Chapter 21

Last time, I posted a chapter that was about 30 minutes short of the update.

If you saw that, please read the missing part before continuing.

The castle's garden had turned into a dueling arena.

Torches were lit around the area, and those who had been enjoying the feast were now eagerly anticipating the battle of the heroes.

However, the outcome was already a well-known fact.

A battle between me, who had no means of attack, and Motokatsu, the Spear Hero.

It wasn't a battle between the Shield Hero's party and the Spear Hero's party, but a one-on-one duel between me and Motokatsu.

Apparently, Motokatsu's pride wouldn't allow anything else, so it became a one-on-one fight.

Anyone could imagine the result.

In fact, there wasn't even a single voice betting on the outcome, which was a given in such situations.

While there were many nobles in the castle, there were also adventurers who had fought in the waves.

Under normal circumstances, there would be no shortage of gambling.

In other words, everyone knew I was going to lose.

Renz and Itsuki were also watching from the castle terrace, laughing.

They were looking forward to the moment I would lose and lose my slaves.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit, shit!

Everyone just wants to take everything from me.

Even in the waves, they rained fire down on me.

The whole world seems to be mocking me as an enemy.

...Fine. I have no choice but to lose, but I won't lose without a fight.

Just you wait, Motokatsu. I have more hatred than you can handle.

"Then, the duel between the Spear Hero and the Shield Hero will now begin! The match will be decided when one of you is on the brink of being finished off or admits defeat."

I tested the movement of my wrist and cracked my fingers as I got into position.

"There's a saying about which is stronger, the spear or the shield... but this time, it's a piece of cake."

Motokatsu glared at me with a condescending attitude.

What a joke.

"Then—"

I'll teach you that a battle isn't just about defeating your opponent.

The paradox starts with the story of a merchant who tried to sell the strongest spear and shield, asking which was the strongest.

It's a word that describes something that doesn't make sense.

But I think the word "paradox" itself is a paradox.

What exactly determines the winner?

It's like playing shogi and go at the same time.

If you still want to play, how about the wielder?

The purpose of a spear is to kill the opponent.

The purpose of a shield is to protect the wielder.

When you broaden your perspective, there's also the idea that the shield that protects the wielder from the strongest spear wins.

Fundamentally, their purposes are different. For a spear and a shield.

"Match!"

"Roar!"

"Charge!"

I ran towards Motokatsu in a telegraphed punch stance, and Motokatsu ran towards me with his spear ready, trying to stab me.

The distance closed quickly, and as I entered the range of Motokatsu's spear, he thrust it forward with momentum.

There's no attack I can't handle if I know where it's coming from.

"Rapid Thrust!"

Motokatsu's spear split into several and flew at me.

A skill! He's using it right away.

I can't stop my charge.

I protected my head with my shield and ran through.

Clang! Clang!

Squish!

Damn... pain shot through my shoulder and side.

It's just a graze, but the attack of a hero is too much to bear.

However, it seems Motokatsu's skill has gone on cooldown.

"Take this!"

Still, Motokatsu thrust his spear at me.

The weakness of a spear or a lance is its range.

Long weapons that excel at mid-range become difficult to handle when the opponent gets too close.

Ideally, you should defeat the enemy before they get close. But I, with my shield, can't be defeated in one hit.

I narrowly avoided Motokatsu's thrust, charged forward with all my weight, and tackled him to the ground.

Then I punched him in the face.

Bang!

Tsk! As expected, I can't deal damage to him.

But my attack won't end there.

Motokatsu looked at me with a smug expression, as if my attack didn't hurt him at all.

How long can you keep that face?

I pulled out a secret weapon from my cloak and jammed it into Motokatsu's face.

Snap!

"Ouch!"

It was a threat I picked up on the way to the castle after being wiped out by the rain of fire in the waves.

"What? What!?"

Hehehe... Motokatsu is making a completely bewildered sound.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

"Ouch, ouch!"

Motokatsu writhed in pain as his precious face was bitten.

That's right, my attack isn't just with my hands.

I have a convenient weapon called a balloon, specifically for humans!

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

I threw two balloons at his face and pinned him down with my feet to prevent him from standing up, then threw one at his crotch.

"What? Why do you have balloons!?"

The audience screamed.

I don't care!

I continued to kick his crotch with all my weight, along with the balloons.

"Ugh... You! What are you doing!"

"Since I can't win, I'll make you suffer as much as I can! My targets are your face, the life of a popular guy, and your crotch, the proof of a man! Without your face and jewels, you're just a creepy otaku!"

"What! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it!"

"Make you impotent, make you impotent, make you impotent!"

I kicked Motokatsu's crotch relentlessly.

Motokatsu could barely peel the balloons off his face, and in his fallen position, he couldn't swing his spear strongly.

Each time he broke a balloon, I threw another one, which took time to deal with.

Of course, it wasn't just balloons; I also used eggs, making Motokatsu's situation like a bed of nails.

I took advantage of this time to cause as much trouble as possible.

I'm going to lose anyway, so I'll engrave the maximum trauma in Motokatsu.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"Ugh! You bastard!"

I pinned down the struggling Motokatsu with all my weight and continued my malicious attacks.

Hehehe! This is so refreshing! Suffer more!

As I laughed, a smile naturally crept onto my face.

"Ugh...!"

Suddenly, I was pushed from behind and stumbled.

I looked in the direction I stumbled, trying to figure out what happened.

There was that landmine girl, Mine, in the crowd, gesturing at me.

It was probably a wind magic spell.

I think it was called Wing Blow, a magic that shoots a fist-sized ball of air.

Since it was a ball of air, it was transparent and hard to see.

Mine had a triumphant smile on her face and was taunting me with a raspberry.

"You bastard!"

My scream was drowned out by Motokatsu's counterattack as he got up, taking advantage of my stumble.

Motokatsu, breathing heavily, pressed his spear to my neck. The balloons were already all broken.

"Huff... huff... I win!"

With a face that looked even more miserable than the disaster waves, Motokatsu raised his spear and declared victory.

Thank you for reading this far.

Regarding the comments,

Whether the timing is good or bad, this is the lowest point of Naofumi's story.