■■■■■■■■■■
072 VS Hero
■■■■■■■■■■
Translator : PolterGlast
"Now, the duel
between Sir Sadao Tsuchii,, the Hero, and Baron Toi Footscythel will commence.
---Begin!"
As Barbados's right
arm swung down, Doi kicked the ground and charged. I saw through his attack,
dodged with minimal movement, and tripped him. Doi fell spectacularly, crashing
face-first into the ground and bleeding from his nose, despite being in the judo
club, I thought he could at least take a fall.
"You bitch!"
he spat. Bitch? Woman? It seems Doi also mistook me for a woman. I didn't
bother to correct him; my words wouldn't get through to them anyway. It was
less trouble to let them misunderstand.
"I'll kill
you!" The magic contract forbids me from intentionally killing him,
though. Doi's movements froze. See? He couldn't move due to the magic
contract's effect.
"Damn it... what
is this?" I approached Doi, who was stuck mid-swing, and raised my sword.
"S-stop it!
That's cowardly!" he stammered.
"The referee
hasn't stopped it," I replied. They warned him so much before the duel,
but he became unable to move when he had murderous intent. He probably wasn't
listening, was he? But that's no reason for me to go easy.
Alright, let me
perform a little experiment. I activated Holding Back.
I swung my sword down.
"Gah!" I
continued to strike Doi, who was about to fall, lifting him into the air. I
attacked a delicate spot that wouldn't knock him out. If he fainted too easily,
I couldn't instill terror, could I?
At this point, Doi's
HP had dropped to just 10 points. I continued to pummel Doi, who was suspended
in the air. His HP wouldn't drop below 10. Doi's eyes filled with terror.
Next, I'd make him
bleed. Nosebleed was bleeding, but that wouldn't kill him. I intentionally
gouged his abdomen with the tip of my sword, causing him to bleed. Of course,
Holding Back remained active. It was a decent amount of bleeding, but his HP
didn't decrease.
I continued to attack.
Of course, Doi was fixed in mid-air. I couldn't attack him if he fell. I had no
murderous intent, so the magic contract's effect wouldn't activate.
His HP remained at 10
despite repeated attacks, but after about 20 seconds, his HP dropped to 9. As I
continued attacking, his HP decreased by 1 point at a time. I deduced that this
HP reduction was due to blood loss.
Since I harbored no
murderous intent, the magic contract didn't restrict my movements. It would be
troublesome if I killed him, so I decided to stop. I had instilled enough
terror in Doi. He probably wouldn't recover for a while.
"Sir Tsuchii,
down!" Barbados rushed to Doi, checking his condition.
"Medical
team!" he shouted. Doi had complex fractures all over his body. He was
bleeding from his abdomen. Several of his internal organs were damaged and in a
dangerous state. Normally, these would be injuries requiring six months to a
year for full recovery.
Doi was treated by a
priest on the spot and then carried away on a stretcher. He might be plagued by
nightmares for a while, but he deserved that much punishment.
***
Next was the duel with
Uchida. No break was needed. I wasn't tired. Uchida carried two slightly
shorter swords. So, he was a dual-wielder.
"I'm different
from Doi. Prepare yourself," Uchida threatened. I think he's the same kind
of trash as Doi, but Uchida doesn't seem to realize that.
Barbados explained the
rules and then swung his arm down to begin. Unlike Doi, Uchida gradually closed
the distance, but I casually walked towards him. Uchida leaped back a
considerable distance, then pointed his hand at me.
"Storm!" he
shouted, activating a storm spell from the Hero of Storms job.
Whirling blades of
wind closed in on me.
"Double
Slash!" I countered the tornado with my Double Slash skill, making it
vanish.
"What!?"
Uchida exclaimed in surprise. I instantly closed the distance with him,
activated Holding Back, and punched Uchida in the abdomen with my left fist.
"Gah!" he
gasped.
I then pummeled
Uchida, who was suspended in the air. I broke his ribs, broke the bones in both
his arms, broke the bones in both his legs, shattered his jaw, and punched him
all over his face. Uchida's face swelled up, tears streaming from his swollen,
closed eyes. With his jaw shattered, he could barely speak, let alone
surrender.
I wasn't satisfied, so
I continued to punch, carving terror into Uchida's body. Thanks to Holding
Back, his HP wouldn't drop below 10. No matter how much I punched, I wouldn't
be satisfied, but I was getting bored, so I stopped.
