"W-White… White Monster!"
Okarbuz actually called Lina a monster.
That was it.
He crossed my bottom line.
Completely.
"Great. You just gave me a reason much better than three. I'll accept your challenge."
I placed my hand on the sword hilt and drew the black sword I borrowed from Kaiden.
(Cut him. Slay him. Stab him. Shoot him. Drown him. Burn him. Electrocute him. Smash him. Bury him. Starve him…)
Dozens of ways to kill Okabuz flashed through my mind. Accidental death during a duel was extremely common, after all. Yes—soon Okabuz would "unfortunately die during our match," ending his miserable life.
For some reason, he collapsed onto the floor, shaking, terrified, staring at me like he had lost all strength. What was he so scared of? Whatever—didn't matter. He was going to die either way.
"Draw your sword. Didn't you want to fight me? Why are you backing away? Do you want to die or not?"
I took a step forward.
He took a step back.
What was he doing? Wasn't he the one who wanted to fight? Why did he look like he was watching his life flash before his eyes?
Enough. What a waste of time. I should just cut him down.
I raised my sword, aiming for Okabuz's neck, and decided to give him a final line before ending it.
"You dare call her a monster!"
Just as my blade was about to touch his neck, someone suddenly wrapped their arms around my sword arm.
"Karen, calm down!!!"
Those words froze my hand in place. The blade stopped just a hair's breadth from Okabuz's neck.
I looked toward the arms holding me back to see who it was.
Lina's face came into view. So she was the one stopping me.
Lina's expression carried a hint of sadness—being called a monster must have stung.
Then anger flickered through her eyes before she calmly spoke.
"Karen, don't kill him. Let me freeze him instead."
Lina gently pulled my sword away from Okarbz's neck, stepped in front of me, and raised her hand—but instead of freezing him, she turned back and whispered to me secretly:
"Karen… his pants are wet…"
I looked at Okabuz. His pants were indeed soaked, and there was a puddle beneath him.
Did he seriously pee himself?!
Looking higher, I saw that he had already passed out.
What was his problem?! He picked a fight with others, but now he's the one who ended up collapsing and wetting himself.
I let out a deep sigh, finally cooling down enough to sheathe my sword.
Everyone around us stared at Okabuz and burst into loud laughter.
"Okabuz's eyes rolled back! He's completely out!"
"Look, he pissed himself! Hahahaha!"
"To witness this in person—truly worthy of a Rainbow-ranked adventurer! Hahaha!"
Even if Okabuz had fainted, if he had heard them, he would've flown into a rage and beaten them all up.
Soon, their attention shifted to us instead.
"What are your adventurer titles?"
I hadn't actually thought of any titles yet. Not even an idea.
Maybe I should hear what they suggest—it might give me inspiration.
"We haven't decided yet. Do you guys have any ideas?"
"You want us to name you?"
"I just want to hear your suggestions. Maybe I'll find one I like."
Silence.
Everyone fell quiet. Not a single suggestion?
Then a familiar voice spoke up.
"Like a knight, you wielded your black sword without hesitation to defend your companion's honor. Karen is the Black Knight."
Was I acting like a knight just now?
It felt more like a gangster moment to me.
But Black Knight did sound pretty cool.
The same voice continued:
"And the only one who can calm that knight, with her princess-like beauty and snow-white hair—Lina is the Snow White Princess."
So I'm a knight devoted to a princess, obeying only her command?
Well… Lina did stop me. And the title suits her perfectly.
Everyone agreed enthusiastically.
"That's perfect! I can't think of anything better!"
"Black Knight and Snow White Princess
it is!"
"Awesome!!"
I turned to Lina to ask if she liked it.
She blushed and nodded vigorously—clearly embarrassed to be called a princess, but also very happy.
I wanted to thank the person who came up with those titles.
"Who suggested that?"
"It was me!"
A hand shot up from the crowd, and a girl stepped forward.
I couldn't help but smile—it was her.
"So it's you, Sally."
"Yep! It was me. Do you like my naming sense?"
Sally grinned proudly, her ponytail swishing with excitement.
"Thank you. We love it. Please write the titles on our IDs."
Lina and I handed her our guild cards.
"Alright! I'll update them right away!"
She took the cards and happily ran back to the counter.
I turned back toward Okabuz—time to wake him up. I squatted down and shook his shoulder.
"Hey. Wake up. Morning already."
He didn't wake up.
So I grabbed his shoulder firmly and began speaking—all the complaints and advice I wanted to give him—until he woke up.
"Wake up! You wet your pants and made a mess on the floor. Clean it up and apologize to everyone for your behavior.
Then go home, study properly, and get ready to inherit your family. Stop picking fights.
And fix your hair. Walk like a noble, not a thug. Speak politely.
Become a marquis heir admired by your subordinates, not someone everyone hates.
If you keep acting like this, one day even your father won't be able to protect you.
You don't want to die young, do you? So start acting like a decent human being.
Lastly, apologize to my companion. If you cause trouble again, you're finished. No one will be able to save you."
Yes, I even ended with a threat.
If Okabuz wasn't terrified of death, he wouldn't have fallen on the ground trembling earlier.
When I finished my sermon, Okabuz finally opened his eyes.
"Y-Yes! I-I will! I'll do it right away!"
He panicked and nodded rapidly.
Not sure if he had just woken up or was awake the whole time pretending, but I hoped he heard everything.
I let go and stood up. Okabuz quickly knelt in a dogeza before Lina.
"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have called you a monster! It's just—when I saw you moving so fast over floating ice, no human could—"
The moment he mentioned the floating ice on The Level 68, I covered his mouth immediately.
"Stop. So you were the one yelling on the Level 70?"
"Mm! Mm!"
He nodded.
So he saw us there, meaning he was behind us.
And because he shouted—that caused the avalanche…
"So it was you… You have no next time. I'll bury you on the Level 70."
"Uwaaa! Uwaaa!!!"
He cried in terror.
I removed my hand and gave him a cold smile.
"I'm joking. Did you listen to what I said earlier?"
"Y-Yes!"
"For the sake of living longer, you can do it, right?"
"Y-Yes!"
Then I leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"And everything you saw in the labyrinth—you don't say a single word. Got it?"
"Got it!!!"
Hearing his sincere answer, I finally stood up to leave.
Then I gave him one last line.
"We'll be going now. Work hard—I expect you to grow into someone people can respect."
"Please take care and have a safe trip!!"
He even bowed and used respectful speech.
Did he mistake our status or something?
Well… whatever happens next, this will definitely reach the nobles soon.