Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: 15. Establishing Hierarchy is a Major Matter.
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The group headed to the smithy under Duke's guidance.
"We'll consult with Lord Rex and pick out the weapon that suits you best."
Duke spoke, mindful of the original story's flow.
It was thanks to Rex that she had discovered her talents in the original tale.
With those words, Duke opened the smithy's door.
Ding-a-ling.
"Greetings, milord."
The blacksmith Albrek greeted Duke with a gaunt, haggard face.
Duke couldn't help but worry at the man's drastic change in just one day.
"Did that guy from yesterday come back and cause trouble again?"
Duke thought of the lord's son.
But Albrek denied Duke's assumption.
"No, sir. I just got my vitality sucked out by a fox."
"A fox? ...Ah."
That explanation was more than enough.
While Duke and Albrek conversed, Rex and Ari browsed the shop, discussing gear.
At first, the two picked out equipment normally enough.
But there's always one thing that happens when a guy and girl couple go shopping.
- "I don't need equipment like this, Lord Rex!"
- [But I want to buy it for you.]
- "I'm a beastkin! You don't need to treat me this well!"
They'd entered the shop on perfectly good terms, but before long, it devolved into a fight between the one wanting to buy and the one hating to be indebted.
Hmm. As expected, couples always end up fighting when they go shopping.
Of course, the subject of their fight was hardly typical for couples.
Ari was throwing a tantrum because she didn't want to seem like she was clinging to Rex anymore, while Rex simply wanted to treat his subordinate and comrade to something nice.
Duke, finishing his chat with the blacksmith, observed their spat and intervened at just the right moment.
He snapped at Ari like a stern reprimand.
"Lord Rex is not one to be bound by such notions."
"Lord Duke, don't butt in. I'm a beastkin..."
Oof, what a sharp tongue.
Duke smiled warmly at the feisty little tiger cub.
But separately from that, this was an opportunity.
Right now, Duke was her rival vying for the second-in-command spot.
To make her concede later and take her as a disciple, it wouldn't hurt to show the difference in their caliber starting now.
In that sense, her remark just now had been a slip.
The moment she invoked the ideology of her fallen nation, she'd placed the Rex she served beneath that ideology.
Duke suppressed the satisfaction swelling in his chest and laced his voice with a hint of anger as he scolded her.
"Do you think the petty ideology of that fallen empire applies to him?"
To claim the master position, he needed to crush her spirit in moments like this.
As a bonus, by emphasizing that his loyalty to Rex was stronger, he could gain the upper hand in their loyalty contest with her.
"...My apologies."
Ari didn't fully grasp Duke's intent, but she conceded the logic at least.
Yeah, it was weird of me to apply worldly ideologies to Lord Rex.
It stung, but Duke was right this time.
It felt like she'd lost the loyalty showdown, but she ruled this one invalid.
This doesn't count! Whatever!
With that, she could accept Rex's kindness at face value.
If you ignored Rex squirming in unease like he was about to die.
Duke turned back to Albrek and said to Ari,
"Lord Rex invests in you because he sees your potential. Don't feel burdened by that grace now—think instead of how you'll repay it."
Leaving those words behind, Duke approached the blacksmith.
Rex shot Duke a glare loaded with curses over his heavier burden of responsibility, but Duke pretended not to notice.
Yeah, he's the one suffering from the misunderstanding anyway.
In the end, it was Rex's lot to agonize over the misconception.
- "Boss, I'm a bit doubtful about this helmet's performance..."
- "Aigoo! Milord! Forgive me! Kill me now!"
- "Make your excuses. Someone recognized me yesterday—what's the deal?"
- "Perception hindrance only works on people who don't know you at all! It has less effect on those who do!"
While the blacksmith desperately explained himself to Duke, Rex finished picking Ari's weapon after consulting with her.
Selecting her gear had been heavily influenced by the skill that manifested that morning.
👤 Name:Arabella White🎂 Age:34🦁 Race:Beastkin (White Tiger Tribe)⭐ Level:29
[Combat Stats]
[Disposition Stats]
[Traits]
- <Fighting Spirit A>, <Passion B>, <Vigilance B>, <Loyalty C>, <Diligence A>
[Skills]
<Qualities of the Tiger King>
- A portion of attack damage ignores defense as fixed damage.
- Fixed damage conversion rate increases with consecutive attacks on the same target.
- On parry or defense great success, chance to break opponent's stance.
- Fixed damage doubles against opponents with broken stance.
This was the skill that had manifested that morning.
Rex couldn't understand why such a skill had appeared when they'd only held hands while sleeping.
Still, he was glad that thanks to this skill, she'd evolved into a spearwoman who ignored rank differences.
Weapons with high attack speed and parry advantages should synergize best with this skill.
Basing his choices on this skill, Rex ordered her combat suit, gauntlets, and boots.
For blacksmith Albrek, he commissioned gauntlets emphasizing flexibility and speed.
For Albrek's wife, a combat suit that could handle a cat beastkin's agility.
The two finished their commissions almost simultaneously.
Seeing Ari equipped with the completed gear, Albrek chided his wife.
"Hey, why'd you make it like that?"
"You just don't understand women."
"Staring at that in battle will get you killed! Practicality first!"
"Can't you pursue a little beauty without sacrificing practicality?"
While the practicalist Albrek bickered with his aesthetic wife, Ari had Rex inspect her gear.
"What do you think?"
[Beautiful.]
Albrek's wife had modified a maid outfit alongside the combat suit.
The altered maid dress could be shed easily anytime—unfasten the double buckle on the back, and the dress and apron would slip off naturally.
Revealing a white blouse and black shorts underneath.
