"What brought this on, Hofir?" Sabrina stood between the two of them before Arnold could say anything.
Hofir ignored Sabrina and continued walking towards Arnold until the two stood face to face. Of course, Sabrina was right in the middle of the two still.
Hofir was two heads taller than Arnold and twice as muscular. An outsider would call him a coward for trying to duel a man whose right arm was in a cast.
"Hofir!" Sabrina called out to him again, startling him as if he only now noticed her.
"Why do you want to fight Al!?"
"Yes, I'm curious as well why you're leaking killing intent all over the place only when looking at me."
Hofir knitted his eyebrows and clenched his fists. His frame grew smaller as everyone's eyes were on him.
"That's…"
"Speak your mind. No matter how embarrassing it is, boy." Daraia approached them, "What, it just got entertaining and I was even willing to spar with the students for a bit but then you had to declare that you want to duel the young master."
"I…" Hofir lowered his head and stepped back.
"Hofir… What's wrong?" Madilith then came up to him and worriedly touched his shoulder.
Hofir took a deep breath, "I saw the two of you… in the forest… You kissed him… You confessed to him… Why?"
"…." Madilith let go of his shoulder and stepped back silently.
"A lover's triangle?" Daraia said in amusement but no one paid attention to what she said.
"Arnold." Arthur was then the third person to approach the two of them, "What did you do…"
Arnold shrugged, "I didn't do anything. Why is the sword being held near my neck when Madilith is the one who initiated the kiss?"
"…" Hofir lowered his head and his fists trembled.
"The woman you have such innocent feelings for is a slut who shakes her butt at any guy if she's disillusioned enough that it will satisfy her desires. Did you know any of that? Or is she still acting innocent, like acting clumsy in bed or shying away from kisses?" Arnold drew closer to Hofir and bent down to look at his face, "She's probably been with ten guys or possibly more before you showed up all smitten with her. It's hard to imagine a woman like that will still be clumsy and shy in bed."
Arnold didn't bother to look at Madilith. If he did then he would've seen her unable to contain a smile on her face while breathing hoarsely. Of course, no one was focused on her so no one noticed this.
· Condition: aroused (NPC likes public humiliation if it's from the one she loves).
"She's using you to get off. You're just a sex toy to her."
"You're lying!" Hofir screamed at the top of his lungs, "She said she loved me! She said she wants to be with me forever and get married to me!"
"All lies."
"No, it isn't!" Hofir turned towards Madilith, "Tell him it's not true! You love me, right Miss Madilith!?"
"Eh, ah, uhm… Y-Yes, of course…" Madilith stuttered while squeezing out a yes.
"See!? You were just manipulating her! You probably used some kind of charm magic to make her do what you say!"
"You can delude yourself as much as you want." Arnold stepped back a bit and spoke mockingly.
"What spell is it!? Are any of you experienced with mind control!? Find out what spell he used on Miss Madilith!" Hofir's wild glare turned to the magicians, making them shriek and step back.
Kukuku, Arnold's cackle made Hofir's frown grow even more distorted.
"!!!!!" Hofir roared and charged at Arnold, his fist raised ready for a punch.
Arnold stopped smiling and looked at Hofir unflinchingly even as he charged like a moving fortress.
A whack sound resounded.
The surroundings grew quiet.
Arnold staggered backward a bit after receiving that head-on punch. He spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Demihumans are this strong even at level 27, huh…" he muttered something that no one else heard.
After making a pained groan, he stood upright again. He used his finger to wiped the blood away from his nose but even more blood streamed down his nose like a waterfall, staining his adventuring shirt and black coat.
"I'm not letting you take her from me! I'm going to break her free from your spell!" Hofir shouted.
He then underwent partial Beastification. His claws grew longer, his fangs sharper and his eyes changed into that of a tiger's. Striped marks appeared on the fur that grew out of his arms and legs. Despite transforming this much, his face still retained its human features which means he wasn't in his full [Primal Instinct] form that makes him go berserk with rage and power.
The fact that he could gain this much control over his berserk nature was something worthy of applause.
Arnold noticed Flora staring at him from the corner of his eye.
The glint in her eyes asked him "should I put him down" therefore he shook his head. She nodded and continued observing.
