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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: 1+1+1
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1+1+1
"Hoo..."
Dar, who had arrived at the training grounds before Yuren, sighed as he caught sight of Beil's chilling gaze from the nobles' seating area.
Beil played the part of an intellectual, but in reality, he was a homicidal maniac who reveled in slaughter, capable of shattering armor and swords with his bare hands and tearing people limb from limb.
The thought that the madman's rage might turn on him if things went awry made Dar swallow dryly and look away.
"Yuren Lox..."
Yuren was the most talked-about figure in the kingdom lately. He had slain several powerful monsters, and his fame had skyrocketed to the point where Duke Roper himself had declared him the primary contributor to the retaking of the northern wall.
Though Yuren was a powerhouse renowned throughout the kingdom, Dar never once considered the possibility of his own defeat.
"I have the Archery of Covis."
Using a grimoire given to him by Beil, Dar had mastered an ancient archery style known as the Archery of Covis.
The mystical abilities of Covis's archery had transformed Dar from an ordinary knight-in-training into Dar the Shattering Archer.
Moreover, he had analyzed Yuren's fighting style using information provided by Beil. It was a battle he absolutely could not lose.
"He's finally here."
From the west entrance of the royal training grounds, Yuren sauntered in with a relaxed expression.
"Waaaaaah!"
"Lord Yuren!"
"Sharkrai King Slayer!"
"Sea Serpent Slayer!"
"Slayer of the Undead!"
The moment Yuren appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers. He walked slowly, waving to the spectators with both hands as if savoring their adulation.
'That damn bastard!'
Dar was already annoyed with Yuren for interfering with their plans, but seeing him arrive late and still respond to the cheers sent blood rushing to his head.
"Let's have a good match."
Suppressing his anger and pretending to be unfazed, Dar extended his hand to Yuren.
"Yes. Let's have a good one."
Yuren smiled brightly, took Dar's hand, and shook it lightly.
"I'll get ready then."
"Yes, please do."
After the handshake, Dar stepped back to create some distance, but Yuren simply stood still, grinning as he watched him.
'This guy...'
Dar's anger began to boil over, feeling that Yuren was looking down on him and acting overly relaxed.
"Now, let us introduce today's combatants."
A man standing before the king, seemingly the announcer, spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone in the training grounds to hear.
"First, he has not only defeated an Orc Warrior, the Sharkrai King, and a Sea Serpent, but has also driven back the undead of the northern wall! The Grand Prince of House Lox, Yuren Lox!"
"Waaaaaah!"
"Lord Yuren!"
"Monster Slayer!"
"Slayer of the Undead!"
As soon as the announcer introduced Yuren, the crowd roared with cheers. Yuren waved to them once again.
"Next, with archery so precise he can hit an orc's eye from hundreds of meters, so destructive it shatters armor and pierces bone, he is the man who took down a Bone Rex, famed for its tough skeleton, with arrows alone! The Shattering Archer, Dar Castein!"
"Waaaaaah!"
"The hope of archers!"
"The Shattering Archer!"
Dar ignored the cheers directed at him and glared only at Yuren.
"This is a sparring match. Any attack intended to take the opponent's life will result in an immediate loss. Now, prepare yourselves!"
*Grit.*
As the announcer said, Dar couldn't kill Yuren, but he decided he would make sure Yuren couldn't move for quite some time. He clenched his jaw.
"Begin!"
As the match began, Yuren took four steps to his left and raised his hand. Dar noticed a steel ball, about the size of a thumbnail, pinched between his middle finger and thumb.
'Not a dagger, but a steel ball? Does he think I can't hit such a small object? What a fool!'
Dar assumed Yuren had brought the ball instead of a dagger as a countermeasure against his arrows.
Dodging the ball and then shooting his bow would have been the better choice, but Dar, intending to show off his skill, aimed for the steel ball in Yuren's hand.
*Fwoosh!*
*Twang!*
The moment Yuren flicked the steel ball, Dar released the bowstring he had drawn back to its limit.
*Clang!*
A massive impact, far louder than one would expect from a ball and arrow colliding, shook the training grounds.
