Chapter 28
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Duel Arena (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Zing!
In an instant, a sharp beam of light pierced through the wooden shards filling the air, aiming straight for the space between Craig's eyes.
"Hup!"
Startled by the unexpected attack, he hastily twisted his body and swung his sword upward.
Clang!
The black beam veered slightly off course, grazing past Craig's head.
A few strands of hair were severed, and without pause, he laid his blade flat and swept it inward from the outside.
Slash!
The tip of his sword traced a short arc toward Blake's throat, and a smile of certain victory curled on Craig's lips.
But that smile never fully formed.
Swoosh!
Shattering the falling wooden fragments once more, the metal rod flew in and struck Craig's wrist squarely.
Crunch!
With a sickening sound, the sword of the Blue Vein slipped from Craig's grasp.
"Kuh!"
As he staggered back with his wrist bent at an unnatural angle, Blake's massive frame charged at him like a raging storm.
Overwhelmed by the ferocious momentum, Craig's gaze dropped.
"Huh?"
His eyes, always brimming with confident light, widened in shock.
Boom!
"Craig!"
A dull impact echoed alongside Roderick's shout.
Thump!
Craig's body, soaring across the duel arena, crashed into the mud.
"Gasp!"
"N-No way!"
Amid the spectators' cries of dismay, Jonathan and Elliot leaped from their seats and rushed forward.
"Craig!"
Ignoring the mud staining their clothes, the two hurriedly lifted his upper body.
"Kuh-heok."
Craig's chest was deeply caved in as black blood poured from his half-open mouth.
"Hurry!"
"Y-Yes!"
At Jonathan's urging, Elliot's eyes reddened with fury as he hoisted Craig onto his back and dashed toward the medical tent.
Staring at Elliot's retreating figure, Jonathan whipped his head around.
"You...!"
His sharpened glare locked onto Blake's face as he descended from the arena.
Their eyes met.
But Blake, whose gaze had already settled into cool indifference, moved on without hesitation.
Clear disdain.
"Bastard!"
Jonathan's eyes bulged as his hand went to his waist.
Shing!
The chilling sound seeped into the crowd's murmurs.
"......"
As if hearing it, Blake suddenly halted.
But soon, without even turning his head, he resumed walking.
Jonathan's sword remained undrawn.
"Sir Swent......"
Roderick had arrived and was pressing down on Jonathan's arm.
"This won't do."
"Sir Swent!"
Jonathan, usually so composed, raised his voice in agitation.
But he couldn't help flinching under Roderick's gaze.
The refined face, always adorned with a gentle smile, was now frozen like a mask.
"Not now."
Roderick's voice was as rigid as his expression.
Jonathan knew well that the greater Roderick's anger, the colder his eyes became.
And the gaze before him now was the iciest Jonathan had ever seen.
"We must withdraw. Understood?"
"......Yes."
His cherished cousin lay in critical condition, teetering between life and death.
Yet Jonathan nodded and sheathed his sword at Roderick's command to maintain composure.
With grim faces, the two knights headed toward where Elliot had carried Craig.
Today, in a northern village, the Blue Vein had fallen to an unknown soldier.
"He... he won again."
The crowd buzzed as they watched the Blue Vein knights depart.
"So what happens now?"
"What do you mean? The White Family wins."
Despite the unbelievable feat of felling three opponents single-handedly, the spectators murmured as if in a drunken haze.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Hear ye, all!"
A resounding drumbeat and a shout rang out.
As the murmurs ceased and eyes turned, Administrator Nolford scanned the crowd with satisfaction, then bellowed in excitement.
"As knight to Prince Henrik and proxy swordsman for the White Family, Sir Blake has defeated Craig Cadwell, the final proxy for the Lancaster Family from the Blue Vein Knights! By the authority vested in me by His Imperial Majesty to judge fairly under imperial law! I declare the White Family the victor in this honor duel between the Lancaster and White Families! And from this moment, the terms of the duel oath take effect!"
Blaaare!
Trumpets blared long in response to the official witness's proclamation.
"Wooooah!"
"The Whites are the best!"
"Pride of Dunfries!"
"I knew the Whites would win!"
The people cheered loudly.
Of course, three or four out of ten still glanced warily at the Lancaster side, but the atmosphere had completely shifted from just half a day ago, when everyone had accepted the White Family's downfall as inevitable.
"Hahaha! Congratulations, Sir Brick Carlson!"
"Misses White, congratulations!"
Even local notables and nobles from around Dunfries approached with well-wishes.
Those who had harbored quiet resentment toward Lancaster but only watched until now stepped forward.
Such was the fickle nature of public sentiment.
