Chapter 19
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Dumfries (2)
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"......"
A moment later, Blake's tightly sealed lips parted slightly, as if they had been glued shut.
"What's the reason?"
Brick responded swiftly, as if he'd been waiting for the question.
"Simple. If you stand with the White Family and fight an honor duel on our behalf, it resolves not only the issue with the Credo Swordsmen Corps but also the Lancaster barony in one fell swoop. The moment you sign the agreement, you'll be representing the White Family, not acting as an individual."
"Be more specific."
"The honor duel between our White Family and the Lancaster barony will be a public affair with witnesses present. Sir Zaroph knows this well, but once an honor duel is decided, that's the end of it—no further accountability for anything outside the explicitly agreed terms beforehand."
"......"
As Blake's cool gaze turned toward him, Lindelmann hurriedly nodded.
"I-it's absolutely true."
Brick continued.
"So we just add a clause stating that no one will pursue responsibility for today's events after the duel. No matter how shameless the Lancasters are, they can't back out of an honor duel agreement. That means no one will touch you until you leave Northway. But the most important part is..."
Brick paused to catch his breath before dropping the key point.
"The Iron count family won't get involved afterward either. So if you just fight the duel, you can leave the North exactly on your original schedule without any issues."
Having finished, Brick suppressed his tension and gauged Blake's reaction.
"......"
Blake simply sat there silently, arms crossed.
His naturally impassive eyes made it impossible to read his thoughts.
After a brief moment, Blake fixed a piercing gaze on Brick.
"You're right. But there's one crucial condition missing from what you said."
"Huh?"
"For your words to become reality, your side must win the duel."
"Uh, um."
Brick's face visibly stiffened.
But Blake continued indifferently, unperturbed.
"If you lose, your side might walk away unscathed, but I'd have to surrender my life willingly. Just as they'd demand no accountability for today's events from our side, they'll naturally want my head. Isn't that so?"
"Th-that's..."
"In the end, you told me to join the honor duel without specifying what collateral I'd be putting up. Simply put, you tried to deceive me."
"Um."
Brick's voice trailed off, his intentions exposed. He hadn't expected such a direct confrontation.
At that moment, Blake turned his gaze to Lindelmann.
Lindelmann felt his insides drop as he stammered.
"Wh-why are you looking at me?"
"Because Sir Zaroph pulled the same stunt on me."
"N-no, what did I..."
"You knew these were the ones the Credo Swordsmen Corps was chasing, but you didn't tell me."
"Ah."
"And without my consent, you told them my destination. Isn't that right?"
"Uh, um. S-sorry. I have no excuse."
Lindelmann's lips parted briefly before he bowed his head deeply.
Blake slowly scanned the four of them.
His usual impassive gaze held no reproach, yet none of them could meet his eyes.
"......"
Then, Blake broke the silence.
"When is the duel?"
"......!"
Lindelmann, the two White sisters, and Brick all snapped their heads up simultaneously.
"When?"
"......Ah!"
Blake repeated himself, and Brick quickly snapped out of it.
"Th-the Lancasters gave us until Bright Day, so then. Four days from now."
"Can I depart immediately after the duel ends?"
"Of course. We'll provide every convenience."
Feeling his heart race in a way unbecoming of his age, Brick nodded without hesitation.
A short silence followed—one that felt endlessly long to the four—before a husky voice settled over them.
"I'll participate in the duel."
"Ah!"
"Oh!"
The two sisters, Brick, and even Lindelmann shot up from their seats.
"But on three conditions."
Blake's curt words halted their joy momentarily.
"Conditions...?"
Brick asked uneasily. The group, who had risen, awkwardly settled back into their chairs.
Blake's gaze shifted from Brick to Lindelmann, then past him to where Christine and Mia sat.
"......!"
Not just those directly meeting his eyes, but Brick and Lindelmann's faces darkened rapidly as well.
There weren't many reasons for a vigorous adult man to mention conditions while eyeing young women like flowers.
No—for the parties involved and the two knights, only one possibility came to mind.
"Ahh..."
Christine let out an involuntary groan of despair, while Mia, biting her lip until it bled, started to rise.
Then Blake spoke.
"No one asks me anything unnecessary without my permission. That's the first condition."
"......!"
Mia's eyes widened in her half-risen pose, and the other three were equally stunned.
"N-not asking questions is a condition?"
Brick asked, looking somewhat flustered. Blake nodded faintly.
"Don't speak to me unnecessarily without my permission. No exceptions."
Even as he answered Brick, Blake's gaze was fixed not on him, but on the other two—Lindelmann and Mia.
"......Yes."
"A-alright."
The two flinched before mumbling subdued replies.
Meanwhile, Christine exhaled in profound relief, as if she'd escaped death.
"Then the other two conditions...?"
"Don't concern yourselves with what I do until the day of the duel. And regarding the duel, follow my instructions unconditionally. That's it."
"That's..."
Brick hesitated.
It sounded trivial at first, but it wasn't.
What if Blake issued some outrageous order? Blind obedience would be problematic.
But Brick's dilemma didn't last long.
"Fine. We'll do it. I promise on the White Family's name."
"Miss Mia."
Brick turned to her in surprise.
"So promise us you'll give your all to protect our family's honor in this fight. Please."
Her voice trembled, but Mia finished her words.
