I admit the light barrier is stronger than my strength. I can’t afford to be careless.
Since I flung my staff towards Patrick, I recovered my sword from the ground.
I don’t have any swordsmanship experience, so I just swung my sword with all my strength like a baseball bat into the barrier.
“Ugh, my hands are numb.”
The sound that resulted due to the sword and the barrier clashing was ear-splitting, but not even a scratch appeared on the barrier. And there wasn’t any damage to the blade.
Did it happen due to the magic? Then, it’s only courteous for me to use the highest level of dark magic here.
“Black Hole!”
I tried making the Black Hole smaller than usual since I want to avoid wiping out the Duke accidentally.
The Black Hole was as large as a human head and swallowed up the glowing barrier.
After it disappeared, the barrier… the barrier was gone! It left a hole in the barrier.
I’m a wizard, after all. Although people say I’m a muscle-brain, I can think before I act.
The Duke stared at the hole I made in the barrier with an astonished gaze.
“Don’t tell me it’s a legendary magic tool?! Huh??”
He suddenly snorted as he noticed something. I followed his gaze and saw the hole was gradually closing.
I didn’t expect the barrier to include an auto-repair function. The restoration speed of the damaged barrier was increasing rapidly, and it would be finished any second now.
The hole that was initially big enough to stick my head in was now just big enough for me to stick my arms through.
“Ahh! Wait a minute!”
Before I realised what I was doing, I had already stuck my right hand in the hole that was slowly closing up. I’ll try to pry it open using my strength. I have faith in my muscles.
The barrier was closing in with my hand halfway through.
And then it happened. My elbow that was inside the barrier fell to the ground with a thud.
“Don’t you think there’s something epic about getting this injured? What do you think, Duke?”
“Whoaaa!! Hey, are you okay? Your arm, look at your arm!”
The cut was clean. I’ve been injured many times, but I’ve never seen this kind of cross-section before. There was this one time when a monster with a sickle for an arm had cut me, the wound was even messier.
“Will they stick if I press them together?”
“Hey! The blood! There’s so much blood!”
“Yeah, the amount of blood on my right side is somewhat lacking, isn’t it? Is it because my heart is on the left? Or is there another reason for that?”
Since the barrier had been erected in a small area, my arm was barely touching the Duke. His back was pressed against the barrier behind him.
You don’t need to be nervous, you know. I’m not even sure if he’s a pervert who lusts after women’s hands or just he’s trying to take my arms home.
“I’m sorry, that was too far. I didn’t think you’d be that freaked out. Heal.”
The splattered blood began to absorb back into my arm. The arm that was inside the barrier was still intact. I don’t think healing and attaching it back together was going to work. Then I need to make a new arm, the only downside is it’s going to consume a lot of magic.
Good thing that I’m used to this. A few seconds after casting restoration magic, my beautiful right arm grew back.
The only lasting damage was that one of my sleeves was reduced to three-quarter length.
“You… are you really human? What kind of—”
Said the Duke, almost puking in disgust.
This is another incident where they don’t treat me like a human being. But I get it, restorative magic users are scarce, so it’s not hard to mistake them as angels.
Patrick and Ryuu will take care of the monsters, and it’s all up to me to secure the suicidal person in front of me.
My nemesis is proven to be weak against high-level dark magic. Even though it will regenerate back, the regeneration process is visible to the naked eye.
“Your end is near, Black Hole!”
The dark sphere appeared to cover roughly half of the cube, which radiated light. Since the Duke had his back pressed against the barrier, it was easy to keep him out of it.
When the Black Hole disappeared, it took half the barrier with it. As I focused my attention on the Duke to secure the rest, his chest began to glow.
He was wearing well-made clothes. What kind of light could illuminate through the fine quality fabrics?
Before I could jump into the barrier, my instinct screamed at me to step back.
That decision that I took a split second saved my life. Because this time, the barrier regeneration speed was faster. The barrier returned to normal instantly.
Had I ignored my instinct, the upper half of my body would be waving goodbye to my lower half. It was that dangerous.
Losing an arm or a leg is still manageable with restorative magic, but losing half of my body is pushing it. Besides, it never happened to me before, so I wouldn’t know if I could survive that.
