The sword, having taken the blow from the Duke’s attack, bit down hard.
It’s strong. So very strong.
I felt that if I lost focus for even a moment, I might be cut down entirely.
Truly, the Duke of Burrow is a formidable warrior, one of the best in the kingdom.
A year ago, I would not have dared to think about withstanding such an attack.
Six months ago, I would have shattered under this blade.
But now I am different. I, who have trained countless times to face my limits. I, who wield the sword gifted to me by the Lady.
I can withstand the Duke's sword.
Even as my strength waned, the clash I created with my technique continued, and the Duke opened his mouth.
The voice spilling from him was sickeningly repulsive, clinging to my ears like a foul stench.
The voice of the Evil God of Darkness filled my mind.
For an ordinary person, this would be a level of mental corruption that would have driven them mad.
No matter how excellent a knight they might be, at this point, they would likely be lost in confusion.
Yet, there was no trace of wavering in my eyes.
It was not at all knightly to waver under the Evil God’s seduction.
His heart was crying out to protect his dreams amidst the darkness.
And the warm divinity surrounding his heart was driving away the darkness, affirming that it was the right thing to do.
“A knight does not change their master once chosen.”
To put it simply.
Lucy Alrn. The Lady, to whom he vowed to dedicate his life.
As the voice finished, something slimy stretched out from the Duke's shadow, attempting to seize his ankle.
The knight sensed it immediately and used Alrn's characteristic evasion technique to escape, but unfortunately, that was not the best option.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
His movement caused the fragile balance to shatter.
The balance between swords was disrupted, and the ominous power of the Evil God invaded my aura.
In a moment of careless action, I could have been consumed by the Evil God’s power, but still, a smirk lingered on my lips.
“Even if you keep being disgusting, it doesn’t matter. I’m not into homosexuality.”
As the Duke clenched his teeth and his tendons became prominent in his hands, a voice echoed from behind.
It was not the repulsive voice I had heard until now but a clear and beautiful voice that commanded everyone’s attention.
“Puhaha! Rejected, huh~? Poor pathetic uncle~♡ Are you starting to realize that you’re an impotent old man?♡”
As Lucy’s laughter rang out, the Duke’s head turned.
It seemed he had completely forgotten about the knight in front of him.
Even though the knight was merely a page, he was from the Alrn family.
He wouldn’t be foolish enough to miss such an opening.
The moment the knight moved his sword, the Duke hastily tried to react, but the gap was far too wide for him to make a perfect defense.
He allowed a massive gash on his left shoulder.
“...Tsk.”
Despite the fact that it was undeniably a solid hit, the knight’s expression was less than favorable.
As the Duke stumbled back, avoiding Alsaith’s arrows, he began to heal his wound.
“Hey, Knight. Can’t you slice him properly?”
Seeing the Duke appear to be unharmed, Alsaith complained from behind.
“I did slice him properly. If it had been you, you would have died the moment you were hit.”
“Then why is that guy still intact?”
“Well, it’s because he’s fighting like a disgusting pig.”
If what was before me was merely Duke Burrow, it would have posed no problem.
He is strong, but under Lucy’s provocation, he would have had to allow a gap, ultimately leading to his defeat.
Yet the reason the situation was flowing unfavorably was that the Duke was infused with the Evil God’s power.
Overall enhancement of the body and rapid recovery beyond the limits of a human.
Various tricks utilizing the Evil God’s power.
Moreover, the mental corruption that intensified over time.
Had it not been for Lucy declaring the territory, if the darkness was surrounding us, the knight and the others would have been consumed by it.
“...Disgusting. That’s true. I can’t deny it, hearing the nonsense echoing in my head.”
“What’s the problem?”
“But if we’re talking about disgusting, we’re the same.”
Alsaith pointed to the Duke, who was staring at Lucy.
“Why is he glaring?♡ Are you trying to vent your frustration on this cute little girl because you got rejected?♡ Sounds fitting for a disgusting trash like you~♡ But it’s futile~♡ My shield isn’t weak enough to be pierced by an impotent Duke!♡”
As I babbled nonsense, pulling his attention, it was undoubtedly a valid strategy.
That strategy was effective, but Alsaith didn’t consider it a noble approach.
However, the knight thought differently.
“What nonsense is this? Where’s the shame in putting your life on the line to protect your comrades while drawing the attention of a strong foe?”
As the knight adjusted his grip on his sword, Alsaith let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah. I knew you’d say that.”
Though both had much to say to each other, they could not voice it now.
The battle was about to begin again.
With a twisted face, the Duke of Burrow unleashed another sword strike.
Ugh. He’s really filthy strong!
The pain in my shield arm, which I had been holding since earlier, felt as if it had cracked my bones.
Normally, I would have used Armaadi’s touch to recover from the injury, but I couldn’t do that now.
There was no way I had the luxury to utilize such healing while maintaining the sacred realm!
“Why are you trying to attack a girl when you can’t even get it up?♡ Aren’t you just going to feel miserable for failing?♡ Impotent Duke?♡”
Biting my lip, I spat out another provocation. Immediately, the Duke swung his sword again.
As I deflected the strike with my shield, pain surged through my body.
“Lady!”
Taking advantage of the moment when the knight rushed in, I pulled out a potion from my bag and drank it.
As the pain from the cracked bones started to heal, tears streamed from my eyes, but I bit my lip to suppress my cries.
Damn it. Why isn’t Duke Burrow waking up?
Is he a princess? Does he need a kiss from a prince to awaken?
