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Chapter 125: The Knight of the High Elf (3)

“Wh-what’s with that reaction?”

Parco was flustered.

It was a high-ranking spirit.

A spirit with immense power, one that even in the sacred land, few could form a contract with.

He remembered how delighted he had been when he formed the contract.

The people of the sacred land had looked at him with such respect.

It was a spirit worthy of such admiration.

Yet now, it was receiving a look of disappointment.

Parco couldn’t understand.

But for Ketal, it was a natural reaction.

The first elf village he encountered after leaving the white snowfield.

The queen of that village, Marsilia Hasianne Calusia.

She summoned the highest-ranking fire spirit, Fiego.

It was clearly above a high-ranking spirit. Seeing a high-ranking spirit now wasn’t something to be astonished or shocked by.

‘Was Marsilia really that strong?’

Back then, he hadn’t felt much beyond the heat.

‘No, no.’

Ketal shook his head.

‘I should be pleased now.’

So what if it’s a high-ranking spirit?

It’s still a spirit, and that should make him happy.

Ketal composed himself and quietly observed Brunstad.

A semi-transparent form of a reindeer.

It had magnificent, beautiful antlers.

A gentle breeze seemed to envelop it.

Ketal’s eyes shone.

It was quite impressive, almost like something out of a painting.

“Are all spirits in the form of animals?”

Ketal muttered.

Parco gritted his teeth at his nonchalant demeanor.

“…Let’s see how long you can stay so carefree. Brunstad! Show your power to my enemy!”

[Hmph.]

With Parco’s command, Brunstad stamped its front hoof on the ground.

Crack!

And a blade of wind materialized.

It whirled rapidly, tearing through the earth as it charged forward.

The power contained within was clearly stronger than the wind Parco had wielded.

“Hoho.”

Ketal leapt joyfully, evading the blade of wind.

Seeing this, Parco was confident.

Dodging meant he would soon be struck.

“Brunstad!”

Crash!

Winds surged, chaotically swirling around the space.

But Ketal evaded all the attacks.

The winds didn’t even graze his body.

Parco didn’t realize something was amiss.

He was too drunk on the belief that he had the upper hand.

“You’re dodging well! Brunstad!”

[How long can you keep this up?]

Brunstad shook its head.

Its antlers spun in a circular motion.

The wind instantly condensed.

A part of nature that should move freely was now fixed under the spirit’s will.

Crack!

In an instant, a massive wall of wind surrounded Ketal.

Ketal stopped moving.

“This is possible too, huh.”

He muttered with an intrigued expression.

Simultaneously, the wall of wind surrounding Ketal began to move.

The wall turned into spikes of wind that poured down.

The moment they touched Ketal’s body, they exploded.

Boom!

A burst of wind spread out in all directions.

Arkamis’s house began to creak.

The forest shook violently, leaves falling everywhere.

“Ketal!”

Arkamis was horrified.

No matter how strong Ketal was, a direct hit from such power could be dangerous.

She hurriedly began gathering mana.

The wind exploded.

It wasn’t the wind Brunstad had created.

It was wind generated by pure force.

The raging wind was blown away in an instant by a stronger wind.

The trees behind swayed violently, some saplings even uprooted.

“W-what!”

Parco, who had been sure of his victory, was stunned.

As the aftermath of the wind subsided, Ketal’s figure became visible.

Parco’s pupils dilated.

Ketal had his fist extended.

“…What?”

Parco didn’t want to understand.

But considering Ketal’s stance and the aftermath, there was only one conclusion.

The recent wind was caused by Ketal’s punch.

‘The wind of a high-ranking spirit was overpowered by a simple punch?’

[You!]

Brunstad was visibly flustered.

It hurriedly swung the wind, but Ketal no longer dodged.

The wind collided with his body and vanished without a trace.

“Is this all?”

Ketal looked puzzled.

‘The highest-ranking spirit could turn trees and grass into pure flames, but all this one does is wield the wind?’

Brunstad felt deeply insulted.

It stomped the ground fiercely.

The wind exploded and surged forward.

But there was no significant change from before.

“It seems that really is all it can do.”

There was nothing more to see.

Convinced, Ketal lightly pushed off the ground.

Boom!

He pierced through the wind and arrived in front of Brunstad in an instant.

Ketal raised his fist.

Brunstad, startled, tried to protect itself with a barrier of wind.

But it all shattered.

His fist penetrated Brunstad’s body.

Crunch.

With a breaking sound, the reindeer’s body was crushed.

The wind that composed its form scattered in all directions.

A single blow.

With one strike, Brunstad was reverse summoned back to the spirit realm.

“…What?”

Parco muttered blankly.

Ketal shook his fist.

“Spirits disappear when beaten to death. I wish demons would be the same.”

Dealing with those who couldn’t be killed by simple physical force was annoying.

In any case, it was over.

The spirit had been reverse summoned.

Parco stood there, unmoving, in a daze.

‘What did I just witness?’

He couldn’t comprehend the situation.

A high-ranking spirit reverse summoned with a single punch?

It was impossible.

Spirits, which were the embodiment of nature, weren’t easily reverse summoned.

