Ch.67[Episode 67] My Little Universe

Sir Dominica stood with her arm extended, holding a smoking gun.

The Chief of Staff blocked the shotgun pellets with his gauntlet, but the status ailment suppression still took effect.

“You… des…pi…ca…ble…”

“That’s strange. The description didn’t mention speech slowing down with the suppression.”

Sir Dominica blew away the smoke rising from the gun barrel and laughed wickedly.

Then she glanced sideways at Sir Dominic, signaling him.

Sir Dominic understood Sir Dominica’s signal and began running toward the administrative officer.

“Ugh. My casting isn’t complete yet-“

The administrative officer looked troubled as he watched Sir Dominic charging toward him.

Sir Dominic didn’t miss the opportunity and dove deeper into the administrative officer’s embrace.

“-or so you thought?”

The administrative officer changed his expression toward Sir Dominic who was now right in front of him.

The troubled expression was an act. An act to lure Sir Dominic in.

Sir Dominic realized he had fallen into a trap, but his shield was already being swung toward the administrative officer.

With a clang, the shield hit an invisible wall.

“Do you really think a mage wouldn’t have an artifact to protect them while casting?”

Indeed.

The administrative officer knew he was a mage, and that mages are most vulnerable when casting.

That’s why he had equipped an artifact in his accessory slot that creates a barrier when attacked during casting.

If he were a dealer, he might have been able to break the barrier with a few additional attacks or special abilities before the casting finished, but Sir Dominic was a tanker.

He had no means to break through the barrier before the casting was complete.

“At last, I can show these insolent ones the true power of magic.”

Sir Dominic desperately struck the barrier with his sword, but only left slight scratches as the administrative officer’s casting finished.

Strange geometric patterns appeared above the books and parchments floating behind the administrative officer, and magical arrows were loaded.

“I should make sure of this.”

Normally, this would be considered excessive firepower, but the opponents were tankers.

The administrative officer decided to maximize his firepower as much as possible.

[Administrative Officer Zwei uses [Decree of Grand Duke Jack]. The number of magic arrows increases, and part of the damage penetrates defenses.]

The administrative officer’s ultimate skill.

As he announced the decree, an incredibly long parchment scroll unfurled behind him.

When a magical seal was stamped on the decree filled with mysterious, incomprehensible letters, additional books appeared behind the administrative officer—books that seemed twice as thick as the existing ones.

“There will be no mercy in my combo.”

Sir Dominic held his shield in front of him as he watched the magic arrows, each containing tremendous power.

The power contained in each arrow seemed formidable, but he had fought demons that emitted even stronger energy.

“Hmph.”

Yes. He was feeling happy in the current situation.

The more difficult and arduous the battle, the happier Sir Dominic became.

Although his vision narrowed slightly due to excessive happiness, Sir Dominic was quickly rolling one eye, figuring out how to deflect the arrows.

“Now die, insolent one.”

All the arrows began firing from the books.

“Shields up!”

Sir Dominica, who had been kicking the still-suppressed Chief of Staff to keep him down, ran over and stood right beside him.

Two shields are better than one. This is one of the truths that every soldier of Feralant learns.

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica retreated slightly while preparing to block the arrows.

The greater the distance, the less area they would need to cover with their shields.

Meanwhile, behind them, the Chief of Staff, now free from the suppression debuff, began charging toward them with his fist leading the way.

A critical situation!

But those arrows and that fist never reached Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica.

“Help me! Thieves!”

A girl ran out from an alley, passing between these fierce duelists.

“Stop right there! If you stop now, I’ll kill you quickly… ugh!”

And following her, a band of thieves appeared, following the path the girl had taken.

And the fiercely fired magic arrows turned those thieves into porcupines.

Sir Dominic, Sir Dominica, and the administrative officer were so surprised by the sudden incident that they forgot they were in the middle of a duel and stared blankly at the fallen thieves.

But the duel wasn’t over yet.

The Chief of Staff was still charging from behind.

“You kidnapper! How dare you get distracted!”

Sir Dominic instinctively turned around at the voice coming from behind.

And he faced the Chief of Staff’s fist that was already right in front of his face.

Sir Dominic hurriedly raised his shield, but the Chief of Staff’s fist was faster.