Uchida fell to the
ground with a thud, lying there. He was conscious, but in no state to get up.
Barbados rushed over and called for the medical team.
***
Finally, it was
Akaba's turn.
"Just because you
beat the small fry (Doi and Uchida), don't get cocky!" Akaba sneered. He
called those two small fry, but his own stats were slightly lower. If he knew
that and still said it, he might be formidable, but he probably didn't know,
absolutely.
"Don't ignore me,
you bitch!" he yelled.
It's more like I can't
think of anything to say, rather than ignoring him.
"Are you
scared!?" he taunted.
I'm just astonished.
"Sir Akaba. Are
you listening to the explanation?" Barbados asked, sighing.
"I'm listening,
so hurry up and start!" Akaba retorted. He's definitely not listening.
Barbados shook his
head. His demeanor clearly showed his exasperation.
"Baron
Footscythel, is that alright?" Barbados asked me.
"Yes, I don't
mind," I replied.
Barbados then gave me
a good smile, as if expecting me to exceed expectations this time too. I'll
leave it to him. Without being told by anyone, I'll beat him to a pulp.
"Now, the duel
between Sir Shinji Akaba, the Hero, and Baron Toi Footscythel will commence.
---Begin!"
I instantly closed the
distance with him. Akaba's eyes widened. I swung my sword horizontally,
destroying Akaba's armor. Akaba was sent flying and slammed into the wall. I
had held back considerably, not relying on skills, so his HP only decreased by
about a third. He wasn't unconscious, but it seemed his legs were affected. He
struggled considerably to stand up.
"5... 6...
7..." Barbados counted mechanically.
"You bitch... you
really did it!" Akaba managed to stand, using his sword like a cane, and
Barbados's count stopped at 9.
"Sir Akaba, are
you still going?" Barbados asked, confirming his fighting spirit. Akaba
glared sharply at Barbados.
"Of course I am,
you idiot!" he yelled, blood rushing to his head as he cursed. Though he
cursed even without blood rushing to his head.
"Take this!"
Akaba swung his sword wildly, but I saw through it and dodged. It was an
exquisite dodge, looking like it would hit but never quite connecting.
"Dodging around
like a coward!" Akaba roared. There was no way his wide, slow attacks
would hit me. Thanks to Barukan's drilling, I could do this much normally,
without relying on skills. Those hellish days weren't for nothing.
"Get lost!"
I roared, swinging widely, then leaping in and delivering a counterpunch to his
face. He flew through the air like a defeated character in a certain pocket
monster anime, slamming into the wall.
That must have broken
his nose.
"Is that all you
are, a Hero!? Hurry up and stand and fight!"
"What happened to
your usual bravado, you incompetent Hero!"
"You have no
purpose other than to fight, so what's with that pitiful state!"
"You're just
trash, so you can just lie there and sleep!"
Insults drowned out
Barbados's counting. I hated him too, but the nobles and officials also seemed
to hate Akaba.
"Shut up!"
Akaba yelled, standing up and screaming at the audience (the nobles). He
couldn't stand being insulted. His boiling point was low.
"Delaying tactics
will be considered forfeiture, Sir Akaba," Barbados warned.
"Shut up, you
puppet!" Akaba retorted.
His nose was caved in,
making his pronunciation unclear, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you
laughing at!?" he shrieked.
"I just thought
you could be quite threatening with that face," I said.
"You bitch! I'll
kill you!" he roared. I told you, if you don't suppress those emotions,
you'll self-destruct.
"Roar! Burning
Flare!" Akaba's embarrassing words echoed as he pointed his palm at me.
But the spell didn't
activate. Since he had signed the magic contract, he couldn't launch an attack
with murderous intent. He really doesn't learn, does he?
"Why!?" he
shrieked. He must have signed the magic contract without even checking its
contents. There's no other word for it but foolish.
"If you
surrender, you won't have to suffer anymore. What will you do?" I offered.
"Who would surrender!?"
he roared.
In that case, no
choice.
I closed the distance
and struck the side of Akaba's head with the flat of my sword. Akaba's
consciousness flickered, and he almost fell, but I kicked him up and continued
to punch. Punch, punch, punch, punch, punch. Kick and punch and punch again. I
forced his eyes, which had rolled back, to come back to awareness.
