NOVEL WEB EP.8
With the duel against Yom suddenly looming, we couldn’t comfortably linger in the banquet hall any longer. Thus, Maria and I headed towards the palace’s separate quarters. I was confident I could hold my ground, but Maria, overwhelmed by the curious stares directed our way, quickly opted for a retreat.
On our way back to the palace, Maria turned to question me.
“So, why on earth are you fighting Sir Yom all of a sudden?!”
“Isn’t it because they’re spreading rumors that I threatened you?”
“Come on, that’s something you could have easily brushed aside!”
I couldn’t help but furrow my brow at her words.
“Me?”
“…Well, you certainly wouldn’t let that slide, would you?”
Though she had plenty to say, she settled for a deep sigh instead.
If it had been mere political slander, that might have been one thing, but she knew I wouldn’t take lightly to anyone trampling on human dignity like that.
My resolve to protect her from the Empress’s schemes was rooted in that determination. She knew that if the target were the country, or worse, my own dignity, I would take an even stronger stand.
How hypocritical it would be for someone pursuing chivalric ideals to coerce a princess into becoming his wife. What kind of contradiction was that? The moment it became accepted as the norm, everything I had done could be interpreted in a different, more questionable light.
I couldn’t allow that.
Understanding that I wouldn’t be easily swayed, Maria changed the subject.
“Let me just say this: Absolutely, under no circumstances should you injure Sir Yom!”
“…Do you really think I’m that simple-minded?”
“Have you forgotten how many times you’ve fought before?”
“…….”
I had no reply.
Being known as the Monster Hunter, my combat style had developed primarily towards taking down monsters—by targeting their limbs first to restrict their movements. I didn’t try to hide that tendency when it came to human opponents either.
Magic had its conveniences, often surpassing modern technology in certain aspects. While the usual medical practices tended to be lacking, the ability to reattach severed limbs was quite advanced, so I didn’t see the need to hold back.
“…Is it really impossible?”
“Did you seriously consider it?!”
Well, even if I could attach limbs back together with magic, it wouldn’t be quite the same as before. But then again, Yom wasn’t aspiring to be a great knight anyway; he was merely set to inherit his title as Marquis, so it shouldn’t matter too much, right?
I bit my lip, unable to voice such thoughts, and Maria sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.
“Keep in mind that the Württemberg Marquisate wields significant political influence in the capital.”
“Huh? But their territory is in the south, right?”
“The southern lord is separate.”
“Oh, right.”
With the seven electors occupying their territories across the empire like kings, no high noble could stand tall near them.
And Württemberg, being right next to a powerful elector in the south, would clearly struggle to assert any influence within its own territory.
“Instead, the Württemberg marquisate chose to act centrally.”
“That couldn’t have been easy.”
Even as a marquis, navigating central politics was no walk in the park. The phrase “One blink and you’d lose your head” existed for a reason, after all. If that happens in modern Korea, then in the Empire—where the interests of noble families were tightly interwoven—things would be even tougher.
“And they succeeded, which is why the marquisate has such a great reputation now.”
“Is that so?”
Not being from the capital, I was unsure of who was famous there, so I couldn’t argue against Maria’s statement.
“Regardless, you should be cautious not to earn the marquisate’s ire.”
“Yes, officially they wouldn’t dare touch you, but remember, what you can see is not all that there is in this world.”
I scratched my chin.
Telling me to face my opponent without touching their limbs meant that the skills I honed as a Monster Hunter would essentially be sealed away.
“This is going to be a hassle.”
Maria chuckled at my words.
“As if you intend to lose anyway.”
“I’m not confident, that’s for sure.”
“Not confident, huh?”
Now accustomed to my wordplay, Maria snatched my line and giggled. I was surprised she remembered something I’d said once; I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit.
With the mood lightened, Maria, who had been quietly enjoying the scenery outside the carriage, suddenly asked, “So, what’s at stake in this duel? Just so you know, I won’t accept if it’s about who gets to be my partner.”
“Yom didn’t hope for that either.”
Fighting over who would be the partner of a royal was far too significant an issue for mere nobles to decide, regardless of the rank. Yom was well aware of what was permissible and what was not.
“They just agreed that whoever loses would have to sit and watch rumors spread.”
“Rumors?”
Maria looked at me with a slight frown.
“You mean the ridiculous rumor that you coerced me into becoming your partner?”
I nodded.
It didn’t directly challenge the stance of a partner, but it was a clever ploy to sway public opinion and push me out. It seemed just right.
Maria’s complexion paled as she grabbed my arm.
“No way, that’s practically tantamount to impeaching you!”
“Impeaching? What are you talking about? I’m not even in office.”
