Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 1.36

Before the shattered door fragments could finish scattering across the floor, Jerf burst in with his sword drawn.

He raised it toward Zach, who was looming over Mariadoll…

But the man with the scar on his cheek intercepted Jerf’s blade.

His build was similar to Jerf’s.

Even through his coarse linen clothes, one could tell he had a well-trained physique.

Indeed, their sword lock was evenly matched, with neither giving ground.

“Lord Jerf!!”

Mariadoll tried to seize the opportunity to rise, but an arm wrapped around her neck, capturing her instantly. Zach pulled the dagger stuck in the desk and, pressing it to Mariadoll’s throat, began inching toward the wall.

“Hmm, so this is the hero of Dunbargas,”

the scarred man said, sizing up Jerf as if appraising his worth.

“You are a knight? No, wrong. A mercenary?”

“We fought in the same war, yet you gained fame and live free from financial worries. Meanwhile, I scrape by day to day as a bodyguard. Are knights really that great? I wonder what the world would say if a commoner like me defeated a hero.”

The scarred man pushed his sword forward with more force.

Jerf quickly stepped back, resetting the distance between them.

“Hey, just finish him off already.”

“Don’t need to tell me.”

At Zach’s words, the man swung his sword sideways.

Jerf deflected it with his own blade, redirecting its momentum, and tried to close in decisively, but his injured right leg slowed him down just slightly.

The man easily dodged Jerf’s strike and followed up with a rapid series of attacks.

Jerf was forced on the defensive, and behind him stood another bandit.

A man with a crew cut. He aimed with a gripped dagger, then swung his arm wide and threw it with a whoosh.

But the dagger didn’t fly toward Jerf; instead, there was a clang of metal hitting metal, and it embedded itself in the floor.

“W-who’s there? Who dares interfere?”

The crew-cut man turned to see a small-statured man standing with his back to the broken door. It seemed the dagger the small man had thrown had deflected the one aimed at Jerf. In an instant, the small man closed the distance and delivered a heavy kick to the crew-cut man’s stomach.

“Guh, you… how?”

His face contorted in pain. As everyone’s eyes turned to him, the newcomer grinned.

“Sorry I’m late, Lord Jerf. I’ve escorted Bishop Mantel to a safe location. I’ll handle the small fry.”

The small red-haired man in shabby clothes swiftly drew a longsword.

His previously unremarkable appearance vanished; his hunched posture straightened, and he looked dashing.

“Ah, by the way, my name’s Warren. Zach, you’re too trusting. You believed my story at the tavern just like that. Hard to believe you’re a villain with that kind of naivety.”

He appeared to be around twenty. Sweeping his messy bangs back revealed a well-proportioned face. Despite his grin, his words were sharp.

“So, Lord Jerf, I’ll leave that one to you. If it’s too much, I can take over.”

“My skills haven’t dulled enough to need your help.”

Jerf kicked off the floor with his left foot. His large step was likely to compensate for his right leg’s limited range of motion.

The tip of his sword grazed the man’s stomach, drawing blood.

But the man quickly regained his stance and raised his sword.

As the two glared at each other, Warren began taking down the bandits one after another.

(Even though there are mercenaries among the bandits… he’s strong. And that person—I was completely fooled by his appearance, but I’ve met him before.)

He was the red-haired knight watching Mariadoll and the others while speaking with Prince Frederick. With his messy hair hiding his face, she hadn’t recognized him.

Amid the sounds of people falling here and there, the clashing of Jerf and the scarred man’s swords continued relentlessly.

“Jerf’s opponent is the mercenary who took down the enemy captain from the neighboring country. How can he move like that with an injured leg?”

Zach muttered, his face pale.

Though their battle showed no sign of ending, Warren, having subdued all the other bandits, approached.

“D-don’t come any closer! Do you not care what happens to this woman?”

He pressed the dagger in his right hand against Mariadoll’s neck. Gripping a lantern in his left, Zach headed toward the balcony.

Seeing the dagger draw a red line on Mariadoll’s neck, from which blood seeped, Warren threw down his sword and raised both hands.

“Got it. Hey, no need to shake so much. If you hurt Lady Mariadoll, I’ll get an earful too.”

He laughed casually, but his eyes were sharp. He seemed confident he could win even unarmed, poised to strike at any moment.

“I may look strong, but I’ve never beaten Lord Jerf. Lady Mariadoll, please hang in there a little longer.”

“Lord Warren, are you Lord Jerf’s subordinate?”

“Lord Jerf is more like my sword master. Though he’s become something of a master for the knight order too. I was asked to investigate because there were suspicious movements in the abandoned mine. By the way, I left markers on the way here, so tracking should have been easy.”

It wasn’t uncommon for thieves to enter dangerous abandoned mines seeking traces of minerals.

Jerf had thought this was such a case and, after appealing to the knight commander, decided to investigate. Unexpectedly, it led to Zach.