"S-stop..."
he tried to speak, but I punched, cutting him off. Tears streamed from his
eyes, but I continued to inflict violence regardless.
His HP remained fixed
at 10. Although there was bleeding, the amount was insignificant, so his HP
didn't decrease.
I crushed every bone
in his body. I severed muscles and tendons. His HP began to drop due to
internal bleeding and organ damage. Any more, and he would die.
Alright, last one.
Hmph! I thrust my sword into Akaba's groin. Even with the blunted blade, it
penetrated his armor, severing his parts, and then minced the severed parts
into tiny pieces.
"Phew..." I
exhaled.
When I stopped
attacking, Akaba clutched his groin and cowered. He was convulsing and crying.
Barbados immediately called for the medical team, and treatment was
administered. I figured he'd be bedridden for a while, but he wasn't dead, so
it was fine. 'That' was gone, though.
This guy was a
habitual rapist. Most of his crimes were in Japan, so the Princess ignored
them, but he seemed to have been raping women in this world recently. So, I cut
that off. And the balls too, of course.
Even if that were cut
off, a skilled priest could reattach it, but if it's completely gone, they'd
have to regenerate it. Regeneration isn't easy, so I cut that off and minced it
into tiny pieces. Without that, Akaba's lust would probably subside a bit. He
wasn't dead, so he could turn over a new leaf. Though I doubted it.
But I really impressed
myself with how well I suppressed my killing intent. I couldn't attack with
murderous intent because of the magic contract, but I managed it. My mind
understood it, but I didn't know how much I could control my emotions. My
mental strength isn't so bad after all.
***
Waiting in the
castle's waiting room, the Princess and the Duke arrived.
"Baron
Footscythel. I apologize for the trouble this time. This is what was
promised," the Princess stated, gesturing. A large amount of gold was
carried in. It was so much that it had to be brought in treasure chests. There
were 7,500 100,000 black gold coins in total. That's 250,000,000 Grill each for
three people, so 750,000,000 Grill. I could probably live a life of leisure
forever.
"How are those
three doing?" I asked.
"All three have
been made slaves. They will now work diligently to repay their debts," the
Princess replied. Voluntary slaves who owe debts have human rights. However, to
repay such a huge debt, they can't just say they don't want to do dangerous
things. Even with human rights, if there's no prospect of repayment, they can
be forced into it. The Princess said they would be forcibly sent to battle.
"They brought it
upon themselves," the Duke remarked, elegantly sipping his tea and
spitting out the words. Didn't he just meet them for the first time? Does he
dislike them that much?
"It is
understandable to be bewildered when arriving in a different world. However,
that does not excuse outrageous behavior," the Duke added.
Indeed.
"Moreover, they
were even more foolish than I had heard, so it just happened," the Duke
concluded. So he made them slaves as an afterthought? It's their fault for
being stupid, but the Duke sure is merciless.
"Even for a Hero,
such disrespectful language towards Her Highness Ermelda, the Princess, exceeds
the acceptable limit," the Duke stated. I couldn't deny the disrespectful
remarks. Regardless of what I thought in my heart, I should at least speak with
some etiquette. I guess I've become an adult now (wry smile).
"They will now
diligently explore the dungeon. To repay their debts," the Duke said. I
and the Duke exchanged smiles. The Princess seemed a little taken aback. But by
making them slaves, their original purpose can be fulfilled.
The Hero Summoning was
intended to thin out the increasing number of monsters in the dungeons. People
born in this world are generally Villagers, but summoned individuals from other
worlds have powerful jobs from the start. So, if they diligently explore
dungeons, they can reportedly conquer about 10 floors in a year.
Their goal is to thin
out the monsters up to the 10th floor, and once they've done that, they'll move
to other dungeons. By calming the dungeons within the country in this way, the Heroes
will then be granted noble status.
"Can they not
return to their original world?" I asked. I had no intention of returning,
but some of the summoned individuals probably wanted to.
"I had past
records checked, but it seems it is impossible," the Princess replied,
looking apologetic. But it's bad to just summon them and then leave them here.
Perhaps they're ennobling and favoring them because of that, but something
about it isn't quite right.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
-
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Geral Aponso
Nepheos
RobertJay
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
1EYED_SLOTH
Creris
Fred A.
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Crushingon
Ctdela
Curious Panda
Joe Smith
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
