CHAPTER 11: Should I hit him, should I not, no—I’ll hit him (2)

Kane gritted his teeth and growled in response to Ghislain's taunt.

"You've really lost your mind, haven't you? Better get ready to lick my boots while you cry."

The two headed to the training grounds.

Hearing that a duel was about to take place, people flocked to the arena.

They came hoping to witness the hot-tempered young lord get beaten up—a rare spectacle.

Even a few off-duty knights showed up. Among them, Ghislain spotted a familiar face and smirked.

'Oh, Skovan's here too.'

Skovan, his nose red and unsteady on his feet, was visibly drunk.

He had tried to tell people about Ghislain's accomplishments during the subjugation, but no one believed him.

Instead, they accused him of trying to curry favor with the heir by giving him all the credit.

Now, he'd earned disgraceful titles like "The Lying Knight" and "The Knight Who Lost His Honor."

Since then, Skovan has taken to drinking constantly.

With no one believing him and his honor as a knight tarnished, he had lost all will and drowned himself in alcohol.

Seeing him, Ghislain felt a pang of sympathy.

'Those disgraceful titles will be gone soon enough. Hang in there, Skovan.'

Ghislain and Kane didn't start the duel right away. They waited for enough spectators to gather.

It was customary to give people time to gather when a duel was about to begin.

In Perdium, where entertainment was scarce, even duels became eagerly anticipated events.

Once a decent crowd had gathered, one of the knights stepped forward and announced, "Alright, looks like we have enough people. Let's begin."

The crowd started betting on who would win. The only problem was that everyone bet on Kane.

"At this rate, it's not even a proper bet."

"The outcome's obvious, what can you do?"

"Why don't we change the betting pool a bit?"

"How about we bet on how long the young lord can last?"

Hearing the murmurs, Kane smirked smugly. Even from the crowd's reaction, it was clear who they thought would win.

"In that case, let's change the terms. The standard will be…"

"Hold on."

As the knight was about to alter the rules, a slurred voice interrupted.

"Skovan?"

Skovan, looking thoroughly uninterested, set down his bottle without even bothering to reply.

Then he reached into his coat, pulled out a pouch full of coins, and threw it down.

Thud!

The knight who caught the hefty pouch looked at him with a smirk.

"What's this? Why so much? Don't tell me…"

Eyes red with determination, Skovan grit his teeth and said, "I'm putting my entire fortune on the young lord. If you're scared, go home."

The knight's face lit up with excitement.

"Alright, now it's a proper bet! But the amount's still a bit lacking."

Even if Skovan had brought all he had, a knight's salary from a poor estate didn't amount to much.

And considering he'd been spending most of it on drinks, it was still relatively modest.

"Hey, does anyone else want to bet on the young lord?"

Since everyone else had bet on Kane, they would have to split whatever Skovan put in.

Compared to the total pot, Skovan's contribution was small, though it was still enough to be worth sharing.

"Guess we'll proceed with what we've got. So then…"

Just then, the doors to the training grounds opened, and Elena walked in with her maids.

She wore a composed expression as she stepped forward, elegantly placing a coin pouch on the table.

"I'll bet as well."

The knight hesitated briefly as he looked at Elena, shadows under her eyes, then asked for clarification.

"Who would you like to bet on?"

"My older brother."

"Understood."

The knight eagerly pocketed the money.

Since Perdium was poor, even Elena didn't receive much of an allowance.

But she was still a noble, and with her money combined with Skovan's, the total was finally enough to satisfy the crowd.

As she sat on a chair her maids had prepared, Elena's gaze met Skovan's.

They shared a silent understanding, each familiar with the other's pain.

Like Skovan, Elena had been branded as a liar, accused of inflating Ghislain's accomplishments.

The frustration of being doubted and not believed had been keeping her up at night.

'Young lady, it's unfair.'

'I feel like I'm going crazy from the unfairness too.'

While the two exchanged glances, the duel finally began.

Ghislain swung his sword through the air, then pointed it at Kane.

"Come at me."

"What?"

"You challenged me, didn't you? Come at me. It's cowardly for a skilled fighter to attack a weaker opponent first."

"You bastard!"

Kane raised his sword and charged at him furiously.

With his towering height and bulky frame, their duel looked like a bullfight.

Clang!

Their swords clashed fiercely.

Kane glared at Ghislain with killing intent, pouring all his strength into his attack.

'I'll make you a cripple.'

How dare Ghislain stand up to him like this? He would never forgive such insolence.

It was clear, just like the rumors, that Ghislain had completely lost his mind.

'The cure for a madman is a good beating.'

Kane genuinely believed that. In his experience, a sound beating always did the trick.

The problem was that his opponent thought the same way.

'Is there something I can't accomplish with strength? Then maybe I just don't have enough of it.'

As their swords clashed, Ghislain took the measure of Kane.

'Just as I thought. He's got some decent strength and a sturdy build. This means I can beat him without worrying too much. He's got a foul mouth, so he'd have made a decent bandit too.'

Kane's size and strength were impressive, surpassing most of his peers.

In terms of raw strength, he was likely stronger than many trained knights.

'Let's see how his swordsmanship holds up.'

Clang! Clang!

Their swords met repeatedly in rapid succession.

People gasped as they watched Ghislain handle his sword with ease. Even Kane, who was facing him directly, was shocked.

'What… what is this? When did he get so strong?'

The last time they sparred, Ghislain had struggled to block even a single strike.

Kane had expected the same today, but Ghislain was blocking or dodging his attacks effortlessly.

While Kane grunted and swung his sword, the crowd marveled at Ghislain's impressive display.

