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Episode 17
“Prince Baltian! Don’t be rude!”
“Please stay out of this, Princess Winley! He disgraced my honor as a knight…”
“If you cared about honor, you should’ve known how rude you were to Prince Davey.”
He clenched his teeth at her rebuttal. He then shook his head vigorously and shouted, “Hush! I demand silence!”
He had evidently lost his mind.
Winley looked shocked, just as someone among the crowd spoke, seemingly finding that situation ridiculous.
“I think she’s right.”
It was so ridiculous that she couldn’t stand still. It wasn’t me or Barris, who was walking towards us in anger, or Winley, who stopped talking to Baltian, who was screaming in anger.
“Princess Ileana…”
Baltian’s face turned pale upon seeing the girl with a pleasing voice.
“Prince Baltian de Voltiz.”
“…”
“Let me ask you again. Do you think you deserve honor?”
Her voice was clear and beautiful. However, it was as cold as the snow accompanying the north wind.
As I turned my head away from him, shaking hands as he retreated, I saw a little girl staring at him coldly.
The girl had waist-length hair that had a brilliant color, like oozing honey. She was dazzlingly gorgeous, and I wasn’t even exaggerating.
She looked like an actual goddess. However, when I saw the girl, I had a weird feeling for some reason.
“Haris?”
Haris the Sword God.
Her aura was so similar to the hero of thousands of years ago, who taught me the art of the sword.
I spoke my thoughts aloud by mistake, causing the girl to look at me with surprised eyes.
‘That was dumb…’
* * *
Sword God, Haris.
He was the founder of the Heavy Sword technique, the Undefeatable Swordsmanship, which led him to become the Sword God. His technique turned swords into mountains and seas.
However, his nickname in the Hall of Heroes was different.
A lazy old man. He looked young for his age, but he was definitely older than the heroes of the Hall, who made fun of him.
He was factually male.
Although he was quite a fine-looking man, he was definitely not a woman. Yet, the girl in front of me looked like him but was also subtly different at the same time.
He would definitely look like her if he were a girl and extremely beautiful.
“Wait, what did you say?”
The girl, with her eyes wide open, addressed my words.
I felt weirded by her surprised expression, and I shook my head fast.
“Nothing, there must’ve been a misunderstanding.”
“…”
We looked at each other awkwardly.
She stared at me suspiciously for a while before speaking coldly toward Baltian as if she were trying to shake off her thoughts.
“I was watching the situation. Let me ask you again, Prince Baltian.”
Baltian could only groan.
“Do you think you deserve honor?”
As she intervened, many people watched the situation breathlessly. Most of the people here were invited as the representative prospects in each country.
“You insulted this young lady and her partner as well as everyone else in this place. She refused your request politely, but you still treated her with disrespect.”
She must have been watching the situation very carefully.
Her cold voice turned Baltian’s face pale.
He looked like he knew he screwed himself up. Of course, all the people who gathered here came as representatives of a nation. He shouldn’t have offended anyone in the hall, especially Princess Ileana.
The Palan Empire was one of the three superpowers of the present continent.
Before us was the precious Princess of the emperor, who was very protective of his daughter. According to rumors, he ordered a palace to be destroyed just to build her a garden.
In short, she was a powerful figure. Baltian looked confused and scared.
“Huh, if you were a knight of honor, I shall think you should apologize to them sincerely right now.”
Public psychology was frightening. As some people nodded in agreement with her, the rest of the people followed them.
Shivering with a red-hot face, he looked like he would run away at any moment.
“I accept the duel.”
I couldn’t just let him go as he wished to. If I sent him away like this, I wouldn’t be able to rest.
“What are you doing now…”
Winley looked at me, surprised by what I said.
Ileana also looked at me with a puzzled expression.
She might’ve thought that her effort was rendered useless. I appreciated her effort, sure, but I was strong in my own way.
“Prince Baltian, did you ask for a duel?”
“Y-yes!”
“I accept it.”
“Brother!”
“Davey!”
The twins, Barris and Winley, shouted in horror at the same time.
“Ugh… Good! If I win, you shall kneel down and apologize to me in front of everyone!”
“Hey, Prince Baltian!”
Furious, Barris gruffly grabbed him by the collar. “You know this ridiculous act you’re doing now can turn into a national conflict, right?”
Barris shouted sharply as if he was going to knock him down. He looked so furious that he would’ve cut him down right away if no one were around.
