The Duke’s Madness

someone fell down

It was Arthur with an ugly stab wound to his chest.

“Cool!”

Arthur kneels and coughs up blood.

Carpe, who had been watching the scene in complete amazement, exclaimed in amazement.

“Mi, crazy man!! Don’t fall down!”

Arthur answered with a frown.

“Miss Carpe! Not me, Mr. Taken!”

“… ?’

“Look at Mr. Taken, not me!”

Carpe’s eyes widened, then he looked away.

And involuntarily, he exclaimed.

“… uh?”

That monstrous Taken was somehow strange.

You can feel the aura or momentum.

They haven’t changed at all, but the radical movement that smashed everything a while ago was nowhere to be seen.

‘what? Did that guy hit all the bruises during the battle?’

It was the moment when Carpe put on a puzzled expression along with that thought.

Blood gushed from Taken’s shoulder.

When the startled Carpe unknowingly steps back, Taken shouts.

“aaagh!!!”

With a scream, wild static electricity bounces from the bloody wound.

Carpe, who was watching, opened his mouth in amazement.

“You said you were electrocuted? that monster?”

“Don’t be in awe, let’s try something. Mr. Carpe!”

Arthur squeezed the wound on his chest and brushed it off.

“I can’t last that long! I have to shoot the magic I was preparing before that!”

At these words, Carpe hurriedly moved both hands.

At the same time, mana began to surge from around his body.

Sensing the change, Taken gritted his teeth and muttered.

“… you madman.”

“what? Are you awake, Mr. Taken?”

“You in my body… . What did you put in?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the question.

“I stabbed you with a stinging thunderbolt so that you could come to your senses. Are you feeling better now?”

“A dog like… . Where did you learn strange things!”

With a cry, Taken’s whites turn red again.

When Arthur, who was watching, is startled, Carpe’s magic is completed.

[Taken door.]

Along with the chant, four doors rising from the ground block Taken.

An angry Taken tried to break down the door, but it didn’t work out.

Quaang-!

A spell close to a barrier.

It was one of the unique magics created based on Taken’s mana, and it was also a defense measure to prevent Taken’s rampage.

‘It’s of no use to others, but limited to Taken, there is no more effective defense magic than this.’

As evidence of that, even though it was Taken, who was wrapped in swordsmanship, he was unable to break down the door.

‘It was a magic developed knowing when this would happen… . I never thought I’d use it like this.’

Carpe sighed along with his thoughts.

This door will not be dismantled unless my magical energy is cut off, which means that Taken’s rampage has been prevented.

It would have never been possible if I had been alone.

I hate to admit it, but I accidentally saw Arthur Duck, whom I met by chance.

‘however… . You madman, what the hell have you been learning? Is it a thunderbolt? Did he know how to use magic?’

There are a total of 4 Dawn skills that Carpe has identified.

spirits and knives.

And it was an artifact capable of transforming skin into a shell and leaping into space.

However, Arthur, who met again after a few months, was suddenly dealing with lightning.

‘no… . Is it a thunderbolt made of magical power in the first place? Didn’t you feel the mana when his body was entangled in lightning?’

In addition, lightning wrapped around his body, how could he be fine?

Only magicians can do that.

Because of that, Carpe’s gaze narrowed.

‘That guy… . Aren’t you really dangerous? Even though he’s not a magician, he can cause thunderbolts, and that blow and battle that he showed me just now… .’

It reminds me of Carpe who was speechless.

Dawn, a mercenary from Willet’s Office, soaks Taken’s body with the water spirit and drives a thunderbolt into his body the moment they exchange blows.

If all of that judgment was intentional, and if it was made with foreknowledge of this situation, to be honest, I was more afraid than surprised.

‘Against that Taken… . You mean you played with it? Even in a situation where there is a power gap.’

Carpe, who swallowed dry saliva along with his thoughts, looked away.

And I opened my eyes wide.

“… ?”

Arthur, who had been out of breath a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

Carpe narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth belatedly.

“… You madman!!”

With a cry, Carpe turned his head.

“Aagh! That bastard-!!”

The aisle that Taken had just walked out of.

There was the sound of footsteps coming from the aisle.

* * *

Arthur muttered as he escaped the scene leaving Taken with Carpe.

‘I was lucky. Taken’s skin, even if it’s just a little lightly cut… . I couldn’t have separated them.’

The swordsmen who reached the 5th circle did not only deal with swords.

I thought I could deal with appropriate defense techniques as well, and the representative one was the mana defense that Taken showed off.

‘Defense technology that is one step above physical strengthening… . It’s a very tricky technique that surrounds mana itself and uses it like a barrier for wizards.’

Because of that, it was almost impossible for a swordsman with a higher level of skill to scratch his body.

In that sense, the showdown with Taken a while ago could only be seen as luck.

No matter how much he used Undine’s ability to wet Taken’s body and insert a thunderbolt in that state, the thought of hurting Taken’s body wrapped in mana defense was close to a gamble even if he thought about it.

‘It was a result of luck in many ways. If you can’t cut it… . It must have been me who suffered.’

A moan escaped Arthur’s mouth along with a murmur.

It was because of the stab wound from Taken’s greatsword.

Undine hurriedly sutured the wound, but it did not recover easily, perhaps because it was a wound from a sword surrounded by sword energy.

[Ah, Arthur… .]

“It’s okay, Undine. Don’t be afraid and focus on the treatment.”

Undine nodded with effort.

With the help of the water spirit, he healed the wound on his chest and continued walking.

‘The fact that Mr. Taken walked here… . That end must be the destination.’

