Chapter 6
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Duel
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“Wait, hold on.”
Vice-Commander Melin intervened with a troubled expression.
“Instead of that, it would be better to find a more suitable opponent. You are aware that Lord TERN is at the 2-Star level, aren't you?”
2-Star.
It was an astonishing fact.
TERN was only thirteen years old, after all.
For those who began learning the sword or magic from a young age, reaching the 2-Star level typically happened after turning twenty.
Many without talent never even crossed the threshold of 2-Star.
“Our knight order has many squires, so they should be suitable enough to spar with you, Young Master.”
*Even a squire would be more than enough to beat Chris to a pulp,* Vice-Commander Melin thought.
“No, if I'm going to prove my qualifications, I should do it properly. I wish to spar with TERN.”
“!!”
“Well! TERN, what do you think? I bet you were secretly hoping for an opportunity like this, weren't you?”
Chris said tauntingly.
“Or could it be... you're not scared of your older brother, are you?”
TERN gritted his teeth.
The sound of his patience snapping echoed in TERN's mind.
“...I accept the duel.”
Vice-Commander Melin sighed.
But inwardly, she thought it was for the best.
*If it's Young Lord TERN, whatever happens won't be my responsibility.*
If a knight of the Black Swamp Knights were to seriously injure that ruffian during a duel, her position would become difficult.
But TERN was his brother, making this duel a sibling squabble.
No matter what accident occurred, her responsibility would be significantly lighter.
*He already despises his ruffian brother, so he won't go easy on him. It would be great if he crippled a leg or something. But Young Lord TERN is too soft-hearted; I doubt he'd go that far.*
Like a true Majin, she despised the weak.
Scoundrels like Christian were the worst.
*How dare a worthless insect like him not know his place and try to defile the domain of the Black Swamp Knights.*
The other Majin in the knight order all felt the same way.
“Young Lord TERN, take this chance to wreck that bastard!”
“If you send him back in one piece, you're getting special training today!”
Amidst such fervent cheers, the two stepped onto the training grounds for their duel.
As Chris had requested, it was a bare-handed duel without the use of Magi.
“How dare you...”
TERN gritted his teeth, exuding a menacing aura.
Chris asked Vice-Commander Melin.
“What are the rules for the duel? Until one of us surrenders?”
“No.”
Vice-Commander Melin shook her head.
If that were the case, that pathetic ruffian might surrender the moment he took a single hit.
“That would be too anticlimactic. Let's say the loser is the one who's rendered unable to fight.”
It was a rule clearly intended to make Chris suffer.
The Majin whistled in approval. The atmosphere was almost festive.
Everyone eagerly awaited Chris being beaten to a pulp.
“You heard the rules, right? What do you think?”
Chris shrugged.
“They're saying you're going to get beaten up badly.”
“!!”
TERN's face turned red once more.
Just as he, filled with rage, was about to open his mouth.
Something unbelievable happened.
*Thwack!*
Chris's fist slammed into TERN's face.
Blood splattered, and Chris smirked.
“What are you doing? The fight's already started.”
* * *
In truth, this was no different from cheating.
A bare-handed duel with Magi restricted.
*Under these conditions, there's probably no one in the entire Black Swamp Knights who could be my opponent.*
As a Majin, he hadn't even reached 1-Star.
But in terms of the Light Faction, or 'Starlight,' he was a 3-Star knight.
TERN, on the other hand, had just reached 2-Star.
His skills were far superior from the start.
Before his regression, he wasn't even 3-Star, but a 4-Star level knight.
*At 4-Star, you're skilled enough to aim for a Vice-Commander or a top executive position in a small to medium-sized knight order.*
That wasn't all.
He had even undergone a Bone Metamorphosis.
He still lacked muscle and looked frail on the outside, but his inner foundation was stronger than anyone's.
So how could TERN, a mere thirteen-year-old kid, no matter how talented, possibly be his match?
*Not a chance. Go drink some more of your mom's milk... Ah, wait, we have the same mom.*
Quickly retracting the insult, Chris swung his fist again.
*Thwack!*
TERN's head snapped back.
Not stopping there, Chris closed in on the dazed TERN.
A knee to the abdomen.
As TERN naturally bent over in pain, Chris swung an uppercut.
*Thwack!*
With a clean sound, TERN collapsed to the ground.
“......”
“......”
The arena fell silent.
Everyone stared at Chris with wide eyes.
Their faces showed disbelief, as if they were seeing things.
“What just happened?”
“Did Young Lord TERN let his guard down?”
“That must be it, right? Otherwise, it makes no sense.”
TERN himself seemed to think the same.
He gritted his teeth and got back up.
But he was already in bad shape.
His face was a bloody mess, and his legs were trembling slightly, perhaps from the ringing in his head.
“What... what kind of trick did you use?”
“A trick?”
“Otherwise, there's no way I would lose to you, Brother!”
TERN screamed.
Chris scoffed.
“This looks like a trick to you? In that case.”
*Thwack!*
Another fist landed.
