hotmtlnovel Chapter 110
Chapter 110
The clash of swords was a familiar sensation to Maxime, but this time, the impact felt unusually foreign. He steeled his upper body and pushed back against Adeline’s blade as their swords scraped against each other, scattering sparks into the cold air.
"Can’t you put down your sword?" Maxime's voice was filled with desperation. He felt a pang for everyone in this situation—Christine, who was trapped underground, Adeline, who was forced to fight him, and even himself, standing here in a hopeless battle.
“...I cannot,” Adeline replied, shaking her head. Maxime's face twisted in frustration. She couldn’t see it, but her trembling lips betrayed her emotions, even as her tone remained calm.
"Aren't you in pain?" Maxime asked, noticing the slight tremor in her shoulders. She quickly regained her composure and replied coldly, “That’s none of your concern.”
Maxime wanted to keep talking, hoping for another way out. But Adeline held her sword firmly, her stance resolute. She seemed to gather herself, as if warning him, “Raise your sword again, Arsen.”
If you don’t, you’ll die for real.
With that, she advanced on him even faster, her sword’s trajectory homing in on his every breath, striking at every opening. Maxime blocked her second strike with a downward swing, but the blank cloth over her eyes reminded him of the unnerving challenge ahead.
Fighting a blind swordsman... this is going to be tricky.
Adeline pressed on, keeping him on the defensive as her attacks intensified. Maxime circulated his mana through his body, quickening his movements as their swords collided repeatedly, each clash resounding in the alleyway.
“Impressive defense,” Adeline commented in her flat tone. Maxime could hear the calm, calculated edge in her voice even amidst the flurry of strikes. Then, without warning, her blade angled toward his heart, a move he had no chance to dodge. He quickly raised his sword, the impact propelling him backward.
“Damn it...” Maxime growled, not out of anger toward Adeline but at the man pulling the strings—Count Leon Benning. He pictured the Count’s mocking smile, the one that seemed to say, What can you possibly do?
“You’re stronger than this,” Maxime said softly, tossing his sword aside. He walked closer, his gaze steady. “I’m not going to kill you. And I’m not going to let you kill yourself, either.”
Adeline’s shoulders slumped, the adrenaline draining from her body. She couldn’t understand why he spared her or how he could continue to resist the Count’s orders.
“Why are you doing this?” she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. “If you let me go, I’ll pick up my sword and attack again. Or I’ll end my own life here and now.”
“Enough with the threats,” he replied, his tone exasperated yet gentle. “Christine, you... everyone around me seems so eager to throw their lives away. Well, I won’t allow it. I’m not losing anyone else.”
His words surprised her. The Maxime she knew would never say such things. His resolve, his determination—it made her want to believe in him, even if only for a moment.
“Trust me,” he said, as if reading her mind. “I’m going to save you, and I’m going to save Christine. I won’t let the Count’s schemes continue unchecked. Just once, trust me.”
Adeline hesitated, feeling the weight of his words settle on her heart. She couldn’t find the will to argue or to resist. Instead, she let out a long, shaky sigh.
“...Do as you wish, then.” Her voice was barely a murmur, but the flicker of hope in Maxime’s eyes was unmistakable.
He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, a warmth spreading through her that she hadn’t felt in ages. “Just rest for a while. You’ll understand soon enough.”
Before she could respond, he struck a precise point on her neck, sending her into a gentle sleep. As she drifted into darkness, she heard his words, calm and resolute, as if echoing from a distant memory.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
And then, there was silence. Adeline surrendered to the calm, allowing herself, for once, to trust in someone else.