Chapter 93.3 - The Second Year at the Academy - Ordeal (3)
But what can I do now?
These guys are pretty hopeless.
It's too late now, but should I reveal my identity?
Even if it's the lowest-ranked baron's family, causing harm to a noble's son without reason would create a huge commotion. Besides, Count Walber is on the Emperor's side, and we can't silence him by force due to the different factions.
And if a child's family is almost die, their adoptive parent, Duke Brassrad, will intervene. Even if it's just a protest letter, the other party represents a major noble of the Empire, and His Majesty would want to avoid conflicts. The Walber Count's family could face a crisis.
Yes, she's considering that.
That's why she wants to kill us. Absolutely.
There's no way she'll believe in a peaceful resolution, no matter what we say.
That's bad. The moment Luchena made a move, it was too late.
We've been pushed onto the defensive in every respect.
I could escape from Sword Flash alone, but [Eternal Harvest] will be slaughtered.
In this situation, I have no choice but to find a way to get through somehow.
Should I make the first move?
The moment I swayed towards such a violent thought, Sword Flash began to move her hand towards her hilt.
She can sense my intent to attack. Scary, Sword Flash.
Well, I won't do it. Killing everyone in the Count's daughter's group would be too much trouble to clean up afterward.
And if the girl goes missing, her family will mobilize all their resources to search. It won't take long to identify people in the Western Forest, especially those associated with organizations like the Guild.
In that case, we'll be just a bunch of criminals. We won't get a hearing for any excuse.
Are we at a dead end?
The only option left is for me to divert their attention and let [Eternal Harvest] escape.
Then, I'll have to appeal to the Adventurer's Guild and Duke Brassrad afterward.
But can I really hold off Sword Flash with all my might?
I'm sure she didn't read that thought.
Luchena suddenly smiled.
"Klaus, let's have a contest."
"A contest— is that what you mean?"
"If you have no other skills but to fight, let me enjoy that."
[Eternal Harvest] looked puzzled as she gazed down at me.
It seems this isn't a playful suggestion for a mock battle but rather a proposal for a real fight.
It's insane… but I see. There is another way.
"I understand. How about you? Are you okay with this?"
"The fault lies with us. I have no objections. But what will we wager on this contest?"
In response to my question, Luchena looked stunned, then burst into laughter.
It seemed to be quite a surprise, and she couldn't stop laughing for a while.
After a while, she received an unnecessarily expensive handkerchief from a maid and wiped away her tears.
"Klaus is Sword Flash, when combined with the adventurers' strength, he's still not a match."
Yeah, I know.
For now, I acted shocked with Zeret and the others.
Even among these adventurer types, those who have reached intermediate level among B-rank or higher adventurers are fairly common.
Well, I do believe that Klaus is exceptional among them.
Considering the diversity of skills and equipment, it wouldn't be surprising to compare Sword Flash to A-rank adventurers.
Satisfied with our astonishment, Luchena suddenly returned to a serious expression.
"Silently, bow to the ground. That suits you."
She didn't even seem intoxicated by her own words. It was as if she had every right to say that.
If she behaves like this in her territory in Selene, her domain must be… Wait a minute.
It suddenly rang a bell. Isn't that the hometown of Ted and Lily?
It's no wonder they grew to dislike nobility.
Once I realized this, Luchena fell silent as if the conversation had ended.
She didn't seem to be answering my question, which was a problem.
"Then, if I win, we'll let bygones be bygones. If I lose, I'll crawl and apologize. Is that acceptable?"
In response to my proposal, there was a rising sense of unrest from her guards.
I suppressed the piercing anger, maintaining a poker face as I faced Luchena.
"You're… quite the idiot, aren't you? Do you think you can beat Klaus? Suit yourself."
"Thank you. Shall we make those people serve as witnesses?"
Luchena waved her hand, looking somewhat annoyed, and cut the conversation short.
Which one of us is the idiot here?
I nodded solemnly and turned to [Perennial Harvest] behind me.
"Did you hear that? You're our witnesses. Stake the honor of the Adventurer's Guild, and don't forget the words you've heard."
"We understand. We'll stake our honor."
Ishmira immediately replied.
Zeret and the others seemed to not understand and shook their heads blankly.
It's nothing. Both parties have reached an agreement, and witnesses have been selected.
At this moment, the contest became a duel.
The witnesses are adventurers affiliated with the Adventurer's Guild. It doesn't matter that they're involved parties. It was part of the agreement.
Regardless of the outcome, once the matter is settled, not even the Emperor can overturn it.
If the girl throws a tantrum over the result, I'll tell her.
"We'll report it to the capital and the Adventurer's Guild."
If [Eternal Harvest] is threatened, the final option is to delay and escape with all our might.
The advantage is on our side, and Luchena's side will be burdened by their greater numbers.
At the very least, one of them is bound to fall. That's what we'll testify to — that it was a duel.
Among her guards, some wore suspicious expressions in response to my words and actions.
However, they wouldn't immediately consider a newcomer adventurer's kid to be a noble's son, and they certainly wouldn't believe a D-rank could defeat Sword Flash.
I entrusted my backpack, the sky-blue cape, and my two-handed mace to [Eternal Harvest] and unsheathed my shamshir after flicking its scabbard.
Only this one remains.
I confronted Sword Flash, who stood there.
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