The Duke’s Madness

Cannes Madrid.

One of the enemies you didn’t kill in your last life.

And the source of all the machinations that destroyed the House of Bavaria.

Because of that, Arthur couldn’t believe the current situation.

‘It’s not a hallucination, it’s the real Cannes Madrid?’

Realistically, it didn’t make sense.

Why is Can Madrid here?

So Arthur was able to know that the current situation was an illusion.

‘An imaginary enemy created by searching my head. but… .’

Arthur hesitates with a murmur.

My senses told me that Cannes Madrid in front of me was real.

The cold sweat running down his back spoke for that fact.

A situation in which the head and body make different claims in front of the same sight.

So when Arthur couldn’t do anything, Khan Madrid muttered.

“Why is the Bavarian child here?”

“… .”

“Even while hiding behind an artifact and hiding your identity…”

Arthur flinched.

‘Heard. I saw through my identity.’

The moment he realized that, Arthur backed off without even realizing it.

‘why? Why am I backing down?’

I couldn’t understand.

Just because his identity was revealed, why did he step down?

But the body didn’t listen.

To get away from Can Madrid in front of me, my feet spread the distance at will.

Because of that, when Arthur is embarrassed again, Can Madrid opens his mouth again.

“What is the reason for being a mercenary in the back streets of Arcane? Arthur Bavaria?”

“… .”

“What is the purpose of catching Martial Durst, the spy of the imperial palace?”

“… .”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Arthur opened his mouth.

But no sound came out.

Khan Madrid, who was watching the situation, muttered in a dry voice.

“I guess you don’t have the heart to answer… Then I will force you to open your mouth.”

With these words, Can Madrid raises his hand.

At the same time, Arthur raised his eyes.

familiar hand.

Can Madrid, who pierced my chest with that hand.

himself dying coldly.

And the past me praying towards the sky.

The moment the forgotten old memories came to mind, Arthur no longer hesitated.

He pulled the trigger of the handgun he had drawn without warning.

bang-!

Blood spurts from Can Madrid’s body as gunfire rang out.

It was time for Arthur to exhale at the sight of him staggering.

His eyes widened at the blood dripping from his shoulder.

“… .”

At the same time, the physical condition and the dizzy mind gradually return.

With that change, Arthur realizes.

‘FALSE. Not real. The blood of Can Madrid… It’s not red.’

His blood, which he had seen before, was black.

However, his blood flowing now was red.

That means that everything right now is fake.

The moment you realize that fact, the dizzy world returns and the excitement subsides.

Amidst that, Arthur let out a dry laugh.

“hahahaha… .”

“… .”

“It’s fun. A hallucination that deceives my senses… . He is a great sorcerer.”

With a murmur, Arthur runs out of his seat.

At the same time, he aimed for Can Madrid’s neck with the meteorite sword he drew.

Can Madrid, who was watching, did not stand still.

Block Arthur’s blow with the drawn dagger.

visor-!

With the violent sound of swords clashing, Arthur and Khan Madrid’s eyes cross.

As they looked at each other for a while, Arthur deflected Can Madrid’s dagger.

and raises the pistol.

bang!

The muzzle shoots fire with a roar of gunfire.

Can Madrid, who was hit without avoiding the bullet, vomits blood.

Arthur, who did not miss the opportunity, raised his sword and cut off both of Khan Madrid’s hands.

“… !”

Can Madrid raises his eyes and looks at his severed hands.

In the meantime, Arthur kicks him hard in the chest.

Can Madrid, who has fallen helplessly, is doomed to cesspit water.

Taking advantage of that gap, Arthur climbed on top of Can Madrid and thrust the meteoric sword into his throat.

puck.

With a strange sound, Can Madrid opens his mouth.

Arthur, who was watching the scene, murmured.

“Even if it’s a hallucination, it feels dirty.”

“… .”

“I didn’t want to kill you like this.”

Arthur smiles coldly.

At the same time, Can Madrid’s body disintegrates.

Hypnosis is broken.

Cuckoo-!

At that moment, everything around me started to shift.

Time, which had been stopped, began to flow again.

Arthur, who watched the scene, turned his head.

“… … .”

3 fallen mercenaries.

Then I saw Carpe groaning while sitting cross-legged.

A total of six people, including himself, entered this place, but one was empty.

Arthur grasped the situation and murmured.

“Hiding your identity… . It was dormant.”

With these words, Arthur raises the corner of his mouth.

“Please, Keras. I never thought that mercenary was the culprit.”

* * *

Hypnosis was a very tricky magic.

Once caught, the boundary between reality and virtual collapses. Even if he was freed from that spell, the odds of him remaining sane were extremely low.

