Chapter 199
Chapter 199
After crossing blades with that so-called Jack-whatever, the first thought that came to mind was this:
“A certified First-Class Secret of the Thieves’ Guild, and someone possessing an Imaginal Barrier… I braced myself so much, but… was it all for nothing?”
He was easier to deal with than I’d expected.
For someone bearing the title of “Boss,” his patterns were awfully monotonous.A curvy, impractical sword with no efficiency whatsoever, designed for who knows what purpose.And above all, even his Imaginal Barrier added nothing to his combat ability.
Compared to the pompous aura he kept oozing outside his body, his actual skills were nothing but pitiful.
Well, at least he managed to suppress Camilla… but then again, that was just the natural disadvantage of a mage going up against a thief.
“If she hadn’t lost herself to rage and given up the distance, she probably could have handled him, too.”
“…This time, things will be different.”
As though mocking my expectations, the man pulled out another sword—just like a hidden blade prepared by the Duke.
Of course.If it ended anticlimactically here, the “Boss” title above his head would cry out in shame.
“Heh. Didn’t expect Phase 2 to show up this soon. Guess I’m lucky.”“Stop spewing nonsense. Enough words. Die!”
–Clang!–
His strike, wrapped in pitch-black aura, crashed against my crossed daggers.
“…Kh!”“Ha ha! Where’s that cocky attitude now?!”
The blow was too heavy and deadly to simply parry and attempt a clumsy counter.
“Since the phase has shifted, I should pull back and study his new pattern—”
That thought lasted only until the moment I leapt back.
“Where do you think you’re running?”
He swung his sword through the empty air.I had already pulled far from him, so it was a meaningless gesture—
“Guh?!”
—until I felt a gash rip across my chest.
“Pity. If it were just a little deeper, it would’ve pierced your heart.”
Blood poured hot from the wound, pain stabbing into my nerves.
“Damn it… A guy with an Imaginal Barrier must have a Unique Skill as well…”
Invisible sword aura.By its nature, the farther it traveled, the weaker it became—not that useful, usually.
“…But with the difference in raw specs between us, this is a real nuisance.”
Keeping distance against someone like him only meant exposing myself to unnecessary hits.It was a troublesome skill indeed.
“Tch. A serial killer, through and through. Even your Imaginal Barrier and Unique Skill are creepy.”
Imaginal Barriers were supposed to manifest one’s wishes.That fact alone made this murderer’s abilities all the more twisted.
A mist that cut off outside communication.Sword aura specialized for killing fleeing targets.
Unlike Luciana, who used her Barrier to advance her own mastery, he focused purely on tormenting the weak.
“So what if I am?”“What a waste, that’s all. To see someone talented enough to reach the realm of Imaginal Barriers, and yet ruin it on such a crooked path…”“No waste at all! I’m satisfied!”
He first smirked cynically, then burst out into maniacal laughter that echoed through the mist.
“Kuahaha! Do you know the joy of it? Those pompous nobles, once so full of themselves, their faces twisted in despair as they beg pitifully for their lives!”“…Well, I know that kind of thrill from a sense of superiority, yes.”“No! You don’t know! That’s why you can only sit there giving me lectures!”
Licking his upper lip with his tongue, he roared as though to strike me with a revelation.
“The instant the light of life vanishes from their teary eyes! The moment even their pitiful struggles go still! The joy of crushing a noble to death under my hand—how could you possibly understand that?!”
A revelation? More like the ramblings of a broken moral compass.
“Enough bragging about your disgusting tastes.”
The assessment was already done.His so-called Unique Skill was nothing more than invisible sword aura.His Imaginal Barrier was purely utility, useless in a head-on fight.
His aura cultivation surpassed mine…But against a fool who couldn’t use that advantage, I had no reason to lose.
“How disappointing for you. I won’t be making those faces you love so much.”“When the blade’s at your throat, you’ll end up the same as them!”“No. That won’t happen.”
I could afford minor injuries from his sword aura.As long as I didn’t expose my vitals carelessly again, I’d be fine.
Lowering my stance, I dashed toward him even as he flung invisible strikes like a madman.
“H-how are you dodging it?! My Unique Skill is—!”“Just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean I can’t read it.”
Killing intent.The direction of his gaze.
Even if the aura wasn’t visible, I could roughly predict its path.Not perfectly—I still grazed by a hair’s breadth—but enough to avoid critical hits.
“Stay back!”“Do you think I’ll listen if you just ask politely?”
Bloodied but charging forward, I must have rattled him.He kept flinging aura slashes while scrambling to retreat.
“Why so terrified? With raw stats, he should overwhelm me…”
“Tch. Pathetic little worm, running like this.”
If he wanted to drag things out with his Unique Skill, I’d end it with mine.
“I’ve lived for centuries, but I’ve never seen a human so base, so dishonorable.”
I imitated the master I once saw devastate the Academy—a true authority in his field.Though he had fallen to Luciana, that was only because she was an extraordinary opponent.Against a second-rate thug with no real Unique Skill, this was more than enough.
“What the—?! I need to get some distance—”
But his attempt to retreat was doomed.
“Damn it! Why is the ground beneath me—turning into a swamp?!”“This is…”
Swamp.A basic Earth-element spell that drastically reduced movement.
Not my doing—I wasn’t compatible enough to cast such a large-scale version.But I didn’t need to look to know whose work it was.
