I Blue : Reincarnated as a Cursed Crit-Based Swordwoman-Chapter 18: The Subdued Aggressor

It was... surprisingly easy.

When Noah took that sword and hit that servant, he didn't expect him to instantly lose consciousness. It was merely something he did to vent out the hatred and helplessness he felt for those people laughing at him.

He did understand that they weren't really close to Momo. He did understand that they couldn't feel sorry for her after what she had done to their mistress. He did understand that injuries and even death weren't taken as seriously in this world than in his original world since a few spells could visibly dispel both.

Yes, at 21 Noah had learned tolerate almost everything as long as it made a little sense to him. One could have called that being subdued and it was true to some extent. He had never considered himself strong so maybe it was just that he unconsciously never felt capable of holding onto one of those strong opinions that inevitably put you at odds with some people. Maybe he was just really running away from conflict.

"H-Heal... or..."

Yet, this time, he stepped up. Not as subdued lessons giver like he used to, but as the aggressor, as the one who was acting in a way he found morally reprehensible to get his point across.

And he liked that.

He felt a bit guilty when that man fell on the ground, his head bleeding, but that guilt quickly turned into more rage and determination.

"(He deserved it)" said a little voice in his head.

Yes, he didn't have to feel bad. Why would he be the one in the wrong when those people mocked an abused girl and talked that way about a dead person? Why would he be the bad guy if they were able to save her life, but choose not to because of some veiled threat? Didn't Momo just attack the one who attacked her first? Why would she be the one who deserved to die?

As these questions raced through his mind, his grip on his sword tightened. If a threat was all that was needed, then he would beat every single one of them until they found a way to resurrect Momo.

"He... Heal... her... now..."

He repeated his order but only the silence replied at first.

"Hey, if she wants to keep that body so much, why don't we let her do that?" proposed a butler.

"Idiot, and what do we do about Hunter? Do you want to let her get away with what she did to him?" replied another one.

"No, but... what can we do? It's the master's daughter! We can't just attack her can we?"

"And who says we attacked her?" replied a maid. "I say that demon there broke the kids neck before going after the madam and that's why Ms. Cécile had to kill her."

"W-Wait, what are you implying there? You don't mean to..."

"To be honest," began a third butler pulling a knife out his pocket, "Mrs. Orla-Nevesta has been in a very bad mood recently and that's because of that cursed brat."

"Yeah, and our wages are almost miserable now, all because of the preliminary sanctions the king put on the manor," replied a maid pulling a blade out of her broom. "How can I maintain my family now? They were all happy when I started working here but because of her..."

"W-Wait, you guys... I know you are still a bit confused but—"

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"Shut up, you! You don't know how much we suffered because of her!!! This time, we won't miss her!!!"

"Heh, I was getting tired of waiting for her to die on her own too! Those of you who wants to be free, you know what do to!!!"

Noah watched in silence as the servants drew their weapons and for the first time he understood just how deep-rooted was their hate for him.

"(So that's what you tried to tell me, Vasilisa...)"

This unwillingness to go out...

At first he thought it was like before—he didn't go out because he found that bothersome—but he now understood. It was about being too lazy anymore, it was about being afraid. Vasilisa knew what those people could do to her, that's why she decided to stay hidden in her room.

*shake**shake*

Noah's hands trembled.

He wasn't an idiot—he knew he had very few chances to come out of this whole commotion unscathed after attacking that butler. But he had never expected that death was what awaited him.

"..."

But then, his shaking stopped.

"(Have they even faced death before?)" he asked himself.

He had. He died once after accomplishing nothing, yet he desperately clung to his pitiful life when the realization of what was doing truly struck him. That was something he always regretted—not taking his own life, but not even have been able to go proudly even in his own eyes.

Those people could be brought back with resurrections spells, they could never understand what it meant to face death as he did. To lose to it and never been able to have a rematch.

But a miracle did happen for him. He had the occasion to face death once more and this time, he wouldn't cry, he wouldn't shake, he wouldn't try to run away.

He was not the same Noah anymore.

He was now the Noah known as Vasilisa the Muddy Tongue.

"[Zoph's Step]!!!" yelled one of the maids before disappearing for split second and reappearing before him, her blade ready to strike.

"(Oh, that...)"

Zoph's Step.

A basic Art, one of those skills that needed no magic to be used but consumed a part of the HP bar.

This one was particularly useful as it required only 3 to 1 hp in function of the level of mastery and allowed to cover a great distance in a short amount of time. A sort of flash step so to speak.

When one noticed that their opponent had disappeared, it was often too late to avoid the blow. In short, it allowed to engage the opponent before they could do anything often guaranteeing a win when used correctly.

That maid who jumped at him using that must have had a lot of experience using that move. He barely saw her HP bar move and the way she disappeared was silent and elegant betraying years of mastery.

"Agh... Urgh... Aaargh..."

Yet, as she fell on the ground the dull tip of the wooden sword having slammed into her ribs with a sickening crunch, Noah wondered if that maid studied enough before using such an obvious move.

Everybody knew that once you decided for a landing point while using that skill, you couldn't change it once you started moving, right? So, if someone placed themselves in such a way that you would—for instance—crash right into their weapon, you wouldn't be able to do anything about it. One just had to use a simple guard stance for improve balance and they were good to go.

"(Now, do you understand the importance of having a good instructor, stupid maid?)"

"Argk!!!"

Noah cold eyes as he kicked her in the face must have been the last thing the shuddering maid saw before losing consciousness. And maybe, it was for the better, as what followed would only be described as true hell by the employees who had the ill luck to experience it.