Now then, what had brought on this situation? Was it all Madilith's plan to see two men fighting for her? It wasn't out a woman's nature to manipulate people like that. Her way of manipulation was sort of cute in a way compared to a few other cunning women in the game like mature Elizabeth, Ronia, Adrianna, and Celeste. Each of them was highly intelligent and could even lead someone to their deaths, this having happened countless times whenever Ronia and Elizabeth were involved.
While Madiltih could not compare to them if the above was true, this was still a troublesome situation that ended with Arnold getting a "Death Flag".
Maybe Hofir just followed after the two right at the end of their confrontation last night, not having heard what a crazy bitch Madilith was? Arnold doesn't keep his warrior sense active unless there's danger in the area, so this was probably the most likely possibility for this "mind control" misunderstanding.
Hofir was under the misunderstanding that the one he loved was being charmed by another guy. Hofir thinks this other guy was using a type of charm magic that makes the target obey every command you tell it to. If this other guy is capable of removing a curse that not even exorcism magic could get rid of then surely this other guy is capable of using a bizarre magic or even item that lets him control others.
And in this case, it was Madilith who was the target.
Arnold could see a snowflake landing on his bloodied hand. A cold breeze swept his bangs out of his face.
"I'm not going to let you take her away from me." Hofir was now towering over Arnold.
**
Arnold looked up at Hofir.
Despite being punched, there wasn't a hint of anger on his face. His eyes were reminiscent of a cold winter's night. If his eyes were the full moon's emotionless light, then the ominous aura surrounding his body would be the shadows creeping in the dead of night, which nothing but the moon could illuminate.
Hofir pulled Arnold up by his hair, his bangs covered his eyes but one could still see his mouth—it was flat as if he was calm even after all that just happened.
Hofir pulled back his fist, "Remove the spell!" his fist landed on Arnold's face, sending a "whack" sound throughout the surroundings again.
Arnold barely flinched but his nose was leaking a lot of blood.
"H-Hey, shouldn't we stop this?" a member of the crowd asked timidly.
"You really want to stop that guy built like a fortress? Hofir will end up hurting us…"
"Yeah but…"
"Let's just watch." Daraia said to the crowd, "I will not permit anyone to interfere. This is their match. Remember, the rules are that no outside parties are allowed to help either side." She said with a big grin.
Someone muttered, "I'm pretty sure Arnold didn't agree to fight…"
"Miss Madilith is mine!" Hofir punched Arnold again.
His face was already bloody from receiving those consecutive punches. From a bystander's perspective, Hofir wasn't holding back at all. The wind pressure generated from his fist alone told them that.
That said, his punches weren't enough to make Arnold retaliate. It was like Arnold didn't feel anything at all.
"Give her back!"
Punch.
"She's the light of my life!"
Punch, punch.
"I won't let anyone take her from me!"
Another devastating punch, much stronger than the others, shook the surroundings.
A few students were about to intervene but Hans and Flora stood in front of them, stopping them in their tracks.
The adventurers also stood back, choosing not to intervene.
It was as if they knew Arnold didn't even consider Hofir a threat.
If they saw the disparity of power and level then their assumptions would be correct.
Level 60 versus Level 27.
178 in strength versus 51.
There was no way for him to win, would be the thought everyone would have if they could see the disparity.
Another question would arise: why wasn't Arnold using that huge disparity of strength to punch back? He could rip off Hofir's head like it was nothing. In fact, in that mere minute, he had probably already imagined hundreds of ways to kill the enemy in front of him.
"Give her back!" Hofir, now in tears, punched Arnold for the tenth time.
His bloodied fist then loosely fell to his side. At a glance, one could see that his fingers were bent in unnatural directions, a sign that Arnold's bones were much too hard to break. Besides the blood leaking out of his nose and mouth, there wasn't a dent on Arnold.
Hofir let go of Arnold and grit his teeth as he held onto his hand.
Arnold slowly stood up. He wiped the blood from his mouth before he turned around and walked away.
"Get back here—Guahk!? AHHHH!" Hofir was just about to charge at Arnold again before his right leg was bent backwards by an unnaturally quick attack. He collapsed on the ground a moment after while clutching that leg, and flailing wildly.
Arnold had appeared on front of him in a split second that not even Daraia and the other veteran warriors or swordsmen could even see. His leg was raised slightly below knee-height.
"Shut your mouth."
