Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Drake in the Duel
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The shadow leaped out at Victor's finger signal.
That massive shadow seemed like it could blot out the sun hanging over the forest.
-Roooaaarrr!!
With a roar that shook the entire forest.
"No idea what they were thinking, bringing a drake instead of an ogre to this sacred duel."
Even with the drake's sudden appearance, Victor kept his eyes fixed solely on me.
"Not only did they bring a dangerous monster here, but they couldn't even manage it properly, letting a precious talent from the Shield Family—a pillar of the kingdom—perish so pointlessly."
Victor spoke with a heartbroken expression.
"We barely managed to slay the drake, but the fallen heir of the Shield Family won't be coming back. Is this the reward the royals give to a house that's served the kingdom with unwavering loyalty?!"
After his melodramatic performance worthy of a theater actor, Victor grinned at me.
"...That's the scenario. Well? This should completely shatter the bond between the Shield Family and the royals, don't you think?"
Victor slowly straightened his sword.
"Plus, it's perfect as a 'justification'."
His smile widened as he gripped the blade.
"And finally, I can punish this arrogant little brother who dared ignore his big brother."
Something about him was just so damn irritating.
"Jeez."
I let out an involuntary chuckle. Fine, they even prepared a drake. I hadn't seen that coming.
Obviously Wolfgang's doing. That guy wouldn't underestimate me.
Krak!
My fists and muscles tensed instinctively.
"Fine by me. I didn't expect you'd go this far. I'll give you credit. But, big brother."
I'm not the pathetic worm I used to be. The Shield Family's ultimate martial art, Pankration.
"Everyone's got a solid plan... until they get hit."
Looks like I need to show Victor just how effective it really is.
* * *
Boom!!
A section of the forest exploded.
His swordplay was ever-changing yet each strike carried a heavy, overwhelming momentum.
'So this is the swordsmanship of the Sword Family's heir.'
Moving with Pankration's footwork, I barely dodged his razor-sharp blade time and again by the slimmest margins. It sent chills down my spine.
Yeah.
At least this much skill was worthy of the title "Sword that Subdues the Kingdom's Enemies."
'What a waste.'
In the past, the Sword Family had crumbled to ashes under the Holy Empire's boots after Julius's voluntary surrender.
But they hadn't gone down without a fight. They'd resisted to the very end, and among them, Victor's sword had shone brightest.
Victor's blade was in no way inferior to our eldest brother, Ares.
He was still young, so the aura cloaking his sword was a bit weak, but his talent rivaled even the Six Shields of our house.
That brilliant swordsmanship pissed me off.
With such exceptional talent, power, and the kingdom's highest prestige at his fingertips.
Why was he so damn greedy for more?
And on top of that.
'It reminds me of my worthless past life.'
I'd shirked even the bare minimum duties expected of a noble.
I'd wasted my time like that, accomplished nothing.
Unlike me, gnawing away at myself, the Sword Family was devouring the kingdom in their own way.
The direction was different, but the big picture was the same—they were rotting the realm from within.
Victor didn't like my moment of reflection(?).
"How dare you space out with me right in front of you!"
He shouted sharply, unleashing an even more majestic aura.
Whoosh!
Even as I used Pankration to smack the flat of his blade aside and deflect the strike, the lingering force shattered the rocks behind me.
Staying in contact with the sword's flat, I took one step closer to Victor.
Having deflected the attack, this distance was mine right now.
'Counter!'
I swung my aura-clad fist at Victor's jaw.
But.
-Roooaaarrr!
A monstrous roar and a massive head charging in turned my attempt to nothing.
The enemy wasn't just Victor.
A beast that ruled the top of the food chain even in the Dragon Mountains' demonic realm.
The drake was gunning for my throat too.
"Tch!"
Victor was tough, but in this situation, the drake was the bigger problem.
Being a top-tier monster in the inhuman Dragon Mountains meant it was a walking disaster unleashed on the world.
Teeth the size of a man's torso grazed past me by a hair's breadth as it lunged to crush my body.
A foul beastly stench hit me, followed by a sinister crunch.
Crunch!
The drake's teeth, missing my hair by a strand, uprooted a massive tree roots and all.
"Slippery as an eel!"
Victor didn't miss the slight imbalance as I dodged the drake's head and swung his sword.
Screeek! Slash!
I was finally wounded.
Blood sprayed from the slash across my left shoulder.
'Damn. Did it hit a tendon?'
My left arm, spurting blood, wouldn't move right.
Of course, I could've blocked it with Steel, but I'd told Beskin.
I wouldn't use Steel.
I didn't know how, but since Victor had unleashed the drake, maybe it was fair game now.
But pulling out Steel over something this minor? My pride wouldn't allow it.
Whoosh!
Victor flicked the blood off his sword and approached me slowly.
He must've thought he'd seized the advantage—there was a hint of leisure on his face.
Behind him, the drake that had attacked me followed along obediently.
"Hmph! You've changed beyond recognition. Who'd call you a worm now?"
Victor shook his head in apparent surprise.
"Never thought you'd master Pankration. Wolfgang, I pegged you as useless, but there's a reason. I'll admit it."
Though he approached leisurely, Victor was actually quite shocked.
Even for the reckless Sword Family heir who feared neither heaven nor earth.
