Chapter 40
Chapter 40
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Arcana's Sword, Mr. Chuck (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The moment the 'foolish knight' grew enormous...
Archduke Hessin felt his legs give out beneath him.
He nearly collapsed but held on through sheer willpower.
'H-how is that even possible...!'
Its body was easily over eighty meters long.
Even that massive gorilla boss monster looked like a helpless puppy before a lion.
A blade of light cleaved through the empty air on a colossal scale—Aura Blade.
With a single swing, the boss monster and countless minions were bisected and slain.
The remaining monster horde froze in place.
Was this the roar of a dragon from legend?
The resounding bellow shook the winds and the earth itself.
Archduke Hessin could no longer hold out and sank to the ground.
It wasn't shameful.
Many others had already fainted or collapsed.
Even amid the chaos, Ragna, Canelian, and Silvret stood tall.
'That wastrel prince has such presence?'
Even knowing the truth, could anyone hear that roar up close without their body freezing?
The giant knight methodically sliced through the fainted monsters.
'Now that I think about it, that armor has a truly unique design.'
As it grew massive, the armor had transformed as well.
An angular form covering its entire body.
A striking combination of vibrant colors.
Nothing like standard plate armor.
Archduke Hessin had never seen armor like that before.
It was too flashy, with protruding rough angles that looked uncomfortable for combat.
And yet...
'I-it looks so inefficient, but why is my heart pounding like this!'
The archduke didn't know.
That form was the archetype of a standard giant robot,
one that set the hearts of men—from boys to elders—racing with excitement.
Level up by 1. Now level 52.
So, I get experience points when the slave gladiator kills mobs, huh.
It'd be great if I could turn into a giant robot unlimited times, but alas, there are restrictions.
Charges build up one per day up to three, so it's best to keep it equipped constantly.
Canelian whispered.
"Your Highness, that thing looks amazing. Why'd you give it to Wy..., Mr. Chuck?"
"Unfortunately, the owner can't wear it themselves."
"That's not what I meant. Wouldn't it be better if I wore it...?"
"It's a slave artifact. Do you want to be my slave, Duchess?"
"N-no, that's not...!"
Canelian's face flushed red as she waved her hands, then whispered again.
"So I really can't wear it?"
"You could. I'm not going to give you any weird orders."
"Then just give it to me?"
This is the allure of giant robots.
It even makes a beautiful swordmaster overlook her embarrassment and ask if she can have one.
"But it has a self-destruct function."
"S-self-destruct?!"
Canelian's face paled as she heard my explanation.
"D-does the artifact disappear too?"
"The artifact returns to the owner, but the slave gladiator definitely dies."
"Ah..."
"Just don't use it. But I don't want to put slave chains with that kind of function on the duchess's wrists and ankles."
"...I understand."
I won't use the self-destruct on Windler either.
I'll release him to the Empire later and squeeze out every last bit as ransom.
Anyway, glancing at the archduke's group,
they were all slumped over, out of it.
I mean, how alien must the dopamine rush of giant robot romance be to these medieval fantasy NPCs who only know magic?
'Looks like the debut was a flashy success.'
The rumors will spread to the Empire in no time.
The emperor will take interest in 'Mr. Chuck' now.
Especially since he's a crazy swordmaster—perfect for recruitment without political threats.
Silvret wrote on my palm.
「Mythic artifacts are all incredible in their own way.」
「Gigantification has limits, but it's mythic for a reason.」
You'll awaken as a mythic Object someday too, right?
Your rank is undetermined, but I'll make sure it happens.
「By the way, Professor, you've been neglecting Raisha's magic lessons lately.」
「I'm substituting with research tasks. Magic exchanges with Your Highness are more important. Especially that special eye of yours.」
No wonder it's been hard to see Raisha lately when I visit.
She's buried under the professor's research assignments.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Ah, habits are scary."
As the transformation time ended, Windler returned to normal.
Flashy, but far from robotic—just standard full-body armor.
Windler walked over with heavy steps, then knelt on one knee before me and bowed his head.
'This guy's suddenly acting like a loyal knight—what's his deal?'
Come to think of it, if he's a loyal but dim-witted knight, the emperor will throw even more money to sway him.
There were four monster outbreak sites in total.
We've put out the biggest fire, so we can handle the rest methodically.
The archduke hosted a dinner banquet, inviting me, Canelian, and Object.
Windler stood guard behind me, and his stoic demeanor seemed to impress the archduke even more.
"Does Sir Chuck not need to eat?"
"He's on guard duty right now."
"I'm sorry for misunderstanding you at first. It turns out your loyalty and combat prowess are the continent's finest. Especially that gigantification ability..."
