Episode 9
Christ didn’t deny the warning.
“If we go all out, of course I can’t beat you, Vice Commander. But will you really give it your all? A high-ranking noble from the main family, going all out against a reckless brat like me?”
“…”
“Let’s limit the magic energy you can use to first-tier only, and no curses allowed. How about that? If you’re not confident you can win with first-tier, I can raise it to second-tier.”
Merlin burst out laughing.
That reckless brat was provoking her, claiming he could win using only first-tier magic energy.
She was a fourth-tier—
A fourth-tier upper-level minein, no less.
“No need for even first-tier. Use only half of that. And for swordsmanship, just the basics—the ‘Mud Sword Technique.’”
She tied her hair back tightly.
“In exchange, after the duel, for insulting me, I’ll break both your legs.”
This wasn’t an empty threat.
She meant it—and would carry it out.
At least he was a distant branch of the dark mage bloodline, so breaking his legs was the extent of her punishment. Had anyone else dared provoke her like this, she wouldn’t have stopped there.
But Christ just smirked.
“If I lose the duel, then so be it. But you should also think about what you’ll do if you lose.”
“!!”
“I don’t think I’m going to lose.”
Merlin let out a hollow laugh, unsure whether to be angry or just dumbfounded by this wild thunderclap of a madman.
“If you win, I’ll grant any request you make. No matter what it is.”
“That sounds like a risky condition.”
“It’s fine. Whatever it is.”
Whoosh!
Merlin’s body suddenly accelerated.
She swung her sword, still sheathed, down at Christ.
Screech!
Christ barely blocked it, and she whispered coldly.
“You won’t be walking away from here today, anyway.”
What a cocky bastard.
Merlin thought.
Now she was certain of his incredible talent.
Perhaps his talent could even rival that of the heir to the main family, Prince Eshed de Barron.
A talent that could easily breed arrogance.
But that was where it ended.
Being arrogant without knowing your place was unacceptable.
“The most important virtue for a minein is knowing your place. If you want to live long.”
The society of the strong minein wasn’t lawless.
In fact, it was governed by strict rules.
Namely, submission to the strong.
By that standard, Christ’s behavior was nothing but foolish recklessness—raging blindly without sense.
“I’ll have to teach him some manners. I owe Count Kazar a lot, so I might as well repay the favor now.”
She intended to thoroughly ‘educate’ Christ today.
So he’d never act like a clueless monkey again.
That reckless brat would thank her later.
“I’ll teach him how to bow to the strong.”
The method was simple.
He had to lose.
After taking enough hits, respect for the strong would come naturally.
With that in mind, she swung her sword sheath again.
Time passed.
The duel unfolded with Merlin attacking relentlessly and Christ barely defending.
All the watching minein expected the outcome soon.
“He’s no match, after all.”
“But he’s holding out surprisingly long against the Vice Commander.”
“Maybe his talent is real.”
The minein admired Christ’s unexpected endurance.
But that was all it was.
That reckless brat would fall soon.
Soon.
Very soon.
But that ‘soon’ never came.
“!!”
Merlin’s face stiffened.
Something was wrong.
Despite the skill gap, her attacks strangely weren’t landing.
She felt déjà vu.
Just like at Tern… and in the previous duels… hadn’t this happened before?
Christ grinned.
“Seems like things aren’t going your way.”
“!!”
“Vice Commander… maybe you’re not as great as you think.”
Merlin’s face flushed red.
That was an insult she hadn’t heard since reaching a certain level.
Anger clenched her teeth.
She planned to crush that irritating brat like a mosquito in one blow.
Magic energy rose from her core toward the sheath.
The ‘Mud Downstrike’—one of the stronger attacks in the Mud Sword Technique.
Only about half the power of a first-tier magic energy, as promised.
Not much, but enough to subdue that brat.
But as her will strengthened, a problem arose in her stance.
Her movements grew slightly larger.
A mistake she didn’t even notice.
Or maybe it wasn’t a mistake.
The difference wasn’t huge, and normally it wouldn’t matter.
But unfortunately for her, Christ—or rather, the being inside him—was no ordinary opponent.
A genius even the hero admired.
He didn’t miss that opening.
More importantly, in just a few days, he had thoroughly studied the Mud Sword Technique.
He knew exactly what openings the Mud Downstrike created.
Christ seized the gap and slipped inside.
“!!”
Caught off guard by the unexpected close distance, Merlin faltered.
The distance between them had changed.
So her attack had to change too.
The problem was her previous movement was too large.
Changing her motion caused a slight delay.
Christ didn’t miss that either.
He knew this moment would never come again. If he missed it, he’d never win.
So he moved boldly.
Magic energy extended from his core, flowing through his body.
Still too weak to strengthen his whole body, he enhanced only the most necessary parts.
