"Hmm."
Otto cleared his throat.
"Even though it's regrettable,¹ I suppose it's worth a shot."
With that, Otto muttered, pushing past the magic swordsmen and stepping forward.
"Your Majesty, it's dangerous."
"Pansy, are you sure?"
Camille and Kairos worried about Otto.
Judging by the amount of mana Rivolt was exuding, it wouldn't be easy for even Otto to deal with.
"He's missing an eye."
Otto looked back at Camille and Kairos."Shouldn't I try one-on-one at least this much?"
Otto intended to confront Rivolt one-on-one in a battle.
‘What I need right now is real combat. I can only grow stronger by fighting tough opponents and winning.'
In fact, calling Rivolt an excellent, even formidable opponent would not be an exaggeration.
Under normal circumstances, the current Otto had less than a 10% chance of defeating him.
"However, Rivolt, who lost one eye, was a different story."
‘It's worth a try.'
Now that Rivolt has completely lost his left field of vision, he won't be able to demonstrate his full potential.
So it was kind of a balancing of his strength.
"Arrghh!"
Meanwhile, Rivolt clutched his bloodied left eye in pain.
"You fucking bastard…!"
"You're no less bastard yourself."
"….?"
"Who's to discuss villainy when surrendering under false pretenses?"
Suddenly drawing his sword, Otto approached Rivolt.
"…."
Rivolt became dumbfounded at Otto's remark and couldn't say a word.
He who faked his surrender.
Or the one who took him by surprise with a spit attack.
Both are equally despicable, so no one has the moral high ground to criticize the other.
"I'll… kill you."
Rivolt snarled at Otto.
"No."
Otto shook his head.
"I will."
In the next moment.
*Swoosh!*
Otto swung his sword fiercely and attempted a preemptive strike against Rivolt.
The battle was intense right from the beginning.
Otto was strong.
"Oooh!"
"Your Majesty's martial prowess has suddenly improved!"
Otto's skills were so impressive that the onlookers were in awe.
It was hard to tell when he had acquired such swordsmanship, and the speed of his growth was unbelievable.
However, Rivolt was stronger.
"Your Majesty!"
"Danger!"
Unleashing his true capabilities, Rivolt's strength was formidable, parrying all of Otto's attacks and even launching a threatening counterattack.
‘Like a thin layer of ice.'²
As Otto crossed swords with Rivolt, he could clearly feel what it was like to feel like his neck would fly off at any moment.
‘Ugh!'
Rivolt's strength was staggering, and each strike was a deadly threat.
"I'll kill you."
Rivolt swung his sword.
*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*
A ferocious storm of blades raged down upon Otto.
"…..!"
Otto instinctively ducked to avoid the flurry of blades unleashed by Rivolt.
Just then.
"Where?"
Suddenly, Rivolt appeared in close proximity to Otto and swung his sword.
*Slash*
Rivolt's sword slashed across Otto's right shoulder.
"Ack!"
A cry of pain erupted from Otto's mouth.
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Allowing Rivolt to strike him, Otto staggered back, pressured into a defensive stance.
"Ugh!"
Blood flowing profusely would be a problem later.
‘I can't use my right arm.'
Due to a fatal wound to his shoulder, Otto couldn't properly hold his sword.
"Did you dare to threaten to kill me, relying on your pathetic skills?"
Having gained the upper hand, Rivolt relentlessly attacked the pressured Otto, aiming to bring the battle to a decisive end.
"Your Majesty!"
Camille, who had been watching, was about to intervene.
"Leave him."
Kairos blocked Camille's path.
"Get out of the way."
"I said leave him alone."
"His Majesty is in danger."
"This is his choice, isn't it? He chooses to risk his life to grow and fight against someone stronger, and you want to stop him?"
"But…."
"Believe in him."
Kairos said to Camille.
"Believe in your lord. True strength is forged through numerous brushes with death."
"….."
"Don't worry."
Kairos reassured Camille.
"If he was going to die like this, he would have been lying around a long time ago."
"…I see."
Camille reluctantly gave up his desire to help Otto.
Otto had chosen to fight.
He chose to honor Otto's decision to face alone against the mighty Rivolt in order to become stronger.
‘Win, please.'
Camille clenched his fists tightly, watching Otto and Rivolt face off.
Believing that Otto would win.
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Meanwhile, Emperor Argonne was rapidly amassing his forces.
The skill of Argonne, the former emperor who built the great empire, was truly remarkable, and the speed at which he expanded his influence was astonishing.
But that wasn't all.
Every time the army led by Argonne went into battle, they showed off their prowess by defeating the Loredin Kingdom army.
The knights and soldiers who had spent years developing their skills at Oberhauser Trading House were as good as the regular armies of any other great kingdom.
At this rate, it was no exaggeration to say that it was only a matter of time before Argonne the Great would take over the Kingdom of Loredin.
However, the optimistic atmosphere was suddenly chilled by news that came out of the blue.
"…What?"
A look of sheer ferocity flashed across Argonne's eyes.
"Food prices have gone up?"
"T-That's right."
"Even our army's supplies are running low?"
The vassals could not respond to Emperor Argonne's question.
The merchant guilds that had been supplying food to the Kingdom of Loredin simultaneously raised their prices as if by agreement, putting Emperor Argonne at a great disadvantage.
Considering they had already exhausted all their resources and funds to start this campaign, it was clear that their finances were about to run dry.
"Those damned merchants. How dare they try to profit off me?"
Having also been a merchant in the past, Emperor Argonne easily saw through the merchants' intentions.
The Kingdom of Loredin was currently facing a severe shortage of food supply compared to its demand, making it a perfect situation for food prices to skyrocket according to the principles of supply and demand.
