TLBP 50

CHAPTER 50…………………………………………………………

━It’s a duel!

The creature screamed sharply as if it were furious.

I flinched as the deafening sound made my ears ring.

The harpy Salome flapped her wings and swooped down to the ground like a bolt of lightning.

Her sharp claws lunging at me looked terrifying.

I dodged her attacks and shouted frantically.

━Hey, I’m sorry! I said I’m sorry!

━Don’t dodge, fight me head-on!

I hurriedly moved between trees and bushes, avoiding Salome’s attacks.

━Are you thinking of escaping? No matter where you hide, I can see you with my eyes, even with your white fur!

Her claws were relentless, striking my body like a continuous aerial assault.

I never imagined she would get this angry just because I touched her tail feathers lightly.

I tried to calm my racing heart.

But Salome continued her fierce assault, leaving me no time to rest.

I dodged her attacks through the dense undergrowth.

━Running away cleverly, huh!

Salome seemed unable to navigate well around the trees, so she slowed herself when approaching me near them.

Whenever I tried to counterattack, she would flap her wings once and soar away again.

Our physical abilities, including strength, were probably similar, but the presence of wings completely changed the dynamics of the battle.

All I could do was growl at her as she hovered in the air.

━I said I’m sorry! Is it really okay to treat a guest like this?

━Do you even know what it means to touch a harpy’s tail feathers?

━What does it mean!?

━Th-That…

Salome stammered, seemingly deep in thought, then suddenly began a rapid descent.

━You don’t need to know!

Her sharp claws came straight down toward me.

Though she was fast, I had leveled up enough not to be completely unable to react.

I dodged to the side and kicked up wet dirt from the ground toward her face.

━Ugh! Cowardly…!

Covered in mud, Salome frantically wiped her face with her wings.

It was a rare opening, the perfect moment to strike—but I had a feeling that fighting her and drawing blood would lead to irreversible consequences.

If I attack while she’s this enraged, it would be impossible to subdue her without bloodshed.

I could get away with deceiving her about what I had eaten before, but fighting someone like her in the garden would make hiding the truth impossible.

I quickly hid behind a nearby tree while she cleaned her face.

Soon, she regained her composure and flew back up into the sky.

━Coward! Where did you hide!? No matter where you hide, I’ll see your white fur!

She let out a sharp, piercing cry as she patrolled above the garden.

I held my breath, hoping the storm of anger would pass.

Where is Mao? Why isn’t he here yet?

Leaving a guest alone in the garden—who does that? I muttered to myself in annoyance.

Salome slowly descended toward me.

━The scent is around here… huh, the rain is masking it. Clever little thing.

She sniffed the air, trying to locate me.

I crouched behind a thick tree, blending into nature and silencing all sound.

I am a tree. I am a tree.

At that moment, Salome leapt and landed on the thick branch of the tree I was hiding behind.

Our eyes met, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Damn, did she see me!?

━I know you’re around here. Where did you hide?

But she quickly looked away and began circling, searching the area.

For some reason, even though our eyes met, she didn’t seem to recognize me.

Was it the mud I threw? Why can’t she see me?

Salome prowled near me, but I remained undetected.

I remembered the skill I gained from eating the eternal snow ginseng: “Stealth.”

My body seemed invisible to others.

Though I didn’t know why, it was a huge opportunity for me.

I waited for her to pass close by.

━She should be around here…

Salome brushed past me, her wings raised high. As soon as she passed, I leapt like a spring and landed a precise strike on her neck.

━Wh-What!?

She flapped her wings frantically.

I pressed down on her wings with my forelegs and held her neck firmly—not enough to break it, but enough to control her.

━Ugh… let go! How did you know my weak spot is here!? You weren’t lying when you said you didn’t know harpies!

Even pinned beneath me, Salome struggled with a flurry of wing beats.

After a short resistance, she seemed to tire, panting and slumping.

Finally, has she calmed down?

She glared at me with a fierce voice from below.

━You beast! What are you trying to do by immobilizing me? And touching my tail feathers… what are you planning?!

I wanted to answer, “I’m not planning anything,” but I couldn’t speak while holding her neck.

If I released my hold, she could either fly away or attack me immediately.

━You… knew that touching my tail feathers would weaken me!?

Panting, she cried out in sharp, piercing tones.

I didn’t fully understand, but I decided to test it.

I lightly touched her tail feathers, and she shivered violently.

━Ugh! N-No! So you did aim for my tail feathers from the start… and being a guest… that was a lie?

Her voice was loud, but her body weakened noticeably.

I released my hold on her neck and lightly replied.

━What are you saying? Calm down. I am your guest.

━Hmph, don’t lie. You were aiming for me from the start! How did you know I was… in heat?!

━In heat?

━Yes, don’t play dumb. You thought touching my tail feathers would make me more aroused!

She chattered on, revealing more than I had asked.

I could tell from her reaction that touching her tail feathers was a clear advantage for me.