Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Duel Declared
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“Hey, you mute? Say something!”
Gulp, gulp!
The Crimson Death Squad member who had drained the rest of his glass slammed it down and wiped the liquor trickling from his lips as he spoke.
“No matter how I think about it, something’s off. You’re telling me just six of you took down the orcs on the Mountain of Fire?”
Crash!
The Crimson Death Squad member swept the food off the Latent Dragon Squad’s table onto the floor and leaned in, continuing his taunt.
“Doesn’t it reek of fraud or something?”
“……”
The Latent Dragon Squad showed no reaction to the provocative words from the Crimson Death Squad member. Perhaps mistaking their silence for fear,
with all eyes in the place now on them, he shouted even more triumphantly.
“Hahaha! Latent Dragon Squad, Latent Dragon Squad—I thought you guys were supposed to be something special. Looks like it’s just a bunch of gutless cowards after all. As expected, rumors can’t be trusted… Gahk!”
Thwack!
The Crimson Death Squad member was sent flying mid-sentence with a scream.
In an instant, the inside of the tavern turned into chaos, and a burly man whose youthful face hadn’t fully faded was huffing and puffing.
“I’ve been listening to this bastard…!!”
Ralph’s neck had turned bright red with rage.
Beside him, in stark contrast, Ryu An wore an icy cold expression.
“Well done, Ralph. If that jerk had said one more word, I would’ve cut him down myself.”
“Urgh…”
The Crimson Death Squad member who’d been launched by Ralph’s fist struggled to prop himself up, staggering to his feet.
In that moment, Ian didn’t miss the faint smirk that briefly curved the man’s lips.
…He planned this.
Let’s see, about three seconds from now.
‘3, 2, 1….’
Ian counted silently in his mind.
Sure enough, just before Ralph could make another move—and after no one from upstairs had intervened—a furious outburst erupted as if they’d been waiting.
“What’s going on?!”
“Isn’t that Charlie? Hey, Charlie! You okay?!”
Rumble!
The Crimson Death Squad came thundering down from the second floor in an uproar. Some rushed to their rolling comrade, while the rest surrounded the Latent Dragon Squad, glaring murderously.
“Latent Dragon Squad! Looks like succeeding on one mission by sheer luck has gone to your heads!”
“Even if you’re another squad, we’re your seniors by generation. No manners at all.”
“That’s just how it is with a ragtag group of blockheads! Bunch of lunatics!”
The Crimson Death Squad acted as if they were the victims.
Astounded by their shameless attitude, Ralph’s jaw dropped.
“What nonsense is this?! Everyone here saw that jerk start picking a fight with us while we were just sitting quietly! What kind of crap is this?!”
Ralph looked around for agreement, but for some reason,
the diners in the tavern were all suddenly busy avoiding his gaze.
“Wha—huh?”
As Ralph failed to hide his bewilderment at the unexpected response,
thud, thud!
the Crimson Death Squad’s leader, Heto, descended leisurely from the second floor and approached the Latent Dragon Squad’s table.
“We’ve been watching from upstairs… Latent Dragon Squad, what a spectacle. You kids are young, sure, but disrespecting your seniors like that—beating them down without a shred of humility? That’s not right.”
Glance!
Blood trickled from the split lip of the Crimson Death Squad member.
Heto inspected the disheveled state of his squadmate, who had been helped to his feet, and clicked his tongue lowly.
“Tsk tsk, you turned one of our guys into a ragged mess. If we just let this slide… what would the clan think of the Crimson Death Squad?”
Shing!
Heto drew his sword from his waist and pointed it at the Latent Dragon Squad.
“Latent Dragon Squad, I challenge you to a duel. We may not be direct or branch descendants like you, but we’re warriors with pride in our dedication to the clan. We can’t just overlook this insult.”
The moment he learned the Latent Dragon Squad was in the same tavern, Heto had plotted.
