Chapter 186
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: The Duel is Set
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"Your name is Gordon Rossbell, right?"
"You know me?"
"I've heard the name in passing. They say you're on the verge of mid-tier Expert, yeah?"
"You've got an eye for talent."
"Is that a compliment?"
"These damn bastards... both of them."
Killing intent began to seep from Gordon's surroundings.
At that, Parel, who had been gauging the mood, flashed his eyes.
"Are you joining in too, big bro?"
"Nah, I'm just gonna watch."
If I stepped in, Melissa's chance for real combat experience would vanish.
Truth be told, it was a hassle, but more importantly, I couldn't keep shielding her forever.
"Scared?"
"Or maybe backing off 'cause you don't wanna show your hand."
Gordon sneered, joined by another man in the same uniform who chimed in with mockery.
It was Karim Selburn from the renowned Selburn family, affiliated with Koral Kingdom's intelligence bureau.
"Look, are you doing this or not? If you say yes, I won't lay a finger on you two during the duel."
My words twisted his expression.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I was respecting you by agreeing to a duel in the first place. If you back out now, what's stopping me from dealing with you right here? I'd have thrown down the gauntlet already."
There's this fine noble tradition called a duel. Depending on the circumstances, you can even take a life without repercussions—a barbaric yet refreshingly straightforward custom.
At my question, the killing intent Gordon had been suppressing erupted once more.
"Oh? So you want me to end that ridiculous rumor right here?"
As Gordon spoke and nodded, Karim Selburn—who'd mocked me earlier—suddenly seized my rear and pressed a dagger to my throat.
"Leon Cascadia, consider that your first death."
"Pfft!!"
Unable to hold back, Melissa burst into laughter.
"Ahaha! Haha! He says you died once! Ahahaha!"
Her unabashed guffaws drew a chilling gaze from Karim Selburn, laced not with mere threat but clear murderous intent.
She really should watch her eyes...
"Your answer?"
I casually turned my head, glancing boredly at Karim Selburn with his blade at my neck, and asked again.
"What'll it be, Gordon?"
"What kind of question is that? Since we're here, might as well chase out all these ugly Bata scum. It'll work out better. Leave the coward be—rumors really are unreliable."
I flicked the blade away from my throat with my index finger, then jerked my head to tell him to scram. Karim's face crumpled.
"You're lucky, punk. That baseless rumor just saved your life."
Better not touch him recklessly. If I messed up and robbed Melissa of her precious experience points, that'd be a massive loss.
These guys needed to face her in perfect condition.
After all, nothing would give Melissa more combat XP than interpersonal fights, even more than Demon Realm scouting.
Personal revenge could come later.
With things settled, Gordon left without lingering, and the rest of the Koral contingent followed him out of the tent.
"Melissa, take this."
Once they were gone, I pulled a potion from my subspace and handed it to her.
"What's this?"
"Painkiller."
"P-Painkiller?"
Perhaps from past experiences, she looked anxious as I flashed her a gentle smile.
"Just in case you make a fool of yourself sober."
Still, a young lady's gotta get married someday.
A duel had been abruptly arranged.
Of course, it wasn't to the death, so lethal moves were banned, but it had long devolved into a pride-fueled clash between sides.
Frankly, this was half Koral's design, and I'd merely stirred the pot.
Plus, it was best to eliminate variables when possible.
"Their lineup: one fresh Expert swordsman, one archer, and a spiritist with healing powers."
The trio Melissa mentioned were their forces excluding Parel and herself.
Linne Robel of the Robel Marquis House wielded a special spirit with healing abilities—lacking in combat prowess but exceptional in recovery.
Ospa Deacon of the Deacon Count House had just entered early Expert as a swordsman, while Gale Travan was a novice bow Expert, nothing impressive.
"In this case, you're the one holding the log."
"The log? What does that mean?"
"Don't knights and soldiers train by lifting huge logs?"
"Yeah, they do."
"You're lifting it alone."
Even if Melissa held on by herself, the log wouldn't fall. It'd just burden her more.
Parel Berlly was at least a 4th-circle mage with plenty of experience, but even he couldn't shoulder it solo.
"I'm super anxious right now... This is gonna be okay, right?"
"When have I ever gotten you killed?"
"You did torture me half to death."
Inside the tent set up by undead and a few servants, Melissa gazed up at me anxiously in her light attire.
"Enough. Turn around and sit."
At my request, she complied despite her fear.
"Remember everything I do from now on. You might need it someday."
Melissa had learned the Cascadia swordsmanship and aura cultivation from her father since childhood.
