Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 170

And at last, the day of Bloom’s deployment arrived.

When Bloom drew his sword at the entrance to the cave, Ayra’s map window showed five thousand troops entering the cave in perfect formation. The cave was so wide that ten men could easily line up in a single row. Cavalry led the front line, followed by foot soldiers, with knights bringing up the rear.

‘Looks like they plan to clear the way with cavalry first, then press forward with numbers once space is secured.’

No matter how you looked at it, the formation clearly intended for the soldiers to throw away their lives to wear down the enemy, allowing the elite knights to shine afterward. But considering Bloom was going to face the army alone, this was actually a favorable setup.

And so, Bloom and the army of Sobletz collided. Ayra, supported by Janus, watched the battle unfold with wide eyes.

Both Hera and Bloom were warriors capable of superhuman feats, but their stat types were vastly different. As an active hunter, Hera had extraordinary reflexes in channeling mana at critical moments. She would swiftly aim for vital points and take lives in an instant.

In contrast, Bloom was the brute-force type, overwhelming his enemies with strength. When sparring or hunting ma-beasts, he often used the flat of his blade to strike. This tendency was especially pronounced when he faced human opponents. It was a subconscious movement to avoid killing.

This didn’t change even against the knights and soldiers of Sobletz. Bloom’s blade always narrowly avoided fatal points. His intent not to take lives was so clear that Ayra clicked her tongue inwardly. Watching him, she secretly cast spells to stop the bleeding whenever an enemy suffered a serious injury.

‘It’s probably best if there are no deaths at all.’

Next to her, Janus lazily watched Bloom fight. Whenever things seemed dangerous, he would flick a stone shard. The shard, flying with terrifying speed, would either deflect an enemy’s sword path or pierce through arms and legs. It was no different from a bullet.

In that way, Ayra supported Bloom with magic so he could keep fighting. When enemies tried to strike from behind, she used illusion spells to confuse them. She also subtly disrupted magic cast by mages, who were especially tricky opponents for knights.

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To those watching Bloom, she even created a subtle visual illusion of divine radiance shimmering above his head. When they rubbed their eyes or blinked in disbelief, the glow vanished—but the afterimage remained in their ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) hearts.

When Bloom’s stamina dropped sharply in the later hours of the prolonged battle, Ayra used physical magic to support his arms and legs. Naturally, this wasn’t easy. If anyone realized Ayra was casting magic, all her efforts would be in vain. Today had to be recorded solely as Bloom’s accomplishment.

On top of that, she had to occasionally slip Janus more stone shards, apply illusions at just the right moments, and constantly monitor the map window. Both Bloom and Ayra were approaching their limits, teetering on the edge of collapse, when the final arrangement Ayra had planned kicked in.

While the furious Jumenié Orseng continued cramming troops into the cave, the army of Bolni attacked from the rear.

“We got them!”

Overwhelmed with excitement at achieving her goal, Ayra shot to her feet and cried out in a small voice. As she swayed, Janus caught her and gently sat her on his lap, calming her as if soothing a startled horse. Ayra obediently sat and examined the map in detail.

After Ayra had saved Nilma Argan’s life, Solar and Bolni had formed an alliance. Because she had spared him, and because he had learned that a dragon considered Ayra its mate, Argan meekly accepted the alliance proposal. As part of the alliance, Ayra had lent Argan funds to help rebuild Bolni, which had collapsed due to the earthquake.

And some time ago, Ayra had sent a letter asking if Orseng was someone Argan might want to take revenge on. In less than a day, Argan’s reply came: he would do anything.

On the map, half of the Sobletz army was shown bogged down inside the cave. That’s when two thousand troops from Bolni suddenly appeared from all directions and launched an assault. Caught off guard by the ambush, the army panicked and their formation crumbled. The yellow dots representing Sobletz troops were devoured by black ones, blinking out of existence.

Blinded by rage, Orseng continued his attack on Solar despite knowing many of his troops would be sacrificed. He had likely dismissed Bolni entirely—assuming they were crippled from the earthquake and believing both the lord and heir had died. This defeat stemmed from treating Nilma Argan like an easy target.

Orseng held out briefly, but then fled, abandoning the soldiers still inside the cave. The soldiers, unaware they’d been left behind, resisted for a while—until they realized they were trapped in a jar with no escape. They surrendered.

When all of Sobletz’s forces had finally retreated, Ayra squeezed out the last of her mana to stage one final performance. The previous night, she had buried a fake red flower near the cave entrance. The ground had since frozen solid, making it difficult to dig up...

