Chapter : 162

While Lucian was catching his breath, Mordegar hid behind a pillar of the Imperial Palace.

Although Mordegar had disappeared, Lucian did not panic, gripping the Holy Sword and steadying his breathing.

The moment he panicked, he might be defeated.

The important thing was to maintain composure.

“!”

A fiercely burning fireball appeared in mid-air and flew at him menacingly.

The target wasn’t Lucian, but the joint of the ceiling chandelier!

The hot fireball instantly melted the joint connecting the ceiling and the chandelier.

The chandelier immediately began to fall towards Lucian.

“Kuh!”

I have to dodge!

Before that thought could even fully form, frost that started from somewhere covered the floor, and in an instant, a sheet of ice was created, so slippery it seemed he would fall at any moment.

Alright. If I can’t dodge, I’ll shatter it before it falls!

Lucian did not panic, and after a short, deep breath, he put strength into his legs.

Crack!

With the sound of ice breaking, the frost covering the floor was instantly shattered into powder.

Lucian, who had leaped up with explosive force, swung his sword at the chandelier without a moment’s hesitation.

He swung his sword once more at the chandelier that had been split in two, and it broke into four pieces.

He then continued to swing the sword at a speed that was hard to follow with the eye, and eventually, the chandelier was reduced to small pieces and scattered on the floor.

Lucian, who had landed on the floor with his posture broken, created a foothold with a circle of earth and leaped towards Mordegar.

The Holy Sword flew towards the tip of Mordegar’s neck, who had been observing the entire situation as if watching a lab rat.

The sharp Holy Sword was so keen it seemed it would cut off Mordegar’s life at any moment.

“Hmm.”

To this extent. It was surprising, but within expectations.

A change occurred in Mordegar’s body as he crushed a potion at his waist.

His hands and arms turned an ashen color like steel, and a fierce sound like metal clashing against metal rang out.

Mordegar, who had caught the Holy Sword with both palms, began to slowly bend the sword as if to test its strength.

“Kugh…!”

Lucian’s expression, which had been trying to maintain composure, contorted at the unexpected situation.

But he quickly regained his composure, released his grip on the sword, and in an instant, put distance between himself and Mordegar.

While he was creating distance, the Holy Sword had lost its form and disappeared, and then, scattering its radiance once more, it was grasped in Lucian’s hand.

“An interesting method.”

To give up the sword himself. It was a method that an ordinary knight would not think of, and even if they did, they would not do it.

It was the strategy of a merchant rather than a knight.

Who could have taught such a thing to the esteemed hero, who should be more righteous than anyone?

In fact, it was not a very difficult question.

It was either Lerwon, or perhaps Theo Lisitoel.

The hero also associated with Zephyros Nevera, but the Zephyros Mordegar knew was closer to a knight than a merchant.

“…Indeed, interesting.”

Unlike the intrigued Mordegar, Lucian was only displeased.

What was so amusing about this situation that he was muttering to himself!

Just as his expression was about to contort, he remembered his friend’s advice to never show his emotions and barely managed to calm his excitement.

Don’t panic. The moment I panic, the tip of my sword will waver, and it will lead to defeat.

Believe in myself!

But believing in himself was still a difficult thing for Lucian.

Even now, he was being swept away by his opponent.

Moreover, this fight would not even have been established in the first place if Mordegar’s purpose hadn’t been to ‘play along’ and then subdue him.

I am damn weak.

It would be an overindulgence to think I could surpass those who have trained for decades just because I was chosen by the Holy Sword.

But was I just going to whine like this?

Could I accept being unilaterally toyed with like this, just because my opponent was stronger than me?

‘…No way.’

It’s frustrating. It’s damn frustrating.

So frustrating it felt like my head would turn white with anger.

I’m sick and tired of my own weakness.

So, I will absolutely not be defeated like this.

This much is not enough. Give me more power.

I want to win against this person in front of me.

I absolutely don’t want to lose—

The Holy Sword gladly responded to the hero’s intense desire.

It bowed its head as if it had been waiting for only that command, and in accordance with the first command, it bestowed power.

The one who noticed the change first was not the owner of the Holy Sword, but Mordegar who was fighting him.

In the blink of an eye, Lucian, who had instantly closed the distance, swung his sword horizontally.

At the sudden and distinct change in speed, Mordegar reacted a moment too late and barely managed to block the sword with his hands, but was pushed back and slammed into a pillar.

“Kugh!!”

What just happened? My reaction was slow.

But I can’t falter just because of that.

Here he comes!

Mordegar quickly threw a potion he had prepared at Lucian.

However, Lucian swung the Holy Sword without hesitation.

Clang!

The sound of the Holy Sword breaking the bottle containing the alchemy potion was heard.

The potion that was about to pour over Lucian touched the Holy Sword and quickly vaporized.

I knew that the Holy Sword had the power to nullify magic.

That was one of the well-known powers of the Holy Sword.

But even Mordegar didn’t know that it could even destroy an alchemy potion that had undergone complete magical processing!

Lucian, who had flown in in an instant, shallowly cut Mordegar with his sword, then kicked him and sent him flying into the wall.

