Deformed stories

Chapter 11: Sold Secret — Part 6: Unfair Duel

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Warning: This content may contain explicit or mature themes and is intended for viewers 18 and older. Viewer discretion is strongly advised.

Volume 1: Witch Carly Arc

Chapter 11: Sold Secret 

— Part 6: Unfair Duel

Before long, the night gave way to dawn, and morning arrived. From that point on, no one snuck into the room where the two were sleeping. For the time being, both Aurelius and Magnolia were able to rest in peace.

However, as morning came and some time passed, no one came to wake them.

"I wonder if no one is around, even though it's morning?"

As Aurelius woke up, he gently stroked the hair of Magnolia, who was lying on top of him.

"If no one is going to wake us, we might as well stay like this for a bit longer."

"No, it seems like something's going on. While there's no one inside the house, there are a lot of people outside. 

It looks like breakfast hasn't been prepared for us."

Similar to camping, they pulled out a table from the storage box and set out breakfast.

The two sat on the bed, slowly eating their breakfast. It seemed that the people outside were waiting for Aurelius and Magnolia to emerge.

"Finally, you've woken up!"

Aurelius and Magnolia, who had just left the village chief's house, were surrounded by a large crowd.

The village chief stepped forward from among them.

"Now, now, what's all this commotion about? Are you holding a village festival or something?" 

Aurelius joked deliberately.

It was obvious that this was no festival. There were twenty armed men, as well as about a hundred farmers wielding tools like hoes and sickles instead of swords. This was no peaceful gathering.

Among them was even the merchant whom they had served as an escort for yesterday.

"Listen up, and listen well!

Hand over your woman and apologize. If you do, I might forgive you.

But if you resist, your life is forfeit.

I know all about your strength. You're not even a match for ten men, are you?

That's why I've hired so many people. We have twelve village soldiers, nine adventurers, and the two of us, for a total of twenty-three. Plus, there are about a hundred villagers.

Are you going to take on all of us in a duel? You know you can't win.

So, if you don't want to suffer, hand over your woman."

It seemed that the village chief had deliberately hired these men.

"Figures. I thought as much."

Aurelius looked exasperated.

"What about Magnolia? What're you going to do?"

"It's obvious. I want to be with Aurelius. A man like that is worthless to me."

Magnolia leaned against Aurelius.

"Yeah, that's right. I'll never leave Magnolia's side either."

Aurelius also wrapped his arm around Magnolia's head.

"Hoh, so you're that eager to die. I was trying to show you mercy.

"So, you're saying you'll take on all of us—more than 120 people—in a duel, then?"

The village chief looked like he was about to pounce.

"I'd rather not, but I suppose I have no choice.

It's too hard to keep track of so many people, so let's just say that if all of you are defeated or flee or surrender, that's a loss.

But I'm not going to surrender, of course.

And what about a neutral referee? A duel requires an impartial judge."

"If it's just that, we have the right person for that."

The village chief brought out a slender man.

"This guy is the only staff of the adventurer's guild branch in this village.

He's not much use to us, so he can be the mediator.

That's fine—I assumed?"

"FUUhm, well I suppose it's fine."

The guild staff approached Aurelius and the village chief with nervous trepidation.

"Eh, do you really have to do this? Are you really going to have a duel?

Is it really okay?"

"Just hurry up and get it over with!"

One of the adventurers hired by the village chief shouted out a jeer.

"O-Okay…

I understand. I'd like to begin the duel, if I may.

What should we use as the signal to start?"

It seemed he had been suddenly told to do this, and he appeared unsure of how to proceed.

"Just get on with it, you give the signal!"

"This, well…

Are you really sure this is okay?

Then, please begin!"

The guild staff said just that, and then fled.

"It's a pretty half-hearted signal, isn't it?"

"Well, can't be helped, I suppose."

"Whatever the case, it seems the duel has started."

"It'd be best to take down that guy quickly."

"Don't kill the woman, okay? Try to make her surrender without hurting her as much as possible.

Whoever gets the job done will get to have a taste of her as a reward.

A woman as good as her doesn't come around often, you see."

The village chief is trying to get the hired men pumped up, using Magnolia as a prize, it seems.

He wasn't thinking about losing at all.

"Then, it's every man for himself, I suppose."

"Um, that's not fair! Let me go too!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"

The duel begins in a chaotic manner, with the hired men mostly being the ones to charge forward with their weapons at the ready.

"Magnolia, get back."

"Are you serious about doing this?"

"I'd like to avoid killing anyone who's just doing their job, if possible."

"I'll leave it to you."

Magnolia retreats to a safe distance, putting a fair amount of space between herself and the others.

"The woman has escaped, don't let her get away!"