The item, specially crafted from red crystal, was what Bloom returned holding. Only after all had witnessed this did Ayra finally relax. She had expended so much energy that even in this freezing weather, her back was soaked with cold sweat.

After briefly passing out from mana depletion, Ayra came to and immediately ordered the knights to search the cave. Inside, they found several injured Sobletz soldiers who had been abandoned.

Then she fed Bloom a pre-prepared stimulant—and drank a little herself. She felt like collapsing to sleep at any moment, but thanks to Janus staying close and supporting her, she managed to hold on. Half-leaning on him, Ayra shook Bloom awake.

“Wake up, Sir Bloom. There’s something you must see.”

Barely conscious, Bloom replied weakly, “Yes.” Despite his depleted stamina, his willpower was so strong that he never allowed himself to pass out again. Knowing his condition, Ayra quickly ordered their return to the city.

As they neared the city, they saw the citizens gathered like clouds—watching from atop the walls and behind the gate with frightened expressions, praying. Among them were Theon and the priests. Nearing the gate, Ayra instructed the awed soldiers to support Bloom.

Bloom slowly walked toward the gate. When he’d left, his cloak had been white—now it was drenched red, his entire body soaked in blood. The citizens stirred.

“Behold!”

Breaking away from Janus’s support, Ayra rose and held aloft the obviously unnatural, glowing red flower. She shouted in a clear, resounding voice.

“This sacred flower is proof that God has forgiven the sinner! God showed him mercy, watched over him, and granted him the strength to face Sobletz’s great army alone and prevail! I, the thousand soldiers here, and the priests all bear witness to it! Sir Bloom is no longer a criminal—he is the hero who saved Solar!”

The citizens, who had feared Sobletz would invade at any moment, widened their eyes. At first, they were skeptical—but quickly their doubt turned to relief and cheers. Ayra raised her voice even louder, seeing Theon’s face twist with bitter scorn.

“From this day on, Sir Bloom is no longer a sinner, but the guardian of this city, recognized by God!”

The knights and soldiers who had witnessed Bloom’s battle from beginning to end began to chant, “Bloom! Bloom! Bloom!” The chant spread to the citizens. Hearing his name echoed by the masses, Bloom slowly lifted his head, which had been bowed with exhaustion.

“Sir Bloom.”

Ayra called his name as she removed his cloak and handed it to a soldier. As the soldier hoisted the blood-soaked cloak like a flag onto a spear and raised it high, Ayra said:

“It looks like you still owe me quite a lot.”

At those words, a smile appeared on Bloom’s face for the first time. Ayra firmly gripped his shoulder. And together, bathed in the cheers of the citizens calling his name, they passed through the city gates. They marched in a long procession through the city, heading toward the lord’s castle.

As soon as the two reached the castle, they collapsed into a deep sleep, finally bringing the long day to an end. After a sound, sweet rest, Ayra awoke, checked the fruits of her efforts—and smiled in satisfaction.

As Ayra recalled yesterday’s events, a furrow appeared between her brows.

To be honest... she didn’t think that battle had been entirely beneficial for Bloom’s mental health. There was a reason PTSD existed. The new skill Zealot’s Trance in Bloom’s stat window was proof of the trauma left behind from that battle.

But at the very least, the fact that Bloom had saved Solar might give him the will to keep living—when he had once given up everything. That was why Ayra had told him he still had much left to repay. She hoped Bloom could slowly find peace again in Solar. The knowledge that he had personally defended it from Sobletz would be a great comfort.

‘At any rate, Bloom can rest easy now.’

After a deep sleep, her previously wrecked condition had recovered somewhat. Listening to Janus noisily chew meat beside her sparked her appetite, so Ayra looked around. But all she found was the last piece of meat disappearing into Janus’s mouth. Even the meal Jinas had brought was nowhere to be seen. Just as she was about to ring the bell rope, Janus rubbed his belly and said:

“Mm, I feel kinda queasy and hollow.”

Considering the way he’d just devoured all that meat, it was hard to believe—but Ayra figured it might be a side effect from giving up the mana stone fragments.

“Should I bring you some medicine?”

“Nah, just something light for my palate. Maybe some chicken... and a bit of apple pie.”

“Right. Light. Just a bit...”

Ayra rang the bell and summoned the servants. Then she ordered a heaping tray of chicken dishes and apple pies. While Ayra was content after just one chicken leg and a slice of pie, Janus—saying it was just to cleanse his palate—devoured the entire tray. Ayra couldn’t help but think: maybe she had underestimated how different a dragon’s appetite was from a human’s...