This was a highly—no, extremely—dangerous gamble.
With all this noise, others would've noticed something was off. And the drake's roar had echoed far.
Yet Victor had smuggled the hypnotized drake through Edirne and loosed it in the forest, openly trying to kill me because.
He was confident he could take me out quick and clean up the mess in seconds.
'Didn't expect him to hold out this well, though.'
Any longer, and the royal knights might've shown up.
But that was over now.
With him and the drake behind, he could snap this pesky worm's neck in an instant.
"Still, you held up well. I'll let you keep your noble honor at the end. No pain. Of course, your corpse goes straight into the drake's gut after."
Victor approached me with a smug grin.
"...Hah, really. All of you."
Krak!
Mana gathered in my clenched fist, a vortex slowly swirling within.
"I don't get why you keep letting your guard down when it's not even over."
I unleashed my right hand, brimming with majestic energy, straight at the overconfident Victor.
"...What?! Vortex?!"
"Bingo."
The heir of the Sword Family—our house's longtime rival—couldn't possibly not know this technique.
So then.
"You know its power too."
Bam!
"Damn it...!"
Victor hastily raised his sword to block the Vortex.
Too late.
The Vortex engulfed Victor and swallowed the pursuing drake whole.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Trees shattered amid deafening blasts.
"Hah... hah..."
Ever since returning to the past, my body hadn't known a single peaceful day.
"Damn, my body..."
Vortex was a technique for Iron Organ, stage three—something my body could barely handle.
It hadn't been long since I'd used it against the Holy Empire's dwarf and ogre, and here I was firing it off again.
At this rate, my body wouldn't last.
"Whew, I need to reach stage three soon...?!"
Screeek!
A line of aura sliced through the dust cloud, grazing my cheek.
"Fucking... worm bastard..."
Victor's voice echoed from the dust raised by the falling trees.
He'd survived that.
Even at point-blank range, guard down.
'The technique that dropped a reinforced ogre in one shot.'
Victor's brilliance impressed me anew.
Of course, he didn't look normal either.
"You sneaky bastard... Hiding this much... Vortex too, huh."
Ptoo.
Victor spat blood-mixed saliva and walked toward me slowly.
"Doesn't matter now. Just die."
'Damn it, looks like.'
Time for Steel.
I'd wanted to hold it back till the end, but no choice.
I couldn't die being stubborn about pride.
As I began slowly drawing up Steel with that thought.
-Grrrrrr...
The drake, covered head to toe in blue blood like Victor, slowly rose.
"What? You're done. That one's neck is mine."
Victor extended his hand toward the drake and snapped his fingers.
But.
-Grrrrrr.
"...?"
-ROOOAAARRR!!
Wham!
The drake roared and smashed Victor's waist with its tail, sending him flying.
Crack!
"Gahk!"
Blood sprayed from Victor's mouth as he bounced off several trees.
His eyes bulged at the unexpected betrayal.
"This... insane beast dares...?!"
Reaching out again, Victor's gaze fell to his extended fingers.
The drake, which would make berserkers envious, had faithfully obeyed him until now—then suddenly rampaged.
And Victor's panicked expression.
'The control device's busted!'
The artifact controlling the drake must've shattered blocking the Vortex. Obvious without looking.
-Kyaaaaooo!
The rampaging drake began smashing everything around.
And it sought the enemy who'd dealt it the worst wound.
Me.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Locking eyes with me, the drake charged, drooling thick saliva.
"Lightning Spear."
Crackle!
-Kyaaaak!
The drake charging straight at me screamed in sudden agony.
The attack that seared its eye was someone's signature spell.
"Heard the commotion and came to check. Quite the intriguing situation."
The clear, resonant voice joining the chaos belonged to Princess Seira.
"A drake where an ogre should be, and the kingdom's treasures—the heirs of two great houses—gravely wounded..."
Even as the blinded, enraged drake rampaged, Seira muttered without a care.
"How should I take this?"
Before Victor could speak, I jumped in.
"We don't know either! We hunted the ogre and were about to duel Victor when this monster showed up—we were dealing with it!"
Victor’s eyes flashed brief surprise at my words, but I said nothing more.
He was smart; he'd get my intent.
And sure enough, Victor nodded and addressed Seira.
"Princess, please help. It's a bit much for us alone."
"Heh."
Seira, who'd watched the exchange, gave us an odd look before chuckling softly.
"Fine, let's go with that. You both look badly hurt anyway. Heal!"
My wounds began mending at Seira's call.
Not as good as a proper priest's spell, but.
Healing multiple people remotely at once.
'As expected of a genius.'
As I inwardly admired her, Seira shouted.
"Hey, puppet perv, isn't it about time you showed up?"
While we'd bantered, the drake's movements had slowed noticeably.
I knew because I'd asked, but otherwise, you'd think it'd weakened.
Both Victor and Seira already knew the cause.
"Damn it. Princess, how many times have I asked you not to call me that?"
Grumbling as he appeared was, as expected.
Saladin, who'd bound the drake with 'threads' directly on its body, not controlling Mimi or Nene.
"Whatever. Anyway."
Crackle!
Lightning sparked in Seira's hand.
"I can't let this oversized brute wreck Father's forest any more. My brother's workload is piling up as it is."