Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 108

108. The Eccentric Merchant (5)

‘How many are there!’

Dozens of arrows rained down simultaneously from multiple directions.

Clang!

I managed to deflect the first arrow, but.

‘Next!’

There was no time to relax. I couldn’t afford to lose focus for even a moment. I had to anticipate the next arrow and calculate the optimal path.

Clang!

The arrow connected with the sword I swung. I blocked another, but my anxiety grew.

‘I can’t block them all like this.’

It was hard enough to protect myself from this constant barrage, let alone protect five others.

‘Oberon.’

[Yeah?]

In the end, there was only one thing I could do.

‘Use your power.’

[Hmm.]

If he could use his power to speed up my movements, I might be able to defend us, at least somewhat.

‘Hurry!’

I thought Oberon would agree, but.

[……I’m a little scared.]

He shuddered.

‘What? What’s there to be scared of in this situation! Hurry up!’

Claaang!

I deflected another arrow. I was getting impatient, but he was furrowing his brow.

[If I use my power, how do we know that *that* guy won’t come out again?]

‘What?’

[I’m talking about that dark energy that appeared on your arm back then. It pushed me out and tried to consume your body.]

He said that during the battle with Hiraea, he had been fighting a fierce battle within me as well.

‘Ha……. Then what do I do now?’

I had already deflected over ten arrows in the short time we were talking.

‘Ugh!’

Clang!

I barely managed to deflect an arrow that was flying towards Jurant’s neck.

[Haa. Okay.]

Oberon finally nodded. If his power infused my body, I would be able to withstand it to some extent.

Whooooosh….

His body began to blur and be sucked into mine.

[Let’s do this!]

He settled inside me and spoke with a determined voice.

‘Is it that scary?’

[It’s no joke.]

‘Just bear with it. We can’t die here at the hands of these guys.’

[I can only hope that Charles comes to help as quickly as possible.]

And so, our sword dance began.

Clang!

I deflected an arrow aimed at my chest. Using that force, I shifted my body in the opposite direction.

I didn’t even need to look.

Claaang!

As expected, I heard the sound of friction. The movements continued seamlessly, as if I were dancing among the five executives of the Wonshin-hoe [a shadowy organization].

‘This is doable!’

[……That’s a relief.]

Thanks to the increasingly rapid movements, I began to have some余裕 [leeway/breathing room] to deflect the arrows.

“T-Thank you, Herald!”

The executives of the Wonshin-hoe were surprised by the sight. Jurant, in particular, had his mouth wide open, which made me smile inwardly.

But only for a moment.

‘……Kugh!’

At that moment, a sharp pain gripped my chest.

Whooooosh…….

Before long, dark energy began to stain my fingertips.

‘Oberon, are you okay?’

As expected, he didn’t answer. He must have been fighting something within me.

All Oberon and I, and the five members of the Wonshin-hoe, could do was wait for Charles.

‘……Sorry, Oberon. Just hang in there a little longer.’

I gripped the sword even tighter.

Claaang!

Another arrow was deflected by the powerfully swung sword.

The more arrows I deflected, the more the area consumed by dark energy increased.

‘When did it get this far……!’

The dark energy had already spread past my forearm to my shoulder. Moreover, the speed was constantly accelerating, making it difficult to control my body.

‘Charles!’

My eyes were drawn to him.

Koo-ooo-ooo!

Charles was fighting, emitting an overwhelming aura of light. However, the grotesque creature he was fighting was still standing strong.

‘This is insane……!’

It was an absurd situation. Of course, Charles was in a superior position, but the creature was holding its own against Charles, who had unleashed the power of the Trident.

The unheard-of, unseen creature was holding out better than expected.

And that sight was enough to make me impatient.

At this rate, I would be unable to withstand the speed of the power before Charles could help me.

‘……Damn it.’

It was a humiliating moment for the Sword Emperor Adonis.

‘I can’t do anything with my own power every time.’

I couldn’t even save Angel when he was attacked by Seol-wang [Snow King]. And even now, I would have no hope if it weren’t for Charles and Oberon.

‘……I need to get stronger, faster.’

Someday, I might have to face not only the families of the Five Stars but also all the magicians in the world! I couldn’t afford to be struggling in a place like this.

Grit!

I gritted my teeth and swung my sword.

Clang!

Another arrow was deflected.

‘Cough!’

Suddenly, a different kind of pain surged in my chest. It wasn’t from Oberon’s power.

“Kuaa!”

The pain was as if my heart was being squeezed. In the end, my knees buckled.

“A-Are you alright!”

Jurant’s bewildered voice seemed to echo in my ears.

‘When did it get like this!’

The dark energy was now surging past my shoulder to my chest. It felt like it would take over my entire body.

Thwack!

The ominous sound rang out.

“Cough!”

To make matters worse, an arrow struck Jurant’s shoulder.

Whooooosh…….

Along with it, the magic barrier began to disappear. Jurant’s momentary lapse in concentration was the cause.

“Oh ho. Prince Delema. Your swordsmanship was a bit surprising. But it seems there’s a limit to it.”

