Chapter 209: A Noble's Entertainment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: A Noble's Entertainment
"So it's come. It's really here..."
Baron Allanton scowled as he picked up the letter a servant had delivered.
He held it with just his fingertips as if it were filth, his arm outstretched to keep it as far away as possible.
In fact, this was a significant improvement. Even though he knew this was coming, he had been as sensitive as a teenage girl while waiting for the letter.
The proof was in his nails, which he had bitten down into jagged points.
"Do you regret it?"
"What would regret change?"
Baron Allanton let out a short laugh. It was a self-deprecating smile.
"If you were to give up your entire fortune, you might be able to salvage the situation."
I deliberately mentioned the option most disadvantageous to me as a preventative measure.
Do gamblers ever listen to anyone else? Besides, the one thing a gambler dreads most is having no stake left in the game. And just as I expected...
"Never!"
The letter in Baron Allanton's hand was mercilessly crumpled. Trembling, he shouted.
"If I have to spend my entire fortune anyway, I might as well put up a fight!"
"I agree. Now that we've drawn our swords, we might as well cut something."
Baron Allanton roughly tossed aside Count Valliere's letter and sat down.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he had a servant prepare parchment and a quill, then turned to face me.
"But are you sure about holding the duel in Count Valliere's capital? His subjects will cheer for him even if they know he forced this duel. Birds of a feather flock together, after all."
Customarily, the time and place of a duel are decided by the challenged party.
However, there are restrictions: the location cannot be inconveniently far for either side, and the date must be within two weeks of receiving the challenge.
From the moment I decided to resist Count Valliere, I had already set my sights on his capital as the location for the duel.
As Baron Allanton said, it would be like fighting in the heart of enemy territory, but there was a benefit that made the disadvantage worthwhile.
"To seize the reputation of Count Valliere's knight within three months, we need to make this duel a spectacle. For that to happen, as many people as possible need to witness it, and this place is too small."
"You need to learn to be more tactful."
"It's the truth."
"Hmph..."
"Besides, aren't you excited to see the look on Count Valliere's face when he's defeated in his own backyard?"
I had been using the stick, so now it was time to offer the carrot.
Baron Allanton was cooperating with me not just out of a desire to play in the big leagues, but more so out of a powerful urge for revenge against Count Valliere.
At my words, the baron couldn't hide his tempted expression. Then, shaking his head to clear it, he grumbled.
"You could make a fine living with that mouth of yours alone."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Hmph. The count will be delighted if we propose holding the duel in his own city."
Baron Allanton clicked his tongue. Just then, the servant returned with the parchment and quill, and he prepared to write the letter immediately.
"Wait. Please hold on. Surely you're not going to write that just as we discussed?"
The tip of the quill stopped a finger's breadth from the parchment. Baron Allanton looked up, his brow furrowed.
"What do you mean? Are you trying to change the plan now?"
"Of course not. It's just, why should we go out of our way to do something that will please Count Valliere?"
I paused for a moment before continuing, speaking to the still-puzzled Baron Allanton.
"Tell him you'll cede the right to choose the location. In exchange, ask to postpone the duel by another week."
To seize the reputation of Count Valliere's knight within three months, we needed more people to witness the duel.
The problem was that travel wasn't unrestricted and transportation was poor, making it difficult to gather a crowd. To overcome such difficulties, we needed more time.
"...I see! Count Valliere will surely want to hold the duel in his own backyard, so it will end up going our way regardless?"
"And we'll also buy ourselves an extra week."
"Heh heh. And Count Valliere will accept it readily, none the wiser. Ah, in that case, I shouldn't write a letter. I should go in person!"
Baron Allanton, who had shot up to leave the room, paused at the door. He narrowed his eyes and looked back at me.
"But... doesn't it feel like our roles have been reversed?"
I was sitting still and giving orders while Baron Allanton was bustling about. In other words, he was acting like my servant.