Arnold straddled him and grabbed his arm. He wordlessly broke Hofir's arm.
"Mhhughghh!!!!" Hofir's screams became louder than before.
"Didn't I tell you to—" Arnold grabbed Hofir's mangled-up arm, crushed his wrist bones like it was nothing and stuck his hand inside his own mouth, "shut your fucking mouth?"
Then he pulled back his fist which was covered in … blackish aura?
If one looked close enough, you'd imagine a demon hanging over Arnold's shoulder cackling into his ear but this was surely just one's imagination playing tricks on you.
"Eek." One of the girls ran into her friend's arms, unable to look at that scene any longer.
Another was trying her best not to vomit.
Some others were looking at this scene with pale expressions, one even leaking herself.
The guys weren't any different. It was only the adventures who appeared somewhat composed.
Arnold struck Hofir, breaking his nose bridge and many teeth. The ground beneath his head caved in.
Hofir's punches were nothing compared to this.
"That was all a High Blood Tribe chief candidate is capable of?"
He punched again; this time the punch was a little weaker but still destructive.
"Come on! Bring out the beast inside you! Show me the beast that wants to kill its uncle and avenge its father!" Hofir's blood and teeth flew with every punch that landed on his face.
One of Hofir's eyes popped out of his head, hanging loosely to the side of his cheek. His head was smacked from side to side, squirting his blood with every punch and backhand slap.
"Where did all that bravery from before go!?"
Another punch made his blood splatter as if paint was being shook from a paint brush.
"Didn't you say that you'll save that slut!?"
The next punch was so powerful that it shattered the ground, sending a powerful shockwave throughout the camp, and even causing some of the students to lose their footing and fall down.
Hofir trembled beneath Arnold as he tried his best to escape.
"Looks like I missed." Arnold said before pulling his hand out of the ground. It missed Hofir's face by a few centimeters.
"I won't miss a second time."
Arnold was about to swing down again but someone grabbed his arm at that moment.
Her small hands were trying their best to stop him but she was probably aware that she wasn't strong enough to do that. Despite that, she still tried.
"Sabrina." Arnold could tell who it was without looking back.
"H-Hofir already learned his lesson so please stop… stop hurting my friend..."
Arnold shook himself free from her grasp and grabbed Hofir by the head.
"Are you still conscious? The one who stepped up for you wasn't Madilith but Sabrina. Look at her," Arnold grabbed Hofir's head and turned it to Madilith's direction, forcing him to look at her whose head was so lowered that one couldn't see her face.
"She didn't even try to come save you."
Hofir's eye was peeled back in his head so he was probably not even listening. A faint wheeze came out of his mouth so he was still alive.
Arnold looked at his hand for a second that was covered in blood.
He closed his eyes and calmly sighed before wiping it all off on his coat.
He turned to Sabrina, "Heal him."
"Eh, ah, r-right…" she hurriedly approached Hofir and chanted something. The next moment a green light surrounded her hands which she placed on Hofir's chest.
Before walking away, he turned to look down at Hofir and said:
"The next time you challenge someone to a duel, you better have the power to back up your arrogance. The next one to duel me won't walk away alive."
**
"—What you did was very immature and dangerous." Arnold had thought that he'd be left alone peacefully but Arthur came up to him the moment he was outside the camp.
Arnold, who was drinking water from his leather pouch with some difficulty, turned to Arthur with a cold stare.
"And how would you have handled a situation where someone was aiming for your life, Fake Hero?" he said those words as if spitting in Arthur's face.
"…Hofir didn't want to kill you. He's not that kind of person…"
"Funny how that isn't what everyone else thought before your little trip into the dungeon. From what I heard, Hofir's reputation wasn't good at all with the girls especially. What did they used to say about him again—that Hofir has the eyes of a sexual predator? That he eats his victims after he violates them? Threatens to hurt girls if they don't let him touch them?"
He became this imaginary enemy for all women in the academy (almost like a certain someone). The guys didn't like him either but that was because they found him weird. He could never form full sentences, stare his professors in the eyes whilst they're speaking to him, work in teams for assignments, hold presentations for his grade…
He became unlikable just because he was different from anyone else. To Arnold's knowledge—both from the game and his own memories of the academy—Hofir had never caused any trouble and never hurt people unless instigated by the brazen delinquents who only seeks trouble (but this was in his earlier years in the academy since everyone was too scared to try and bully him now).
