Chapter 75
Surviving With An Sss-Rank Inventory Chapter 75
Episode 75: Duke
Bertio is a renowned swordsman.
That is why the children of the Bertio family had to endure intense training from outstanding knights from an early age.
Vertio swordsmanship passed down from generation to generation in the family.
Ates mastered this before he became an adult.
Even compared to other children of noble families, Ates was outstanding, and people around him considered him a genius.
There are many reasons, but one reason Artes decided to leave alone was because he thought he was strong enough.
visor!
Artes’ longsword was blocked by the blonde woman’s dagger.
Sepia’s silver hair appeared blonde due to the recognition-impairing magic, but of course Artes did not know that.
Snap clap clap!
Ates could not understand how such a small body could repel his sword.
A woman who is not swayed by the fact that she is called a genius… no, she is stronger than that.
‘Kk, how is this little thing so fast? ‘Aren’t you just good at shooting a bow?’
I confirmed at first that he was good at handling a bow.
However, shooting a bow from a distance and fighting with a sword are two completely different things.
‘Why is strength so good?’
At first, Artes was dissatisfied as he saw Sepia come forward to prove her skills.
It’s not that it’s not. The sparring partner is not Dio himself, but the woman who appears to be the weakest among the group.
When the youngest-looking and most beautiful woman stepped forward, Ates wondered if it was a joke.
Even if he couldn’t avoid the hunter’s trap, it was, as I said, a mistake.
It is true that a trap is literally something that cannot be easily avoided.
However, contrary to appearances, the woman’s attack was fierce.
‘What on earth is this?’
Artes gasped and distanced himself from Sepia.
As if to contradict this, Sephia turned her wrist holding the dagger and looked at Ates with great composure.
‘If things continue like this, you will definitely be punished!’
Artes, who thought that he had no problem with swordsmanship, realized that he was completely wrong after his first battle with Sephia.
The opponent was so strong that he couldn’t win without the family’s secret power, and Artes acknowledged this.
‘Would you like to find out the family sword? I don’t want to be caught if possible…’
The Bertio family’s secret swordsmanship has the characteristic of combining swordsmanship with strong destructive power as its base.
Since it was a sword technique with one of the most destructive powers on the entire continent, many people recognized it, so Ates did not want to use it.
If they found out that it was the duke’s son, they would definitely feel burdened.
‘If we lose here anyway, it’s a disaster.’
Artes steeled himself as he looked sideways at Dio, who asked him to prove his skills.
If I get caught, I’ll get caught, and I wanted to somehow surprise Dio, who wasn’t expecting much right now.
‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’
Why did he leave his family and come to Armin Forest?
Ates thought that unlike his older brother, who was a fool, he had proven his skills in his family.
However, just because he was the second son, the succession was passed down to his older brother.
‘I have to prove it here. ‘Your father was wrong.’
You can’t miss the hero’s party that came by chance(?) here.
Together with them, we will defeat the devil’s army and return home with honor.
Artes held the handle of the longsword in the opposite direction and cheered.
“Ha!”
If Artes were under normal circumstances, he would not have shown Bertio swordsmanship to Sepia.
Aside from the fact that it could be discovered that he is from the Bertio family, this is a very dangerous technique.
However, Artes was currently impatient.
I am impatient that if I leave like this, my chance to prove myself will disappear.
In that impatience, Ates committed the crime without leaving the circumstances in the hands of the other party.
Bertio Vision Swordsmanship 1 set.
Throwing –
Ates’ foot kicked the ground.
Even though Sepia saw Artes like that, it still stayed in its place.
Huung –
Artes’ longsword, held in reverse, was aimed precisely at Sepia.
It’s like a huge lion slamming its paw down on a weak rabbit.
But unfortunately, Artes’ opponent was not a fragile rabbit.
Kagagagak-!
“That’s ridiculous!”
Bertio’s visionary swordsmanship is closer to extreme shredding techniques than swordsmanship.
Artes could not close his mouth in surprise at Sepia’s delicate movements, deflecting the powerful attack power with a small dagger.
This was because he could not have imagined that his swordsmanship, which resembled the lion, the family emblem, would be destroyed by a mere dagger.
Kang-!
Anyway, Sepia lightly struck away his sword and then kicked Ates in the side.
Pow!
“Oops!”
Ouch –
I almost fell because of the pain that left me unable to breathe, but Ates barely survived by fixing his sword on the ground.
At that moment, Ates remembered.
Perhaps the reason he was not recognized by his father was not only because he was the second son…
‘Is it because I did not live up to expectations?’
Perhaps it was Artes’ own illusion that he thought he had proven himself.
Ates Vertio.
Although he ran away from home in search of romance, it was not because he hated the Bertio family.
Ates had a strong attachment to the East.
He did not ignore the commoners, but rather firmly believed that the reason Bertio became strong was because of the strong bond between the eastern people.
To make this group stronger, a leader as brave as a lion is needed.
However, I realized early on that if my older brother, who was always thinking about accidents, took over the family, it would lead to failure.
So, Ates thought that he could definitely protect the prosperity of Bertio if he led the succession for the sake of his family and the East.
But that was arrogance.
“Is there anything else I can show you?”
