Chapter 166

Chapter 166

Chaeng-!

In a back alley of the night, swords clashed, ringing out with an ominous metallic sound.

The sawblade sword swung by Elize, and the three magic swords wielded by me.

A total of four blades sliced through the darkness, tangling together, and with each clash, dazzling sparks flew.

They were mostly the mana particles spat out as my magic swords were shattered.

Shes strong!

Frantically thrusting my staff to launch my magic swords, I was drenched in cold sweat.

Though I had almost no experience in PVP, I had stood on the front lines with the heroes of "Protect the Empire" and killed many named monsters.

Just a few rounds were enough to tell.

This woman, Elizeshe was incredibly strong!

After going to the monster frontlines, youve become... quite impressive.

Elize coolly muttered as she effortlessly swung her sawblade sword, grinding my magic swords to pieces.

Now, I will get serious.

Rolling up my sleeves and adjusting my gloves, I grumbled.

No, this is already tough enough. Cant you stop here?!

Of course, Elize didnt even pretend to listen.

Sword Coffin, release.

As Elize spat the command, the Sword Coffin standing in the corner of the alley emitted a glow, as if turning on.

Woo-woong!

Third sword.

The sword, stored in the third slot of the Sword Coffin, rocketed up like a projectile, spinning in the air and landing above Elizes head.

Thud!

Without even turning to look, Elize reached up with her left hand and caught the hilt of the sword.

I was already intimidated by just this scene.

Elize, holding a sawblade sword in her right hand and a longsword in her left, bowed slightly.

Well, lets start again.

She appeared to be making a gesture like a bow before dancing.

Wait, wait! Elize!

I reached out my hand, desperately shouting.

If you really kill me, the whole Silver Winter Merchant Guild will be in jeopardy! Do you know that?!

If Elize were to commit regicide, certainly her master Serenade and the Silver Winter Merchant Guild would all be punished. She had to know that, right?

However, Elize said something unexpected.

Its Elize, not Elizabeth.

What?

Its Elize, not Elizabeth. Do not call me Elizabeth.

Whether its Elizabeth or Elize, isnt it just a difference between the full name and a nickname?

When I was taken into the Silver Winter Merchant Guild, I abandoned the name Elizabeth, the name of a murderer. Instead, I decided to live with the name Elize, given to me by my lady.

Grrr.

Her hands gripping both swords tensed.

And I will die as Elize. After killing you, I will end my life here.

What are you saying?!

Dressed as if we were ambushed by a bandit. It will appear as though we were attacked and killed while riding in the carriage. Ill even set fire to our bodies and the carriage... I have a lot of experience with this sort of thing, so Im good at tampering with evidence. You dont need to worry.

No, my worries are huge, but not about that!

Whether or not things proceed from here, only if you are gone... my ladys life will change.

Elizes eyes, closing and opening, flashed a chilling determination.

For Miss Serenade, please die with me.

Her eyes were those of someone prepared to die.

They were the eyes of someone resolved to join her opponent in death.

I gritted my teeth. This fool!

You think the Imperial Family is that easy?! Theyll uncover everything about tonight, and somehow hold your guild accountable!

...

What youre doing now isnt loyalty! Its stupidity! Stop for your masters sake, too, Elize!

But no matter what I said, Elize showed no sign of stopping. It seemed that, now that things had come this far, she believed there was no turning back.

Damn it!

I gripped my staff.

For my own survival, and also for Serenade, the Silver Winter Merchant Guild, and even for Elize.

I must not die here. Somehow, I must survive and calm the situation down, preventing unnecessary damage from spreading.

Taaat-!

The problem was, Elize was too strong.

Chang! Chae-chae-chang!

Her sawblade sword and longsword, held in both hands, danced with smooth grace, their brilliance following her every move.

Every time the sword light twisted in her hands, my magic swords were smashed to pieces.

The fortunate part was that I fully understood Elizes skill set.

"Of course! Among the front-line dealers, she was my top-picked character!"

When playing Protect the Empire, I, obsessed with performance, naturally favored Elizabeth, a super-capable character.

Her battle style was inherently flamboyant, something the viewers loved as well.

Thanks to that, I had a complete grasp of Elizes skills and was somehow able to counter her relentless twin sword attacks.

I activated my first skill [Gaze of Command].

[You are using Gaze of Command.]

[Target acquired: 1 unit.]

Stay still right there... just for one second!

[Command difficulty: Very Easy]

[Comparing the users Intelligence stat with the targets Magic Power stat.]

[Determining the success rate. Starting the resistance roll...]

Elize was a character with a high Magic Power stat compared to her class.

Therefore, I gave her an extremely easy command with very low difficulty to make sure she couldnt resist my skill.

And thanks to that,

[Judgment complete!]

>Success: 1 unit

[Executing forced command.]

Skill judgment was a success.

...?!

Frozen.

Elize looked down at her body, completely stiffened in place, unable to comprehend what had happened,

Rumble- Bang!

The next moment, she couldnt avoid the fallen debris of the ruined building and was buried underneath.

***

Thud, thud, thud...

Buried under the debris of the ruined building, Elize was completely immobilized.

Her maid uniform was soaked in blood. Being swept away by the buildings debris without even having a chance to evade or defend herself must have been quite painful.

Phew...

Confirming her knockdown, I sighed in relief. That was truly dangerous.

I carefully approached Elize. She was breathing heavily, looking up at me.

You got me... completely. I never expected you to have... such a trick up your sleeve.

You would have won with pure combat skills, Elize.

The fact that I used [Lucky Strike] and somewhat depended on luck was true.

If there had been a 000 fumble, I would have just died.

Pulling out a hidden trick at the optimal moment, going all-in when needed... thats also skill. Cough! Ive been thoroughly beaten...

Elize closed her eyes.

Kill me.

...

But Your Highness, please show mercy to my master...

Elize pleaded in a trembling voice.

I acted on my own in this matter. Please... show compassion to Miss Serenade...

You thought you could be forgiven with those words?

I spat out coldly.

Elize. Your emotionally driven actions could have cost not only Silver Winter Merchant Guild but also your masters life.

...

You might have been confident in your skills, but you should have thought about the consequences of failure.

A bitter smile appeared on Elizes lips.

The former head of the guild was right...

Hmm?

Im impulsive and hot-headed. He said Id mess up someday... that once youve washed your hands of the underworld, you should live quietly. He always warned me...

Elize raised her downcast eyes to look at the night sky.

I couldnt bear to see Miss in distress and impulsively committed this act... Haha. I never thought my actions would make her even sadder.

...

Im sorry, Miss... truly...

As I was silently watching the pathetic Elize and about to open my mouth,

Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!

Suddenly, a uniform marching sound began to echo around the back alley.

Lights flashed from all sides, and in no time, expressionless soldiers carrying lanterns high marched into the alley.

I narrowed my eyes at them. This is...

Ash, my dear troublemaker of a sibling.

Then, a young mans soft voice rang out.

I told you to stay quietly at the Star Palace, didnt I? Where are you going at this hour? You dont know how much trouble it was to find you.

Pushing through the soldiers, a man appeared.

His tempting black hair tied behind his head exuded a faint red aura, and within his frameless glasses sparkled intelligent red eyes.

Though the face was unfamiliar, the voice was recognizable. Perhaps it was because wed already fought with words once before.

I gritted my teeth and spat out the opponents name.

"Fernandez...!"

He was the empires second prince, the administrative deputy, and the overall commander of the Aegis Special Forces Team 8.

Fernandez Ember Keeper Everblack clicked his tongue.

"You should add brother at the end. Youre the youngest, after all."