第４６４堀：異世界の侍と剣の神 (Part1)
Chapter 464: The Samurai of Another World and the God of Swords
Side: Taizo
In this foreign land, I saw a samurai in the back of a man named Erwin.
Yes, a samurai.
I don’t mean to speak ill of Yuki-kun or Taiki-kun, but I found myself thinking that Erwin, who stood before me now, was more of a samurai than I could ever be.
That was the level of resolve I saw in him.
"Both of you, I would like you to face each other here once this hourglass runs out. Do you have any objections?"
"I have none. You would do well to enjoy your final moments."
"I have none."
Hmm.
It seems Nogosh is not just a mere fool.
I don't know if he understands the true weight of a duel, but his instincts seem to have caught on.
If he refuses this duel, Nogosh will literally lose everything.
His position as the God of Swords, his status as a king, his life, his reputation—everything.
If he accepts the duel and, by some miracle, wins, he might be able to maintain the status quo.
Well, even if we were to be defeated, I suspect Yuki-kun has already taken measures to ensure things don't end up that way.
As I stared at the hourglass, lost in these thoughts, Erwin approached me and bowed his head.
"I apologize. I’ve ruined all the preparations you had made. I am truly sorry."
To me, it looked like a sincere apology from the heart.
Therefore, I had no intention of blaming him for it.
"…'I have no objections' is easy to say, but time has been made. Could you explain as much as you can? Fellow disciple. My name is Taizo."
He looked slightly surprised when I said that, but his expression quickly returned to normal.
"I see. Explaining things to a fellow disciple is the least of my duties. I am Erwin."
Erwin sat down at the seat I had prepared without any hesitation.
"This is Taiki-kun, the King of Ranks."
"This young man is… No, please forgive my rudeness. I am Erwin, a disciple of Kamiizumi Ise-no-Kami Nobutsuna. I apologize for causing you such trouble over a personal vendetta."
"Ah, yes. Erwin-dono, right? And, uh, what exactly do you mean by a personal vendetta?"
Taiki-kun, though bewildered, asked the question in a stumbling manner, sensing no hostility in the greeting.
Well, it was a sudden intrusion, so that was only natural.
I, too, had asked him to come because I wanted to hear his intentions.
"Before I speak, I would like to make one promise."
"A promise?"
"Yes. I do not intend to deny the fact that I have caused you all great trouble. I swear to accept whatever punishment you deem fit afterward. However, for this one battle—the fight against Nogosh—I want you to leave the vanguard to me. If I lose, I have no objections to my fellow disciple, Taizo-dono, stepping in, or to the Hero-dono using the soldiers he has lying in wait to swarm him."
Erwin stated this without a hint of hesitation.
"Uh… wait a moment, please."
Taiki-kun stepped away from the table. He must have gone to consult with Yuki-kun.
"Please rest assured. I do not think there will be any interference with my fellow disciple's duel. If, by any chance, that were to happen, I would stop it myself."
"I am grateful."
Taiki-kun returned shortly after.
"Haa… there’s no particular problem with that, but could you at least explain the situation?"
"Certainly. It’s a long story, but to put it briefly, it is exactly as I spoke with Nogosh earlier. Long ago, Nogosh stole my country. At that time, I obtained the power of a Dungeon Master, but through various turns of fate, I gained a wonderful master named Kamiizumi Nobutsuna. I decided that defeating him with my own body would be the ultimate act of revenge. I knew it would be a nuisance, but I used Princess Bitz, who fled from Ranks, to create a situation where I could rightfully strike down Nogosh."
Hmm, there are many questions, but it seems certain that this is indeed about revenge.
"No, wait… why did you have to involve us? If you’re a Dungeon Master, you could have done that without—"
"Because it would be meaningless if I struck him down in secret. It had to be done in a place where there were eyes from other nations, leaving no room for excuses. When I was defeated by my master, it was all swept under the rug, you see."
"Ah…"
"Besides, my grudge is only against Nogosh. I have no intention of disturbing the peace of the people living there now. If my master hadn't told me otherwise, I would have only created unnecessary sorrow."
"…Is that so? So that’s why you guided Bitz, who fled from Ranks, gave her the ability of a Dungeon Master, and had her join hands with Nogosh?"
"Exactly. I knew that eventually, she would go out of control. I hoped to strike down Nogosh once he had gone berserk. Well, I was surprised that the Weed Dungeon Master and Ranks moved so quickly. It saved me the trouble of distributing the territory after Nogosh is gone, which avoids unnecessary chaos. Thanks to that, the value of the 'nuisance fee' has decreased, but I will hand it over for now."
"A nuisance fee?"
As Erwin said this, he rolled several Dungeon Cores onto the table.
"Some are still operational, but I have shut down all the unnecessary dungeons. Ordinarily, I should hand these over to the Hero of Ranks and the Dungeon Master of Weed, but it seems we are out of time. I will transfer the Dungeon Master abilities to Taizo-dono for the time being, so whether I win or lose, there should be no problem. Well, the remaining dungeons and the DP left in the cores are nothing compared to those of Weed, I imagine."
Taiki-kun was stunned as Erwin handed over what could be called everything to a Dungeon Master so easily.
"W-wait! Are you sure about this!?"
"It is fine. I was never suited to be a Dungeon Master. It is better for them to be used by wise people like you, who are like my master. Now, it is time. I leave the rest to you."
"No, wait!!"
Taiki-kun tried to stop Erwin as he headed toward the duel, but I held him back.
"Stop."
"Stop? I don't think that's the point, is it!?"
"…He went out there as a man. Not as a Dungeon Master, but simply for the sake of revenge. He entrusted all the unnecessary things to us."
"I don't think they're 'unnecessary'..."
"They are. Against the God of Swords, the power of a Dungeon Master is unnecessary. Not for a man who has decided to fight with the techniques he has honed himself."
Yes, this battle is, through and through, a personal vendetta.
But for that very reason, it cannot be stopped.
Even if we tried to stop him, it wouldn't change anything.