Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Wildflower (1)
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Suddenly, Yuri Brioll had appeared, but Liroi had secretly harbored a glimmer of hope.
The champion he'd put forward was a holy knight hailed as the successor to the Holy Knight. Young as he was, he'd fought in countless battles and was famous for never once losing a one-on-one duel.
Moreover, today Yuri Brioll wielded an unfamiliar weapon.
"The blade's curved."
"I heard he uses that sword called Guilty or whatever, but today he's brought a scimitar."
"That sword looks kinda weird..."
He wore no armor, just training clothes, and carried a long, slender curved blade.
With some luck, we might win.
And even if things go south, we can at least say we fought well despite the loss.
That was what Liroi thought.
But it was all a delusion.
"The duel ends the moment one side dies, becomes incapacitated, or surrenders. Any objections? Raise your hand now. None? Very well. Begin!"
The two stood atop the dueling ground and moved the instant the signal rang out.
In a flash, their figures blurred.
Soon after, they reappeared having passed each other.
At first, both froze, back-to-back. Then, after a brief moment, Liroi's champion collapsed to his knees.
"Urgh..."
His breastplate was dented.
There'd been no fierce clash, but it was still a clean finish.
Is this how it ends?
As Yuri Brioll turned, he said,
"Again."
"What?"
"Try it again."
"Ha..."
Liroi's champion's lips twitched. He rose to his feet.
"Fine."
The two faced off, glaring like they were reenacting their previous exchange.
A falling leaf carried on the wind fluttered through the air before landing on the dueling ground.
In that instant, a flash of sword light gleamed.
Their forms crossed once more.
"..."
They halted, having passed each other just like before. Silence passed, and this time, Yuri Brioll's figure began to tilt ever so slightly.
The moment Liroi's champion grinned and straightened up—
His knees buckled.
"No way!"
The champion sprawled unceremoniously on the ground. Lying there, he stared blankly upward in disbelief.
"How am I the one...?"
Yuri Brioll approached with leisurely steps and looked down at him with a grin.
"Again."
Liroi's champion scowled.
"Fine!"
He charged again—and fell again.
"Again."
"Damn it!"
The same scene repeated.
"Again."
"Argh!"
"Again."
"Goddamn it..."
"Again."
"Gah!"
Throughout the duel, Liroi's champion fell countless times only to rise again. His body was caked in dirt, and his armor was dented all over without a single intact spot.
Yuri Brioll, meanwhile, was unscathed.
Not even a drop of sweat—he looked like he'd just gone for a stroll.
"Again."
At Yuri Brioll's words, Liroi's champion charged once more.
They passed each other amid another flash of steel. This time, both stood frozen longer than before.
But the result was unchanged.
Liroi's champion twitched several times before collapsing spread-eagled on the ground.
"Urgh..."
In humiliating defeat, he covered his eyes with an arm.
"Shit..."
He muttered, voice choked with tears.
That was when it happened.
"Hey."
Yuri Brioll approached Liroi's champion.
"That last attack was decent. Now I'm actually curious about your name."
The champion looked up. Through his blurred vision, Yuri Brioll's face came into view.
A thin trickle of blood seeped from a scratch on Yuri's cheek.
His flailing sword, which hadn't even grazed a hair before, had finally succeeded in drawing blood after repeated challenges.
"Ah..."
Yuri grinned and extended a hand.
"What's your name?"
The champion stared blankly at the hand before chuckling softly. He wiped his eyes with his gauntlet and grasped it.
"Bailey."
"Bailey. I'll remember that."
"An honor."
With Yuri's help, Bailey stood.
"Wait...?"
He suddenly spotted Yuri's sword and recoiled.
He'd known Yuri was using a scimitar today. But its shape was bizarre. The blade side was blunt, while the back was wickedly sharp.
"A reverse-edge sword?"
"Yeah."
"And I only just noticed..."
Bailey flushed with embarrassment.
They'd clashed repeatedly, yet he'd only now realized the opponent's weapon had its edge reversed.
Yuri's sword had been so fast he couldn't even see it properly.
"Don't tell me you brought this sword because...?"
"Exactly what you're thinking."
"As I thought..."
Bailey couldn't lift his head. He'd come ready to kill his opponent today, but the opponent had been considerate enough to avoid accidentally killing him.
"You never intended to harm me from the start."
"Of course not. Today, I wanted to wield a sword that saves lives, not kills them. This duel is all part of saving the Holy Kingdom, isn't it?"
"Such profound intent..."
"Don't forget today's duel. The lessons you learned from me will protect you on the battlefield someday."
"I had no idea..."
"Now you do."
"Urgh..."
Today, Yuri had urged him to attack again and again. Bailey had tried various approaches, only to be dismantled each time.
Through that process, he'd grasped the sword's truths.
It was practically one-on-one instruction.
Bailey bowed deeply to Yuri, who grinned with his sword slung over his shoulder.
"Your Highness. Thank you so much!"
"Good."
"But..."
"Hm?"
"That's a reverse-edge sword."
"It is."
"And you did all that without even wearing armor..."
"Huh...?"
Yuri glanced at his shoulder.
Blood streamed down where he'd slung the reverse-edge sword.
