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CHAPTER 224: CIEL AND HEIL

CHAPTER 224: CIEL AND HEIL

— SCRAAAAAATTTTTTCCCCCCHHHHHH!!!!!!

Our weapons clashed violently, and sparks scattered in the dim space of the fourth floor of the Snake Tower.

The fierce battle was so intense that the monsters that appeared nearby instinctively hid themselves from us, but neither side used their Buff Skills yet and waited to see what would happen. Both sides seemed to be gauging the strength of their opponent.

「Hmm…… You are pretty good.」

「Thanks, you too.」

This series of attacks and defenses showed that my opponent was very skilled, and it made me think that I was right to come to Wislo. Also, although he was probably still hiding his true abilities and strength, it felt like he was pretty much used to fighting “human” opponents.

I have been trying to use my Appraisal Skill on him since I met him, but not only was he extremely fast, he also took advantage of an opening while I was trying to appraise him and would launch a counterattack right away.

How can someone this young be so used to fighting other people in a town like Wislo, where dungeon exploration is the main focus? There may be more ties and conspiracies swirling around in this town than I originally thought. I was also interested in the life he has lived up until this moment, but for now it was best to just focus on the fight and not think about other things.

「Maybe I should try to step up my game a gear or two.」

The attacker muttered those words softly under his nose, and in addition to a series of attacks with the bladed tonfas he was holding in his back hand, he started mixing in feints and kicks as well.

Just looking at his movement speed, agility, and attack speed, he was an overwhelming close-combat fighter type with main focus on Agility. Moreover, the weapons he was equipped with on both his hands and feet are shaped to be used for both offense and defense. Those were also not just some common weapon, but it seemed to be perfectly suited to his fighting style. Furthermore, considering that he could fight head-on with a magically-powered Shiranuemaru, it was more than likely that his equipment was also of the Rare variety.

Not only were there many attacks that rained down onto me, but the attacks itself had an irregular rhythm to them, making it hard for me to find the right timing to counterattack properly.

(…… But that was assuming I can actually avoid the attacks or block them with Shironuemaru. If I don’t counterattack now, this frustration won’t go away!)

I pretended to be late in defending against the enemy’s successive attacks and quickly put up a barrier around me. Then, the barrier deflected a kick from his left foot as he swung around, creating a clear opening.

「…… Ngh!?」

「You have finally shown an opening. Now die.」

I unsheathed my sword, Shironuemaru, and aimed it at the enemy’s torso, and a moment later, fresh blood flew from the tip of the sword.

But the impact was too weak and the cut too shallow. All I could feel was that his clothes had been cut, and nothing else.

「That timing and that position made him instantly dodge. I thought I had stepped in quite a bit though.」

My current level was in the upper sixties, and my stats were all specialized in Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. Not only that, but considering that I was of Monster origin, my stats were naturally higher than those of a human of the same level. Even if he was not using an enhancement from a Buff Skill, if he was able to narrowly avoid my attack when he was completely out of balance, it was almost certain that he was at the same level or higher as I was.

In addition to that, it was almost certain that he had an Agility-specialized Skill at his disposal, and the enhancement from the Buff Skill he probably possessed was likely to be an Agility-enhancing one, too……

「……That was close. This is not the time to let my guard down.」

As he said that, the atmosphere became way more tense around here.

I immediately activated “Swift Wind and Lightning” and an offensive magic barrier, and took a stance to draw my sword at a moment’s notice.

In stark contrast to the fierce barrage of attacks up until then, silence descended upon our surroundings.

And just as we were about to take our first steps forward……

— CLAP! CLAP!

「Okay, you two. Stop right there.」

A man’s voice came from the direction of the stairs leading up from the third floor, along with the sound of clapping of hands.

At the same time, the person who had been exuding a ferocious murderous aura suddenly relaxed, turned his back on me and faced the source of the voice.

I also turned my eyes towards the stairs, and saw a young man with narrowed eyes approaching us while speaking.

「I’m sorry, Aun-san! You see, this guy just can’t help himself but to jump to conclusions so quickly. Ciel, put away your weapon and apologize to Aun-san right this instant!!」

「Heil…… What do you mean?」

The person I had been fighting up until now was apparently named “Ciel,” and the name of the voice coming up the stairs was probably “Heil.” From the look and the atmosphere of things, the two were probably members of the same party or Clan.

……But how did this Heil person know my name?

「That Aun-san over there helped Curulario when he was being harassed by the Assassins Clan! So how did the two of you end up fighting each other? No…… I know, I bet it was you who attacked him first, Ciel, because you happened to mistake Aun-san for someone from the Assassin Clan, right? You can see it with a quick look around. Maybe you did not see the guys dressed in black lying unconscious over there? Are your eyes just for show, Ciel? Or maybe you are simply blind? By the way, if it was not for Aun-san, you surely would have killed the person who helped your important friend, right, Ciel? What do you think about that?」

Heil spoke calmly after letting out a long sigh. And Ciel did not seem to understand what he was being told.

I was able to understand what he was talking about after hearing that brief explanation, though.

「Haah…… Look, it’s not like my expectations for you are all that high to begin with, Ciel. At the very least, I would like you to try and think a little bit more before you act. I mean, what Clan leader jumps right on to make a suicide attack before doing anything else? I would like you to at least try and understand how it feels to be me for once, since I am the one who has to clean up after the messes that you end up creating.」

That was something I could relate to, or how else should I even put it……?

Even though he was not telling me what to do, it felt like I was the one who was being lectured and it hurt to hear it……

Even so, Ciel looked greatly confused, so I wonder if this guy was some sort of a big shot, or if Ciel was only just an idiot…… After being scolded for a few minutes like that, Ciel turned to me and bowed his head to me as if to say, “I am really sorry”.

It was good that he could apologize so honestly, but I was suddenly taken aback. Or rather, all the venom had been taken out of me in an instant. If this was what Heil had in mind from the get-go, then he must have been one very clever guy.

「Aun-san, I am really sorry about this. Let me introduce myself. I’m Heil, Sub-Master of the Clan “Tekirana”. And this idiot over here is Ciel…… I’m ashamed to say that he is also the Master of the “Tekirana” Clan. I think you must surely be confused right now, so I would like to explain the situation to you properly, but right now we have to drag these guys along. In reality, you should come to our Clan house right now and we can officially apologize to you there, but I’m sure that you still can’t bring yourself to trust us, Aun-san…… so I would like to arrange for that to happen tomorrow, is that okay with you?」

「A-Ahh, yeah. That’s fine with me. Can I take my friends with me, too?」

「Yes, of course. Then, please come to the “Tekirana” Clan house on the Second Avenue tomorrow afternoon. I will have a guide wait at the Adventurer’s Guild to show you the way, so I think it would be best for you to go there first.」

「Understood. So for now, will you explain everything to me tomorrow?」

「Yes, of course…… Well then, I shall take these guys in for the time being, so I am afraid that I have to be off for now.」

With that being said, he captured the black-clad guys with some kind of Magical Tool, and Heil bowed slightly while Ciel waved at me and teleported away using the Labyrinth Escape Stone.

Ciel’s normal behavior and in-battle behavior were quite different…… and listening to his conversation with Heil, he seems to have a very airheaded personality.

However, his fighting skills and combat instincts were all real and top-notch.

…… I wish I could have faced Ciel in earnest combat on one day.