LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 664
“I’m all in!”
As the training ground was completely surrounded, Rio started trembling.
It wasn’t just Rio. The armed merchants that followed him were also scared and looking around nervously.
Only Ghislaine was calmly surveying the area.
The troops surrounding them were just standing still, a heavy silence hanging in the air.
After a while, Baron Magrell appeared, leading around ten knights.
Baron Magrell smirked at Rio.
“Quite a crowd you’ve brought. Are you ready to throw down?”
“Ah, no. I’m just escorting.”
“Why, scared I’ll send my troops after you?”
“……”
Rio couldn’t say anything. It sure looked that way no matter how he thought about it.
Probably the observers accompanying Baron Magrell could guess what was about to happen. The Baron had likely cooked up quite the plan.
Baron Magrell sat down and raised his hand.
“Well, we might as well get this duel rolling, regardless of the outcome.”
At that moment, a knight stepped forward.
This knight couldn’t possibly be stronger than Bendock, the best knight of the barony. Beating Yulien wouldn’t be easy.
But Baron Magrell was intent on proceeding with the duel. If his knight won, it would wrap things up more easily.
“The mercenary Yulien or whatever, step up.”
Yulien, feeling nervous, started to move. But Ghislaine grabbed his shoulder.
“Take a break this time.”
“Why? Are you going?”
Yulien’s expression brightened. He wasn’t used to stepping into such a daunting situation.
Ghislaine shook his head and replied.
“You’ve already caught the best knight in the territory. Why mix swords with some lower-tier guy? That’s just beneath you. Someone else will go this time.”
“Who?”
Ghislaine turned to Kyle.
“Kyle, you go.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. It wouldn’t look right for the commander to personally handle a rookie.”
“Oh come on… I’m stronger than Yulien, you know?”
Kyle bristled and drew his sword. Stepping forward, he added.
“Yulien is my rival, but he’s weaker.”
“Sure.”
“I just let you have the commander spot because you asked. If it were based on skill, I’d have taken that position!”
“Right.”
“I’m stronger, okay?”
“Got it.”
“Ugh, this is annoying!”
Kyle grumbled as he stepped forward.
Truthfully, Kyle and Yulien often sparred. It wasn’t exactly clear who was better, so Kyle’s claims weren’t entirely wrong.
A small dark figure sat on Kyle’s shoulder, resembling a sparrow. Ghislaine chuckled at the sight.
“You’ve become quite the best buddies after spending just a few days together.”
Surprisingly, Dark seemed to hit it off with Kyle, sticking by his side all the time.
To be blunt, it meant Kyle was heading down a troublesome path, but Ghislaine let it be. As long as Yulien and Deneb grew up right, that was all that mattered.
As Kyle stepped out, the opposing knight frowned, visibly displeased.
“Are you looking down on me? Why isn’t the commander stepping up?”
This knight had been present when Yulien fought Bendock. So he came prepared for battle.
He was fully armored and had his shield equipped, determined to fight carefully and earn respect.
But now, a mere rookie was stepping up instead, which irritated him.
Kyle pointed his sword and grinned.
“Don’t worry about it; I’m stronger. Just stick your neck out.”
Kyle’s strengths lay in his upbeat and carefree personality.
Of course, he wasn’t completely calm. But he didn’t feel the immense sense of responsibility or pressure like Yulien did.
‘If it seems like I’m going to lose, I’ll just run.’
He thought Ghislaine would handle the rest. That was all that crossed his mind.
“You little…”
Clank!
The knight twisted his face and lowered his visor, determined to rush Kyle without giving away any openings.
The two charged towards each other. The knight swung his sword at Kyle first.
Clang!
Kyle blocked the attack and swiftly moved to target the knight’s side. But the knight deflected the blow with his shield.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Once they engaged, both fighters moved fiercely. Sounds of swords and shields clashing echoed endlessly.
The knight’s movements were a bit sluggish. It was expected for someone heavily armored, and his skills weren’t quite good enough to overcome that handicap.
In contrast, Kyle, wearing light leather armor, was moving nimbly. His sword had struck the knight’s armor several times already.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Parts of the knight’s armor started to dent and shred.
However, Kyle’s abilities were also just average. Since he couldn’t channel enough mana to cut through the armor, the knight sustained little damage.
“Tch.”
