Chapter: 270
The sword held by Karl gritted its teeth as it took on the Duke’s attack.
Thud!
Strong. So strong.
Whoosh!
It felt like if I lost my focus for even a moment, I could be cut down in one hit by that aura.
Truly the Duke Burrow. A warrior with skills that are among the best in the kingdom.
If it were me from a year ago, I wouldn’t have even thought to try and block this attack.
If it were me from six months ago, I would have broken my sword trying to endure it.
But I am different now. I have trained tirelessly to face my limits. Clutching the sword gifted to me by the Young Lady.
I can withstand the Duke’s sword.
– A pet raised by the Lord Jushin’s dog.
Even as I’m overpowered by sheer strength, the clash continues with my own techniques. The Duke opened his mouth.
His voice oozed out, sickening to the point I’d want to gag, sticking to my eardrums like slime.
– Do you really think an incomplete little puppy like you could defeat me? You’ll be swallowed by the darkness without realizing your dreams.
The Evil God’s voice filled Karl’s head.
It was mental corruption that would have driven an ordinary person mad by this point.
Even the most brilliant knight would be lost in confusion at this point.
Yet in Karl’s eyes, there wasn’t even a hint of wavering.
– Give up. Beg for your life.
“Thanks for the suggestion, but I’ll pass.”
Being swayed by the Evil God’s temptation was anything but knightly.
His heart was shouting from amidst the darkness to protect his dream.
And the warm divine essence surrounding his heart was chasing the darkness away, affirming that this was the right thing to do.
“A knight does not change his master once he has chosen.”
To put it simply.
Lucy Allen. The Young Lady he had vowed to devote his life to was watching over him.
– I’m curious. Until when can that loyalty last?
As the voice concluded, something slimy shot out from the shadow of Karl, attempting to grasp his ankle.
The moment Karl sensed it, he evaded with Allen family’s unique footwork, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the best move.
The slight movement he made caused the barely maintained balance of their swords to collapse.
As the equilibrium between the swords was thrown off, the ominous magic infiltrated Karl’s aura.
– Self. How do you feel now?
If he made even the slightest mistake, he could be consumed by the Evil God’s power, but still, a smile lingered at the corner of Karl’s mouth.
“Even if you keep being slimy, I’m not into that kind of color, so it’s pointless.”
At that moment, the Duke bit his lip hard, as the tendons on his hands stood out.
From behind him, a voice rang out.
Not the disgusting voice he was just hearing, but a clear and beautiful voice that captured everyone’s attention, resonating through the air.
“Haha~♡ You got friend-zoned~♡ Poor pervy uncle~♡ Do you finally realize you’re an unattractive old man with erectile dysfunction?♡”
As soon as Lucy let out her laughter, the Duke turned his head.
It was as if he had completely forgotten that Karl was right in front of him.
No matter how much Karl may resemble a mere knight, he was a knight of the Allen family.
He wasn’t foolish enough to let such an opening slide.
As soon as Karl moved his sword, the Duke hastily reacted, but there was far too much of an opening to respond perfectly.
The Duke received a massive gash on his left shoulder.
“…Tsk.”
Even though it was undoubtedly a valid strike in anyone’s eyes, Karl’s expression remained grim.
Stepping back hastily, the Duke dodged an arrow shot by Alsatine while recovering from his wound.
“Hey, Karl. You didn’t cut properly, did you?”
Alsatine, who stood behind him, voiced his annoyance at seeing the Duke’s seemingly unharmed form.
“I cut just fine. If it were you, you’d have died the moment you got hit.”
“Then why’s that guy still standing?”
“Well, it’s because he’s fighting dirty.”
If what lay before him was merely the Duke Burrow, there wouldn’t have been any problem whatsoever.
The Duke was strong, but he had to succumb to Lucy’s provocation and let slip his opening, thus ultimately facing defeat.
Yet, the reason things were spiraling out of control was that the Duke carried the power of the Evil God.