The Duke didn’t seem to understand what had happened before he took out a strange glowing jewel from his pocket. He looked at the jewel and grinned.
“I thought I was done for… as expected from a legendary class magic tool.”
“Is that….”
“This is the real form of the barrier magic tool. I went through a lot of trouble to steal it.”
The shining jewel was the barrier’s true form. It had an unknown power source but it’s finite. Sooner or later, it will run out. If I keep trying to erase the barrier and let it regenerate, maybe….
It was a great solution for the barrier but it could accidentally hurt the Duke. I have no choice but to try a different tactic.
I tried to think of another plan, but the barrier was highly resistant to dark magic and physical attacks. But any other magic attributes should be able to bypass it.
When the town problem has been handled, I will have Patrick blow the Duke away with his wind magic.
I can continue my duel with barrier-chan later. Right now, I have to be patient.
“It all comes down to a battle of endurance.”
“Did you forget? My goal isn’t making you deal with the monsters.”
The Duke regained his composure and adjusted the arm that was left at his feet before continuing.
“If I die knowing I left you with regrets, so be it. It might be unimpressive, but I guess I’m okay with it.”
Then he took out a dagger and put it to his neck.
“W-wait a minute.”
If he dies like that, I’m sure it will haunt my nightmare.
I decided to use my left hand. My right hand was still growing so it wasn’t perfect yet.
Just before it collided with the barrier, I saw my left hand. The same hand with the ring adorned with jewels reminds me of Patrick’s eyes.
I pulled my hand back in time.
“That was dangerous.”
That was close. My engagement ring was about to become a causality. Maybe it’s better to put it away from everyday use?
This is my treasured item. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the time when Patrick filled the ring with his wind magic… wait, wind magic?
“Thank you, Patrick.”
Duke Hillrose, who was about to slit his neck, held up his left hand.
“There’s a favor I want to ask for my daughter.”
“It’s too early for you to make a will. Also, your daughter is safe and sound at my place right now.”
“Huh?! My daughter is at his brother—”
“Wind!”
Responding to my words, the ring emitted an intense glow.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.
After he was hit, the Duke lurched backward and fell.
“Farewell.”
The fall didn’t make him lose the grip of his dagger. It took him a while to regain control before holding up the dagger to his neck again.
I guess he put the dagger first. But that’s not the one I’m after. When he fell and chose to hold on to his dagger, he let go of the object in his other hand.
“I’m sorry, but this is the thing I’m after.”
The wind moves following my will to create a small tornado, sending the jewel on the ground into the air.
I’m sorry, Barrier-chan. But I have to destroy your true form. I admit that you’re strong, but my Black Hole can erase you. If only the Duke wasn’t around, I could erase the whole barrier. Does that mean I win?
The jewel was blown through the barrier by the magical wind. Ironically, it collided with the existing barrier.
When it collided, the jewel shattered.
“Noo!”
As the jewel shattered, the barrier disappeared.
The dagger managed to penetrate the surprised Duke’s neck.
Kicking the ground, I jumped in front of him and flicked the dagger away.
“It’s too late….”
The blood was gushing from the Duke. With hollow eyes and a twisted smile, he said.
“I don’t think so, I was just in time. Heal.”
I can grow an arm. Healing a cut on the neck is an easier feat.
After I healed the wounds, his eyes gradually regained their vitality. As soon as he regained his consciousness, he looked at me in surprise. Hahaha, give praise, for I, the angel who saved his life.
“Damn, you monster.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“You wasted all my time and effort. My plans have already come to light, execution is inevitable for treason against the Royal Family.”
“Oh—, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Instead of going to Ronald-san’s place, your daughter came to mine….”
“What?! Is she really here?!”
The extremist nobles in the royal capital must be wondering why the Duke didn’t come to the rally. The biggest mistake in his plan was how he entrusted the crucial documents in Eleanora’s hand.
“I think I can confidently say I could get things under control now….”
“You can’t do that! It’s the Duke House’s duty, our destiny.”
“What? For this kingdom? I think you’ve done enough.”
“This serves no purpose. We’ve got nothing to talk about anymore. Please take care of my daughter, that girl is a lonely child. Every so often she starts doing crazy things, but she’ll get bored with it soon enough. And then….”