The Cascadia style wasn't bad, per se.
But it wasn't transcendent either.
Above all, the family swordsmanship was a poor fit for our house—for Melissa especially—like an ill-suited garment.
That's why I taught her the Heavenly Demon Sword Arts.
The Heavenly Demon Sword Arts emphasized flexibility despite its overwhelmingly oppressive style.
But to master both, her body needed some remodeling.
"You took the medicine?"
"Yeah."
"Then bite down on this."
Whoooosh!!!
Without giving her a moment to react after confirming the painkiller, I surged aura into her. She gasped sharply.
"Kuh?! W-Why?!"
The painkiller she'd taken was a potent military-grade one with powerful effects.
Yet she writhed as if in agony, resisting.
What I was doing wasn't some simple Eastern Continent clan ritual like childhood bone polishing and marrow cleansing.
It was closer to scraping away all the accumulated blockages in Melissa and reforging her body.
"It's not just simple pain. The painkiller's numbing that much at least—if not, you'd be..."
"Guh, guh... Be what?"
"Dead, if you're unlucky."
"You're insane?!"
I once tried this solo and shock-died on the spot.
Of course, pioneering alone without help meant eating failures like this often.
Melissa gritted her teeth and endured, but sweat poured like rain, soaking her clothes.
"See? Good thing you dressed light."
"F-Fuck..."
Seeing her curse at her big bro meant she was still kicking.
My smile widened her eyes in alarm.
"W-Wait! Big bro! My bad?! Guuuuh!!!"
"You've suffered through brutal beatings all this time. Trust me, once this is done, you'll be way stronger than before."
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Hm, crescendo.
I focused on the task, savoring her screams like sweet music.
In the Koral camp's tent, Gordon Rossbell and Karim Selburn sat together, awaiting something.
Soon, static crackled from the artifact before them, followed by a voice.
-Testing. Can you hear me?
Snap! Snap!!
At the voice, Karim and Gordon slammed their heels together crisply, standing at attention.
"Yes, sir! Reporting the current situation!!"
Gordon responded vigorously in perfect soldier form.
As planned, they'd analyzed Bata's forces, including Leon's interference and the resulting standoff.
-Hmm. What do you make of this Leon fellow?
"To be honest, nothing special. He didn't even react to Karim's strike, and his power was frankly disappointing."
-And the Eastern Continent side?
"No real reaction from them. They didn't send anyone cooperative."
-The duel. Can you win?
"Leave it to us! The two of us are more than enough!"
-I'm not betting on possibilities. I want certainty.
"The two of us suffice, but Heavenly Spirit from the Eastern Continent has agreed to join."
Heavenly Spirit was the brother among the Eastern Continent siblings.
-What about that girl?
"Fire Spirit expressed disinterest and opted out. Demon Heaven is currently..."
-Forget that monster. We didn't bring him for combat anyway. Win with the three of you, no question.
"Understood!"
Gordon and Karim saluted the artifact in unison.
-You must secure the dragon's essence inside without fail. It grants control over the dragon soldiers—Koral's long-cherished wish rides on your success. Clear?
"Yes, sir!"
After the artifact powered down as if saluting back, they lowered their hands slowly.
"Proceed as planned. We've got all the intel from Bata—kick them out quick and start the expedition."
"Right."
They headed to the Eastern Continent group's tent, approaching a boy quietly polishing his sword with cloth.
An instinctive wariness, like peering into unfathomable depths.
That's the pressure of a true powerhouse.
Not some fake drowned in rumors like Leon.
"Young Master Heavenly Spirit."
At Gordon's call, the boy's hands paused.
"We plan to drive out Bata Kingdom this time."
"Do as you please."
"Of course, their skills are nothing to worry about. They've got the Cascadia Count and that deviant from the Berlly Duke House at best, but with you and us two, it'll be easy."
Heavenly Spirit closed his eyes silently at Gordon's words.
"Easy, you say..."
"Any issues?"
"No. Just a feeling. A promise is a promise—I'll do my best."
"And Young Lady Fire Spirit?"
"She only came to check on Leon Cascadia."
Fair enough—she'd been uncooperative from the start.
But Gordon and Karim didn't care.
Heavenly Spirit before them and his sister Fire Spirit bore the famed "Dragon" titles from the Eastern Continent's Heavenly Beyond Heaven.
Sure, there were variables, but nothing they couldn't handle. Even if they were skilled, they wouldn't overcome Heavenly Spirit without Fire Spirit joining in.