Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Clash of the Families
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Everyone drooled as if a lavish feast had been laid out before them the moment the arena appeared.
Their eyes had completely changed.
For the nobles right now, this was a fight they had to watch with flames in their eyes.
Pador Family and North Family.
The fact that these two houses—like the twin wings of the Empire's sword clans—were clashing right here wrapped the entire venue in a strange, ominous blaze.
This was no fight they could back down from.
Ralph knew it too, judging by the shift in his expression. He turned to me.
"We absolutely cannot lose this fight."
"We won't. Don't worry."
"What the hell gives you that confidence?!"
Ralph grumbled, clutching his head.
Lan Pord looked pleased at the nobles' heated reactions.
"Everything alright? This is the arena we usually use for our knights' training! But today, it seems perfect for your duel."
Pord Family butlers entered the shield arena.
They laid cloths over each seat and set food on the tables. So they had prepared in advance, after all.
The other nobles rolled their eyes, eager to claim the best seats in the arena.
They were getting antsy.
The stage was blatantly set.
Gilpert North, who had stayed quiet until now...
Suddenly...
Shriiing!
Stepped first into the shield arena. In a nonchalant tone, he said,
"You have three, we have three. Why not make it house against house?"
"...!"
This was no longer just a duel between Ralph and Istern.
Not personal honor, but family honor.
Was he planning to fully seize the stage Lan Pord had set?
It was a proposal no one without ironclad confidence would make.
One misstep, and he'd face severe reprimand from the family elders.
These were rival houses, after all.
Nobles lived and died by reputation and honor—they didn't judge lightly.
He must be certain.
Gilpert North believed he could shatter our banner.
That insolent bastard.
Ralph froze at Gilpert North's sudden proposal.
"Three of us...?"
Istern grinned at the hesitating Ralph.
"If you're not confident, run away! We won't dodge!"
He and the long-haired woman followed Gilpert North into the arena.
With things like this, we couldn't refuse.
Ralph looked at us.
"Let's go. Trust in this Ralph!"
For someone preaching trust, his shoulders were trembling.
He was clearly overwhelmed by the momentum.
And who could blame him...
Ralph didn't know Clos's or my true abilities.
Not that he should.
To Ralph, Clos was some guy who dropped out of the sky, and I was the perfect Pador Family deadweight in the eyes of the clueless.
Right now, Ralph must feel like he was fighting alone.
His opponents were the North Family, and the audience was the empire's elite nobility.
The losing house here might carry that stigma for life.
The pressure must be immense.
Should I... ease that pressure a bit?
"Ralph."
"Y-yeah...?"
"Scared?"
"When have I ever?!"
Ralph's stiff face relaxed. He glared at me as if fire might shoot from his eyes.
"You joking?!"
"If you're scared, just say so. I'll handle everything."
"Shut up...! This Ralph will take care of all of them. You two grunts just watch my duel! It'll be a historic moment!"
Ralph strode forward.
Unlike before, the tension in his body had clearly melted away.
Now that's the wastrel Ralph I know.
As we headed to the arena too... the nobles rushed into a frenzied seat scramble, practically sprinting.
"That's my spot!"
"Quiet! Which house are you from?!"
"This is exciting!"
Amid the hyped nobles, Marian and Nellin shuffled awkwardly toward the spectator seats.
They seemed even more nervous than us.
I waved my sword at them.
"Don't worry. I've trained a ton with Jayvolg, right?"
"Young master..."
"Don't get hurt!"
They were so worried about us they couldn't even settle into seats.
Then...
"Over here, come on."
Andrew called them.
He and the other Tral Family heirs had claimed the prime spots.
Thanks to them, Marian and Nellin—willing or not—got seats with a perfect view of everything.
Once everyone was seated, Lan Pord stood at the arena's center like a referee.
"Alright, everyone. Welcome to the noble shield arena prepared by the Pord Family. And just so you know! No one will get hurt."
Clang...!
The moment Lan Pord finished, shields rose around every spectator seat.
Seeing them—especially Nellin—nearly fainted in shock.
"Whoa...! Marian, did you see that?!"
Made of glass, perhaps.
The transparent shields blocked nothing of the view while safely protecting the audience.
Lan Pord hurled a stone at an empty seat as if to prove its strength.
The stone, infused with mana, looked plenty threatening.
Everyone gasped at his sudden action.
Pik...!
But it bounced harmlessly off the glass shield.
With that much mana, it should've been like an arrow.
It was as sturdy as a castle wall.
"Shields specially crafted with Sage Tower mages! Durability is no issue."
At the mention of Sage Tower, the nobles buzzed with chatter.
"Sage Tower? Then it's reliable."
"No mediocrity there—pure elite."
"Maybe I should ask..."
"Dream on. Only a house like Pord could get Sage Tower mages to cooperate. Those arrogant bastards? No chance."
"You bastard?!"
Mana-infused shields...
But they wouldn't lure us here with just that.
Was my guess right?
Lan Pord smiled, glancing alternately at the Norths and us.
