Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Articulate Knight
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"Ahaha...."
I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and laughed awkwardly.
Then, as if I hadn't been flustered at all, I shrugged and played along with what the young lady had just said.
"This was my answer, was it not?"
"Indeed, you are quite skilled. To have figured out even this."
"Of course. Doesn't my experience speak for itself?"
When Sophia nodded in agreement, I felt a surge of pride, despite my masterful bluff.
Truly, no one could match my shamelessness.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it my own secret art.
"...You're truly shameless. Just a moment ago, you were pounding on that wall, screaming for help."
"That was just a little prank. Weren't you surprised?"
"I was furious, actually."
"Haha. Then I suppose it was a... a failed joke."
She was no fool.
She had likely tested my reaction on purpose.
'I thought she couldn't see in the dark, but her eyes are unnecessarily sharp.'
Faced with Sophia, who looked deeply irritated, I couldn't spout any more nonsense.
I quickly began to wander around, pretending to search for an exit.
The young lady watched me for a moment before starting to follow.
It seemed she was afraid of standing alone somewhere in the pitch-black dungeon.
Fortunately, behind the revolving door was a path leading somewhere.
'The atmosphere is completely different from before.'
The dungeon had been characterized by standardized corridors and complex, shifting trap patterns.
But from here on, it looked like a natural cave.
Though, of course, it couldn't have been formed naturally.
It seemed this path had appeared because we had left the dungeon's barrier.
As we walked through the long, winding cave, Sophia rubbed her upper arms and muttered.
"The atmosphere is so creepy. You don't think some undead are going to pop out, do you?"
"All dungeons are cold and dark."
"No. Something feels off."
"If you keep saying that, you'll jinx us."
"..."
After my sharp retort, she readily fell silent.
Of course, it wasn't my admonishment that quieted her.
She seemed worried that I might abandon her in an emergency.
It was as if she didn't expect me to act as a mage's guard at all.
'Saving beautiful women and stealing their hearts is my specialty, though.'
As I stole a glance at Sophia's profile, a strange sensation ran down my spine.
I immediately stimulated my Demonic Soul.
As a powerful aura was released, I detected something subtle spreading through the air.
"I can definitely smell something."
"All I smell is the musty scent of the underground."
Hearing my mutter, she sniffed her mage robes and clothes.
It seemed she was checking to see if the foul smell was coming from her.
"I don't mean something physical."
"Then?"
"It's a kind of ominous energy."
"See? What did I tell you? I said something was strange."
It was an energy so faint that the young lady should have been completely unable to detect it.
But a woman's intuition could sometimes perceive things that defied common sense.
'At this rate, is she going to figure out my true identity?'
I sneered inwardly and heightened my senses to their peak.
But the ominous energy quickly vanished without a trace.
No matter how much I focused, I couldn't feel it anymore.
"It's not certain. It might just be my imagination."
"You really... have a way with words. It feels like you're just making things up as you go, but somehow it's persuasive."
"That can't be true. You acknowledged my skills yourself, didn't you? I even found a secret passage. That's an achievement one can't accomplish with words alone."
The revolving door trap had somehow been transformed into a secret passage.
But Sophia didn't object.
When she remained strangely silent, I glanced over at her.
Her eyes were wide, staring at something in the darkness.
Following the young lady's gaze, I saw two crimson pools of light flicker.
At that very moment, the ominous energy I'd felt earlier returned, along with the stench of rotting corpses.
'This is...?'
Sophia's wisp flickered, then dropped to the floor and went out.
The spell's duration had run out.
I quickly thrust the light artifact forward to banish the darkness.
A spacious cavern appeared before my eyes.
The ominous energy and the red light were pouring out from there.
Grrrrumble! Thud!
The moment we discovered the cavern, the walls began to shift, sealing the path behind and in front of us completely.
'So we weren't outside the barrier after all?'
It seemed this cave was also within the dungeon's influence.
"The wall...! The wall is moving!"
"It must mean we're supposed to go forward. When have we ever retreated?"
"That's because we had no way back!"
"It's the same situation now. So."
As the wall grew and pushed forward, Sophia and I had no choice but to move ahead.
The mass of rock that had completely filled the passage came to a halt.
The moving wall wasn't a trap, but rather a mechanism to push intruders into the cavern.
But as I casually shone the light artifact, I detected a strange presence in the center.
Creeak. Clank.
A sound like a rusty hinge moving echoed through the cavern.
Soon, we were able to identify the source of the crimson light.
"A Death... Knight?"
Rusty black armor, glowing red eyes, an aura of death emanating from its entire body, and a Death Blade rising from its worn-out sword.
Anyone could see it was a knight of darkness, a Death Knight.
The perfect undead monster to serve as the final boss of a dungeon like this.
But I responded to Sophia's words as if it were nothing.
"So it is. A Death Knight."
"How can you say that so calmly?"
"What else should I say? 'A-a-a-a Death Knight! Aaaah!' Like that?"
"That's a bit of an overreaction."
"Well, you seemed to be overreacting just now. You looked terrified."
"What? When did I ever!"
