Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Duel in the Hall
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"……."
Kenneth's white shirt, usually impeccably pristine, was uncharacteristically stained black.
Was it because he'd been so distraught watching Esther Tristy up to no good? He'd collided head-on with May, who was out running a coffee errand, without even noticing her.
Coffee dripped from his hair as Kenneth glared at May with a terrifying look.
"K-Kenneth, young master. I-I'm sorry. Ah, uh…."
It was the kind of thing he would normally let slide.
Objectively speaking, the fault lay with Kenneth.
But his face was twisted in fury.
"Who the hell do you think you are, making a blunder like this?"
"I-I'm sorry. I'm really, truly sorry…."
Even as May kept apologizing, Kenneth's expression didn't soften.
It was because his already foul mood, thanks to Esther Tristy, had plummeted to rock bottom.
He raised his hand as if ready to slap her across the cheek right then and there.
Just then, Dalpi, who had entered the hall, swiftly grabbed Kenneth's wrist and stopped him.
"Young master Kenneth, calm down. I don't know what happened, but she's not even ten years old yet. Do you plan to kill the child?"
An aura user's body was a weapon in itself.
Even a mere slap would be like smashing a wooden club over a child's head.
Dalpi knew that if Kenneth, an aura user, struck in earnest, May could die from a single blow in the worst case.
That was why Dalpi, who never intervened in anything unless it involved Esther Tristy, stepped in to stop Kenneth now.
Kenneth's hand turned toward Dalpi instead.
"Young master Kenneth…."
Slap!!
Dalpi's cheek flushed red.
Slap!! Slap!!
Blood trickled from Dalpi's lips.
"……."
Slap!! Slap!! Slap!!
A ringing echoed in her ears.
The heaving Kenneth shouted something, his voice loud and grating.
'Haa….'
Dalpi sighed inwardly.
Even when trying to do a good deed, things sometimes turned out like this.
That's why people shouldn't get involved and should just ignore injustice.
Having lived through all sorts of hardships since childhood, Dalpi knew full well that sticking her nose into messy situations like this would only lead to bloodshed.
That was also why she deliberately kept her distance from the other servants.
Living without meddling in others' affairs drastically reduced the chances of getting tangled in such troubles.
'Eh, looks like I've gone soft too.'
Her cheek stung.
To think she'd suffer this much just to save a child she wasn't even close to.
If the wild stray dog she'd been in the past saw this, she'd surely laugh in scorn.
Dalpi looked at Kenneth.
She thought it would end here, but Kenneth seemed to suffer from severe anger management issues.
"……."
It wasn't as if she couldn't counter Kenneth's attacks.
In fact, she could show this raging bull of a young master the gap in their strength.
But if she harmed Kenneth, it might interfere with her duties serving Esther in the future.
Dalpi decided to endure.
Pain was familiar to her anyway.
'I miss the young master.'
Being Esther's exclusive maid suited Dalpi perfectly.
She could legally gaze upon the face of the person she adored every morning upon waking.
'How did it come to this.'
She couldn't quit this divine job over something as trivial as this scuffle.
Dalpi closed her eyes and waited for Kenneth's next move.
Then, a sharp smack!! rang out.
It wasn't from Dalpi's body.
When she opened her eyes, she beheld a priceless sight.
Esther, who had rushed in from the entrance, had slapped Kenneth across the jaw.
"Krk!?"
Crash—Kenneth tumbled ignobly to the floor.
"Who the hell does…."
Esther ignored Kenneth's mutterings and checked on Dalpi's condition.
Dalpi blinked.
"Young master…."
"Stay put here."
At the chillingly cold voice, Dalpi unwittingly sealed her lips.
She had never seen Esther with such a murderous expression.
Esther approached Kenneth.
"Quit whining and get up. We haven't even started."
Esther looked down at Kenneth with eyes as cold as ice.
"Esther, you damned bastard…."
"Hah, you've got quite the filthy mouth."
As if he hadn't been the one nitpicking manners just moments ago.
Esther sneered with a twisted smile.
"Kenneth, from now on, you're just going to take it. Get up if you don't want to die."
Kenneth staggered to his feet.
Unbearable rage boiled within him.
Who the hell was daring to stand up to him like this?
"Solving the Millennium Problem and getting praise from everyone must've made you forget your place."
No matter how incredible Esther's magical talent had become.
That didn't translate directly to combat prowess.
From childhood sparring sessions, Esther had always been in the palm of Kenneth's hand.
He was easier to handle than a complete beginner.
Kenneth actually thought it was perfect.
This was the golden opportunity to shatter Esther's arrogant face.
"Right here, I'll send you back to those days when you were bawling in Haniel's arms."
Kenneth sneered.
"Sure. If that's your last words… I'll pass them on to Father."
Esther wiped the smirk from his face.
"What?"
Meanwhile, people began gathering in the hall due to the commotion.
About three hours earlier, guests had arrived at the Tristy estate.
They were martial artists who had promised aid to Jeffer regarding the Insane curse incident.
