The Strongest Villain Sets Out: Reincarnated into a Merit-Based Clan, I Become the World's Strongest Swordsman - Chapter 47: Sweet Temptation

My body felt light.

Strictly speaking, I was falling to the bottom of a cave carrying a person, so gravity should have made me many times heavier than usual.

However, even during free fall, I calmly refined my aura. How much longer would I continue falling?

Depending on that, carrying Lucia might not end well for me either. But strangely, I was confident. I would be fine.And then the moment came. With tremendous impact and a thunderous roar, my feet made contact with the ground.

The shock ran from my feet to my head. For a moment, I almost lost consciousness, but I endured it by the skin of my teeth.

It was fortunate that I had been continuously activating divine prayer in preparation for falling at any moment. I treated my feet, which were making unpleasant cracking sounds, while injured.

In just a few seconds, I had completely recovered as if the pain I’d felt had been a lie. I stopped for a while holding Lucia, then eventually set her down on the ground. I let out a deep sigh.

“Damn it. That dragon caused me unnecessary trouble…”

Lucia was unconscious. She had lost consciousness during the fall.

Afterward, the impact had transmitted to her body as well, but protected by my vast aura—though not completely unharmed—combined with divine prayer, her bodily wounds had disappeared.

In other words, we were both safe. I looked up and pondered what to do.

“Can I climb up even using aura?”

The hole was large. For me to jump up while carrying Lucia, the width was worryingly broad.

On top of that, there was a dragon in the sky above. I hoped Sheila had managed to escape successfully, but if not, the place should have turned into a battlefield by now. I wanted to return immediately, but I had consumed a considerable amount of aura while falling. It was impossible right now.

“Where exactly is this place? If it’s a mine tunnel, it should connect to a path leading to the surface somewhere…”

Where Lucia and I had fallen, there was a neatly carved path. If I walked along this path, I might eventually be able to climb stairs and reach the surface. It seemed faster than waiting for my aura to naturally recover. Thinking that, I reluctantly tried to lift Lucia—at that moment.

“Mm, mmm…”

Lucia regained consciousness. She blinked and our gazes met. In her hazy consciousness, she stared at my face for a while, then..

“?!”

She sprang up as if bouncing.

Immediately after, she stepped backward.

“Y-you!”

“You’re awake. Good timing. You understand the situation, right? Let’s avoid any trouble.”

“Situation? …Ah.”

Perhaps remembering that she had been attacked by the dragon and saved by me at the last moment, her face turned pale. She had nearly died, after all. I would naturally make her feel indebted.

“Don’t worry about thanks. Just teach me the forbidden designation magic you know.”

“D-don’t be ridiculous! Why should I teach something like that to an enemy like you!”

“Who do you think you can be angry at right now? Besides, I don’t remember becoming your enemy. You just unilaterally saw me as one.”

“Guh! But… that magic is my only ray of hope…”

“Hmm. I can understand your reason for wanting to surpass me. However, there’s no point in trying to master forbidden designation magic as you are. I’m stronger.”

“What?!”

Lucia’s face turned bright red with a flush!

However, remembering the earlier battle, she couldn’t say anything.

After all, that magic she used was only a substitute for divine prayer.

No matter how hard she tried, with performance limited to absorbing magic power, there would eventually be a limit.

And she fully understood that. There, I sent her a sweet temptation.

“Of course, forbidden designation magic isn’t meaningless. Your training method is wrong. Besides, there’s no point in obsessing over a single power.”

“That’s…! Then what should I do? No matter how hard I try, can I never beat you?”

“I am the strongest, after all. But as long as you don’t give up, you can continue getting stronger.”

I smoothly extended my right hand. Ice formed in my palm. It cracked as it took the shape of a flower.

“That magic is…”

“This is composite magic I developed. You should be able to master it quickly. I’ll teach you, so teach me forbidden designation magic.”

“Huh? Why would you go that far for me?”

“You’re a rough gem. In terms of magic, you have about the same talent as me. It would be a waste to lose you here.”

Recently, I had started thinking. Even if I alone became the strongest, there were limits.

When surrounded by ridiculously strong opponents, I needed ‘meat shields’ capable of dealing with them. Making allies carried risks, but in that regard, the position of being the original work’s heroine was quite advantageous. Heroines had good personalities. She probably wouldn’t betray me.

Even if she did, if I learned curses, I could make a contract of servitude. Setting aside whether Lucia’s personality was already good, it was better to make her an ally and use her than let her escape.

That would also be for her benefit.

“Come with me, Lucia. I’ll make you stronger. So you make me stronger. You can kill everyone except me and those I approve of. Just stay by my side for my sake.”

I handed her the ice flower, seeking Lucia’s cooperation. In her current wounded state, she couldn’t refuse my proposal. Because… her face was already drawn to the temptation. That redness was proof of that.