The village chief, accompanied by the two soldiers he had hired, set out to capture Magnolia.

Well, if it's Magnolia, two people shouldn't be a problem, Aurelius thought, focusing on the men running towards him from the front.

First, he thrust out his arm and turned his palm towards the men charging towards him from the front. Then, he created a large wall of condensed air and sent it flying at high speed.

Fwooshuhuhuhuhuhuhu,

The air wall advanced with an eerie, pulsating sound. However, since it was transparent, it was completely invisible.

"Eh—?"

Before they could even sense the danger, the man running at the front, along with the two men immediately behind him—three people in total—collided head-on with the wall. Naturally, they were repelled and sent flying through the air. They flew a considerable distance, likely suffering serious injuries.

At the same time, two men who had grazed their shoulders against the wall fell to the ground. If they were unlucky, their shoulder bones might have been fractured. It seemed that several farmers who were further back were also caught up in the chaos.

"Eh—?"

"What's going on?"

Aurelius, without hesitation, unleashed two more walls of air in quick succession towards the men who had instinctively stopped in their tracks.

Both walls repelled two men, and one wall struck someone's shoulder.

"What the…? This is crazy!"

If we gather together, we'll make an easy target. Let's spread out and surround him!"

One of the men shouted, and the remaining nine people formed a circle around Aurelius. Indeed, this way, the air wall would only be able to hit one person at a time.

Then, after exchanging signals with their eyes, three men attacked simultaneously from three directions.

"How about this?"

"With the three of us, you can't handle us all, can you?"

"If just one of us reaches you, we win."

Aurelius calmly waved his hands at the two men on either side of him, releasing "Void Discs."

"Crap! Be careful!"

Some noticed that magic had been cast, but it was utterly meaningless.

The man with the large axe had his right wrist severed as he tried to protect his face.

The man wielding the one-handed sword tried to shield himself, but had his left ankle severed.

Both were left with no choice but to live out their lives with crippled bodies.

"I've got you!"

The man in front raised his two-handed sword and literally flew toward Aurelius.

However, long before reaching him, he was ensnared by a glowing net that materialized in mid-air.

"Gyahhhh, it hurtssss!

S—Someone, get this off me!"

He rolled on the ground, struggling to remove the net, but it was in vain. He only worsened his injuries and continued to bleed.

"Eh, what's happening?"

"What should we do?"

The remaining men, clueless on what to do, merely exchanged glances.

"Hey, what are you waiting for?

You can't even beat someone like him?

Do you have any idea why I paid you?"

The merchant shouted angrily, prompting five men to reluctantly raise their weapons.

However, none dared to move, fearing that if they got too close, their hands or feet would be severed.

"It's a duel, right? If you're not going to come to me…"

Aurelius formed bullet ball-sized masses of compressed air and launched two at each of the three men.

"Here it comes!"

"Are we done for?"

"Eek!"

One man raised his shield to defend himself, but the air bullets curved around and struck his chest and back, breaking his ribs.

Another deflected the first bullet with his two-handed sword, but the second hit him in the groin, leaving him writhing in pain.

The last man tried to protect his head with his hands, but the first shot hit him in the stomach, causing him to groan, and the second struck him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Now, only the merchant and the two men beside him remained.

Magnolia, positioned between the two, shifted to a spot where she wouldn't get in Aurelius's way.

"You think you can escape?"

"Why would I need to run?"

Both swung their greatswords at her, but Magnolia deftly evaded their strikes.

"Damn, this one's pretty strong!"

"If we go easy, we're done for!"

"Do you really have the luxury to go easy?"

Magnolia's sword moved faster than the two combined. Before long, despite their joint efforts, they found themselves on the defensive.

"What's the matter? Hurry up and take her down!"

The village chief barked, but the two were already overwhelmed just trying to defend.

"Did you really think you could beat me?

Did you think you could defeat Aurelius, who's even stronger than I am?"

Magnolia fixed her sights on one of the men and unleashed a flurry of attacks. Her sword speed, aptly called "lightning-speed," was too swift to track, making it almost impossible to block in time, even though they were both wielding greatswords.

"Don't get cocky!"

From behind, the other man swung his sword with full force.

"Hmph."

Magnolia, fully aware of his attack, dodged at the last second, just outside the sword's reach. Then, with a faster strike, she batted aside the passing blade.

"Kuh—"

His sword, swung with all his might, was struck from behind by an even quicker blow. Unable to hold onto it, he let go, and the sword flew to the ground.

Magnolia's sword, swung with full force, was immediately brought back for a counterattack.

The man had no time to block or dodge, and he took the full brunt of Magnolia's sword.

"ARGHHHHhhhh!!! AAahhhh!"

With a single strike, Magnolia's sword broke the man's left arm and slashed through his right wrist.

