Chapter 31: Prince Kurobuta Qualifies

"I'm not Dino, huh?"

In response to Brad’s question, the figure in the form of Dino took a good look at himself and smiled fearlessly.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about but I'm pretty sure I'm Dino Schwarzer. Are your eyes blind?”

It’s true that the appearance was that of Dino.　

But Brad’s eyes could see vividly through the deception. It was clear that the existence in front of him was not Dino

 "It’s true your appearance is that of Dino’s. However, the agility and movement you showed in that ambush and the physical attack that was powerful enough to break cobblestone with a sword. That’s clearly not within the abilities of the Dino I know. He was an excellent fighter no doubt, but he didn’t have this much power and your tone is also different from the usual.”

Brad pointed this out and shrugged. The impersonator didn’t agree or disagree with the fact but just whistled happily.

This attitude proved that Brad's point was right.

"Answer me, who are you? Where’s the real Dino?"

"I don't have to answer to that"

The Dino impersonator's smile slowly deepened.

"Because you're going to die here!”　

Shortly after. He attacked Brad.

The impersonator’s unbelievable physical strength allowed him to leap like a spring and swing his sword at Brad from far above.

This tournament is just a sideshow for the festival.

Killing is forbidden.

In spite of this, the slash that the impersonator unleashed was clearly powerful enough to cut Brad's body in half, and judging from the murderous intent that was put into it, it was definitely intended to kill Brad.

But even in the face of a sword tinged with murderous intent, Brad was unfazed.

(Level 20 or so).

With a graceful gesture, he quietly drew his sword.

He received the swung-down slash in a flowing manner and went on to give the impersonator a strong kick at the back.

The impersonator was hit hard by the blow, and Brad's unbelievable leg strength sent him flying, slamming him down hard on the stage.

However, in the process, he caught himself with the flexibility of a beast, rolled around, and then stood up sparing no time.

He was a little out of breath, but from the looks of it, no damage was done.

Brad's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know who you are, but you're no match for me.”

"If I played fair and square, you might be right.”

It was at that moment when Brad caught his words and frowned,

"......?"

Suddenly, he felt as if his vision was shaking.

It was as if he had a concussion. By the time he realized he was dizzy, he had staggered and fallen to his knees.

"Is this ......?"

The shaking sensation was not temporary but persisted even after he fell to his knees along with a chronic headache and dizziness.

He couldn't stand up properly.

"What did you… do?

"Finally, it's working. Even though it’s a poison that could stop even a dragon's movement, it took too long to kick in.”

"Poison...?"

“What the heck happened? Brad-sama suddenly collapsed desu. How about our three commentators? What do you have to say about this?”

"Oh, I wonder if he has a stomach ache~?”

“I'm sure it’s  a hangover from drinking the cheap barley wine, ale from the west☆.”

While Rosie panics, Celie and Glace answer in a way you can’t tell if being playful or serious.

“Idiots! Shouldn’t you guys explain properly!? Perhaps he got poison when he got scratched by the sword earlier.”

Merlin chirps in with a poised appearance. 

“Poison? On the sword? That’s against the rules desu!”

“Look at it this way. If it was a poison that was applied to the sword before the game, then it would have been illegal, but it may have been magically applied during battle, if so it’s safe”

Merlin shrugs at Rosie who looks worried.

“As expected, Marin-chan is observing closely.”

“It’s Merlin not Marin.”

While saying so, Merlin glances at Glace, saying…

“Glace you look so carefree even though your disciple is in trouble. It's probably a paralytic poison. No matter how strong your disciple is, if he can't move, it's over. He’s practically already lost.”

“Since you think so, that might be the case ☆.”

But though Merlin pointed this out, Glace continued to stare at the stage in amusement without losing his usual frivolous smile.

Merlin shrugs in response to Glace’s reply and then returned his attention to Brad on the stage.

While listening to the humorous commentary by the heroes, Brad was thinking calmly.

(I see.)

I didn’t care because it was a small wound, but the impersonator’s sword scratched my cheek slightly during that previous attack.

It seems the poison in the sword had entered Brad's body at that time and was now finally taking effect.

