Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Chapter 11: The End of Jealousy
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Incredible speed.
Add to that the immense weight of Phiren himself, and just how much power was loaded into that swung blade?
And could I cast Light Shield in time before that sword cleaved my body in half?
But the one who answered all these questions wasn't me.
Craaaang!
The clash of sword against sword.
Whiiiirrr!
Followed by a bizarre noise like an engine idling. I had no idea what it was, but in any case, a knight in white armor had dashed in like lightning and blocked Phiren's attack in my place.
"I never imagined my Weight Sword would be blocked twice in one day. And by something like a Vibrating Sword, no less."
The knight's sword was indeed vibrating faintly. He scoffed as he took the full brunt of Phiren's crushing force with his entire body.
"As expected of your reputation. Knight Phiren."
"Long time no see. Knight Dabi."
"It's only been a few days, but you've changed a lot. What did you do with your original limbs—sell them off?—and where'd you get those creepy octopus tentacles?"
"Your speech is offensive. I guess lowborn scum really do have filthy mouths."
Phiren fired back with trash talk of his own. Huh? Wait, was that really Dabi?
Knight Dabi.
One of the three Knight Masters in the empire.
And he was born in that very Berit region. In a way, you could say he was the entire point of taking the mad prince route.
But wasn't Dabi part of the White Knight Order?
The White Knight Order should be facing off against the异種族連合 at the northern border right now. So why was he here?
"I always knew this day would come."
Phiren kicked off the ground in an instant, widening the distance from Dabi. Dabi pointed his sword tip at the enemy and said to me in a low voice.
"I'm glad you're safe, Prince Claude."
"Knight Dabi..."
"Just call me Dabi."
Though hidden by his helmet, the face of Dabi—that I'd faced countless times in the past—came clearly to mind.
Pale brown skin, a gaunt face, narrow and deep eyes, and a slender yet solidly muscled frame.
The problem was that Dabi was currently wearing the mid-grade magic armor standard-issue for the White Knight Order. Meanwhile, his opponent Phiren was clad in custom-made top-grade magic armor.
Assuming equal skill, that alone made the power difference at least twofold. I was thrilled by the unexpected reinforcements, but I couldn't help pointing it out.
"Dabi? That magic armor's mid-grade, you sure you're okay? Against that Phiren?"
"Unfortunately, I left my top-grade set back at my post.... But it's fine. I can cover any shortfall with technique."
-I can cover any shortfall with technique.
A kind of auditory déjà vu rang in my ears. How many times had I heard that line up until now?
"Still, the power gap's too big, isn't it? And that's not just any Phiren—it's the monster Phiren."
"A monster.... Yeah, even to me it looks that way. But that altered body is actually a disadvantage in a knight's duel."
"Huh? Why?"
"Monsters can't be knights. Just in case, I should wrap this up quickly. Your Highness, please cut off that other monster's air supply in the meantime."
Having said his piece, Dabi launched himself at the enemy without hesitation. At the same time, Phiren unleashed a barrage of knight skills as if he'd been waiting.
First came a multi-Gale Blade like a heavy cavalry charge, pouring down like a net.
Then a Storm Sword reminiscent of a tornado flew in, followed by a Wave Blade rippling across the ground, covering the entire area.
But Dabi's charge was unstoppable.
He first created a small gap in the net with minimal swordplay and broke through, retreated from the whirlwind closing in on his face with lightning-fast footwork, and then jumped high over the shockwaves surging along the ground like a long jump.
All of it happened in a single breath. But waiting for Dabi after piercing everything was Phiren's full-power helmet-breaker.
Whoosh!
For a split second, I really thought Dabi's helmet had split in two.
But Dabi's body was already gone from that spot. In the instant it looked like his whole body was crumpling limply, he'd slipped behind the enemy like a snake and swung his sword.
"You fool!"
Craaaaaang!
Phiren spun around in a hurry to parry Dabi's blade. Dabi glared at the enemy's sword where they met and muttered something.
"You're stronger. And faster."
"Of course! I've been reborn as a new existence!"
"But you've lost the knight's movements."
"So what? This new body of mine can do things impossible for humans!"
At the same time, tentacles surged from Phiren's left arm toward Dabi's nape.
Dabi dodged them with light footwork without even looking. Then he swung his sword upward at Phiren's side.