But for the two girls, in this moment, nothing else mattered—they were overwhelmed with indescribable joy and gratitude.
"Ahh! We won!"
"I-Is it real? Did we really win? Waaaah!"
It was a narrow escape from ruin.
The miraculous victory drowned out everything else.
As congratulations poured in, the girls embraced, tears streaming down their faces.
They wept, but their smiles shone brighter than ever.
"It's done! We're safe now!"
Brick nodded repeatedly at the girls, his eyes red-rimmed.
Having fulfilled his lifelong duty as the family's knight, he clenched his fists unwittingly in surging emotion and sought the man responsible for this improbable triumph.
"Huh?"
The smile faded from Brick's face.
Surrounded by curious and fearful onlookers, Blake was tying his metal rod to his backpack.
"Congratulations, Sir Carlson!"
"Well done! Shame we didn't see Dunfries' finest knight in action, though. Hahaha!"
"Ah, th-thank you... B-Blake!"
Brushing off the influx of greetings, Brick hurried over and blocked Blake's path.
"What in the world are you doing?"
"Getting ready to leave."
Blake answered curtly while securing his backpack to the saddle once more.
"Leave? The duel just ended!"
"That doesn't matter. What matters is my job's done. No reason to stay."
Gripping the reins, Blake strode forward.
Flustered, Brick hurried after him.
"Still, take a moment to rest. We can't just send off the family's benefactor like this!"
"Do as Sir Carlson says, Blake. Leaving right after such an intense fight is too much."
Lindelmann, who had been watching, chimed in hurriedly.
"Not at all. It wasn't that intense."
Without even glancing their way, Blake kept walking.
Something suspicious was brewing from the Lancaster baron's VIP seats—it was best to leave now.
"Blake!"
Mia and Christine, finally grasping the situation, rushed after him.
"Why leave so soon?"
"My duty as your family's proxy swordsman is complete."
"But... but still..."
Mia stammered, wiping her tear-streaked face.
She wanted to stop him but couldn't find the words.
His impassive face, unchanged even after granting such a miracle, tugged at her heart.
"Can't you stay a little longer? We'll do anything you want."
Mia pleaded with desperate eyes, and Christine clasped her hands, looking up at him.
"What I want is to leave right now. So please step aside."
Overwhelmed by their gazes, Blake mounted his horse more gruffly than usual.
"B-But..."
Mia's expression grew more urgent.
"......!"
At that moment, a spark lit in his sunken eyes, and Blake whipped his head around.
Grind!
A grinding of teeth leaked from Baron Lancaster's thick, catfish-like lips.
"Ahem!"
Nearby nobles flinched but averted their eyes, pretending not to notice, and slipped away.
"That damned dog..."
Rage and humiliation twisted the baron's face as he glared at Blake and the White Family members.
To lose to a family that would vanish with a mere finger's press?
This was humiliation beyond measure.
The problem was that mere humiliation would be a blessing.
The young ace of the Blue Vein Knights' defeat had poured cold water on the momentum they had built.
Not only had relations with the Blue Vein soured, but his ambitious plan to advance to the central regions by riding their coattails was now in ruins.
'All because of those bastards!'
His bloodshot eyes, as if ready to devour them, fixed on one spot.
The culprits: Blake and Lindelmann.
If only those two hadn't joined the White Family.
"Grr... In that case..."
No matter his fury, Baron Lancaster wasn't foolish enough to cause a scene with Administrator Nolford and local notables present in force—but it was hard to endure.
He needed to deal with those two—no, just that damned discharged soldier who ruined his future—to vent his spleen.
"You there!"
"Yes."
At the baron's nod, a knight below the VIP seats bowed deeply and turned.
"Move out."
At the knight's order, Lancaster's swordsmen began stealthy maneuvers.
Their target was obvious: Blake's position.
Despite his feat of toppling three powerhouses, the swordsmen advanced without hesitation.
After all, a duel and a free-for-all 'battle' were entirely different.
One sword could never withstand many!
It was a truth known to anyone who wielded a blade.
Exchanging glances, the swordsmen moved to encircle the paths Blake could take to exit the arena.
They saw their target mounting his saddle.
"If he tries to escape... Huh?!"
The knight about to issue orders froze, eyes widening.
It was nearly the same instant Blake's eyes gleamed and he turned his head.
"Sir Altin, what is—Gasp!"
The swordsmen, following the knight's trembling gaze, swallowed hard.
Something rising from the village outskirts, approaching rapidly.
It was a single flag.
"Th-That's!"
In their widened eyes, a flag emblazoned with a white leopard clutching a red sword on a blue-red-white tricolor field burned into view.
"The Iron Knights!"