A Duel Won, Loyalty Gained
The meeting had ended. The ministers gathered in the hall scattered in every direction.
Some, convinced that if even the king could abandon the throne then they could do the same, hurried toward the places where they kept their most precious possessions.
Jeanne read their thoughts so clearly on their faces that she wondered if she had somehow gained the ability to peer into minds.
In the meantime a servant dashed off to escort the 2nd Knight Order’s commander, Knight Diego.
The king and a few high officials remained behind to witness the duel between Jeanne and the 2nd Knight Commander, then moved toward the training grounds.
Jeanne gathered her flowing hair and tied it back with a cord.
It had been a long time since she last wore her hair long; she had cut it short during the war because it got in the way.
She scanned the people assembled at the training ground and offered a faint smile.
‘As expected, Knight Nael didn’t come.’
Even though he belonged to the 2nd Knight Order, Nael was absent.
Knowing his personality well, Jeanne simply nodded at the behavior she had predicted.
‘It looks like it will take time to grow close to him again this time.’
While she reflected on those who had once been her subordinates, Fabian held out the sword he had been keeping for her.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
The moment Jeanne accepted her blade, the doors to the training ground swung open.
Through them strode Diego Fidelity, commander of the 2nd Knight Order, with majestic bearing.
He was exceptionally tall, and his build was even more massive—like a gorilla given human shape.
Matching that enormous frame, he carried a bastard sword most men could barely lift and wielded a destructive style of swordsmanship.
At his overwhelming presence, everyone present immediately predicted Jeanne’s defeat without the duel even beginning.
“Heh heh, what could the princess possibly be relying on? Don’t tell me she offered Commander Diego some under-the-table deal?”
One of the ministers who had stayed purely for the entertainment—apparently feeling no urgency about the war—muttered under his breath.
Knight Ethan of the 2nd Knight Order, present as an observer, shot him a sharp look.
“Mind your tongue. Our 2nd Knight Order chooses its commander based solely on skill, regardless of the opponent’s station. What you just said insults every member of the 2nd Order.”
“I—I was merely speculating…”
The minister trailed off, cowed by the terrifying aura Ethan released.
Ethan ignored him and fixed his gaze on Jeanne, who would soon face their commander.
‘I will watch, former Commander Fabian. Let us see exactly how much skill this princess you taught truly possesses.’
Unlike previous commanders who had lost the position in duels, Fabian had stepped down of his own will before Diego took command.
After that, he had chosen to become the princess’s guardian knight and mentor.
As someone who had respected Fabian, Ethan could not understand the decision.
He had even felt a sting of betrayal, as though the man he trusted had abandoned them.
Still, Ethan was not the sort to let personal feelings interfere with duty.
He simply wanted to determine whether Princess Jeanne was worth such a choice.
“If both of you are prepared, please face each other.”
A knight from the 1st Order served as referee to ensure fairness.
With so many witnesses present, cowardly tricks were impossible, yet the extra precaution was there in case the hot-blooded Diego lost control and charged in earnest; the princess’s life could be at risk.
After exchanging bows, Diego asked her directly.
“Can you use Sword Aura?”
“No. Not yet.”
“You seem remarkably confident for someone who cannot. You do realize that simply because my opponent cannot use aura, I am under no obligation to refrain from using it myself?”
“I know. The 2nd Knight Order pursues strength above all.”
The 2nd Order fought with everything they had against any foe.
That was their honor.
“Hahaha! You intend to face me without aura? If that is your wish, I will meet you sword to sword without using mine either.”
“Do as you like, Knight Diego.”
Jeanne remained composed from beginning to end. For the first time, Diego’s expression hardened.
“I truly cannot fathom what you are thinking.”
“I will become commander of the 2nd Knight Order one day without fail. The kingdom’s current crisis simply forces me to hasten that day. Therefore, quibbling over conditions is meaningless.”
Jeanne’s words scraped against Diego’s pride.
She was essentially declaring she could defeat the likes of him without aura whenever she chose.
Diego’s lips twisted.
“Then I will not use aura either.”
“You may regret that.”
“Such confidence.”
Diego extended his bastard sword straight forward in a perfectly natural motion that made his arm seem to lengthen.
Before he could seize the initiative, Jeanne charged.
The greetings had already signaled the start of the duel; she meant to dictate its rhythm.
It might have been called an ambush, yet Diego at least recognized that the princess was giving her all and granted her full marks for attitude.
Facing the oncoming Jeanne, he chose defense over counterattack, intending to gauge her skill.
Clang!
The swords met with a clear ring.
They exchanged a few light blows at first, then Jeanne began to move in earnest.
She struck at every opening with lethal sharpness.
Each attack carried the threat of truly taking Diego’s life.
‘Hm?’
While parrying strikes aimed at vital points, even Diego felt a jolt of surprise.
He had never expected this level.
The swordsmanship of an eighteen-year-old princess who had never once seen real combat far surpassed anything he had imagined.
No matter that she had learned from Fabian, the skill was simply inhuman.
Since Diego knew nothing of the six years Jeanne had survived on the brutal battlefield before regressing, his reaction was only natural.
The sword swept forward with terrifying force.
Admiration rising, Diego met it head-on.
Blades crossed.
“Mm… you are far more skilled than I expected.”
Jeanne poured more power into both arms. Muscles and tendons stood out clearly.
“You shouldn’t be impressed by this much.”
“What—!”
Before Diego could finish, Jeanne used his own strength against him and let her blade flow.
In a contest of brute force with swords locked, disengaging is difficult. The slightest loss of balance invites the opponent’s blade.