How could he reclaim the reputation they’d stolen and restore the Crimson Death Squad’s prestige?
The answer was simple.
The Crimson Death Squad’s reputation had plummeted because the Latent Dragon Squad succeeded where they’d failed.
So, crushing the Latent Dragon Squad utterly would fix everything.
If he smashed them in front of the entire clan, people would come to their senses.
‘Ah, so the Latent Dragon Squad’s mission success was just a fluke.’
They’d realize the Latent Dragon Squad was still nothing more than a nominal strike squad for a handful of greenhorns playing house.
Then, regaining Manus Kalia’s sponsorship wouldn’t be a pipe dream.
Flattening the noses of the Latent Dragon Squad—including that wastrel little brother—would restore Manus’s lost face too.
Of course, he’d taken a gamble to set this up.
Letting so many witnesses see the blatant provocation. But it didn’t matter much.
The Crimson Death Squad had succeeded on countless missions before, and that solid track record carried ‘weight.’
The reputation that said, ‘The Crimson Death Squad may be weak, but once they set their sights, they’re tenacious to the end.’
Even if they’d started the provocation and were shamelessly demanding a duel.
No one would dare spread rumors while pretending not to take their side.
The only potential snag was,
‘Challenging the Second Young Lord too might be a bit worrisome… but considering the Patriarch’s temperament, he won’t make a big deal of it.’
Patriarch Paon Lichtenauer believed that avoiding a fight that came knocking disqualified one as a warrior of the clan.
If Ian dodged the Crimson Death Squad’s challenge here, the Patriarch would be disappointed, seeing it as a lack of qualities befitting his station.
In fact, it wouldn’t even matter if Ian refused.
No, it would be even better.
In this situation where their provocation was crystal clear, if Ian publicly backed down,
it would be ironclad proof that the Latent Dragon Squad feared the Crimson Death Squad’s power.
And if he accepted? Even better.
He could crush the fluke-success Latent Dragon Squad in front of everyone.
‘So, what’ll you do?’
Heto stared at the Latent Dragon Squad’s leader, Ian, with a sly grin.
What expression would Ian make?
Would he look flustered and lost in this sudden turn of events?
Or shoot a resentful glare at Ralph, the squad member who’d lost his temper and caused trouble?
Or maybe grit his teeth for the sake of face and reluctantly accept the duel through gritted teeth?
As he watched in anticipation of Ian’s choice,
‘…Huh?’
Ian was showing a reaction utterly unlike what Heto expected.
‘He’s… laughing?’
Heto had seen it clearly.
Ian’s face, openly grinning as if he found the situation hilarious beyond belief.
As Heto tilted his head in confusion at Ian’s unexpected demeanor, Ian finally responded to the duel challenge.
“Looks like you’re a gang of thugs dead set on starting a fight, so sure, why not? If that’s what you want, I’ll humor you.”
Swoosh!
Ian placed a hand on the table and rose, continuing.
“But as you know, our Latent Dragon Squad has only been back with the clan for two days. You wouldn’t demand a duel without giving us time to recover, right?”
“Of course not. The Crimson Death Squad isn’t some cowardly group that only strikes at weaknesses.”
Ian nodded in apparent satisfaction at Heto’s confident reply.
“Good. Then, one month from now, at the Grand Training Grounds. How about the duel format?”
His tone was arrogant, as if looking down from above.
Yet Heto maintained his composure and replied calmly.
“Whatever you want. Group battle, individual matches—doesn’t matter. But we’ll adjust our numbers to match yours.”
The Crimson Death Squad had nearly fifty members.
Facing off against the six-man Latent Dragon Squad without adjusting would leave them branded as bullies mocking the few with numbers, even in victory.
Perhaps sensing Heto’s pride in that,
Pfft!
a snort escaped Ian’s lips.
“Fine, do that. Then we’ll see you in a month.”
He then naturally turned to his squadmates.
