Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Arthur-Calibur
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I guess the Iron Golem is a pretty strong monster after all.
Seeing how it can hold on for so long, even with the protagonist and the heroine ganging up on it.
"Hahaha, this is fun."
It might not be the real Arthur, but a character I only read about in a novel is running around in reality.
It feels like the novel I was reading got an anime adaptation.
It's really entertaining.
"You can't see anything, can you?"
That's right. I really can't see a thing.
Why? Because the fruits of Luna, which I thoroughly handled yesterday, were blocking my view.
This is just how lap pillows from well-endowed women are.
"That's why I'm saying it's fun."
Some guy I don't even know has taken over the body of that cancerous protagonist and is displaying a level of frustrating denseness that could shatter a scouter.
Watching Luna's chest jiggle every time she speaks is much more entertaining than watching that.
For the record, Yui looked flustered, as if this was her first time in such a situation.
"U-Um..."
"What is it."
"Shouldn't we be helping them...?"
"Luna. Aren't you going to manage your junior properly?"
"...Pardon?"
Yui, Yui. If you had any sense, you would've watched Luna and learned.
Look at Luna. She's so used to it now that she's giving me a lap pillow without batting an eye, right?
When Luna's busy later, you'll have to take her place, Yui, so watch carefully and learn.
"Listen well, Yui. If you live your life being too nice, you'll just get taken for a sucker."
"A-A sucker...?"
"Yeah, a sucker. Look over there."
I pointed at Arthur, who was flying around on the golem's arm.
"That's not the right direction."
"Ah. My mistake."
I briefly lifted my head to check the direction, then pointed properly toward Arthur again.
"See, Yui? No one asked him to, but he's jumping in like an idiot and struggling all by himself. We've decided to call people like that suckers."
"I-Is that so?"
This woman does it for free.
You've probably seen ads with phrases like that.
In reality, they're just exaggerated ads meant to pique men's curiosity, but the Arthur before me really does do it for free.
The disasters created by the cancerous character, the demons related to the heroines.
He's a sucker who takes care of everything, who does it all for free.
Unbefitting of the name Arthur, he's the King of Suckers.
"If you want to help so badly, then go help. Just don't get stabbed in the back and killed by Arthur while you're at it."
"I-I'll just stay here..."
Who would want to help the guy who was just trying to kill them a moment ago?
If it were me, I would've pretended to help, then backstabbed and killed him instead.
"Lord Luke. I think it's over."
While I was lecturing Yui about life.
I thought it was getting quiet, and it seems the battle has ended.
"Really? Then there's something we have to do."
I shot up from my spot.
And after taking a few steps forward, I cupped my hands around my mouth like a megaphone.
"Did we get hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I shouted loud enough for even the vanguard in the distance to hear clearly.
At that, the fallen Iron Golem shot back up as if nothing had happened.
"Gehgehgeh. See, you should've watched your words."
Phase 1 is over.
Now, it's the start of Phase 2.
To describe how the adventurers and Arthur must be feeling right now, it'd be like chugging all your Estus Flasks to barely kill a boss, only for a cutscene to play and Phase 2 to begin.
The kind of feeling that drains all your strength just by watching.
The soldiers were almost all wiped out in the previous battle, and the E-rank adventurers who used up a lot of their mana are out of the fight too.
That leaves the D-rank adventurers and the protagonist's party as the only ones who can still move. And even that's just relatively speaking; it's obvious they can't take it down on their own.
Especially with the protagonist being such an idiot.
"Seriously, with a trait that lets you learn two additional elements, why would you learn water and fire, two polar opposites?"
Was the author some bratty kid who recorded himself trying to break bedrock with a diamond pickaxe?
How could he even think of learning elements like fire and water, which seem like they'd just meet and evaporate if you shot them out?
A truly awe-inspiring choice.
"Lord Luke, shouldn't you be helping them soon?"
"Why should I?"
"Because if the count's domain gets blown away, so will the payment we're supposed to receive."
"Holy shit. Can't have that."
I shot up.
If the payment converged to zero, I felt like my consciousness would disappear for a moment, and by the time it returned, the count's domain would be in smithereens.
"Alright. Let's get to work!"
I sauntered over to where the Iron Golem was.
After Phase 2 began, the vanguard was somehow still holding on by spreading the aggro.
They don't have to struggle so hard. They're really going through a lot.
I stealthily went behind Arthur, grabbed both his legs, and lifted him up.
"...W-What the!?"
"What do you mean? It's a hunt."
A greatsword.
By the name of Arthur-Calibur.
"Luna. Buffs."
"...Yes."
"You and Yui are on support. Okay?"
"Yes!"
Alright. Let's see what this protagonist is made of.
With the buffs I received from Luna, I charged at the Iron Golem.
And I swung the Arthur I was holding around wildly.