Ha. I’m really going to lose my mind!
Considering the unfavorable situation, I spewed out provocations indiscriminately, but the Duke was still trapped in his mental control.
The provocations weren’t completely ineffective.
The frequency of the Evil God’s voice had lessened, and he was hardly utilizing the power of darkness, indicating that the mind control had weakened.
But if that guy doesn’t wake up, it won’t matter!
As I glanced around, watching the knight and Alsaith maintaining their stance against the Duke, I saw Feiby and Johan gradually preparing the miracle amidst the chaos.
According to my grandfather’s judgment, the miracle was about 80% complete.
<It’s getting late. It should have been finished by now.> ‘It’s likely due to the Evil God’s power being stronger than anticipated.’
Even though the sacred realm prevented the darkness from seeping in, the knight and Alsaith were still experiencing mental corruption.
Feiby and Johan likely weren’t having it easy either.
<Even so.> ‘It’s fine. As long as we keep trying, it’ll be fine.’
Thinking that, I looked at the Ice Fox behind me and saw her drenched in sweat.
While it’s true the Ice Fox belonged among the strong, there was a disparity between her and the Evil God.
The master of the forest was grappling with the Evil God in a battle that extended beyond her domain.
No matter how strong the Ice Fox was, she would eventually start to feel the strain.
...Is it time to resort to measures?
As I bit my lip, I felt the taste of blood seeping out and took out a glass vial from my inventory, tossing it to the Ice Fox.
“Hey, what’s this?” ‘A gift.’
“It’s a gift for the weak Ice Fox.”
A potion that quickly restores the energy of a player, regardless of whether it’s divinity or magical power.
Originally, I had prepared it to use before entering the Duke’s mansion, but now was not the time to think of the past.
“...Thank you for the precious gift.”
After the Ice Fox drank the potion, she raised her shield once more.
Even if we continued the standoff like this, there was no guarantee we could endure until the miracle was complete.
The enemy’s vitality was endless while our stamina was being drained in real-time. Even if we managed to hold on for a while, we would eventually collapse at some point.
Ha. Until now, I’ve tried not to cross the last line, but given the situation, I have no choice.
Duke Burrow. This is all your fault for sleeping too much, isn’t it?
You can’t blame me if I say something like this later, right?
After taking a light breath and gathering the limited divinity into my lungs, I expelled it along with my voice.
“Impotent Duke♡”
The Duke of Burrow, who had been facing the knight, fixed his gaze on me. What was reflected in his eyes was pure, crimson rage.
“Your son was a good pathetic boy who died trying to save others♡ But what about you?♡ Swinging your sword at a man who rejected you~♡ Trying to vent your frustration by hitting a girl~♡ What do you think your son would think if he saw you like this?♡ Huh?♡”
With each word I uttered, the crimson hue deepened, growing more viscous and slimy.
“Are my words wrong?♡ Ah, you can’t speak?♡ You’re too scared to even face your own relics because you fear being hurt again?♡ Afraid to imagine your son’s reply!♡ Isn’t that right?♡”
The Duke glared at me, swinging his sword to sweep away the knight and Alsaith.
I thought he would charge right at me, so I gripped my shield tightly, but no.
He merely stared at me quietly.
“It’s not wrong, is it?♡ You’ve sold everything because you’re afraid to even see your relics!♡”
“...Shut up!”
For the first time, the Duke’s voice rang out, breaking the tension.
“You cowardly, weak-willed coward of a Duke!”
Alright. There’s a crack in the Duke’s mind control.
Just a little more. Just a bit further.
I can provoke him a bit more, and with that, he could possibly break free from the mind control.
After all the provocations I had hurled at him, countless methods of enraging the Duke surfaced in my mind.
They all seemed appropriate for provoking him, but my instincts told me there was only one method that was both the best and the worst.
“Even if you’re old, you can see this, right?♡”
Moving my shield aside, I presented a necklace I had just pulled out from my inventory to the Duke.
“Now, greet it♡ This worthless thing your pathetic son left behind when he died so futilely!...”
“Your son!”
My words were cut off.
Before I could finish, the Duke charged at me, filled with rage.
The power coursing through his sword was no longer that of the Evil God but a brownish aura.
Ha. There you go, sleepy uncle. You should have woken up earlier.
If you had, I wouldn’t have had to say such things.
And you know what? If you’re awake, maybe you should take a look around.
Otherwise, who knows what might drop on your back.
CRACK!
Seizing the opportunity, the knight swung his blade, striking the Duke’s head from behind.
It wasn’t necessary to use the edge; a sword reinforced with aura was sufficient as a weapon.
As that object was swung by a human weapon called the knight, how great was the impact that struck the back of Duke Burrow’s head?
Even after a bad sound echoed from his head, the Duke, who had been stumbling forward, eventually collapsed, scraping along the ground as he moved forward until he finally stopped.
‘...He’s not dead, is he?’ <Don’t worry. He’s just unconscious.>
After confirming with my grandfather, I cautiously approached the fallen Duke and placed my son’s relic firmly in his outstretched hand.
Then I mentally conveyed my apologies.
I’m sorry.
I won’t ask for your understanding.
Whatever happens later, I’ll accept it humbly.
And.
“Lady!”
As I uttered my apologies, I opened my eyes at Feiby’s urgent voice.
What?! What is it?!
What’s the variable this time?!
“All preparations are complete! Please come here!”
...
Hah.
Feiby.
Well done.
You did well, but...
Couldn’t you have done it a little faster?!