novelraw Chapter 67 : Chapter 67
Chapter 67 : Chapter 67
Chapter 67. A Certain Training (1)
Alvarez himself was bewildered.
'Why am I being like this?'
The moment a drunk Adel kissed Frank's forehead.
It felt as if his heart had dropped.Even though his heart wasn't even functioning properly.
His original heart had rotted away long ago.
What filled his insides wasn't organs, but only the dense magic of darkness.
Perhaps it was from that moment on.
When he started to trail behind Frank.
He didn't know the reason why, but it felt like he had to.
Perhaps he wanted to know when he would let his guard down.
Alvarez silently lingered nearby, never taking his eyes off Frank for a moment.
He shared drinks and conversation with Rude for a long time, and then, when Rude fell asleep, he covered him with a blanket and moved somewhere alone.
'Where is he going?'
He quietly followed him.
He walked alone to where the hot spring was and took something out from his bosom.
In that instant, something golden sparkled.
Then he dissolved it in the hot spring water and began to gather the water.
Soon, a transparent yet round something was created.
'What is that?'
An object he had never seen or even heard of.
Around Frank, starting with the ancient dragon Anticus, now called Anonymous.
The Seven Deadly Sins, which he had only heard of in fairy tales.
The Sage Rude. Saintess Isabel, and so on.
It was full of all sorts of monsters, but the most overwhelming of all was Frank himself.
'The potion he used to resurrect me as an undead was one thing, but he truly has all sorts of strange things.'
The more he learned, the less he felt he knew about the man named Frank.
At times, he even doubted if he was a human of this world.
After all, he became friends with powerful figures too easily and brought out items he had never seen or heard of.
It was also strange.
Not Frank's change, but his own.
When he was resurrected as an undead, he couldn't think.
He was nothing more than a doll following its master's orders.
However, after evolving into a Death Knight, he became able to think with his own head, just as when he was alive.
At the same time, he no longer thought of Frank as his master.
Afterward, Frank returned to where the tents were and fell asleep.
'Should I kill him?'
Such a thought crossed his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to act on it.
Because Adel would be sad if he did.
Frank slept in late and then suggested they all go hunting together.
Hunting, he said.
He remembered his childhood, climbing the back mountain with Adel and catching countless hares.
Was it because of that?
He moved his body without realizing it and pierced a wild boar's heart with a single strike.
It was just that.
But Frank told Rude to attack him.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and attack."
Rude, while looking troubled, said this.
"Damn it. Since I became a vassal, I'll do as I'm told, but you'd better explain this properly later."
As soon as those words ended.
Wasn't Rude gathering magical power in both hands and deploying attack magic?
The direction his hands were pointing was toward him.
"O invisible power drifting in the air, gather as one and become a single, powerful arrow!"
Then, in the empty space where nothing could be felt just a moment ago, it felt as if something had been created, and it was shot strongly toward him.
He couldn't see what it was, but he could tell it was dangerous.
'Should I counter this?'
Alvarez pondered for a moment, then silently took the arrow.
It wasn't as powerful as he thought.
But gradually, the number of arrows, and their intensity, grew stronger.
Thwack! Thump! Thwump!!
The impact was like being hit by real arrows.
Rude clicked his tongue in amazement and said.
"Oh? You can withstand this?"
He shot more invisible arrows, and as he did, the bone armor was slowly chipped away.
Thinking that something bad might happen if this continued, Alvarez finally put strength into the hand holding his sword.
Kkak. Kakagagak!
The sound of bones clashing and twisting was loud.
The moment he was about to close the distance in an instant and pierce his heart.
He heard Adel's scream from behind.
"What are you doing! Stop, Alvarez!!"
Alvarez stopped in mid-air as if he had slammed on the brakes.
The cold tip of his sword stopped right in front of Rude's heart.
Had it gone an inch further, Rude would have collapsed on the floor.
When he looked back, Adel was staring at him with her eyes wide open.
Her face was filled with bewilderment and disappointment.
Alvarez turned his gaze and stared at Frank.
'Did he anticipate this and provoke me?'
But he couldn't quite figure out what Frank was thinking.
Because he was maintaining his poker face as usual.
He was truly an inscrutable man.
***
'That was a close call.'
I breathed a sigh of relief.
If Adel hadn't jumped out and stopped him, Rude might have already been a dead man.
To think he would react so extremely.
There were some suspicious signs, but I never imagined he would try to kill Rude.
But I couldn't act surprised here.
If things had gone slightly wrong, Rude's head would have been rolling on the floor.
With a blank face, I lowered my voice and said.
"You move on your own without my command."
"I merely reacted, feeling my life was in danger."
"Even though Rude was almost killed!"
Rude was so surprised that he hid behind me, panting heavily.
"Hah. Hah. I-I was almost killed."
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, I felt sorry and a little amused.
Leaving Rude behind, Adel questioned what had happened.
"What on earth happened? Why did Alvarez try to attack Master?"
But I shook my head and deliberately spoke sternly.
"This matter takes precedence right now. Alvarez, what in the world are you?"
"······."
Alvarez remained silent.
The fellow was quiet for a while before slowly opening his mouth.
"It was my fault. I will gladly accept any punishment."
"That's not what I want to hear. I want to confirm whether you are truly our ally. Whom do you serve?"
Alvarez looked back and forth between me and Adel, then brought up a shocking story.
"The one I serve is only Young Lady Adel, and no one else." "That's strange. I was the one who resurrected you. Isn't it normal for you to recognize me as your master? Until you evolved into a Death Knight, that was an undeniable fact."
"When I reawakened as a Death Knight, the first person I saw was Young Lady Adel."
His voice was as calm as usual, but there was a hint of trembling somewhere.
