monster’s true form was not merely Count Vain’s physical body.
[Hehehehe! The tenth raven… who is the last raven?]
Marian’s voice, resonating from within the monster’s body, grew increasingly distorted.
It was a dirge of despair woven from the resentment of a wrongfully dead spirit and the vile greed of mortals. The creature clawed at its own flesh as the two men tore into it, cursing them while attempting to regenerate its torn tissue.
“How tenacious. Is this what thirty years of obsession does?”
I opened my spiritual sight, narrowing my eyes to pierce deep into the creature’s heart.
There, instead of the remains of the second wife who had vanished thirty years ago, lay a crystallized core of condensed murderous intent that the family members had harbored toward one another.
It was a nucleus of hatred that gleamed brighter than gold and cut sharper than fangs.
The moment I understood, I cried out to Kairik and Demian.
“Demian, Your Majesty! The monster has two hearts! We can only end this by destroying the fragment of truth hidden behind Count Vain’s heart!”
At my cry, Demian’s eyes blazed as he tightened his grip on his sword. In an instant, he pierced through the creature’s defenses and concentrated all his holy power into the tip of his holy blade.
“Violetta, I will open the way!”
Kairik roared as well, seizing both of the creature’s arms and wrenching them backward.
“Now, weakling! Finish it with that crude hammer of yours!”
I rose from the sofa as if I’d been waiting for this moment, hoisting my hammer overhead. My dress skirts billowed in the maelstrom of magical force, yet my footsteps remained absolutely steady.
In this instant, I was no longer the frail heroine of a romance fantasy. I was nothing but a merciless executor, demolishing every filthy thing that had ruined my vacation and drained my energy. Blue flames wreathed around the hammer head, burning brilliantly as they drove back the damp darkness of the basement.
“Didn’t I say I’d pay back every last debt?”
I poured every ounce of mana remaining into the hammer. A brilliant blue flash erupted from the hammer head, expanding as if to swallow the dark basement whole.
I hurled myself through the perfect opening Kairik and Demian had created, screaming.
“This wretched hovel is shutting down for good today!”
Crash—!
The hammer struck true, smashing directly into the black jewel hidden deep within the creature’s chest.
Crack, shatter!
The curse crystal that seemed unbreakable shattered into powder in an instant. Simultaneously, the creature let out a final scream that tore at the eardrums before beginning to dissipate like smoke.
As the creature slowly turned to ash and vanished, the screams of the family members echoing from above gradually ceased.
[No one… remains.]
The final whisper dissolved into the air, and only a pleasant silence descended upon the basement.
I brushed the dust from myself and stored the hammer in my subspace.
My vision blurred momentarily from the strain of expending so much mana, but two pairs of strong arms appeared at my sides to steady me.
“Violetta, you’ve overexerted yourself greatly. Please lean on me.”
“Hey, my shoulder’s more comfortable, I’m telling you! Weakling, I thought you were actually going to die!”
I felt the refreshing coolness and warmth radiating from both sides.
Demian’s touch was like a cool breeze through a deep forest, while Kairik’s arm was like the blazing sun of midsummer. Both warm and cool at once.
It was a ridiculous comparison—like a hot iced Americano—but that was exactly what it felt like right now.
The two men pushed against each other while simultaneously supporting me with equal strength, careful lest I stumble even slightly.
In their eyes, the murderous intent from moments before had vanished, replaced only by desperate concern and possessive desire directed solely at me.
I entertained such frivolous thoughts as I slowly climbed the stairs with their support.
The moldy basement air dispersed, and fresh dawn air descended from above the staircase.
Through the windows, the pale blue dawn light of the Southern Region was already seeping in.
This delicate sunlight was the most luxurious reward bestowed upon those who had wandered through hell all night and returned.
I spoke to them as if I could finally breathe again.
“Well, now my real vacation begins. Demian, Your Majesty. Please arrange room service for breakfast. Something very expensive.”
At my shameless request, Demian smiled tenderly while Kairik let out an exasperated laugh.
“Understood. I shall wake Solea’s finest chef to prepare your breakfast.”
“Tch, room service? I’ll go catch the freshest fish myself, so you go get some sleep.”
The curse of the Emerald Hall had ended, and all that remained for me was the perfect respite of commanding these two men and savoring their devotion.
Of course, I had already secured the key to Count Vain’s vault safely within my possession.
For at the end of every hunt comes its reward.
Flanked by the steadfast protection of these two men, I stepped toward the peaceful morning that had finally arrived.

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