Kyle bit his lip. This was definitely different from facing bandits. A knight fully armed was no walk in the park.
If he had the opportunity to gather his strength, Kyle could cut through steel in one blow. But fighting while on the move made it hard to unleash his full power.
Plus, the knight could use mana. Each time Kyle landed a blow, the knight would pour mana into the hit area, healing himself a bit.
That’s why he couldn’t deal serious damage.
Clang! Clang!
The knight used his shield to block as he pushed back against Kyle’s attacks, countering with strong sword strikes whenever he could.
But Kyle was quick to evade and looked for a counterattack each time.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Even though Kyle’s hits landed much more frequently, the knight didn’t fall. He was focusing on defense and handling the battle cautiously.
The duel dragged on for quite a while. On the surface, it looked evenly matched.
Baron Magrell seemed a bit excited as he leaned forward.
“Not bad for a pawn sent out to be discarded.”
With Bendock, the top knight and commander, dead, he figured it wouldn’t matter who he sent out; they’d lose anyway.
Yet here stood a surprisingly competent knight from the other side. Perhaps this could lead to a win.
“Winning the duel has its own allure, doesn’t it?”
With a win, he could immediately command all present to die without issue. That was the bet all along.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the battle continued longer than expected, Kyle decided to change his strategy. He pretended to attack the knight several times while retreating.
Each time, the knight wasted mana unnecessarily.
After repeating the same move a few more times, the knight grew more exhausted. The weight of his armor and shield was taking a toll.
Meanwhile, Kyle continued to move agilely, waiting for the right moment.
Even if the knight could use mana, a small barony knight wouldn’t have excessive mana reserves. The knight’s movements began to slow down over time.
Seeing this, Kyle quietly muttered.
“Dark, you ready?”
“Of course, bro.”
Even in the midst of the intense battle, Dark stayed huddled on Kyle’s shoulder. At Kyle’s signal, Dark nodded with a serious expression.
Clang!
Once again, their swords met. Kyle pulled back to dodge the knight’s counterattack.
As he approached again, the knight thrust his shield out. But the weary knight’s shield was already trembling.
Kyle charged forward at full speed and slammed into the knight’s shield.
Bang! Clang! Clang!
With the aggressive attack, the knight stumbled back. His stance was slightly thrown off, but he gritted his teeth and swung his sword again.
At that moment, Kyle ducked back and shouted.
“Now!”
Whirrrrr!
Dark zipped off at lightning speed, landing on the knight’s helmet.
“Ack! What’s going on!”
The knight shouted as his vision became obscured. He shook his head wildly, but Dark clung on stubbornly.
Unable to see, the knight flailed his sword at Kyle, but to pry Dark off, he had to abandon his shield.
Thud!
The knight dropped the shield and barely managed to grab Dark with his remaining hand.
Dark, trapped in the knight’s grip, dramatically proclaimed,
“Don’t forget my last stand!”
Bang!
“Gah!”
Dark erupted into a burst and vanished. And in that moment, Kyle seized the opportunity.
As the knight regained his sight, the first thing he saw was Kyle, wielding his sword with a fierce grin.
Clang!
“Ugh!”
Kyle’s sword deepened into the side of the knight’s helmet. Thanks to the knight hastily pouring mana, the helmet didn’t completely shatter.
But the sudden hit made the knight stumble. He struggled to lift his sword, but Kyle was quicker.
Clang!
The knight’s vision turned dark as a flash of light burst. Once again, he was struck in the same spot, and the chill of the sword’s blade against his brain was unmistakable.
“No, please….”
Another hit would surely shatter his helmet and bury the sword into his skull. The knight swung his sword in an attempt to make one last stand despite losing his balance.
But such desperate flailing wouldn’t hit Kyle. Ultimately, Kyle’s sword plunged again into the same spot.
Crack!
The mana-infused sword cut through the helmet, penetrating deep into the knight’s head.
“Gah…”
The knight let out a brief scream before rolling his eyes back and collapsing.
Thud!
Looking down at the knight’s lifeless body, Kyle brushed his hair back.
“I’m stronger than Yulien.”
“…….”
Ghislaine stared at Kyle with cold, dead eyes.
“Wow, this guy, for real….”
I was confident Kyle would win. The swordsmanship and mana techniques he practiced were leagues ahead of what knights used, and his innate talent was clearly superior.
