Chapter 89

5

Gol

Wi

So, what's this situation?

I tried using the "Dark Transfer" to Sylvia's shadow, thinking, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained," but...

Sylvia is lying unconscious with her eyes rolled back, Eko is crouching in a mess, and Winfield is staring at me with wide eyes, shocked... and then, she started crying. What, this one crying... it must be pretty bad.

"Did you do this?"

I address the big-sword-wielding guy facing off against Winfield. The guy narrows his eyes sharply and opens his mouth.

"Who are you?"

Oh, a solid stance. Not bad, this one.

I see, Sylvia and Eko must have been taken down by this guy. He does seem experienced in PvP, so for the two of them, who only have dungeon-clearing experience, it might have been tough to handle his brute force.

In Mevion, a moderate difference in stats can be easily overturned with PS. Even in a two-on-one situation. This is a significant "gap" that you can't understand unless you experience it. No, it's more like a "wall." A wall that everyone eventually hits. Whether you can break through it depends on how seriously you take it from there.

It must have been a good lesson for the two of them. When you get the qualification for the title match, you tend to get a bit too confident, thinking you're an expert and acting superior to those weaker than you. Getting a good beating once is a good lesson for the future.

"Good work, Anko. I'll send you back, so you can rest. Or do you want to watch?"

"Master, please don't say such cold things. I want to see your heroic figure with my own eyes."

"Alright. Watch from over there."

Hmm, he's a [Swordsmanship] user. Alright, I'll do the same.

"Hey, the Chancellor is here too! You should watch too!"

This is a good opportunity to show who I'm challenging.

I take out my Mithril Sword from my inventory and face the guy.

"The coin dropping is the signal. Got it?"

"Wait. Who are you? Who is that woman in black?"

"Doesn't matter. I haven't done this in a while... Ah, I can't hold it in anymore."

I flick the coin.

In an instant, I can tell the guy tenses up. Quick reflexes. As expected, my judgment was right.

And...

--The coin drops.

"It's over."

I take back my previous statement. I cut off the guy's right arm with a "swish" at the start, and the match was decided in an instant. He was just a low-level mob.

His initial move was too slow. He didn't even react to the fake from the "Horned Swordsmanship." He was just looking at my feet, so he was already behind. He didn't even gauge the distance.

"What, what are you!? What did you do!?"

"What, Infantry Swordsmanship, of course."

"What is that sword! It extended!?"

"Of course it extends. You hold the tip of the hilt."

"Wh...!"

Ah, that's why he was so flustered.

"Go back to the basics. And look at the whole, not just the feet. Also, maybe you should stop using a greatsword. It's not suitable for PvP at all."

After giving him some advice, the guy slumped in despair, kneeling on the spot. He must have been confident. Serves him right, I guess.

"Eko, Eko. Hey, she's unconscious? Wake up!"

I give the unconscious Eko a status recovery potion and a high-level potion. She quickly regains her energy and clings to me with a big smile. "Second!"

Next, I use a status recovery potion to wake up Sylvia. She jumps up with a "What!?" and turns to me with a blank look. She looks a bit dazed, which is kind of cute.

"Winfield, can you explain... Wait, Winfield?"

Thinking to ask her about the situation, I turn to Winfield, and she's still crying. Seriously? What must have happened to shock her so much?

"Oh, it's good, it's good... waaahh"

She's really crying...

I hug her, thinking, "Even spirits cry like humans... Second," and wait for her to stop crying.

...Maybe I put too much on her. Looking back, I left everything to her. Since Yuriko summoned me, this must be her first time in the human world, and I never even thought about giving her a break. I just assumed, without any real basis, that "she'll be fine" because she's smart. But she's a team member too. I should have paid more attention to her.

"I, I, Second, even if you didn't come, I was trying to resolve it properly, I thought it was the best way, but, but, I didn't want to disappear! There might have been other ways, but I thought this was the best yesterday! But it didn't work! I couldn't make a decision! I'm sorry, I'm useless, I'm sorry!"

I don't quite understand what she's saying.

But I get the gist of it. She's desperately apologizing for being "useless." She must have made a mistake. And my shirt is getting snot on it... but whatever, her master will wash it anyway.

"Everyone makes mistakes. I only realized the versatility of Anko's transfer last night."

"No, no, it's different! I knew the opponent was strong, but I got overconfident! I put everyone in danger! If I had made a decision sooner, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Calm down. If you're useless, what about Sylvia?"

Ignoring Sylvia's comment from the side, I continue.

"Who chased the Chancellor and his group to this point in less than half a month? Who took the castle in just half a day? Who kept the casualties to a minimum?"

"...Second, sir?"

"No way! It's you, you idiot!"

Don't underestimate yourself so much.

"You've been a perfect superhuman until recently. You've always made the best moves. That's why a couple of mistakes hit you so hard. The cleaner the shirt, the more noticeable the stain. I can understand how you feel."