Overall body enhancement and speedy recovery that surpassed normal human limits.
Various mischiefs using the power of the Evil God.
And on top of that, the increasing mental corruption that worsens with time.
If Lucy hadn’t declared her domain, Karl and others would have already been devoured by the darkness surrounding them.
“…Dirty, huh? That’s spot on. I can’t deny it when I hear the crap echoing in my head.”
“What’s the problem?”
“But if we’re talking dirty, that’s also true for our side.”
Alsatine pointed to Lucy, who was taunting the Duke burrow.
“Why is he glaring?♡ Trying to unleash his frustration on this cute little girl?♡ Just the kind of disgusting thought that would suit him~♡ But it’s futile~♡ My shield isn’t weak enough to be pierced by an erectile dysfunction Duke♡”
Spouting all kinds of words as a strategy to anger the opponent and draw their gaze.
That strategy was undoubtedly effective, but Alsatine didn’t consider it a noble way.
However, Karl thought differently.
“What nonsense. Where’s the dirtiness in risking your life to draw an enemy’s attention to protect your comrades?”
As Karl firmly gripped his sword and declared this, Alsatine gave a faint laugh.
“Hah. I knew you’d say that.”
Though both had much they wanted to say to each other, it couldn’t be voiced out loud.
The battle was about to begin anew.
*
With a twisted face, the Duke Burrow unleashed his sword strike, which Karl managed to block.
Clang!
Ugh. He really is disgustingly strong!
My arm holding the shield feels like it might crack from the pain?!
Normally, I’d be using Armadi’s touch to recover, but I couldn’t do that right now.
Maintaining the divine domain was tough enough; I had no leisure to use that!
“What are you trying to do, hitting on a little girl without an erection?♡ You’ll only feel ashamed if you catch me!♡ Erectile dysfunction Duke?♡”
Grinding my teeth, I threw out another provocation. The Duke swung his sword again.
Swish!
As I managed to block his swing with the shield, pain shot from my bones to my brain.
“A Young Lady!”
Taking the chance that Karl created while the Duke was distracted, he rushed to his bag for a potion.
As the bone that had cracked healed, a pain rushed through that made me tear up, but I bit my lip and held in my scream.
Damn. Why won’t this Burrow Duke wake up?
Does he think he’s some princess? Should I cosplay as a prince and give him a kiss or something?
sigh I really am about to lose my mind!
Given the unfavorable situation, I threw out provocation without thinking about the limits, yet the Duke Burrow remained trapped in his mental maze.
The provocation wasn’t wholly ineffective.
With how Tariki was calling out less, and the authority of the Evil God being barely utilized, his mental enslavement seemed to have weakened.
But if that bastard doesn’t wake up, it’s pointless!
Observing Karl and Alsatine holding their own against the Duke, I scanned the surroundings.
Phoebe and Johan were meticulously preparing their miracle amid the surrounding commotion.
From Grandpa’s judgment, it seemed about 80% completed.
[It’s late. According to the original plan, it should have been finished by now.]
‘It’s probably because the energy of the Evil God was stronger than anticipated.’
Despite having the divine domain open so that darkness couldn’t seep in, Karl and Alsatine complained of mental corruption.
Phoebe and Johan likely weren’t having it easy either.
[Even so.]
‘It’s fine. If there’s no problem, we just need to put in the effort on our part.’
Thinking that as I glanced back at the Sloppy Fox, I saw sweat dripping down.
While the Sloppy Fox undeniably was among the strongest, there was a vast difference in level compared to the Evil God.
The guardian of this forest, who had stepped out of his territory, was now struggling against the Evil God in a contest of strength.
No matter how strong the Sloppy Fox may be, it could only push itself so far.
…Is it time to show my hand?
With my lips pressed tight, I felt the taste of blood seeping out and pulled one glass vial from my inventory, tossing it to the Sloppy Fox.
“Hey, Young Lady. What’s this?”
‘It’s a gift.’