"And······ her face was terribly gaunt."
The fellow couldn't continue his words for a moment.
"She was crying silently. But more than that, the first thing I felt was fear."
Alvarez clenched and unclenched his fist.
The fingertips of his bony hands creaked, as if they would shatter from the force.
"In her eyes when she saw me, there was clear terror. More than when I died."
Alvarez's whole body trembled slightly as if overcome with emotion.
I suddenly realized.
'Basically, the dead follow the one who resurrects them. When I first awakened him as an undead, he saw me, but when he evolved into a Death Knight, he saw Adel first, so perhaps he recognizes Adel as his master.'
But the fact that a Death Knight is also an undead does not change.
An undead with emotions and an ego.
Is such a result possible?
"Do you truly mean that you consider Adel your master?"
The fellow held out his bone sword and spoke forcefully.
"I swear on this sword that there is not a single lie in my words."
The pitch of his voice was the same, but his eyes glinted with a blue light.
An overwhelming spirit, enough to make one's hair stand on end.
I slowly nodded my head.
"I will believe your words."
But Rude, who was almost killed, pointed at the fellow and raised his voice.
"What kind of crazy talk is that? He's dangerous! Didn't he try to kill me just a moment ago!"
Well, you attacked first, so he just counterattacked.
Of course, I was the one who ordered Rude to attack.
"There's no need to worry. If he pledges loyalty to Adel, he is not our enemy."
"Thank you, Father."
"...Who is your father?"
"Because you are my master's father."
Geuddeuk-
I ground my teeth and replied.
"From now on, you will also call me Master."
"Yes, Master."
I clicked my tongue and said we should head back.
Adel had a face full of worry.
Rude, with a dazed face, couldn't come to his senses, but at least now that he knew Alvarez wasn't an enemy, there was no need to cause any more of a ruckus.
Above all, if we left the caught boar as it is, the meat would spoil.
It would be troublesome to forget that this episode is a chapter of harmony and rest, not confrontation.
***
Meanwhile, at that time.
Iris was sitting at her desk, chin in hand, staring blankly out the window.
"There's nothing to do······."
Several months had already passed since she joined hands with the Goddess Cult and dispatched the Unseen Ones all over the world.
At first, various news came from here and there, but that was short-lived.
Now, no particular news was coming from anywhere.
"It seemed like the world was about to end right away, but it's too quiet."
On one hand, she thought it was like the calm before the storm, but there was just too little work to do.
To the point where she wondered if the fellow named Primus even existed.
"Ah, I'm bored. Isn't there anything fun to do?"
At that very moment.
Number 1, who had suddenly appeared, uttered these words.
"You sound carefree."
Iris, as if she was used to it by now, retorted without being surprised.
"What can I do? No news is coming in at all."
"Then, would you like to receive some training? There's nothing like training when you're free."
"Training, you say?"
Number 1 nodded and continued.
"As the master of the Unseen Ones, it would be good to be able to protect your own life. Otherwise, your subordinates will look down on you."
"Hmph. I've done just fine without any martial prowess until now, haven't I? Besides, you're the one who will protect my life, Number 1, so why should I?"
However, Number 1 spat out words with a profound meaning.
"Things might be different from now on. I have a feeling that will be the case."
Iris narrowed her eyes and asked.
"What are you going to teach me?"
"Assassination techniques."
"Wh-whaat?"
Assassination techniques to a lady.
Iris was so dumbfounded that she was speechless.
***
The training was not just for Iris.
It was also happening simultaneously deep within the Elburz Mountains.
"You're too soft. It would be better to stab a little stronger here."
Adel gasps for breath and nods her head with difficulty.
Just then, Alvarez, who was next to Adel, launched a surprise attack.
"Oohoot!!"
If it had been me during the day, my heart would have been pierced with a single blow.
But now, it is night.
It is my time.
I easily dodged the fellow's attack and sent a back kick, fiercely kicking his back.
Thud!
Perhaps not expecting me to use my feet, the fellow collapsed to the floor.
Anonymous clasped her hands together and expressed her admiration.
"Wow. Just pure brilliance."
With a stern face, I chided the fellow.
"Your attacks are too linear. Anyone who isn't a fool wouldn't get hit."
I'm fighting 2 against 1, but I don't feel like I'll lose at all.
Because when my power returned, I could see my opponent's attacks at a glance.
How should I describe it?
Should I say I can see the trajectory of the sword?
I could predict where and with what movement they would move.
While Alvarez was dusting himself off and getting up.
I felt a strong killing intent from behind me.
It was Adel, who had come to her senses, thrusting her sword at me.
However, Adel's sword merely grazed my collar and cut through the air.
I lightly extended my hand and struck the nape of her neck.
"Keuk!"
Adel, who had collapsed on the floor, rubbed her forehead with one hand and felt dizzy.
"Kill your killing intent, Adel. Your movements are so obvious!"
Are you asking how this suddenly happened?
We were in the middle of a grand meat party after the hunt had ended.
Alvarez, perhaps feeling sorry toward Rude, butchered the meat on his own without being told and processed the red flesh by part.
While we were grilling and eating the boar and drinking the remaining alcohol.
Rude suddenly gestured to Alvarez and shouted.
"Hey, Skull Knight! You come over here and have some drinks too."
As I knew Rude's personality better than anyone, I instantly knew what kind of sentiment he had when he said this.
'For Rude, he sure mustered up some courage.'
His heart must have shrunk to the size of a bean, yet he managed to pretend to be a bigger person and call Alvarez over.
It was proof that he too was growing in his own way.
Alvarez also sat down next to Rude without a word and accepted the drink Rude poured for him.
That was the starting point.