Dipon’s sly voice was heard. He was smiling with crescent-shaped eyes.

“Is Delema conducting research to enhance physical abilities? They were creating weapons in a different way than I was.”

He looked back and forth between Charles and me. In his eyes, we, who displayed our martial prowess with swords and spears, were merely beings created through experimentation.

“Shut up, you moron.”

While we were talking, I hurriedly suppressed Oberon’s power.

[……Ha.]

Only then did I hear Oberon’s sigh. Along with it, the pain that had been squeezing my heart disappeared.

‘Are you okay? What happened?’

[I’ll tell you later. Let’s take care of this first.]

Dipon narrowed his eyes like a snake and twitched his lips. A bundle of lightning was flickering at his fingertips, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

“I don’t think this is the time for you to be so high and mighty with me?”

Now that the magic barrier was gone, it was only a matter of time before I and the members of the Wonshin-hoe were defeated by him.

‘Okay. I need to buy some time.’

It was a priority to recover while talking to him as much as possible.

“You called us weapons? What are you plotting here?”

Dipon raised the corners of his mouth at my question.

“……It’s art. I am an artist.”

He was looking at the grotesque creature fighting Charles with a satisfied expression.

“But Delema’s work is also amazing. I didn’t expect it to overwhelm my Azuro. Can you tell me how you made it?”

He still thought of Charles as a weapon created by Delema. Because the robe was still covering Charles’s body, Dipon didn’t realize he was a beast-man.

‘Let him think what he wants.’

Whether it was Delema or the Beast King Clan, it didn’t matter what he thought. If I could buy even a little more time and learn more about him, that would be a gain.

“Well, it’s kind of like a chimera.”

That’s how he dismissed Charles’s and my abilities. He would probably find that more believable.

“Oh ho. A chimera. So the rumors that Delema is researching black magic were true.”

“Rumors?”

“Even lowly beings like us have ears and mouths. Didn’t I tell you? Information is our lifeline as merchants.”

The eccentric merchant Dipon. His identity was impossible to grasp. He had achieved at least 8 stars and created an absurd creature in the middle of nowhere.

‘And he even knows information about the Five Star Families?’

It was impossible for him to do this alone.

“You’re definitely not doing this alone. Who do you belong to?”

“As expected of Delema, you have good insight even at a young age. But I can’t tell you that.”

“You’re going to die at my hands anyway, so is there any need to keep it a secret? Why don’t you tell me that much on your way out? Then I might solve the family’s secret.”

Dipon twitched one eyebrow. In the end, he chuckled.

“……Haa. I don’t belong to any organization right now. I used to be part of an organization, but it’s hard to say even that much.”

The emotion that flashed across his eyes at that moment. It was the look I had seen the most.

‘What is he afraid of?’

He quickly changed back to his usual crescent-shaped eyes, but the emotion that flashed for a moment was definitely fear.

“Then, did that organization create that monster?”

“No. It’s thanks to something from the organization, but that’s entirely my creation. I hope you won’t ask me any more questions about me?”

There were many things I was curious about, but I couldn’t continue to question him. If I unnecessarily offended him, it would be difficult to buy time.

The initiative in the conversation was clearly with him.

“So, what method is Delema using to create chimeras? What are you up to in Delema?”

“As you know, they used black magic. I don’t know the exact method. I’m just the subject.”

“Hmm. So you don’t know the procedure?”

“Unfortunately. But I can tell you other things about Delema.”

Dipon frowned.

“I don’t need that. But it seems like it would be helpful to keep you alive.”

His words about keeping me alive. It was hard to understand his sudden words.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you won’t fight anymore?”

Dipon chuckled. It was an ominous laugh.

“No. If you don’t know black magic, then I’ll take you, the creation. You are a work of art in yourself. I’ll kill everyone else and keep you.”

At those words, Jurant shouted.

“You crazy bastard, you’re just saying whatever comes out of your mouth!”

“Oh ho. A Delema’s dog, your loyalty to your master is considerable.”

Jurant didn’t respond to him and whispered to me.

“I’ll buy you some time, Herald. Please leave this place immediately.”

“What are you talking about? How are you going to buy time?”

But he was already taking steps towards Dipon.

“It was an honor to serve you even for a short time.”

He left only those words behind.

‘What suddenly!’

He broke off the arrow stuck in his shoulder and shouted at Dipon.

“For the one!”

I knew what those words meant.

‘That crazy bastard!’

Because it was a scene I had already seen on the day of the Magic Tower test. The members of the Wonshin-hoe who attacked the freshmen had done the same thing with those words.

[Suicide……인가. (Suicide… I see.)]

Jurant’s figure, who was shouting, blurred. His body reappeared behind Dipon.

“You’re coming with me!”

Jurant had used Blink [a teleportation skill] to get behind him.

“You! Do you think such a grab would work on me!”

Pa-zzzzik!

Dipon hurriedly tried to unleash Thunder Storm.

It was then. In the chaotic situation, a familiar voice was heard.

“Jurant, stop.”