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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Below the opening overlooking the chamber, there was a narrow ledge on the cliff face, barely wide enough for a single foot.
It was cleverly hidden within a blind spot, invisible unless one was lying down and looking down. That’s why only Hendricks had found it.
“That lucky bastard.”
The path carved along the cliff face led directly to the crystal. From a distance, it seemed to incline slightly upwards.
If the goblins didn’t suddenly look up, one could walk right over their heads and reach the crystal.
Hendricks had provoked a fight between Roland and me to buy himself time.
Meanwhile, the two men were traversing the ledge sideways, like crabs, their backs pressed against the wall.
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“You…!”
“Sir, you better be quiet. If you make any noise, those things will hear us, and we’ll be their next meal. And don’t even think about attacking me. If you’re willing to die, I’m happy to take you down with me.”
Hendricks’ lips twitched. It was a bluff. The problem was, I couldn’t ignore the possibility, however small, that he might be serious.
“If I get my hands on you, you’ll wish you had died quickly.”
Roland lowered his voice obediently. After all, his life was on the line.
“Oh, I’m so scared.”
The chase resumed. The distance between the two men remained unchanged. Whenever Roland increased his pace, Hendricks matched it.
Loose stones tumbled down the cliff face, dislodged by their feet, but they didn’t seem to care. They were completely ignoring the thousands of goblins below.
Just as one of the goblins, struck by a falling stone, looked up…
“Kee?”
…the ledge crumbled. The developers’ malicious intent had struck again.
“Ugh!”
“What?!”
Hendricks, who was in the lead, tumbled down the cliff. Roland kicked off the wall repeatedly to lessen the impact of his fall.
I kept my eyes on Roland. However, it was Hendricks, whom I had assumed to be dead, who moved first.
He seemed to have miraculously survived the fall from that height. He got to his feet as soon as he landed and started running.
“Stop right there!”
Roland, who had finally landed, tried to chase after Hendricks, but the goblins, who had quickly gathered, blocked his path.
“This isn’t going as planned.”
Roland, surrounded by goblins, disappeared from view. I picked up Hendricks’ crossbow. Roland still had a role to play. He couldn’t die yet.
Just then…
“Haa!”
A flash of light. A moment of silence, then the heads of the goblins surrounding Roland rained down.
“Keeek!!”
The startled goblins scattered. Roland seized the opportunity and broke through their encirclement. He was covered in blood, indicating that he hadn’t escaped unscathed.
“Shiiit!!!”
Hendricks, spotting Roland, frantically waved his arms and legs, trying to increase his speed. However, the distance between them was closing rapidly. It seemed Roland would catch him before he reached the crystal.
“Never a dull moment with you, Roland.”
One of them would get the crystal and escape.
I turned and headed towards the exit at the end of the passage. The fresh scent of the forest and the rustling of leaves greeted me.
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It was a peaceful, idyllic scene. The intense moments I had just experienced felt like a dream. Outside, it was as bright as it had been when we entered the ruins.
“Has a day passed?”
Realizing the passage of time, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me. My body felt heavy, demanding rest.
However, it wasn’t time to rest yet. I hid behind a tree near the exit and loaded Hendricks’ crossbow. I didn’t have to wait long.
“Haa…”
Roland emerged, breathing heavily, and rolled across the ground. He seemed to have jumped out of the exit.
He looked even worse up close. His elegant surcoat was in tatters, and his chainmail was broken, revealing the skin beneath. Blood flowed from his wounds, staining his body crimson.
He looked like a blood-soaked demon.
He leaned against a tree and opened his clenched fist. The orange crystal lay within.
“Haa…”
He stared blankly at the crystal for a while. Then, he suddenly stood up, his breathing still ragged.
He must have thought I had already left and was worried about being pursued.
I aimed the crossbow at Roland. I didn’t fire yet. There was still something I wanted to see. As if sensing my intentions, Roland, who looked like he was about to leave, paused and looked towards the manor.
His wavering eyes betrayed his inner conflict. However, his hesitation lasted less than a minute.
‘Haa.’
I almost laughed. Unlike Sophia, who had risked everything, she was only worth that much to him.
