Kissing Hellfire: Marry Me, Evil Lord
Chapter 220: The Anxious Julian

Chapter 220: The Anxious Julian

Refusing to be ensnared, Edith’s reflexes kicked into overdrive. Her fist swung forth like a bolt of lightning, smashing into the black mage’s visage with a satisfying crack. The impact dislodged her attacker, granting Edith the vital seconds she needed to regain her footing. With fluid grace, she surged upright, her battle instincts guiding her.

A swift retrieval of a dagger from her belt followed, the blade gleaming menacingly as it arced through the air toward a deranged human who still posed a threat to the trembling young ladies. The dagger’s flight was true, and its target was met with a violent death even before the oppressor could fully comprehend her impending demise.

Yet, valor often came at a cost. The split-second Edith had sacrificed to ensure the ladies’ safety now exposed her to peril. The black mage she had forcefully repelled surged back into action, her movements a blur of malevolent intent. She conjured a pulsating orb of arcane energy, hurling it toward Edith. Simultaneously, another black mage lunged from her side, joining the assault.

Edith’s reaction was nothing short of balletic as her lithe form propelled itself skyward, a proof of her warrior skills. Magic flowed through her fingers, imbuing a dagger with eldritch power as she launched it toward one of the converging black mages.

Edith propelled herself up in the air, throwing a dagger with magic at one of the black mages. She was able to prevent the ball of magic from hitting her in a critical area, but it grazed her arm, making her bleed and wince in pain.

She dropped to one knee and summoned a spirit weapon she could use to fight. Spirit weapons were created through magic, making them more reliable when it came to fighting dark magic.

The male black mage smiled at her creepily. "You are a beautiful female general, milady. Do you want to be my wife?"

Edith’s face hardened, and she was about to slit the black mage’s neck with her sword but someone else had done it first.

A blade, swift and unforgiving, cut through the tension-laden air, severing the black mage’s head from his shoulders in a single, decisive strike. The mage’s severed head thudded onto the ground, the remnants smoldering into ashes as they made contact with the earth. Julian stood there, his own blade marred by the remnants of magic, his features a mask of grim satisfaction.

Julian’s voice was a low, biting whisper. "You are only a bug in this world. How dare you ask her to be your wife." His words were followed by a bitter chuckle, a stark contrast to the dire circumstances that had unfolded.

"Why are you here?" asked Edith. She knew Julian and Matthias were tasked with guarding the queen while the king was busy with his meetings. Besides, they still needed skilled people in the palace in case the rebels suddenly attacked.

"King Alec is with Queen Lauren. I have nothing else to do, so I decided to join the royal army. Don’t worry, Lord Vincent is guarding the palace with half of the army."

Julian was quick to notice the wound on Edith’s arm. He closed their gap with a worried expression. "You were hit by the by black mage’s dark magic?"

Julian pulled her to the alleyway to hide from the chaos surging in the town.

"We are in the middle of a war. What are you doing?" Edith sounded annoyed and stern, setting her mind to prioritizing the safety of people before anything else.

Edith didn’t expect what Julian would do next. He tore the part of her clothes where she was wounded to have a better view of her wound. She instinctively began to protest, moving her arm away, but Julian’s grip on her elbow held firm, preventing her retreat. Edith’s lips fell apart.

"What on earth are you doing?" She moved her arm away but Julian held her elbow firmly before she could take a step back.

"The black mages’ power has evolved. Their dark magic seems poisonous. I just want to check your wound," he explained seriously.

Edith failed to notice how the new kind of black mages’ dark magic affected the people, so she looked at her wound. Her eyes widened when she saw that the skin around her wound was beginning to turn dark. She had fought on the battlefield countless times in the past, and she knew very well when the dark magic was mixed with a poison spell.

"Dammit," Julian muttered a curse when he saw Edith’s wound. "You need a healer. That poisonous dark magic will kill you within-"

"It will kill me within an hour. Of course, I know that very well," Edith cut him off before walking out of the alleyway.

Undeterred, Julian followed her, his anxiety driving his every step. "Where are you going? You need to seek treatment!"

Edith acted as if she did not hear anything. She then pulled a vial from the inside of her vest and drank the liquid. For a war commandant like her, she had drugs carried wherever she went.

"Drinking a vial of rectifier won’t suffice," Julian’s voice, though trailing behind her, held a note of frustration. "It might grant you a few additional hours, but you still need a healer, Edith. Prolonging your life without proper treatment will only sap your vitality-"

Abruptly, the rooftop above Julian gave way, and a black mage hurtled downward, engaging him in combat. In the midst of the confrontation, Edith’s figure slipped away. Julian, once again, muttered a curse.

Why does that woman not listen?" Julian hissed after he left the area unscathed once he had successfully killed the black mage. The newly evolved black mages were much stronger, so it took him longer to kill one than he usually did before.

"Have you seen Edith?" Julian asked when he had gone to the town square half an hour later and saw Colton with the group of soldiers he was leading.

However, Julian did not receive a positive response from Colton. And as the clock ticked, he was growing more anxious by the minute. He had to admit, he was starting to care for Edith more than he had intended.