You'll Die Eight Times Today
The Great Training Ground of House Zieghart was a place where only those of the direct line, those of Palace Master rank, or anyone granted permission by the Clan Head were allowed to train.
There were a few exceptions, however, and one of them was a sword duel.
When swordsman faced swordsman with their pride on the line, anyone who wished to watch was permitted into the Great Training Ground.
More than an hour remained before the duel, but the combatants were so famous that the seats were already packed to capacity. Those who hadn't found a chair scrambled along the outer edges of the grounds, hunting for any vantage point they could get.
The Great Training Ground buzzed like a marketplace, yet every conversation flowed in the same direction.
"This is the kind of duel you see once in a hundred years. Anyone who misses today's match will regret it for the rest of their life."
"Yeah. A fight like this won't come around again."
"Well, it is a direct-line swordsman versus a collateral trainee."
"And they're the two names everyone's been talking about lately."
A duel between a direct-line swordsman and a collateral-line trainee—two young men who had recently rendered great service to the house. Public interest had climbed to a fever pitch.
"If Raon and Young Master Raden fight, who wins? It'd be more fun if they were evenly matched."
"Hmm. The matchup is unusual, sure, but the result's already decided."
"Raon might be strong for his age, but there's no way he wins."
"But he cut down the Green Lightning Fiend..."
"He didn't do that alone. The trainees from the 5th Training Ground fought with him."
"Meanwhile, Young Master Raden brought down a White Blood Cult branch by himself. Even a small branch isn't something you just walk over."
Most of the swordsmen believed Raon's reputation had been inflated, and they were certain Raden would take the duel.
"Come on, Raon held his own against the Bloodlight Fiend, and that thing was a Master. You don't know until they actually fight."
"That was just Rimer talking nonsense. Straight-up bullshit!"
"He held on, sure. For a few seconds?"
"I don't like Young Master Raden either, and I think he was in the wrong this time, but it doesn't matter. He's already Expert Mid-Class. There's too big a wall between him and Raon."
"Yeah."
"True enough..."
The mood had already settled. Fewer and fewer people were willing to bet on Raon's victory. In the minds of the swordsmen filling the Great Training Ground, Raon's defeat was already a foregone conclusion.
"I think it'd be fine if Raon just held out reasonably well. If he fights well, the Clan Head might even change the terms of the wager..."
"Listen to this gaping hole bark. The bullshit just keeps pouring out."
"Who the—ugh!"
The swordsmen turned at the ice-cold voice behind them. Marta Zieghart was standing there, her pretty brow furrowed.
"Nonsense? Bullshit?"
Marta leaned forward and snorted.
"If that was actually bullshit, you think Burren and I would've just sat there? Those things on your shoulders aren't decorations. Use them. Huh?"
Vulgar language that didn't match her refined looks spilled from her lips.
"Ugh..."
"That's..."
The swordsmen didn't even try to argue. They just groaned and turned away. Even as official swordsmen, none of them had the guts to pick a fight with the daughter Denier Zieghart doted on.
"Keep those dead-fish eyes of yours open."
Marta crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
"Something's about to happen that has nothing to do with what you're expecting."
"Denier raised that girl all wrong."
Balder, seated on the platform, crossed his legs and let a cold smile play across his face.
"No—not raised wrong. Picked up the wrong one, maybe."
He muttered that a brat with knot-hole eyes like that couldn't possibly have any talent.
Not that he cared in the slightest that Marta had treated the swordsmen so roughly. That was simply how vast the gap was in this world between the direct line, the collateral line, and everyone beneath them.
"This fight's already over. I just want the duel done so I can hear that arrogant brat scream."
Today's outcome was obvious. No matter how gifted Raon was, he couldn't face Raden without ever having dealt with a Flexible Sword. The thought of watching Raon scream after the duel—his dantian shattered, his mana circuits torn—already brought a cheerful smile to Balder's face.
"Oh! It's been a while."
"Hm?"
A bright, cheerful voice that didn't belong in the solemn atmosphere of the platform made Balder's head turn of its own accord.
"Rimer?"
A red-haired elf was approaching, a sly grin dripping from his face.
"What are you doing here?"
"Ah, I was just passing by and spotted you, so I dropped in."
"Then keep passing."
"Ahaha. You're joking."
Even told to disappear, Rimer didn't step down. He planted himself right next to Balder instead.
"You and I aren't on joking terms."
"You said something interesting, that's all."
