Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1175: A Good Morning With Jane

Jane angled the bloodstained steel directly at Rudy’s throat. Mud dripped from her boots onto the floorboards. “Give me one good reason why a lowly human insect is in my bed with my caretaker before I sever your head.”

Rudy opened one eye and let out a yawn. His right hand grabbed the edge of the silk blanket to pull it up to his chin. The discarded fabric settled over Niti’s bare shoulders to cover her completely.

Rudy buried the back of his head deeper into the pillows. “Princess, close the door. You’re letting a draft in, and your armor is dripping mud all over the clean floor.”

Jane blinked twice. The leather-wrapped hilt slipped slightly in her grip. Her jaw dropped as she stared at Rudy.

Niti threw the sheets aside and scrambled to her knees. Her body shielded Rudy’s chest entirely from the silver blade. She raised both hands toward Jane.

Niti spread her fingers wide in front of her collarbone. “Sheath your weapon right now. Rudy rescued me from the abusive high-vampires, and I formally resigned from my palace duties this morning.”

Jane lowered the tip of her blade to the floorboards. Her gaze darted from Niti’s bare arms to Rudy’s yawning face. Two armored fingers rubbed her left temple.

Jane pointed her steel blade directly at Rudy’s chest. “You used some foul charm magic to corrupt her mind. You twisted my caretaker into a mindless servant.”

Niti stepped directly between the weapon and Rudy while looking Jane dead in the eye. “My mind remains entirely my own. He seated me at the royal table and treated me with true respect. I willingly dedicate my life to him now.”

Tears welled in Jane’s eyes as she stared at Niti. Her jaw clenched tight enough to grind her teeth. She raised her sword high above her head and lunged directly at Rudy. The weapon swung toward his neck with lethal force.

Rudy watched the incoming attack with half-open eyes while his Overlord passive luck remained fully active. Suddenly, a shift in localized gravity yanked the sword’s trajectory completely off course. The blade sailed past his left ear and cleaved entirely through a solid gothic wardrobe. Wooden splinters showered across the bedroom floor while Jane stumbled forward from her own momentum.

Jane regained her footing quickly to unleash a flurry of swift strikes. She spun around to deliver a horizontal slash aimed at his ribs. However, the unnatural gravitational pull curved her weapon upward into the stone canopy. Sparks showered over the bed sheets as the steel bit deeply into the masonry.

She swung again and brought the sword down for a vertical chop. The invisible force deflected her weapon sideways into a structural pillar. Stone chunks exploded into the room and dusted the velvet curtains in gray powder. Jane pulled her weapon free from the rubble while panting for breath.

Rudy brushed a stray piece of gravel off his bare shoulder while tilting his head to analyze her stance. “Your form is sloppy, Princess. You over-extend on your left flank. No wonder your grandpa’s war council was garbage.”

Jane dropped the shattered hilt of her blade onto the stone floor. She scrambled backward and raised both hands toward the ceiling. Crimson light flared around her fingers as she drew on her mana reserves.

The remaining wooden furniture in the room began to rot and crumble into gray dust under the magical strain.

Rudy watched a nearby nightstand disintegrate into a pile of ash. His passive luck usually deflected direct strikes, but a massive area spell would still level the entire bedroom along with him.

He pushed himself off the bed just as the mattress started smoking. Niti stepped back into the hallway to avoid the expanding circle of destructive magic.

Rudy dusted off his sleeves. “You really want to bring the ceiling down on us.”

Jane ignored his warning and thrust her glowing palms forward. A blinding wave of crimson energy erupted toward him and consumed the carpet in its path.

Rudy raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. He flooded the room with his own mana to swallow her attack entirely.

The crimson wave shattered like brittle glass and vanished before it reached his boots. The sudden magical backlash hit Jane in the chest. She stumbled forward and collapsed onto her hands and knees while gasping for breath.

Rudy walked over the scattered piles of ash and stopped in front of her.

Rudy crouched down to meet her eye level. “Your mana control is a mess. You just tried to level a room while standing inside it.”

Jane coughed and wiped a trail of grey dust from her chin while glaring up at him. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath, since the magical backlash had drained her reserves completely.

Rudy stood up and brushed the remaining ash from his trousers. He looked over the ruined bedroom to inspect the damage. The furniture was nothing more than scattered piles of debris now.

“You need to yield.” Rudy offered her a hand.

Jane slapped his palm away and pushed herself onto her knees. Her fingers trembled as she pressed them against the scorched floorboards, but she managed to lift her head and maintain eye contact.

“I know how to fight.” Jane forced the words out between her gasps.

Rudy tilted his head. “Throwing a bomb at your own feet is just suicide.”

Niti walked into the room and stepped carefully over a pile of burning splinters. She crossed her arms while looking down at Jane. “He has a point. You almost took the entire building down.”

Jane clenched her fists and lowered her gaze to the floor.

Rudy turned away from her to inspect the blasted doorway. “Get up. We have to leave before anyone investigates the noise.”

Jane grabbed the edge of the ruined bedframe and pulled herself to her feet. She swayed on her legs momentarily, however, she eventually stood straight and brushed the soot from her clothes.

Then, she looked him in the eyes and asked, “Who are you?”