“Itsuki is unhappy that Father has been using slaves, so he complained to the king, who’s trying to force them into a duel,” I explained to Ren.
“Slaves? Naofumi, you’ve been using slaves? Are all of your companions slaves?”
A bit late to the issue, aren’t you, Ren?
Ren looked over at Keel and the filolials. “I mean, you and your companions all seemed so close, so I would never have guessed that they’re slaves.”
“I may be a slave, but I respect Father as a hero!” Keel barked. “Unlike the rest of you lot!”
Ren paused. I saw him giving Itsuki and Trash some unpleasant side-eye, I say. It seemed like things could start getting out of hand at this rate.
“And when Father was about to agree with Itsuki to have a one-on-one duel, the king interrupted to say that it was actually a battle between their entire parties and that it was his absolute command,” I continued.
“What the hell? Isn’t that totally unfair?”
“Absolutely it is,” Itsuki exclaimed. “For the likes of him, alone I’m more than enough!”
I should’ve expected that Itsuki would be overconfident. I could tell that Trash had realized things were starting to spiral out of control. He wiped sweat off of his brow as he tried to remedy the situation.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Trash said. “A one-on-one duel it is, between Itsuki, the Bow Hero, and the Shield Hero. I command it!”
Well, it’s not like that would be enough to make Ren suddenly trust Melromarc again.
Realizing that they wouldn’t be able to hold down Keel and the rest, the Melromarc soldiers finally backed away.
“Big Bro! Are you sure you wanna do it?”
“But of course,” I said. “This is similar to events that happened in the first go-around, but Father is stronger and better equipped. It should be no problem.”
And even though things were shaking up in a different way this go-around, it was quite similar to the first go-around in that Ren and Itsuki were still as clueless as ever. Itsuki was determined to protect his own version of justice at all costs, and Ren was just a little more skeptical of Melromarc this time around.
“I would rather have Sakura and Keel be there with me,” Father said. “But still, it sounds like Melromarc just wants to see me fail no matter what. There’s really no point in negotiating with them.”
“Are you saying that you’re considering losing on purpose?” I asked.
It was undeniable that no matter how strong Father was, he didn’t exactly have a wealth of attack moves at his disposal. And even if Father lost and we released Keel, Keel would simply come with Father regardless.
I remembered my duel with Father from the first go-around. Good times, good times. After they released Big Sis from the slave seal, Big Sis gave me an honorable slap across the face, I say. And I figured things would be the same this time around. It’s not like Keel or the others were going to appreciate Itsuki’s savior complex.
But Father shook his head at my question and cast a glare over at Itsuki.
“Don’t worry about it. I do have some idea of what I’m going to do. Just because I can’t attack doesn’t mean I can’t win. I want to show Itsuki what I can do. He’s been an accomplice to Melromarc this whole time, and his attitude is starting to seriously piss me off.”
“But, Naofumi . . .” Sakura and Keel looked worried, but Father patted them on the heads and gave them a smile.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. I’m going to win. I promise.”
So Father and Itsuki went to stand in the center of the castle garden, with spectators gathered around them to watch the fight.
But what was up with Father’s shield? It looked like it had thorns stuck onto it. Did he get it in Siltvelt? And if he did, wouldn’t that make Melromarc start to suspect us?
What exactly would he do? Simply block Itsuki’s attacks until he gave up out of exhaustion? Father hadn’t learned any spells yet, for one. And they probably wouldn’t let him use any of the medicine he had made during the duel.
Going against mighty Father was as good as a public execution for Itsuki. I started to have flashbacks of when I had my own duel against Father. It nearly broke my heart to think of it.
“This is a duel between the Bow Hero and the Shield Hero! The duel will end when one of them completely corners the other or one of them admits defeat!”
Father cracked his knuckles and adopted a fighting stance. I nearly leapt out into the ring to defend Father, but I reminded myself that he would surely be fine. All I could do was sit here and watch.
“It feels a bit like bullying to take on someone as weak as you, but it’s all in the name of justice,” Itsuki declared. “I’d recommend simply admitting defeat as soon as possible.”
Father shook his head. “I’ll show you, Itsuki. In gaming, tanks are always tough to take on. Soon you’ll understand just how terrifying an unbreakable shield can be!”
Father might have significantly more gaming experience than even me or Ren. I remember hearing that Father was ranked third in a major guild on one server. And it wasn’t just his experience—he also had instincts.
The rules may have been different in this world. But Father had a weapon capable of adapting to almost any situation. While everyone assumed that the shield was the weakest weapon, they forgot that Father himself was the strongest out of all of us. So while I did feel a tinge of anxiety, I nevertheless believed that Father would find a way to win.
And then the judge screamed, “Let the duel begin!”