Chapter 142: Harvest Day (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 142: Harvest Day (9)
“I’ll never understand the minds of these human bastards.”
Monak of the Twin-Bladed Axe, the orc chosen for the first duel, muttered as he watched Mars walk out from the human encampment.
Does sending a whelp like that mean they see me as a joke?
He wasn’t the only one who felt that way. The orcs around him began to spit out irritated comments one by one.
“Sending a greenhorn against a great warrior. Are they trying to appeal to our sentiment?”
“Ridiculous. Pathetic sentiment has no place in a sacred duel.”
“First, they challenge us orcs to a duel with their territory on the line, and now they send out this whelp. Perhaps humans are more foolish than we thought.”
Every comment was a scathing criticism.
And their reaction was only natural.
They didn't consider Mars a worthy opponent for Monak. Any orc who knew even a little of Monak’s heroic tales couldn't help but think so.
Who would compare a famous orc great warrior to some nameless young human?
As they were bad-mouthing Mars and the humans, an orc approached, saying he had a message from the Great Chieftain.
“Fight that human with all you have. He is stronger than he looks.”
“Is that the Great Chieftain’s message?”
Monak asked, gripping the handle of his freshly maintained axe. The orc sent by Lugar nodded. Monak let out a smirk.
“It seems the Great Chieftain underestimates me. Well, I understand. He’s far stronger than the likes of me. I suppose it’s possible.”
His smirk quickly hardened into a stern expression.
“But understanding it doesn’t make me any less angry. Did he think I would let my guard down before an enemy? Did he see me as some foolish hunter who doesn’t give his all when catching his prey?”
“The Great Chieftain didn’t mean it like that…”
“Silence. Go and tell the Great Chieftain this: I, Monak, will return with that whelp’s head.”
Monak rose to his feet and began walking toward the center of the field where Mars stood.
“Monak! You must win!”
“Kill that brat in an instant and humble those arrogant humans!”
The orcs cheered for him with loud shouts.
Monak didn't find it entirely displeasing, so he became uncharacteristically magnanimous.
“If you want to back out, now’s your chance. If you do, I won’t harm you. Though I can’t promise I won’t call you a coward.”
He spoke to Mars, who stood about five meters away. At his words, Mars gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
“I don’t know why you’re worried about me, but I can’t back down. I don’t want to betray the trust of the person who believed in me.”
“Foolish… That half-hearted resolve of yours will be your undoing.”
“Thank you for the advice. To be honest, I was wondering what I should do on my way here…”
Mars placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
In that same instant, the aura he exuded changed.
It was dark, murky, and savage.
While Monak was startled by the sudden shift in his prey’s demeanor, Mars calmly drew his sword.
“As you said, I can’t afford to be half-hearted.”
His mana-infused sword glowed with a crimson-black light. A sword aura with an ominous feel. Monak channeled mana into his axe.
Just as Monak’s axe began to emit a blue light, Mars moved.
He closed the distance in an instant and swung his sword horizontally. When Monak leaped back to dodge, Mars spun and brought his blade down in a vertical slash.
Clang!
Monak raised his axe to block the sword.
Before Mars could retract his blade, Monak opened his mouth wide and roared.
[Beast's Roar]
One of the patterns etched on Monak’s body glowed. The sound he unleashed became a massive shockwave that crashed down on Mars.
In that moment, the force of the sword pressing down on his axe weakened.
Monak flung the sword away with his axe.
He took the full force of the roar. He won’t be able to recover his senses immediately.
He would lose his balance and stagger. It would only be for a moment, but for Monak, a moment was enough. He was a veteran great warrior, after all.
He used another pattern.
[Pattern of the White-Clawed Bear]
Crack.
His bones and muscles twisted, transforming into a new shape. The altered skeleton was that of the Bear King, who had once ruled the area around his tribe. Monak’s original body was formidable, but it was nothing compared to the Bear King’s frame.
Having acquired the Bear King’s monstrous skeleton, Monak gripped his axe handle tightly.
“I apologize for underestimating you. You are not a whelp, but a warrior. I, Monak of the Twin-Bladed Axe, acknowledge you. Now, rest.”
He swung his axe in a wide horizontal arc.
He intended to slice Mars in half.
But his plan was thwarted by a crimson-black sword that appeared in the way.
Monak’s eyes widened.
He blocked it?
How?
His sense of balance should be a mess.
More importantly, how could he so easily block a blow swung by someone with the skeleton of the Bear King?
One second.
That was how long it took for all those thoughts to flash through Monak’s mind.
It was also more than enough time for Mars to regain his senses.
Mars’s black eyes stared at Monak. Feeling an eerie sensation, Monak once again leaped back to create distance.
But Mars had no intention of letting him go and quickly closed in.
“So that was a pattern.”
Cloud had warned Mars in advance to be wary of a strange power called patterns.
Because of that, he had been on guard throughout the fight. Thanks to his caution, the moment Monak unleashed his roar, he was able to spread a thin layer of crimson-black mana to halve the roar’s power.
“It’s not a very pleasant power.”
He had managed to block it this time, but he didn't know what would come next. Only Monak knew what powers his patterns held. Nevertheless, Mars had to deal with this unknown power, and the method was surprisingly simple.
Don’t give him a chance to use them.
Mars took a deep breath and focused his mind. With calm eyes, he stared at Monak and swung his sword.
Monak blocked with his axe.
Clang!
The blade of the axe that met the sword was severely damaged.
What kind of power is this…
To think it could so easily destroy a weapon that was also enhanced with sword aura. But he wasn't even given time to be shocked.
