Chapter 96: The Duel (3)
Sitting on a bench in the waiting room of the Arena, Elias was looking at the burly man standing in front of him.
He had changed into all-white, loose training garments for his upcoming duel with his brother, and his left hand was tightly gripping the hilt of a wooden sword.
Looking into the eyes of Knight Joran, Elias slowly opened his mouth and spoke in a low voice.
"Teacher, I... There is no way I can defeat Brother; it is impossible."
Elias had always been called innocent for his age, but that didn’t mean he was stupid. He had seen his brother train from his room’s window every day, and after learning about infusion arts from Knight Joran during this past month, he was keenly aware of the strength of his brother, who had learned level two of his infusion art.
The first two levels were the same for all infusion arts; the difference starts from level three.
Until then, the only difference was the weapon technique itself.
The first level involved releasing mana in a burst while performing a swing, which would shoot an arc of mana that was created from that swing. This technique allowed one to attack from a distance, even if they were a sword wielder.
The second level, meanwhile, involved coating the weapon with mana and controlling the mana’s shape. With this technique, the user could sharpen that coating of mana, temporarily elongate it to increase the weapon’s reach mid-fight, change the shape of the coat so that it becomes double-edged, changing the weapon’s nature mid-fight; there were simply too many applications of that technique as long as one mastered it.
Though it did consume a significant amount of mana, which made it hard for a Phase Two individual to maintain it for much longer.
Still, Elias was not even sure if he would be able to last long enough to make his brother run out of mana.
He repeated his previous words once again.
"...I really don’t think it’s possible for me to beat him."
Knight Joran sighed, then crouched down to Elias’s own height.
Putting his large hand on Elias’s shoulder, the burly man looked into his eyes and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Young Master Elias, you have worked really hard over this past month, right? There must be a reason why you worked so hard. I want you to close your eyes and remember it."
Elias slowly closed his eyes and tried to recall the reason he had worked hard and tried his best to learn everything Knight Joran had taught him.
Then, memories, one after another, began to resurface.
The scenes of their mother praising his brother for something during breakfast or dinner when they all sat together in the dining hall, the scene of servants gossiping about how amazing his brother was, and the scene of the knights praising his brother when they saw him train.
Recalling all those memories, a single sentence came to the very tip of his tongue, something he had been unable to voice until now.
’I want it too, please. Please, everyone, look at me too.’
Elias didn’t think he was jealous of his older brother. No, it was the opposite, actually. He admired his brother more than anyone and wanted to be just like him someday.
His brother really was amazing and thus totally deserved all those praises.
Still, he wished that others would look at him, too. He didn’t expect the same praises they gave his brother; even a small compliment was enough for him.
"Now open your eyes."
He slowly opened his eyes, looking at Knight Joran’s face. The burly man smiled kindly.
"There are so many people outside waiting to see what you will show them in today’s duel. They will all be looking at you today."
His heartbeat quickened at those words. Briefly, his mind even imagined a crowd cheering for him. But a single thought overpowered everything.
He spoke weakly as his eyes lowered, looking at the ground.
"What does it matter? I am still going to lose. There simply isn’t any point."
But Knight Joran firmly shook his head and placed his other hand on his shoulder as well.
"It does matter, Young Master Elias; it really does. In this world, outcomes don’t matter as much as the process. You have worked hard, and I am sure that hard work will be acknowledged by some, at the very least."
Elias raised his head and looked into Knight Joran’s eyes as he asked in a weak tone.
"...Really?"
Knight Joran nodded while smiling.
"Really. It does not matter if you can defeat Young Master Adrian; even leaving just a scratch on him is enough."
’Just a scratch...’
Would it really be enough?
Elias didn’t know the answer. But...
"Okay..." A smile slowly stretched across his innocent face. "Teacher, I will give this duel everything I have."
’I don’t even need many people to acknowledge my efforts. I just need one person to do so...’
The face of his mother came to his mind.
Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Hearing it, Knight Joran stood up.
"Young Master Elias, it is time."
Elias took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the hilt of the wooden sword.
’Just one scratch!’
Then Knight Joran opened the door for him, and he walked forward. Soon, he exited the tunnel-like space and arrived at the arena. He could see the elevated platform, which was supposed to be the fighting square.
He started walking toward it.
Elias could feel multiple eyes on him, looking at him from all directions. He slowly raised his head and looked around.
For a second, his steps paused.
Seeing so many people who had all had their attention focused on him, it felt... too overwhelming.
It really did feel like Knight Joran had said, as though all these people were waiting to see what Elias would show them during this duel.
Just then, his gaze landed on his mother, who was seated on the throne-like seat reserved for only her. She was also looking at him with a smile.
Just seeing that smile filled his heart with even more determination. He looked forward once again as he continued walking.
Soon, Elias reached the fighting square and stood there with the wooden sword held firmly in his hand. In front of him, some distance away, stood his brother.
His brother seemed no different than usual. His face was a mask of perfect calm, and his piercing grey eyes stared at Elias, seeming uninterested. He was also holding a wooden sword in one hand, just like Elias.
His jet-black hair fluttered lightly in the wind.
On the side, a bit far away, stood a knight of House Ravenshade, looking at the two of them calmly. After a few moments, the knight opened his mouth and shouted loud enough that his voice echoed through the arena.
"Both fighters, ready your stance!"
Elias sharpened his gaze as he met his brother’s piercing grey eyes.
’Just one scratch!’
