Hector coughed a few times before struggling to stand, his body trembling.
He breathed hard, wiping the blood off his lips. Feeling the metallic taste on his tongue, he gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Damnation!"
With blurred vision, he looked up, then quickly turned his attention to where the echoes of clashing weapons came from.
"V-Violet?"
She was fighting that demon worshiper. It was hard to believe she could hold her own against that bastard, even with only five mana cores.
But when he thought about her blessing… the blessing of the War God… it no longer surprised him.
A blessing that granted her the ability to forge strong armor and sharp weapons from nowhere in an instant — and a natural talent in combat.
Still, the demon worshiper was not weak. He knew they always had a trump card, a hidden power to use in desperate situations.
The power of a demon.
"I have to help her… if not, I'm next."
But he wasn't in a good state after taking Jack's blow.
Hector staggered before nearly collapsing. His circulation was disrupted, and he needed at least ten minutes to recover.
Sweat dripped down his body as he struggled to move in pain. He frowned slowly when he saw Carl, crawling out from under broken rocks.
He thought, What would he do? Since the butterfly effect has begun, I have no idea what he would do or think.
A few seconds later, he got his answer when Carl shouted,
"VIOLET! TRY TO HOLD ON! I'LL GO FIND SOMEONE TO HELP YOU!"
Hector scowled, then let out a deep breath.
"What a coward and stupid."
He lurched and leaned his back against a rock, resting while pain surged through him.
He muttered weakly,
"Yeah… hold on a little longer. I'll help you once I recover a bit."
About ten minutes later, when the headache and the waves of pain in his chest finally eased, he opened his eyes—sharp, filled with vitality and willpower.
He stood up quickly and glanced around.
"Shit. He's starting to use demon power."
Still, both of them were in bad shape. That gave Hector a chance to save Violet before Jack fully unleashed his power.
He sprinted toward them and delivered a brutal kick to Jack, who was still dizzy and unsteady, sending him skidding across the ground and into the abyss.
''Fuck! It felt like kicking a steel ball instead of an actual human head''
It was understandable, as the enemy he had just attacked was a man with seven mana cores.
Then he turned to Violet. She was on the verge of losing consciousness, yet still standing. Hector couldn't help but admire her—holding onto that kind of willpower in a fight this close to death.
But there was no time. She needed treatment immediately. Her wounds were severe. All her armor had shattered, exposing patches of delicate skin soaked in blood, a sight that could make any boy's heart ache.
"YOU FUCKER!" A sound of yell echoed in rage from behind.
Hector tensed as he felt the foul, suffocating mana of the demon worshiper.
"S-Sorry, we have to go. If he comes here, we're dead…"
Without hesitation—or embarrassment—he pulled Violet into his arms and fled, leaving the demon worshiper screaming in rage behind them.
As for Jack, it was the greatest humiliation he had ever suffered in all his hunts. He swore that one day, he would find Hector, flay him alive, and devour him to the core.
***
Hector gently laid Violet against a rock. Looking at her broken body, he frowned slightly.
She had been bleeding nonstop ever since he saved her from the demon worshipper. If he didn't give her first aid, she might die before reaching the academy.
"Sorry… I'm doing this to save you." Hector licked his lips awkwardly.
He tore away the remaining fragments of Violet's armor, exposing her bare torso and making his face turn red.
However, the most sensitive part of her body was soaked in blood. Her shattered state broke his heart instead of stirring any crude feelings a young boy might have had.
"Tch. Guess the MC would go crazy if he saw me doing this," he muttered.
Hector clicked his tongue and pulled off his shirt, tearing it into strips for bandages. Then he quickly wrapped Violet's deep wounds.
Before long, the first aid was done, and there were no signs of bleeding anymore.
"Good."
Nodding in satisfaction, he quickly scanned the surroundings before lifting Violet up. He could tell that crazy bastard was looking for them. Staying in the green dungeon wasn't a smart choice.
While he was sprinting, he didn't know that Violet was blinking, quietly assessing him.
Luckily for Hector, he hadn't done anything dirty to Violet—because she had been awake for quite a while. She just couldn't move in her condition, so she pretended to be unconscious.
If Hector had molested her even once, she would have killed him. Yet his actions only left her confused.
"He's… changed?"
***
"VIOLET!" Carl screamed in fear, yet his expression quickly twisted when he saw Hector holding Violet in his arms. A bad feeling crept over him.
Behind Carl stood two professors. Clearly, he had asked the Academy for help.
Carl gritted his teeth, glaring at Hector, and asked in a harsh voice,
"What happened to her? Where's the demon worshipper?"
Hector smiled.
"We escaped from him… as you can see." He deliberately shifted Violet in his arms, making sure Carl noticed her—especially the bandages wrapped around her broken torso.
"I performed first aid on her."
Carl scowled at those words. That meant Hector had seen her bare body. A bitter, furious feeling flooded his mind.
His hands trembled as he clenched his fists, countless thoughts racing through his head. And that mysterious, sly smile on Hector's face made it seem like he had done something more. A surge of murderous intent rose within him.
"YOU DAMN! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Stop!"
Instinctively, Carl froze. Under normal circumstances, he never obeyed anyone—except one person.
Violet.