The battle ended in an instant.0

"All taken care of," Leo said as he strode forward, roughly shaking off the blood splattered on his armor. "The ones who were running away, I killed, and the ones who surrendered, I cut their tendons. That should be enough, right?"0

Despite his bloodstained armor, his sword, Sylphid, remained spotless. Not a single drop of blood clung to its blade. That alone was proof of how much Leo had improved.0

"You're handling things well on your own now," Caron said. "Good work."0

"Did you get anything useful out of them?" Leo asked.0

"Yeah. Mercenaries aren't like knights. They talk much more easily," Caron replied.0

Leo clicked his tongue as he glanced at something that was lying at Caron's feet, something that barely resembled a human anymore.0

"Is that thing still alive?" Leo asked.0

"I made sure it was," Caron replied.0

Leo let out a low whistle. The injuries were severe enough that it wouldn't have been surprising if the man had died already. The fact that he was still breathing was a miracle in itself.0

"How do you even do that?" Leo muttered.0

Caron chuckled, sliding Guillotine back into its sheath. He replied, "Want me to teach you, Leo? If you ask the Saintess for help, you'll pick it up in no time."0

"…Why would I need the Saintess's help for that?" Leo asked.0

"Well, if I had to explain—" Caron began, but was interrupted. 0

"Never mind," Leo cut him off immediately. He could already tell...0