‘That’s why it’s difficult to hang. Like making body contact or making eye contact for a certain amount of time.’

and now,

I was able to understand why I was caught in hypnosis with that tricky condition.

‘D-class mercenary Keras… he was the culprit That’s why I fell into hypnosis.’

It was a long time to move with him.

That should have been enough time for a wizard who knew how to hypnotize.

At that time, the nearby spirits instill confidence in this family.

[Ah, Arthur! A little while ago, a man named Keras… .]

At the whispers of the spirits, Arthur nodded.

After that, I turned my gaze and looked at Carpe.

Unlike the other mercenaries, he was groaning while sitting cross-legged.

Rather than being hypnotized, he seemed to be fighting hypnosis.

Arthur, who was worried, approached Carpe and slapped him in the back of the head.

“… aaagh!!”

With a one-beat late scream, Carpe gasps and gets up from his seat.

And belatedly found Arthur and shouted.

“you you!? How did you get out?”

“What?”

“Hypnosis! Could it be that you didn’t fall into hypnosis alone?”

Arthur shook his head.

“No, I missed it. So I got out.”

“I fell… . You said you got out? Are you on your own?”

“yes.”

Carpe’s eyes widened.

‘I was only able to maintain my sanity until this guy rescued me, but I escaped on my own?’

The tingling back of the head was strange, but if it wasn’t for Arthur, he would have been buried in fantasy by now.

The level of hypnosis that hit the party was high.

‘If you can get yourself out of this hypnosis… . It must have the mental strength of a sage?’

Does that mean that the mental world of this mercenary in front of me is the same as that of the wise man?

I thought it was not the carpe that I was worried about.

‘It’s just that he’s crazy, so he must’ve been hypnotized properly. What is a madman and a sage… .’

Carpe got up from her seat with her thoughts and blinked her eyes.

It was because of the gun pointed between my forehead.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!! Why are you pointing a gun at me!”

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“I tried to help, but now that I think about it, Mr. Carpe is also suspicious. Isn’t it actually one team?”

“I was also hypnotized, what a match!”

“hmm… . Then I’ll have to check it out.”

Carpe is frightened and shouts.

“Check what! Put the gun down now! This body is my real body!”

“… real body? So, the last time we met at Adventure Pharmaceuticals, was it fake?”

“It was only half real then! It’s a black magic that I developed, and it revives by exchanging an animal’s life with my own life… … ”

Carpe shuts up.

And looking at Arthur, who was smiling single, his eyes trembled.

“you… . Did you know my true identity?”

“yes. Carpe-san was also noticing it. What are you pretending to be surprised about?”

Carpe shuts up.

In fact, he knew that Arthur had noticed.

Still, the reason he took Arthur was to use this madman to eat at the right time.

‘Contrary to being out of my mind, one skill is worth using… . But looking at it, it’s this side that was taken advantage of.’

Carpe let out a sigh along with his thoughts.

“Such a f*ck… . I shouldn’t have reacted when we first met, but I reacted for no reason.”

“If not, you would have noticed. What is immortality, Mr. Necromancer? I really have no naming sense.”

“I didn’t want to be called that because it was me. by the way… .”

Carpe, who was speechless, swallowed dry saliva.

“Are you really going to kill me?”

“I saw you doing it. Killing you might not be bad, but… . More than that, I wanted to kill the guy who hypnotized me.”

In response, Carpe eagerly nodded.

“Yeah right. What would you do to take out your anger on me? Let’s kill this hypnotized bastard together. Because he is the cause of everything.”

Arthur lowers the gun.

When Carpe secretly raised the corner of his mouth at that figure, Arthur’s muzzle went down into Carpe’s mouth.

“I think so, but don’t be silly, Mr. Necromancer.”

“… .”

“I didn’t tell you, but I feel really bad right now… . So, it’s going to be as good as possible, okay?”

With these words, Arthur smiles brightly.

Carpe swallowed dryly and nodded.

“I will never betray you.”

“great. Form an alliance.”

Arthur turns around.

Carpe, who was watching the scene, unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.

‘What, what kind of eyes… . Are you there?’

With these words, as Carpe soothed his cold talk, Arthur looked at Azlan, Cassel, and La Borde, who were still wandering in hypnosis, and stroked their chins.

“hmm… .”

People under hypnosis should not be touched.

This is because even a small shock from the outside could destroy the mental world.

Because of that, the best way is to get out of hypnosis on your own, but it didn’t look easy.

“mom… .”

“Go away, go away!”

“D-Dragon! It’s a dragon, a dragon has appeared!”

I don’t know what I’m dreaming about, but Azlan shed tears and Cassel screamed.

La Borde opened his mouth.

Looking at his condition, he seemed to be confronting an unknown opponent in a hallucination, just like himself.

