Chapter 272: Chapter 28: The Yonglan Riding God’s Intentions Were Good, but They Were Poorly Executed

SCREEECH—

A heavy-duty motorcycle drifted to a screeching halt, stopping steadily beside the Boundary River.

Westheid leaped off the motorcycle and rushed toward the Wolf-eared Maiden.

"Mivana, I’m here to help you!"

"Teacher... West."

The Beast-eared Maiden’s golden-red eyes quaked, the man’s figure reflected within them.

She hurried to meet him, but before she could take more than a few steps, Westheid was already there.

He followed up with a vicious punch right to Mivana’s face.

BAM—

A distorted shockwave rippled out. Westheid hadn’t held back in the slightest. And to be frank, a full-power punch from a Legendary Celestial Rank with the Saint of Flesh and Blood Talent was enough to shatter a small mountain.

This immense, violent impact was unleashed directly on Mivana’s head. With a dull thud, the Lady Knight was sent flying like a broken doll.

GRIND, GRIND, GRIND—

Her body tumbled and spun. The sheer impact with the snowy ground was enough for the aftershock to carve a deep trench in the earth, stretching for several hundred meters before she finally skidded to a stop.

Westheid pressed his advantage, appearing before Mivana in the next instant. He pinned the Wolf-eared Maiden down, preparing to unleash a point-blank assault.

However, just as Westheid closed in, his eyes met the Wolf-eared Maiden’s. Though traces of crimson remained in their depths, her gaze was unmistakably clear. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Westheid froze.

"Huh? You’re still lucid?"

Mivana touched her blood-streaked cheek and nodded.

"...Yes. I was lucid up until a moment ago. But your punch, Teacher West, certainly cleared my head."

"Oh... well, in that case, never mind."

It was hard to say whether Duke Qinghui felt disappointed or just awkward as he got off Mivana.

Westheid had thought he’d have to fight Mivana again to beat her back to her senses. He was already prepared to team up with Reiya to subdue the rampaging Beast-eared Maiden.

’Time to deliver a crushing blow!’ he had thought.

’Two T0s against a rampaging Mivana who wasn’t even at the Legend Tier... Even if the Cursed Source Blood was monstrously powerful, it couldn’t possibly let her jump an entire major Tier to fight overpowered freaks, right?’

’The advantage is mine! The rampaging Heaven-Devouring Wave? Let me fight you fair and square with my true power! Let’s see what a so-called "human calamity" is really made of!’

"I didn’t expect you to get here so quickly, Teacher West."

Mivana paid no mind to the punch that had nearly taken the top of her head off, forcing her body to stand.

The berserk state of the Cursed Source Blood could be stopped with a beating. It was like a bonfire that burned hotter and hotter—as long as fuel was added, it would keep burning. But once the rage was extinguished, the Cursed Blood could no longer boil.

In other words, as long as her shield-like rage meter could be depleted quickly, her berserk state would be easily resolved.

Not only had Westheid’s punch completely depleted her rage, it had also left Mivana with a Severe Injury. The Beast-eared Maiden was so weak she could barely stand, forcing her to lean into Westheid’s embrace.

Mivana buried her face in the man’s chest and mumbled:

"...I didn’t think I could hold on any longer."

"If you ever lose control, I’ll always be here to pull you back."

Westheid gently patted Mivana’s back, reassuring her.

"That’s a promise I’ll keep, no matter how many times it takes."

Duke Qinghui never missed an opportunity to raise his affection score.

Westheid’s comforting words were remarkably effective. Mivana nuzzled against his chest, letting out small, animal-like whimpers.

However, this scene did not please Reiya. On the way over, Westheid had told her they were in for a vicious fight and that she had to be fully prepared.

’So this is it? Getting all cuddly right in front of me? I’m shaking with rage. Did I really run all this way just to watch this?’

The Silver-haired Princess crossed her arms and said coldly,

"How pathetic. Can’t you even control yourself?"

"Don’t be like that. I think Mivana tried her best, don’t you?"

Although Westheid was disappointed about missing a good, satisfying fight, he was even more glad that Mivana hadn’t truly gone berserk. If she had been unable to suppress her instincts, it would have been a massive headache.

Westheid had confidently promised he could pull Mivana back no matter what, but those were just words. It was best if things never got to that point.

The Lady Knight’s beast ears drooped, her golden eyes filled with utter confusion as she slowly shook her head.

"My best? I don’t know. I just... I didn’t want to be ruled by my instincts. I didn’t want to disappoint my teacher..."

Mivana’s voice trailed off until, finally, she fell asleep.

"Let’s talk about this when we get back."

Westheid and Reiya exchanged a look, then glanced toward the distant Expeditionary Army fortress. The area around the Boundary River was clearly no place for a quiet chat. Since they had managed to bring Mivana back so easily, heading back was the best course of action.

Although the Knight Expeditionary Army had noticed Westheid’s group, they were in no position to stop them.

And so, Westheid got on his motorcycle with the unconscious Mivana in his arms and sped away.

As it turned out, a Beastman’s constitution could not be compared to a human’s. Even after Westheid had given her a severe concussion, she healed completely after a short rest. Shortly after they returned to the town in the Dusk Lamp Territory, Mivana woke up in the middle of the night.

"Just tell us what happened, nice and slow."

Beside the warm hearth, Westheid gently draped a wool blanket over Mivana, handed her a cup of hot tea, and sat down beside the Lady Knight.

Reiya, meanwhile, stood with her arms crossed and her back against the wall, watching them in silence.