The Second Son of The Marquis Runs Away from Home ~ Lacking Talent, He Abandons Everything and Becomes an Adventurer ~ - 83

Chapter 83: The Anger is Swept Aside (Amami’s Side)

“Ah, we’re meeting for the first time, right? Are you the daughter of someone I killed or something?”

Dougen tilted his head and asked. Amami gritted her teeth and, with a growl, swung her sword.

Amami’s sharp slash left a wound on Dougen’s cheek. Both of them stepped back, and Amami glared at him, her eyes full of intent to kill.

“Don’t act innocent! You sent my father’s head after you killed him, even though he went to Ozuma to prevent a fight!”

“…Ah, so you’re Kunou’s kid.”

Dougen muttered as if remembering something. He shrugged theatrically before continuing.

“Did you not like the head I sent? That was my way of being considerate.”

“What did you say!?”

“I bet right now, that old man Mudo is probably messing with your father’s corpse, right? I thought it was sad that you didn’t even know what your father looked like in death, so I thought I’d at least return his head to you. It’s kindness, you know?”

Amami sheathed her sword, then instantly closed the distance between them. Dougen blocked her drawn blade, but Amami’s sword slid across his and reversed to strike down.

The sword was just about to hit Dougen’s shoulder when Amami stepped in. Bl00d flew, but the wound was shallow, just a scrape, which caused Amami to grit her teeth in frustration.

“Your father was a fool, wasn’t he? No matter how strong he was, he came to enemy territory and got killed easily.”

“Shut up! Don’t speak about my father, you scum!”

Dougen attempted to grab her sword, but she backed off. She sheathed her sword again and took a low stance, then with a sudden step forward, slashed upward.

Dougen quickly retreated, but was still slashed across his torso, bl00d spraying. Watching the bl00d flow from his wound, Amami’s emotions erupted.

“You must’ve used some underhanded trick to deceive my father into an ambush! Otherwise, there’s no way he would’ve lost to someone like you!”

“Hah, you think you could win if you weren’t so careless?”

Dougen touched his wound while laughing. But, still smiling, he drew his Shikotsu Kuchi with its purple blade and posed.

“Do you know why I was able to kill Kunou?”

The atmosphere shifted dramatically.

“I’m stronger than Kunou, even without tricks.”

Dougen moved his body in a fluid motion, closing the distance between them with smooth steps like smoke carried by the wind.

“?!”

Amami blocked Dougen’s strike with her sword, but the force of the blow was too much. She was blown back by the weight of his blade.

“The slash just now? That wasn’t because of your skill, it was because I let you strike.”

Dougen, without hesitation, swung Shikotsu Kuchi down at the fallen Amami. She rolled out of the way, but another kick landed in her stomach.

“Cough!?”

“You put up a decent fight for a kid. I figured it would be a shame if you couldn’t land a single blow on your enemy, right?”

Amami struggled to stand, but Dougen swung his sword downward from above. She barely managed to raise her sword to block, but it couldn’t withstand the force and snapped.

The sound of air being cut by the blade echoed. Amami’s body was sliced in multiple places, and from the lines of bl00d, her strength quickly drained. Dougen kicked her away, sending her crashing into a tree.

“Ah… Ugh…”

“Now then… If you’re Kunou’s kid, I could use you as leverage for negotiations instead of killing you. It’s a losing battle, but you’ll make a good trophy.”

Through her dazed vision, Amami could hear Dougen’s words. If she were captured now, it was clear that Gomon would be at a disadvantage.

If she died here, no one would know. Dougen would use her body however he pleased… And if Gomon lost, what would happen to her mother and sister? The worst possible future flashed before her eyes, and Amami realized how foolish and reckless she had been.

“Ugh… Ugh… Aaaah…”

Tears streamed from Amami’s eyes as she sobbed. She was crushed by her own weakness—her inability to avenge her father and the anger that had driven her to risk her family’s safety.

“Hahaha! Now that’s a face! A perfect reaction!”

Dougen laughed at the fallen Amami. His laughter, full of pure delight, echoed around them.

“I’ve decided. After I destroy Gomon, I’ll have fun with you and your mother in front of Kunou’s grave… Well, I’ll probably have to chop off your hands first, to avoid any more trouble if you try to resist.”

The Shikotsu Kuchi blade gleamed ominously…