She then pressed her lips tight and stared straight at Blake.
"I promise."
Blake nodded lightly.
"Ooh!"
"Ah!"
Lindelmann and Christine exchanged beaming looks.
Brick nodded repeatedly, his face flushed with excitement.
"Thank you, Blake. We're truly grateful for this tough decision. And... I apologize for earlier."
Brick stood, hand on his sword hilt, and bowed deeply.
Lindelmann hastily rose and saluted knight-style.
"I-I'm sorry too, Blake. Forgive my unknightly behavior. I swear it won't happen again."
But Blake replied bluntly.
"No need for apologies or thanks. It's just a decision to handle my business efficiently."
"No. Gratitude is gratitude. Thank you so much, Mr. Blake."
Mia wiped her reddened eyes shyly and smiled.
"......"
Blake stared at Mia for a moment before averting his gaze.
Receiving thanks from a stranger—a little girl, no less—was unfamiliar.
"Miss Mia's right! Gratitude is gratitude! Thank you, Blake!"
Lindelmann was overjoyed.
With Blake fighting alongside them, the odds of safely returning to Alteria for the knight exam had skyrocketed.
"Blake, thank you for forgiving this shameful, unworthy knight. Truly, you are the epitome of knighthood! Hahaha!"
It was like a lifeline thrown into the abyss.
Unable to contain his surging elation, Lindelmann impulsively hugged Blake.
"Haha! Thank you! Truly, thank..."
Lindelmann, beaming, sensed the mood shift.
He released Blake awkwardly and peeked at his expression.
Blake's eyes had grown even chillier as he said,
"Already forgotten the first condition? And I have no hobby of embracing men, so don't do it again."
"N-no, I... s-sorry."
"Sir Zaroph, you don't have those tastes, do you...?"
Christine trailed off, hand over her mouth.
"Those tastes...? Urk!"
Lindelmann tilted his head in confusion before his face drained of color.
"N-no, Christine! It's a misunderstanding! Absolutely not that! Not what you're thinking!"
"Huh? What am I thinking, then?"
"Ah! Well, uh, it's..."
Lindelmann floundered, at a loss for words.
Still, he tried pleading with Christine as she turned away in a pout.
"N-no, hear me out, Christine."
"I'm fine with it. I can't judge Sir Zaroph's private tastes after knowing you just a few days. People are all a little different anyway..."
"N-no, how am I different? What private tastes...! Hey, B-Blake, please say something. You know I don't have those tastes, right? This isn't unnecessary talk—it's vital to me. Please answer."
"It's unnecessary to me. And I wouldn't know. Come to think of it, there was that one time."
"That time?"
Mia and Christine tilted their heads.
"Um... could you tell us what you mean?"
Mia asked cautiously, mindful of Blake's condition.
Blake replied in a low voice.
"At the Winterflower Inn, after washing up, you stared at me strangely for a moment. I don't know why."
"Kuhk!"
"S-see!"
"It was real?"
As Lindelmann choked on air, disappointment and shock crossed the White sisters' faces.
"No! Really no! I was just startled because you came out after a shave and haircut...! Believe me! B-Blake, you're really doing this? I admit I made huge mistakes with you, but trapping a fine comrade and advisor like me in such a wicked pit..."
Lindelmann poured out his grievances at Blake, nearly in tears.
"If you know you were wrong, how about stopping the unnecessary talk now? I'm done speaking."
"A-alright. Sorry."
Stung by Blake's cold words, Lindelmann nodded hastily.
Blake remained stoic and expressionless, but since he'd agreed to the duel, the group's mood had improved markedly from the start.
One person excepted: Brick's expression wasn't bright.
Though his own plan had roped Blake into helping the White Family, the fact that he'd tried to deceive him remained unchanged.
Moreover, from the recent exchange, Blake was sharp-minded and intelligent.
He was merely naive about the world from long army life—not some dumb, simple soldier.
'Stronger and more dangerous than I thought.'
Brick eyed Blake with sunken gaze.
But as always, the impassive face revealed nothing.
'No helping it now. We're the desperate ones, and he holds the hilt...'
Either way, he'd agreed to fight, so gratitude was in order.
Whatever Blake was thinking, the White Family had to accept the current situation gratefully and avoid provoking him further.
'Better focus on the immediate task.'
Pushing aside bitter thoughts, Brick looked around the group as Blake spoke.
"Then let's get to preparing."
"Pardon? Preparing what?"
Blake squinted at Brick as if the question was absurd.
"We need to spread the word as widely as possible, right? So the Lancasters can't scheme anything else."
"Hm? Ahh...!"
Brick's eyes widened in realization.
He was spot on.
The more eyes on such matters, the better. That way, no one could dispute the duel outcome.
'What a terrifying man...'
Brick felt anew awe and fear at Blake, who wasn't just a fighter but had terrifyingly precise situational awareness.
"I'll handle that."
Brick had the pub owner fetch pen and a dozen sheets of paper.
He drafted inflammatory pamphlets decrying the Lancaster Family's despicable acts, announcing an honor duel on Bright Day where the White Family would stake its honor and everything left to settle their grudge and prove justice on their side.
"There, all done."
Exiting the pub, Brick plastered the papers on walls and signposts at intersections.
"Let's go."
Before three days passed, all of Northway would buzz with news of the White and Lancaster Families' honor duel.
(To be continued)