As Roland turned away from the manor and towards the opposite direction, I pulled the trigger. At this distance, even Roland couldn’t dodge my shot.
Whoosh-
“Argh!”
The arrow struck Roland’s thigh just as he was about to run. He clutched his leg and quickly hid behind a tree, peeking out cautiously.
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“Sir Roland. Where are you going in such a hurry?”
I leaned the crossbow against the tree I was hiding behind and stepped forward.
“Allen…!”
Roland’s eyes darted around nervously, searching for my companions. Then, he looked at me with a bewildered expression.
“Why? Surprised to see me alone?”
“You… You tricked me. It was all planned from the beginning.”
I chuckled.
“It was a boring play. You acted exactly as I predicted. Except for the ending. It only took you a minute to decide to abandon Sophia? It’s a shame she can’t see you now.”
Roland flinched, then glared at me.
“I thought we were friends…”
“My god! They say scoundrel think differently! You corrupted me, used me, spied on me, led me into a death trap in those ancient ruins, and even tried to kill me! And you call us friends? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”
“You…”
I shook my head.
“Roland, let’s stop wasting time. I am alone.”
“What makes you so confident? Do you think I’m easy prey just because I took an arrow to the leg? I won’t lose to the likes of you, who spent more time playing than training.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Roland was covered in wounds, an arrow lodged in his thigh, limiting his mobility. However, I couldn’t let my guard down, considering his seemingly endless hidden abilities.
‘And that’s what makes him so appealing.’
Roland seemed as strong as Andrei. How much experience would I gain if I could defeat him? Besides, if I backed down now, out of fear, I would continue to retreat every time I encountered a stronger opponent.
‘Once you yield, you’ll keep yielding. That’s human nature.’
I pointed my sword at Roland.
“You’ll regret this.”
Roland, supporting himself on his uninjured leg, pointed his sword at me. I intentionally circled towards his injured leg, looking for an opening. Roland seemed to struggle even to turn in place to face me. Just then, a gust of wind swept through the area, scattering fallen leaves.
“Haa!”
I seized the moment a leaf momentarily obscured Roland’s vision. I thrust my sword, honed from my training with Fiore and my battles against goblins and trolls, aiming for his throat.
“Not a chance!”
Roland reacted swiftly. A flash of light, a shower of sparks, and my sword was deflected. Even in slow motion, his strike was too fast for me to follow.
And that wasn’t all. Before I could recover, Roland launched a counterattack. Another flash of light, and a blue blur rushed towards me.
Crack.
I shifted my weight to my supporting foot and twisted my waist, forcing my deflected sword upwards. More sparks flew as Roland’s blade was deflected above my head.
Andrei had said that the essence of his swordsmanship was the seamless integration of offense and defense. He had demonstrated it with his flowing blocks and counterattacks.
Fiore had emphasized the importance of stance. She said that mastering the stance was crucial for seamlessly transitioning between attack, defense, and counterattack. With my enhanced vision, it wasn’t too difficult.
Just like now.
I tightened my grip on the pommel of my sword, its weight anchoring my movement. My sword swung in an arc, naturally transitioning into an attack stance. I shifted more weight to my other hand and swung downwards.
Just like Andrei had done.
Just like Roland had done.
It was a seamless block followed by a counterattack, all within a single breath. I could see Roland’s eyes widen in slow motion. As my sword obscured his vision, Roland leaned back and pulled his raised sword downwards. More sparks flew.
“Ugh.”
Unable to fully absorb the impact, Roland stumbled and fell on his buttocks. He wouldn’t have been hit if his mobility hadn’t been limited by the arrow in his thigh. He rolled backward and used the momentum to get back on his feet, covered in leaves.
“How—!”
Roland’s face was etched with disbelief.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. I had almost landed a blow on a true knight. And I had achieved this after only a week of training.
Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible if Roland hadn’t been exhausted from his ordeal in the ruins, covered in wounds, and hampered by an arrow in his thigh.
However, I was the one who had orchestrated all those disadvantages, so I didn’t need to downplay my accomplishment.
“I lied about searching the ancient ruins. I was training with Sir Andrei.”
“It hasn’t even been a week!”
“That’s because I’m talented. But my own swordsmanship instructor didn’t even know that?”