"Face it. You're putting a wild beast on a leash that's on the verge of snapping loose. If a simple affair is enough to make him go this far, who knows what he'll do if a similar situation were to happen in the future? What happened earlier…If he challenges me again—"
Arnold stared into Arthur's golden eyes.
"—I'll kill him."
"You do not get to decide someone else's fate just because you're stronger than them!" Arthur flared up.
"Isn't that exactly what a murderer does when they hold a blade to their victim's throat?"
Arthur received a calm reply.
The killer decides whether you live or die—regardless of their motive. Your life is in their hands because you were too weak to protect yourself.
Arnold knew what it was like to be on the other end of that blade.
He had seen the cold steel before his eyes.
He had tasted the crumbs of death's cuisine.
He had already seen what death looked like back when Angelica tried to trap him in the void of souls, where he encountered the souls of all those he had killed in Nuaria city.
He will not join them.
He will not let his life end up in the hands of his enemy. Hoping a miracle could whisk him away.
Not again.
Just like pain that comes and goes, he wants to control his own fate.
"You do not have a shred of honor or empathy, do you…? Why did you save us all? Was it merely on a whim? Was it so you did not lose someone important to you in this group?"
"Hmm, if it was the last one then I would've saved only Anais."
He chose to not mention Shirley.
That made Arthur frown but he didn't retort, instead waiting for Arnold to reply.
"Besides her, let's see…" Arnold made a thoughtful gesture as he hummed, "For one, there's the guild master. If I saved only her then she'd have end up depressed that she couldn't save her adventurers and retire early as a guild master."
The adventurers meant everything to Daraia. She would lay down her life for them because she understood the meaning of comradery and respected the adventurer code.
If she was the only one he saved then she would turn out to be useless in the end since she'll lay down her title as guild master and probably start over as an F-rank adventurer helping people and building up her reputation to gain the confidence to become a guild master again. There was no reason for this and many wouldn't understand why she'd go this far when something happened that was out of her control.
Arnold wouldn't be able to pull strings to have his party be promoted to S-rank and even SS-rank using her debt to him.
One might ask: why not ask her to give the information directly? That was because Arnold was not an adventurer but Nova was. Him rising in rank and gaining the trust of the executives and investors would end up fulfilling his goal in the end anyway. It will take a long time to gain their trust and even longer to get the secret subjugation and exploration quests. Well, it can't be helped. These things take time.
Daraia would mistake this for him wanting to pull Misteltein over to his city and house them there.
A city lord using his influence to promote a party wasn't rare these days since adventuring is one of the most famous and profitable professions.
The reason for this was obvious:
1. Adventurers can help keep the surrounding areas free of monsters and other threats, making the region safer for inhabitants and trade routes
2. Adventurers often return with treasure, rare materials, and valuable artifacts. This influx of wealth can boost the local economy and provide materials for local craftsmen.
3. Safe and prosperous regions attract traders, merchants, and new settlers, leading to increased commerce and economic development
4. Forming alliances with powerful adventurers can provide reliable allies in times of conflict or political strife.
5. Share information about potential threats, valuable locations, and other useful intel with adventurers.
The list was much longer than this but the above were just some to keep in mind. Arnold wouldn't blame Daraia and the guild executives for misunderstanding his intentions. Rather, he could make use of it. Adventurers have become an even more important profession after the monster wave that dealt a devastating blow to both the empire and other large nations.
The fear of monsters invading their territories was something nobles will never forget. Since Arnold didn't have the empire's backing anymore, it would make sense to others why he'd want adventurers there.
Adventures have essentially become more recognized and are now considered political bargaining chips. Arnold, using what happened back then to make an excuse that he wanted adventurers in his city, won't draw any suspicions towards him and his affiliation with Misteltein in the end.
"Since Daraia and her adventurers are alive and well, I can visit the HQ later to collect my rewards. As for the others," he thought about them for a moment, "Hmm, no one else serves a purpose besides Daraia."
He couldn't think of anything at the top of his head. Many amongst them were from noble families. If some were heirs to their households then he can possibly establish connections with Houses directly through the heirs if the parents are unwilling. He can already imagine daughters of nobles and treasures in the form of gifts from all over the continent showing up on his doorstep.