He's dying to know.
Is it magic? An artifact? Or Sir Chuck's innate power?
But prying into such sensitive matters isn't custom.
"No support from the Empire?"
"As you know, Your Highness, the emperor is swamped with the Edelmark Duchy turned to ruin.
All the duke's family and countless territory folk massacred..."
After a probing exchange masked in smiles, I secured confirmation for subjugation support payment.
20,000 gold coins. Fair enough.
My long-term goal is to make the Hessin Archduchy a royal territory, so I can't demand too much and tank my reputation.
After dinner, we returned to our lodgings.
Windler stood rigidly at the entrance and entered forced sleep mode.
We changed into nightclothes and lay side by side on the bed.
"Seeing the archduke eyeing Mr. Chuck so keenly, it looks like the real goal of this subjugation support is on track."
"Yes. The emperor will reach out to Windler—Mr. Chuck—soon enough."
"You're dispatching him to the Empire right away?"
"That'd be too cheap. You have to play hard to get to make the emperor sweat. Push and pull like lovers—that's how you extract the most."
"...You talk like you really understand women."
"Push-pull happens naturally between any humans. Lovers, parents and kids, friends, even rulers."
We chatted a bit more before falling asleep.
Waking at dawn, both women were down to their undergarments, nightclothes discarded.
No memory of it again. When did I do that?
'Canelian's the winner today.'
Canelian slept soundly in my arms in her underwear.
'Maybe sleep a bit more...'
I closed my eyes, embracing her.
The switched sleeping arrangements left me a tad fatigued.
Object stirred behind me and hugged my back.
'Still, this means... Canelian's killing intent toward me is pretty much gone... Nah, better stay cautious just in case...'
Sleep washed over me again.
Windler spent three days rolling through battlefields, repelling monsters.
Today too, he was exterminating the horde with knights, backed by the archduchy's combat mages.
Even a swordmaster needed time to clear thousands of scattered monsters.
'Slow. Too inefficient.'
Unable to bear the frustration, Windler glared at the command tent far in the rear.
His master was inside with Canelian and Silvret.
'The prince must be too busy plotting continental unification strategies to care about me now.'
That was when it happened.
Strange, unfamiliar characters floated before his eyes.
'What is this? How do you read it? What does it say?'
Probably some mystical power of this armor.
Windler, illiterate in Hangul, couldn't read the notification at all.
He couldn't read it.
But a strong intuition flowed into his mind.
'If I humbly plead... my voice might reach the prince...!'
Whoosh!
He sheathed his Aura Blade.
Windler plunged his sword into the ground toward the prince's tent and knelt on one knee before it.
He reverently raised clasped hands to the air.
The knights panicked at the foolish knight saluting mid-battle.
"Why's Sir Chuck doing that?"
"Something's off! Fall back for now!"
The knights and mages hurriedly retreated.
Windler muttered so softly no one could hear.
"Ragna, my lord. This worthless slave humbly beseeches your omnipotent and divine self. Grant me the righteous transformation into a giant robot."
Huh?
To submit a plea, 'slave chain power' needs to exceed 50%?
Crazy—how's he already adapted to slave life after just a few days?
Adapts way too fast.
'View plea.'
Windler's image appeared before my eyes.
Sword stabbed into the ground, kneeling on one knee, hands clasped in prayer.
Overly dramatic for no reason.
'Gigantification only charges to three anyway.'
Today's the last subjugation in Hessin—I was planning to use one.
I was about to click the gigantification, but paused to clear my throat.
It's his first plea, after all. Better make it dramatic.
'My slave, I permit your transformation into a giant robot.'
Rumble...!
Woooah! Wooaaah!
"Your Highness? It's suddenly noisy outside!"
"An earthquake out of nowhere? Your Highness, a dangerous monster must've appeared!"
Object jumped up, and Canelian drew her sword.
The two women parted the tent flap and peeked out, sighing in relief at the giant robot Windler had become.
"That was it... You scared me."
"Honestly, I wasn't gonna wear it because of the self-destruct, y'know? But seeing it in action... I'm tempted again. Your Highness, got any more like that?"
"Don't you have bikini armor, Duchess? In 99% defense mode, you could beat Windler right now."
Bikini armor's actually top-tier.
You fight with a permanent 99% damage reduction passive.
"...I can't wear that in front of people."
I got up and joined them to look outside.
Windler was unleashing the full romance of giant robots on the monster swarm.
A straight-up massacre.
He slashed wildly with his massive Aura Blade, then suddenly roared skyward.
Second time around, the archduchy folk endured without fainting or falling.
'Why does that guy look so thrilled?'