For him, entrusting his son to someone else to anticipate the downfall of the Duke House. I had wondered what made Eleanora’s case so different, but it appears to me that he just didn’t want to part with his lovely daughter.
“If Miss Eleanora is someone you treasure, why don’t you stay with her?”
“Can I ask this as a favor? Can’t I?”
Please pay attention when you’re having a conversation with people.
I hate that I kinda agree with him. The least I can do is take care of my friend.
“Haa, alright. Your status will be no more and she should be able to fight to some extent, right?”
“Will you teach her those adventurer-like skills?”
“Don’t fret. I’ll help her to level up. Oh! Can I have your monster summoning flute? I could use it as a tool to help level up.”
“W-what are you going to make my daughter do? I can’t die like this, I must protect my daughter!”
No, that was me trying to be kind. I was hoping he’d trust me enough to take care of his daughter.
“If you don’t like what I’m about to do, live. Live your life and watch over your daughter again. That girl adores you too much, you know.”
He snorted and slumped, loosening the tension on his shoulder. And this is how the rebellion he caused came to an end.
“What the heck is happening here?!”
The Duke said that, trembling in fear. Not that I’m agreeing with him again but I could feel the atmosphere changing.
“There’s something nostalgic about this….”
“No, this is even worse… is that?”
He started looking around, searching what caused the atmosphere to change and his eyes were glued to a spot.
In that direction, he saw a knight.
Riding a large horse, with splendid armor and a black miasma wafting through the air. And neither of them had a head.
“Dullahan… really exist?”
The monster that is said to spread death is the dark dungeon’s last boss. Did the flute’s noise attract the monster who was inside the dungeon?
One after another, the monsters led by Dullahan appeared. Every one of them is a formidable enemy in the depths of the dungeon. Their overall strength is stronger than the Demon King.
Subjected to the dense atmosphere of death, the Duke hunched over.
“Just leave! Without the help from Ashbaton’s son, it will be too hard for you to handle.”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“On what basis?!”
“I’ll handle the general right now. It will be safer for you.”
I started running towards the headless knight, trying not to pay any attention to the noise that the Duke made behind my back.
I’m going to fight the strongest monster’s class alone.
The knight held his head in his left hand and for a second it seemed like how we stared at each other’s eyes but I couldn’t be sure since his eyes were hidden away behind his helmet.
I don’t know if it was only in my imagination, but the calm horse suddenly neighed. The horse raised their front legs so hard that the knight on his back was thrown off.
“Eh?”
After throwing off the knight, the horse started to run as fast as it could, towards the opposite direction, putting a distance between us.
Dullahan picked up his dropped head then turned his head to me. Oh, and this time we definitely saw eye to eye.
We were not strangers, I guess I’ll say hello to him.
“It’s been a while. You’ve been a great help to me many times in the past.”
Ah, this is so nostalgic. I’ve been using the dark dungeon to raise my level for the endgame. How many times have I defeated Dullahan before I reached level 99? I couldn’t even count it.
“Eh?”
“…Why is he running away?”
The Duke, who was frightened by the Dullahan, muttered in wonder. I never thought that a monster that stinks of death could run away like that….
“Wait—please wait a minute.”
He kept increasing his speed as I chased after him. It was a frantic run… ah, he fell. His head rolled as he let it go.
In the past, Dullahan had become more agile as the battle continued and was getting harder to land a hit on him. Huh, could it be that he was desperately trying to escape?
I felt a little sorry for him, but I can’t just let a monster that Patrick might have trouble with roaming around in the wild.
When Dullahan got up he looked around for his head, which is when I fired a spell at him.
“See, I told you everything will be fine, didn’t I? Oh!”
When I turned around after dealing with the finishing blow, the Duke was being attacked by multiple monsters. I had forgotten that Dullahan wasn’t the only monster that had appeared.
Something that the Duke said to me earlier had crossed my mind. He said defense didn’t suit my ability at all.
Chasing after Dullahan had put a considerable distance between us. I could try attacking from a distance but I was afraid of hitting the Duke. Even if I run, I won’t make it in time.
A mob of monsters rushed towards Duke Hillrose, and all I could do was watch in silence.
That day, the leader of the rebellion, Duke Hillrose, died.
