Chapter 216
Chapter 216
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: A Truly Humble Person (2)
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The armor shifted into position for its next attack.
Rocard hurriedly resumed controlling the gem's energy, as if being chased.
'No way!'
And then he recoiled in shock.
The gem's energy, which had been so stable just moments ago, now asserted itself with a ferocity he couldn't even dream of controlling.
'Wasn't it fine before!? Should I not have tried to control the gem's energy so recklessly!?'
What he thought was the best course of action turned out to be the worst.
Realizing his mistake, Rocard lost his composure in an instant.
The armored knight didn't miss that opening.
Ching!
Its ferocious assault began.
"Huff...! Huff...! Huff...!"
The armor's attacks.
The reason Rocard had initially panicked upon encountering it was his worry that it would disrupt the dungeon investigation related to the key.
But now...
He was flustered by the armor's attacks for an entirely different reason.
'What is this power!'
The Golden Saint.
As a direct disciple of the Golden Star, he had already reached the realm of mastery in his late thirties.
He was confident he could seize the initiative in most combat situations.
That was why he had accepted this role without hesitation, and why he had approached the armor without hesitation.
Yet...
Now, he was being pushed back by the armor's prowess, fully occupied with just defending himself.
The immense energy composing the armor rejected his 'Object Control' outright.
And moreover...
Its sturdiness withstood even the relentless slashing of his golden blades with ease.
At present, Rocard was infiltrating the armor's interior with gold to somehow restrain its movements—but the limit was approaching.
This armor was a weapon imbued with unbelievably potent mystery.
With his current abilities, he had no means to overcome it.
"...!"
Thud.
In that instant, Rocard's body stiffened.
His retreating foot had hit a wall.
"When did—"
Distracted by the onslaught, he hadn't even noticed being cornered against the wall.
Rocard belatedly searched for a new escape route, but it was already too late.
Kiiing—
The armor shook off the golden interference and charged at Rocard.
'Did they infuse it with a sword master's soul or something!?'
Its movements were so sharp they evoked such thoughts from the one on the receiving end.
Escape routes sealed in an instant.
A merciless killing blow headed straight for Rocard without hesitation.
Thus...
The moment Rocard resigned himself against his will.
Clang!
A metallic clash erupted right in front of Rocard.
Even though the artifact protecting him had already exhausted its power and vanished.
Rishir.
His sword had blocked the armor's blade.
"...A sword?"
This time, Rocard doubted not his ears, but his eyes.
In the meantime, the armor didn't falter and continued its assault on Rishir.
The sword and gauntlet that sought to coil around Rishir like a serpent—
Suddenly lost their momentum.
Clunk.
The armor dropped to one knee, then toppled flat onto the floor.
The bindings that hadn't budged even under Rocard's Object Control vanished without a trace.
Helmet. Greaves. Gauntlets. Breastplate.
The armor's pieces scattered haphazardly across the floor.
The situation was over.
"..."
Huff.
Huff.
Huff.
Rocard's ragged breathing filled the sudden silence.
His gaze remained fixed on the armor, showing no sign of shifting away.
"Sir Rocard."
"...!"
Rocard's body jolted violently.
He slowly turned his head to look at Rishir.
"Sir Rishir... What brings you here—"
Rishir replied to the dazed Rocard with his characteristic smile.
Was it his imagination?
Rocard felt that the kind smile somehow looked mischievous.
"As you said, Sir Rocard, I came to assist as quickly as possible."
"...Pardon?"
"You said it yourself. That you weren't confident, so once the situation was resolved, to come help. When even you, Sir Rocard, showed a moment of weakness, I pushed myself to move swiftly—and it seems I timed it just right."
"..."
Ah.
Rocard let out a quiet sigh as he recalled the words he had uttered to deceive Rishir.
Who would have thought...
Those words would come back to bite him like this.
"..."
A sense of relief morphed into something else.
Rocard's face flushed with humiliation.
In this situation, the only thing propping up his fragile pride was one belief—or possibility.
'Was my key the real one...!'
The belief that the place Rishir had gone held no such armor.
Or at least, nothing as formidable as this.
Meanwhile, Rishir's gaze turned to the scattered armor pieces.
He picked up the red gem.
"This armor was here too."
"...!"
At those words, Rocard's heart pounded fiercely.
"Here too... So, there was one of these armors where you went as well, Sir Rishir?"