Unable to withstand the pain, he writhed on the ground.

Having finished him off, Magnolia slowly turned to face the remaining man.

"Don't come any closer, stay away!"

Desperate to keep her at bay, the man swung his sword frantically. But this only made him more vulnerable.

Magnolia picked up the sword dropped by the first man, now holding two swords in both hands. Of course, both were far too heavy for her to wield properly or even swing effectively. But that wasn't her intent in the first place.

Magnolia stood a short distance away from the man wildly swinging his sword. Though she was well within his own range, his sword couldn't reach her.

Holding the sword she had picked up in a reverse grip, Magnolia leaned her body back dodging his attack. Then, with a focused breath, she hurled the sword.

"Eh?"

The man hadn't expected her to throw it from such close range, and he couldn't react.

The sword hit the man's right leg, exactly where Magnolia had aimed.

"AAAaaghhhhh!!!"

The sword struck his knee dead-on, possibly breaking a bone. The man collapsed on the spot, unable to even hold his sword.

Magnolia picked up the dropped sword again, gripped it in reverse, and raised it high.

"S—Stop! Please stop! 

I surrender! 

I surrender, so spare me! 

I beg you, please!

Please, spare my life!"

"Fuh—

Fuhm—"

Magnolia swung the sword down hard at the man.

The sword pierced through his left leg and lodged into the ground.

With both legs now severely wounded, he wouldn't be able to walk for a long time.

Now, the only one left was the village chief.

"I—I understand. You've won. You and your companion have won. So, the duel should be over now, right?"

The village chief bent down, arms spread up front, pleading for forgiveness.

But Magnolia had no intention of showing mercy.

Besides, the curse should have already transferred to the chief. Left alone, it would activate in a few days and he'll head toward the witch of the Kingdom of Zuhl.

And it wouldn't be just him—he'd bring several soldiers along.

So, she had to kill him here and now.

After all, it was the chief's fault for breaking the promise after being given three chances.

"I just can't forgive you.

But I will give you a chance."

Magnolia picked up the greatsword that had fallen and lightly tossed it at the feet of the village chief.

"You can't fight with just a blade like that, right? Feel free to use the sword."

The village chief, who only had a small dagger for self-defense, glanced at the sword lying on the ground, unsure of what to do.

"Besides, I'II only use this dagger."

Magnolia placed the greatsword into her storage box and pulled out a dagger in its place.

The village chief, still watching Magnolia, slowly picked up the sword. He seemed wary, worried about being attacked while doing so.

"Don't worry about that. I'II wait until you've raised your sword."

Magnolia stood with his legs crossed, showing no intention of fighting.

"If possible, I'd prefer not to hurt you.

Don't regret letting me hold a sword."

It seemed the village chief knew how to use a sword, as he assumed a proper stance.

"Alright then, I won't hold back.

Since this is a duel, I'II fight with the intention of killing.

You have no more regrets, right? Don't regret this."

Magnolia lowered his body, ready to move.

"You… giving me a sword—"

Before the village chief could finish speaking, Magnolia moved.

"Damn it,"

Panicking, the village chief raised his sword, but by then Magnolia had already passed him and stood behind.

"Eh… when did you—"

A red line appeared across the village chief's neck.

He quickly pressed his hand against it, but it was too late.

Magnolia wiped the dagger with a cloth and placed it back into her storage box.

"No… this can't be…"

Blood gushed from the village chief's neck, showing no sign of stopping, staining his hand red as he tried to hold it back.

Reaching toward Magnolia as if in desperation, he collapsed after just one step.

"Sorry.

But you have to die.

You had a good time last night, so be satisfied with that."

Magnolia closed his eyes and bowed his head to the convulsing village chief.

But by then, the village chief's eyes saw nothing.

Turning on her heel, Magnolia walked toward Aurelius.

Just before the conclusion of Magnolia's fight.

The two remaining in front of Aurelius seemed unsure of what to do and sought help from the merchant.

"I didn't hear he was this strong."

"It's not too late—if we apologize now, maybe he'll forgive us."

"Shut up! You' ve already been paid, so fight!"

Even though the merchant yelled at them, neither of the two moved.

Since Magnolia was also nearing its conclusion, Aurelius decided to end it as well.

The merchant hadn't attacked directly, but he had caused the situation. Selling information that was exclusive to the Merchants' Guild to others was an unforgivable act from the guild's standpoint.

Therefore, while he wouldn't kill him, he would push him to the brink of death.

This meant he needed to injure the two men first.

"Gyahhh! It hurtsss!"

"My leg, my leg!"

Suddenly, their legs started to hurt, and the two men collapsed. Then, as they hit the ground, something pierced their shoulders and hips.

