Magic Caster of Destroy

He had been granted the chance to save the lives of the Kingdom’s people.

However — Gazef could not take that hand.

It was a poor decision.

That choice would only satisfy his ego.

A hundred out of a hundred people would curse Gazef for a fool.

Even so, Gazef could not do anything that would betray the Kingdom.

Gazef firmly shook his head in refusal.

“I refuse. I am the sword of the King. For his sake I will gladly throw my life away. On that point I cannot compromise.”

“Even if, in the end, your choice costs more lives? A brave man risked his life to challenge a mighty foe at Carne Village. Will this man now throw others’ lives away that he could have saved?”

Gazef’s heart felt like it was being carved by a knife.

But even then, Gazef Stronoff still could not take Ainz Ooal Gown’s hand.

The Kingdom’s Warrior-Captain could not betray the King.

That was the extent of Gazef’s loyalty.

His irritation building in the face of the silent Gazef, Ainz shrugged.

“Such a foolish man. Then—”

Gazef did not allow him to complete the sentence, but turned his blade on Ainz.

“—What?”

He had been injured by the Dark Young, and despite the power of the healing talisman he had not fully recovered. Still, even in this state, Gazef’s fighting spirit shone like the sun.

“Gown-dono. Please allow this one who has benefited from your kindness to atone for his rudeness... I wish to request a one-on-one duel with you.”

Ainz’s face was a fleshless skull. Because of this, one could not tell what kind of expression he had, or discern what he was thinking.

However, for some reason, he seemed speechless. That was what the two others thought as they reviewed the situation after the fact. Although he remained silent, that uneasiness shone through clearly.

“...Are you serious?”

“Naturally.”

“...You will die.”

“There is no doubt of that.”

“If you knew, then why do so? I had no intention of killing you at first… are you suicidal?”

“I do not think I am, no.”

“...What are you thinking? I cannot understand your logic. If you believed you could win and challenged me, I could understand it. If you thought there was a chance of victory under the circumstances, that would be reasonable as well. However, you firmly believe that you will lose.

Have you taken leave of your senses?”

“The enemy king stands before me, and he is within the reach of my sword. Is it not natural to see if I can take the head that presents itself?”

“It is true that our physical distance is very close. However, it seems to me that there is an overwhelming gap between us. Am I wrong?”

With a whoosh, the sagging tentacles of the Dark Young behind Ainz snapped forth, striking up clods of dirt from the earth beside Gazef.

Gazef’s eyes could not follow the tentacles thrashing the ground beside him.

“That may be so, Gown-dono.”

“Are you pushing your luck because I said I did not want to kill you?”

Gazef laughed from the bottom of his heart.

“Certainly not. I simply wish to do what I, as the Warrior-Captain of the Kingdom, should do. That is all I was thinking.”

“...If I accept your challenge, you do realize I will slay you without restraint? It is only expected.”

“Indeed it is.”

“So that’s how it will be… even after I’ve said all this, you refuse to change your mind. What a shame. Speaking as a collector, it is a poor thing to have to destroy rare specimens.”

Gazef had no intention of backing down.

This was an unbelievable stroke of luck. To begin with, Ainz, who surrounded himself with incredible subordinates, was now standing in front of him without any bodyguards.

On top of that, his pride as a mighty individual meant that he would not order the Dark Young behind him into action.

He would never get a chance like this again.

His enemy stood on a perch that he could not reach with both hands. However, right now, he had a chance to bridge the gap between them.

The next time they met, he would probably surround himself with ten or twenty layers of guards, as befitted a magic caster who was poor in close combat. Gazef would never get within sword range of Ainz again. Because of that, he had challenged Ainz to a duel.

And there was another reason for the duel.

Although the chance he was banking on was far too slim a hope, even so—

Gazef issued his formal challenge.

“Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown-dono! My name is Gazef Stronoff, the Warrior-Captain of the Kingdom of Re-Estize! I formally request a duel with you!”

“Warrior-Captain...”

“Gazef!”

Unable to hold it back any more, Brain cried out. But Gazef continued without hesitation.

“If you find it acceptable, Sorcerer King-dono, I pray you will find these two suitable witnesses for our combat.”

Ainz shrugged.

Go ahead, it seemed to say. When Gazef realised this, he nodded.

“Wait, wait a minute! Hang on, Gazef! I can always die alongside you! Don’t go alone! My lord Sorcerer-King! Please, I beg you! I know this is shameless beyond belief, but this is a heartfelt request! Please allow us both to face you! I know it won’t inconvenience you in the slightest!”