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Chapter 183: Trick

~Michael’s perspective~

A few seconds after the arrow pierced Joseph’s abdomen, he looked in the direction the arrow had come from and saw Nelfie-san standing there.

「T-There are two… Nelfie-san?」

As I desperately tried to make sense of the situation, the Nelfie-san who was at the mercy of Joseph’s knife disappeared, leaving behind only a few tree branches.

「Kufufufu… You bested me. I can’t believe you had such a card up your sleeve…」

Joseph was bleeding profusely from the abdomen after pulling out the arrow that was deeply lodged in him, and it’s probably not my imagination that his already pale face has turned even whiter.

I have no idea what exactly happened during this battle… but let’s go through that again.

Immediately after Nelfie-san saved me from Joseph’s throwing knives, Joseph came out of the darkness covered in blood. From there, the two of them started fighting, and before I knew it, Nelfie-san had split into two… No. I can’t tell just from the information I saw.

Ah, but there were some scenes that felt strange, probably because my [Relative Pitch] and [Voice Identification] skills were constantly active.

Due to the structure of this passageway, it was difficult to understand because the voice was in the form of echoes, but I think I heard Nelfie-san’s voice coming from a different location around the time she activated her magic…especially after activating [Branch Prison]. Besides, would Nelfie-san, who is an SS-rank adventurer and has the nickname of [Timeless], easily allow her legs to be binded even if she was caught by surprise…?

It seems that Joseph was thinking the same thing.

「I have to admit that my skills have numbed. However, even if I was in my prime, I wouldn’t have been able to figure out the mystery behind your trick. What on earth did you do?」

「Do you think I would voluntarily reveal my secrets?」

「I would say it depends on the conditions. Your purpose isn’t to kill me, but to get information, right? However, I don’t really care about my life. I could easily kill myself right now.」

「…Hou? So, do you mean to use it as a bargaining chip? I could get information from someone else, can’t I? It doesn’t necessarily have to be you.」

「Kufufufu… I guess so. But you guys don’t have “time”, you know? …You’ll have to pay the fee if you want more out of me.」

Even in this life-threatening situation, I couldn’t hear any fear or anxiety in Joseph’s voice. He must be serious about using crucial information, including his own life, as a bargaining chip.

Besides, we don’t have time? What does that mean… Are they going to kill the king at a certain time, or…

Nelfie-san and Joseph don’t take their eyes off each other. In situations like this, your eyes and facial expressions say more than verbal dialogue.

The staring exchange continued for a while, and I was starting to worry about how long it would last, but when Nelfie exhaled, the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

「Okay. What you want to know is how I teleported to the back when I was supposed to have been bound, right?」

「That’s right. If you can tell me that, I’ll tell you the huge information I have. However, you’ll have start first.」

「…Well, it’s fine. From what I can see in your eyes, I’m sure you’ll keep your promise.」

「Kufufu…of course. I’m weak against people I acknowledge.」

「You probably already have an idea, but what I did was combine my [Clone] and [Stealth] skills with tree attribute magic to mislead my true location. That’s all.」

「So it was indeed that type of skill. However, this is the first time I’ve heard of the skill called [Clone]. Also, when did you switch positions?」

「When I activated Branch Prison and temporarily blocked your sight.」

「I see. That magic wasn’t to capture me, but to temporarily obstruct my sight. And then, in that moment, you activated [Clone] and [Stealth], erased your presence, and moved behind me… So that’s how it is…」

I can’t believe she put so much skill and magic into that series of attacks… As expected of Nelfie-san.

Furthermore, Joseph was able to understand the purpose of the opponent’s magic and what kind of actions they were taking with just these hints, so he must be one of the top in combat and assassination skills.

Now that I know the answer, if I were to add my own interpretation, I would say that Nelfie-san’s conversation during the battle was to distract Joseph from sensing the main body moving behind him.

This battle will never be talked about on the public stage… I may have been lucky to have been able to witness such a high-level of offense and defense up close, even though I myself almost got killed.

「It’s your turn to disclose the information, Joseph.」

「Of course. There are two pieces of information I can give you. First, the king’s condition and whereabouts.」

What Joseph disclosed was extraordinary information. This information alone was worth a fortune. There are probably very few people among the Fernando faction who know this.

「…Keep going.」

「The king is currently imprisoned in the dungeon. Or rather, he is in the cell I was originally in. He was unconscious, probably because he was put to sleep. But judging by the fact that he didn’t bear any obvious injuries, he is probably not in any immediate danger.」

「Hmm. So, what’s the other piece of information?」

In response to Nelfie-san’s question, Joseph’s response with a grin on his face was beyond anything I could have imagined.

「Kufufu… The fact that a super powerful bomb has been planted in the arena.」