After dodging a punch aimed at my head by turning my face away, I took a step back to evade the successive attacks.
Then, I delivered a kick to his unguarded thigh, causing the idiot representative to stagger before barely regaining his balance.
Though only three minutes had passed since the duel began, the situation was already clear.
I hadn’t allowed him a single attack, yet the idiot representative was already looking ragged. Continuing the duel would only result in my one-sided tormenting of him.
If he were a noble known for his grace and high character, this would be the moment to encourage him to acknowledge his defeat, but I didn’t do that.
“It hasn’t even been three minutes, and your legs are shaking like that♡ Are you already at your limit?♡ Really?♡ Even a rabbit could last longer than this♡”
The embodiment of a bitch, Lucy doesn’t know any better!
...Well, this was just a joke. The reason I was purposely keeping him upright, even though he looked like he could collapse at any moment, was that he still hadn’t said anything about his backer.
While I was trampling on his self-esteem with just enough force not to knock him out, he remained silent. Was he just a loyal little dog to his master?
To be honest, I began to think that perhaps there was never anyone worthy of loyalty in the first place.
Even Grandpa Emong is not omnipotent. Didn’t he cause trouble the last time at the festival with his nonsense?
“Ugh!”
As I was lost in thought, the idiot representative charged at me again.
Was he planning to shoulder-bump me?
His trajectory was too obvious.
By simply shifting my feet, I avoided him and tripped him up by hooking his ankle.
Unable to control his own speed, the idiot representative rolled on the floor and crashed loudly into the wall.
As soon as he collected himself, he tried to get up from the ground, but he failed.
His body was not cooperating with his mind.
Seeing him repeatedly smash his face into the ground, I was convinced that his limit was approaching.
Let’s wrap this up with one last interrogation.
If he couldn’t hold out, I could just ask the other two. Judging by the terrified looks they were giving me, I’d surely get some usable answers.
I approached the idiot representative, who was panting heavily, and stomped down on the back of his head.
“Hey, hey. Is this it?♡ Don’t you have anything more to say?♡”
“...”
“You must have something you’re counting on, that’s why you challenged me to a duel♡ Ah. Are you betting on your skills?♡ Did you think you could win?♡ Puhahahat♡ You’re so cute it’s a problem♡ To be looked down upon by this trash!♡”
From beneath the stomped head, I could hear a voice filled with resentment, but that was all.
The idiot representative’s body had reached its limit.
Unless he was possessed by some pedophile pervert who wanted to be trampled by a little girl, he wouldn’t be able to move.
“Well, there’s no way you have anything to rely on, huh?♡ You’re just a pathetic commoner♡ Your martial arts skills are completely lame♡ Your stamina is weak♡ Your head is just a hideous ornament♡”
There was a slight movement when I mentioned that he had something to rely on.
What is it? Should I steer the conversation that way?
“There’s no way anyone would recognize you!♡ It’s clear!♡ Otherwise, they wouldn’t pay you any mind!♡”
“What do you know about that person?!”
Oh? Ooh?!
Does he really have a backer?!
Hey, idiot representative. Yeah, I don’t know anything about that person you’re talking about.
So I’m really curious, okay? So why don’t you explain a bit about that person?
“How would I know? They only exist in your delusions!♡”
“...”
Oh, come on. You can’t just shut up now that you’ve started talking! You need to see it through to the end! That’s just good manners!
Did you sleep through all the academy classes and forget your manners?! There’s no helping it! I’ll make you keep your manners!
“What’s your delusional master like?♡ Is it a woman?♡ Does she pet you when you run over crying?♡ Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick!♡”
“The second prince...”
As the idiot representative shouted and then closed his mouth, the entire conference room was engulfed in silence. So was I.
The name that slipped from his lips was so unexpected that I couldn’t help but blink in disbelief.
The second prince?
He’s talking about that idiot prince, right?
No way, is there really a fool behind this fool?!
No, that can’t be right!
There’s no way that the strong and talented idiot prince would be interested in this pathetic loser.
But he wouldn’t just blurt out the name of the second prince without a reason!
‘What do I do?!’
This was beyond my knowledge.
The second prince I knew wouldn’t care about someone like him.
So then, what kind of variable had come up?
<Why are you so scared?>
‘It’s the second prince!’
If the person he believed in was the second prince, it would explain why he was so insistent on preserving his pride against me.
In the community, he had been nicknamed the “idiot prince” for his absurd actions, but in reality, the story is different.
The second prince was a contender for the throne, competing with the first prince. Unlike Arthur, who had no claim to the throne, he had a real power and was a person of considerable strength.
<Yeah. It seems the second prince is behind this.>
‘Isn’t that a big problem?!’