I admit the light barrier is stronger than my strength. I can’t afford to be careless.
Since I flung my staff towards Patrick, I recovered my sword from the ground.
I don’t have any swordsmanship experience, so I just swung my sword with all my strength like a baseball bat into the barrier.
“Ugh, my hands are numb.”
The sound that resulted due to the sword and the barrier clashing was ear-splitting, but not even a scratch appeared on the barrier. And there wasn’t any damage to the blade.
Did it happen due to the magic? Then, it’s only courteous for me to use the highest level of dark magic here.
“Black Hole!”
I tried making the Black Hole smaller than usual since I want to avoid wiping out the Duke accidentally.
The Black Hole was as large as a human head and swallowed up the glowing barrier.
After it disappeared, the barrier… the barrier was gone! It left a hole in the barrier.
I’m a wizard, after all. Although people say I’m a muscle-brain, I can think before I act.
The Duke stared at the hole I made in the barrier with an astonished gaze.
“Don’t tell me it’s a legendary magic tool?! Huh??”
He suddenly snorted as he noticed something. I followed his gaze and saw the hole was gradually closing.
I didn’t expect the barrier to include an auto-repair function. The restoration speed of the damaged barrier was increasing rapidly, and it would be finished any second now.
The hole that was initially big enough to stick my head in was now just big enough for me to stick my arms through.
“Ahh! Wait a minute!”
Before I realised what I was doing, I had already stuck my right hand in the hole that was slowly closing up. I’ll try to pry it open using my strength. I have faith in my muscles.
The barrier was closing in with my hand halfway through.
And then it happened. My elbow that was inside the barrier fell to the ground with a thud.
“Don’t you think there’s something epic about getting this injured? What do you think, Duke?”
“Whoaaa!! Hey, are you okay? Your arm, look at your arm!”
The cut was clean. I’ve been injured many times, but I’ve never seen this kind of cross-section before. There was this one time when a monster with a sickle for an arm had cut me, the wound was even messier.
“Will they stick if I press them together?”
“Hey! The blood! There’s so much blood!”
“Yeah, the amount of blood on my right side is somewhat lacking, isn’t it? Is it because my heart is on the left? Or is there another reason for that?”
Since the barrier had been erected in a small area, my arm was barely touching the Duke. His back was pressed against the barrier behind him.
You don’t need to be nervous, you know. I’m not even sure if he’s a pervert who lusts after women’s hands or just he’s trying to take my arms home.
“I’m sorry, that was too far. I didn’t think you’d be that freaked out. Heal.”
The splattered blood began to absorb back into my arm. The arm that was inside the barrier was still intact. I don’t think healing and attaching it back together was going to work. Then I need to make a new arm, the only downside is it’s going to consume a lot of magic.
Good thing that I’m used to this. A few seconds after casting restoration magic, my beautiful right arm grew back.
The only lasting damage was that one of my sleeves was reduced to three-quarter length.
“You… are you really human? What kind of—”
Said the Duke, almost puking in disgust.
This is another incident where they don’t treat me like a human being. But I get it, restorative magic users are scarce, so it’s not hard to mistake them as angels.
Patrick and Ryuu will take care of the monsters, and it’s all up to me to secure the suicidal person in front of me.
My nemesis is proven to be weak against high-level dark magic. Even though it will regenerate back, the regeneration process is visible to the naked eye.
“Your end is near, Black Hole!”
The dark sphere appeared to cover roughly half of the cube, which radiated light. Since the Duke had his back pressed against the barrier, it was easy to keep him out of it.
When the Black Hole disappeared, it took half the barrier with it. As I focused my attention on the Duke to secure the rest, his chest began to glow.
He was wearing well-made clothes. What kind of light could illuminate through the fine quality fabrics?
Before I could jump into the barrier, my instinct screamed at me to step back.
That decision that I took a split second saved my life. Because this time, the barrier regeneration speed was faster. The barrier returned to normal instantly.
Had I ignored my instinct, the upper half of my body would be waving goodbye to my lower half. It was that dangerous.
Losing an arm or a leg is still manageable with restorative magic, but losing half of my body is pushing it. Besides, it never happened to me before, so I wouldn’t know if I could survive that.
The Duke didn’t seem to understand what had happened before he took out a strange glowing jewel from his pocket. He looked at the jewel and grinned.
