Episode 198: Duel (1)
“Your words are a bit harsh,” Joshua said, trying to maintain his composure. But Veronica wasn’t done with her tirade.
“What kind of baby plays with swords? He probably just stared because something was moving in front of him.”
“No, that’s not it, I really—”
“Let’s just say you started learning at eight. That means you’ve been training for at least fifteen years, right? So it took you at least fifteen years to become high-class?”
“Well, you could say that—”
“But Damian Haxen did it in less than a year.”
Joshua’s face twisted in disbelief.
“That’s impossible—”
“Damian Haxen became high-class in under a year.”
Joshua’s expression began to crumple.
“I’ve heard the rumors, but I didn’t believe them.”
“Why not?”
“Isn’t it too far-fetched? It’s hard to believe someone could become middle-class in a year, let alone high-class. Rumors are always exaggerated; only a fool would take them at face value—”
“But it’s true,” Veronica cut in sharply. “I know because I saw it myself. When I first fought him a few months ago, he was middle-class. But the next time we met, he was high-class.”
“If you keep spouting such nonsense—”
“Believe what you want, but don’t act tough when you’re weaker than Damian. It’s annoying to watch.”
A collective gasp echoed around them. Veronica had clearly crossed a line.
And she wasn’t finished.
“Damian Haxen is my chosen prey. How do you think it feels to have someone like you belittle him?”
“Someone like me?” Joshua’s face flushed with anger.
“You insolent woman… I show you a bit of courtesy, and you think you can say whatever you want!”
A murderous aura emanated from Joshua. The killing intent of a high-class warrior was as deadly as any weapon. Horses reared in fear, and some soldiers even coughed up blood.
“Draw your sword. I’ll show you just how strong I am!”
“Why should I?” Veronica replied without a moment’s hesitation. Joshua’s face went blank, caught off guard by her unexpected answer.
“I’m middle-class, and you’re high-class. Why would I fight you? Am I crazy? Are you stupid?”
“How dare a middle-class like you mock me! Do you have a death wish?”
Unable to contain his rage, Joshua reached for his sword.
But he couldn’t draw it. Something was stopping him.
A longsword.
Specifically, a sheathed longsword was pressing down on Joshua’s hand.
Joshua followed the sword to its owner, his face a mix of confusion and shock.
Damian was holding the sword.
“Let’s leave it at that,” Damian said calmly.
Joshua stared at Damian and the longsword in disbelief.
He hadn’t noticed.
Not when Damian grabbed the sword, not when he extended it to block his wrist.
Not even when he drew the sword.
Was this really the same high-class level? Joshua felt a chill run down his spine.
“My companion may have spoken harshly, but a high-class drawing a weapon against a middle-class isn’t right,” Damian said, sheathing his sword.
“I apologize for her words. But since you were about to draw your sword first, why don’t we both step back?”
Joshua almost nodded in agreement.
Damian’s display was beyond his comprehension.
“That won’t do,” said Javier Silva, Joshua’s father, speaking up first.
“That girl insulted my son. A knight’s honor is as dear as life itself. How can we let this go?”
“But a high-class drawing a weapon against a middle-class doesn’t look good,” Damian countered.
“Why should that be a problem?”
At first, Damian thought Javier was being unreasonable.
But Javier’s expression showed he was serious.
“My son was ‘insulted.’ How can repaying that be a problem?”
Damian inwardly sighed at the arrogance. He hadn’t expected such audacity.
The issue was that this brazen man was a master-class warrior.
“What do you propose, then?”
“That girl must pay. A finger, perhaps, and we’ll consider it settled.”
“I can’t allow that,” Damian replied without hesitation.
Veronica’s words may have crossed a line, but cutting off a finger was out of the question.
“I was willing to be lenient… but you refuse my offer?”
Javier’s brow furrowed slightly.
An overwhelming pressure bore down on Damian.
It felt like being trapped in the deep sea, but Damian remained unaffected.
Javier’s expression changed when Damian didn’t react.
Javier looked at Damian with newfound interest.
”…I’ve changed my mind. I’ll let this go.”
Damian almost laughed at Javier’s magnanimous tone.
“But I need to verify if that girl’s words are true.”
“Verify?”
“Let’s see who’s stronger between Joshua and you in a duel.”
Liam Bluegreen protested in alarm.
