Rigged...? Duel (1)
Morgina wasted no time after leaving Eve Kaha's headquarters, charging ahead at a blistering pace. 'Engaged, so perjure yourself by saying you officiated the ceremony?' That bastard—is he out of his fucking mind!? The very first letter she'd received right after emerging from secluded training was that kind of bullshit, and it was enough to make her blood boil over.
She unleashed her superhuman physical prowess without restraint, crossing from the Holy Kingdom straight to the Empire's border in one go.
In the gateway city, Morgina caught wind of some unexpected news during the entry inspection.
"Here's my holy emblem to prove my identity. Bag's already open for you."
As the guards scrutinized Eve Kaha's necklace and dragged their feet, Morgina nearly sliced her palm open to summon her mace without thinking. Their blatant stalling was plain as day.
'Did their heads get swapped out for some noble faction bullshit? Or are they cracking down on priest discipline from the top?'
If that was the case, even in her rush, she'd have to swing her mace around for a quick workout. As she closely observed the guards' uncomfortable expressions, suspecting they were being forced into this crap—
"Is this really Eve Kaha's holy emblem?"
"Yes, it is."
Ah, Morgina clicked her tongue. Had some hotheaded priest gone off the rails and caused a scene? The High Priestess Grandma had circulated an official notice to keep it all under wraps.
"An Eve Kaha priest! The church's Champion did us a huge favor for our city!"
"Huh?"
From what they told her, it was classic Kriel. Spotting trouble on his way through, he'd drawn a single sword and handled it in a flash before vanishing—like a fairy-tale knight. Technically it was three swords, but that wasn't the point.
Morgina subtly probed the gateway city's border commander and his advisor mage. Any companions with Kriel?
"Companions, you say? You mean the sword spirit, sir?"
Questionable if that blabbermouth deserved a respectful "sir," but it was an answer. Morgina confirmed no one but Orishin was with Kriel.
She exchanged brief pleasantries and hurried on.
'Let's think this through.'
She unfolded the letter again. Kriel's message was brutally concise.
He'd gotten engaged in the Argentlam Duchy. But due to circumstances, it wasn't a real engagement now—it was to be testified in court as something that had already happened in the past. Would she testify as the priest who officiated the ceremony? The rest was boilerplate apologies for asking a holy servant to commit perjury.
'No, you're not sorry for asking me to perjure myself.'
Shouldn't you be sorry for getting engaged to some other bitch right in front of my eyes? The more she reread it, the more her guts churned. "Boiling" didn't even cover it. Her fingertips went ice-cold reading the words, while her chest burned and tore apart. An empty void gnawed at her core, a profound sense of loss. Topped off with a crushing weight of near-panic bewilderment.
Logically, she knew. She hadn't breathed a word to Kriel about what being her Champion really meant to her, and though she'd tried to look after him, her attitude was rough...
Morgina hung her head. If they'd really tied the knot, what could she do now? With that thick-headed sense of honor, once he swore an oath, he'd stick to it unless the other side betrayed him first—hell, maybe even then.
'So what the hell can I even do...'
Nothing. Rushing over now would just earn her, "You weren't around when I needed you, and now you show up?"
Maybe she should turn back. Go smash some abyss like usual.
But after a deep breath, Morgina lifted her head again.
"Fuck it. Even if the engagement's done, that asshole didn't invite me to the ceremony, so I can throw a fit."
They were comrades-in-arms, right? Practically coworkers. For a buddy like that to get engaged without a heads-up—going over and smacking him a couple times had to be legal.
"Right, Goddess?"
A crow swooped in with a sudden caw. Taking it as divine approval, Morgina's vigor returned.
"Good. Good. At least no fiancée-looking bitch was with him through the gateway city."
She'd even gotten Kriel's destination from the gateway city's advisor mage, Llewellyn. She knew he was in Argentlam Duchy now, but why there so suddenly? Hearing about the Abyss Prevention Society conference and that Llewellyn had handed his invitation to Kriel cleared up some mystery. It also filled in the timeline around the engagement.
No room for outsiders on the trip from gateway city to Argentlam. Whatever happened was inside the duchy.
Not some bullshit romance where he'd reunited with a lover from before his Western Front chaplain days, right? No way.
Morgina's hopeful delusions fired up. Maybe—just maybe—he'd faked an engagement to rescue some noble's daughter being sold off? The conditions in the letter were fishy too.
If Kriel was playing pretend knight again and diving into some incident, there'd be rumors swirling in Argentlam.
And sure enough, Morgina spotted the posters plastered all over Argentlam Duchy.
"Duel trial seeking Champion. Exact issue to be disclosed after consultation?"
It stank. Who in this day and age drags out dusty old duel trials? Nine times out of ten, it involved Kriel.
'Exactly the kind of thing that idiot would love.'
A knight bearing another's honor into a duel. Kriel, pretending he wasn't obsessed with chivalry while screaming it from every pore—his eyes would spin.
Probably tied to some religious matter, hence the duel trial. Bolstering her "fake engagement" theory.
With a lighter heart, Morgina headed to Mazar Gabi's interview hall.
Why his side, Kriel's opponent? Simple. She didn't doubt Kriel's skills, but rigging the board for a sure win couldn't hurt.
Step in as Champion, spar lightly with Kriel, fake a loss—victory sealed. She was confident she could sweep any half-assed candidates.
And she had proof. A casual show of force—shattering rock barehanded, smashing plate armor with her mace—and Mazar Gabi was in awe, prepping papers.
"But which order are you from?"
Morgina was in priest robes, Eve Kaha's emblem hidden. If she flunked the interview, her plan to throw the fight went poof.
"...Is the one I'd face some bigwig from the church?"
She feigned polite deference to outsiders, mixing in a lowly priest's wariness toward bishops.
Mazar hurriedly shook his head. "Bigwig... that's debatable. But a key church figure, yes."
"Eve Kaha's Champion."
Morgina's brow furrowed. She'd half-expected it for the duel trial requirements, but Kriel using his Champion status? Meant he was confident it wouldn't tarnish Eve Kaha's rep—pure chivalry. Or his real lover.
...She didn't want to think about the latter, but either way, the guy in front of her was a thug bullying others.
"If the Champion's your opponent, doesn't that put justice on his side?"
"Don't misunderstand. The guy claiming to be Ket lady's fiancé hasn't shown his face at the Ket family in years."
"...Count's daughter?"
"Probably hired to sabotage my marriage. Can't lie before a priest, so truth: it's a political match. But she won't be unhappy."
Mazar expounded on what he could do for the Ket count and Armed Ket herself. Their absurd encounter with Kriel too. Morgina listened silently, then raised a hand.
"Hold up—what?"
"Hm?"
"Ah, didn't catch it. What'd that wandering knight Kriel say?"
Half slipped into casual speech there. Mazar tilted his head but repeated.
"Right in front of me, he said, 'Armed's already engaged to me,' and pulled her into his arms. Then something about loving Armed Ket—or just Armed—no matter what..."
Even Mazar, hearing it, couldn't tell if it was fake-engagement acting or real hidden fiancé. That cringey.
Morgina's smile deepened as she listened.
"Uh... you okay?"
Mazar felt an inexplicable chill from that grin.
"Nothing, Young Master Mazar Gabi. I'll take the Champion contract."
"Huh?"
"Get the papers."