“Do you think I’m just joking around right now?!”
I replied to her with a smile.
“All I need to do is not lose. If I don’t lose.”
With my overly optimistic attitude, Maria clenched her eyes shut in frustration and then opened them to say,
“Then what rumors do you plan to spread?!”
In response to her question, I shared the clever idea I had come up with after much thought. It wouldn’t harm someone’s character or dignity, but it was definitely designed to ruin their reputation. As she listened, Maria’s face, already pale, turned completely white this time.
“What do you mean…?”
“If you wanted to slander your opponent maliciously, wouldn’t you have to be prepared to be slandered yourself?”
Of course, I didn’t plan to spread rumors that would ruin his life, but I was certain that once my rumors spread, Yom would definitely have a rough time.
—
The duel between Yom and me took place three days after the banquet.
Initially, we intended to have a small duel with just a few observers, but the fact that we were fighting in the banquet hall complicated things. After all, the hall was filled with the nobility from across the Empire who were there to celebrate their coming of age, and it seemed that news of our duel had spread throughout the capital’s social scene.
“I intended to announce Bill as my partner, but I didn’t expect to attract this much attention…!”
Maria, who had been covering her face with her hands and muttering to herself, was preparing for battle with the help of the Knights Order.
“By the way, why do you intend to use a new sword? You’d be more comfortable with the one you used before…”
As I picked a usable sword from among those brought by the trainee knights, one of the knights asked me. I showed him my sword.
“That one isn’t suitable for this kind of duel.”
I had deliberately dulled the blade and not taken care of the surface, making it rough. The knight frowned when he saw it.
“…It’s not well maintained.”
“I did that on purpose.”
As I held the sword upright in front of me and channeled my magic into it, the blade sparkled with a sound of “clang!” causing the knight to step back in surprise.
“Y-you’re an expert.”
“Well, I’m technically the deputy leader of the knights. Though I don’t have much real power.”
Unlike wizards who can easily project their magic outside their bodies, regular knights can only use their magic within themselves. As a result, most knights strain themselves to enhance their bodies using the magic they’ve trained to accumulate.
At the level of an expert, it becomes possible to emit that magic outside their bodies. Enhancing a sword with magic is just one such application. There’s a reason why most knights’ ranks require you to be an expert to move up the hierarchy.
Of course, this doesn’t make you invincible.
“Even though I can enhance my sword with magic, the blade is shaped like this, so while it’s sharp, it’s more designed to tear and crush rather than cut. It’s advantageous for fighting monsters.”
I demonstrated this by swinging the sword and slicing through a coat rack in the corner.
Crack!
Wood splintered apart with an unpleasant sound as shards flew everywhere.
“The edge acts merely as a wedge; the key is the flowing magic through this rough surface.”
The knight quickly handed me the sword with a pale face, and I chose one that felt right as I swung it around a bit.
Just then, someone walked in.
“The master wishes to know if you are ready.”
“All set. Tell him I’ll be going out shortly.”
“Yes.”
As the attendant left, I stood up, having completed my battle preparations. The armor I had reluctantly put on due to Maria’s insistence clinked loudly, feeling awkward.
“…Is it time to start?”
Maria, who had been muttering to herself the whole time, finally collected herself and approached me.
“I won’t keep you waiting too long. I’ll finish it quickly and come back.”
While I spoke confidently, the worry in Maria’s eyes showed no signs of fading.
“Just be careful. Don’t get hurt.”
It felt a bit unreasonable to tell someone who had trained a bit in swordsmanship to not get hurt when facing the son of a marquis, but I simply nodded.
Adding more worry wouldn’t be a charming show of bravado.
Instead, I asked her,
“So, if I win, what will you give me?”
“What?”
I repeated my sudden question to Maria, who tilted her head in confusion.
“Considering I’m the one who got into this duel because of you~ Don’t you think the person responsible should give me something in return~?”
“Well, even if you lose, I intended to somehow smooth over the rumors…”
“Gasp, are you really thinking I might lose?”
“…Ah, come on!”
She seemed to be even more flustered than before, clearly rattled by my teasing.
“What are you asking for?!”
“That’s something you should figure out; it’ll be more meaningful that way!”
Maria seemed momentarily speechless, letting out a short sigh of “huh.” But after a moment of thought, a playful glint appeared in her eyes.
“Alright. Bill, just win. If you do, I’ll give you anything you want.”
…Oh? Normally, when someone says, “I’ll give you anything,” one would think, ‘Did you really say that?’ But my instincts were sharply warning me to keep my mouth shut; asking now might lead to irreversible consequences.
I hurriedly wrapped up the conversation.
“Okay, I’ll hold you to that!”