Therefore, the merchants wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity.
From the merchants' perspective, as long as they could make money, it didn't matter if the people of the Kingdom of Loredin starved to death.
That was also the ruthless law of economics.
Emperor Argonne understood this reality all too well, but the problem lay in the fact that he himself was responsible for feeding and supporting the people within his current domain.
At this rate, it seemed inevitable that distributing food to the people would lead to a cutoff in military supplies.
‘If supplies are cut off in the current situation…'
That would be the worst-case scenario.
After all the effort to build up power, if they run out of food here, it was all for nothing.
The food and military funds that had already been spent would be unrecoverable.
The problem was that the current Argonne was incapable of borrowing money to pay off debts.
He had sold off all of his assets to pay off his debts, so there was nothing left to pledge as collateral.
"Your Majesty."
Glen opened his mouth.
"May I speak, Your Grace?"
"Speak."
Emperor Argonne had already fallen for Glen's schemes several times before, but he decided to listen this time, even if it meant grasping at straws.
It wasn't that Glen had malicious intentions from the start, but rather that things had simply become incredibly twisted.
"Your Majesty, it has been said that the most precious resource in this world is people."
"People…?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"No way."
Argon's face hardened.
Because he realized what Glen was suggesting now.
"Are you suggesting slave trading?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Glen bowed his head.
"That's the only way I can think of right now."
"Hmm."
"With our current financial situation, feeding all those mouths is impossible. By utilizing slave trading, we can not only eliminate the parasites draining our food supply but also secure funds. Wouldn't this be killing two birds with one stone?"
Glen's words carried persuasive weight.
If we sell the people as slaves, not only will it reduce food consumption, but it will also secure financial resources.
Of course, there were many concerns and it wasn't a sustainable solution in the long run.
"I know a slave trader in the Sahara Kingdom."
"The Sahara Kingdom?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Sahara Kingdom is a nation where Sultan Sheerazad encourages slave trading, accepting anyone regardless of their origin."
"The Sahara Kingdom…"
"If we offer a large supply of slaves, they will be very interested in that."
"Can you pull this off covertly?"
"Of course, Your Majesty."
Glen looked confident.
Due to handling all sorts of dirty and sordid affairs in the past, he had become quite adept in that regard.
"Very well."
Emperor Argonne nodded.
"I'll trust you one last time. Proceed with the plan to raise enough money."
"I'm honored! Your Majesty!"
Glen vowed to himself that this time he would get the job done right, and earn Argonne's trust again.
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In a precarious situation for a while, Otto immediately switched his grip on the sword to his left hand.
‘I can do this.'
Invincible swordsmanship is a flawless sword technique.
It doesn't distinguish between left and right hand.
Although it felt awkward since he normally used his right hand, holding the sword with his left hand didn't cause his combat power to plummet.
"You think that's going to help you?"
Rivolt aggressively attacked Auto with his blazing crimson sword.
‘I can do this.'
Otto's eyes flickered to gray.
*Flash!*
The light of petrification struck Rivolt.
"What!"
*Hwaah!*
Rivolt unleashed a burst of mana to resist the petrifying light.
But that wasn't all.
*Glint!*
A purple light that poisoned the opponent emanated from Otto's eyes.
He used [Eye of Petrification] and [Poison Gaze] at the same time.
"…Ugh!"
Rivolt was taken aback as Otto began to use magic in earnest.
No matter how much mana you emit, there are limits to resisting magic.
Before long, Rivolt, now fully under the spell's influence, noticeably slowed in movement.
But that wasn't all.
*Thud!*
*Thump!*
Various parts of his body petrified in small increments, making his movements even more unnatural.
‘Now.'
Otto seized the opportunity.
"Get Strong."
The quietly flowing voice strengthened Otto.
It was a [Warcry of Valor], one that strengthened him and allies.
But it didn't stop there.
"Recover."
Otto's wounds began to visibly heal as the [Indomitable Roar] healed him.
"Succumb."
A [Savage Roar] that slowed enemies followed, applying a powerful slowing effect to Rivolt.
"Kkeuugh!"
Petrified, Poisoned, and Slowed, Rivolt struggled to regain his bearings.
Despite continuously emitting mana to resist, the magic's power was so strong that there were limits to how much he could withstand.
That was the terrifying thing about magic swordsman.
Using not just swordsmanship skills but various types of magic as well makes them incredibly formidable opponents, posing a daunting challenge for anyone facing them.
Mastering both swordsmanship and magic simultaneously, and wielding them with ease, is nearly impossible.
But Otto was the person who made the impossible possible.
As a possessor of the Divine body, a body specialized in swordsmanship and magic, he also possessed both invincible swordsmanship and the power of an invincible emperor.
‘Okay.'
Otto suddenly realized.
‘I am a magic swordsman. I don't just fight using a sword.'
A true magic swordsman fights with both swordsmanship and magic.
It was during his confrontation with Rivolt that Otto's perspective on how a magic swordsman fought was truly broadened.
"Ugh… Keugh!"
Weakened by various effects, Rivolt floundered.
"Now it's my turn."
Otto dived to Rivolt's left.
It was a blind spot.
Blinded in his left eye by the Vile Death Bead, Rivolt couldn't see Otto lunging towards his left.
The result.
*Slash!*
Otto's sword slashed diagonally across Rivolt's chest.
< Illustration of Elise >
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Otto feeling regret because Rivolt is among the 100 Lords that he finds value but because of his inherent nature of "rebelling" he couldn't be trusted to be kept alive.
2. It’s often used metaphorically to describe a situation that is very delicate or tense, where one must tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice that could break at any moment.
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