"Where!"
Phiren immediately raised his sword to block. But the moment their blades were about to clash, Dabi's sword hand shook violently, as if his wrist had vanished.
Woooong!
For an instant, Dabi's sword seemed to split into two. Phiren hurriedly blocked one path, but the real blade—with substance—was the one he missed.
Slash!
And Phiren's head flew.
"Split Sword..."
Phiren's helmeted head tumbled to the ground. Dabi lightly flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it.
"Falling for such a simple feint. Monsters really can't be knights, after all."
Then he spun toward me. Having watched the whole thing through to the end, I finally exhaled the breath I'd been holding and dropped a small fireball onto Jess, who lay collapsed nearby.
Fwoosh!
At the same time, enormous wings of flame burst out, engulfing Jess's massive body. At first, his form glowed bright red, but soon it blackened and burned away, losing shape bit by bit.
* * *
Plop.
Where the charred berserker had vanished, Jess's shriveled corpse fell pathetically.
Of course, he was already dead. Staring at his rolled-back eyes... it left a terribly complicated feeling.
"What the hell happened? In all nine loops so far, you never pulled anything like this...."
"Good heavens, that monster was the Regent Highness?"
Dabi, who'd returned to my side, removed his helmet and asked cautiously. I straightened from my crouch and nodded.
"Looks like it. The body's still here, after all.... How does a person even turn into a monster like that? You ever seen anything like this before?"
"No. But Your Highness is truly fearless. Facing a monster like that for the first time and staying so composed."
That's because it wasn't my first time. If anything, I was pretty shocked for how used to it I was.
"No time to be scared with my head about to fly off. Anyway, thanks for the save. I was this close to dying."
"It's an honor to fight at your side."
Dabi placed a fist over his heart and knelt on one knee. Come to think of it, weren't Phiren and Dabi about equal in skill?
"You finished him in seconds too. Aren't you both Knight Masters? Do knight duels always end that fast?"
"The old Phiren would've been tough."
"And?"
"But now he's a monster. Fighting a monster is actually less tricky than a real Knight Master. Becoming a monster made him lose all that knightly finesse in his movements."
"Stronger, but he lost something too?"
"Yeah, a lifetime-honed instinct. Just spamming knight skills mindlessly isn't enough. He didn't even notice my simple feint."
Dabi stood and wryly shook his wrist in the air.
But wasn't that 'simple feint' the Split Sword? A top-difficulty technique only Knight Masters could use?
"That's called the Split Sword. It looks like the blade multiplies, but it's just an illusion—no real substance."
"I wouldn't know, but.... Impressive. Real Knight Masters are something else."
"You're the impressive one, Your Highness, holding out till the end against two such monsters. I arrived at the last second, so I didn't catch much of your fight...."
Dabi looked around the ruined Azure Lion Palace and clicked his tongue.
"It's astonishing that a non-knight could fight like this. Mages have powerful firepower but lack self-defense."
"I can use holy magic too, though. Hey, Dabi?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What brings you here in the middle of the night? Aren't you with the White Knight Order?"
I asked with a face that said I knew the answer but couldn't comprehend it. Dabi closed his eyes briefly before opening them.
"I owe you an unrepayable debt, Your Highness."
"Huh? Didn't we just meet here tonight?"
"I'm from Berit."
That one sentence said it all. But I put on an act, furrowing my brow in confusion for a good while.
"From Berit, so what.... Oh! You mean because I took down the Talisman Count?"
"The rumors say you ordered him locked in the castle dungeon and starved to death."
"That guy needed to learn how it feels to go hungry. Did he really starve? I've been locked up here, so I haven't heard recent news."
"I'm not sure about that part. But it's enough."
Dabi smiled with the happiest expression I'd ever seen on him. I scratched my head with a clueless look.
"Honestly, back then my head just snapped...."
"And I heard you released the grain stores to relieve the suffering fiefdom folk of Berit."
Dabi closed his eyes and bowed deeply.
"Thanks to Your Highness, the tormented people of Berit were saved. On behalf of Berit, I offer my heartfelt thanks."
"I just didn't want to fatten up scum like Talisman, so I opened the granaries. So you came here to say thanks?"