As I quickly turned to head to the dueling arena, Maria waved to me, still wearing that expression from before.
“Wishing you good fortune.”
I waved dismissively as I stepped away, barely paying attention to her. The clinking of my armor drowned out Maria’s words.
“Humph, what a coward who’s only brave when it doesn’t matter.”
She probably wouldn’t give me a straight answer even if I asked her again.
—
Inside the Palatinate Castle, not far from the imperial palace, the estate of the Württemberg marquis was bustling with an unexpected influx of guests due to rumors of the duel between Sir Wilhelm von Brandenburg and Sir Yom von Württemberg, which was set to take place today.
While there was a time when duels were a source of entertainment for people, ever since the Empire outlawed killing during duels, they hadn’t enjoyed the same popularity, at least in the capital.
Sure, there were still some local areas where people disregarded the law and continued the splendid tradition of past days, but that was the sort of place where fists were closer than the law. Here in the Palatinate, deaths from duels had almost vanished.
Nevertheless, the reason so many people converged for this duel was straightforward.
“Wait, is it true that Her Highness the Princess has selected a candidate for the position of consort?”
“Really? Sir Yom challenged Sir Wilhelm out of jealousy over the Princess’s partner position?”
Well, the rumors had twisted strangely as they spread, but the core of it was simple.
Two men were dueling over the Princess.
For young men and women just reaching adulthood, ignoring such a tempting morsel of gossip was downright cruel. Naturally, the rumors spread like wildfire, and by now, there wasn’t a noble in the Palatinate who hadn’t heard of it.
Moreover, the excitement that such thrilling gossip provoked was hard for even adults to resist, so the nobility with free time flocked to the Württemberg marquis’s residence to watch the duel.
“But where exactly is Brandenburg? What territory do they have?”
“Hm, I think there’s the Brandenburg Margraviate in the northeast.”
“…Are you referring to the Eastern Electorate of Brandenburg?”
Especially for the adults—though they were just kids—they couldn’t dismiss the fact that the Württemberg marquis family, a prominent force in central politics, was clashing with the Brandenburg family, which, in the east, held a reputation higher than the emperor’s. The dopamine from that rivalry was intoxicating.
With a massive number of nobles gathering to watch, armored Yom and Wilhelm faced each other across an observer.
The observer asked them,
“Do you both swear before the Lord that you will accept the outcome of this sacred duel?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”
Yom glared slightly at Wilhelm’s nonchalant attitude, but the observer seemed unfazed, having dealt with such situations before.
“You both claim to want to distinguish truth from falsehood in the rumors surrounding this duel, correct?”
Both men nodded. The observer continued with the procedures.
“This battle is dedicated to the Lord, and He will witness this duel to discern whose claim is justified. He shall always stand for justice, and will surely lend strength to the one who speaks the truth.”
He first extended his hand to Yom.
“Please state your assertion.”
Yom confidently replied, “Sir Wilhelm von Brandenburg threatened Her Highness Maria to seize her partner’s position.”
“Understood.”
The observer instructed one of his aides to document this and turned to Wilhelm.
“Please state your assertion.”
Since Yom wasn’t sure what Wilhelm would claim, he listened carefully.
Wilhelm, with a wicked smile, looked at Yom and said, “I’ve heard that Yom von Württemberg has a hobby of cross-dressing and wandering around the city.”
“What?!”
“Excuse me?”
While there were onlookers present, such duels typically proceeded without their involvement, so Wilhelm didn’t raise his voice.
But his claim was jaw-dropping shock all on its own.
“W-what does that even mean?!”
Naturally, Yom attempted to refute this, but before he could regain his composure, the observer intervened.
“Now that both of you have sworn to this sacred duel, only the Lord can discern the truth. Lord Yom von Württemberg, please return to your place.”
“Y-you little rat…!”
Wilhelm raised an eyebrow at Yom’s curse.
“Wow, why does such a privileged young master have such a foul mouth?”
Yom, enraged by Wilhelm’s provocation, quickly focused and infused his sword with magic.
‘An expert, huh? Well, a marquis family would have some traditional sword skills or training techniques, I suppose.’
Wilhelm observed Yom’s stance and the sharpness of his sword, trying to gauge his level. He too readied his stance.
The observer confirmed that both had completed their preparations for battle. Normally, he would initiate these instructions first, but in situations where emotions had run high enough to lead to a duel, that was not uncommon.
He shrugged, stepped back, and extended his hand forward.
“Well then, from now on—”
The crowd’s eyes were fixed on his fingertips, as the observer drew out each word with dramatic flair.
At that moment, he raised his arms to the sky.
“Let the battle begin!”
Boom!
With a tremendous sound, the two swords clashed.