Screwing Paul Over.

Outside, in the field.

Paul and Arther were standing a few metres apart when Paul raised his sword, turned to face Arther, and announced, "Raise your sword!"

"Are you sure you want to do it, Master?"

Lilia, looking at them from the side, tried to persuade Paul for the final time.

"Lilia, you too! Do you really think I am that miserable?" Paul exclaimed with indignation. He thought that at least Lilia would support him in his duel.

However, it appeared that he was mistaken!

"N-No… I-I..."

Lilia had no words to say; she had a crush on Paul and didn't want him to misunderstand her. So when he replied to her like that, she was a little shocked and didn't know what to say.

She didn't want Paul to despise her, and she truly cared about him. Not for long, though.

Elinalise looked at this and smiled sinisterly before looking back at Arther and saying out loud, "My Lord, please do not use magic and hold back in this duel. We don't want to make a mess here."

Hmm.

Nodding, Arther turned to face her and grinned.

'It seems my lord realised my plan. Tehe~'

It was evident to Elinalise from the moment she saw Arther's shady smile.

'You really know me the best!' She wondered.

Her thoughts were indeed accurate since she was the one Arther was most open to in this world due to her free-spirited nature and not being a significant part of the story.

Clench!

Paul calmly observed the scene while clenching his fists in rage.

He felt that he was being looked down on excessively by these people.

'Even after spending so much time in the same party together, you and Ghislaine both look down on me. Just what magic has this kid done on you?' He contemplated in frustration.

Alas!

His reputation was only going to decline further.

"Arther, please, just go easy on him."

Ghislaine's voice brought him out of his thoughts; he found her remarks to be quite annoying. He desperately wished to stop her from looking down at him.

Grit-!

'Even if I can't win, I must give an honourable fight to win back my dignity.'

He gritted his teeth and swore as he said, while looking at Arther with a dead gaze, "Raise your sword!"

He was not going to hold back in this duel!

Sigh!

Arther still acted as if all this was unnecessary and sighed while looking at the newest arrival to the field.

It was Zenith!

In her hands, Rudeus cradled as he looked at his father and Arther with a shine in his eyes, clearly excited for the fight.

Looking at the scene, Zenith realised what had happened and glared at Paul before sighing and saying, "Just don't hurt yourselves!"

Paul became extremely irritated at the way Arther was acting.

"I am coming, whether you summon your weapon or not!"

He shouted as he increased his speed and swiftly moved towards Arther using [Sword God Style].

He was giving it everything he had, so he moved very quickly and disappeared from Rudeus's view, who watched the duel with interest.

Clang!

He appeared right in front of Arther, but his sword was blocked with a sword that appeared out of nowhere.

Arther used Earth Magic to craft his preferred blade. Since regular swords couldn't contain his Mana and would generally break, he stuck to making swords with magic.

Paul's eyes enlarged upon seeing Arther's lightning-fast reflexes.

'How can he be so fast when using [Water God Style]?'

Paul pondered as he made a sharp turn to put more distance between himself and Arther and simultaneously threw his sword in a decisive [North God Style] motion towards Arther.

He wanted to end the battle swiftly, as he knew the longer the battle went on, the harder it would be for him.

The sword flew quickly towards Arther, bearing a deadly light.

Arther manoeuvred his sword, grasping it with both hands to intensify his blow, and engaged the flying sword.

Tang!

Paul saw Arther blocking the sword and ran towards him in all fours like a panther, another [North God Style] technique.

He used this opportunity and swiftly approached him to attack.

Paul leaped and caught the flying blade in his jaws as Arther deflected the sword. He moved it quickly from mouth to hand and launched an assault on Arther.

Tang! Tang! Trr… Chrr…

Alas!

His attacks didn't reach anywhere near Arther.

Most importantly, Arther had not yet launched an attack!

Ghislaine watched as Paul was fighting a futile battle and said, "Paul, stop it already! You are not his match."

*Arrgh!!*

"DAMMIT!" Paul screamed in frustration.

He realised by now why Arther was not attacking.

- He fights to kill!