Zach’s face matched the sketch made based on Viscount Cobalt’s testimony, confirming his identity. Suspecting this could be part of a larger bandit organization, a full-scale investigation had just begun when this kidnapping incident occurred.

The scarred man swung his sword down toward Jerf’s head.

Jerf blocked it, but his inability to put strength into his right leg put him at a disadvantage.

Jerf feinted kicking the man’s stomach with his left foot to reset the distance, then stepped in.

The sword came straight down toward his head.

But the scarred man reacted quickly, raising his sword to block.

In that instant, Jerf’s sword trajectory changed.

Twisting his wrist, he swung the sword horizontally toward the man’s wide-open torso.

Thud. The scarred man’s knees buckled, and he collapsed on the spot, clutching his stomach in agony.

He was alive but didn’t seem in any condition to move.

Blood dripped from Jerf’s sword.

Leaving a trail of blood on the floor, Jerf approached Zach.

“D-don’t come any closer!!”

“Stop this futile resistance. You saw it! You’re no match for the two of us. Besides, knights have surrounded this building. There’s no escape now.”

“Damn it! Then how about this?”

Zach threw the lantern.

It traced an arc, bounced once on an old desk, then fell to the floor.

Mariadoll’s painting, still on the desk, caught fire, and flames rose from the floor.

“This old shack will be ashes in no time. See ya.”

Zach turned on his heel and, incredibly, leaped into the pitch-black river, taking Mariadoll with him.

“Mariadoll!!”

Jerf threw aside his sword and dove into the river after them.

Though there was moonlight, the dark water seemed to absorb the light, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

When Mariadoll turned toward the sound of splashing, she could just barely make out Jerf’s face as he surfaced.

“Lord Jerf.”

She struggled desperately to break free from Zach, but he held her arm tightly, thwarting her efforts. Her grandfather, a sailor, had taught her to swim, but her waterlogged dress was unexpectedly heavy and tangled around her legs.

The river’s current was swift, and despite it being early autumn, the water was cold. Her body temperature dropped rapidly, and her movements grew sluggish.

“Mariadoll, can you swim?”

“Yes!”

The moment she answered Jerf’s voice, which had somehow drawn near, a fist flew toward Zach, who was right beside her.

A dull thud followed, worrisomely loud.

“Ugh…”

With a groan, the hand gripping Mariadoll’s arm released, and Zach disappeared beneath the water.

“Give me your hand.”

She stretched out desperately, and as if in response, a strong force pulled her close.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes, but are you alright, Lord Jerf? Can you swim with your injured leg?”

“Even now, you worry about others before yourself. I can swim even with one leg immobile. More importantly, there’s a large rocky area ahead. If we’re dashed against it, injuries might be the least of our worries.”

The river wasn’t very wide—about ten meters to the bank. Keeping each other in sight to avoid separation, they began swimming toward it, but…

“Guh!”

At Jerf’s pained cry, Mariadoll, swimming ahead, turned back to see his body slowly sinking.

In his place, Zach surfaced, gripping a dagger. He spat in disgust and glared hatefully at the spot where Jerf had sunk.

“My brother died in the war. Used like a disposable pawn. What kind of hero are you? You probably just commanded from a safe place.”

Then, looking at Mariadoll, he grinned.

“I won’t get to see the hero’s frustrated face. Change of plans. You could be worth some money if used right, so you’re coming with me.”

“No!”

She tried to escape, but her dress tangled around her legs. Resigned, Mariadoll reached into the water, grabbed her dress, and tore it.

“Come here!”

“Ow!!”

He pulled her hair, sending pain shooting through her scalp.

But ignoring it, she turned and threw the freshly torn hem of her dress at Zach’s face.

It probably didn’t hurt him. Though surprised, he quickly peeled it off and tossed it into the river.

(…Is this the end?)

Just as Mariadoll began to despair.

Jerf emerged behind Zach and drove the dagger he held into Zach’s shoulder.

“Gwaah!!”

Zach’s scream was swallowed by the river’s flow.

Jerf grabbed Zach by the scruff of his neck and shoved him toward the center of the river. The current there seemed strong, and Zach’s figure vanished downstream in an instant.

“Lord Jerf.”

“To the bank! From here on, the currents intertwine complexly. If caught, we might not resurface.”

Jerf pointed toward the shore.

But Mariadoll didn’t move.

(Lord Jerf’s movements are strange.)

He seemed to be struggling just to stay afloat. Moreover, he appeared to be drifting toward the river’s center.

(Maybe he can’t swim because Zach cut him?)

Jerf couldn’t use his right leg.

What if a dagger had been thrust into his left leg?

“I’ll follow later, just get to the bank… Glub!”

His head vanished below the surface once, then reappeared.

“Hurry!!”

“Lord Jerf!!”

His body was swallowed by the current, sinking beneath the dark water.

Mariadoll took a deep breath and dove into the ink-like depths.