“This is a gift for the weak Sloppy Fox.”
A potion that quickly recovers the energy of the player’s spirit, regardless of whether it is divine or magical.
It was something I had painstakingly prepared to use before entering Burrow Mansion, but there was no time to think about that now.
“…Thank you for the precious gift.”
The Sloppy Fox accepted the potion with a smile and lifted its shield.
Even if we continued to hold our ground here, there was no guarantee we could hold until the miracle was completed.
The enemy’s vitality was infinite, while our stamina dwindled in real-time, so even if we somehow managed to hang on, we’d inevitably collapse someday.
sigh Up until now, I’ve tried not to cross the last line, but the situation is such that there’s no other choice.
Duke Burrow, this is all because you slept in too much, isn’t it?
If you sulk about my words later, don’t blame me!
Taking a light deep breath, I filled my lungs with what little divine energy remained and spat it out with my voice.
“Erectile dysfunction Duke♡”
The moment the Duke, who had been clashing with Karl, fixed his gaze on me. What shone in his eyes was pure crimson rage.
“Your son was a sloppy good-for-nothing who died trying to save others!♡ But what about you?♡ Swinging your sword at the man who rejected you~♡ Hitting a little girl to vent your frustration?♡ What do you think your son in the grave would think upon seeing this?♡ Huh?♡”
With each word I spoke, the red of his eyes grew thicker and stickier, like the lingering feelings in his heart.
“Not answering?♡ Ah, I see. You can’t respond?♡ You’re scared of getting hurt again after giving your heart away and ignoring the second one?♡ You can’t even imagine your son’s response, can you?♡”
The Duke glared at me, swinging his sword to push Karl and Alsatine aside.
I thought he would charge right at me, so I firmly gripped my shield, but instead, he merely stared at me.
“Is what I said wrong?♡ You were too afraid to even look at your relics, selling everything away?♡”
“…Shut up!”
As I spat another word through the tension, for the first time, the Duke used his voice.
“A cowardly, feeble, coward Duke you are!♡”
“Shut your mouth!”
Alright. There’s a crack appearing in the Duke’s mental chains.
Just a bit more. A little more, and I can break through.
If I could just make him a bit angrier, he would shake off the enslavement.
Having provoked him so much, countless methods to agitate the Duke filled my mind.
They all seemed appropriate to spur his anger, but my intuition told me there was only one best and worst method.
“You’ve lost your edge, haven’t you?♡”
I pushed my shield aside and showed him the necklace I had just pulled from my inventory.
“Here, greet this♡ Left behind by your pathetic son who died in vain….”
“NEEEEEEEOOW!!”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Before I could close my mouth, the Duke charged at me with furious cries.
What dwelled within his sword wasn’t the Evil God’s power, but a gray-brown aura instead.
Thud!
Oh, sleepyhead Duke. You should have woken up a little earlier.
If you had, I wouldn’t have had to say such things.
And guess what? Since you’re awake now, please take a look around.
Crash!
Karl did not miss the opening left by the Duke and struck him on the back of the head with his sword.
Even without using the blade itself, a sword enhanced by aura is a sufficient weapon.
With such a device wielded by a human weapon named Karl, the impact on the Duke Burrow’s head was immense.
Even after hearing an unpleasant sound from his head, the staggering Duke pushed forward, crawling on the ground, and eventually stopped.
‘…He’s not dead, right?’
[Don’t worry. He just fainted.]
After confirming with Grandpa, I cautiously approached and placed the relic in his outstretched hand.
Then, I conveyed the words of apology in my heart.
I’m sorry.
I won’t ask for your understanding.
Whatever happens later, I will accept it humbly.
And.
“Lady!”
While I was muttering my apology, I opened my eyes at Phoebe’s urgent voice.
What?! What is it now?!
What new variable is coming!
“All preparations are complete! Please come here!”
…
sigh
Phoebe.
You did well.
You did well, but I have to say.
Couldn’t you have done it just a bit earlier?!
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.