(If it has such a powerful paralyzing ability, then this guy must be ......)

Then, I was convinced.

If you consider his beastly movements, the fact that he possesses a fast-acting paralyzing poison, and his ability to transform itself into a human being, there’s only one possible identity for the thing that took the form of Dino.

"You're a werewolf ......, or perhaps a werewolf lord.”

It then gave me a condescending look and snorted in disdain.

It was looking down on me.

“You guessed well, I’m a proud werewolf warrior. I’m the brother of the werewolf lord you killed in the square.”

Brad's eyes widen.

"You mean you’re here for revenge."

The werewolf lord looks at him distantly, as if nostalgic for something.

“My brother was strong. He was one of the bravest men in the village. He and I were known as the Garlov brothers But I think he was honestly unrivaled. In the future, he was supposed to become a demon general and lead the demon king’s army, and yet, you killed him!” 

"......"

While the werewolf glared at him with such hate, Brad could only stare in silence.

The werewolf’s eyes seemed to be getting bloodshot and he was losing his sense of reasoning like his brother in the square as his emotions swelled. 

“Only you… I won't forgive, I'll kill you, kill kill killl!!!"

Immediately afterward, the werewolf lord roared loudly.

He was overflowing with intense magic power from all over his body as though the accumulated anger and hatred suddenly exploded.

It's was just too terrible a magic power.

(This magic power ...... no way)

It's not the same as a normal werewolf lord's magic power.

When I was in the square, the thought did strike my mind, but I remember this terrifying magic and the current state of the werewolf lord.

(It’s similar to me who was being manipulated…)

When Brad became a puppet of the demon king army in “Final Quest”, he was exuding the same kind of magic power.

(If I'm not mistaken, someone’s pulling the strings behind the scenes)

If it’s not a mistake from my memory, then it’s quite possible. 

But it’s difficult to get information out of a werewolf lord who’s on the verge of losing his mind. I’d have to calm him down

While Brad was silent while thinking about the situation, the werewolf lord smiled eerily as if he had misunderstood.

"You've finally lost your voice to fear. Don't worry, I'm going to torture and torment you to death!

Immediately after. The werewolf lord’s fist came flying at an unbelievable speed that couldn’t be followed by the eyes. Brad gets hit by it and rolls on the stage.

As Brad collapses and raises his face, the werewolf lord glares at him in mockery.

"Terrible, huh? But my brother didn't even get the chance to feel that kind of fear before you took his life! You can bite down on that fear and die!"

“I don’t make excuses. It’s true that I killed your brother with my own hands. So I'm sorry for what I did to you"

These words were unmistakably sincere.　

In this world, many demons are at odds with humans, and if we let them live, we will suffer the consequences. So I don't want to play the good guy and say that killing monsters is wrong, and I don't regret killing the werewolf lord that was attacking my people.

But still, the anger and sorrow of this werewolf lord who appeared in front of Brad to mourn the death of his family and seek revenge seemed no different from that of a human being. This was not a monster that appeared in a game. It was real. So naturally, words of apology came out of my mouth.

“don’t kid with me!!!”

The werewolf lord looked stunned for a moment but the overwhelming anger and hatred took over once again.

"You’re sorry? What’re you talking about? Are you begging for your life because the poison has left you helpless and defenseless?”

"I'm not begging for my life. I'm just being honest about it. I'm sure the pain of having your family taken from you is the same for both humans and monsters.”

The wolf lord looked as if he was trying to hold something back.

"If you feel that way, go ahead and…die!”.

And then he attacks with his sword

Brad was paralyzed with poison and does not move.

The werewolf lord swung down his sword

"But I can't let you kill me.”

And that was the moment.

Kakin!! The sound of swords colliding echoed through the air. Brad drew his sword just in time and repelled the attack.

Losing to Brad’s extraordinary strength, the werewolf lord’s sword flew vigorously out of his hands.

His eyes widened in shock.

“Why are you moving!?”

"Unfortunately, I'm better prepared for these kinds of conditions than anyone else."

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at his own body.

In fact, all of the ornaments that Brad wore were magic items that have the effect of reducing the effects of abnormal conditions.