It was brutally sharp despite the reversed edge.
"B-blood! You're bleeding!"
"S-stop the bleeding!"
"It stings!"
"Healer!"
There was a brief commotion, but the duel ended with Yuri Brioll's victory regardless.
Luther's side was in festival mode, while Liroi's side looked utterly defeated.
"Can't be..."
"That big a gap?!"
"Useless bastard, Bailey..."
It might have looked like a beautiful duel at a glance, but in truth, it was an overwhelming defeat. And on top of that, they'd even received a favor from the opponent.
Watching Bailey repeatedly bow his head in admiration to Yuri Brioll, Liroi closed his eyes.
It was total defeat.
His path to the throne ended so anticlimactically.
As he trembled with clenched fists, Luther approached first.
"Liroi bro."
"Luther..."
"You lost, but you fought well."
"Yeah."
Liroi's grip tightened. Hearing "you fought well despite losing" from the victor was infuriating.
Luther continued.
"Don't take it too hard. Your opponent's me."
"We lost to Yuri Brioll, not you."
"Same difference."
"That guy?"
"Me and Yuri are buddies."
"..."
"Close friends, you know? The kind who steps in if someone messes with me, or stabs them in the dark at night."
Understanding the threat laced in Luther's words, Liroi let out a long sigh.
"Fine."
There was no turning back after losing the champion duel anyway. He decided to accept the result cleanly and avoid future trouble.
"Got it, Luther. I'll renounce my claim to the throne and support you."
"Smart choice."
Luther clapped Liroi on the shoulder.
"Bro, let's do well from now on."
Liroi was a shrewd opportunist who would become an ally if you gained the upper hand in succession rights. Luther knew that well.
As if reading Luther's mind, Liroi said,
"If anyone gets in your way from now on, I'll block them for you. You got my back, right?"
"Don't worry."
"We're allies now."
"Yeah, yeah."
Luther had little interest in the throne or kingship, so he wasn't concerned about the future. If Liroi pulled any tricks, that black-haired madman would handle it with his sword dance.
The two burst into loud laughter, lost in their own thoughts.
"By the way, is your friend okay? Blood's still pouring from his shoulder."
"Leave him be."
Cory picked up a discarded newspaper from the ground.
It said Sibylla was dead, and someone named Luther had become the new king of the Holy Kingdom.
"Ah..."
Seeing that Sibylla had died, Cory let out a heavy sigh.
While he'd been away, so much had happened on the continent. He wanted to hurry back to Yuri and help him.
But reality didn't bend to his wishes.
"Hey, orc scum."
Cory turned to see circus troupe members standing there.
"An orc reading a newspaper? Flaunting that you can read?"
"I'm not an orc, I'm Cory. And I wasn't flaunting—I was just reading a discarded paper."
"Oh yeah? Talking back now."
Unlike his appearance, Cory was eloquent and knowledgeable in many fields. He'd even spun tales about the famed Yuri Brioll across the continent.
Of course, no one fully believed his stories, but facts didn't matter. A small, ugly half-orc telling entertaining tales drew people's interest.
That's why he was popular during performances.
It bred jealousy among the regular troupe members who performed physical acrobatics.
"Want me to make sure that fancy tongue of yours can't wag anymore?"
Several rolled up their sleeves and advanced. Cory backed away and looked behind him—only a wall, no escape.
In the end, Cory was thrown to the ground and beaten.
"Filthy orc!"
"Dirty bastard!"
"You should've never come here!"
Baseless hatred poured down on him. As Cory curled up bleeding, the kicks didn't stop—they only grew more vicious.
"Should we rip out his tongue?"
At those words, Cory shook his head.
"No, don't..."
"What's that? Don't?"
One grabbed Cory's head.
"Ugly little shit..."
"Where's the tongs?"
"Making him a mute would be hilarious. The crowd would love it."
Sold into slavery at the circus's bottom rung, they were seething with rage and had no qualms tormenting others.
That was when it happened.
"What the hell are you doing?"
The ringmaster stood there, whip in hand.
"I told you no causing trouble."
Everyone froze in fear at his appearance.
"S-sorry!"
The ringmaster cracked his whip. Their skin split open. They prostrated themselves in panic.
"Cory."
"Y-yes..."
But he whipped Cory too.
Cory cried out.
"I-I was just the one getting hit. I didn't do anything..."
"That's the problem."
The ringmaster looked down at him coldly.
"They say even worms writhe when stepped on. But don't you dare writhe. Dead worms don't get stepped on—they just dirty shoes."
The ringmaster gave him a cold glance and turned away.
Tears welled in Cory's eyes.
It hadn't taken long to realize the ringmaster's promise of freedom after earning enough was a lie.
The circus contract was arbitrary. Earnings just piled on more debt. They'd tweak interest to keep you chained forever.
This was the human world.
No different from orcs.
Cory's dream of living among people was gradually staining.
"Damn it all..."
That's how he learned to curse.
Cory spat out the blood pooling in his mouth, stood, and staggered away under the troupe's hateful stares.
The circus lodgings were no better than animal pens.
If he could use magic, he'd burn it all down.
Now, all Cory desired was to break the chains oppressing him.