kscans

Chapter 263 - The Siege of Miglutt and the Fight with Clovis

The plaza was now filled with the clashing of swords, even more intense than before Laciel's arrival. The beastman mobile unit had joined the fight between the nomads and the Crimson Brigade. In the midst of that chaos were Famu, holding Sameim, and Myra, who was treating them both. They were about to be swallowed by the vortex before I could reach them, but Trusar instantly assessed the situation and ordered soldiers from the mobile unit to act as their guards.

"Trusar, what about the church? Why are you here…?"

"The church has been liberated. This plan was your design, Lord Mash. However, leading an army and executing it requires skill and training. Myself, Lady Maryanne, and you, Lord Mash… In other words, this location is our weak point." He shouldn't have been able to predict this situation, but he had the instincts of the dog-eared race's strongest knight. He had anticipated my mistake and moved his troops accordingly. After liberating the church, they hadn't returned to Maryanne's main army, but had instead headed for the Crystal Garden where we were.

The soldiers had to be at the peak of exhaustion from the continuous fighting since yesterday. But the mobile unit's morale was high, perhaps due to the element of surprise, and their combat power and destructive force were tremendous. The nomads joined the fight, and together they began to push back the Crimson Brigade.

"Trusar, be careful. Their leader is a transmigrator. He uses a special skill."

"I will leave the true vengeance to you, Lord Mash." He smiled grimly and cut down an approaching enemy soldier with a single stroke. I turned my gaze back to Clovis. He stood with his sword hanging loosely, and slightly behind him stood the adventurer-like man, and further back, the demon woman with her staff at the ready. Oi was still curled up with her back to us. She consistently refused to participate in the battle. If she was being forced to fight, it might be worth trying to persuade her. And Yuuki was still down. Oi's special skill could heal physical injuries and restore stamina, but it probably couldn't restore magic power. On our side, Mizuki stood next to me. Aira had moved back to protect the rear. Behind her, Cecily and Mo were preparing spells. Mizuki seemed to have completely regained her composure. She held her sword with a natural, unforced grip.

"I'm glad we got to hear that story from Laciel," Mizuki murmured.

"The story about when we were transmigrated? I wish I hadn't heard it. I really thought you liked me because she orchestrated it…" That was an incredible overestimation on my part. I shut my mouth, embarrassed.

"There was nothing between us. It wasn't because of someone's will or intentions. We're together because of our own feelings. So this is fine."

"Don't just be satisfied on your own. My questions haven't been answered! Why were you so desperately trying to shut Laciel up?"

"I don't know. More importantly, what's this about a way to return to our original world?"

"We'll talk about that later. Right now, we're talking about you. Don't change the subject!"

"I forgot!" Mizuki said, then pointed her sword at Clovis.

"I'll get it out of you eventually." I, too, took a ready stance with my katana.

"Surrender. I can still use Goddess Summon. Even if some of you can use special skills, you don't have the power to defeat us." At my words, Clovis simply gripped his sword tighter, silent. I watched his reaction as I slowly closed the distance.

"And about that Ark you're trying to assemble. One of the stone tablets is in my storage. If I die, it'll just appear in some treasure chest in a dungeon somewhere. It'll be a pain to wander around looking for it, won't it?" Clovis stared at me intently. Until now, he had completely looked down on me, reacting as if he hadn't even noticed me. But now, I could feel his intensity. Still, even after being cornered this far, he showed no signs of surrendering. He still believed he could make things go his way. His gaze was that strong.

"You are being deceived by the goddess Laciel," Clovis said, finally speaking.

"I'm not being deceived. In the first place, Laciel hasn't given me enough information to be deceived with."

"Come under my command. I can hear the words of the gods correctly. I can guide you correctly."

"Correctly? You can hear the oracles of the Fifty Gods of the elves, right? But if you're warning me that the goddesses are deceiving us, how can you say that god is the correct one?"

"I do not believe the words of the gods. I have lived in this world for over seven hundred years. I possess the wisdom of this world, and of the elven race." The sound of clashing swords grew louder. The Crimson Brigade had been surrounding us in a large circle, so the battle between them and the mobile unit was taking place some distance from us. But as the fighting intensified, the battle area expanded, and it was now very close. Come to think of it, I couldn't see Hyakka's group or the ones they were fighting anymore. The group of adventurers that had been on the pedestal had also disappeared. I had to end this quickly. My hand gripping the katana was slick with sweat.