And he pushed further inside her defense.
“!!”
Merlin was even more flustered.
He was getting inside? That meant she couldn’t swing her sword properly.
In that instant, she realized Christ’s intention.
‘No way…’
But it was too late.
Though the explanation was long, the moment was as brief as a blink, and she couldn’t change her motion in time.
The result—
Thud!!
Christ’s forehead crashed straight into the bridge of her nose.
A headbutt enhanced by magic energy.
The arena fell silent.
Another silence, but this time different.
The minein didn’t even dare to open their mouths.
‘What… just happened?’
‘Why did the Vice Commander—?’
From the start of the duel until now, Christ had been overwhelmed.
Naturally.
Even with magic energy limited to half of first-tier, the skill gap was too great.
Yet somehow, Christ had slipped inside and landed a headbutt.
Though it was a brilliant move exploiting Merlin’s opening, the minein lacked the insight to recognize it.
Christ smiled inwardly as he saw Merlin’s dazed expression, blood trickling from her nose.
“This duel is basically a cheat,” he thought.
It was a surprising realization.
And indeed, the duel had been entirely his plan.
“No matter how strong a fourth-tier minein is, there’s no way they can be my match with these restrictions. Especially a magic swordsman.”
A magic swordsman.
A knight who wields both sword and magic.
The dark mages traditionally excelled at combining swordsmanship with magic.
They focused on sword skills, using various dark spells as support.
The Swamp Knights were especially renowned for their mastery of ‘curse’ magic.
But banning curses was like tying one hand and one leg behind their backs.
If Merlin had been a pure swordsman minein, Christ wouldn’t have been able to catch her off guard so easily.
“Her swordsmanship is probably around third-tier. Magic swordsmen tend to have lower individual skill compared to their overall level.”
Still, it was impressive.
Everyone’s wide, shocked eyes proved it.
A chaotic mix of astonishment, shock, confusion, and disbelief was directed at Christ.
Then Merlin burst out laughing.
“Ahahaha!!”
Surprisingly, she didn’t look angry.
Instead, her laughter seemed oddly relieved.
She roughly wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand.
“I owe you an apology for what I said earlier. I underestimated you too much, young master.”
Merlin raised her voice again.
She was acknowledging Christ.
A pleased smile spread across her face.
She was a true minein at heart.
After a long time, she had finally found a worthy opponent and was enjoying the challenge.
“I’ve been wasting my time here, sent from the branch family, bored every day. To find this kind of excitement…”
Her intention to teach him a lesson vanished.
At this moment, Merlin accepted Christ as her rival.
Of course, strictly speaking, he wasn’t her equal.
If she unleashed her full power, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
But what did it matter?
Her blood was boiling.
She recalled the moment Christ had slipped inside her guard.
That split-second gap he never missed.
And the ferocity of a beast seizing its chance.
It was exhilarating.
It had been a long time since she’d felt such joy.
“Next time will be different. I’ll focus properly.”
Merlin licked her lips.
Her gaze was far more serious than before.
But Christ shrugged.
“That might be a problem. The match is already over.”
“Huh?”
“Look at your neck.”
Merlin touched her neck in confusion.
She felt a faint scratch.
“When?”
“When I headbutted you, I scratched you with my nails. If my nails had poison on them… you know what would have happened, right?”
Merlin was stunned.
Christ’s words were true.
She had lost.
“But… this… this can’t be…”
She bit her lip hard.
Was it just because she’d let her guard down?
Such a foolish excuse.
But was it really over?
Had she truly lost so utterly, so meaningless?
More than anything, she didn’t want to lose the fiery thrill burning inside her.
She wanted to face that genius properly, sword against sword.
She wanted to feel that rush again.
In the end, she swallowed her pride.
“…One more round.”
“Hmm? So you refuse to accept defeat?”
Mellin bit her lip.
After a moment’s hesitation, she answered.
“No, I accept it. You won.”
As she admitted her loss, the room stirred.
“Then why make such a pitiful request?”
“Well, this is…”
Mellin’s cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.
“…I’m asking you. Regardless of the outcome, I want to duel properly with you, my lord. And if you agree to the duel, I’ll grant any additional request you have.”
The nobles exchanged looks of disbelief.
For the proud deputy commander to humble herself like this?
“So, besides the wager you lost, you’re offering to grant one more favor?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was extraordinary.
Combined with the prize from the earlier duel, it was like handing over two blank checks.
Considering Mellin was a respected noble even within the Dark Mage’s main house, the value was even clearer.
But—
“I’m not particularly inclined.”
“!!”
“The right to move you twice. What kind of great power is that?”
Mellin’s face stiffened.
Chris lifted the corner of his mouth.
Then, in a low voice meant only for Mellin to hear, he said,
“Unless the condition is that you kneel before me completely.”