Episode 32: The Leafy Plains (2)
The Marquis quickly reached out, trying to grab Michael’s hand.
But someone else was faster.
Damian Haxen’s hand shot out, seizing Michael’s wrist. The sudden intervention stopped Michael from drawing his sword.
Michael looked bewildered, glancing between the hilt of his sword and Damian Haxen.
“You’re quite the hothead, aren’t you?”
Damian Haxen remarked, looking down at Michael Lionbloom.
“You seem eager for a fight, but surely you know this isn’t the time or place to draw your weapon?”
Only then did Michael take in his surroundings, noticing the Duke’s displeased expression.
“Marquis Lionbloom, what is the meaning of this?”
The Duke’s voice was sharp and accusatory.
The Marquis wiped his face with his palm.
”…My son acted foolishly. There was no intent to harm your knight.”
“You know this isn’t something that can be brushed off with mere words, don’t you?”
The Marquis could only sweat under the Duke’s cutting rebuke.
The Duke had come at the Marquis’s invitation, and here Michael Lionbloom had nearly drawn a weapon. This was no trivial matter. The reputation of the Marquis’s house could plummet if things went awry.
‘He’s quite the actor.’
Damian watched the Duke with amusement. He knew the Duke wasn’t truly angry. The Duke was enjoying having the upper hand over the Marquis. The slight curve of his eyes gave it away.
“I’d like nothing more than to storm out of here, but… there’s still a duel to be had, so I’ll restrain myself.”
”…Thank you for your generosity.”
“In return, I’ll be adding a few conditions to the duel.”
The Marquis sighed deeply.
”…Name your terms.”
“If we win the duel, we’ll take ownership of the land adjacent to the gold mine.”
The duel had been sparked by the discovery of a gold mine on the border of the Duke’s and Marquis’s territories. The Duke intended to claim all the land at the border if he won.
“Is that all?”
“One more thing. If we win, open the Lionbloom family’s vault to Sir Damian Haxen.”
The Duke patted Damian Haxen on the back as he spoke.
Damian looked at the Duke in surprise. The vault wasn’t just any storage; it was where the family kept their treasures accumulated over generations. To open it meant giving Damian Haxen one of those treasures.
”…Those are quite demanding terms.”
“But they only apply if we win the duel.”
The Marquis pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Very well. I accept all your conditions.”
With that, the conversation ended.
The Marquis and the Duke returned to their respective camps.
”…Michael.”
On the way back, the Marquis called his son’s name with a hint of reproach.
“What were you thinking, drawing your sword like that? You nearly brought our house to ruin…”
“Father, did you see? That guy knew I was going to draw my sword.”
But Michael was oblivious to his father’s concerns.
“He read my every move. I’ve never encountered anyone like him before!”
Michael was practically beaming with childlike excitement. The Marquis’s expression turned serious at his son’s pure smile.
”…You really like Damian Haxen, don’t you?”
“Yes! You were right, Father! Damian Haxen might actually be a match for me!”
Michael Lionbloom, despite his master-level talent, had grown bored due to a lack of worthy opponents. Now, he had found a rival in Damian Haxen.
The ennui that had clouded Michael Lionbloom’s eyes vanished completely with the arrival of this long-awaited adversary. His dormant talent was awakening once more.
”…If you’re satisfied, then that’s enough.”
A smile crept onto the Marquis’s face as well.
After all, the Duke’s conditions only mattered if they lost the duel. With Michael Lionbloom on their side, losing was not an option.
“Things are off to a good start.”
The Duke spoke as they arrived back at their camp.
“All we need to do is win the duel, and everything will be perfect. Don’t you agree?”
He turned to Damian, a broad smile on his face.
“Your Grace, why did you set such conditions?”
“What do you mean? The vault?”
Damian nodded, and the Duke replied as if it were nothing.
“You’re the one who stopped Michael’s sword, aren’t you? If he had fully drawn it, the situation would have been a complete disaster.”
“That would have benefited the Duke’s house, wouldn’t it?”
“It would have, but not me personally. I don’t want to win against the Marquis through an unexpected incident like this.”
The Duke’s expression turned serious.
“I dislike that man. I’ve vowed to crush him someday. Now that the opportunity is here, I can’t let it slip away, can I?”
Only then did Damian understand the Duke’s intentions. His pride wouldn’t allow for a hollow victory.
“And besides, it’s a chance to show off with someone else’s money. Can’t pass that up.”
The Duke laughed heartily, nodding to himself.
“Still, it’s strange. Michael Lionbloom is known for being notoriously lazy. Why did he draw his sword?”
The Duke mused, and Damian shrugged.
“Maybe he was bored.”
Despite his words, Damian understood Michael Lionbloom’s impulsive action.
‘He’s young, but it seems he’s already awakened his sixth sense.’
Among masters, many possess unique talents. A swordsman with perfect pitch is one such example. Michael Lionbloom, too, had a special gift.
Beyond the five senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell, he possessed a sixth sense—extrasensory perception.
In his past life, Michael had used this sense to detect unforeseen dangers and read his opponents’ hidden moves.
‘This should be interesting.’
In the future, Michael Lionbloom would reach the level of a master. But for now, he was only a low-class knight.
Damian had worried the duel might end too quickly, but it seemed his concerns were unfounded.
“Your Grace, a messenger from the Marquis’s side is approaching.”
Gawel Heinrich informed the Duke.