"Heh."
Smirking at Yuren's pathetic attempt, Dar was about to draw another arrow from his quiver when he sensed something right in front of his forehead. And then...
*Thwack!*
He lost consciousness.
**
"To think he'd fall for it exactly as I planned. It's almost pathetic."
I looked down at Dar, who had lost consciousness with his tongue lolling out and his eyes rolled back.
[Name: Dar Castein]
[Traits: Archery of Covis, Sharpshooter lv2, Phantom Sword lv2, Aura Adaptation lv1]
[Favorability: -87 (Hatred)]
[Current Mood: ...]
"His mood isn't showing since he's unconscious."
This match went perfectly according to my plan, from start to finish.
"I knew it the moment I challenged him yesterday."
Two days ago, when I mentioned a duel in front of Dar, I could tell. He was an incredibly prideful man.
To provoke him, I feigned enjoyment and waved at the cheering nobles, and I remained nonchalantly still while he moved and took his stance.
I predicted that his wounded pride would compel him to shoot my ball with his arrow, and sure enough, he did exactly as I expected.
Having fallen for my taunt, he was now lying comfortably on the dirt floor, unable to display a single one of his skills.
"W-what in the world..."
The king, who had been watching from above, was the first to rush down, a stunned look on his face.
"Your Majesty."
The royal guards followed behind the king, their expressions just as bewildered, suggesting they hadn't seen what happened either.
The Marquis and Duke Roper were also making their way over from the stands.
"What about Dar?"
"He's only unconscious."
The first thing the king did upon arriving was to ask about the fallen Dar's condition.
"Th-then that's a relief. But what kind of magic did you use? Why did Dar suddenly collapse?"
"It wasn't magic. I simply used a certain technique involving hidden weapons."
"A technique with hidden weapons?"
After answering the king, I picked up the steel balls that had fallen nearby.
"Huh?"
"Two?"
"There are two of them."
Just as they said, there were two balls in my hand, not one.
"Oh, but these balls..."
"Their sizes are slightly different."
"One is a bit bigger, and the other is a bit smaller."
"That's the secret."
The two balls I threw are a hidden weapon from the Sichuan Tang Clan, called the Mother-Son Pellets.
"A secret?"
"The larger ball is called the mother pellet, and the smaller one is the son pellet."
"Hoh, a mother and son..."
The talk of hidden weapons seemed to pique their interest, and people began to focus their attention.
"First, you throw the mother pellet, and then you immediately throw the son pellet right after it. The smaller son pellet is hidden by the larger mother pellet, making it invisible."
"I see!"
"A technique that uses size to its advantage!"
"A trick that preys on the opponent's carelessness! Hahaha!"
Having understood my explanation, the king slapped his knee and laughed heartily.
"That's right. An opponent who blocks or deflects the mother pellet won't notice the son pellet coming right behind it and will be hit. Just like this man..."
The example, Dar, remained peacefully unconscious, oblivious to the fact that everyone was watching him.
"I never would have imagined such a method. Incredible."
The king seemed fascinated by the Mother-Son Pellets, his shoulders shaking with excitement.
"What do you think, Captain?"
"It is an excellent technique. Some might call it cowardly, but a duel is a duel. A careless opponent deserves to lose his head. If Lord Yuren hadn't controlled his strength, this man would no longer be of this world. I think it was a brilliant move."
"So it seems."
"Thank you for your kind words."
"Not at all. I merely stated the facts."
I was quite grateful to the captain of the royal guards for saying that. Perhaps because of it, the king's favorability was steadily rising.
"When a duel or match ends quickly, it's usually boring, but to make it this interesting... excellent."
"Not at all."
I bowed my head with a humbled expression at the king's words.
Honestly, I could have beaten Dar with just a single dagger, but I had successfully captured the king's attention as intended, so it was another kind of victory.
"But I only saw you throw one ball. How did two fly out?"
"That is the second secret of this technique. And it's a secret I'm afraid I cannot share."
"A secret, you say? Hahaha! I suppose it wouldn't be fun to know everything. I understand."
