Arrogance

Grayish-white eyes stare at me. Eyes like glass beads. It feels like an artificial object incapable of holding human emotions.

Roman’s appearance was ordinary. Not that he had a face you’d commonly see on the street, but his low nose and the wrinkles around his mouth gave the impression that he often smiled, lowering his opponent’s guard.

Even in a personal space like a study, his formal attire, upright posture, calculated expressions, and gestures exuded the dignity of a nobleman.

However, I wasn’t impressed. Roman’s perfect aristocratic dignity was just a habit of a monster who had lived as a nobleman for hundreds of years. His composure even when facing me only heightened my vigilance.

“Death, huh….”

Roman’s voice, as if murmuring softly, contained a faint smile. He wasn’t feigning composure. The Immortal had a bold smile on his lips.

It’s not that he expected an uninvited guest to visit his study.

It’s just that at any moment, at any time.

The Immortal simply has a clear self-assurance that he will never be defeated.

“I forgot. It’s something that has nothing to do with me.”

A voice that seemed to murmur slowly. Compared to Cormo, whom I had faced most recently, the weight was different. His skills might be similar, but the experience of an Immortal who has lived for hundreds of years creates an atmosphere that ordinary people cannot imitate.

Whether it was carelessness or composure… perhaps both, the Immortal didn’t take any action even as he watched me close the distance.

If the opponent doesn’t act, I can move first and seize a favorable situation. I drew up magic power and used the Guide magic implemented in the Shadow Spear. I recognized the coordinates of the entire study in my head.

There are no more blind spots for me. Even if I hide behind the bookshelf or the pillar, my spear can pierce the opponent’s heart, free from the conventional constraints of distance and position.

I see an opening. A large gap where I can pierce his head using the spatial coordinates recognized from the blind spot behind him, where the Immortal cannot react.

It’s a mistake caused by a lack of information about spatial magic, and a gap created by the Immortal’s arrogance, who lacks a sense of crisis about death.

However, I didn’t launch a preemptive strike. Killing the Immortal is only a secondary priority in the plan. First, the Immortal’s resurrection ability must be sealed before I can kill him.

I feel the space distorting in the distance. Estelle used spatial severance to separate the head of household’s room and the study in order to block the escape route.

In that instant, the Immortal’s eyes wavered. It was a change that even I, who am familiar with spatial magic, could vaguely feel. The Immortal sensed that small change. The Immortal, with a piercing smile, looked towards the head of household’s room and said.

“The uninvited guest wasn’t alone.”

I need to buy time until Ellie’s signal comes. I induced the Immortal’s carelessness by pretending to be moderately surprised and then quickly correcting my expression.

“Yeah, there are two of us. It’s about killing the one who dominates the City of Delights, after all. We have to finish it properly.”

As I readily admitted it, the Immortal’s smile deepened. After briefly drawing up magic power, the Immortal rested his chin on his hand.

“You didn’t lay a hand on my family. No one died, and they’re all gathered in the basement. So, you came all the way here just to kill me?”

The study is on the 5th floor. Since it has a high ceiling structure, it would be similar to the height of a normal 8-story building. However, the Immortal can check the condition of the host he is parasitizing simply by drawing up magic power.

The Immortal, having confirmed that his spare lives were still alive and well, didn’t seem to feel any sense of crisis. Even if he were to lose to the uninvited guest, he thought he could revive in the body of his successor and continue the Immortal’s life.

“I don’t particularly remember incurring any grudges… and there are no more rivals coveting Ludwig.”

The Immortal paused for a moment, as if trying to guess where I came from, and then continued.

“The Crown Princess who will become the Empress sent you guys.”

“…”

I didn’t say anything. After all, the goal is to buy as much time as possible.

The reason why Estelle, who entered the study through the stairs on the lower floor, didn’t bother to approach and watched the situation while hiding her presence would be the same.

There was no reason for us to prevent the Immortal from freely interpreting my silence and wasting time.

People age. Age tells us in numbers how long a person has lived, but there are people everywhere, regardless of the era, who think that age represents the measure of learning.

Wisdom doesn’t naturally arise just because you’ve aged. We often call adults who have lived many days and experienced many things, and therefore have a firm conviction about their own thoughts, *kkondae*.

Then what about an Immortal who has lived for hundreds of years?

Will he belong to the wise sages with discernment like Nelson, or will he belong to the *kkondae* with endless suspicion and greed, and arrogance born from countless experiences that ordinary people cannot experience?