The messenger, on horseback, addressed the Duke.
“The Marquis requests the first duel to begin!”
“Good, I like their eagerness.”
The Duke murmured with a smirk.
“Since it’s the first duel, setting the tone is crucial. Who should we send out?”
The Duke looked around at his knights.
When no one answered, the Duke turned to Damian Haxen.
“Sir Damian, I hear you’ve been spending time with the candidate knights recently.”
“Yes, I’ve been sparring with them.”
“Do you have any recommendations?”
At the Duke’s question, Damian thought of Pavel Bermond. Among the knights he’d sparred with, Pavel was undoubtedly the best.
“Your Grace, may I make a recommendation?”
Someone spoke up. Damian naturally turned to look at the knight.
Sebastian Vincenzo.
He was a middle-class knight responsible for training the duelists.
“I’ve been in charge of training the duelists, so I believe I can recommend a more suitable candidate than Sir Damian.”
Sebastian Vincenzo glanced at Damian, his gaze anything but friendly. It was filled with animosity.
‘He’s a petty man.’
Damian had clashed with Sebastian Vincenzo once before. Upon hearing that some duelists were sparring with Damian, Sebastian had complained to the Duke.
-It’s not a problem, is it? The knights could learn something from sparring with Sir Damian.
Of course, the Duke had sided with Damian.
It seemed Sebastian was looking for payback.
“Hmm, Sir Sebastian has a point. Who do you have in mind?”
“I recommend my son, Fabian Vincenzo.”
Not all duelists had sparred with Damian. Some had been trained solely by Vincenzo.
“Your son, Fabian… I’ve heard he’s quite talented.”
“Yes, Your Grace. He’s inherited everything from the Vincenzo family. I’m confident he’ll secure our first victory.”
“Very well. Send your son out.”
Sebastian Vincenzo gestured, and a knight holding a spear stepped forward.
“I won’t disappoint you, Your Grace!”
With that declaration, Fabian Vincenzo headed to the center.
Fabian Vincenzo knew exactly why his father had chosen him.
‘That country bumpkin Damian Haxen dares to threaten my father’s position.’
To the Duke’s knights, Damian Haxen was a thorn in their side. He had suddenly appeared one day, taking the position of the family’s representative and monopolizing the Duke’s favor.
‘If it weren’t for him, the representative position would have been mine.’
Fabian Vincenzo was disgruntled.
‘I’ll win this duel spectacularly and change His Grace’s perception.’
Fabian Vincenzo faced the Marquis’s knight, drawing the spear from his back.
“I am Fabian of the Vincenzo Viscountcy! State your name!”
At Fabian’s shout, the Marquis’s knight replied.
“Robert. I have no surname.”
“What? No surname? Are you a commoner?”
Fabian Vincenzo’s face twisted in disdain.
Knights were typically raised in noble families, learning the etiquette and knowledge befitting their station, and inheriting the family’s vision. It was not a position for a mere commoner to aspire to.
“A commoner dares to challenge me?”
Fabian Vincenzo couldn’t help but feel disappointed that his first opponent was a mere commoner.
“Quite the noisy lot, aren’t you? Seems the duke’s knights prefer to fight with their tongues like women,” Robert taunted, causing Fabian to scowl.
“You insolent wretch. I’ll show you the difference in our ranks right now!”
With that, Fabian charged forward, spear in hand, determined to end the duel swiftly.
“Look, Sir Fabian is attacking!”
The soldiers of the duke’s house erupted in cheers, their excitement palpable even from a distance. Fabian’s fierce determination was evident to all.
In stark contrast, the marquis’s knight showed no such fervor. It seemed the first duel would end easily in Fabian’s favor.
But as the duel unfolded, it took an unexpected turn.
The marquis’s knight effortlessly parried Fabian’s attacks.
“Hah! Hup! Hah!”
Fabian shouted louder with each strike, but the outcome remained unchanged.
“This… this commoner!”
Frustrated by his blocked attacks, Fabian’s movements grew more aggressive.
At that moment, the marquis’s knight made his move.
He deftly deflected Fabian’s spear and closed the distance, delivering a swift kick to Fabian’s body.
“Ugh!”
Fabian fell backward, and before he knew it, the cold blade of a sword was at his throat.
The marquis’s knight had approached silently, his sword poised.
“Do you concede defeat?” the knight asked calmly.
Fabian, his voice trembling, admitted, “I… I lost.”
As soon as Fabian acknowledged his defeat, cheers erupted from the marquis’s camp, while a heavy silence settled over the duke’s side.
“Send the soldiers to bring Fabian Vincenzo here,” the duke ordered, then turned to Sebastian Vincenzo.
“Sir Sebastian, what exactly did I just witness?”
Sebastian was at a loss for words.
“Y-Your Grace… I, I…”
“I entrusted Sir Vincenzo with training the knights, and this is how he repays me,” the duke said coldly, cutting off Sebastian’s attempt to explain.
“Please, I ask you to remain silent for now.”
Sebastian immediately fell silent.
“I never imagined there would be such a disparity in skill among the knights,” the duke mused, stroking his chin in thought.
“At this rate, even if Sir Damian Haxen wins, it won’t matter if we lose the duel.”
The silence in the duke’s camp grew even heavier.
“Your Grace, may I speak?” Damian Haxen broke the silence.
“Go ahead,” the duke replied.
“I would like to recommend Pavel Vermont as the second knight,” Damian suggested.