"Yes."
"Then how—"
Did you get here so quickly?
No.
How did you even get here?
How did you subdue them?
Rocard couldn't voice it, merely opening and closing his mouth.
At Rocard's reaction, Rishir nodded emphatically.
"Looks like I got lucky."
"Lucky...?"
"I figured out this armor's weakness fairly quickly."
"..."
Ah.
So that's how it was.
Realizing the entire situation stemmed from mere fortune, Rocard unwittingly felt relieved.
Regaining some composure, he said to Rishir,
"Indeed. On the other hand, I wasn't so fortunate."
"What happened?"
"What I discovered wasn't the armor's weakness—it was its reverse scale."
"Ah."
"And this is the result. The armor went berserk, and I ended up in a bind."
"I see."
"So— what exactly was the armor's weakness?"
"Do you see this gem?"
"Yes."
"This gem is the armor's weakness."
"...?"
"Controlling this gem's energy is how you neutralize the armor."
Rocard's pupils shook violently.
"That's..."
It wasn't a way to neutralize the armor—it was an action that provoked its rampage.
Rocard couldn't finish the thought.
Because the gem in Rishir's hand—the one whose energy he had ultimately failed to control—was now perfectly subdued.
Rishir set it down on the floor.
Then, beside it, he placed a gem larger and brighter still.
One.
Two—
Three in total.
"On the way here, I noticed spaces to store these gems."
Rishir extended a hand to Rocard, who had slumped to the floor.
"There were four in total. Including yours, Sir Rocard, we have them all now."
Rocard glared up at him indignantly.
Because he saw his own deception mirrored in Rishir's actions.
"..."
But that lasted only a moment.
Rocard's agitated emotions dissipated into nothing.
"Shall we go?"
Rishir's expression. His demeanor.
No impure intent could be felt from it.
In other words...
The deception Rocard perceived in his actions was purely unconscious.
Soon enough...
A feeble chuckle escaped Rocard's lips.
"So. My disciple is now analyzing the keys together with that Rishir fellow?"
"Yes, Tower Master."
An unexpected tension filled the room awaiting Rocard and Rishir's return.
Due to an uninvited guest who had suddenly flown in through the window.
The visit from the Yellow Tower Master.
The golden-patterned pigeon gazed at the two keys neatly placed on the desk and remarked casually,
"In that case, it's a sort of competition."
Carzen of the Golden Star recalled Remier's fondness for Rishir and let a mischievous smile play on his lips.
"Oh dear, Remier. I hadn't planned on going this far."
"...Tower Master, what do you mean by—"
The yellow mages showed curiosity at the meaningful remark.
And...
The gray mages showed concern at the meaningful remark.
Carzen observed the gray mages' reactions rather than the yellow ones before replying,
"My disciple has quite a twisted personality, you see. In a situation like this, he'll probably show no mercy and trample the opponent's pride. So, let me apologize in advance. That Rishir friend seems to have been quite popular in the tower. Hm?"
The pigeon's gaze shifted to the neatly placed keys mid-sentence.
The gems embedded in the keys began to glow.
The intense light enveloped the entire room.
As the light faded—Rocard and Rishir appeared.
"Rocard."
"...!"
Rocard flinched at his master's voice.
"Master...! What brings you here—"
"Never mind that. Answer my question. Did things go as planned?"
"..."
Rocard glanced at Rishir beside him and gave a wry smile.
"For now, yes—but I failed to fulfill my role..."
See that?
Carzen let out an exaggerated sigh for all to see.
As far as he knew, his disciple only spoke like that in one circumstance.
Deception.
Carzen easily inferred what had transpired between them.
'His role... He admits asking for Rishir's help, but claims it wasn't enough. Thereby mocking Rishir's inadequacy.'
Good grief.
Can't rein him in.
Even as he thought that, Carzen observed Rishir's reaction.
After all...
Having his disciple outshine the mage Remier favored was a welcome development—
"Hm?"
The pigeon tilted its head.
Rishir's response was too subdued for someone who had been victim to Rocard's vicious deception.
'What happened?'
As Carzen turned to Rocard to find out—
"...Uh???"
The pigeon kept tilting its head repeatedly.
He suddenly recalled what Rishir had said about his disciple before.
A humble person.
And indeed, Rocard seemed genuinely ashamed of his own shortcomings.