"You're mistaken. You know it's more efficient to divide our roles when facing a powerful enemy, don't you? I, too, must be on my way to prepare."
"Hmm..."
As I rose to my feet as well, Baron Allanton tilted his head quizzically and left the room.
If the negotiations with Count Valliere concluded as planned, he would remain in the count's capital to prepare the stage. Since he'd promised to invest his entire fortune, it was sure to be quite a spectacle.
"Now, it's my turn."
My role was to gather people to witness the outcome of the duel. To that end, I contacted Boatman's informant again.
"It won't be difficult. Many people have taken an interest in you, Lord Balak, since the last duel. And if Count Valliere truly sends out his finest knight, there will be more than enough excitement to draw a crowd."
The informant assured me that by utilizing Boatman's organization and connections, which spread across the country like a spiderweb, he could draw a massive crowd.
The problem was that this crowd would be limited to commoners.
"Lord Boatman may have earned the favor of many nobles, but he is, at his core, a commoner. He cannot order the nobility around. The best we can do is package this duel appealingly to pique their interest."
This was a problem. Commoners, who lacked the freedom to travel or relocate, were poor conduits for spreading rumors.
Considering I only had three months, spreading the rumor through high society was the method that best suited my purpose.
The problem was, I had no way of doing that. Baron Allanton's family was only in its second generation and lacked the power and connections to influence the nobility.
Should I be satisfied with only a partial success?
A week later, even when word came from Baron Allanton that he had successfully negotiated the deal as planned, I still hadn't come up with a viable solution.
That was when an unexpected guest arrived.
"Balak. I heard you've agreed to a duel with Count Valliere?"
It was Pompiné Taliang, who had come after hearing the rumor.
"Did you come because you were worried?"
"Having faced you myself, I know your skills better than anyone. Even Sir Pamel, Count Valliere's first knight—the infamous 'Butcher'—is no match for you."
"Then is it simple curiosity?"
"I'm here to find out the exact circumstances. If there's no foul play involved, your victory is a foregone conclusion. Isn't this a great opportunity to profit?"
Her words suddenly gave me an idea.
"Gambling, you mean?"
When Baron Allanton had explained the dueling culture of the southern continent, he'd mentioned the huge crowds that bet money on the outcomes.
"Ahem. Far more money changes hands in duel betting than you might think. If one knows the outcome, it's a grand opportunity that even a noble can't pass up. And it's absolutely not because my family's finances are in ruins from throwing too many parties."
Nobles flaunt their power by hosting lavish parties. Pompiné, who craved the approval of her vassals, had apparently been holding one after another.
I pretended not to notice Pompiné's flushed face. The compensation from our last duel had likely contributed to the Taliang family's financial troubles.
"But what did you mean by foul play?"
"I wasn't doubting you in the slightest. I just thought that a man as despicable as Baron Allanton might conspire with Count Valliere to fix the match."
"You don't need to worry."
"Is that so?"
Pompiné's face lit up. Her financial situation seemed even more dire than I had guessed. If so, I realized, I could use this.
"However, you're not planning on taking this information that promises a huge profit and simply walking away, are you?"
"Ahem. What do you take me for? If there's anything I can do to help, I'll gladly step up."
Pompiné flinched and hastily replied. The way she averted her gaze suggested that if I hadn't brought it up, she would have done just that.
Still, I couldn't ask for anything unreasonable. I was disguised as a commoner, and I couldn't forget that she was a noble.
If she hadn't held some goodwill toward me, she would have just snatched the information like a thug and feigned ignorance. That was the way of the nobility.
And to maintain this goodwill, I had to make a proposal that would benefit her as well. Just then, a suitable idea came to mind.
"If you help me, Lady Pompiné, we can make this an even bigger game."
"An even bigger game...?"
Gulp.
Pompiné's throat bobbed visibly. Unaware of it herself, she had all her attention focused on my lips.
"All you have to do is spread the rumor throughout high society."
