Chapter 307
“So it is. You dared to insult the royal family—how do you intend to atone for your crime?”
Marquis Balmond gritted his teeth.
“…I apologize. I was caught off guard and acted thoughtlessly, showing disrespect.”
“You didn’t secretly look down on me, did you?”
“!!”
“If that weren’t the case, you wouldn’t be showing such arrogance even while begging for forgiveness.”
Chris fixed Balmond with a cold glare.
“Kneel immediately and properly ask for forgiveness according to protocol.”
Balmond’s fists trembled.
There was no way he would comply.
‘Who does this country bumpkin think he is, daring to order me around?’
A sharp, murderous gleam flickered in Balmond’s eyes.
‘Better to just…’
As Chris had suspected, he harbored ill intentions.
He was looking for an excuse to challenge the hero to a duel, to cross swords.
If possible, to feign an accident and inflict a fatal wound.
‘If I’m going to bow to that kind of scum, I’d rather duel him right now.’
Those who sensed Balmond’s murderous intent looked on nervously, fearing bloodshed at any moment.
Then another voice cut in.
“Well, well. This hero prince is no ordinary opponent. I like that.”
Clap, clap.
With a sly grin, a man stepped toward Chris.
“I’m Heinz, vice-captain of the White Tiger Corps. Hey, you’re not going to accuse me of insulting the royal family too, are you? I’m just a wild man, not an imperial subject.”
Chris looked at the vice-captain of the White Tiger Corps.
“To be honest, I’m not interested in anything else. I came to the banquet curious about the hero prince’s skill. Care to show us that famed prowess of yours?”
His straightforward challenge made everyone hold their breath again.
“No, I refuse that.”
“Hmm? What a disappointment. You sure know how to put on a show, but all talk, huh?”
“No, you’re not even worthy of my attention. Pathetic.”
“!!”
The smile vanished from Heinz’s face.
Chris glanced at Marquis Balmond.
“You’ll join him in attacking me.”
“!!”
“That’s the only way you two will be on equal footing.”
The hall erupted in chaos.
To face both the captain of the royal guard and the vice-captain of the White Tiger Corps at once?
And that wasn’t all.
“Balmond, if you so much as touch my collar, I won’t forgive the insult you’ve committed today.”
Chris looked down on Balmond as if he were beneath his feet.
“Heinz… what was your name again? Doesn’t matter. There’s not a chance in hell you’ll touch my collar, so I don’t owe you any compensation.”
He treated the vice-captain of the White Tiger Corps like a mere flea beneath his claws.
The atmosphere between the two men dropped sharply.
Heinz smiled darkly and spoke to Balmond.
“Marquis Balmond.”
“…It’s Balmond.”
“Regardless, Balmond, we may be enemies, but today it seems we share a common goal: to teach this arrogant hero prince a lesson.”
“Hmph. I don’t need your help. I’m more than enough on my own.”
Balmond stepped forward.
“You’ll regret this. Take my sword! Haah!”
Flash!
A fierce brown aura blade sliced through the air.
But the hero’s reaction was strange.
He just stood there, watching the attack come at him.
“Uh?”
“D-Danger!!”
Balmond frowned.
Still, he didn’t stop his assault.
Behind him stood the second prince, the most likely heir to the throne, so they figured even if the new heir died in a duel, it could be covered up.
‘Die!’
Then, something incomprehensible happened.
Just as the aura blade was about to cut into the hero’s body—
BAM!
Sparks flew from Balmond’s eyes.
As if struck by a hammer to the face, his head snapped back violently.
“Gah?!”
Blood trickled from his nose, and the hero’s fist was seen moving.
“What did I say?”
The hero smirked.
“Looks like I’m about to yawn. Both of you, come at me at once.”
The banquet hall fell silent.
Everyone watched the duel in stunned disbelief.
‘N-No way…’
‘How is that possible?’
Marquis Balmond.
One of the strongest in the Karn Empire, ranked solidly at 7th star mid-level.
That was no small feat.
Unlike the Mage Empire, the Union rarely had warriors above 7th star.
Instead, they balanced power with overwhelming numbers of soldiers and knights.
“The vice-captain of the White Tiger Corps is also a strong 7th star mid-level.”
Even with such formidable warriors united, the duel was one-sided.
No, “one-sided” hardly described it.
It was more like mockery.
An unbelievable scene unfolded.
First, Balmond.
Swish!
His sword sliced the air.
At first, it was just an aura blade, but now he was unleashing his signature techniques with full force.
As captain of the royal guard, each strike was powerful and fierce.
Not just strong, but imbued with a noble grace that inspired awe.
Yet it was all useless.
“Is that all you’ve got? Try a little harder.”
In contrast, the hero’s swordplay was painfully simple.
He wielded the basic techniques taught to beginners.
Amazingly, Balmond’s empire’s finest techniques couldn’t pierce that simple defense.
‘Despite appearances, I’ve reached the rank of Swordmaster. Someone with such a weak foundation can’t be my match.’
Weak.
Not something you’d say to the captain of the royal guard, but from Chris’s perspective, it was true.
Of course, Balmond’s rank wasn’t low.
A 7th star mid-level was among the best in any noble family of the Mage Empire.
But the difference in substance was stark.
‘He’s spent his whole life strutting around with oil in his belly.’