"S-Stooooop!!!!!!"
He's a little noisy, but he'll quiet down after a few hits.
The Iron Golem's arm came flying at me the moment it noticed me.
I blocked it by swinging Arthur-Calibur.
-*CRACK!*
"Gyaaaaaargh!!!!"
"A-Arthur!!"
"Kyaa! Mr. Arthur!"
I heard shouting from behind me, but I couldn't make it out clearly.
It wasn't anything important anyway, so I ignored it and kept swinging Arthur-Calibur.
I know the protagonist won't die because of his plot armor.
As long as a protagonist doesn't die, he'll fully recover within a few days.
'If he doesn't heal, then whatever.'
There are plenty of protagonists these days who can resurrect even if they die.
-*CRACK! CRACK!*
"Gack!!! Gyaaaaaargh!!!"
I defended against the Iron Golem's barrage of attacks with Arthur-Calibur.
Whenever I saw an opening, I swung Arthur-Calibur toward its core.
The beast knew its own weakness, it seemed, blocking with an exaggerated cross of its arms even when there was no need.
So, I kept hitting it, wondering if I could break through.
-*THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!*
But unfortunately, I couldn't get through.
Maybe because the sword's attack power is low, but it's not very satisfying to hit with.
"Ghhh..."
"Ah. Its durability ran out."
Its attack power sucks, and its durability shatters after just a few swings.
Even the cheap starter weapons would be better than this.
Still, it has a self-repair function, so there are no repair costs. Financially, it's a good weapon.
And another ability of Arthur-Calibur.
There's one ability Arthur-Calibur has that is second to none in this world.
"Here! Take it! This is what you want!"
I threw Arthur with all my might.
Aiming for as far as possible behind the monster.
Arthur flew, tracing an arc through the air.
Upon seeing this, the Iron Golem immediately turned around and chased after the flying Arthur.
The ability in which Arthur-Calibur is second to none.
Is its ability as bait.
The demons that have appeared so far, and the demons and demonic humans that will appear in the future.
And even the monsters that will invade the academy.
They are all creatures that invade with the sole purpose of targeting Arthur.
The reason this Iron Golem, which wasn't in the original story, appeared is all because of that bastard, so of course the Iron Golem's objective would be Arthur.
Of course, it makes no sense for it to turn its back on me and chase after Arthur.
It's as if it's programmed with an algorithm to kill Arthur first. Look at it, foolishly turning its back mid-battle to chase him.
"Wow! Thanks to you, the hunt just got easier!"
Isn't it obvious what happens when you turn your back in a fight?
"Luna. Yui."
As I called their names, a crimson, blood-colored wind arose.
Immediately after, a torrent of red blades surged from behind me.
'A combination technique already? You're really working your junior hard, Luna.'
Luna, who leveled up while traveling with me.
Yui, the vampire queen, though she hasn't awakened yet.
Their combined attack looked quite powerful, no less so than a main heroine's.
However, there was one fact we had overlooked.
The golem twisted its arms backward to block.
Come to think of it, a golem's limbs aren't attached to its core, nor is it a creature with joints like a human, which means its arms and legs have a full 360-degree range of motion.
-*CRASH! CRASH!*
Still, we pushed it from behind while it was running. How could a thing like that not fall over?
Befitting a heavy monster, once its body began to tumble, it showed no signs of getting back up, its form tilting straight toward the ground.
Dust scattered as the Iron Golem fell.
I walked up to the fallen Iron Golem.
"Gotta eat up~"
And plunged my greatsword vertically into its core.
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
[ Level Up! Check your stat... ]
The experience points were so immense that even the system only displayed a few notifications before skipping the rest.
"Phew! Another job done for the day!"
As soon as the battle ended, the heroines, excluding Liche, scrambled in the direction Arthur had flown, while I was picking up the Iron Golem's arms and legs, which had fallen off after the core disappeared, and putting them into my inventory one by one.
The first person to approach me was not Luna or Yui, but Liche.
"You've gotten even stronger than last time, haven't you?"
"Why are you coming to me instead of going to your boyfriend?"
"Who are you calling my boyfriend?"
Liche glared at me with a venomous look.
I could see the sheer will in her eyes to not be associated with someone like him.
'What the. Why is she so serious?'
Shouldn't she be rushing over to him right now, carefully feeding him a potion, and giving him a lap pillow?
What on earth did he do to make her despise him this much?
"Anyway, go away. I'm busy right now."
I called over Yui and Luna, who were approaching from a distance, and told them to help me pack up the corpse.
Luna, looking a little strained, managed to lift and move one of the large legs, while Yui, a mage by nature, was dangling from an arm, grunting with effort.
"Hey. Can you tell me how you got so strong in such a short time?"
This girl still hasn't left.
How to get stronger, you ask?
Isn't it obvious?
"Level up."