Chapter 187
Here's the translation without asterisks:
"Liberta!!"
I heard Lady Esmeralda's joyful voice, but that was truly cutting it close!
Though the sneak attack from behind seemed to have been read from Lady Esmeralda's expression, there was no time to dwell on that.
From the neck-cutting attempt to landing, then unleashing a series of thrusts to separate them from His Grace the Duke and Lady Esmeralda.
The Mad Jester's stance was broken from forcibly dodging the neck slash. I couldn't give him time to recover.
But his strength was that of the Mad Jester I knew.
He parried with his dagger, giving me some shallow cuts, but when I moved to protect the Duke, he used that opening to leap back with one hand and regain his footing.
"Are you unharmed!?""Y-yes, I'm alive. But—""Please move His Grace to the rear!!""U-understood!"
Could I protect them both while fighting?No—I had to fight.
Lady Esmeralda came running and crouched down.
"This will hurt.""I don't care, pull it out."
She must have grabbed the hilt of the dagger stuck in my hand.A faint groan, then the sound of her suppressing it.
"Ugh...""Father, step back."
Then the sound of the dagger being pulled out, followed by the sound of someone being dragged.
I could tell they were slowly retreating toward the barrier.
"?????? How did you get in here? This place was supposed to be sealed."
The Mad Jester tilted his head at my sudden appearance and attack.Though his face was different, the weapons and the aura from his stance—The twisted eeriness I recognized from facing him countless times.
It convinced me through sheer instinct that this was the real deal.
"Just used a little shortcut. Times like these really make me glad I'm small."
Honestly, I panicked.
When I chased after His Grace, the path ahead was blocked by a barrier.Its strength was considerable—something that would take time to break or dispel.
While searching for a way through, I suddenly remembered a hidden passage.
The barrier was erected to block the passage, but this was an arena—a place where fighters gathered.It wouldn't be strange for some sore loser to have taken their frustration out on the walls.
Recalling a game event where part of the wall had collapsed from an attack and been repaired, I sprinted there at full speed.
Originally, it was just a hidden passage element for forcibly meeting a key noble during an event—a one-time shortcut that would be fully repaired afterward.
I knew it roughly aligned direction-wise with the passage where His Grace was, but whether it would let me bypass the barrier was a gamble.
"Hmmm, a shortcut? I didn't know about that. How troublesome, troublesome!!"
The passage was so narrow I had to crawl and drag myself through, barely managing to squeeze by. An adult couldn't have made it, and there was one spot so tight even I—a child—wasn't sure I could pass. I broke out in a cold sweat thinking I might get stuck in the wall.
Running into this madman after surviving that was the last thing I wanted, but there was no helping it.
"Still, what's up with your body? It's weaker than that fox girl's, but... Look! Just clashing with your spear has chipped my blade this badly!!""My apologies for that!!"
I knew full well he was setting something up during this conversation.Once I confirmed Lady Esmeralda and the others had retreated enough, I went on the offensive.
"Come on! Can't we talk a little more? I'm very interested in you!""Sorry, but I know all too well that letting you buy time only leads to trouble!!""Oh? That tone suggests you know me, doesn't it?""Yeah! More than I'd like!!""How fascinating!! I made sure to suppress information about myself, yet you still have the connections to know me!! It seems I'll have much to ask you too!!"
The distance for daggers versus the distance for spears.You might think the spear's range gives me the advantage, but this was a passage.
About five meters wide—enough to swing a spear, but changing positions would make it awkward.
If anything, his daggers were better suited for this space.
If swinging the spear was impractical, thrusting would be my main option.
"Fast! Fast! Fast!! I've never faced a spearman this strong before! You're the first dwarf warrior I've met who's this powerful!!""Then how about you just die already?!""Sadly, I'm still having too much fun!! I can't afford to die here!!"
Frustratingly, I was slightly outclassed in stats.The difference might be something skill could compensate for, but a single moment of carelessness would mean defeat.
I knew that.
But I could tell from the feel of the fight.He wasn't complete yet.
If he'd had his original game strength, it might have been bad, but he hadn't yet fought the version of himself I knew from past game events or stolen those skills.
In that case—
"That fun will never come! I'll end it here and now!!""Hmm!! That razor-sharp killing intent!! I can feel it!! The hatred you hold for me!! But wait? Where could you have—? Hatred this strong should come from equal despair!!"
I intensified my assault, pushing through with brute force.He'd discarded one of his main daggers to pin the Duke, and that was working in my favor.
The spare dagger he drew wasn't as finely crafted.My weapon had unbreakable, infinite durability—I could force a weapon break.
"Grudges? Oh, I've got those!! Enough to blacken the depths of my heart!!""Hmm! I've slaughtered many dwarves, but I truly don't recall you! Did I kill some family of yours?""Guess all you want!! All I'll say is—count your sins in the afterlife!!"