I was able to find the answer to my question quickly. Even though I didn’t open my mouth. The Immortal arbitrarily interpreted my silence as a positive response and drew his own conclusions.

“Is she tidying up things related to the Emperor’s plan, afraid of getting dirt on herself? Considering the Crown Princess’s calculating personality, I thought she would naturally take over the Emperor’s plan… that’s a shame.”

As he said that, he carefully observed my facial expressions. He wants to confirm that his thoughts are not wrong.

It’s not that he doubts himself. It was part of the confirmation process to properly avenge the one who ordered him to be killed when he is defeated and revived in another body.

I opened my mouth and didn’t give the Immortal the answer he wanted. I only showed him the reaction he wanted. Raising the spear and aiming it at the Immortal. That alone gives him confidence in the *dokdan* (獨斷 – arbitrary decision) created by the passage of time.

The Immortal, who had placed his hand on the scabbard next to the desk, smiled. The signal hasn’t come yet, but it seems that buying time is over, unfortunately.

“Where, shall we check the skills of the new Emperor’s hunting dog?”

With a bitter smile and a strangely low stance, the Immortal swung his sword.

Kang!

The blades that met in the air created sparks. The tingling sensation that travels up the spear shaft instantly awakens the senses of battle. The strength and speed are similar. But the range of the weapon is in my favor.

I quickly shook the spear left and right in short bursts. The Immortal, who had been in a strange stance, avoided the spear blade with quick movements and instead lowered his center of gravity as much as possible, to the point where his knees touched the ground, and charged at me as if jumping.

Kang-! Kang, kang–!

I blocked the continuous strikes containing pushing force by pulling back the leg I had put forward and swinging the spear. The Immortal’s bizarre movements, which attacked while recovering his balance, were natural without feeling awkward.

For some reason, I felt that the Immortal seemed familiar with dealing with spears. The strange stance seemed like a swordsmanship footwork created to quickly close the distance against a spear. It was clearly effective, as it made me, who was preparing for the attack in advance, step back.

“The reaction isn’t bad.”

The Immortal wore a relaxed smile as if he were sparring. It wasn’t a smile; I could feel the opponent’s emotions from the sword. The Immortal is not fighting a life-or-death battle right now.

Unlike warriors who feel the fear of death and place the responsibility of their lives on their next action, the Immortal was enjoying the battle itself without any sense of crisis. Even if he were to lose, the Immortal has endless opportunities to retry.

I deliberately didn’t touch the Immortal’s carelessness. Because that carelessness will become a fatal dagger and return to the Immortal.

Without using spatial magic, I blocked or avoided the Immortal’s attacks as much as possible with only my physical abilities. The Immortal also only made moderate attacks while gauging my skills, and didn’t force himself to breathe heavily or dig in recklessly.

In that situation of mutual restraint, suddenly the entire castle vibrated violently as if an earthquake had struck.

Kuuuuuung-!

It’s not just the castle. The entire Ludwig is vibrating. The Immortal, who realized the abnormality, drew up magic power and then flinched and turned his gaze to the window. Following that gaze, I looked out the window.

The moonlit dawn night had turned red as if twilight had arrived. It’s not that the world has turned red. It’s that the synthetic magic created by Ellie to forcibly grow the World Tree has been activated.

The vaguely visible geometric patterns in the sky resembled what Ellie, who was a future Archmage, had shown me.

“A barrier…?”

The Immortal, who muttered quietly, and I made eye contact.

“…”

“…”

Ellie hasn’t given the signal to kill the Immortal yet. I can’t kill him, and I can’t let him die.

In the moment of strange confrontation, the Immortal’s eyes, which had been glaring at me, briefly lingered on the floor before returning to me.

I could feel a faint emotion dwelling in his glassy, grayish-white eyes. That emotion was… anger.

-I’ve been caught.

The moment that thought flashed through my head, the Immortal threw his sword at me. After creating a dimensional passage to send the flying sword elsewhere, I hurriedly swung my spear, but the Immortal grabbed the dagger he had been wearing on his side in reverse grip and stabbed it towards his own heart without any hesitation.

Chuwak-!!!

Blood spurted out like a fountain.

Not from his heart, but from the severed surface of the hand holding the dagger.

“Kkyaaaaak!”

Pressing down on the Immortal’s neck as he screamed in pain, Estelle said with a mischievous smile.

“Who told you to commit suicide without permission?”