Yet Jeanne shifted the sword’s center of gravity, pulling Diego’s body forward, then slipped free in that instant.
He avoided a disgraceful fall, but his sword sliced only empty air.
Jeanne attacked immediately. Her blade carved a sharp diagonal.
Already off-balance, Diego proved no easy foe; he braced with powerful legs and slapped the flat of her sword aside with one arm.
Jeanne took a half-step back and let the attack flow past her without difficulty.
Whoosh—
Having recovered his stance, Diego brought his massive sword down like a hammer.
If speed failed him, he would overwhelm her with raw power.
Jeanne twisted her body to the right, evading the strike, then thrust her own sword forward.
It was a perfectly timed thrust—too late to dodge, yet too dangerous to parry without creating an opening.
As the duel continued, the king’s expression grew increasingly rigid.
Jeanne pressed Diego without pause.
Swordsmanship was not a royal virtue, but the realization that she had hidden such ability in secret made him wonder what else she might be concealing.
“Hmm…”
It was still too early to reach a conclusion.
Yet this was the moment Jeanne’s presence began to etch itself deeply into the king’s mind.
The duel remained fiercely balanced.
Jeanne’s swordplay was concise and elegant—like an Eastern ink-wash painting.
Even a knight who had devoted his entire life to the blade could find no flaw in it.
Knight Ethan, watching closely, acknowledged her skill and felt genuine admiration.
She was truly worthy of being Fabian’s disciple.
‘Perhaps even more than that.’
Many of the 2nd Knight Order knights observing shared similar thoughts.
Jeanne swept Diego’s blade downward and struck toward his waist.
When he blocked, she instantly changed the attack into a rising diagonal cut.
Her flexible body made the seamless transition possible.
Jeanne drove her opponent relentlessly with flowing, continuous strikes.
Diego was fully occupied simply defending.
The Jeanne before him was no longer an eighteen-year-old novice princess.
She was the saint—or witch—of the battlefield, carrying every memory of her regression intact.
Though her current body had not yet reached its former peak, her experience remained complete.
Still, because meeting Diego’s supremely powerful sword head-on would push her back, she focused on deflecting and evading, which rapidly drained her stamina.
‘If I drag this out, I’ll be at a disadvantage. I’ll end it with this move.’
Jeanne surged forward abruptly.
The action looked almost like throwing herself onto his blade; even Diego flinched for a split second.
That brief hesitation was enough.
Jeanne slipped past his sword with only a hair’s breadth between them and simultaneously pressed her own blade against his throat.
“Hu—”
Diego let out a stunned groan.
Jeanne exhaled sharply and glanced at the referee.
The knight, momentarily stunned by the sudden conclusion and entirely unexpected outcome, collected himself and raised one hand high.
“The victor is Her Highness, Princess Jeanne Claretmer de Roire.”
Jeanne lowered her sword and retreated several steps.
She and Diego distanced themselves once more, exchanged final bows, and brought the duel to a close.
Afterward, as Jeanne stood catching her breath with her sword lowered, Diego approached.
“I was thoroughly beaten. I never expected such a move.”
“Are you going to claim it wasn’t a legitimate victory because I exploited a weakness?”
Diego shook his head.
“Had this been real combat, the instant I allowed that attack I would have died without question. Improvisation, luck, striking an opponent’s opening—all of it counts as skill.”
“I will do anything to achieve victory.”
On the battlefield, speaking of chivalry and fair play was a luxury.
“Those are not very knightly words. However, they suit the 2nd Knight Order’s principles perfectly. The strength we pursue is overcoming the enemy by using every ability at our disposal. You have won, Princess.”
Diego bowed his head to her.
“It was an excellent match.”
“Do you have no regrets? About not using aura.”
“I lost because I was inferior. I have no regrets.”
“No. Not that.”
“Then what do you mean…?”
“You couldn’t come at me with your full strength. That must be disappointing. You must be wondering how this princess would have responded if you had used Sword Aura.”
For an instant Diego’s face showed pure astonishment.
Jeanne slid her sword back into its sheath.
“In this kingdom, few can properly receive your blade, Diego. Since you could not show everything you have to me—one of those few—it must sting as a warrior.”
Diego felt as if he had been struck in the head.
She was right.
Even before being a knight, as a pure swordsman he had always yearned for an opponent against whom he could fight with everything he possessed.
He had forgotten that longing, and this young princess had reminded him.
Diego burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha, hahahahahahaha. Hahahahahahaha.”
His laughter showed no sign of stopping.
Only after nearly five minutes did he finally compose himself and meet the eyes of the princess who had defeated him.
“You understand our nature very well.”
Just how did this princess know them so thoroughly?
Diego felt both surprise and admiration.
‘Because I spent years fighting at your side.’
Jeanne could not say those words, so she offered something that would earn their goodwill instead.
“Because I am the same kind of person.”
Diego grinned.
“We can cross blades again later, can’t we? From what I see, you will master aura soon. When that time comes, let us clash with full strength. You will of course grant me a rematch?”
Jeanne nodded.
Many of the witnesses whispered among themselves.
Knights who understood the sword were largely astonished by the princess’s skill, but outsiders muttered that she had fought cowardly or that Diego had gone easy on her.
Whatever others said was irrelevant to her.
Diego drove his sword into the floor of the training ground.
Swear to Princess Jeanne Claretmer de Roire, Commander of the 2nd Knight Order, my loyalty until the last breath of this life.
The heavy vow echoed across the training ground, sealing a new bond between the giant knight and the princess who had bested him.