"If this was all, there'd be no reason for me to suggest changing venues. Right, Pador Family?"
He bowed first to our side.
"North Family?"
Then to the Norths as well.
Spreading his arms to both sides, he said,
"Would both houses place your hands on the shield-shaped floor panels here and infuse your mana?"
Following Lan Pord's instructions, everyone placed hands on the shield-shaped floors.
Ralph, who went first...
"Whoa whoa whoa!!"
Jumped back like he'd been scorched.
"Sh-shield?!"
A shield shot up in front of Ralph.
Strange lines seemed to connect Ralph and the shield before vanishing, leaving it floating in the air like a balloon.
The same happened to me and the others—each person's shield rose high.
Magic?
I felt an odd connection to my shield.
Magic: the power to make the impossible possible.
Definitely something mana or internal energy couldn't replicate.
Lan Pord clapped, satisfied with the reactions.
"You're all such exceptional people from great houses—I couldn't judge. But letting you fight until a clear winner... well, I'd be in a tough spot."
Lan Pord shuddered dramatically.
"So, I've prepared a device everyone—including me, the witnesses, and all spectators—can acknowledge."
He threw his arms wide like a cheer.
"These shields are the Pord Family's proud new duel-judging magic tool. They display your physical condition—how much damage you've taken—letting third parties intuitively determine victory without severe injuries."
Clean and efficient.
Using those shields could halt duels before frequent injuries escalated.
And such a small gadget could hype up the crowd too.
"Both houses? Understand?"
Istern ignored the shield floating over his head, stretching casually.
"Doesn't matter. Our shields won't even get scratched anyway!"
So straightforward.
"Same for us! North Family scum!"
Ralph snarled.
Ah, we had a straightforward one too.
Why do kindred spirits fight so hard?
Lan Pord raised his hand.
"Then, please select your first fighter from each house."
For our side, it went without saying...
"I'll take them all down, so don't worry."
Ralph stepped out, utterly serious.
His back even looked solemn.
Unexpected, Ralph.
With family honor on the line, he was approaching the duel with uncharacteristic resolve.
Who would face that Ralph?
Istern, as expected?
With that build, it'd be a brute-force clash with Ralph.
Similar types, so worth watching.
But had they seen that far?
The North Family's first fighter wasn't Istern, but the long-haired woman.
A beauty with a haughty air anyone would praise.
They had an eye for this.
Sending the woman instead of Istern—who'd already crossed swords with Ralph—meant they judged her the better matchup.
And from my view, her compatibility with Ralph was the worst.
Just her stance, build, and weapon told me her sword style and focus.
Above all, I faintly sensed her aura.
If Ralph was raw, explosive flame, she was an icy blade.
Utterly opposite energies—her sword would be a nightmare for him.
Istern looked sulky, not his choice.
So Gilpert North decided.
His judgment deserved praise.
He had real insight.
Gilpert North leaned against the stone wall. Unlike him, Istern cheered the woman fervently.
"Emma sis! Show 'em! That guy's nothing!"
"S-sis?"
Silence fell.
Beauty and beast have their levels. Shocking enough they're siblings, but her the older sister?
I'd guessed same blood from the house, but this was too much.
The nobles, Lan Pord, even Ralph couldn't hide their bewilderment.
"You eat something bad or what?"
Ralph gave Istern a pitying look.
Istern exploded.
"What?! You bastard!"
But.
The woman called Emma stopped him.
"Quiet, Istern."
"Y-yes! Sis!"
Emma silenced Istern in an instant, unleashing a razor-sharp aura.
"Don't insult my brother. He's far better than the likes of you."
"... ."
Ralph didn't respond.
Couldn't, really. Her presence weighed down the arena's atmosphere.
Lan Pord cleared his throat and stepped between them.
"Alright, then. The duel between Pador Family and North Family begins. Do you both swear not to tarnish your houses' honor?"
"I swear!"
"I swear."
Lan Pord nodded at their vows.
He stomped the floor.
Thung...!!
A shield burst up between Ralph and Emma, shooting skyward without stopping. Lan Pord stepped back.
"The match starts when that shield hits the ground!"
Both drew their swords, facing off.
Watching Ralph's back, I recalled his words before the duel.
-I'll take them all down, so don't worry.
Ralph probably planned to sweep them all to spare Clos and me the pressure.
We'll see.
The Norths didn't look that easy.
Meanwhile, the shield began losing momentum and falling. All eyes turned to it.
Ding...!
The shield hit the ground, and gazes shifted to the fighters. But most tilted their heads.
"Why aren't they fighting...?"
Both had drawn swords but stood frozen.
To the clueless, it looked like duel jitters paralyzing them.
But a few knew what had just happened.
They'd already exchanged the first move. And the winner of that exchange was...
Kwajik...!
"...The shield?!"
A thin crack appeared on Ralph's life-force shield.
The audience looked at Ralph.
A fresh cut on his forearm.
Emma North—her sword had already reached him.
She, meanwhile, was utterly unscathed.
That one exchange made it clear.
Emma North.
She was Ralph's worst matchup.