However, as you might have expected, the fist never made contact.

“Why is everyone lying dow— ugh!”

The thief boss, who had leaped out from the alley, was hit by the suddenly appearing fist and then deflected along the slope of Sir Dominic’s shield.

After one big twitch, he went limp.

An absurd situation in the middle of a duel!

Now even the Chief of Staff was examining his gauntlet with a perplexed expression, feeling the strange sensation in his hand after hitting the suddenly appearing thief boss.

An awkward silence descended upon these passionate duelists.

And what broke that silence was the voice of the girl who had escaped from the alley.

“Thank you. You saved my… Sir Dominic? Sir Dominica?”

The girl’s identity was I’m Not Little.

I’m Not Little had noticed that the thieves were no longer chasing her as she fled.

Turning her head, I’m Not Little breathed a sigh of relief seeing the fallen thieves, and had returned to thank those who had helped her.

And I’m Not Little was greatly surprised and covered her mouth when she realized that those who had helped her were Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica.

“Ah, the one I saw in the alley…!”

“You were being chased again. I should have escorted you then.”

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica also thought this girl looked familiar.

And soon they realized she was the girl who had been captured by thieves in the alley.

“Wow! Oh my! Dominus Trismegistus! Thrice-great Sir Dominic! Thrice-great Sir Dominica!”

I’m Not Little exclaimed in words only she understood toward Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica who had saved her three times today.

Once from the thieves, once with the card pack, and now once more.

They say the first meeting is chance, the second is coincidence, and the third is fate.

I’m Not Little thought it was fate that she had become their ardent fan.

“I’m sorry, but you there… young lady? We’re in the middle of a duel, so please step aside.”

“Yes. We need to teach that insolent one some manners-“

The Chief of Staff and the administrative officer asked the girl blocking the duel to move aside.

Their honor as the closest aides to the Demon Lord and the Grand Duke prevented them from forcibly removing the girl.

At that moment, they heard applause.

The Chief of Staff and the administrative officer turned their heads to look in the direction of the applause.

“!”

“…!”

The Demon Lord and the Grand Duke had put down their popcorn containers and stood up to applaud.

The Demon Lord with a satisfied flush on her face and the Grand Duke with wide eyes and satisfied eyebrows thought the fight was over and were giving praise to this amazing duel.

They had been watching so intently that popcorn crumbs were messily stuck to their cheeks.

“…It seems the Demon Lord is satisfied.”

“Hmph. Insolent one. Know that you live by the Grand Duke’s grace. Next time, I will surely teach you manners!”

Embarrassed by the Demon Lord and Grand Duke’s praise, the Chief of Staff and the administrative officer said villainous words to Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica before returning to their lords.

“Oh my, Demon Lord. If you go around with things stuck to your face like this, your dignity as Demon Lord will-“

“Your Grace! I told you only one popcorn per day! No pudding today!”

“!”

“!”

The Chief of Staff took out an elegant silk handkerchief from his inner pocket and began wiping the popcorn crumbs from the Demon Lord’s cheeks.

The administrative officer steeled himself to remove the pudding scheduled for dinner to help the Grand Duke’s self-restraint.

The Demon Lord and Grand Duke’s large eyes grew moist and wavered, but the Chief of Staff, like a proper villain, and the administrative officer, like a loyal subject, deliberately ignored their lords’ sadness.

“Let’s go back. I’ll buy you candy on the way. So stop those tears! Come now.”

“!”

“No pudding, but… I suppose one cookie would be alright.”

“!”

But they were loyal servants to their lords.

In the end, they couldn’t betray their lords’ expectations.

Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica looked at each other with bewildered expressions at this anticlimactic result.

“…Why is the administrative officer such a pushover?”

“And why is the Chief of Staff such a pushover too?”

Each blaming the other’s opponent for this mess.

While Sir Dominic and Sir Dominica were shifting the blame for this result to each other, I’m Not Little, who had been watching carefully, tactlessly interrupted.

“Um… could you please sign these for me…?”

Star I’m Not Little held out Sir Dominic’s card and Sir Dominica’s card that she had drawn today, along with a permanent marker.

After all, I’m Not Little was their ardent fan.