If Roland had been a proper instructor, he would have recognized my talent and been more wary. Then, whether I regained my past life memories or not, the outcome would have been the same.
“Nonsense! What trickery did you use?!”
“Trickery? Does that change anything?”
“You…”
Roland gritted his teeth.
I calmed my excitement. Andrei had emphasized the importance of keeping a cool head in any situation. I took a deep breath and pointed my sword at Roland again.
Even after just a few exchanges, my experience bar was more than half full. Considering I had started from almost zero, this was a significant amount.
“Let’s go.”
Despite all his disadvantages, Roland was still strong. Knowing that, I carefully matched his stance. Surprisingly, Roland focused solely on defense, even though time wasn’t on his side.
Was it because of his ordeal in the ruins? Or the arrow in his thigh? Considering his monstrous athleticism as a true knight, it was more reasonable to assume he had something up his sleeve. I subtly closed the distance between us. He reacted immediately.
“Die!!!”
Roland’s sword suddenly accelerated. Having adapted to his previous speed, my reaction was slightly delayed. However, even in slow motion, I could clearly see his sword coming for my throat.
I took another step back, preparing to counterattack. Roland, thinking the opening I had deliberately created was a real opportunity, exposed his upper body. Just as I was about to deflect his attack and launch a counterattack…
‘What?!’
Roland’s sword, which should have barely grazed me, continued to advance. It was as if his sword had magically extended.
I hurriedly abandoned my counterattack and twisted my body, contorting myself into a fencing-like posture. I could see Roland gripping the pommel of his sword with one hand.
This was Roland’s hidden trump card. I couldn’t dodge his attack, which had bypassed my perception.
He smirked, a smug look on his face. He was already certain of my death. A surge of heat coursed through my body.
If I couldn’t dodge, then I would…
Thinking he had already won, Roland exposed his upper body even more than before. I tilted my head back as far as it could go and swung my sword like a flyswatter. It was a gamble.
If Roland continued his attack, he would suffer a significant injury, even if he killed me. If he prioritized his own safety over my death, I would survive.
A sharp pain shot through me as Roland’s sword grazed my face. The world turned red, as if I was wearing red sunglasses.
However, I could still see Roland hurriedly retreating.
Having lunged forward with his special technique, he was already off balance. His face contorted in realization as he tried to retreat.
But with his mobility limited by his injured leg, it was too late. The moment he chose to retreat, the outcome was decided.
The gamble had paid off.
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“Gah.”
My sword grazed Roland’s jaw. A red line appeared, then blood spurted out. The amount of blood was alarming. I must have hit a major artery.
Roland dropped his sword and clutched his wound, stumbling backward until he collapsed.
The bleeding didn’t stop despite his efforts to apply pressure. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse. Blood flowed down his arm, dripping from his elbow. Roland stared at the falling droplets, then slowly raised his head, his eyes trembling.
“Ugh, if you kill me, the Baron won’t let you get away with this…”
I wiped my face. I felt a stinging pain. My hand was covered in blood. It seemed I had a cut from under my eye to the corner of my mouth. If Roland had been a little bolder, I might have lost an eye.
A chill ran down my spine.
“Well, if the Baron finds out about your affair with Sophia, he might kill you himself. After all, your actions jeopardized his plans for Anya. Don’t you think so?”
“Ugh, do you really think the Baron doesn’t know?”
I narrowed my eyes. Was he telling the truth? Or was it a bluff? Considering his hidden skills, it seemed plausible. However, it wasn’t enough to make me change my mind.
After all, the Baron was Sophia’s next target.
“Thank you for telling me. As a reward, I’ll give you a quick death.”
“W-Wait…”
Roland’s words were cut short as my sword pierced his throat. He looked up at me with disbelief, then his eyes glazed over. It was the end of Sir Roland.
[Calculating experience points. Opponent’s level is high. Bonus experience points awarded.]
A series of messages popped up. That’s when I realized that Roland was stronger than the troll. The bonus points, now in double digits, blinked invitingly.
I clenched my fist. I finally had the foundation to make my move. All that remained was to move forward.
“But first, I need to collect my reward.”
I could see the manor on the hill through the trees.
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Let’s go home and spoils my beluved sister 😳