"But, if it's not the best move, everyone's lives are at stake."

"Don't take it all on yourself. A second-best move is fine, or even a non-losing move. This is a 'game,' after all. So, enjoy it more. If you try to solve everything on your own, it's no fun. Don't risk your life just because it's a game. Risk it when it really matters. Then it will be more interesting and enjoyable. Do you understand? If you do, stop crying."

Winfield is still crying, but she's nodding in my arms.

I see, you understand. Then...

"...It's time for punishment, then."

Her shoulders tremble in shock.

"Why, Second? I think Winfield did a good job, don't you?"

"I know. Sylvia, you passed out because you were acting on your own and made a mistake. I know that very well."

"...Yes, I deeply regret it."

"But, I don't like that Eko was badly hurt. That's Winfield's responsibility as a supervisor... Wait, isn't this more about Sylvia fainting on her own?"

"Die!!"

Just as I was about to figure out the real culprit, the Chancellor, who was completely out of it, threw something at me. I had forgotten about him.

"Master, throwing a knife at you...! And it's poisoned...!"

Anko, who caught it mid-air, says, trembling with anger. Can she tell it's poisoned just by sniffing it? Wolves have good noses, I guess.

What's with the Chancellor's desperate struggle? He's not giving up at all. I can't even tell what his goal is anymore. He's currently ranting about something incomprehensible. What's with this guy... I'm starting to feel sorry for him.

"Chancellor, let's, let's run, Chancellor!"

The guy next to him, trying to bring the Chancellor back to his senses, is also pitiful. Who is he again? The Third Knight Captain, right?

Ju, um, Ju... Jugem? No, Jur... Ah, Jaja... Jaja...

"Kieee!"

...Just for a moment. The moment I took my eyes off the Chancellor...

What I saw was the Chancellor, holding a long sword from somewhere, charging with a scream and trying to slash Anko's back.

"Ah"

It happened in an instant.

Before I could say "House" or "Stay" or "Don't kill," or even use "Return,"

Anko twisted her body, turned around, and swung her left hand from bottom to top with a "swish."

A claw attack. A legitimate "skill" of Anko's.

...That's why, the Chancellor's end was gruesome.

"Wow, really...?"

To put it simply, it was a mass of blood and flesh stuck to the wall. The wall, dented like a crater, had chunks of what used to be the Chancellor embedded in it.

The pressure was so intense that bones were sticking out in various places.

Plop.

A chunk of unidentifiable meat fell to the floor. Looking closely, the ceiling was splattered with a lot of blood and flesh. This is going to be a pain to clean up...

"Ah... Ahh...!"

The Third Knight Captain let out a short scream and collapsed on his butt. A few seconds later, a puddle of water formed on the marble floor. Oh no, he wet himself.

"Forgive me, Master! I acted on my own again! My hand, my hand slipped! Oh, these hands!"

"Anko"

"Yes?"

"It was unavoidable."

If a creepy, sweaty guy was right behind you, you'd react too.

"What a generous punishment. I am deeply grateful..."

I pat Anko's head and rub her ears, forgiving her for killing the Chancellor.

Ah... but it was anticlimactic. Even if we had captured him, he would have been executed anyway, but he might have had some useful information. It might have been a bit of a waste to kill him here.

Well, it's fine. There's another guy who might have information.

"Ahiii!"

Glancing at him, the Third Knight Captain is dragging his butt backward. I wish he would stop, as it's spreading the contaminated water.

"...Eh? Klaus?"

Turning my gaze, I notice Klaus, the First Prince, for the first time.

Klaus is standing blankly next to the greatsword-wielding guy, who still has a look of despair. In stark contrast to the Chancellor, Klaus is clean. That's good.

"Alright, that's settled!"

Saying it cheerfully, I stretch.

The Kingdom of Kamel is driven out. The regulation of Karamelia has started. The Chancellor, the Third Knight Captain, and the First Prince are captured. The First Queen is probably captured too. The castle will fall soon. So, there's not much to worry about domestically. Next is...

"Let's put the Chancellor's meat in a box and send it to the Empire."

"Are you serious, Second?"

"Yep. We should send it by cold delivery so it doesn't rot."

"...You're serious."

Of course.

It's annoying. Just sitting safely in the comfort zone, watching from above? The Emperor must have given the order to assassinate the king, and he didn't send reinforcements. He ran for his own safety at the last moment. It's infuriating. I've decided. From now on, I'll never let the Emperor have a peaceful night. I'll harass him endlessly. He can live in fear of when I might attack. And hopefully, he'll die from stress.

"That's good. I thought you were going to start a full-scale war with the Empire or something."

"Idiot, I don't have time for that."

"Time...?"

"Yep. Because--"

Mai will keep her promise with me. So, it's about time.

"It's about time for the Winter Title Match."

Thank you for reading.

There is one more chapter and a side story left in Chapter 6.

I plan to post character introductions and a simple skill list between now and Chapter 7.

Thank you for your continued support.