Do Not Interfere with the Duel (7)
The vermin finally came to their senses at the sight of the aura blooming from Roy’s blade and those chilling golden eyes.
They tried to flee at once.
But they were already a step too late.
With every scrap of his mana already deployed, there was no escaping Roy. He turned the very magic that had been used against him back upon them and seized them cold. Then, one by one, he dragged them out of the tent.
The tip of his sword, Aura Blade ignited along its edge, came to rest against the throat of Vermin Number One.
“Any last words before you die?”
“Ugh… n-no. It wasn’t me. I didn’t—”
“Then who was it? You?”
“N-no! Not me either… never—”
“I’ll spare the one of you who tells the truth.”
“I-I really didn’t! They were the ones who said we should do it first!”
Having just watched Roy drop James in an instant, their terror was only natural. They had seen him walk unharmed out of that searing inferno as well. Whether they truly understood the weight of what they had done or not, the vermin were now certain they were about to die, and they begged for their lives. One of them had even wet himself.
Under circumstances like these, wringing confessions out of them was hardly difficult.
The point of Roy’s blade pressed a fraction deeper into Vermin Number One’s neck. A thin line of bright red blood trickled down. The boy trembled so hard his whole body shook.
“Roy!”
A voice rang out from behind him. It was Prince Aaron.
“What do you think you are doing? The duel is not yet finished.”
“Your Highness. These scum barged into a sacred duel of their own accord. They deserve death.”
“Is that true?!”
The prince demanded an answer of the vermin crawling and shaking on the ground.
“……”
“N-no, Your Highness. I was only watching—”
“You bastards dare lie to his face—”
“Roy! Hold your tongue. I am the one asking questions.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Roy clenched his teeth. He wanted to chew them up and spit them out. At the very least, breaking one of their arms might have cooled the rage still burning in his chest.
“If what you have said is true, Roy, I will deal with them severely in my own name. Do not worry.”
“Haa… as you command. Forgive my discourtesy.”
Roy glared down at the figures on the ground. They were too frightened even to meet his eyes.
The packed stands took in the sight of the boys sobbing and writhing on the dirt. Their standing in high society was finished.
If they somehow wriggle free of this, I’ll hunt them down myself and kill them.
Roy’s anger still refused to settle.
“Your Highness!”
Sword Instructor Sam Tomlinson, who had gone to check on James, returned at a run.
“Fortunately, his life is not in danger. The priests are treating him now. However, as he has lost consciousness, the victor of this duel is…”
Every gaze in the arena swung back to Roy. He had no choice but to ease the fury from his face. Remaining openly enraged would only breed ugly rumors.
Pointing at the vermin still prostrate on the ground, the prince addressed the crowd in a quiet voice. Every other sound died so that his words could be heard.
“An unsightly affair has occurred. I am told these individuals here took it upon themselves to interfere with a sacred duel. And they did so in my presence…”
The prince’s brow furrowed without limit. After a deliberate pause, he finished.
“Upon my honor, I will uncover every detail of what transpired, from beginning to end. Should their guilt be proven, these boys and their houses will pay for their crimes—and there will be no mercy. Should they be found innocent, then Roy Greenhilt, who accused them, will answer for every consequence. Roy Greenhilt. Have you anything to say?”
The prince put the question first to Roy rather than to the higher-ranked vermin. Having been addressed, Roy had no choice but to answer.
“I will abide by Your Highness’s judgment. They most certainly interfered with a sacred duel. Had those scum not used Psychic Bind mid-bout to lock my movement, I would never have been struck by that flame attack.”
“Hm… it is true that his posture a moment ago looked unnatural.”
The prince, it seemed, had sensed something amiss as well. The spectators began to murmur.
“Surely not—in a sacred duel?”
“Don’t be naïve. It happens often enough that they started making the combatants swear an oath to the gods before a match begins—to fight fair and square. Immature or not, how dare they barge into a sacred duel begun under the eyes of the gods, with the honor of their houses on the line? They deserve to die.”
“Well said. With this many eyes watching, even children should have known better.”
Through the rising mutter of the crowd, Roy continued.