“I thought I was done for… as expected from a legendary class magic tool.”
“Is that….”
“This is the real form of the barrier magic tool. I went through a lot of trouble to steal it.”
The shining jewel was the barrier’s true form. It had an unknown power source but it’s finite. Sooner or later, it will run out. If I keep trying to erase the barrier and let it regenerate, maybe….
It was a great solution for the barrier but it could accidentally hurt the Duke. I have no choice but to try a different tactic.
I tried to think of another plan, but the barrier was highly resistant to dark magic and physical attacks. But any other magic attributes should be able to bypass it.
When the town problem has been handled, I will have Patrick blow the Duke away with his wind magic.
I can continue my duel with barrier-chan later. Right now, I have to be patient.
“It all comes down to a battle of endurance.”
“Did you forget? My goal isn’t making you deal with the monsters.”
The Duke regained his composure and adjusted the arm that was left at his feet before continuing.
“If I die knowing I left you with regrets, so be it. It might be unimpressive, but I guess I’m okay with it.”
Then he took out a dagger and put it to his neck.
“W-wait a minute.”
If he dies like that, I’m sure it will haunt my nightmare.
I decided to use my left hand. My right hand was still growing so it wasn’t perfect yet.
Just before it collided with the barrier, I saw my left hand. The same hand with the ring adorned with jewels reminds me of Patrick’s eyes.
I pulled my hand back in time.
“That was dangerous.”
That was close. My engagement ring was about to become a causality. Maybe it’s better to put it away from everyday use?
This is my treasured item. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the time when Patrick filled the ring with his wind magic… wait, wind magic?
“Thank you, Patrick.”
Duke Hillrose, who was about to slit his neck, held up his left hand.
“There’s a favor I want to ask for my daughter.”
“It’s too early for you to make a will. Also, your daughter is safe and sound at my place right now.”
“Huh?! My daughter is at his brother—”
“Wind!”
Responding to my words, the ring emitted an intense glow.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.
After he was hit, the Duke lurched backward and fell.
“Farewell.”
The fall didn’t make him lose the grip of his dagger. It took him a while to regain control before holding up the dagger to his neck again.
I guess he put the dagger first. But that’s not the one I’m after. When he fell and chose to hold on to his dagger, he let go of the object in his other hand.
“I’m sorry, but this is the thing I’m after.”
The wind moves following my will to create a small tornado, sending the jewel on the ground into the air.
I’m sorry, Barrier-chan. But I have to destroy your true form. I admit that you’re strong, but my Black Hole can erase you. If only the Duke wasn’t around, I could erase the whole barrier. Does that mean I win?
The jewel was blown through the barrier by the magical wind. Ironically, it collided with the existing barrier.
When it collided, the jewel shattered.
“Noo!”
As the jewel shattered, the barrier disappeared.
The dagger managed to penetrate the surprised Duke’s neck.
Kicking the ground, I jumped in front of him and flicked the dagger away.
“It’s too late….”
The blood was gushing from the Duke. With hollow eyes and a twisted smile, he said.
“I don’t think so, I was just in time. Heal.”
I can grow an arm. Healing a cut on the neck is an easier feat.
After I healed the wounds, his eyes gradually regained their vitality. As soon as he regained his consciousness, he looked at me in surprise. Hahaha, give praise, for I, the angel who saved his life.
“Damn, you monster.”
“Isn’t that too much?”
“You wasted all my time and effort. My plans have already come to light, execution is inevitable for treason against the Royal Family.”
“Oh—, that’s the thing, isn’t it? Instead of going to Ronald-san’s place, your daughter came to mine….”
“What?! Is she really here?!”
The extremist nobles in the royal capital must be wondering why the Duke didn’t come to the rally. The biggest mistake in his plan was how he entrusted the crucial documents in Eleanora’s hand.
“I think I can confidently say I could get things under control now….”
“You can’t do that! It’s the Duke House’s duty, our destiny.”
“What? For this kingdom? I think you’ve done enough.”
“This serves no purpose. We’ve got nothing to talk about anymore. Please take care of my daughter, that girl is a lonely child. Every so often she starts doing crazy things, but she’ll get bored with it soon enough. And then….”