"Gyaaaaah! It hurts!"

"What's going on? Something's stabbed my shoulder!"

"What's happening? Is something there?"

However, only the merchant remained unscathed.

When the two men looked down at their feet, they saw sharp spearheads sticking up from the ground, apparently piercing their legs.

"What is this?"

It seemed that the area wasn't very wide, so the two men fled to a safe spot.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?"

It turned out the spearheads were only protruding around the merchant. While the merchant in the center was safe, he couldn't move.

"It hurts!"

"My leg, my leg!"

Blood continued to flow from the legs of the two men as they sat down in a safe spot for the time being.

"Well then, it seems you're the only one left.

You deceived us and brought us to this village, and you subjected Magnolia to terrible treatment. I am extremely angry.

However, it's not worth killing you.

I made sure not to kill the hired men either.

So, how about this?"

Aurelius surrounded the merchant with a wall of air.

As the merchant reached out to find out what was happening, his hand hit an invisible wall.

"What are you trying to do?"

"I'm just making sure you can't escape.

Right now, there's no problem at all—it's just a wall.

That wall will disappear in about an hour and a half, and if you slash it hard with a sword, it will gradually break. So it's not that dangerous. Not for now, at least."

"What are you trying to do?"

"All you need to do is escape from there.

You can wait until it disappears in an hour and a half before you run away, you can break it with the dagger you have, or you can have someone outside break it.

Once you escape, neither I nor Magnolia will do anything to you.

Well, since we've caught you like this, we've won the duel, and that's enough for us."

"Tch, that's—"

Even if he wanted to protest, the hired men had been defeated, and the merchant was powerless on his own.

"Is that acceptable? If so, then—"

"However,"

Aurelius interrupted the merchant.

"However, while the top is open for now, I will close that as well.

Then you'll be isolated, and you won't hear each other's voices at all. So you'll only be able to communicate through gestures. Understand?"

"So, I just have to endure in here.

Just hurry up and do it."

The merchant felt reassured, thinking it would be easy as long as he was just confined.

"The most important thing is that with that size, there's only enough air for you to live for a short while. Once I close the top, no air will come in from outside.

So, is that okay?"

"Eh? What did you say?

I won't be able to breathe?"

"Well, if you're lucky, it might last a little longer. Plus, if someone hits it from outside, you should be able to break the wall.

So, you don't need to worry."

"Hey, wait.

Don't close it yet.

Hey, you guys.

Since I paid you, you have to listen to me. Smash this wall! You absolutely must smash it!"

Even though the merchant shouted at them, no one moved. Everyone was too injured to act.

Moreover, spears were jutting up from the ground around the merchant, so if they approached carelessly, they would get seriously hurt. That's why they didn't want to get close.

"Damn it, you useless bastards.

That's right, you villagers, you'll do too.

Smash the walls around me with your swords. If you do it well, I might pay you."

Most of the villagers, unharmed, simply exchanged glances and didn't move. Knowing they would get hurt, none approached the merchant.

"Hey, I have plenty of money. It's not here, but it's in the cargo—"

At that point, the merchant realized his mistake.

Since he couldn't move now, he couldn't stop anyone from stealing. In fact, several villagers had already started running toward the carriage.

"Hey, you guys.

That's my money—if you steal it, I will never forgive you."

The merchant shouted, but no one paid him any attention.

"Now, I'll be closing the top."

Aurelius created a wall of air above, the only part still open.

Although the merchant's voice could no longer be heard, it was clear he was desperately pounding on the wall and shouting.

"If you move around so much, you'll use even more air. If you just stay still, the air will last longer."

"Eh, is it really okay to say that?"

A man, unable to move because a spear was lodged in his leg, said to Aurelius.

"Yes, it is. Anyway, he can't hear you or me.

Let see, should I teach the merchant a way to escape?"

Aurelius used magic to convey his voice to the merchant.

"Shall I tell you something useful?"

Suddenly, Aurelius's voice reached the merchant, who, although surprised, listened intently.

"That wall can be broken by impacts other than a sword. For example, it can break if you throw a sword at it or hit it with a stone.

So, do your best."

The merchant quickly understood and gestured to the men outside to throw something, while they also trying to signal him to stay still. They were both desperate to communicate and avoided looking at each other.

"Magnolia, it looks like you've sorted things out over there."

"Umm, the cursed man is no longer going to see the witch."

"That's good to hear.

So, I'd like to head to the next town, but we might end up camping out if we leave now."

"If I'm with Aurelius, I don't mind anything.

Actually, I might prefer camping out.

I want to take my time and enjoy being with you."

Aurelius, intertwining their arm, departed the village with Magnolia.

Leaving behind the guild staff, who were too stunned by their overwhelming strength to say anything.