<Not at all.>
Despite my panic, the old man remained calm.
<First of all, you’ve already become someone who can’t be touched easily. Think about what’s backing you. It wouldn’t make sense to take action over a pathetic commoner like this.>
‘...Really?’
<And also, this guy isn’t worth bothering with in the first place. He’s someone you’d use and toss aside. You wouldn’t assign such tasks to someone you truly care about.>
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёwebnovel.com.
So it didn’t matter.
Even if I dragged this guy to the second prince, I’d get a response saying that they didn’t care about a loser like him.
Listening to the old man’s explanation, I felt my head clear of the worries that had been filling it.
<What you need to focus on is something else. The intent behind sending him. The reason the second prince wants to pull you in and cause you harm. That from now on...>
‘Grandpa, can you just tell me the conclusion?’
So many things are happening, I feel like my head is going to explode!
You seem to have already drawn your conclusions in your head, so can’t you just share that with me?!
<No. Unless it’s something trivial. If it’s a big shot like a prince, you need to think.>
‘What?!’
<And also, there’s something you need to do.>
‘...Something I need to do? Just that, please.’
<You want me to explain through the night? If that’s what you want.>
‘No! I’ll just listen quietly!’
When Rab was a child waiting for the bard to come, his parents always told him to honor the nobles.
They said to just nod along with whatever they said.
Though young Rab didn’t understand the meaning of that well, he followed his parents' words blindly. He offered them respect.
That was until the day when the nobles of the territory he lived in fled before the dungeon.
That day, when the village where Rab lived fell into danger. The day he picked up the sword he learned from his father, who was a low-ranking mercenary, and cut down a monster for the first time.
Rab thought to himself: why should he honor the nobles?
As time passed, that thought gradually solidified.
As he began to realize his own talents and saw the noble's child causing havoc here and there.
After that noble had entered the Soul Academy, Rab, as a commoner, earned the recognition of the second prince.
After going through such a series of events, Rab’s mind was imprinted with this thought.
The value of a person is not determined by blood. The value of a person is determined by their ability.
If Mane had heard this, he would have pondered how to kill that guy, but Rab did not doubt it.
Was that all? He had even thought about proving this by making a successful rise.
The reason Rab had begun to think this way was that he believed he was not respecting the nobles.
While outwardly showing respect, he was constantly looking down on them inside.
He believed the only person he wanted recognition from, who acknowledged him, was the second prince.
The beginning was a day of the exam he had fought in some time ago.
By chance, he had a duel with the second prince. He fought his hardest against him and was thoroughly defeated.
There was no room for excuses about bad luck or lack of preparation.
It was simply overwhelming.
If they fought a hundred times, it was clear that he would lose all hundred.
In a daze, looking up at the second prince, he heard the prince say:
“If you learn properly, you could become a useful knight.”
After that, the second prince looked after Rab in many ways.
He gave him money to buy weapons and armor through his subordinates.
He offered rare potions.
He gifted him opportunities to learn swordsmanship.
Because of the continuous help he received, Rab was always searching for ways to repay that kindness.
That was why, when the second prince's subordinate came to him and told him what to do, he nodded.
It wasn’t a difficult request.
“I’ve heard that the resentment toward Lucy Alrn among commoners is high lately. Please use that to torment her.”
What he was talking about were the tricks the commoner group often played on weaker nobles.
Minor pranks that were unrelated to him, even if caught, as he had just issued the orders.
“Is that enough?”
“Yes. Ah, right. If Lucy Alrn starts questioning you, tell her you want a trial by combat.”
“...What’s a trial by combat?”
“That is...”
“Hmm. I think I’ve seen enough.”
Just as I was about to speak, a voice from the side startled Rab awake, but he couldn’t raise his body.
Something was binding his arms and legs. Even the blindfold on his eyes meant that although he had opened them, his sight was clouded in darkness.
“Awake? You slept well. Thanks to that, I’ve seen many interesting things in your dreams.”
“Ugh! Ugh!”
What is going on? Who are these people? What will happen to me now?
Despite the confusion swirling in Rab's head, the voice of the person who bound him was eerily calm.
“Were you surprised? Don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. Just sleep a little longer, and you won’t remember any of this.”
“Ugh!”
“Oh, right. Right. I should mention this.”
If you ever touch our employer again, it could lead to real trouble, you know?
Karia warned him before putting Rab back to sleep.
When he woke up tomorrow, he would forget everything that happened at night, but the words from just before would remain in his subconscious, tormenting him.
In truth, whether this idiot would have a next time was dubious, and even if he did anything, he wouldn’t pose much of a threat to the employer.
Rab believed this.