“Our momentum’s all blown anyway, so how about we call it here for today’s celebration?”
As if not expecting a reply, Ian walked to the counter regardless and placed something down.
Clink!
The small pouch he set on the counter made a hefty sound.
“Take a look, innkeeper.”
At Ian’s words, the innkeeper cautiously untied the pouch.
His eyes widened like saucers.
It was inevitable.
The pouch was filled with gold coins.
No less than ten of them.
Swoosh!
Ian bowed politely to the astonished innkeeper.
“I’m sorry our squadmate caused trouble in your establishment unintentionally, chef. Use this for repairs. Keep the change.”
“B-but, Second Young Lord, this is too much.”
A few broken tables didn’t justify pocketing this much—the innkeeper’s conscience wouldn’t allow it.
“The food was excellent. Just as our squadmate said, top-notch flavor. Consider the rest payment for the wonderful meal. We’ll come again.”
Reluctantly accepting the pouch after Ian’s insistence,
the innkeeper’s face broke into a smile he couldn’t hide, joy peeking through his lips.
Even in a high-end place like this, the food and broken furnishings wouldn’t cost three gold coins combined.
Yet he’d scored ten. From his perspective, a bit more damage might not be so bad.
Handling the provocation with grace during a pleasant gathering, and generously compensating the owner without forgetting.
Many in the tavern had witnessed Ian’s actions.
They might fear the Crimson Death Squad too much to badmouth them openly, but praising the Latent Dragon Squad posed no issue.
Just two simple actions, but before the duel even began, Ian’s Latent Dragon Squad would pull ahead in reputation. And keep it that way.
They hadn’t drawn blades, but the battle between the two strike squads had already begun.
“Sorry, Captain. I couldn’t hold my temper and…”
On the way back to the Latent Dragon Squad’s quarters, Ralph apologized to Ian with a guilty expression.
Ian, their captain, had led them—those who’d wandered aimlessly on the fringes—through hardships to mission success.
At this crucial moment when the clan’s view of the Latent Dragon Squad was shifting,
he’d fallen for an obvious childish provocation and complicated things.
He had no excuse, even with ten mouths.
“Captain, Ralph moved first, sure, but if he’d stayed put, I would’ve stepped in. So don’t be too mad…”
Assuming Ian would be angry, Ryu An beside him began defending Ralph.
“Huh? What are you all talking about?”
But Ian himself tilted his head at his squadmates’ reactions.
Because if they’d stayed quiet, he would’ve responded to the provocation himself first.
“Actually, it worked out better. I was worried we’d get complacent with a long break before the next mission. Thanks to this, we’ve got a great motivator. Don’t sweat it.”
As Ian spoke nonchalantly while walking, a touch of emotion touched the squadmates’ faces.
“Captain…!!”
“Oh, right—one more thing.”
Ian added something he’d almost forgotten.
“As you know, I’m a direct descendant of the Patriarch, sort of. Same for Ralph, Ryu An, and Sylvia. Dane and Helena were promising talents highly anticipated at the temple and magic tower, right?”
Suddenly listing his squadmates’ backgrounds, Ian flashed an ominous smile.
Perhaps because that smile felt foreboding,
Sylvia quietly asked Ian, suppressing the chill creeping up her spine.
“That’s… true. Why?”
“Why, you ask.”
Pfft!
Ian looked at his squadmates with the gaze of a predator eyeing well-prepared prey.
“If talents like us get beaten—even by snake pups, and with equal numbers—we could never show our faces again. That can’t happen. So, get ready, everyone.”
Thud, thud!
Creeeak!
They’d arrived at the Latent Dragon Squad’s quarters unnoticed.
Ian’s back as he opened the door looked strangely eerie.
“I’ll train you so thoroughly, you couldn’t lose even if you wanted to.”
For some reason,
even though the quarters had become quite familiar now,
they looked like the gateway to the demonic realm.
The next month
seemed like it would be quite long.