In other words, she could switch from maid mode to combat readiness instantly.
There was the hassle of wearing the maid outfit over the combat suit, but Ari's odd obsession with maid attire made it irrelevant.
Rex tilted his head at her finished look.
[I've been wondering since yesterday—why are you so fixated on being a maid?]
"I'm a white tiger beastkin, right?"
[Yeah?]
"Don't you think clothes blending black and white like this are the ultimate?"
[Aha.]
In short, it wasn't that she admired maids and became one—it was that she loved the maid outfit and became a maid for it.
Rex nodded in understanding.
[The combat suit too?]
"Of course."
That explained why even the combat suit underneath was black and white.
Rex gave a warm smile to his uniquely eccentric maid.
Well, this much is fine.
The old Rex might have been baffled, but the current Rex had a magnanimous figure at his side who could turn even Ari's quirks into strengths.
Speak of the devil—he approached.
"If you're ready, I'll wait at the training grounds."
With that, Duke headed to the training grounds.
Ari stared at his back and snorted.
"Lord Rex. I'll prove myself!"
Ari, thrilled with her new gear, wagged her tail vigorously.
Rex cheered her on, praying she wouldn't get hurt.
[Ari, don't push too hard.]
[Duke, go easy on her.]
Ari's eyebrow twitched again.
As if Rex thought Duke was unbeatable even if the heavens and earth flipped.
I'll just change that notion.
Suppressing the rage bubbling from her chest, she headed to the training grounds.
Rex's group arrived at the training grounds in the smithy's backyard.
It was a space for testing purchased weapons on dummies or sparring.
In the wide clearing, Duke and Ari faced each other.
Thwack!
She'd already shed her maid outfit. Clenching her fists together, she declared,
"I'll prove I'm more suited to be Lord Rex's right hand."
The gauntlets' silver scales reflected the sunlight.
In contrast, Duke hadn't removed his cloak or drawn his sword.
As Ari ground her teeth at his demeanor, Rex opened both their info windows.
He'd intervene immediately if anyone took serious injury or their HP dropped too low.
In other words, Rex was the referee for this spar.
Then Rex spotted something odd in Duke's status.
👤 Name:Duke I. Awik⭐ Level:27
[Combat Stats]
The Martial Force stat, which directly affected physical abilities.
The Spirit stat, governing magic firepower.
Duke was clearly suppressing those two intentionally.
Even lower than Ari's stats.
Meanwhile, he'd left Technique—for skill proficiency—and Intellect—for magic finesse—mostly untouched.
Just from those numbers, Rex could guess Duke's intent.
No way...
Then Ari's slightly hysterical voice snapped Rex from his thoughts.
"Why haven't you taken off your cloak? And I heard you're a swordsman."
Only then did Duke's voice emerge from behind the helmet.
"Sorry. I don't carry a little sword around."
With that, Duke drew his empty left hand from beneath the cloak.
Crunch.
Ari gnashed her teeth.
Her tiger beastkin vertical pupils narrowed as she glanced at Rex.
Rex gave a wry smile and declared the start of the spar.
"Begin!"
The moment the signal dropped, she vanished.
Pat.
Like a stalking tiger, she closed in under Duke's chin without a sound.
Until then, Duke's gaze had stayed on where she'd been.
As expected, no reaction.
Her lips curled as she aimed for his chin.
But the heavy impact of her fist she expected never came.
Her punch sliced emptily through the air.
Duke had dodged without even looking, merely stepping back lightly.
"Tch."
Fine, try this.
She retracted her uppercut right and thrust a straight left.
Duke sidestepped the punch and caught her left hand.
"?!"
Rex and she alike were stunned.
This negated her skill effects entirely.
With her left hand gripped from the side, other attacks were awkward, and joint locks were outmatched by Duke's superior skill.
And it wasn't raw speed or strength that caught her.
He'd compensated for power with pure technique.
Impossible.
She knew he'd blocked with sheer skill, so all she could do was grit her teeth in frustration.
Physical stats could be boosted many ways, but technique came solely from one's own effort.
In other words, this flatly denied her assumption that Duke had grown strong via Rex's Blood Oath skill.
"Tsk."
She clicked her tongue.
Then Duke spoke.
"Too many openings."
Tap.
Her knee buckled.
It didn't hurt.
Duke had merely nudged her Achilles' heel with his foot.
Actual damage: zero.
But as a mental blow, nothing hit harder.
Teeth clenched, she unleashed a killing blow taboo in spars.
"White Lotus—"
In that instant, her vision spun.
Somehow, her back hit the ground.
It took her a moment to realize Duke had grabbed her nape, tripped her leg, and flipped her body entirely.
As Ari dazedly stared at the sky, Duke waited and said,
"Did you think I'd use some big technique? Assuming everyone fights by your standards isn't a good habit."
His words were refined, but essentially a roast.
Meaning she'd underestimated Duke, but he'd never once underestimated her.
Grind.
She sprang up like a coiled spring.
Regaining her stance, she questioned Duke.
"Why aren't you calling me out for using a killing move?"
"No need to demand apologies for non-threatening attacks."
As if he'd been waiting, Duke briefly unleashed his power.
For a split second, his rank touched the 8th—then dropped back to hers.
To her trembling in shock, Duke loomed with shadows over his helmet and said,
"From now on, come at me with everything. Prove your worth before our lord."
Ari's face paled at the eyes meeting through the visor.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, Duke inside the helmet at that moment.
Hah. Hah. Newbie... Ugh, snap out of it, you fool.
He was pinching his thigh with his right hand under the cloak.
Damn. Should've mingled with people during those 200 years.
He was losing his mind over the newbie after 200 years without one.