Chapter 163: Duel with the Sword Saint ①
Translated by AmaLynne
TN: What a hateful story and chapter. I hate hostage, blackmail, and other shit in a novel.
Sam was in an open area outside the dojo of the Amemiya family.
Accompanying him were his fiancée, Lise, and Hanae.
“Welcome, Samuel Scheidt-kun. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Amemiya Kurando stood quietly facing Sam, dressed in Hakama and holding a sword in his hand.
Behind Kurando is Mizuki with a bitter look on her face.
She turned her head toward us and bowed.
“Sam, Lise, I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop my father.”
Most likely, she had tried to advise her father in a place unknown to them.
Sam was grateful even if her efforts didn’t yield the desired outcome.
“Thank you, Mizuki-sama. I’ve heard the general situation from Count Jonathan Walker. It seems you owe a debt of gratitude to the former head of the Michel family.”
“Yes.”
“You have your own circumstances and reasons. However, I cannot afford to lose.”
“I understand. Samuel-kun, please fight with all your might. I also hesitate to kill defenseless people. It is desirable for both of us to give our all and fight.”
Stepping on the gravel in the courtyard, Sam and Kurando took a step forward.
In response, the women moved to a place where they wouldn’t interfere with the duel.
“――Sam, don’t lose.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be watching over your fight. Leave Liese to me.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
There was no farewell greeting.
After smiling at Rize and Hiren, Sam looked straight at Kurouto.
“I don’t mind giving you some time to bid farewell.”
“No need. I won’t lose to you.”
“Your confidence is both enviable and dazzling. But it’s arrogant.”
“Arrogance suits me just fine.”
“If you don’t need a farewell, then so be it. But please wait a moment. There is something I must tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
Sam shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he had no intention of interfering, and Kurouto bowed his head to Lise.
“Kurando-sama?”
“I won’t ask for forgiveness, but I apologize for what will happen to you.”
“No, no apology is necessary. Sam won’t lose.”
The Sword Saint looked up at Lise’s reply, looked a little surprised, and then smiled gently.
“I knew you had become stronger. I’m glad to see that, and I’m sorry.”
He turned his gaze back to Sam, and their eyes met.
“Well, shall we begin?”
“Yes, it seems that the waiting party has just arrived.”
.
“Waiting?”
“Hello, my dear Sam.”
The man who appeared was a blonde young man in a white suit――Günter Ignaz.
“I didn’t expect a duel between you and the sword saint, it sounds like you are in a tough spot. I’d like to kill him instead, but I’m not going to do anything rash. You’re going to win anyway.”
Günther approached Sam and patted him on the buttocks
“…Don’t touch me. Can’t you be a little more serious?”
“I can’t just sit back and watch unless I’m getting something out of it. Günther said. You know what I have to do, don’t you?”
“You’re here to put up wards so we can run amok, right?”
“You are right. But because of my action, His Majesty the King heard about it. And how it happened, too. Well, it seems that His Majesty has heard about it from Magnolia-dono, so either way, the Michel family is finished.”
Mizuki gasped at Günther’s words.
In other words, the king has been informed that Kurando challenged Sam to a duel in an attempt to kill him.
There would be no more excuses for this.
But at the same time, he must have also learned that the Michels had taken advantage of Kurando.
“That’s right. Do you still want to fight?
“I recommend that you choose not to fight. Your loyalty is not to the House of Michel but to the royal family. It would be unwise to cause too much grief to His Majesty.”
“I am truly loyal to His Majesty Clyde. But I am also indebted to the House of Michel.”
“Wait!”
Mizuki was the one who intervened.
She finally understands why her father is doing what he is doing, but she is not convinced.
“You fought a duel with Sam for the Michel family? A favor? What do you mean?”
“I am greatly indebted to Mendes-sama, the previous head of the Michel family. I am only repaying that debt.”
“……Is that really why you want to kill Sam?”
Mizuki seems unconvinced by Kurando’s reasons.
It is not surprising.