"In other words, what you're trying to do is also just your own brand of justice. You said, 'This world belongs to us, the ones who live in it,' right? Many people died in this rebellion. Were they included in your 'us'? In fact, we aren't included in your 'us'. Neither is Yuuki, lying over there, nor the girl crouching over there, right?"

"What I am saying is not wrong. I am concerned for the future of this world, and I am simply advising you."

"Is that so? Well, sorry, but I'm going to protect my friends here. I'm going to protect my small world." A smirk twisted Clovis's lips at my words.

"In that case, how about we decide which of us is right with a duel? The winner's word will be followed."

"Whether we fight as a party or in a duel, I'm still using Goddess Summon. No matter how much the damage escalates, I'll kill all of you, including the mercenaries you called." I smirked back at his worthless proposal.

"You went to the Adventurers Guild before you came here, didn't you?" Clovis's eyes narrowed.

"What of it?"

"The transmigrators summoned by the goddess were locked in the basement, weren't they? Are they included among your comrades?"

"You…" I glared at Clovis. The memory of Rinko and Airi's wounded figures made anger bubble up inside me.

"If you agree to a sword fight, I will tell you how to suppress the effects of the slave marks on those two." Clovis took out two bracelets. They were the same as the ones Irisarie had put on me yesterday. They looked to be made of brass, wide, with geometric patterns etched on their surface.

"The bracelets that disable magic, right? They can also block the effects of a slave mark?"

"You catch on quick. If you fight me and win, you get these two bracelets." Clovis nodded, but I couldn't trust him. Still, it seemed I had no choice but to believe him.

"We will each wear one of these and fight. We will hold the keys to each other's bracelet." He tossed one of the bracelets and a key to me. I reached out and caught them. They were cold and surprisingly heavy.

"So, if I defeat you, I can unlock the bracelet, and if I use these on Rinko and the others, I can seal the effects of the slave marks. Is that right?" I hadn't noticed before, but there was a small hole in the bracelet. It must be a keyhole. The key also seemed to be made of brass. But if I took out the magic key from my storage beforehand, this key would be unnecessary. As I was about to put on the bracelet, Mizuki stopped me.

"You don't need to accept the duel. We can just fight him all together and take them."

"I know. I know, but…" I looked at the buildings surrounding the plaza. Most of their windows were broken, their facades were cracked, and the plaster was peeling off. From the shadows of those buildings, I could see people furtively watching us. They were the residents who had been confined to their homes since yesterday by Clovis's rebel army. Amidst the chaos of battle, they probably couldn't hear our conversation. But thinking about calming things down afterward, I wanted to avoid anything that would look bad. More than anything, I didn't like this man, Clovis.

"His main skill is magic. And he's offering to seal that himself and fight."

"Your swordsmanship relies on the circulation of your magic power too, doesn't it?" Mizuki whispered. I pushed the stone tablet from my storage, along with the magic key hidden with it, into her hand.

"Mash, if you're going to accept a duel, let me go. I'm stronger."

"But your special skill won't work, right? Leave it to me." I said, then kissed her on the cheek.

Clovis gripped his rapier and swung it in a practice motion, sweeping it across the ground at his feet. A sharp sound of slicing air echoed. He brought the sword to his chest, then held it at the ready, pointing it at me. The tip glinted in the sunlight. Levante and Messiah formed a circle around me and Clovis. The demon woman kept glancing back at the battle between the beastman mobile unit and the Crimson Brigade. The tide was turning heavily in the mobile unit's favor. That was clear from the number of red-hooded mercenaries lying on the ground. The adventurer-like man, on the other hand, was watching us calmly. He was skilled enough to fight on par with Myra, and I felt he still had some hidden power left. I relaxed, wiped the sweat from my hands on my clothes, and gripped the hilt of my sword again. It was the sword Aidan had forged, which Petra had reforged for me. The grip was much easier to hold now. I let out a long breath, then slowly drew air into my lungs. I remembered Maryanne's words and tried to send the magic circulating through my body into the blade, but it didn't work. This was the effect of the bracelet. My eyes met Mo's.