"What?"
"The fight's already over? Who won, then?"
"Even those ruined eyes of yours should be able to see it—Raden's presence versus that mutt you raised."
"Hmm, there is a difference, I'll give you that."
Rimer looked from Raon to Raden, standing on opposite sides of the Great Training Ground, and whistled.
"But a fight isn't always decided by presence and raw power."
"Hmph. That's the kind of thing that happens in fights between insects. Once you reach Expert, the gap in realm is hard to cross. And Raden is a Flexible Sword user. Your disciple's going to have the flesh stripped from his bones."
"Then how about a wager?"
"What?"
"If you're that confident, let's bet on it."
Rimer smiled and held out both hands.
"What kind of trick are you trying to pull this time? Like that rumor about fighting the Bloodlight Fiend?"
"The Clan Head is coming to watch today. You think any trick of mine would work?"
"Hmm..."
Balder's pupils widened. This was exactly why Rimer was hard to dismiss. The man still met with his father—the Clan Head—from time to time.
"Since you're so sure of yourself, let's put something on the line. If you're too scared, you can always back out..."
"Shut up!"
Balder's face twisted, and the footrest he'd been resting his foot on crumpled.
"Ahaha, just kidding."
"What are you putting up?"
"This."
From Rimer's coat came a leaf-shaped dagger. Catching the sunlight, it gave off a clear, grassy fragrance and a mysterious glow, as if it were a real leaf.
"This is..."
"You know what it is, right?"
"You're actually putting this on a bet?"
"Of course. A bet's all about going all in! All in!"
"...Then what do you want? My Dragon Eye Sword?"
"No. I don't need anything like that."
Rimer shook his head, grinning. It was the same expression he wore when he was teasing Burren or needling Raon.
"I want..."
Raon rolled his wrists and ankles, loosening up. It was his first time in the Great Training Ground, and countless people were watching, but he wasn't nervous in the slightest.
The medicine's working well.
Maybe it was the Clear Heart Water Marta had given him, taken in advance. His mind was clear, and his heart beat slow and steady, just as it always did.
The medicine he'd received from Burren had done its work as well. His physical injuries were fully healed. He felt like he could fight at full strength, the way he did when training in the clearing or at the 5th Training Ground.
Raon looked across at Raden. Even with the duel about to begin, the man was leisurely sipping wine.
Trying to show off his confidence, I suppose.
The reason Raden was putting on that display of ease was simple. He was staging it on purpose, to make the gap between them obvious.
But then...
That kind of performance was something you only did when the difference was overwhelming, or when victory was certain.
Raon watched Raden enjoying a maid's massage and smiled coldly. The man was going to regret this day for the rest of his life.
"The Sky of House Zieghart now enters! All present, show your respect!"
As Raon was rolling his shoulders, the swordsmen stationed at the main gate of the training ground roared.
Kuuuuung!
The massive doors split down the middle, and Glenn entered with the Heavenly Sword Squad.
There were many people, but the only one anyone could see was Glenn. His spine-chilling presence sharpened the air of the training ground until it felt like it would pierce skin.
The stronger Raon became, the more clearly he understood how high Glenn stood. Every time he saw the man, goosebumps rose on his skin.
"We greet the Clan Head!"
Raon dropped to one knee and bowed his head, just as everyone else in the training ground did.
"Kneeling and offering greetings every time you see him. Humans truly are a tiresome lot."
Wrath clicked his tongue in irritation. But there was a hint of envy in his voice.
Once a monarch of the Demon Realm, he was now a shabby tenant living in Raon's bracelet. It seemed he was jealous of Glenn, who commanded both respect and terror from everyone.
Petty as always.
"What did you just say."
Nothing.
Raon kept his head down and smiled faintly.
"All of you, rise."
Glenn, now seated on the throne at the center of the platform, spoke. His voice was quiet, but it rang clearly in every ear.
"Thank you!"
The swordsmen of House Zieghart bowed once more, then stood.
"Good."
Glenn slowly lowered his gaze, looking first at Raon on the west side of the training ground, then at Raden on the east, and nodded.
"Begin the duel."
"Yes!"
The announcer below the platform bowed deeply to Glenn, then turned.
Huuuuung!
He raised his hand, and the standard-bearers stationed around the outer edge of the Great Training Ground waved banners engraved with the pattern of a flaming sword. The moment the flags rippled, the entire training ground became a spectacle of surging flame.