A torrent of crimson-black arcs rained down on Monak.
Faced with one deadly strike after another, Monak did his best to respond. Even as the blades of his axe chipped away and his flesh was cut, he gritted his teeth and endured.
Mars was only human. He was bound to make a mistake eventually.
I’ll seize that chance and end it in one blow.
That was Monak’s judgment, and it was a mistaken one.
Mars did not falter.
The swordsmanship he learned from Cloud was built on a solid foundation.
Mars did not make mistakes or let his guard down.
He had been trained by Cloud to remain calm in the midst of battle.
As Mars showed no sign of slipping up, Monak grew impatient. With every passing moment, more wounds were added to his body and his axe.
In the end, he took the gamble of countering Mars’s attack with an attack of his own, and he paid the price.
Schlick—
Dodging Monak’s axe by a hair’s breadth, Mars sliced through Monak’s neck.
As the crimson-black arc vanished, the massive body collapsed.
The head, its eyes wide open, fell to the ground.
Watching the head roll away, Mars let out a sigh. His hair and eye color returned to normal, and he was once again the simple, good-natured young man he usually was.
-…
-…
But neither the orc camp nor the human camp saw him as a simple young man anymore.
That included not only Neria but also the other members of Cloud’s party. Shocked by Mars’s hidden strength, they couldn't treat him the same way as before.
The only ones who could treat him as they always had upon his return were Cloud and Shedia, who was hidden in the shadows.
Cloud already knew, and Shedia didn't care.
.
.
.
.
.
While Cloud was patting Mars on the shoulder and telling him he did well, someone was watching them intently—the vampire noble from the Alitia Kingdom’s camp.
He was stunned by the power Mars had just displayed.
He looked like an ordinary human…
He had assumed some nameless brat would be at the level of an average knight at best, but that was a grave miscalculation.
This is dangerous. Cloud’s party is growing stronger by the day.
Considering Gis’s party had regressed rather than grown, this was a truly dangerous development for the Snake Venom Society.
I must report this as soon as possible.
He didn't have the authority to handle a problem of this magnitude. Even as a noble, he was nothing more than a puppet to the executives of the Snake Venom Society.
*
The second duel was a fucking disaster.
You might be wondering why it was a disaster.
Let’s just say the one who chose the combatant for the second duel was the vampire noble’s side.
I expected this would happen, but…
Isn’t getting wrecked in less than a minute a bit much?
Even if you plan to lose, you should at least show some effort.
You know?
You could at least trade a few blows before losing, right?
Fucking mosquito bastards, anyway.
I need to pick a day and wipe them all out.
But I have no justification.
No justification at all.
By the way, why are these orcs taking so long to come out?
The final duel is between me and Lugar.
Lugar, who has changed so much in the past few years under the heavy burden of being the Great Chieftain.
How much stronger has he become?
I came out here with a certain level of anticipation, but no matter how long I waited, the orcs didn't come out of the castle.
Normally, they should have already formed up on the opposite side and finished their preparations for the duel.
Should I knock on the castle gate and ask if something happened?
As I was pondering this, the castle gate began to open.
Are they finally coming out?
But contrary to my expectations, only one orc emerged.
What, why is only one of them coming out?
As I watched in confusion, the orc shouted in a booming voice.
“Hear me, you treacherous humans! Our Great Chieftain wished for harmony with you! But you humans have not only betrayed his mercy by assassinating him, but you have also sullied your honor as warriors!!”
…What the hell is he talking about?
Who was assassinated?
“Your scheme to divide us will not work! To restore the honor of our Great Chieftain, we will unite to kill you! We will have our revenge! So tremble in fear, you treacherous scum!!!”
After shouting his piece, the orc returned inside the castle, and the gate slammed shut.
“…”
I turned and walked back to the kingdom’s camp.
“Count Sentry! Duke Oller! Duke Pabir! Muster the troops immediately! Eri, Leslie, you two prepare your magic. The strongest you have. Once you two breach the gate with magic, the knight orders will charge in.”
“Sir Hero Cloud? What is the meaning of this all of a sudden? And what was that nonsense the orc was spouting?”
Duke Pabir asked, bewildered.
The other nobles also seemed taken aback by the sudden turn of events.
But there was no time for a detailed explanation.
“Duke Pabir, do you want to save your family and your citizens?”
“What? Well, of course—”
“Then shut up and do as I say. If you don’t want to regret it later.”
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, Duke Pabir’s expression hardened.
The other nobles reacted similarly.
“Muster the troops? Not only is this sudden, but you do not have such authority, Sir Hero!”
Only the vampire bastard failed to read the room and kept yapping.
I drew my dagger and plunged it into his stomach.
“Urk?!”
The vampire noble’s eyes went wide as he tried to step back. I grabbed him by the hair and whispered in his ear.
“I warned you before, didn’t I? Whatever you or the people behind you want, don’t even think about getting in my way.”
The vampire tried to push me away.
He was surprisingly strong for someone with a knife in his gut, but I didn't let go.
“Try any more of your bullshit. I’ll crush you and the entire Snake Venom Society.”
“..!”
The vampire’s eyes bulged.
If being stabbed in the stomach was bewildering, this was pure shock.
Before he could ask the obvious question of how I knew, I grabbed him by the neck and threw him aside.
I turned my head.
Fortunately, none of the other nobles were still there.
They were already on horseback, riding through the kingdom’s camp and gathering their forces.
It didn't take long for the army to assemble.
The army marched toward the castle, and just like that, the war began again, in a way no one had expected.