“You need to be hit some more.”
Again, *thwack!*
Blood streamed from TERN's nose.
*Hmm, maybe this is a bit much.*
There was a reason he had deliberately chosen TERN.
*He needed to be taught a lesson.*
It was obvious that if left alone, he would endlessly nag and be a pain, so I created this opportunity.
Who knows, maybe exchanging fists could foster some brotherly affection? Of course, the fists would only be flying from one side.
*And there's another important reason.*
Chris provoked TERN for that 'purpose'.
“Hey, you're bleeding a lot from your nose. Oh, you're not crying, are you? Hmm, sorry about that... should your big brother kiss it better?”
“Graaaah!!!”
TERN let out a sound that was somewhere between a roar and a scream.
And finally, he did what Chris had intended.
*Fwoosh!*
TERN's fist was enveloped in a black aura.
He had manifested his Magi.
“Graaaah!!”
TERN, having lost his senses, threw a Magi-infused punch at Chris.
The Majin of the Black Swamp Knights belatedly panicked. Vice-Commander Melin also realized her mistake.
*If that Magi hits him, he'll die!*
No matter what, if he died, her position would become extremely difficult.
But it was too late to intervene.
Melin's face turned pale.
But Chris, unnoticed by anyone, gave a faint smile.
*Bingo. He acted just as I intended. I was worried he'd hold it in like a goody-two-shoes.*
It was all according to plan.
Chris glanced at Vice-Commander Melin.
*Now, open your eyes and watch carefully. See what I can do.*
Through this duel, he planned to catch Vice-Commander Melin's eye.
Melin was a Majin from the main house of the Dark Magic House.
Furthermore, she was a major figure who would reach the 6-Star Master level during the Great War.
The method was simple.
He just had to show her something that would leave her astonished.
*The way for the weak to face the strong is simple. You just have to deflect their power.*
The problem is, you need a certain balance of power to be able to deflect it.
If his bare hands touched the Magi, he would suffer a fatal wound before he could even deflect it.
So Chris used a different method.
Chris glanced at TERN's eyes.
TERN was panicking at his own loss of control and the fatal attack he had unleashed.
Was it because of that panic?
The flow of his Magi was unstable.
This time, Chris looked straight at the Magi.
The incoming Magi flickered like a flame.
Amidst the irregularly dancing energy, a weak point was momentarily exposed.
Chris did not miss that fleeting moment.
He struck that weak point with his palm, and the impact shattered the Magi surrounding TERN's fist.
“Ah?”
TERN's eyes widened in bewilderment.
And.
That was the end.
*Thwack!*
A fist landed.
Struck squarely by the punch, TERN fell backward and collapsed.
He was knocked out.
“......”
The arena fell silent.
The Majin of the knight order couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened.
“What happened? Why did the Magi...?”
“Did Lord TERN withdraw his Magi because he was worried that ruffian would get hurt?”
It was a scene that left no other explanation.
Striking the weak point of an incoming stream of Magi to dismantle it was something utterly impossible by their standards.
But there was one person who reacted differently.
The most powerful high-ranking Majin present, Vice-Commander Melin.
Her face was stiff.
Her eyes were a mixture of shock and disbelief.
*It worked.*
Seeing Melin's reaction, Chris smiled inwardly.
“Is this sufficient for my qualifications?”
“...Yes.”
Melin spoke slowly.
She was trying hard to hide her bewilderment, but Chris could see exactly what she was thinking.
Chris beamed.
“Then I look forward to working with you.”
It was time to drain the Black Swamp Knights of all they were worth.
* * *
From that day on, Chris trained with the Black Swamp Knights on the training grounds.
However, he wasn't doing the same training.
They were in the same space, but completely separate.
The Black Swamp Knights followed their set training regimen, while Chris did basic physical conditioning on his own.
He didn't cause trouble as the Majin had feared, but his presence was still grating on their nerves, and they scowled.
“It's like having a gnat buzzing around.”
“He's quieter than I expected, though.”
“Even a ruffian knows his place. He wouldn't dare cause trouble for the Black Swamp Knights.”
“How long will this act of trying hard last? Two days?”
“I say one day.”
“I'll give him half a day.”
Even though he had beaten TERN, the Majin's evaluation of him was still harsh.
The Majin thought Chris had beaten TERN through some trick.
They also misunderstood Chris's dismantling of the Magi at the end as TERN going easy on him.
“It should have been me, not Young Lord TERN. I would have taught him a lesson.”
As the Majin were grumbling.
A cold rebuke was heard.
“Chatting idly. You all must have a lot of free time.”
“Vice-Commander?”
“Instead of wasting time on useless talk, swing your swords!”
At Vice-Commander Melin's scolding, the Majin tilted their heads in confusion but focused on their training.
She was sharper than usual.
*What's with her?*
*Is she in a bad mood because of that ruffian?*
Their guess was half-right.
Melin frowned.
*That duel. What in the world was that?*
From the very beginning of the duel, she had been deeply shocked.
It was because of Chris.