Unfortunately, I'm an Evil Villainess

Chapter 82 - Hunting Competition (V)

Blood splattered all over my face. I blinked.

The dagger cut through the thick pelt of the demon as easily as if it were cake. A clean, smooth slice through the neck that made its head fly off and fall to the ground. Blood sprouted from its neck as its decapitated body collapsed in front of me with a heavy thump.

"Valentina, what-"

"Go! I'll explain later."

I pushed Father behind me and steered my horse towards the defensive line. Damian somehow got next to me, still casting and firing quickly.

"For god's sake, Val, be careful. But if you insist on being saintly, I'll cover you."

"All right. I'll see you when they're dead."

Having gotten over the initial fear, pure adrenaline ran through me. The knights' formation was gradually breaking apart, so I first took care of the demons that leaked to reduce pressure from the fleeing nobles. My decade of practice kicked in, and I fought with the ferocity of a proper saint and queen, the protector of her people and God's chosen one.

The holy dagger penetrated demon skin like it was nothing, with barely any force needed, while normal bullets and blades could barely leave a scratch. With this ridiculously overpowered relic, I finally understood how Catherine, as weak as she was, had been able to so effortlessly seal the demon king in the novel. It was even easier for me as I had actual training.

"Charge!"

The captain of the knights shot me a glance of acknowledgement and the knights utilized the momentary relief I brought to reorganize and launch a new round of assault. Their weapons did little to harm the demons, but they managed to hold them back while I hunted them one by one. The demons sometimes almost overwhelmed me, but Damian made sure none got too close.

Slowly but surely, we pushed the demons back. After all, the knights were from the best families in the kingdom and the finest there were, Damian was one of the strongest mages in history, and I was the holy saint. I felt a savage thrill of power from slaughtering those horrendous creatures so deftly and briefly wondered if I wasn't just like them on the inside.

Finally, the last demon fell. I panted, my heart still pounding. The holy dagger, the coat of my horse, and my clothes and myself were all covered with blood, and everything smelled revolting. The knights collected themselves and tended to the wounded. Suddenly, I became aware of how tired my limbs were and slid off of my horse. Damian, always the gentleman, came to my side, and I leaned into him.

"That was incredible, Val."

"I know."

A horse bolted out of the trees. The rider jumped off and ran towards us.

"Valentina! Damian!"

Father grabbed the both of us and embraced us tightly. He sighed with relief as we squeezed him back. When we were let go, he anxiously examined us up and down.

"Are you injured? What happened? What's all this blood?"

"Don't worry, it's not mine. I killed the demons."

"I helped too. You should've seen us, Father. Val was like a real angel."

Father's expression twisted, as if he wasn't certain whether to be proud or furious.

"You two defeated all of them? Dear god, you've grown up too much. Oh, what the hell were you thinking?!"

We were spared further confusion on his part by the knight captain, who reminded us that we shouldn't linger in case more demons came. Father picked me up and put me on his horse in front of him. I wondered why he didn't do the same with Damian, but then I realized since he'd attacked from range, he was relatively clean, while I looked far worse and was practically drenched in blood.