"There, feeling more relaxed? I'm going to take care of the final boss. Provide support as you see fit."
I drew the Black Dragon Sword and leisurely closed the distance.
The power of a Death Knight varied greatly depending on its creator.
A high-level necromancer could create a monster of unimaginable power.
But the one before me didn't seem that strong.
With my Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword, I could probably shatter it in a single strike.
But the young lady was watching the battle now.
I couldn't help but hesitate to use my secret techniques freely.
With the discerning eye of someone who studied at the Blue Tower, she would likely know the characteristics of the Riverune and Rantzverger secret arts.
'I'll have to rely on generic basic swordsmanship and improvisation. This could be interesting.'
The situation was quite disadvantageous for me, but I didn't feel bad about it.
If I could destroy the Death Knight and clear the dungeon here, I would undoubtedly be the one with the greatest contribution.
And with such a stellar performance, the reward would be that much greater.
Thinking of the gold coins and the villa deed, I couldn't help but grin despite the harsh conditions of the fight.
Clank. Shwiiiiik!
As I closed the distance, the stationary Death Knight suddenly swung its sword.
"Oh?"
Claaang!
It was a sudden, presence-less strike, but I parried it with ease.
I pushed hard against the side of the Death Blade, drastically altering its path.
It was a basic horizontal slash, but the force behind my Black Dragon Sword was anything but light.
Only the most recognizable secret techniques were off-limits; I could still use something like the Heaven-Severing Single Strike as much as I wanted.
Kreee! Whooosh! Kwhump!
Despite the failed attack, the Death Knight mechanically moved to its next action.
The relentless, breathless assault characteristic of the undead continued.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
I blocked every attack with practical, improvised swordsmanship, like a mercenary.
Honestly, fighting with a sword style I wasn't used to was an ordeal for any swordsman.
Moreover, my opponent was surprisingly strong.
Shoving the dark red Death Blade away forcefully, I put some distance between us.
"Damn, this thing is stronger than I thought."
As I muttered in a slightly dumbfounded voice, a clear voice called out from behind me.
"Let the raging convergence of flame shatter and exterminate its target! Fireball!"
Shwiiiik! KABOOM!
Feeling a wave of intense heat, I reflexively dodged.
The moment I leaped out of the line of fire, the fireball slammed into the Death Knight's chest.
KABOOOOM!
A considerable explosion erupted, and flames swept across the area.
For a moment, magical flames filled the center of the cavern, but they soon vanished as the mana arrangement dissipated.
"You could have given me a warning!"
I protested to Sophia with a look of disbelief.
Normally, when providing magical support, one would attack from the flank or prearrange a moment for the guard to evade.
Otherwise, an ally could get hurt.
But she just shrugged as if to ask what the problem was.
"You dodged it just fine, so what's the issue? Besides... I don't think you have time to be talking to me."
Shwiiiiik!
Sensing something amiss in the young lady's words, I immediately stepped back.
Sure enough, the Death Blade swept through the spot where I had just been standing.
As expected, a single Fireball wasn't enough to defeat the Death Knight.
"Looks like a pretty high-level necromancer made this. At least 4th-tier, I'd say. Right, you undead bastard?"
"Fou... Thir..."
"Hm?"
"3rd-tier, you idiot."
I was muttering to myself, gauging its level, when my opponent suddenly spoke.
Startled, I stopped my sword thrust and asked a question.
"A Death Knight that can talk? Then why were you silent until now?"
"Because no one spoke to me."
"Wow! You're inflexible. Does a conversation have to start that way?"
"That is how I was taught."
"Your master must be a real stick-in-the-mud necromancer. Anyway, your being here means this is the end of the dungeon, right?"
"Wrong."
"Huh?"
"What kind of fool would tell an intruder that?"
I'd tried to trick it casually, but I was the one who got played.
This thing's intelligence seemed far more advanced than that of a typical undead.
Of course, that wouldn't change the outcome of the battle.
Wooooong!
As I unleashed the Heaven-Severing Single Strike, streams of a gray aura—subtle yet powerful—gushed forth.
The Death Knight was stronger than I expected, but I was confident I could defeat it if I got serious.
Even without using the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword.
Clang! Clang!
I used straightforward, basic swordsmanship, but my opponent's stance began to crumble quickly.
This was the result of the overwhelming difference in the power of our auras.
Finally, I was able to sever the Death Knight's neck and completely shatter its helmet and skull.
Crack!
"Phew! Good fight, skull face."
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I stared at the Death Knight's remains, then turned my head.
I remembered Sophia, who had only thrown a single Fireball as her so-called "magical support."
She had already crossed the cavern and climbed dozens of stairs.
It seemed she hadn't been interested in my fight with the Death Knight at all.
She might have even been planning to run away by herself if things went south.
"Wow! Look at this!"
Sophia was cheering as if she had discovered something amazing.
'What happened to her support? Ugh! I can't even smack her one. I'll let it slide since she's pretty.'
Grumbling to myself, I walked up the stairs.
I was determined to react nonchalantly, no matter what the young lady had found.
But when I reached the top, I couldn't help but mutter unconsciously.
"This is...!"