"…In swordsmanship alone, Clovis is ten times stronger than you, Mash."

"You think I'm going to lose?" She nodded at my words.

"…So don't lose." Taking in Mo's words, which I couldn't tell were meant to be insulting or encouraging, I was about to take a ready stance in front of Clovis. The hem of his robe swayed slightly, and in the next instant, he had lunged forward. Like a ferocious crow swooping down on its prey, he closed the distance between us in an instant and swung his sword. I leaned back, and the tip of the blade passed right in front of my eyes. As I planted my back foot to regain my balance, Clovis brought his sword down. I instinctively raised my blade to block the blow. A sharp metallic clang echoed. As I tried to push his sword away from the lock, Clovis's knee slammed into my solar plexus.

"Gah!" The heavy blow sent me flying backward. I tried to plant my feet to avoid falling, but they slipped, and I landed on my butt. He followed up with another slash, then another. I rolled away to dodge them and got to one knee. If Clovis had continued his assault, I planned to sweep his legs out from under him, but he stopped and took a moment to catch his breath, re-aiming his sword at me. I used the opening to brush myself off and stand up. Just as I was about to ready my katana again, a sharp pain shot through my arm. I looked down to see my clothes were torn, and a deep gash was carved into my skin. I hadn't completely dodged Clovis's sword. Each of his strikes was sharp, like a flash of lightning. The cold sweat trickling down my back told me that my ragged breathing wasn't just from the continuous fighting since yesterday. In contrast, Clovis was calm. He watched me with a quiet gaze, as if he could see through everything.

"Mash…" Just as I heard Mizuki's voice, Clovis's body blurred. He slid his blade along mine as if it were pressed against my heart, and then thrust. His sword was inches from my throat when I twisted my body to dodge it, but a second strike immediately came down on my head. I blocked it with my katana. We were locked in the same position as before. This time, before he could knee me, I twisted my blade and went to strike his face with the pommel. Clovis's face contorted slightly, and he pushed me away to dodge. Then he retreated to create distance. I didn't let him escape and closed in, but he deflected my attack with his sword. And then, there was a gap between us. I felt a pain in my head. I raised my hand and felt a slick wetness as blood dripped down my forehead. I hadn't fully blocked his last attack.

"You're strong, Clovis… But I'm the one who's going to win."

"What are you talking about?! That's not something you say when you're out of breath and about to lose!" Instead of a reply from Clovis, a jeer came from Cecily. I wanted to tell her to shut up, but my breath caught in my throat, and I had to fight back a cough. Just then, Aira, next to Cecily, plopped down on the ground. Her dark eyes, staring at me, brought a strange sense of nostalgia. It was the same way she used to watch my training with Avea during our caravan journey. Myra sat down next to her. Then Famu sat down on her other side. The two of them had returned at some point. They didn't look sad. Sameim must have survived. Mizuki sat down close to them, and Cecily, yelling "Not fair!" sat down too. Only Mo was left standing, looking confused by their actions. It was as if they had forgotten this was a battlefield. A smile crept onto my lips.

"You seem relaxed…" I turned my gaze back to Clovis at his words.

"Killing you won't remove the chaos, but it will eliminate the influence of the goddesses."

"Killing one person isn't going to change the world!" I took a ready stance and slowly closed the distance. He was strong. He was certain of his own victory. That's why he wasn't pressing his attack, which would increase the number of variables, but was choosing attacks that had a low probability of getting him injured. I reached the one-step, one-sword distance and slightly raised the tip of my blade as if to bait him. Seeing it as an opening, Clovis kicked off the cobblestones and lunged. The tip of his blade glinted and slid toward my throat. It was a sharp, fast strike. But its trajectory was exactly the same as his last one. I reached out with my left hand to grab the sword's tip. Clovis's sword easily pierced through the palm of my hand and continued toward my throat. I endured the searing pain, twisted my body to dodge the blow, and pushed my hand forward, grabbing the hilt of Clovis's sword.

"You bastard!" Clovis shouted, putting all his strength into trying to pull his sword back. I pressed the katana in my other hand against Clovis's stomach.

"You underestimated me too much. I've fought monsters way stronger than you time and time again!" Clovis's eyes widened. Blood trickled from his half-open mouth. And then, his body collapsed.