My hatred was more like misplaced resentment built up during my gaming days.Not that he'd understand that.
But my hatred was sharp enough even the Mad Jester could recognize it as killing intent.
In a way, he did kill family.My avatars—extensions of myself!!
Over and over and over again!!
How many times had he trampled on my efforts? The thought alone made my blood boil.
"Hell is something I'm saving for my retirement!! I'm not going there yet!!"
If he tried to step into my thrust, I'd switch to a pulling technique.
Forming a magic edge along the spear's sickle blade.
"I've seen that move before!"
The blade aimed for his neck from behind, but he must have thought his dagger would reach me first.
"Then how about this?"
But did he really think I—with combat experience rivaling his own—wouldn't account for that?Even a glancing hit from him was risky.
But dodging required split-second timing.
Instead of evading his paper-thin margin attacks, I deflected them.
"An elbow blade?! Interesting!"
Matching the pull with my elbow's angle, I formed a magic edge there to deflect his dagger, creating an opening to step back.
Dispelling the elbow blade, I formed another at my toes during a roundhouse kick.
"An eye gouge?! Hmm! You don't hold back!!"
He dodged the slash aimed at his eyes and countered with a blade toward my leg, but my kick had a follow-up.
A second swallow was waiting!!
Using the spear's shaft as a pivot, I kicked off with my standing leg, sending my body into the air.The kicking leg pursued him as the standing leg launched another kick.
"That almost took my head off!!""Then don't dodge!!""No thanks!!"
Dodging this move on first sight—he really was the monster all players agreed he was.
My Flying Swallow Kick only grazed his neck.If my magic edge had poison, it might have paralyzed him, but my attacks lacked such effects.
"Hup!!"
My body flowed from the kick, but I used Air Step to adjust my posture midair.
My movements must have looked bizarre.
From a kicking stance, I crouched as if standing on solid ground, then readied my spear for a thrust.
"Was there a wall there?!""Nope!!"
Whether he didn't know the Air Step skill or didn't expect me to have it—
The Mad Jester, faced with this irregular trajectory correction, could only block the spear thrust with his dagger.
The sensation of the dagger snapping.
"That was quite expensive, you know?!""Too bad!"
I had no interest in his complaints.I'd lost count of how many items he'd made me lose.
Compared to those losses in quantity and value, his broken dagger was cheap.
I pressed on, driving him back as he desperately parried with his remaining dagger.
"Honestly, this length isn't to my taste.""Then don't pick it up!"
We reached where the soldiers' bodies lay.
There, he picked up a sword, switching to an awkward-looking long-and-short dual-wielding style—yet he wielded them with flawless balance.
The sword might be okay to graze, but the concealed dagger swings were far too troublesome.
"Still, what's with your footsteps? Are you a ghost? Wait, am I so hated that even spirits come for revenge?""Maybe!!"
I was using Silent Walk to eliminate my footsteps, disrupting his perception, but he'd caught on to that too.
"Hmm! Well, since I can cut you, you're probably not a ghost. Fine for now!! Though after this, I might visit a church for purification!!""You really are a piece of work!!"
At this rate, I'd only get one chance to use Shadow Clone.Once used, a sneak attack would never work on him again.
Sparks flew as sword and spear clashed, but his neck—now guarded—was hard to target.His wrists moved too fast, making them harder than his neck.His ankles kept shifting, making them just as difficult.
With slightly higher stats, I might have managed, but I was just shy.
I lacked the edge to break through.
Then, amid the clashing—a coughing sound.
"Hmm?"
For the briefest instant, the Mad Jester's movements faltered.
Not my imagination—just a fraction of a second.
His gaze dipped momentarily.
I didn't miss it—activating my skill.
A shadow oozed forth behind him.
"An ambush?!"
My shadow, mimicking an attack.
Whether he sensed the movement or the killing intent—
He swung his dagger behind him to block, but—
"A shadow?"
There was nothing.Just my shadow, radiating killing intent before being cleanly sliced apart and dissipating.
But I didn't miss that wasted motion.
"Neck Hunt!"
His neck was still guarded.But his left leg—now his pivot—was exposed.
"Tch?!"
Distracted by the shadow, the Mad Jester couldn't react to my attack.
The sound of blade meeting bone.My strike landed cleanly on his left ankle, severing its support.His body toppled, leaving the standing leg behind.
I pivoted, driving the spear's butt into his side—feeling ribs shatter.
"Gahk. You're... merciless."
Though sent flying and tumbling, he used the momentum to create distance, rising instantly on one leg—his twisted smile now strained.
"Mercy? Not for scum like you."
Keeping my spear ready, I considered how to finish this.