I was worried the king might be offended, but thankfully, he seemed to take it well.
"Hmm."
Looking around, I saw the Marquis giving me a thumbs-up, and Duke Roper was applauding with a wide grin.
*Whistle!*
"That was amazing!"
"His reputation is well-deserved."
The other nobles and spectators were also cheering. The only people here who weren't in high spirits were the unconscious Dar and Beil, who was suppressing a volcanic rage behind a placid expression.
"You've raised a fine son, indeed."
"Haha, isn't he? He may have been a late bloomer, but now he's a real treasure."
"Indeed. You can rest easy now."
"Of course. Of course. Hahaha!"
Beil was congratulating the Marquis, but seeing his mood sent a chill down my entire spine.
[Current Mood: Wants to rip the heads off every human here.]
Normally, the 'Current Mood' should be directed at me, but Beil seemed to have lost his mind, wanting to kill not just me but everyone here.
I'll have to face Beil eventually.
Whether I wanted to or not, it seemed a fight with Beil was inevitable in the near future.
I'll need to make some preparations.
"Grand Prince!"
I turned around at the sound of Peru's voice. Squeezed among the crowd, Peru was holding up three fingers.
"Three seconds, huh? Took longer than I thought."
**
The day after the duel.
I was summoned to the audience chamber by the king.
"Did you rest well?"
"Yes. I wasn't particularly tired."
"Haha, I imagine so, seeing as it ended so quickly. Ah, Dar has woken up. He has no injuries, which means you controlled your strength well."
"That's a relief."
The king smiled with satisfaction as he relayed the news about Dar.
"I'm sure you know why I've summoned you."
"I believe you called me to open the treasury."
"Heh. As expected, I like your straightforward answers."
The king has the personality of a typical alpha male. Making excuses or hesitating would only lower his favorability.
"That's right. One must give what is due."
The king descended from his throne and walked to the door. Then, just as before, he recited the incantation to open the royal treasury.
*Shwaaa!*
The golden treasury opened before my eyes once more. I never thought I'd get to see this twice.
"Hehe, three items at once. You'll likely be the first and last in the kingdom's history to do so."
"It is all thanks to Your Majesty's boundless grace. Thank you very much."
"Yes. Go on and choose. You may pick two."
"Your grace is immeasurable."
After paying my respects to the king, I entered the treasury.
"Hmm..."
While resting yesterday, I had given much thought to what I would choose from the treasury. Honestly, most of the items here were useless to me, but there was one category that could be of great help.
"Grimoires."
Grimoires containing ancient arts or abilities would be a great asset for what's to come.
"But there's a problem."
No one can know what ability a grimoire holds until they open it and have the power engraved upon themselves.
Dar, the one I beat yesterday, had also been training with the sword before he obtained an archery skill from a grimoire and switched his specialty to the bow. Beil probably gave it to him.
Plus, some of them are completely useless.
Grimoires don't just contain combat skills. They can hold anything from cooking and crafting to cleaning. A bad pick could just end up improving my life skills.
"However..."
I thought about it yesterday. With my eyes that can see everything, I might be able to tell what abilities the grimoires contain.
"Hoo..."
I let out a breath to shake off my nerves and moved toward the grimoires.
"Keuk!"
The moment I saw the grimoires, I clamped both hands over my mouth. Otherwise, I felt like I would burst out laughing.
[Rake's Sea Swimming Method]
The ability of Rake, known as the Dolphin of the Kirak Kingdom, which allows one to swim safely and quickly in the sea, a place filled with countless dangers like waves, debris, various changes, and even monsters.
Not only the name of the grimoire but its entire contents were visible to my eyes.
"This is an insane ability."
Even though it was my own power, I thought it was a total cheat as I put down Rake's Sea Swimming Method.
"Ah!"
As I scanned the grimoires, I was so shocked that my hands and mind froze simultaneously.
[Raktor's Steel Rampart]
Erects a steel rampart using one's own mana to defend against mental attacks. The more mana one possesses, the stronger the mental attacks one can withstand. The ability of Raktor, known as the Golem of the Kirak Kingdom.