“Kuhb!!”

Mordegar, who had suffered both external and internal injuries from the two consecutive attacks, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His speed was clearly faster than before. And there was one more problem.

‘His attacks are relentless.’

Those who suddenly gain great power, like the Descendant of the Hero, are unskilled at controlling their strength.

They naturally hold back, worried that if they use too much force, they might hurt their opponent more than they intended.

It was a natural human instinct, unless one was ‘trained’ not to care whether their opponent lived or died.

This was especially true for someone like Lucian who lacked confidence.

That’s why Mordegar was confident that he could subdue him alone, even though his opponent was the Hero of the Holy Sword.

That was a perfectly logical and reasonable assessment.

But Lucian’s current state was far beyond his expectations.

“…Ha.”

Indeed, it seems people haven’t been praying for the hero’s return for nothing.

Mordegar met the hero’s eyes, which were completely different from before, as cold as frost.

Mordegar, who had been repeatedly clenching and unclenching his left hand, simultaneously launched arrows of ice and fire at Lucian.

Lucian, who ducked and rushed to close the distance with Mordegar once more, elegantly swung the Holy Sword.

Light flashed, and the magic shattered into scattered mana.

I’ll subdue him now!

Lucian’s objective was clear.

The opening in his defense was on the left. He swung the Holy Sword sharply and ruthlessly.

Slice.

With a cool sound, the Holy Sword, aiming for the opening, instantly cut off Mordegar’s left arm.

As the gushing blood splattered on Lucian’s cheek, Lucian, who had reached a state of ecstasy, gasped in surprise.

“It seems you’ve come to your senses.”

Thanks to his left arm being severed, a crack began to form in the magic he had cast earlier.

At this rate, the magic would break in 3 minutes, and within 1-2 minutes, the Imperial Palace soldiers would notice the change and gather.

Then it would be Mordegar’s defeat.

“I am a merchant, so I dislike taking a loss.”

Magic shimmered in Mordegar’s left hand.

I have to dodge!

A warning light went off in Lucian’s head, and he immediately tried to create distance, but Mordegar was one step faster.

An impact from magic occurred.

Lucian bit the tip of his tongue to keep from losing consciousness.

The taste of blood filled his mouth from biting too hard.

Mordegar closed in on Lucian, who had lost his balance and was staggering, though he still held his sword.

“!”

Mordegar’s hand touched Lucian’s solar plexus, and at that moment, the impact magic activated once more.

Now, with the impact delivered directly to his body, Lucian’s body trembled, and the Holy Sword he had been gripping tightly fell to the ground with a thud.

As its master lost consciousness, the Holy Sword disappeared, and Lucian collapsed onto the floor.

“Hero, I have no grudge against you.”

It was simply that his master had ordered him to subdue the hero.

Mordegar was just a weapon in his master’s hand, so his personal opinions didn’t matter.

The magic broke, and he could feel several people who had noticed the crack rushing this way.

Mordegar took out a potion from his pocket with his right hand and opened the lid with his mouth.

The greenish potion showed at a glance that it was not an ordinary potion.

Mordegar poured the potion over Lucian’s head without hesitation.

The potion of ominous color was instantly absorbed into Lucian’s skin, disappearing without a trace.

“……”

Looking at Lucian, Mordegar could feel no joy of victory.

There was only a sense of relief that he had been able to carry out his master’s order, along with a slight anxiety towards his master.

* * *

Today was the day the Emperor himself hosted a party.

Far more nobles than usual had visited the Imperial Palace, and the number of royal guards was also several times the usual.

Even for the Emperor, it was impossible to gather the testimonies of the royal guards in just 30 minutes.

However, Leonald Lapileon was different.

The man who had single-handedly revived the empire that was collapsing under the tyranny of his father, a tyrant and a foolish king.

In the face of his competence, the word ‘impossible’ lost its meaning.

The Emperor, who had somehow gathered the information within the time limit, let out a faint sigh in trouble.

Unfortunately, not a single royal guard had seen Theo.

But conversely, what that meant was clear.

Leonald had taken every precaution today and had deployed the royal guards without any gaps. Yet no one had seen him—

“Magic was involved.”

Without magic, it would be impossible to evade the gazes of all those densely packed royal guards, no matter how short a time he had walked.

This was even more true unless Theo Lisitoel had intentionally hidden himself.

“Who dares.”

The Emperor clenched his fist so tightly it felt like it would break.

There were not many mages who could use such powerful magic. If he started grilling the invited guests of today, he would surely—

Just as he was about to call someone to give the order, the door opened.

“Forgive me for not knocking, Your Majesty. I have something urgent to report!”

At the unusually urgent appearance of the royal guard, the Emperor frowned.

“What is it?”

“The Descendant of the Hero has been attacked and has collapsed!”

The moment he heard the royal guard’s shout, the quill pen in the Emperor’s hand was completely crushed.

“Damn it.”

Theo had disappeared, and the hero had collapsed from an attack.

He didn’t even want to dare to imagine what would happen to the Empire from now on.

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