Episode 6: Training (Part 2)
Before his return, Damian Haxen had been at the center of many scandals.
The worst of these was undoubtedly when he punched Erwin Lionbloom in the face in front of everyone.
The incident escalated to such a degree that the entire Haxen family had to bear the consequences.
To smooth things over, Damian’s sister, Louise Haxen, was forced into a marriage with the second son of the Lionbloom family.
“D-Damian…”
His father, Paul Haxen, approached him, gripping his shoulders tightly.
“Is it true? Did you really hit this man in the face?”
Damian Haxen simply nodded.
Paul Haxen’s eyes burned with anger.
Had they not been in front of the second son, he might have struck Damian himself.
“Why on earth would you do such a thing? Why?”
“Please, don’t be too harsh on him, Baron. In a way, it’s partly my fault.”
Erwin Lionbloom interjected, not out of ignorance, but deliberately.
“Who would have thought that the woman I was seeing was someone Damian Haxen had feelings for? And I, without realizing, bragged about it right in front of him…”
He chuckled as he spoke.
“It was quite a punch. I think my molars are still loose.”
Damian glared at Erwin with disdain.
The Lionbloom family was renowned for their lineage of knights.
Every member of the family was known for their exceptional talent.
Erwin Lionbloom was no exception, rumored to be a prodigy, though not quite on par with the eldest son.
He was not someone who could be easily bested by the likes of Damian Haxen.
In other words, Erwin had let himself be hit on purpose, to entrap the Haxen family.
“But to strike me at a social gathering… My father is furious. He wonders if the Haxen family thinks so little of the Lionblooms.”
Paul Haxen turned pale.
The Marquis of Lionbloom was one of the greatest knights in the Apple Kingdom.
There was no way the Haxen family could withstand his wrath.
“Baron, how do you plan to compensate for the insult to our family?”
“Well, I…”
Paul Haxen was at a loss for words.
There was no way a small family like the Haxens could offer a satisfactory compensation to the Lionblooms.
Even selling all their assets wouldn’t suffice.
“It seems you have no solution.”
Erwin smirked, as if he had expected this all along.
“Then, Baron, how about this?”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I have long admired Miss Louise.”
Erwin shifted his gaze to Louise, whose eyes turned away from his leering stare.
“I’ve expressed my feelings to her several times, but she’s always turned me down.”
“What does that have to do with this?”
“I propose that Miss Louise and I marry.”
The room fell silent at his words.
Unperturbed, Erwin continued.
“That way, we can frame this as a family matter. The insult I suffered will be overlooked, and people will stop gossiping.”
“That’s out of the question.”
Paul Haxen rejected the proposal without hesitation.
“Louise is already engaged to someone else. So…”
“Then how do you plan to take responsibility for the insult I suffered?”
Erwin’s smile vanished, replaced by a cold stare.
“This matter cannot be resolved with a simple apology. The Haxen family must take responsibility.”
“You…”
“Make your choice. Pay for the insult, or choose me.”
Faced with Erwin’s ultimatum, Paul Haxen bowed his head, caught in a dilemma.
“…Alright.”
A voice suddenly broke the silence.
Louise Haxen was looking directly at Erwin.
“I’ll accept your proposal.”
Erwin’s face lit up with a triumphant smile, while her family’s faces fell.
“Louise! What are you saying?”
“Wait, we’ll find another way!”
“Why should you pay for what your brother did?”
Her family pleaded with her, but Louise remained firm.
This was the only way to shield the Haxen family from the Lionblooms’ wrath.
“Miss Louise, you are truly wise.”
Erwin gazed at her with a greasy smile.
“I’ll send someone to formalize the arrangements soon. We’ll discuss the details then.”
As Erwin turned to leave, someone blocked his path.
“Hm? Do you have something to say, Damian?”
Erwin asked with a smirk.
“Or should I start calling you brother-in-law?”
Damian Haxen let Erwin’s taunts wash over him.
Instead, he looked at his family’s somber faces.
‘How did things go so wrong so quickly after I promised to make them happy?’
He realized anew the weight of his past mistakes.
He had been a truly despicable person.
‘What should I do?’
He couldn’t let his sister marry that man.
Erwin was a tyrant at home, despite being a reliable leader to his subordinates.
He often used violence against his wife and children under the guise of discipline.
He was also pathologically jealous, frequently suspecting and hitting his wife.
‘Louise never had a day without bruises.’
Even as she suffered, Louise never blamed Damian.
Not even when he attacked the Lionbloom estate and killed her.
‘I have no way to stop Erwin’s demands right now.’
Damian was merely the eldest son of a minor barony.
He had no power to oppose the second son of the Lionbloom family.
‘It’s infuriating. Should I just kill them all and be done with it?’
Damian assessed Erwin and his guards.
‘Erwin and three guards. All of them are junior knights.’
To become a knight, one had to progress through the ranks of trainee, apprentice, junior knight, and full knight.
Even an apprentice knight was formidable, possessing skills and the ability to enhance their physical abilities with magic.
A junior knight, one step above, was exponentially stronger.
They could manifest aura, a blade of concentrated magic.
This invisible weapon could slice through stone like water and tear through steel shields like paper.
Even the fiercest monsters were helpless before aura.
It was the ultimate weapon, attainable only by knights.
‘If I fight, I’ll have to face all four at once.’