“Hmm… What’s there to be afraid of if it’s a fair duel? Huh! Yes! I’ve heard that Prince Davey, who used to be talented, can’t even hold a sword now.”
“You bastard!”
I stopped the enraged Barris as soon as he raised his fist.
“That’s enough.”
“Davey!”
When I smiled and stroked his head, he clenched his teeth as he put his head down. “It hasn’t been that long since you got up from your sickbed.”
“It’s alright.”
I spoke calmly and looked at Prince Baltian.
“You have to be responsible for your words.”
“Okay, it won’t happen, but if I lose, I’ll kneel down in front of everyone and apologize to you!”
“Alright.”
His insidious smile deepened when he heard my answer. He was so confident that he would never lose.
It was a natural reaction.
They were all excitable boys and girls in their mid-teens.
I was sure that it was hard to get to the expert level in the early and mid-teens without exceptional talent, yet each of the people gathered here was talented enough to be selected as the nation’s leading prospects.
As I followed him to the center of the banquet hall and turned my eyes, I saw Barris and Winley looking at me with worried faces.
They looked like they wanted to stop me, but they didn’t know why I was being so stubborn. I saw other facial expressions in the hall, all filled with either curiosity or concern that it might lead to a serious problem.
However, there was also a person who looked cold and was immersed in something different.
“Get your sword! Today, I will teach you the depth of the sword.”
Prince Baltian shouted confidently at me with a wooden sword. And so, I picked up the wooden sword on the floor and smiled a little.
“It’s been a long time since I last had to do things like this.”
* * *
The biggest interest in the banquet hall, which was hosted to promote friendship and harmony, seemed to move quickly to our duel.
As there were many young prospects representing nations, there must’ve been quite a few fights for pride between them. Furthermore, noblemen who were supposed to mitigate conflicts in each country were just watching the situation for some reason.
Perhaps they wanted to avoid a situation where they might get into trouble as well.
Without imposing any significant sanctions, the Duchy of Felicity was also watching the duel in the distance. Those who came to enjoy the banquet were silent, looking at the open space for the duel.
“A master is supposed to yield his turn!”
Holding the Bastard Sword, known for its strong durability, he stood arrogantly and pointed at me with the tip of his blade.
“That rude bastard!”
Barris exclaimed angrily at his arrogant attitude. Just like him, many people looked strangely intrusive, but they stayed quiet.
Being full of energy and being rude was far different.
Furthermore, those who were watching the situation already knew who was conceited and disrespectful.
Among them, Princess Ileana, the precious daughter of the emperor of the Palan, was making the most disgusted expression.
Looking at Baltian with an irritated face, she soon turned to me and shook her head as if she couldn’t understand it.
“I don’t know what to do with your consideration.”
After murmuring a joke, I looked at the thin wooden sword and turned to him.
Imprudent.
Although I wasn’t yet fully recovered, I still had been building up my strength.
It wasn’t wise for him, a mere beginner of swordsmanship, to challenge me to a duel, who had crushed assassins ranging from mediocre to professional levels.
I wanted to destroy him thoroughly so that he could never grab a sword again, but I was supposed to be a weak prince who got up from a sickbed less than a year ago.
I had an idea.
Yes. There was only one.
“Are you scared? Ha, I suppose so. Fear is natural.”
Baltian was speaking as if he had already won. He then sneered closely. “But the battle has already begun! What are you doing? Come on!”
Seeing him shouting as if he was treating his subordinates, I knew how bad the relationship was between the Voltiz and the Rown Kingdom.
“Well, I won’t turn down your offer.”
I had complicated thoughts, but I brushed them off.
There was a way to beat an opponent while hiding my skills completely. In addition, I could effectively destroy my opponent’s mentality through it.
“Davey.”
Winley’s voice, who was looking at me anxiously, was faint.
“Well, let’s get started.”
Mumbling a little, I lifted the heavy wooden sword towards him.
Then slowly, I took one step at a time.
And, by the time when he was within a certain distance….
Ssssss!
My sword pierced through him with a heavy sound.
A light Stroke of Bell.
However, he avoided my sword by taking a step back as if he had already expected how I would attack.
“Huh?”
Tung!!
My wooden sword was flung to the floor, making me lose my balance against gravity.
“That was stupid.”
Ppaaaah!
But I wasn’t done just yet.