“A duel before the tournament? That’s unacceptable.”
“Can’t it be settled without going too far?”
“What if something dangerous happens—”
“Dangerous? With me here, what could possibly go wrong?”
Javier frowned in displeasure, and Liam couldn’t argue further.
“Sir Damian,” Liam looked to Damian as a last hope.
“That sounds interesting,” Damian replied, dashing Liam’s hopes.
Though he felt sorry for Liam, Damian had his reasons for accepting the duel.
‘When he tried to draw his sword… I sensed something.’
When Joshua had tried to draw his sword in anger, Damian had felt a strange energy.
It was too faint to discern anything, so he accepted the duel to investigate further.
“Joshua, what do you say?” Javier asked his son. Joshua hesitated before answering.
“I accept.”
“Ha ha, that’s my son,” Javier laughed heartily and shouted to the soldiers.
“What are you waiting for? Prepare the dueling ground!”
The soldiers began to clear the field, leveling and compacting the ground.
After an hour, the dueling arena was ready.
‘What an unnecessary extravagance,’ Damian thought, tapping the ground with his foot.
Why go to such lengths for a duel?
As Damian pondered, he overheard a heated exchange.
“What were you thinking?” Michael demanded.
“What did I do?” Veronica retorted.
“Because of you, he’s in a tough spot!”
“So I should’ve just stood there and taken it?”
“Well, no, but—”
Damian turned to them. “Enough, both of you.”
Michael immediately fell silent, but Veronica wasn’t so easily deterred.
“Damian Haxen! He’s blaming me for everything! You felt the same way, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, it was annoying,” Damian admitted, nodding.
He, too, had been irritated by the father and son’s arrogance.
“See? I knew you’d agree… Wait, why are you pulling out that stick?”
As soon as Damian drew a club, Veronica hid behind Michael.
Damian tapped the club against his palm. “Consider this a warning. Don’t act on your own again… If it happens once more, I’ll ‘reform’ you myself.”
“But I was just saying what you wanted to say!” Veronica protested, her eyes wide with innocence.
A headache began to throb. As Damian massaged his temples, Joshua approached the dueling ground.
“Thank you for making a difficult decision,” Joshua said.
“Don’t mention it. It wasn’t that hard,” Damian replied, causing Joshua’s expression to harden slightly.
”…Is it alright to use real swords?”
“Do as you like.”
Without hesitation, Joshua drew the longsword from his waist.
The blade glowed with a reddish hue, clearly no ordinary weapon.
“A sword made of rare metal, I see.”
“You recognized it right away. It’s actually a sword made from rare metal alloy.”
Joshua spun the blade in a smooth arc, slicing through the air with ease.
“And it’s not just any alloy. It’s crafted from the dwarves’ metal. A perfect match for someone like me, don’t you think?”
Show-off.
Damian clicked his tongue in annoyance and gripped the hilt of his own sword, Dawn. A thought crossed his mind.
‘With that personality… he’ll probably brag the entire way to the Empire with his father, won’t he?’
The mere thought made his stomach churn. To ensure a peaceful journey, he needed to put Joshua in his place.
“Michael.”
“Yes, brother?”
“Fetch me a branch. It doesn’t matter if it’s thin.”
Everyone looked puzzled at the sudden request—everyone except Michael, that is.
Without a word, Michael began scanning the area for a branch. But in the middle of the field, branches were hard to come by.
Then, his eyes landed on a lone tree.
Michael swung his sword toward the tree, his blade slicing through the air with precision.
The sharp aura grazed the topmost branch, severing it cleanly. Yet, the branch didn’t fall immediately. It slid down slowly, as if coated in a sticky substance, before finally dropping to the ground.
”…”
The display left all the knights around them wide-eyed in disbelief. It was hard to believe such a clean and precise cut came from someone of the middle class.
“Could’ve just snapped it off with your hands…” Veronica muttered, clearly unimpressed.
“Here you go, brother.”
Michael handed the branch to Damian, who gave it a few test swings. It was about the thickness of a finger and two hand spans long—perfect for wielding.
“Why did you ask for that?” Joshua inquired, his face a mix of confusion and irritation. Damian let the branch dangle in his hand as he replied.
“Can’t fight barehanded, can I?”
Joshua’s expression went blank for a moment.
“Come on. I’ll take you on with this.”
Joshua’s face twisted in frustration.