The Smiling Death-Chapter 339: Are you worried about me now?

The half-formed sword shattered again, dissolving into nothing.

Silence returned to the riverbank.

Amon remained kneeling there, breathing heavily. Sweat dripped from his chin onto the ground. His head throbbed painfully, and the veins along his neck were still slightly raised from the effort.

Yet his eyes did not show frustration. They showed determination. He stared at his trembling hands.

"A dagger is possible..."

His breathing slowly steadied.

"Then a sword will be too. I just need to work harder."

Even if it took him a hundred failures. He closed his eyes once more. And began again.

Just a little away from him was Scarlett, sitting on a branch of a tree. Her legs swayed in midair. She was wearing a tunic and black trousers. Her red hair, as always, was loose.

Just like always, she and Amon sparred. And after the spar ended, Amon would sit there trying to create things with his shadow.

Usually, Scarlett enjoyed the calmness and the normal scenery of the flowing river. Its calm, peaceful sound.

But now she was watching him practice. She always did that, without knowing how she had changed over the two weeks since meeting Amon.

He was trying to make a sword but failed. Finally, she jumped from the tree.

Thud.

Her boot clicked against the ground. She walked towards Amon.

While Amon was still training.

The half-formed blade shattered again.

Fragments of hardened darkness scattered like broken glass before dissolving into mist. The shadow that had shaped the core collapsed into liquid blackness and slid back across Amon’s fingers.

Silence returned to the riverbank.

Amon’s breathing was ragged. Sweat clung to his jaw and dripped from his chin onto the grass. His head throbbed violently, his pulse hammering against his temples.

Thud.

A pair of boots touched the ground behind him.

He turned.

Scarlett stood a few steps away, red hair falling loose over her shoulders, moving faintly in the breeze. Her black tunic and trousers contrasted sharply with her pale skin. Her expression, as always, was calm. Almost indifferent.

But she hadn’t left. She had been watching.

Amon straightened despite the exhaustion. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and forced a casual smile.

"What happened?" he asked lightly. "Is there something you wanted?"

Scarlett didn’t answer immediately.

Her crimson eyes studied him. His trembling fingers, the faint bulging veins at his temples, the way his breathing had yet to steady.

She hesitated. For a brief moment, she looked almost unsure. Should she say something?

"...You are doing good," she finally said.

Amon blinked.

"But don’t overdo it," she continued, her voice even but lower than usual. "You already sparred with me. And now you’re putting too much pressure on your head using that ability."

Amon listened. Then a slow smirk tugged at his lips. "Oh?" He tilted his head slightly. "Are you worried about me now?"

Scarlett’s jaw tightened instantly.

A faint blush crept across her cheeks. Barely visible, but there it was. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Tch."

All she wanted was to stop him from pushing himself to collapse. He had already fought her for over an hour that morning. She knew how much stamina shadow manipulation drained, especially when he was forcing it into complex forms.

Was it wrong to say something? Why did he have to twist it like that?

Amon chuckled softly at her reaction. She looked ready to punch him. He loved her such sweet reaction.

He quickly raised both hands in surrender. "Okay, okay! I’m sorry! I’ll stop teasing."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

He grinned. "Before you beat me up again."

She looked away with a small huff.

"Fine," he said more sincerely this time. "Enough for today. I’ll take a rest."

He glanced at his trembling fingers. "But I really wanted to create a sword."

There was genuine frustration beneath the playful tone.

Scarlett looked at him again. "You can do it," she said simply.

Amon blinked. "Oh?"

"It will take time. But with time, it will become easier." There was no doubt in her voice.

Amon raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know that?"

For once, she didn’t answer with words.

She slowly lifted her right hand.

"Though... our abilities might be different. But there are a few things about them that are similar... I guess."

From her pale palm, a single drop of red blood emerged.

It hovered in the air above her skin. Perfectly round, gleaming like a ruby in the gray morning light.

Amon’s playful expression faded into curiosity.

The drop trembled. Then it expanded.

The single bead of blood split into thin streams that spiraled outward, elongating, stretching. They did not drip at all. They obeyed her completely.

The liquid twisted and wove together, forming a spine first. Long and straight. More blood flowed from her palm, layering itself along the sides, flattening, sharpening.

A guard formed next. Then a hilt formed. The crimson liquid compressed, darkening as it solidified. What had been fluid moments ago became dense and gleaming.

In seconds, a long sword rested in her hand.

It was elegant and slender, its blade smooth and razor-sharp. The surface shone like polished scarlet steel. Not a single tremor ran through it. It was still and sharp.

Perfectly stable. Scarlett held it with effortless ease.

Then she looked at him coolly. "See?" she said. "I can do it as well. More easily now. With practice."

Amon stared. His mouth parted slightly. The difference was obvious.

Where his sword had cracked and shattered, hers stood flawless. No tremble in her grip.

She gave the blade a small swing. It sliced through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Then, just as easily, she relaxed her hand. The sword dissolved back into liquid blood, shrinking into a single drop before slipping back into her palm as if it had never existed.

Amon was silent for a moment. "...Cool."

Scarlett tilted her head slightly. For Amon, it was cute.

His eyes were excited. "You look cool and beautiful while doing that... you are really amazing!"

Amon was saying this genuinely. So his words also had some impact on her.

As her cheeks turned rosy, she nodded her head. It was clear that she didn’t hate that compliment.