For him, entrusting his son to someone else to anticipate the downfall of the Duke House. I had wondered what made Eleanora’s case so different, but it appears to me that he just didn’t want to part with his lovely daughter.
“If Miss Eleanora is someone you treasure, why don’t you stay with her?”
“Can I ask this as a favor? Can’t I?”
Please pay attention when you’re having a conversation with people.
I hate that I kinda agree with him. The least I can do is take care of my friend.
“Haa, alright. Your status will be no more and she should be able to fight to some extent, right?”
“Will you teach her those adventurer-like skills?”
“Don’t fret. I’ll help her to level up. Oh! Can I have your monster summoning flute? I could use it as a tool to help level up.”
“W-what are you going to make my daughter do? I can’t die like this, I must protect my daughter!”
No, that was me trying to be kind. I was hoping he’d trust me enough to take care of his daughter.
“If you don’t like what I’m about to do, live. Live your life and watch over your daughter again. That girl adores you too much, you know.”
He snorted and slumped, loosening the tension on his shoulder. And this is how the rebellion he caused came to an end.
“What the heck is happening here?!”
The Duke said that, trembling in fear. Not that I’m agreeing with him again but I could feel the atmosphere changing.
“There’s something nostalgic about this….”
“No, this is even worse… is that?”
He started looking around, searching what caused the atmosphere to change and his eyes were glued to a spot.
In that direction, he saw a knight.
Riding a large horse, with splendid armor and a black miasma wafting through the air. And neither of them had a head.
“Dullahan… really exist?”
The monster that is said to spread death is the dark dungeon’s last boss. Did the flute’s noise attract the monster who was inside the dungeon?
One after another, the monsters led by Dullahan appeared. Every one of them is a formidable enemy in the depths of the dungeon. Their overall strength is stronger than the Demon King.
Subjected to the dense atmosphere of death, the Duke hunched over.
“Just leave! Without the help from Ashbaton’s son, it will be too hard for you to handle.”
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
“On what basis?!”
“I’ll handle the general right now. It will be safer for you.”
I started running towards the headless knight, trying not to pay any attention to the noise that the Duke made behind my back.
I’m going to fight the strongest monster’s class alone.
The knight held his head in his left hand and for a second it seemed like how we stared at each other’s eyes but I couldn’t be sure since his eyes were hidden away behind his helmet.
I don’t know if it was only in my imagination, but the calm horse suddenly neighed. The horse raised their front legs so hard that the knight on his back was thrown off.
“Eh?”
After throwing off the knight, the horse started to run as fast as it could, towards the opposite direction, putting a distance between us.
Dullahan picked up his dropped head then turned his head to me. Oh, and this time we definitely saw eye to eye.
We were not strangers, I guess I’ll say hello to him.
“It’s been a while. You’ve been a great help to me many times in the past.”
Ah, this is so nostalgic. I’ve been using the dark dungeon to raise my level for the endgame. How many times have I defeated Dullahan before I reached level 99? I couldn’t even count it.
“Eh?”
“…Why is he running away?”
The Duke, who was frightened by the Dullahan, muttered in wonder. I never thought that a monster that stinks of death could run away like that….
“Wait—please wait a minute.”
He kept increasing his speed as I chased after him. It was a frantic run… ah, he fell. His head rolled as he let it go.
In the past, Dullahan had become more agile as the battle continued and was getting harder to land a hit on him. Huh, could it be that he was desperately trying to escape?
I felt a little sorry for him, but I can’t just let a monster that Patrick might have trouble with roaming around in the wild.
When Dullahan got up he looked around for his head, which is when I fired a spell at him.
“See, I told you everything will be fine, didn’t I? Oh!”
When I turned around after dealing with the finishing blow, the Duke was being attacked by multiple monsters. I had forgotten that Dullahan wasn’t the only monster that had appeared.
Something that the Duke said to me earlier had crossed my mind. He said defense didn’t suit my ability at all.
Chasing after Dullahan had put a considerable distance between us. I could try attacking from a distance but I was afraid of hitting the Duke. Even if I run, I won’t make it in time.
A mob of monsters rushed towards Duke Hillrose, and all I could do was watch in silence.
That day, the leader of the rebellion, Duke Hillrose, died.