"Duelists, step forward!"
"At last."
Raden grinned and stretched out a hand. The maid behind him brought his scabbard. From a sheath longer than a spear, he drew a writhing blade.
Piiing.
The long, thin Flexible Sword twisted like a living snake, letting out a strange sound.
Raon ignored Raden's murderous glare and looked back.
He saw Sylvia, gripping the railing so hard it looked ready to snap, her lip caught between her teeth. He sent her a message with his eyes. It's all right. Just wait. Don't worry.
Beside Sylvia, Helen and the maids had their hands clasped tightly together. Their shoulders trembled as if they were praying to a god.
Raon steeled himself again. This wasn't a fight against Raden. It was a war to protect them.
"Hah..."
He emptied his mind with a single breath and walked forward to stand opposite Raden.
"Haaaah!"
Raden tipped his head back and looked at the sky. How long had he waited for this day? A week had felt longer than a year.
I can finally pay him back.
The humiliation at the Annex. The chance to change those swordsmen's eyes—the ones that always seemed to be holding back laughter whenever they looked at him—had finally arrived.
He swallowed the excitement that had risen to his throat and adjusted his grip on the Flexible Sword.
Come on, then. Right now... that bastard.
Raden ground his teeth. Raon wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Sylvia and the maids behind him.
The indifference shown right before combat made Raden's stomach churn.
I'll just cut off all four of his limbs.
Imagining Raon's face—and the maids'—when he severed Raon's arms and legs in the duel, then used the result to tear his dantian and mana circuits as well, sent a thrill racing down his spine.
"Prepare yourselves."
At the announcer's signal, Raden rolled his wrist. He'd barely moved it, and already the Flexible Sword writhed like a snake.
"I'm ready."
Raon nodded without even drawing his sword.
"Hah. I've never met an arrogant brat like you in my life."
Raden shoved his face in close, wrinkling his nose.
"I'll show you just how lucky you were that day."
"Lucky?"
Raon stroked his scabbard and smirked.
"This son of a..."
"Step back."
The announcer shoved Raden away.
"I'll see if you can still smile when your arm's been cut off and your dantian's been torn open."
"Then I guess you'll never see it."
Raon kept smiling as he took hold of the hilt.
Crack.
Raden ground his teeth until they seemed ready to shatter and stepped back. Better to start the duel than waste time trading words with this bastard.
The announcer asked with his eyes if they were ready. Both men nodded.
"Then let the duel between Raden Zieghart and Raon Zieghart begin!"
The announcer lifted the hand that had been held between them and stepped back.
"Kyahahaha!"
Raden let out a mad laugh and brought the Flexible Sword down. With a fluttering sound, the blade twisted like a ribbon and fell toward Raon.
Piiing!
Raon twisted his body like a drifting flower petal and slipped past the Flexible Sword.
"You think you dodged it?!"
Raden flicked his wrist upward, and the Flexible Sword surged like a wave, chasing after Raon.
"Kh..."
Raon frowned and tried to evade with Garam Footwork, but Raden already knew every current of that flow.
"I told you. It's different from last time! Keep running!"
Raden grinned and unfolded the third form of the Decisive Flexible Sword.
Third Form of the Decisive Flexible Sword — the blade's edge zigzagged like a living serpent, seeking the legs.
Chiiing!
Raon drew his sword and brought it down. It looked as if he'd decided he couldn't dodge Demon Binding Specter and was trying to block it.
"Khh!"
Raden licked his lips.
Stupid bastard!
Flexible Sword techniques changed direction so fast they were extremely difficult to defend against. Guard the place you could see, and you'd be cut somewhere else.
Raon was making the same mistake. Thinking the attack was aimed at his legs, he'd brought his sword to his lower body—a fatal error.
Piiiing!
Raden whirled his wrist, and the Flexible Sword that had been heading for Raon's calf shot upward like a snake climbing a vine.
Just as I warned you—I'll take that arm!
He could already see the keen blade splitting Raon's arm, hear the scream.
"Huh?"
Raden swallowed dryly. Before the Flexible Sword could tear the arm, the Raon in front of him vanished.
"Wh-where... hhk!"
Raden screamed, and the hand gripping his sword trembled. A cold sensation touched his Adam's apple. He rolled his eyes and found the vanished Raon standing there, blade pressed to his throat.
"W-what just..."
"That's the first."
"Th-the first? The first what?!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Raon's fist exploded into Raden's face.
CRACK!