Unlike her father, Mizuki was not indebted to the Michel family. Rather, Julian was just a nuisance to her, making her friends unhappy and even wooing her.
“I don’t understand why all people in the Land of the Rising Sun are like this at all. If you want to be stubborn and stick to your beliefs, that’s fine. Oh yes, I have a message for you from His Majesty.”
“Please tell me.”
“That you and the House of Michel are solely responsible for this incident.”
“……that is.”
“He says that whether Sam is killed or not, he will not hold your daughters responsible. I know you have your own ideas, but you are a sweet friend to have.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Turning toward the direction where the royal palace was located, Kurando kneeled down and bowed deeply.
“If you didn’t want to bother your daughter, why not stop? It’s not too late. I don’t want to kill you.”
“I don’t want to kill you either.”
“Then…”
Kurando stood up and put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“To you, I may seem like a terrible fool. But the only wish that Mendes-sama, who saved my life that young day, had for me was to take care of my family. I will only grant that wish.”
“――You’re a total ass.”
“I’m sure you are. I am often called an inflexible man. But if my daughter is not inconvenienced, I can fight without worry. Günther-sama, you should not have passed on His Majesty’s message.”
“…It is none of my business. You will be defeated anyway. Fight without regret at best.”
Günther spat out, and then he put up several layers of wards to cover the Amemiya family.
“I’m here to witness Sam’s victory.”
Günther stood side by side with Lise and the others.
“Now, Samuel-kun, you can fight to the bitter end. Now you can fight to your heart’s content.”
“Unfortunately.”
“I too am sorry that we have come across such a match. I had hoped to build a good relationship with you. I was even thinking of taking Mizuki as your wife if I could.”
Sam can only laugh at the thought that, unbeknownst to him, he was talking about Mizuki as his wife.
Kurando laughed as did Sam.
“But haven’t you ever thought of this?”
“What is it?”
“The strongest wizard and swordsman in the Skye Kingdom――which would be stronger in a fight?”
“Actually, I have.”
It was annoying that the Michels were trying to kill him, but Sam was also looking forward to this fight.
Having been taught magic by Ur and having inherited everything she had, the title of the most powerful wizard in the Skye Kingdom was only a passing thing for Sam, who aspired to be the most powerful wizard in the world.
As a wizard, he may have become the best in the country, but he knew that he could not truly call himself the strongest in the kingdom without fighting the most powerful swordsman, who was renowned as a wizard killer.
There was just no reason to fight.
He had not insulted the people he cared about like Albert had, nor had he hurt the people he cared about like Julian had.
Before his death, Ur said, “Find a reason to fight.”
It is too barbaric to use magic and power without a reason.
It is not aesthetically pleasing to a wizard.
Sam agreed with him.
Therefore, he thought he would never fight against Kurando.
However, in life, you never know what will happen.
Who would have thought that Kurando, who owed a debt to the Michel family, would stand in the way of Sam’s death?
“I know you do. Swordsmen, wizards, and people who seek strength are all broken somehow. I, too, once chased after strength, and I continued to slay people with all my might. It is almost a miracle that I was able to lead such a peaceful life for more than a decade.”
“But now you have a reason to fight. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, I now have a reason to fight. Then I can no longer hold myself back.”
“Father, no.”
Mizuki was amazed at the true nature of her father, whom she had never known.
He kept his back to his daughter and spoke up.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Mizuki. But this is my true nature. A hungry wolf, hungry for swords and battle.”
Kurando quietly drew his sword.
Perhaps he thought there was no need to exchange any more words.
“I am sure that from the very beginning I did not care about my debt to the Michel family. Maybe I just wanted to fight you.”
“Is that really so?”
“Come on, Samuel, let’s fight. Let’s make it a fun, flesh-and-blood fight.”
Kurando did not answer Sam’s question, but held his sword in his right eye.
He smiled with a ferocious smile that he have never seen before.
Sam also raised his fist and laughed in the same way.
“Come at me, Amemiya Kurando, the Sword Saint.”
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