Former Justina Kingdom Vice-General Edward Henry stroked his goatee and said,
"Baron Esther, newly granted his title, and Kenneth Tristy, the eldest son."
"Is it a fight?"
"That's what it looks like to me."
They had been bored stiff, sitting at the table droning through tedious discussions.
Now, they watched the siblings' standoff with keen interest at this unexpected spectacle.
"W-What's going on here!?"
"How should I know!? We can't just stand here—we need to go check!!"
The estate servants rushed over in a panic as well.
"This is…."
Finally, Ouriel and Jeffer arrived.
Realizing the situation was grave, Jeffer tried to hurry to Esther's side, but
Ouriel grabbed his shoulder.
"This is getting interesting. Let's watch from here for a bit."
"……."
Jeffer had no choice but to stay put.
It wasn't just because of Ouriel's threat—neither Kenneth nor Esther seemed to want his intervention.
Esther glanced at the audience that had gathered in an instant.
Then, as if she'd been waiting, she declared,
"Esther Tristy challenges Kenneth Tristy to a duel."
Esther raised her right hand.
It was a kind of pact signifying that all violence from here on would count as part of the duel.
"A duel outside the training grounds? Looks like the genius who solved the Millennium Problem isn't just a bookworm after all."
"Emotions have always been best settled with fists. I went through my share of that phase. Nostalgic."
Unlike the excited guests,
"This so suddenly…?"
"Sh-Shouldn't we stop them before someone gets hurt…?"
The servants wore grave expressions.
This couldn't even be called a proper duel formally.
The location was just the estate hall, and the brothers glared at each other with murderous intent.
No matter how charitably you viewed it, it was just a brawl.
The entire hall buzzed with tension. But
Kenneth didn't refuse Esther's challenge.
Like Esther, he raised his right hand.
Esther and Kenneth glared at each other amid the onlookers.
A sharp tension hung in the air.
Intense emotions burned in their eyes.
Soon, they lowered their hands.
"Pleased to spar with you."
"Hmph…."
A brief silence fell.
Then, as Kenneth released his mana, the duel began.
Kenneth had no intention of dragging this fight out.
A blue light began to envelop his entire body.
"Already using aura…!?"
"Starting off hot-blooded, eh."
Exclamations rose as Kenneth's lips curled up.
'I'll end this in one go.'
Kenneth was a martial artist proficient in both kingdom swordsmanship and kingdom fist arts.
Though he held no sword now,
A warrior didn't need armor or blade to fight.
To put aura simply, it was a form of reinforcement magic.
It strengthened the user's body and weapons, turning the human form itself into a weapon—a kind of secret technique.
Cardio, dynamic vision, explosive speed, strength—all physical functions were enhanced, granting aura users superhuman specs.
Just as a person's odds of beating a tiger barehanded were 0%,
The gap between those who could use aura and those who couldn't was clear-cut.
Kenneth charged forward, certain of his victory.
'I'll smash his nose and break his arm.'
He'd humiliate him massively in front of everyone.
And in this heir trial, Esther wouldn't shine—no,
He'd cripple him halfway so he could never shine again.
Kenneth believed he could do it.
He had to.
Esther had to be a pathetic worm groveling at his feet.
Not some genius young master adored by all.
He had to be an eliminated failure unworthy of standing before him.
"Urk!?"
Kenneth, moving at superhuman speed, suddenly felt his steps falter.
He nearly lost his balance from the abrupt change in his body.
'My aura's gone?'
Mana Jacking.
The signature spell of the Celestial School, allowing the caster to control the target's mana.
The principle connected the caster's and target's circuits via an unbreakable mana thread, disrupting mana flow.
Though the caster couldn't use mana during it either.
In exchange, Kenneth couldn't use aura anymore.
"Ha."
Realizing his body had returned to normal levels, Kenneth let out a scoff instead.
He was well aware of Mana Jacking.
The cost of stripping his aura wasn't cheap.
Esther couldn't use magic now either.
Esther was a halfwit who hadn't properly learned fist arts, let alone swordsmanship.
It would've given Esther better odds to let them use aura and magic mutually.
"You think you'll beat me in a barehanded brawl?"
It was a perfect self-own.
Kenneth slowly advanced toward Esther.
His movements were like a predator closing in on cornered prey.
But Esther's expression was utterly serene.
He simply assumed a martial stance.
"Hm?"
"That's an odd stance?"
Jeffer's invited guests were so versed in martial arts that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they knew every style in the kingdom, yet Esther's posture looked peculiar even to them.
Arms guarding the face, center of gravity high, footwork bouncy on both feet.
Completely different from the parallel stance taught in kingdom fist arts.
Kenneth inwardly sneered at Esther's stance as baseless,
『I'll maintain the kickboxing stance.』
Smack!!
Esther's right leg flashed out, and in an instant, Kenneth's leg wobbled.
Calf kick.
A brutal low sweep unseen not just in kingdom fist arts, but in any martial art of this world, shattered Kenneth's balance.