It was time for Arthur to forcibly mend his distracted mind along with his thoughts.

The fishy smell of blood hits the tip of your nose.

“uh?”

Arthur, who blinked, stopped walking.

At the same time, an arched space was revealed, with dozens of corpses floating on the sludge.

In the center, a girl was twisting and holding someone by the neck.

“Yenika?”

“Gongja?”

The girl and Arthur, who recognized each other, are startled.

“How did you know?”

“How did Yenika notice?”

“Because of my abilities. What about Gongja?”

“Because of the necklace around Jenika’s neck.”

“… ?”

“Black cross, I know only Yenika who belongs to that group and can wear such a necklace.”

Yenika gave her a suspicious look.

“also… . Did you guess?”

Arthur responds with a shrug.

After that, he turned his gaze to the man who was being held by Yenika’s hand.

He looked at Keras, who had hypnotized him and stabbed him in the back of the head.

“ha… . Judging by his appearance, he seems to be a step behind.”

At these words, Yenika raises the corner of her mouth.

“Cheer, kuck!”

At the same time, Keras, held in Jenika’s hand, groaned, and at that moment, surprisingly, his face collapsed.

The mask he was wearing crumbled and appeared, a narrow-eyed man.

It was a man who looked exactly like the Martial Durst pictured on the flyer Willett had handed him.

“That black cross… . How is the princess here?”

Martial Durst, who revealed his identity, asked in a terrified voice.

Yenica withdrew her gaze from Arthur and answered.

“I’ll let you know slowly. After all, we have to share a serious story, Marshall Durst.”

With these words, Martial Dust’s entire body was covered in blood.

I don’t know if it was Jenika’s blood or Martial’s blood, but Martial Dust, surrounded by blood, passed out.

Arthur, who watched the scene from the side, sighed.

“Can’t you hand it over?”

“Of course not.”

“By the way, what the heck was that man, did the black cross get in the way too?”

“Are there any obligations to answer?”

“Look at me. A little while ago, I personally stopped Mr. Taken who was hypnotized.”

Yenika blinked.

“Has Taken been hypnotized?”

“yes. So Necro… He tried to attack Mr. Carpe, not Mr. Mancer, so he fought with me.”

Arthur pushed through the wound on his chest as if showing off.

Yenika, who was watching, could see that Arthur’s words were true.

‘I can smell Taken’s blood. And Carpe’s magical power.’

However, because she needed more concrete evidence, Jenika took out her magical communication device.

Then, he contacted Carpe to confirm if Arthur’s words were true.

[Did that crazy guy go to the princess!?]

After completing that confirmation, Yenika turned her gaze to look at Arthur.

Arthur, with his arms crossed, was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“hmm… . Confucius seems to have helped.”

“yes. So, tell me about your purpose. Why are you trying to hold me?”

“Don’t you know at least what this person stole?”

“I heard you stole the core technology of magic engineering? But you said that was unconfirmed information?”

Jenika raises the corner of her mouth.

“What if it’s real?”

“… .”

“The industrial spy the imperial family is chasing. Among them, Martial Dust was the one who escaped the core technology of real magic engineering. What about this person?”

Arthur raised his eyes.

“oh… . That’s great. If you really stole the lucrative technology monopolized by the imperial family.”

“yes. Is there anything else you would like to hear?”

“no? And I have no intention of telling you.”

Yenika smirks.

I don’t know why, but it was a very mean smile.

However, Arthur did not react.

Seeing that, Yenika giggled and snapped her fingers.

A bright red drop of blood flew right in front of Arthur’s nose.

“This is a reward for saving Carpe.”

“… .”

“Then see you at school, Gongja.”

With these words, Yenica takes the fainting Martial Durst and disappears leisurely.

Arthur, who was watching the scene, muttered as he ate the drop of blood she gave him.

“You’re really mean, that woman… . I have to cut my throat someday.”

Arthur, who licked his lips, turned his head.

Then I walked through the sewers overflowing with corpses to the other side.

dripping… … .

Upon entering, the body was nowhere to be seen.

It seems that the place where I was a while ago was the last battleground.

Instead, the size of the drainage channel became abnormally large, and thanks to this, the rotten smell unique to the stale water vibrated.

If it wasn’t for Undine’s ability, the stench would not go away even after washing for several days.

As I walked along the culvert for a long time, I heard the sound of something falling.

“Oh, a waterfall?”

With these words, Arthur sticks his head out.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-!!

The water that had flowed through the wide gutter was falling like a waterfall.

It was West Lake, one of the scepters in Area D-42.

Unpurified sludge fell into a huge pit without a break and formed a huge lake.

Arthur looked at the scene and jumped down.

[…] Ah, Arthur!]

Surprised, the gnomes quickly create a foothold.

Arthur naturally used the platform to slow down the fall and landed safely.

Took.

Arthur, who had fallen to the shore of a nearby lake, looked away.

“… .”

Perhaps because it was near a polluted lake, I couldn’t even hear the common buzz of insects.

However, Arthur’s sensitive presence was able to catch the faint breathing in the silence.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and murmured.

“Mr. Martial Durst?”

“… .”

“I know you’re hiding, but how about coming out?”

No answer came.

So Arthur drew his pistol, aimed it at the tree opposite me, and shot it.

bang-!

Trees hit by reinforced bullets break.

Among them, the narrow-eyed man muttered with a surprised expression.

“… How did you notice?”

“Is that important?”

With these words, Arthur pulls out a meteorite sword.

“I’m going to kill you from now on, but don’t think about dying gracefully. As much as I worked hard, I plan to reap the price.”