Junior knights were monstrous, with the strength to kill beasts barehanded and the power to cut through anything with aura.
They were creatures that surpassed human limits, wielding both incredible physical prowess and the ultimate weapon.
If Damian fought, he would have to take on four such monsters at once.
‘Erwin is particularly strong among them.’
Erwin was not just any junior knight. He was on the verge of becoming a full knight.
It was a fight he couldn’t win by any reasonable measure.
‘Five minutes should be enough.’
Of course, that was only by conventional standards.
Damian Haxen had reached a divine level in swordsmanship.
A hundred junior knights couldn’t defeat him, let alone four.
‘But if I kill them, the Lionbloom family won’t stand idly by.’
Killing them wasn’t the issue.
The aftermath was.
He couldn’t endanger his family, even if he could protect himself.
‘I have no choice. I’ll have to take a roundabout approach.’
“You coward!”
Damian Haxen suddenly shouted.
“You drag my family into our personal matter? Is that what a noble of the Lionbloom family does?”
He pointed accusingly, his anger palpable.
Erwin smirked at the display.
“You should have handled it yourself, brother-in-law. Since you couldn’t, Louise is taking responsibility.”
“Shut up!”
Damian raged, and Erwin’s smile only widened.
Erwin had already achieved his goal. The anger of the defeated was merely amusing.
“Let’s duel!”
“A duel?”
“Yes! If I win, we forget this ever happened!”
“Hmm.”
Erwin seemed unimpressed.
“And if I win?”
“W-What?”
“What will you offer if I win?”
“T-That’s… Why do you need to know? I’m obviously going to win!”
“Tut tut.”
Erwin clicked his tongue.
“If you want a duel, you need to offer equal stakes.”
With that, Erwin turned to leave.
That’s when it happened.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Damian swung his fist.
Erwin dodged, turning his head to avoid the blow.
“Oh, you dodged?”
Damian Haxen was about to throw another punch when the bodyguards stepped forward.
“Stand down.”
Erwin Lionbloom ordered them back. It would be humiliating to need help dealing with someone like Damian Haxen.
“Looks like you need a lesson to come to your senses.”
Erwin, skilled not only in swordsmanship but also in hand-to-hand combat, could easily handle Damian’s clumsy punches.
“Still, since we’re family now, I’ll go easy on you.”
Damian swung again, but Erwin caught his fist, twisting his arm to subdue him.
Then, out of nowhere, a blow landed on Erwin’s face, snapping his head back.
“Ugh!”
Erwin stumbled backward, disbelief etched on his face.
“Did you just hit me?”
The question barely formed in his mind before pure anger surged through him. There was a vast gap between him and Damian. Last time, he had let himself be hit on purpose. But this time, he had no intention of allowing a hit, yet it happened.
His pride was deeply shaken.
“Yeah, I hit you! What are you gonna do about it?”
Damian charged again. Erwin sprang to his feet.
“I was going to stop at subduing you, but it seems that’s not enough.”
Erwin braced himself. As Damian’s fist flew toward him, Erwin wrapped his hands around it, ready to break bones if necessary.
But Damian was quicker, driving his knee into Erwin’s stomach.
“Ugh!”
The unexpected blow to his abdomen drained Erwin of his strength. Damian didn’t miss the opportunity and landed another punch on Erwin’s face.
“Ugh!”
Erwin staggered back, clutching his face. But this time, it wasn’t over with just one hit.
“You bastard! How dare you mess with my sister?”
Damian’s fist slammed into Erwin’s side, sending a jolt through his bones.
“Come on! I hit you! What are you gonna do about it?”
Damian’s punches kept coming, pummeling Erwin’s body relentlessly. Erwin tried to fight back, but it was no use. Damian’s fists found their mark in unexpected places—his face, his side, his stomach, his solar plexus. Erwin had no choice but to give up on counterattacking. He curled up to minimize the damage.
“Uh, uh…”
The knights were too stunned to intervene.
“You worthless worm!”
At that moment, Erwin, who had been taking the beating, lashed out with a punch. Damian easily dodged it and kicked Erwin’s legs out from under him.
Erwin’s body lifted off the ground and crashed down, his head hitting the corner as he fell. His eyes rolled back.
“My lord!”
“Are you alright?”
The bodyguards rushed to Erwin, shaking him frantically, but he remained unconscious.
“Phew.”
Damian wiped the sweat from his brow, looking satisfied.
“Finally, I feel a bit better.”
Damian Haxen felt a deep sense of satisfaction. He had thoroughly beaten Erwin Lionbloom. Despite the intense exertion, his breathing remained steady. These two facts filled Damian with immense pride.
‘All that training paid off.’
As Damian basked in his triumph, Erwin Lionbloom regained consciousness.
Gritting his teeth, Erwin stood up.
“Damian Haxen!”
He roared, exuding a menacing aura.
“You worthless insect! How dare you lay a hand on me?”
Erwin pulled a glove from his pocket and threw it at Damian’s face.
“I challenge you to a duel!”
“Finally, you accept.”
Damian caught the glove with a smirk.
“If I win, you won’t hold me accountable for what I’ve done.”
“Fine! But you have to accept my condition too!”
“What is it?”
“Don’t hold anyone accountable if one of us dies in the duel!”
Damian twisted his lips into a grin.
“You’ll regret that.”