"That act was a huge grace to Berit's people, but I figured it'd earn you enmity from many nobles."
Dabi's eyes flashed dangerously as he lifted his head.
"So when I heard you'd been confined to the Azure Lion Palace, I lay in wait in the nearby forest. There were rumors recently that Prince Albert was ambushed at the Verdant Deer Palace and went missing too."
"You've been guarding me from the start?"
"Yes."
Dabi bowed again. I stood on tiptoe and patted his shoulder.
"Thanks to you, I'm alive. I really thought I was done for this time."
"If you'd died, I'd have regretted it forever. But...."
Dabi turned to look toward the imperial palace in the distance.
"A large group is heading this way. About a hundred strong. At this speed, five minutes out."
"You can tell the number of people five minutes away? Knight Masters are amazing."
"Just a minor trick. Looks like a knight order."
The Imperial Guard Knight Order must've finally sensed the commotion and shown up. I glanced at Jess's corpse with a headache-inducing expression.
"Leaving my brother's body like this is trouble. How do I even clean this mess up?"
"If I may humbly suggest: if word spreads that 'the Regent Highness transformed into a monster to kill his own brother but failed and lost his life,' the imperial government will plunge into horrific chaos."
"That's my thinking too. Best to hide it for now. You'll keep the secret, right?"
I looked up at him lightly. Dabi blinked in surprise a few times, then knelt once more.
"I will obey Your Highness's command without question."
Nice big reaction. His face alone showed he was fully mine now.
I nodded and fired a suitably powered flame spell at Jess's corpse.
Fwoosh!
The already desiccated body turned to ash in seconds. I used wind magic to scatter the ashes far away, then turned.
"Oh yeah, gotta deal with Phiren too. Let's go."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Dabi ran ahead to Phiren's corpse and stripped off the armor. Frowning, he spoke to me as I arrived late.
"This is even worse than I imagined."
Phiren's body looked like a squid soaked in water.
The tentacles on his limbs had shriveled fast, making him vaguely resemble a giant starfish. I dry-heaved at the severed helmet nearby and the shrunken flesh blob inside.
"When the hell did his armor get filled with this crap?"
"Not as far back as seven days ago."
"Huh?"
"I took leave seven days ago and returned to the capital to pay respects to the Regent Highness. The Phiren guarding him then felt like the Phiren I remembered."
Dabi answered calmly. In my memory too, Phiren had been a traitor but kept his human form to the end.
Looks like his patron approached again in the interim and pulled some scheme in the form of a 'wish'....
But why?
In the nine loops before, nothing like this ever happened. Neither Jess nor Phiren ever turned monster—they resisted and died as humans to the end.
What was different then and now?
-If only you were dead!
Me, obviously.
I was too busy fighting earlier to figure it out, but now I got it. Hadn't I grown too fast, stimulating their wariness?
This was an unforeseen variable. As I optimized my route to power up, humanity's traitors were changing in ways they never had before.
"Then the others too...."
"Pardon? What was that, Your Highness?"
Dabi snapped to my mutter. I burned the exploded squid while hastily changing my words.
"Gotta clean this up before the others find out. Ugh, ugly thing burns nice.... Hey, what're you doing?"
In the meantime, Dabi had reassembled Phiren's armor into human shape. Brushing dust from his hands, he explained.
"If I may suggest: best to pin all the blame on Phiren this time."
"On Phiren?"
"Yes. No corpse inside the armor? Everyone'll just chalk it up to Your Highness's magic being that powerful."
My mind raced. Yeah, that was a solid plan.
"Good idea. Cleanup'll be a pain, though."
"If it gets out I was here, it'll be even more of one. So I'll take my leave."
The faint clank of armor echoed from afar. I called out to Dabi as he turned.
"You can slip away without getting caught?"
"Of course. Even if spotted, no one here can stop me."
True enough. I gave a wry smile and waved lightly.
"I'll reward you later—drop by my mansion. You know where."
"I'm unworthy. I should be the one rewarding you. In any case, I will visit."
Dabi glanced back with a smile, then vanished behind the collapsed Azure Lion Palace in a flash.
Meanwhile, I sighed at the majestic sight of the Imperial Guard Knight Order charging toward me with countless torches.
"You finally grace us with your presence. Now, how do I spin this so word spreads that I covered it well....