That wasn't enough to satisfy him. To even make him crack a smile, one would need to promise him a Semi-Star class magic item or weapon.
The part about nobles sending their daughters to his house will have nothing to do with him saving their relatives' lives. It's more like they'll use marriage as a means of building connections with Arnold—the one who stopped a possible mass genocide. He might even be knighted by the emperor for this—no, he definitely will. Most likely at the emperor's birthday banquet or during a grand festival of some kind where the emperor could show the world that Arnold "belongs to the empire". Of course, he won't let this kind of impression stay in his head for long if it does happen.
"Did you save everyone because you wanted to do it…? Or because you were expecting compensation in the first place?"
"…."
Arthur lowered his head at his silence.
"You know… I overheard some of my classmates calling you a hero earlier. Despite knowing that they disliked you and how they mistreated you, you still chose to save them. They said you changed but I can't see that at all."
"They shouldn't be throwing around that title and giving it to everyone who's kind to them." Arnold said.
"…Thank you."
"?"
"This might be a bad time to drop this on you since it's obvious that you want space but thank you for saving everyone for saving them when I couldn't." tears formed at the corner of his eyes, "We lost Miss Lee because I was too weak to save her. And all our other fallen classmates. I didn't want to lose anyone else. I promised myself that I'll grow stronger for their sake. But the curse was something I would've never been able to get rid of if it wasn't for your help."
Arthur was too weak to protect his class's professor. Which was why he sought the strength to protect those who were alive and close to him.
"Do you want to know something interesting, Arthur?" Arnold paused for a second as he waited for Arthur to wipe his tears away, "I read somewhere that the 'Holy Sword of Song and Light' is capable of expelling all curses, so it would've theoretically broken the curse as well."
"R-Really!?"
"But if you knew this beforehand and hurried to obtain the sword then you would've lost even more of those closest to you if you were unworthy. What would you have done if you weren't worthy and found out that all your efforts were for nothing? Would you have rolled over and accepted your fate?"
"…." Arthur bit his lip and clenched his fists.
"Even if you possess the strength to overcome most obstacles in life, fate will always triumph in the end. It knows no opposition and takes no sides; it simply brings luck or misfortune to all."
"…And you were the one who triumphed over that same fate… right?"
"Exactly. Strength won't always protect those you hold dear. It won't make you a hero either. To be a hero, you need to be capable of standing up to fate. That's a true hero."
"I'm nowhere near being a hero… Is that what you're saying…?"
Arnold nodded.
"Wait, doesn't that make you a hero?"
This made Arnold sigh.
"I'm no hero and don't want to be seen as one. Because I'd do anything to triumph over fate, even sacrifice lives. Can you recall any hero who would kill to save? They don't exist. But there are those who do evil things for good reasons. They are not heroes or demons because reality is not that black and white. They are simply human."
"…That… That makes sense… Hahaha, I never thought the title of hero suited you anyway."
"Just having the will to stand up to fate makes you qualified to be a hero. Do you have that courage and determination?"
"Of course." Arthur said with unflinching resolve.
"I see. Then you're one step closer to being worthy."
"Ugh, what is it with you and calling me unworthy. It's like you've seen someone worthy of the title before."
"Well, maybe I have."
Strangely it was Nait's face that surfaced in his mind and not Luke's.
A woman's scream—coming from the camp's direction—startled the two.
Arthur hurriedly ran towards it, leaving Arnold behind. It was so sudden that Arnold froze.
He didn't sense any threats nearby so what was that all about?
Interested into what was happening, Arnold followed after him.
….
Arnold arrived at the camp, noticing that the whole group was standing in a circle, surrounding something or someone.
"…." There was a heavy silence in the camp that even breathing sounded loud.
The whole group was gathered in a circle, surrounding something that had caught their attention.
Some of them were trying their best not to vomit. Others had pale expressions on their faces.
Then there was Daraia, whose eyes were a dead as that of a corpse, as she looked down.
A single person was standing in the center of that group, surrounding four corpses and a disfigured humanoid creature that was wearing a familiar magician's robe.
Arnold pushed through the group to see what all the fuss was about, spotting a silent Fecius who was standing there with a grave expression on his face.
'Isn't that… the recon squad…?' Arnold thought while looking at them.
A flood of notifications clouded Arnold's vision. Among them he could see one that caught his attention:
· You have been cursed