"The young lord has really improved!"

"Maybe it's Lord Kane who's weaker?"

"They both look impressive, don't they?"

"You know, people who lack skill tend to fight more showily."

Hearing the murmurs, Kane's face turned red.

He'd planned to crush Ghislain instantly, yet he hadn't landed a single hit.

'Damn it! Why can't I hit him?'

As his frustration grew, Ghislain stepped back and smiled.

"Let's make this a bit more interesting."

"What?"

Everyone looked at Ghislain curiously.

Click.

Ghislain sheathed his sword and held up his empty hands.

"I'll fight barehanded. The gap in our skill is too big for it to be fun otherwise."

'And punching him would be much more satisfying.'

Kane's face flushed with rage at this sudden taunt.

"You… you bastard!"

Ignoring him, Ghislain raised his hands to the crowd, encouraging them to cheer.

"Hahaha! This is fun!"

"Wow! The young lord really has improved!"

"Anyone can win!"

Duels between knights or nobles were usually solemn and serious affairs.

While that had its appeal, Ghislain's showmanship made the spectacle far more entertaining for the audience.

Ghislain glanced around at the crowd and made another announcement.

"If I win, I'll buy everyone here drinks and meat!"

"Yeah! That's the spirit!"

"Young lord, win!"

"Now that's a true heir of Perdium family!"

Though he didn't have any money, Ghislain still made the promise.

This was how he'd learned to live as a mercenary.

In mercenary duels, the style was always like this.

You showed off your skills, made sure all eyes were on you, and skillfully moved the crowd in your favor.

It was behavior that nobles would consider crude, but the audience loved it.

As the crowd roared, Kane looked around, grinding his teeth.

"You, you crazy bastard! How dare you turn a sacred duel into this circus!"

In a flash, the atmosphere turned into a lively marketplace. Kane felt like he was nothing more than a gladiator on display.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and said to the flustered Kane, "Sacred? We're just fighting. Did the temple sponsor you or something? What's with the out-of-place nonsense?"

"Don't you have any dignity as a noble?"

"Nope. Are you just going to keep talking? If you're too scared, I can even beat you with just one finger."

The crowd burst into laughter as Ghislain taunted him with a wag of his finger.

The familiar tone of the brawl made them feel closer to him, more like they were watching a street fight than a duel.

"Hahaha!"

"The young lord's personality seems to have changed!"

"It's actually more fun to watch this way!"

The usual, pitiful image of Ghislain faded briefly from people's minds.

Instead, they began to anticipate what he'd do next.

Driven mad by the cheers and Ghislain's provocations, Kane lost all composure and shouted, "I'll kill you!"

"Oh, I told you to stop just flapping your mouth."

Wham!

Ghislain lunged toward Kane and slapped him square across the head.

"Ugh!"

Kane, caught completely off guard, groaned in pain, unable even to defend himself.

It was just a slap, yet it rattled him to the core.

He staggered backward, clutching his head, and then let out a furious bellow like a raging bull as he charged at Ghislain again.

"You arrogant bastard!"

But Ghislain dodged effortlessly and immediately started pummeling him all over.

Wham!

"Ugh! You bastard!"

Wham!

"You… damned… ugh!"

Wham!

"You dare… ah!"

Wham!

"W-wait!"

Wham!

Kane couldn't even get a proper insult out, let alone land a hit, as he took blow after blow from Ghislain.

Those watching couldn't help but look on with admiration.

"The young lord's movements…"

"Wow, that's incredible!"

"Did he always have this kind of skill?"

Ghislain's movements were, at times, graceful and elegant, yet at other times fierce and intense.

Even the knights watching were taken aback by his dynamic body control.

Every action he took showed mastery well beyond what anyone would expect of a young noble.

Even if they compared themselves, none could confidently say they were better.

"Yeah!"

"The young lord is amazing!"

"He's so impressive!"

The crowd began to cheer instinctively.

With each blow Ghislain landed, the spectators felt a thrill, as if they, too, were unleashing pent-up frustration.

And they relished seeing Kane get his due.

No one liked him anyway, always coming around to cause trouble and harass people.

'Now, let's really get started.'

Sensing that the crowd was now fully on his side, Ghislain decided to deliver the final blow.

He looked at Kane, who was bruised and on the verge of tears, and gave a wicked smile.

"Hey."

"…?"

"Bite down. You don't want to lose your tongue."

Boom!

As Ghislain's fist sank into Kane's stomach, the sound was like thunder.

The spectators were so shocked, they all took a step back.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Kane flew across the training grounds and slammed into the far wall, leaving a new crack where he hit.

That single punch had done all of that.

The knights who witnessed it looked on in disbelief.

"H-how is that possible?"

"I didn't even sense any mana!"

In reality, Ghislain had briefly infused his fist with mana, then withdrew it immediately.

But to those watching, it looked as if he had produced that power without using mana at all.

Only a master could manipulate mana with such precision.

"Yeah! It's over!"

"The young lord won!"

"Incredible! I can't believe the young lord won a duel!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, but for Ghislain, it wasn't quite over.

If he were merciful enough to end it here, he wouldn't have survived the ruthless world of mercenaries.

"But look at that, you're still alive. You haven't even surrendered. Guess I'll have to keep going."

Ghislain walked over to the fallen Kane.

Barely able to move, Kane managed to open his mouth.

"S-stop… I… I…"

"Hm? What was that? Can't hear you."

"I… I…"

"I said I can't hear you."

Just as Kane was about to surrender, Ghislain's fist struck him square in the face.

Wham!

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