“Had it not been for the amulet I carried, I would certainly have suffered severe burns. Even if a priest had treated me at once, I would not have escaped unscathed. What’s more, because of them I was forced to expend no fewer than three relic-grade amulets I keep for emergencies. To me they were treasures beyond price…”
Plenty of people had already seen the amulets activate during the duel with their own eyes—had watched Roy walk out of that devastating flame attack without so much as a singe. For the moment all manner of speculation might fly, but in the end the well-informed would drag the truth into the light. Since it was going to happen anyway, he chose to declare it himself, openly and without shame.
“An amulet? What’s that?”
“An amulet, he said. That’s how he walked out of that crimson blaze in one piece.”
“You mean the things they sometimes find in ancient dungeons?”
“I’ve never seen one that powerful. Not a single hair burned in that firestorm.”
The word amulet set the crowd’s curiosity alight. The prince’s expression, by contrast, was far from pleased. Secret information he had preferred to keep quiet had just been broadcast to the entire arena. But what could he do? Roy had not done it on purpose; the vermin sprawled at their feet had forced the revelation by interfering with the duel.
The prince spoke again.
“As one of the witnesses to this duel, I wish to determine the truth here and now. Delaying will only give them time to destroy evidence.”
Most of the spectators nodded. Unlike other crimes, this one was bound directly to the duel itself. If there was guilt, it had to be laid bare at once so that the true winner and loser could be established beyond dispute. The two boys had sworn before the gods that they would settle the match fairly on this very ground.
“Then Sam the adjudicator, Old Lady Daisy, and I will judge who is at fault. Is there anyone among you who holds evidence supporting either side’s claim, or who witnessed anything suspicious? Anything at all will do.”
A few hands rose quietly—mostly students of the Knight Academy. Their testimony began with the simple fact that they had seen these boys gathered earlier that day, then moved on to how long a boy named Jack had suffered under their bullying. One of the professors even gave a full account of the incident that had taken place in the stables. As the stories spread, the weight of opinion tilted firmly toward Roy’s version of events.
With the situation turning ever worse for the vermin, the prince himself offered them a chance to speak in their own defense. Not a single person in the stands was willing to rise and plead their case. Even so, they could not easily open their mouths. Another lie exposed in this moment might see their heads roll on the spot—and they lacked the courage to confess the truth either. From first to last, they were beyond redemption.
“Nothing to say? Then you admit your guilt!”
“…We have committed a capital offense, Your Highness. We only… we only did not want Lord James to lose…”
“It’s true. We never meant any real harm—”
“Silence!”
The prince’s fury cracked like a whip.
“How dare you utter such filth in my presence! Did you not see them swear before the gods to duel fairly? I came here in person to ensure a just judgment—and by insulting the duel, you have first insulted me!”
A duel might permit killing, yet it rested fundamentally on mutual trust. The oath sworn to the gods beforehand, the deliberate staking of a house’s name on a private quarrel—all of it existed for that reason. To force one’s way into such a sacred contest was to forfeit one’s standing not only as a noble, but as a human being.
Ordinarily a duel was witnessed by a handful of people from both houses, a few acquaintances, the official observers, and the adjudicator—each side watching the other while still extending a measure of trust. This time, however, the combatants were still children enrolled at the Knight Academy. It was also a clash between a count’s house and a frontier margrave’s line, the sort of match one might never see again in a lifetime. The result had been an unexpectedly vast crowd. Had the sheer weight of numbers produced this unfortunate side effect?
Even as he gave voice to his rage, the prince privately reproached himself for failing to foresee and prevent such a situation. Today had taught him again that a cunning noble was a cunning noble, regardless of age.
Under the prince’s wrath the vermin shook from head to toe and crawled on the dirt.
Power really is terrifying.
Watching them, Roy found himself reflecting on the nature of overwhelming authority. And this was no ordinary power. Overwhelming mana. Overwhelming martial force. The House of Steelheart had held a marquisate even in the days of the Empire and had ruled this land as its overlord for more than a thousand years. The authority clenched in their fists was of an entirely different order from these vermin, mere vassal houses clinging to the skirts of House Rosmond.
It might be a nuisance at times… but I doubt it would hurt to have it. Especially on a day like today.
For the briefest moment Roy imagined himself standing at the summit of that power—then he pulled his thoughts back into place.