Reincarnated as the Elder's son: My Infinite Shop Points System-Chapter 9: Strength by test

Jared stood up from the rock and calmly began to walk towards Lucy.

Once he was close, he placed his arms around her shoulders, lowering his back so he could speak directly to her face.

"What is this? Is the fearless Lucy afraid of a few magic beasts? Who would have known?"

His words definitely affected her, but she quickly played it off.

"I'm not scared, my lord. I'm just nervous. I have never fought a magic beast before, other than tricking them out of the village."

"Admirable for a four-star, at least. Right now, you are a five-star, so try to aim a bit higher. Remember what you told me some time ago? You said you had no problem being my shield and sword."

Jared pulled closer. "Well, no one wants a weak sword now, do they? You are strong, and it's about time you realized that."

Lucy was quiet, gulping down her saliva as Jared's words settled in her heart.

"Ah—right timing, looks like we have company already," Jared announced.

It was then Lucy noticed the three magic beasts walking out of the forest.

The magic beasts were known as forest wolves, large wolf-like monsters with hard skin and sharp teeth. They were known to always move in groups, meaning if you spotted a single one, five more were probably hiding somewhere.

But this time, it seemed only three of the monsters were present.

"It's a forest wolf," Lucy exclaimed a bit, clearly feeling overwhelmed at the sight of the monsters.

She ignored the main reason she was in the forest with Jared and grabbed his hand, ready to run away as fast as she could.

All of a sudden, Lucy found herself bouncing back after Jared refused to be dragged.

"Lord Jared! What are you doing?! We need to leave now!!!" she shouted, fear hitched on her face.

"Is that to say you are not going to kill these monsters?" Jared uttered. "My body feels numb, my feet are crumbling from my own fear, and I feel dizzy. I am in no state to run from fast-moving wolves. And then I ask myself, is my bodyguard going to watch me die? Or is she going to save me like she is meant to? I can't help but question."

Those words left Jared's mouth while he wore a calm and collected face, almost as if he didn't feel the least bit of fear of the wolves.

And in all honesty, the sight of the monsters reminded him of how he died in his former world.

With each passing moment, the wolves got closer, their eyes set on the two prey they had stumbled upon.

'Grab him and run.'

The thought echoed repeatedly in Lucy's mind.

For as long as she had known Jared, bravery was never his strong suit. Yet, he stood in front of magic beasts so casually.

Even as he said he was afraid, Lucy could still tell he was being sarcastic.

But she was indeed afraid. Her legs were shaking, her fingers holding tightly onto her blade.

Lucy wanted to run. She wanted to run far away from the monsters. All her life, being brought up in the village, while her motivation was always to protect Jared, she never really knew how.

How could someone weak ever think to protect anyone when they couldn't even protect themselves?

Perhaps that was why she still found it hard to believe she had grown stronger. Being weak all her life was not something she ever thought would change—not so easily, at least.

Still... in that moment, as she watched one of the wolves launch itself toward Jared...

Her body acted by itself, ignoring every bit of fear she was feeling.

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Launching herself forward, she grabbed Jared by the cloth and pulled him back, lightning dancing around her blade as she aimed to stab the wolf.

The moment the tip of her blade pierced the body of the wolf, her lightning roared, causing it to explode, taking not only the wolf but also the remaining two others standing at the back.

In fact, the entire ground and trees before them had been burnt to a crisp from the explosion.

There, Lucy stood, shock written heavily on her face as she watched the aftermath of her attack.

She could not believe she was ever capable of causing something like this.

'I... did this?' Lucy whispered while observing her blade, a bit of lightning still dancing around it.

"Ow!"

Hearing Jared's voice, Lucy immediately turned around to see Jared on the ground, trying to sit upright.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Did I push you too much?" She instantly went to his aid, assisting him so he could sit down.

Considering she had just gotten her upgrade, it was understandable that she could not yet control her powers.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Jared sighed. "If the wolf didn't kill me, the ground most certainly would have. Next time, just hit a rock on my head so I'll be sure you want me dead."

Hearing his remark, Lucy smiled. "I'm glad you're alright."

Jared paused. The fact that Lucy had begun to show a bit of her emotions was still hard to get used to.

Not that he was bothered by it.

Turning his gaze to the destruction before him, Jared was surprised, impressed—multiple stages of emotions whirling inside him.

"She's strong," he whispered.

And then he looked at Lucy, an excited look on his face as he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her close.

"You're strong, Lucy!"

Lucy blushed, not quite understanding why he was that happy about it.

"Exceptional strength! A power strong enough to never be opposed by anyone. Hahaha! You did it, Lucy! You are exactly what I need! Isn't that great?!"

Watching him with sparkling eyes, Lucy realized two things in that moment.

Her strength, the power she had—she was willing to give it all to Jared, even if it meant her death.

And secondly, as she looked at him, as she watched him laugh with genuine happiness...

It was no longer only respect she felt for him. It was much deeper.

Something she had never envisioned before.

'How can... a person be this... beautiful?' she whispered to herself, her face radiating with love.

Could it... be love?