Tamed Monster - Chapter 80

This wasn’t what they had agreed on. The plan was to put on a show of fighting, and after a drawn-out battle, Hector would ‘lose.’

Kuinan would then bring Hector’s right arm as a token to present to the Emperor, and at the right moment, they’d swap it out for the arm of another dead monster.

But now that Kuinan really thought about it…

Hector’s killing intent wasn’t aimed at Kuinan. It was aimed at Sylvia beside him.

Kuinan was genuinely annoyed now. He’d always known Hector despised and hated humans—much more deeply than Kuinan himself did.

Kuinan’s dislike for humans came from being bothered by them, but Hector’s hatred was rooted much deeper. Of all the monsters in the swamp, Hector was the most hostile toward humans. Which meant—

[Answer me right now. Are you planning to kill this woman later?]

After watching Kuinan dote on her and mate with her—day and night, for two days straight—Hector might even turn against his own friend at this point.

Remembering Hector’s nasty personality, Kuinan let out a deep sigh.

“…Lancart.”

“Wait. I’m thinking.”

He had to quickly decide whether to really fight, and how to get Sylvia out of this mess. Normally slow and lazy, Kuinan was irritated at having to work his brain so frantically, even in a crisis like this.

Hector took a step forward. The other monsters watched in silence. Sylvia couldn’t understand why these beasts seemed to be keeping to their own territories, almost as if it was coordinated.

At the same time, as the monster closed in, she was nearly paralyzed with fear.

“Lancart!”

“Ah, wife. I like that you’re dropping the formalities, but now isn’t the time. First, we need to stay alive.”

The dagger was in Sylvia’s hand, not Kuinan’s. He asked her to give it to him, but she hesitated, instinctively unwilling to let go. It was pure survival instinct—her selfish desire to live. Kuinan found her selfishness oddly endearing and even chuckled in the middle of all this.

“Think about it. Do you really think you have a better chance fighting him, or should I?”

Sylvia was probably thinking of running away, not even considering facing Hector head-on. But Hector’s look made it clear: if she ran, he’d just hunt her down. If Kuinan died first, there was no way Sylvia would survive a fight on her own.

[Crazy bastard. Calling that thing your ‘wife.’]

Kuinan had called her ‘wife’ as a joke, even back at the castle when Hector sent his familiar. Hector hadn’t cared then, thinking it was just Kuinan’s idea of fun.

But after watching their drawn-out, sticky mating, the word ‘wife’ coming from Kuinan’s lips now sounded downright foul.

“Wife. Hand me the weapon.”

[I don’t need your answer—I already know it. Even after your mission, you have no intention of killing that b***h, do you?]

Sylvia was no longer ‘the woman’ but just ‘that b***h’ in Hector’s mind. He was grinding his teeth, openly wanting to kill her. The dark demonic energy he radiated pressed down on the other monsters, making them whimper, though Sylvia couldn’t hear it.

Kuinan could with his monster-sharp hearing.

“So this is it. I get it now.”

Finally, after Sylvia handed over the dagger, Kuinan slapped the hilt into his palm. Despite his ever-calm attitude, Sylvia was trembling all over with anxiety, biting her lip hard.

Sylvia had grown numb to fear lately—rarely startled or scared by anything. But what she’d experienced in the swamp was beyond adaptation; it was pure, overwhelming terror. She never wanted to return to this place again.

[Remember this. You started this fight.]

The monster replied in its own language, and the real head monster—unable to speak—simply turned his head toward Sylvia instead of replying.

“This’ll be over quickly. Just close your eyes and count to a hundred.”

With those cocky words, steel clashed with claws—a shrill clang ringing out.

From a distance, Sylvia watched her husband battle the giant monster with nothing but his bare hands, her eyes glued to the violent motion, unable to close them for even a second.