Plus, I had tailor-made his training, so it would be downright odd if he lost to a heavily armored knight.
But now he was using Dark to get crafty. Kyle undeniably had better improvisation skills than Yulien.
“Wahhhhhh….”
“Kyle won!”
Yulien and Deneb cheered softly, their fists clenched in joy. Regardless, Kyle winning was an excellent outcome.
Yet, others were sweating bullets, standing frozen.
They were glad their side had won, but the atmosphere was far from celebratory.
A heavy silence enveloped the area. No one said a word.
Slowly, Ghislaine walked forward and shouted.
“As promised! With victory in the duel, this territory now belongs to the House of Rax! In place of the bedridden head of the family, Rio Rax will inherit the title and govern this land! Anyone who disagrees, step forward now!”
With Ghislaine’s declaration, the troops’ morale plummeted.
Rio and the merchant forces were trembling in place.
Unable to hold back, Rio grabbed Ghislaine and said,
“H-How about we nullify the duel’s conditions and just let us go safely?”
At those words, Ghislaine chuckled and replied with something unexpected.
“Didn’t I tell you that you weren’t cut out for being a merchant?”
“Y-Yes….”
“But looking at your nature, it seems you’re fit for a lord.”
“W-What do you mean by that…?”
“Having the knack for accepting things when offered is a skill too. Just leave it to me.”
Ghislaine shrugged off Rio’s grip and stepped forward again. He then shouted once more.
“Anyone who disagrees is disregarded! All troops, lower your weapons and serve the new lord’s command!”
Naturally, the soldiers and knights did not stir. It’s ridiculous to think that a duel could change lordship; they wouldn’t accept it.
Baron Magrell slowly opened his mouth.
“What a bunch of fearless fools.”
He rose from his seat, pointing a finger at Ghislaine.
“Looks to me like you’ve orchestrated this whole mess, haven’t you? Am I correct?”
“Who’s to say? What matters is that the outcome is set.”
“You ought to be packing for your departure as promised, Baron. And observers, please spread the word that this duel was conducted fairly.”
Magrell was no longer the lord of this place. The justification now rested with Ghislaine.
Yet the noble observers looked at Magrell, prepared to fabricate false testimonies for him.
After all, they were the ones who had plotted this visit.
Baron Magrell chuckled, shaking his shoulders as he spoke.
“Alright, right now justification is with you. Justification is vital. It can spark a war and earn people’s support.”
“But do you know what’s more important than that?”
“What?”
“Power. Raw power can trample even justification. Especially in a situation devoid of external intervention.”
As Magrell clenched his fists, Ghislaine smirked.
Seeing her smile twisted Magrell’s expression even further.
“You’re laughing? No one here will come to your aid. That means if you all die, the truth dies here with you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Baron Magrell raised his hand.
Clank, clank, clank!
Simultaneously, the armed forces began to move slowly, declaring they would kill everyone present regardless of justification.
Rio and the merchant troops huddled together, trembling. Yulien, Deneb, and Kyle also prepared for battle.
The three stared intently at Ghislaine, believing he would surely find a way out.
As the approaching troops neared, Ghislaine spoke.
“But there’s also a priest from the Deana Church present. Are you planning to kill a priest too?”
“Who would care about a priest traveling with mercenaries, thrown out from the church?”
It seemed even the nobles had some awareness of the situation.
Ghislaine chuckled softly, then slowly began to twirl a staff that resembled a pole. With a chilling tone, he spoke.
“Baron Magrell.”
“What?”
“You’ve let your last chance slip away.”
“What do you mean?”
“You think power is more important than justification? It seems you’re mistaken….”
Ghislaine slowly extended his staff forward, lowering his body.
Mana from his heart began to unleash and moved in accordance with his Mana Circulation Method.
The mana of the 5th Circle was substantial. Though it might be weaker and less efficient than refined mana, this quantity could adequately substitute.
And with Ghislaine’s experience and skill already beyond that of any superhuman, he had no deficiencies in fighting against this many people.
Wham!
Vivid blue mana began to gather around Ghislaine’s staff.
And soon, a fierce smile spread across his face.
“I like doing it with power best, too.”
Boom!
At the instant he finished speaking, Ghislaine shot forward like a lightning bolt.