Chapter 25: The Demon Lord Who Was Gaslighted part 1
Arlo didn’t want to recount his harrowing afternoon ordeal; he simply and concisely explained the outcome to Misa.
“Broken,” Arlo stated calmly. “The knight’s leg is broken.”
Misa: “…”
Samuel hung his head in guilt.
Misa didn’t understand healing magic, but Arlo had studied it for years. If it was just a broken leg, he believed Arlo could heal himself given time.
But Arlo was using a crutch, meaning he hadn’t healed his wound.
Misa couldn’t help but ask softly, “Arlo, your healing magic?”
“No magic,” Arlo’s face remained resolute. “I have a headache; I can’t concentrate.”
Misa: “…”
Misa understood this point perfectly.
The casting of magic relied on sustained focus and strong mental power, and Arlo had just suffered a head injury… For Arlo now, using healing magic, which consumed a lot of magical power, might indeed be difficult.
And the culprit behind both Arlo’s head and leg injuries was—
Misa looked at Samuel.
Samuel hung his head in shame, as if understanding he had committed a grave error, and yet he didn’t know how to make amends.
Misa coughed and asked, “What about the doctor who came to see you? Couldn’t he use healing magic?”
Arlo: “Hehehe.”
Misa: “…”
Okay, Misa understood.
He felt sorry for Arlo.
Even after suffering consecutive injuries, Arlo was still worried about the duel between the Hero and Samuel.
The temple knights bustled about, bringing him a soft armchair and finding him the best spot to watch the battle. Samuel even approached cautiously, carefully asking Arlo if he wanted to be the referee for the duel.
Arlo looked at Misa first.
Misa didn’t want to be the referee; he shook his head at Arlo, expressing his fear of such a thing. Arlo sighed and said, “Alright.”
A hint of joy finally appeared on Samuel’s guilt-ridden face.
After making so many mistakes, he finally had a chance to make it up to Arlo. He couldn’t contain his excitement and hurriedly asked Misa to explain the overly simple rules of the duel to Arlo. He then obediently returned to the temple knights, pathetically picking up his wooden sword and shield, and looked towards Lance, who stood calmly on the other side of the field.
Misa quickly explained the simple rules of the duel to Arlo, then hurriedly lowered his voice and quickly recounted his conversation with Lance.
The Hero said he didn’t want to be the world’s richest man; he didn’t want to plunder the Demon Lord’s wealth, and he seemed to have little desire for money. Therefore, Misa felt that their previous assumptions about him were wrong. The Hero’s pursuit might not be wealth, as they had thought.
But Arlo was certain of his guess.
After all, from the Land of Welfare onwards, everything the Hero had done was for money and business. His unwillingness to go to the Demon Lord’s castle was perhaps simply because it was too dangerous, the cost-benefit ratio unfavorable—it wasn’t something he should consider now.
Misa frowned, “But he said—”
Arlo: “Can you believe what he says?”
Misa: “…”
Arlo added, “Has Lance not deceived many people?”
Misa found it hard to disagree with Arlo.
Yet, he always felt that Lance wasn’t lying to him. The words Lance had spoken that day were perhaps… perhaps truly Lance’s heartfelt words.
In the center of the courtyard, Samuel had already reached the center of the arena.
Lance only had a wooden sword. He casually weighed it, as if to familiarize himself with its feel, and said to the guilt-ridden Samuel watching from the sidelines, “This is just a simple duel.”
Samuel looked back at Lance.
“I don’t want to punish you,” Lance frowned, “You don’t need to feel guilty, nor do you need to hold back.”
Samuel: “…”
“You’re a knight; you have your ‘honor’,” Lance’s serious gaze met Samuel’s. “Don’t you want to test my strength? Knight Samuel.”
He raised his sword, held it before him, then slowly bowed, giving Samuel a perfectly executed knightly salute. Then, he turned and walked to the other side of the arena.
Samuel was stunned for a moment, hurriedly bowed to Lance’s back, then looked at his wooden sword, feeling vaguely strange.
He had heard from the lord and the supervisor that the Savior came from a poor village nearby, where he seemed to have stayed for many years. So, how could such a Savior be so proficient in courtly knightly etiquette?
But he didn’t have time to think; he shouldn’t waste energy thinking about such things now.
The Hero told him not to worry; this wasn’t punishment for his guilt, so he should give his all, stake his honor as a knight, and display all his swordsmanship in this duel.
Besides, he was also curious to see how strong this God-chosen Savior really was.
Samuel raised his long sword and stepped forward, holding his wooden shield, raising it to block Lance’s attack—
Lance’s sword slammed into his wooden shield; the wooden sword broke, and the shield was flung away by the immense force. Samuel didn’t hold on tight enough, the shield flew from his grasp, he was stunned for a moment, turned his head, and saw only half of Lance’s broken wooden sword remaining.
Samuel: “You—”
The remaining handle of Lance’s sword struck the back of his other hand. Samuel winced, trying to pull his hand back, but Lance had effortlessly disarmed him.
Samuel stood there empty-handed, dumbfounded.
And Lance threw away the broken sword in his right hand, turning the wooden sword in his left hand towards Samuel’s throat.
It all happened so fast. Samuel was stunned for a moment before hanging his head dejectedly and whispering, “I lose—”
Lance: “Not bad.”
Samuel: “…”
Lance turned to Misa and earnestly confirmed Samuel’s strength: “Really strong.”
Misa: “…”
Who’s strong?!
You’re the terrifying one who can break a wooden sword in one strike!!!
This Hero is definitely secretly hiding overwhelming strength; he hasn’t fully revealed it yet!
Lance turned back to Samuel.
“If I were you, I wouldn’t give up so easily,” Lance said seriously, “The rules state that you have to hit the other person three times to win; I’ve only hit you once.”
Samuel: “But my sword…”
“A sword is a weapon,” Lance said, “But not only a sword is a weapon.”
Samuel: “…”
He didn’t quite understand Lance’s words.
“If this were a real battle, and you had no sword, would you just give up?” Lance frowned, “People’s thinking shouldn’t be so rigid.”
Samuel nodded dumbly.
Lance put away the wooden sword, patted Samuel on the shoulder, and for once showed a very gentle and friendly attitude, like an elder who guides people on their life journey. He smiled kindly at Samuel and said, “If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Misa: “…”
No, that’s not something the Hero would normally say.
This annoying Hero is definitely going to start deceiving people again!
Misa looked up, sighed deeply, and looked at the gloomy night sky, already used to this.
He knew what the Hero wanted to do.
But he also hoped the Hero could trick Samuel into their team—
No, why trick him?!
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