With all disputes being settled by duels, armed conflict had vanished. In its place, a vibrant social scene had developed within Duke Babel's sphere of influence.
Furthermore, hadn't Pompiné received marriage proposals from numerous nobles? At least in the south, there was likely no one who corresponded with more members of the nobility than she did.
In other words, there was no better conduit for spreading rumors in high society. She was the perfect person to achieve the other half of my goal.
"Oho! That has potential. The Valliere family has many enemies, not just friends. I'm sure there are plenty of nobles who would love to see them taken down a peg."
According to Pompiné, Count Valliere's reputation was poor even among the high nobility.
Apparently, he lacked dignity. She also said many were worried they would all be lumped together and criticized, with others saying, "This is what all southern nobles are like."
"So, will you help me?"
"Knowing the outcome, I have no reason to hesitate."
Pompiné Taliang broke into a wide grin.
*
On the day of the duel, Count Valliere was in a frenzy.
"Another guest?"
"Yes. This time, it is Count Ohohena."
It was because high-ranking nobles he usually subtly looked down on were arriving one after another. Every one of them was an unannounced visit.
They all claimed to be just stopping by while passing through, but when their number exceeded five, Count Valliere sensed that something was amiss.
"Is this a conspiracy to humiliate me?"
Of course, with so little information, it was difficult to grasp the full picture.
The one thing that was certain was that he now had to pay much closer attention to a duel whose original purpose had been to punish two upstarts who didn't know their place.
The duel had already been initiated on a flimsy pretext; how humiliating would it be to lose on top of that!
The possibility was practically zero, but if the one-in-a-million chance occurred, Count Valliere would never be able to show his face in public again.
"Somehow, the rumor has spread, and commoners are flocking here as well. The central plaza, the stage for the duel, is so crowded there's no room to set foot."
The thought that he could be humiliated in front of commoners spurred Count Valliere to summon his first knight, Pamel the Butcher.
"Now that it has come to this, you must put on an overwhelming display."
The muscular giant, who stood over two meters tall, gave a vicious smile.
"Do I have permission to kill him?"
"If you must, you can tear him limb from limb while he's still alive!"
Pamel had earned his nickname, the Butcher, by pulling a man's limbs off one by one while he was still alive.
"Heh heh. This will be an interesting duel."
Having received permission, Pamel smiled wickedly. His mind was filled with only one thought: how to make the duel as cruel as possible.
"Luckily, a huge crowd of spectators has gathered. Think of this as a dress rehearsal for the real stage two months from now."
Count Valliere, too, didn't entertain the slightest thought that Pamel would lose.
He had wanted Allen for his potential, out of greed, and to keep him in check—not because he ever judged him to be stronger than Pamel.
That was why he could only stare in horror. The moment the duel began, Allen threw himself forward, and his thrust pierced the throat of the ever-reliable Pamel.
It was the result of a combination of the Butcher's carelessness and Allen's all-or-nothing attack—a willingness to sacrifice flesh to take bone.
Of course, it was all an act on Allen's part to hide his true skill, but the performance was so convincing that even a sword master would have been deceived.
Furthermore, Allen had sustained a gash on his left shoulder so deep that the bone was visible, leaving no room for suspicion.
The moment their swords had crossed, if Pamel's blade had been aimed just a little higher, Allen's throat would have been slit.
A heavy silence fell.
"...!"
Count Valliere, who had been waiting for the moment Allen would be torn to shreds, could only stare blankly down at the dueling ground, his mouth agape.
The crowd seemed equally stunned, as a hush fell over the arena. The only sound was the faint rustle of Allen's movements.
Tearing a strip of cloth, Allen tightly bound his wounded shoulder, then looked up at Count Valliere and offered an elegant, courteous bow.
Of course, from Count Valliere's perspective, the gesture looked like nothing but mockery.
Grind.
Allen, his head still bowed, heard the sound of grinding teeth from across the arena and allowed the corner of his mouth to curl upward.
The show isn't over yet.