Ates could not take his eyes off the woman who was looking down at him, showing off her noble figure.
Is that what dignified strength means?
Talent is not a word that suits you.
‘shit.’
A person with talent was dazzlingly beautiful.
“If you don’t have it, I’ll go this way.”
Sephia rushed towards Artes, who was looking at her with a blank expression.
Elf movements learned from Crassus.
Sephia kicked the ground with a lunge and instantly closed the distance between herself and Ates.
Artes had no reaction to this strange movement.
Pat-
“Heo-ok-”
Sepia’s dagger touched Ates’ neck and stopped.
Blood flowed from the neck of Ates, who raised his head when the blade touched him shallowly
.
For some reason, Artes did not look angry or resentful at Sepia’s victory.
Did he accept the overwhelming victory and defeat?
Artes lowered his head and opened his mouth.
“I lost.”
* * *
When Ates lowered his sword and declared surrender, Sepia also pulled back the dagger she was holding to his neck.
“I saw your skills well, Jack.”
When Dio, who was watching the fight, opened his mouth, Ates became restless, unable to express his frustrated feelings.
After experiencing the power of the Demon King’s army subjugation team first-hand, Ates wanted to join this party even more.
In the fight just now, which he thought was poor, Ates couldn’t bring himself to ask him to accept him as a teammate.
‘I even used the family’s secret sword technique… but I couldn’t even touch a fingertip.’
Artes looked at Sephia sheathing her weapon without any sign of fatigue.
‘Does one have to have this level of skill to be selected to subdue the Demon King’s army?…’
Ates, who had thought he was talented until now, even thought about giving up and returning home.
‘no. You can’t miss the opportunity. If I don’t live up to my father’s expectations…I have to prove it to myself. That you can grow without a family name.’
Ates’ eyes burned brightly.
And as if to show his determination, Ates knelt down towards Dio.
“please! add me to the party “Even if it seems like it’s not enough right now, I’ll try my best!”
Looking at Ates like that, Dio covered his mouth with his hand and pretended to be worried.
In reality, it is to hide a smile.
‘If you beg this much, you won’t feel like we’re taking advantage of you.’
Dio, who knew Ates’ personality, expected him to turn out like this.
Ates is a noble person.
There must have been quite a few forces who approached him knowing that he was the duke’s second son, and Ates must have had many such experiences since he was young.
Just like them, Dio also needed Ates’ identity.
‘The Imperial Medal of Mercenary Medal… I used it a lot. But the best way to hide your identity…’
is to make powerful people your allies.
If you are someone they guarantee, you can pass through most cities without verification.
Because of this necessity, Dio absolutely needed Artes, and it was good to build a bond that lasts until the end rather than a one-time relationship.
That’s why I did this annoying play.
If Dio had figured out Ates’ identity right away and easily accepted him, there would be a high probability that he would leave the party at some point.
‘No matter how much the Luna Church is, they can’t mess with Bertio, who is in charge of one axis of the empire.’
Although Ates is currently unable to contribute to the family because he has run away from home, his existence is helpful to Dio simply because he is the second son of the duke.
‘Because the connections of the Duke of Bertio are that great.’
Dio thought as he looked at Artes, who was desperately pleading.
As Ates becomes more desperate, his trust in the party will increase.
In order to drive a wedge here, it would be necessary to show a little more concern and intervene by another person who can solve the concern…
“Ah!”
Sephia, the most perceptive of the group, noticed that Dio was paying attention.
“Dio. Don’t we need someone to do chores too?”
“Hole chores?”
“I’m good at chores! Laundry dishes cleaning. “Please order everything!”
Ates, who thought this was an opportunity, hurriedly intervened in the conversation between Sepia and Dio.
But Artes was not the only one involved in the story.
“Can we do that?”
Ates’ expression worsened again at Evelyn’s words, which seemed to have been overlooked.
However, Sephia’s sensible defense continued without giving in.
“Not such chores. Miscellaneous work such as destroying traps. It looks sturdy and I think it would be perfect to use as a meat shield.”
“Just leave it to me! I…what? What shield?”
Ates looked at Sepia, feeling strange about her words.
“That makes sense. “Our mission is so important and dangerous.”
“No, as a fellow comrade, I want to be helpful to the party…”
“Sacrifice is also helpful to the party.”
“That’s not sacrifice, that’s coercion…”
“Use it!”
Ates closed his mouth in response to Dio’s request not to complain.
“So you don’t want to join the party?”
“That…”
“Don’t hate it.”
“Oh no! I will do it. “I’ll do anything you tell me to do!”
Dio is supposed to maintain a good relationship with the Bertio family, but for some reason he seems to treat them poorly.
The reason was to create a clear superior-subordinate relationship to prevent Ates, who joined the party, from acting as he pleases.
“good. jack. I think your swordsmanship skills are also useful. “You said you don’t mind doing chores…” As
Dio continued, Ates looked very expectant.
“But I don’t completely trust you. “There’s no guarantee that we won’t reveal the fact that we’re a demon lord subjugation team, right?”
“never! “I won’t tell anyone!”
“No one can say anything. Let’s make a simple contract.”
“contract?”
Ates made an incomprehensible expression as Dio spoke, hiding a sinister smile.
Survive as an SSS-level warehouse character