Arthur, who was worried, asked Carpe a question.

“I heard that hypnosis is technically a type of black magic. Is there any way, Carpe?”

“there is. Instead, if we fail, we will attack like the mercenaries who attacked us.”

“Then I will take care of it.”

At the answer, Carpe nodded and came closer.

Then, he raised his mana and sent it to the three of them, and then began to mumble and recite an incantation.

At that moment, Azlan and Cassel open their eyes.

“100 million-!”

“Kuh… .”

Seeing them moaning and sweating coldly, Arthur quietly let go of the meteorite sword he was holding.

In the meantime, Azlan asked a question without hiding his trembling voice.

“here… . where are you?”

“It’s a sewer, Azlan. You were hypnotized a little while ago.”

“ring… each? Is that hypnosis?”

With these words, Azlan’s pupils shook, and Cassel, who was next to him, let out a breath.

“That, was that a dream? sh*t!! I almost became a dragon slayer by killing a dragon, but that was all hypnosis!?”

Arthur tilted his head.

“Has the dragon appeared?”

“okay… . It was not an easy opponent. But that was an illusion… .”

“oh… Cassel, have you ever met a dragon?”

“Have you met him? I am… .”

Cassel, who was speechless, shuts up.

And he shook his head.

“does not exist… . How to meet the dragon Even a child wouldn’t lie like that.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

‘You’re really bad at acting, Cassel, man. then… . Have you ever really met a dragon?’

A dragon that appears as a regular villain in fairy tales.

And a fantastic existence called the master and servant of magic by some.

Because of that, Arthur was deeply interested in Cassel’s remarks, but he did not open his mouth to ask any more.

‘now… . Martial Dust. I have to focus on that man and these hypnotists.’

Arthur turns his head along with the thought.

I saw La Borde, who hadn’t woken up yet.

He was still weeping with his mouth open.

Arthur looked at the scene for a while and said.

“You two can’t afford to keep up, can you?”

“… .”

“Take care of Mr. La Borde and rest. I’ll take care of it right away.”

Azlan shuddered, but then nodded weakly.

As Arthur said, he did not have the energy to move further.

‘Ha f*cker… .’

A situation in which suffering is done according to hardship and nothing is gained.

Because of that, it was time for Azlan to mess with my hair.

Cassel, who was next to him, bit his lip and shouted.

“This is not mine. Dawn-! It’s a strategic retreat to beat you! Got it!?”

Arthur smiled and nodded.

“sure. I hope you win next time, Cassel.”

With these words, Arthur turned around.

Carpe, who had been watching, followed suit.

So the two ran down the aisle again.

After about 10 minutes, Arthur threw a question just in case.

“Where is that target?”

Fortunately, Carpe opened his mouth and answered.

“The distance has gone… . I have to go in about 20 minutes.”

“Is it right this time?”

“well? Now that things have turned out this way, it’s me too… .”

Arthur’s gaze sank low.

Surprised, Carpe protests.

“Oh, that’s right! So stop staring! Your gaze is scary!”

Arthur raised his narrowed eyes again and asked.

“By the way, what was the original plan? Mr. Carpe?’

“The original plan?”

“yes. Originally, how did you try to catch Martial Dust?’

Carpe sighs.

“… The original plan was to use the guys I brought with me to properly drop the rival guys. Apparently I’m not the only one who got this information.”

Arthur tilts his head.

“Martial Dust. What the hell is he doing, is he even doing that?”

“What is it? He’s a spy.”

“Yeah, I know that too. But why are the people of the Black Cross trying to catch that spy?”

“Can I tell you that?”

“uh? Aren’t you going to tell me?”

“… You want me to kill you?”

“Maybe?”

Carpe, who was running, shuts up.

And he warned Arthur.

“Kill me once. Do you think I’m the only one here? huh? Only 30 believers are here. And the guy who smashed your head is here too.”

Arthur raises his eyes.

“Are you Taken?”

“okay! Descendants of a known monster that existed a thousand years ago! He’s here too!”

“oh… . Then, is this sign Mr. Taken’s?”

“huh? What are you talking about?”

Arthur stops.

He pointed to the aisle and said.

“There’s a cry over there. I thought a monster had come, but from what I’ve heard, it sounds like Mr. Taken?”

Carpe narrowed her eyes.

At that moment, the ground vibrates greatly.

thud!

Carpe’s body swayed up and down.

Arthur, who was next to him, pulled out a meteorite sword.

thud-!

In the meantime, the earth shakes once again.

Carpe, whose eyes were trembling in that bizarre sensation, burst out laughing.

“… f*ck this.”

Carpe grabbed the staff with trembling hands.

“The worst is going to happen?”