–“…I thought about what you said.”
Camilla’s voice rang in my head, unwilling to speak it aloud in front of the killer.
When I turned, her violet eyes beneath that green hair held a newfound resolve.
–“For my mother’s revenge… honestly, I’d never thought about what came after. I only wanted the relief.”–“I see.”–“But if my opponent is Father… then what I must do is already decided.”
She raised a hand brimming with mana.
As if answering her will, sand rose from the ground, shaping into form.
Soldiers of sand, each with a massive shield.They stood firm across the mist, blocking every path the murderer could flee through.
“Wh-what are these…? Get out of my way!”“It’s no use. The sand of the cold night is tougher than you think. And even if they’re broken, I can simply make more.”
The rage she had shouted earlier was gone.Instead, like the Iron-Blooded Duke himself, she was cold and composed.
–“As heir, I’ll succeed my father. I’ll become the Duke.”
And at the same time, her voice echoed in my mind in answer to my thoughts.
–“As before, that’s the answer I’ve always wanted from you. Then I trust you understand why I was angry.”–“…Of course.”
To inherit the dukedom, her life had to be preserved.She couldn’t just throw herself into reckless duels.
–“I won’t make that mistake again.”
Scratching her cheek, she smiled awkwardly.
–“But hurry and finish this. I’ll hold him down.”–“Are you sure? Even if I claim your revenge for you?”–“…Yes. Of course.”
A flicker of regret passed through her eyes, but she shook it off firmly.
–“Don’t worry. I want answers from him, anyway. Capture him alive, if possible.”–“My Unique Magic, Sand Legion, will aid you.”
Of course—it had to be her Unique Magic.Born from the experience she gained in dungeons, and her newfound resolve to become Duke.
“…Another divergence from the original.”
Like Luciana, Camilla’s power was different than what I remembered.I thought it had been a storm of cutting sandwinds, not soldiers of sand.
“Don’t you get it yet? There’s no escape. This will be your grave.”“Ghh… fine! Then I’ll fight to the end! Come at me!”
He raged, his black aura flaring, as I rushed him with my daggers.
“…Amazing.”
Golden waves of aura flowed, deflecting his murderous blows.A dark blade darted in through the slightest opening.
Camilla couldn’t help but admire the scene.
“So he really was hiding his strength. A doppelgänger, able to copy not just appearances but abilities, too…”
Though his aura reserves were lacking, his technique was refined enough to overwhelm the murderer—just like the demon who had attacked the Student Council Selection.
“…Heh. In a way, that’s like my Unique Magic, too.”
While her sand soldiers blocked her enemy’s movements, Camilla recalled Hans’ words:
–“I’m disappointed in you, Camilla Roberc.”
For the sake of revenge, she had done anything.
Negotiated with criminals she despised.Visited the Thieves’ Guild she’d vowed never to set foot in.Even risked throwing away her life.
And always, he had been at the center of it.
“Hans Byron…”
The demon who had shared her burden of revenge.The man who, always smiling, had affirmed her vengeance—now, for once, had shown her his anger.
She’d seen anger of many kinds before—criminals, rivals, jealous nobles.But his anger was something she’d almost never known.
–“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t wander into your siblings’ gardens recklessly!”
It was like her mother long ago, scolding her as a child for risking assassination in the succession war.
Yes.He had been angry because he cared.
It had been so long since she felt someone worry for her.Flustered, she hadn’t even answered properly.And then more questions, sharp yet caring:
–“Have you ever thought about what comes after your mother’s revenge?”–“After Duke Roberc is dealt with, then what?”
She never had.Her mind had been consumed by revenge alone.
She had never pictured what lay at the end of vengeance.That’s why his question had felt so fresh.
“…I hate the West as it is now.”
She didn’t want others to suffer like her mother, sacrificed in power struggles.She wanted to correct the rotten justice that colluded with criminals.
Her answer was clear.
“I’ll become Duke.”
For the first time, she had found a purpose beyond revenge.
And with that realization, mana surged from her heart throughout her body.
“Ah… it’s over.”
While she was lost in thought, the fight ended swiftly.
She saw Hans strike upward with a sharp motion, kick the killer in the chin, and lop off his right arm in one fluid move.
“Guhhh!”“Good work.”“No… thanks to you. If not, he might have escaped.”
Then Hans turned to her with a question.
“So you had an awakening, I see. Telepathy and Unique Magic, all at once.”“Mm. Thanks to you.”“Unique Magic is the essence of one’s character. Truly fitting for a Roberc skilled in familiar magic.”
…Not quite.
“Heh. You don’t understand every emotion, do you?”“…What? I sense accomplishment, and even some fondness toward me. Perfectly natural, since my scolding helped you. Don’t be embarrassed.”
No.It wasn’t mere fondness.
“You really don’t know anything.”
The only one alive who had worried for her…And he was this oblivious.
“I heard doppelgängers copy others’ appearances, right?”“…Yes. My kind does.”“Then drop that demon’s form, and say that again.”
As his transformation melted away, revealing Hans Byron’s true appearance, she smiled faintly.
Did he even realize her sand soldiers could also take other forms?Shieldbearers now, but they could become spearmen, archers, even a thief resembling him.
“When I become Duke, there’s something I want to tell you.”“…What?”
Startled, uncharacteristically flustered, he faced her.
And for the first time since her mother’s death, Camilla smiled with pure affection.