Chapter 60

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: Skinny Kid Looking for Dad 154

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The covenant ring was fastened around the child's wrist.

A terrifying magical device capable of cleanly severing a person's wrist was now locked onto Tiye's hand.

"You filthy bastard who wouldn't even feed this beast—!"

But as Veil lunged at Tesetan,

"Calm down a bit."

Someone blocked his path.

The one gripping Veil's shoulder was Victor, a member of the Treba mercenary group.

Veil snarled fiercely at Victor, who had a slender build and long indigo hair tied back in a single ponytail.

"...You gonna move that hand? Or should I cut off your wrist before I take that punk's head?"

An intrigued smile spread across Victor's face.

"You've got quite the filthy mouth. Of course, I don't mind beautiful women, but if you want..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Veil smashed his fist into Victor's cheek.

Victor, struck square on the jaw, continued in surprise.

"Your punches pack a punch too, huh?"

"You son of a bitch, getting cocky just 'cause I've been putting up with you!"

"Hey! You gonna get off Victor or what?!"

Livia came rushing over to them as well.

She held a strange weapon with its blade curved inward.

"Why are you attacking one of our officers? Have you lost your mind?!"

Enraged, she thrust the weapon toward Veil.

Veil didn't back down and stepped forward instead.

"What the hell's with that monster gut-looking hair? Who's the one who started acting like trash first?!"

"M-Monster guts?!"

The atmosphere froze in an instant.

A razor-thin tension hung between the two mercenary groups.

"Talking out your ass like that? I oughta..."

As Livia gritted her teeth and shoved her face toward Veil,

"Come any closer, and I won't hold back."

This time, Basto stepped forward from behind Veil, wielding his warhammer.

As he set the hammer down, it thudded into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"You want a brawl? If that's it, I'll gladly oblige."

Livia's eyes widened in fury.

"Fine, you wanna keep acting like this? Perfect timing. My body's been itching for a fight anyway."

A dagger spun taut between her fingers.

"I'm sick of butchering monsters every damn day. It's been a while since..."

"Stop! Stop stop stop!"

But someone hurriedly wedged themselves between the Treba and Agaveert groups.

"It's a fight for Tiye!"

The one shouting with a terrified expression was Tiye.

Basto and Veil stared at her in shock. The Treba members halted and turned to look at Tiye too.

Tiye continued in a trembling voice.

"It's a fight between me and that guy. We agreed to a fair duel!"

A hollow laugh burst from Veil's mouth.

"For real, ever since earlier... Who here doesn't know that? Fine, whatever with the swordfight. But that crazy bastard just put a dangerous thing on you...!"

"Don't call him a bastard."

Tiye's voice quivered like she was about to cry.

For some reason, the tip of her nose was red as she looked up at Veil.

A faint whirlwind of mana stirred around the child.

"Don't say bad things! That person is..."

The child clamped her mouth shut, then added,

"Tiye's duel opponent."

Livia furrowed her brow.

Basto and Veil fell silent, at a loss for words.

Tesetan's expression subtly hardened.

'Even a no-name swordfight opponent gets respect, huh?'

But respect was usually mutual. Not one-sided like this.

Tesetan had arbitrarily grabbed the Necromancer King's wrist earlier and fastened the covenant ring on it.

He knew full well that touching another's body without permission was an insult and a breach of etiquette.

There were two reasons for it.

First, he'd suspected the Necromancer King might dodge the ring.

Second, he'd deliberately stirred up a hostile atmosphere to provoke a pre-duel skirmish.

But the Necromancer King hadn't dodged or shaken off his touch.

She'd let him put the ring on willingly, and now she was personally stopping her own members from charging at him.

'Did she see through my scheme?'

Tesetan figured that wearing down the Necromancer King before the duel would boost his win rate.

She was a mage, and mages had a fatal weakness.

Most collapsed into combat incapacity the moment their mana depleted.

"Everyone, back off. No interfering!"

But the Necromancer King didn't fall for his ploy.

Even after glimpsing his intentions, she showed not a hint of agitation.

"Tiye, you..."

The Agaveert members' faces went slack.

Tesetan glanced at them before turning back to the Necromancer King.

Tiye.

The true name he'd heard before still sounded like a woman's.

It didn't match the title "Necromancer King" at all—bland, just like her appearance.

"Tiye, why on earth..."

A few Agaveert officers approached the Necromancer King.

But she scurried back from them and,

"Ppu Ppu!"

suddenly shouted into the air.

A crimson mist instantly enveloped the surroundings.

Victor, Aleric, and Livia quickly backpedaled as the smoke obscured their vision.

Tesetan frowned and drew the sword from his waist.

"We made a promise!"

A choked voice came from beyond the mist.

The hazy figure of the Necromancer King gazed at him with a complicated expression through the fog.

"The loser has to listen to the winner! Everything!"

Tesetan lowered his gaze.

Silver light emanated from the covenant ring on his left wrist.

Proof that the oath had been established.

Tesetan smiled readily and assumed a combat stance.

"Sounds good."

Then he muttered lowly to himself.

"If I kill you today, I reclaim the top spot in hires, right?"

Golden energy gathered on his blade.

Sword beams soon shot out, slicing through the red mist.

"What do we do?"

Leonardo asked.

Valentis couldn't respond.

Right before their eyes.

Explosions, smoke, and unfamiliar waves of mana swirled in the open ruins.

"Captain! He's doing great! Keep pouring it on!"

The Treba members shouted in excitement.

Valentis swallowed dryly as he looked where their gazes were fixed.

Golden light flashed through the impenetrable fog, illuminating everything around.

Tesetan was firing sword beams to locate the Necromancer King's main body.

In that instant, the red mist converged at the center of the ruins.

It surged like a massive tidal wave, then erupted skyward.

"...!"

Tesetan's relentless sword beams halted at the overwhelming sight.

He stood ready for battle, staring at the mist rising into the heavens.

Soon, the mist morphed into the shape of a beast.

It charged at Tesetan with its maw wide open, without a shred of hesitation.

"Captain!"

Ignoring the members' cries, Tesetan raised his sword vertically.

Through Saintly Vision Awakening, Valentis saw Tesetan's sword beams realigning.

'...Theseus, you.'

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

Until now, Tesetan's sword beams had been split into multiples.

They'd remained unstable and explosive, forming a wide attack pattern to ferret out the Necromancer King hidden in the fog.

But the moment her mist bore down on him.

Tesetan gathered his scattered sword energy at an unimaginable speed.

In the blink of an eye, he condensed it into a single point.

Valentis shut his mouth.

It was a talent beyond belief, an overwhelming and destructive power.

The sword beam clinging to his blade sharpened to the point where it was visible to the naked eye.

'...So that's it.'

Tesetan's first sword strike, as his informants often reported.

The one that cleaved even stealth-type monsters in a single blow—Piercing Assault.

Kwaaaaang—!

Astie's mist split left and right without a shred of resistance.