They could persist unless they received an attack that was truly overwhelming.

So why?

After a moment of standing there, Parco’s eyes widened.

“You! What trickery did you use?”

Parco began to deny the reality of what had happened.

A high-ranking spirit falling so easily?

It was unthinkable.

He shouted with conviction.

“You! You’ve bewitched me! You used some underhanded means in this duel!”

“I didn’t use any such thing.”

“Silence! This duel is invalid! Start over from the beginning!”

A barbarian couldn’t possibly reverse summon a high-ranking spirit.

Therefore, it was clear he had been bewitched.

It was a twisted rationalization, but it was firm.

Parco refused to accept defeat.

“Hm.”

Ketal quietly observed Parco.

“I wish you would accept your defeat.”

“Silence! Filthy barbarian!”

Parco hurled rough insults at Ketal.

Ketal’s gaze gradually cooled.

‘Annoying.’

Ketal had fought many duels.

The barbarians of the White Snowfield didn’t understand words alone.

They had to be crushed and trampled by force to acknowledge anything.

It was very bothersome, but it was effective.

The barbarians would accept defeat the moment they were beaten.

It wasn’t much different after he left.

He had fought many battles, but in each one, the opponents accepted defeat when there was no other option.

Even demons did so.

But Parco wasn’t accepting it.

This was a first for him.

To be honest, it was incredibly annoying.

Ketal looked at Parco for a moment before extending his hand.

He grabbed Parco by the neck and lifted him.

“Let go!”

Parco struggled fiercely, but it was as futile as a child’s tantrum against an adult’s grip.

Ketal stared at Parco for a moment before speaking.

“Parco.”

At that word, Parco suddenly stilled.

Something invisible crept up.

It oppressed Parco.

It bound his limbs and constricted his heart.

“I am not a very patient person.”

A low voice resonated.

“I had no intention of harming you. This duel was merely about Arkamis’s alchemy. I neither wanted nor demanded anything more from you.”

Parco’s face slowly turned pale.

Fear began to settle in.

“But if you continue to deny and reject the outcome of this duel, I will find dealing with you increasingly tiresome.”

Ketal smiled quietly.

“If you keep refusing like this, I will have no choice but to make a certain decision.”

Ketal gazed into Parco’s eyes.

A single emotion from Ketal was conveyed to Parco.

“O-oh.”

Parco stammered.

Extreme fear obliterated his rationality.

“So, I would appreciate it if you acknowledged your defeat. What do you think?”

“Yes, yes, yes….”

Parco hurriedly nodded.

“I, I lost. I lost. I’m sorry. Please, please forgive me….”

Parco pleaded desperately.

Ketal smiled faintly.

“A good decision.”

Ketal lowered his hand.

Parco collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

He barely managed to catch his breath.

“O-oh?”

Arkamis’s eyes widened.

Ketal looked at her.

“It’s over, Arkamis.”

* * *

After the duel, they returned to Arkamis’s house.

“Parco, you have lost. From now on, do not interfere with Arkamis’s alchemy. Do you agree?”

“Yes, yes. I agree. I will not interfere with Arkamis in any way.”

Parco spoke quickly.

His submissive attitude, so different from before, surprised Arkamis.

Ketal smiled with satisfaction.

“Good. It would have been nice if you had been like this from the start.”

“Yes, yes….”

Parco nodded hastily.

Whenever Ketal’s gaze fell on him, he shrank like a snail touched by salt.

“…What did you do exactly?”

Arkamis looked at Ketal with a face full of incomprehension.

Ketal had grabbed Parco by the neck and said something to him, and suddenly Parco had started trembling.

It was almost pitiful to watch.

“I didn’t do much of anything.”

He had merely spoken with feeling.

That was all.

Arkamis murmured, still puzzled.

“…It seemed like you did something.”

Even so, it was a good outcome for her.

If Parco had continued to resist, it would have been troublesome for her as well.

She looked at Ketal with a face of renewed realization.

“But you’re really incredibly strong. You just took Brunstad’s attacks head-on?”

“Is that unusual?”

“Of course it is. How can you even say that? It was a high-ranking spirit. It’s stronger than the butler you faced before.”

“Is that so?”

Ketal pondered for a moment before asking.

“Then what about the highest-ranking spirits?”

“They’re obviously even stronger. Very few people have even contracted with the highest-ranking spirits.”

Just having contracted with one was enough to be etched into Elven history.

Ketal sighed in admiration.

“I see.”

‘So Marsilia was strong.’

On reflection, the location of the Elf village was right near the snowy plains.

It must have been a decision made with confidence that they could handle any situation with their power.

Arkamis gave Ketal a curious look.

‘What kind of body is that?’

Ketal was unfamiliar with the mysteries of the world.

He had withstood the wind of a high-ranking spirit with just his physical body.

The wind of a high-ranking spirit was not ordinary.

Since it contained the spirit’s power itself, it could not be countered without handling mysteries.

‘He just broke through the power of Severance with his bare body.’

It was incomprehensible by common sense.

A possibility flashed through Arkamis’s mind.

‘…Could it be that his physical body itself is of a different realm?’