How often would the captain of the royal guard actually swing his sword in real combat?
At some point, he clearly neglected his training.
‘No wonder there are so many gaps in his defense.’
Chris chuckled and swung his sword.
Shing!
A loud crack echoed as the side of his blade struck Balmond’s cheek.
It didn’t cut, but the sting of humiliation was a heavy blow.
“Graaah!!”
Balmond roared in fury and launched a stronger attack, but again—
BAM!
He hastily covered his face and stepped back.
A deathly shock settled over the hall.
‘This can’t be happening.’
‘He’s no match at all.’
What was even more terrifying was that the hero hadn’t even shown his true strength yet.
Then, a sharp voice rang out.
“Marquis Balmond, stand down.”
It was Heinz of the White Tiger Corps.
He looked similarly battered, his once-sly face now marked with wounds.
“What did you say? Some street mercenary dares to—And it’s Balmond, not Balmong!”
“Yeah, Balmond. Shut up. I’m not in the mood to listen to your whining.”
“!!”
Heinz pushed back his hair and stepped forward.
“I underestimated Your Highness the hero.”
“Getting beaten up and saying that just makes you look pathetic.”
“…I will show you my true skill. I challenge you to a real duel.”
“!!”
The hall stirred.
Unlike the Mage Empire, the Union placed many restrictions on duels.
Especially for those above 6th star, to avoid casualties, spiritual and dimensional techniques were banned.
But now Heinz wanted to lift those restrictions.
“No, absolutely not.”
“To challenge a royal to a real duel!”
Some nobles protested, but Chris nodded.
“Fine. But on one condition. Use whatever you want—spiritual or dimensional techniques—just make sure you two actually work together.”
“!!”
“Think about my position, having to deal with two incompetent fools. Let’s have a proper duel.”
Heinz and Balmond ground their teeth.
They flanked Chris, surrounding him.
“…Don’t regret this.”
“What happens next is not our responsibility.”
“Hah. Do the White Tiger Corps and royal guard duel with words? This is getting boring. Mind if I yawn for a moment?”
“!!”
Their eyes gleamed fiercely.
Balmond struck first.
“Haah!”
His aura blade took the form of a massive white tiger, leaping at Chris.
But that wasn’t all.
Dimensional energy infused the attack.
The tiger roared and pinned Chris down.
‘An intimidation-type dimensional technique.’
The attack combined spiritual and dimensional powers—immobilizing the opponent before tearing them apart.
Then Heinz moved.
Swish.
He unleashed a rain of throwing knives.
Like magic, countless blades shot from his sleeves, swirling around Chris like a storm.
Not a mere metaphor.
The knives twisted through impossible trajectories.
‘A trajectory-altering dimensional technique.’
And that wasn’t all.
‘Some of these knives are imbued with a guaranteed-hit effect.’
Chris whistled inwardly.
Though both were 7th star mid-level, Heinz was far stronger than Balmond.
The White Tiger Corps had more real combat experience, after all.
‘Though it’s still not much.’
Chris twisted his lips.
Flash!
For the first time since the duel began, Chris’s sword gleamed with radiant light.
The shining mana of the hero.
“Watch closely. This is the sword of a hero.”
He swung his blade.
It was a quiet strike.
Insignificant compared to the White Lion of Marquis Valmond or Heinz’s Whirlwind.
A blow that seemed like it could be crushed instantly.
And yet.
A brief silence fell.
As if time itself had stopped.
Neither the roaring White Lion nor the fierce Whirlwind moved.
“W-what…?”
People who didn’t understand what had just happened tilted their heads in confusion.
But in the eyes of Marquis Valmond and Heinz, bloodshot and trembling, something was clearly wrong.
“No, you two?”
“Guhhh!!”
Both suddenly vomited blood, and at the same moment—
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass echoed as the White Lion, the Whirlwind, everything collapsed.
“H-how is this possible?”
Heinz dropped to his knees, disbelief written all over his face.
“If you expose such a weakness and still can’t break through, wouldn’t that be the strange thing?”
“W-what…!”
Heinz’s expression twisted in frustration and disbelief.
It wasn’t because he was lacking.
It was simply that Chris was overwhelmingly powerful.
‘This is my new miracle technique, “Pierce.”’
If the previous miracle technique, “Focus,” struck wherever the will was directed, then “Pierce,” true to its name, targeted the opponent’s weak points and pierced straight through their core.
Not only was it effective against direct attacks, but it was also a game-changing technique against other miracle or spiritual techniques.
“Well, that’s about it. A boring duel.”
The two bit their lips tightly.
“Anyway, since it’s over like this…”
Chris was about to continue when his expression suddenly hardened.
He had spotted Heinz’s dagger lying on the floor.
“Wait, what’s this? Isn’t this poison?”
“!!”
“Did you really use poison in a duel?”
Heinz’s face flushed with panic.
“What are you talking about? I would never—!”
“Make him kneel immediately! Now!”
The royal knights stationed at the banquet hall pointed their swords at Heinz, stunned.
“…Is it really poison, Your Highness?”
“Yes, let’s see.”
The royal knight who took the dagger’s face stiffened.
There was definitely poison on it!
And not just any poison.
“Could it be… this poison?”
“Yes, it’s the deadly poison of the Marga.”