“No way, why would you do that?”

It’s no wonder the werewolf lord was surprised.

In this battle tournament, there’s a rule that you can wear up to 3 magic items that have no direct effect on the battle.

Many of the competitors choose to equip magic items that give resistance to attack magic which have a high impact on the results and no one dares to choose magic items that give resistance to abnormal conditions. It’s even more unusual to use all three for that like Brad did.

(It’s reasonable from my point of view)

Currently, Brad’s level and status are significantly higher than other competitors. If it’s normal attack magic, there was no need to take measures. On the other hand, abnormal conditions such as paralysis and poison are dangerous regardless of your level. That’s why he chose for all three magic items, items that give him this resistance.

Of course, these are just magic items, it is not possible to completely negate such effects, but if you equip as many as three magic items, you can reduce such lower rank paralytic poison to the extent that you can move. Thanks to that, Brad was able to feel relaxed in the current situation.

"Ku ... but it doesn't mean it doesn’t work at all ...!"

The Werewolf lord bitterly said so as he tried to launch the next strike, he didn't give up until the end.

"Sorry, but it's over."

At that moment, Brad stepped in front of the werewolf lord, burying his fist in his stomach.

The werewolf collapsed gradually and slowly so that it rested on Brad's arm, and then fell off the stage.

The arena was quiet again. The battle was so sudden and intense that the audience couldn't understand what had happened.

--After a while--

"The winner is Brad-sama!"

When Rosie declared that, an outburst of cheers tore through the arena.

Brad raises his hand and responds to the cheers.

"huu, I was wondering what would happen for a while desu!... Did you think it was over at that moment? What do our three commentators think?"

When Rosie asks in an unsettled manner, Glacé answers before anyone else as if he was happy because Brad had won.

"All of the magic items that Brad brought in are those that have the effect of giving resistance to abnormal conditions. The true strong are never complacent. That shrewd brat. I wonder if he knew in advance what the other party would do, and was prepared for it☆."

"Wow, Bra-chan is amazing ♡"

Seeing how Celie praises in a pleasant mood,  Glace becomes even more talkative.

"That's not the only way Brad is amazing ☆, It's probably because he just received his opponent's fist. The best chance in battle is when you receive an attack. Therefore, he first intentionally received a fist, impressed upon the opponent that he couldn’t move due to paralysis, and triggered an attack full of gaps from the enemy. The result is as you can see. Brad's victory wouldn’t have been shaken even if he did it normally though... He's a terrifying child. I can't wait for his future☆ ”

When he hears Glace's commentary, Merlin scoffs.

"I see, he's not just a muscle head. If he could think so far ahead, I can see why Glace set his eyes on him."

When the commentary was given, Rosie screams, "As expected of Brad-sama ♡"

And the guard unit(formed by Brad) in the spectators cheered.

(Well ... Actually, the only thing I was scared of was abnormal conditions, so I wasn't actually taking measures against Dino with this equipment. I just received the first unch normally...)

Brad turned his gaze toward the werewolf, thinking of what to do, but noticed that his appearance was about to change.

(... Is the transformation wearing off!?)

Although Dino's face was still there, he was returning to his original werewolf face. Animal ears grew slowly, and his hair was clearly thickening. It seemed the transformation was beginning to wear off and Brad panics.

(This is bad)

If it becomes known that this Dino was a monster, things will get troublesome. There are many things I want to know, like the real Dino's whereabouts and the enemy’s movements. In order to find out all these things, it would be better to hide the identity of this monster."

In order to hide as much as possible the werewolf characteristics that had begun to manifest, Brad carries him.

"Wow ... to care so much about your opponent? As expected of Brad-sama Desu! Applause once again to the competitors who fought even though they couldn't win against Brad-sama who is as strong as a war god, and above all, to the kind-hearted Brad-sama"

As usual, Rosie's voice which praised Brad caused roars and applause which echoed throughout the arena.

Or rather were the audience crying or applauding?

(No... They can do whichever they want).

Brad, who was accustomed to being misunderstood, was sent off from the arena with a big cheer.

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