Those words came to his mind as he thought back to Elinalise's remarks.

Nevertheless, he made one last attempt and went straight after Arther from the front.

Clung-! Shoosh-!

Thud!!

Only this time, Arther used a bit more force and flicked his sword to fly away. At the same time, he used his left hand and hit the back of Paul's head, sending him unconscious.

The duel was over.

 -----

Three days passed.

Paul had invited Arther and his group for a week, so there were still four days to go before they left Buena Village.

Today, Zenith took Arther to meet with the people of the village. After all, who would miss the chance to show off such a famous nephew?

While Arther met with the people of the village, he came across an elven man with deep orange hair.

'Wait! That's Laws. Isn't it?' Arther realised this the moment his eyes laid on him.

He looked at Zenith and asked, while pointing at Laws, "Who is he?"

"Oh! That's Laws-san; he sometimes helps Paul clear the monsters near the village. I heard his wife died while giving birth, just a day before your party arrived." Zenith explained.

Uh-Huh!

Arther briefly nodded before greeting Laws.

"Hello sir."

"Sir Shura, it is an honour to meet you in person." Laws greeted him back.

"I have heard you help Uncle Paul keep the village safe. I am grateful for your work." Arther said.

"Oh! Don't. It's my home too. Of course, I will do my best to keep it safe."

"Indeed! You should. I am sorry for your wife's untimely death. I hope your child is healthy and well." Arther comforted.

Hearing him Laws hesitated for a moment and then replied, "Regarding my daughter, Sir Shura, can I have some of your time, please?"

'Wait, that was too easy!'

Arther blinked for a second, trying to connect the dots, before nodding and saying, "Let's meet tomorrow."

Laws's eyes brightened seeing Arther respond positively to him as he said, "Sure, sir. My home is…"

-----

In the evening.

"What did you and Laws-san talk about?" Zenith asked while they returned home.

Ahh!

"Nothing much. I just condoled him for his wife's death and congratulated him for his daughter's birth." Arther replied.

"I see. Poor child; she lost her mother so early." Zenith mourned.

"True. Losing a mother at such a tender age is really too bad. I pity her, but I hope she can live a fulfilling life. I know her mother would've wanted that too."

"Yes, she sure would have."

"On that note, Aunt Zenith, Rudeus is really mature for his age, isn't it?" Arther said curiously.

"You feel it too, Arther-kun. Rudy is really such a good boy. He doesn't cry unnecessarily, always indicates when he needs to poop or pee, and drinks milk easily.

Maybe he will become as talented as you one day." Zenith sweetly asserted.

"Or maybe even more than me!" Arther responded to her affirmatively.

"Really! Do you really think Rudy can become great like you?"

"Of course, that child has maturity beyond his age. I am still shocked at how a 3-month-old could be capable of expressions at such a level.

It is almost as if he is an old man trapped in the body of a child, which speaks volumes about his talent to grasp the world. At least, I have not seen anyone as capable as him in all my life."

Arther articulated strongly; each word he spoke carried a hidden agenda that he could use in the future when he revealed the truth about Rudeus's identity.

"Thank you! Arther-kun, you are really a gentleman."

Zenith was appreciative of Arther for giving her son such high regard.

They neared the house as Arther spoke again.

"There is no need for that; in fact, I believe Uncle Paul is really a special individual to have a wife like you. Not to mention, you both produced such a talented son."

Zenith blushed upon hearing Arther's comments as she placed her hands on her cheeks.

"Aww-! Arther-kun, you are really such a good person." She said as she opened the door.

As soon as Zenith entered the house, she was greeted with a sight that she had never wished to see.

AAHHH-!

Zenith screamed in hysteria!

Behind her, Arther also entered and looked in front of him with a nefarious gleam across his eyes.

'Paul, you are so screwed!'

.....

Author's Note:

>> Time for the first blow to Rudeus.

>> Check out my other work. I am sure you will definitely like it very much.

Title- LONE: The Journey Beyond

Link- https://www.webnovel.com/book/lone-the-journey-beyond_23576460306682905

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