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“This bastard really has lost it now, hasn’t he? You better get ready to lick my boots while crying.”

The two moved toward the training grounds. News of the duel spread quickly, and people began to flock to the area. The rumor that the ill-tempered Grand Duke was about to get beaten was too good of a spectacle to miss.

Even some knights who were off duty showed up. Among them, Ghislain noticed one drunk knight and smiled as if he were happy to see him.

‘Oh, Skovan’s here too.’

The knight, stumbling around with a red nose, was Skovan. He had boasted to everyone about how Ghislain had performed during the subjugation, but no one believed him. Instead, he was criticized, with people accusing him of giving all the credit to Ghislain just to curry favor with the heir to the estate.

Before long, he had become known as a sycophantic knight, someone who had flattered the Grand Duke from an early age. The titles that followed him were “Lying Knight” and “The Knight Who Abandoned Honor.”

From that point on, Skovan lived in a drunken stupor. No one believed him, and he lost his knight’s honor. With no purpose left, he had no choice but to drown himself in alcohol.

Ghislain, fully aware of the rumors, felt a twinge of pity.

‘Those disgraceful titles will disappear soon enough. Hang in there, Skovan. Just endure.’

Ghislain and Kane didn’t start the duel immediately; they waited for enough people to gather. It was customary to allow onlookers time to assemble when a duel was about to take place. In Ferdium, where entertainment was scarce, these duels were events not to be missed.

Once a sufficient crowd had gathered, a knight stepped forward and spoke.

“Alright, it looks like enough people are here. Let’s begin.”

The crowd began placing bets on who they thought would win. The problem was everyone bet on Kane.

“This isn’t going to work; the bet can’t stand like this.”

“Well, the outcome’s obvious, so there’s no helping it.”

“How about changing the terms of the bet?”

“Let’s wager on how long the Grand Duke will last instead.”

Hearing this commotion, Kane smirked arrogantly. From how people reacted, it was clear who the favorite was.

“In that case, let’s change the rules. The standard is…”

“Wait.”

Just as the knight was about to alter the rules, a slurred voice interrupted.

“Skovan?”

Skovan, looking disinterested, didn’t even bother to respond as he set down his bottle. Then, he rummaged through his belongings, pulled out a pouch filled with money, and tossed it forward.

Thud!

The knight caught the heavy pouch and, with a strange smile, asked mockingly.

“What’s this? Why so much? You’re not serious, are you?”

Skovan, his eyes bloodshot and teeth clenched growled.

“I’m betting everything I have on the Grand Duke. If you’re scared, you might as well just die.”

The knight’s face brightened at Skovan’s words.

“Good. Yeah, this is how the bet should go. But the amount feels a little lacking.”

No matter how much Skovan scraped together his entire fortune, how much could a knight from a poor territory really earn from his salary?

Besides, he had been spending most of that on alcohol lately, so it wasn’t as though he had much money to spare.

“Hey, does anyone else want to bet on the Grand Duke?”

Since the rest of the people had all bet on Kane, even if they won, they would have to split Skovan’s money among several people.

Though the amount Skovan had bet wasn’t insignificant compared to the others, it still felt a bit lacking when it came to splitting it among everyone.

“Ugh, it’s a shame, but I guess we’ll proceed like this. Then…”

At that moment, the door to the training grounds opened, and Elena entered, walking in with her maids.
She wore a proud expression as she stood before the knight and gracefully placed a pouch of money on the table.

“I’ll place a bet, too.”

The knight cringed slightly at the sight of Elena, whose eyes were dark with shadows under them, before asking for confirmation.

“Who exactly are you betting on?”

“On my mother’s son.”

“Understood.”

The knight, delighted, collected the money.

Due to the poverty of the Ferdium family, Elena hadn’t been receiving much for her living expenses either.

Still, she was a noble, so when her money was added to Skovan’s, it became an amount that everyone was satisfied with.

Elena sat in the chair her maids had prepared for her and suddenly met Skovan’s gaze.
It was a sense of shared pain. The two could understand each other’s suffering.

Like Skovan, Elena was also treated as a liar trying to support Ghislain.
It was frustrating that no one believed her, and lately, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly.

‘My lady, this is so unfair.’

‘I feel like I’m going crazy from how unfair it is, too.’

The duel finally began as the two exchanged glances, silently conversing with their eyes.
Ghislain swung his sword through the air a few times before pointing it at Kane.

“Come on.”

“What?”

“You said you wanted to fight, right? Come at me. No matter what, it’s cowardly for a master to attack a novice first.”

“You bastard!”

Kane raised his sword and charged at him with a wild rush.

Being at least a head taller and much bulkier than Ghislain, the scene of their duel looked like a bullfight.

Clang!

The two swords collided with a loud crash.

Kane glared at Ghislain as if he wanted to kill him, gathering all his strength.

‘I’ll turn him into a cripple.’

How dare Ghislain suddenly challenge him? Kane couldn’t forgive him.

Just as the rumors said, this bastard must have gone completely insane.

‘The best medicine for a madman is a beating.’

Kane truly believed that. Up until now, he had never seen anyone who didn’t listen after being beaten.

The problem was that Ghislain thought the exact same way.

‘Is there something that can’t be solved with strength? Then maybe you just don’t have enough strength.’

As their swords clashed, Ghislain was evaluating Kane.

‘As expected, his strength isn’t bad at all. With his build, he probably has decent endurance, too. Looks like I won’t have to worry about what happens next, so that I can beat him up a bit. He’s good at cursing and probably would’ve made a great bandit. A bit of a shame.’

His size and strength far surpassed those of his peers, likely thanks to being well-fed and well-rested.

Most formal knights wouldn’t stand a chance against Kane alone in terms of raw strength.

‘Now, let’s see how his swordsmanship holds up.’

Clang! Clang!

The two swords collided rapidly without pause.

People were astonished as they watched Ghislain handle his sword with ease. Even Kane, who was facing him directly, couldn’t believe what was happening.

‘W-what the hell! When did his skills improve this much?!’

Ghislain struggled to block even a single strike the last time they sparred.

Kane had expected the same outcome today, but the reality was different. Ghislain was now easily blocking or dodging every one of his attacks.

While Kane groaned and swung his sword furiously, the spectators couldn’t help but marvel at Ghislain’s impressive performance.

“The Grand Duke’s skills have improved a lot!”

“Could it be that Lord Kane is weaker?”

“They both look pretty flashy to me.”

“Usually, it’s the ones without skills who fight more dramatically.”

Hearing the crowd whispering, Kane’s face turned red with embarrassment.
He had intended to crush Ghislain in one blow but hadn’t landed a single hit.

‘Damn it! Why can’t I hit him?!’

As Kane grew increasingly frustrated, Ghislain smiled and lightly stepped back.

“Shall I make this a bit more interesting?”

“What?”

Everyone around them turned their curious eyes toward Ghislain.

Click.

Ghislain calmly sheathed his sword and, shaking both hands, spoke casually.

“I’ll fight barehanded. The level difference is so obvious that I must give you a handicap to make this fun.”

‘And besides, feeling the impact when I hit with my bare hands is more satisfying.’

Kane’s face flushed with anger at the sudden provocation.

“You, you bastard!”

Ghislain paid no attention to him and instead raised both hands toward the crowd, urging them to cheer.

“Hahaha! This is fun!”

“Wow! The Grand Duke has improved so much!”

“Just win, somebody!”

Duel between knights or nobles usually had a certain level of dignity and solemnity.
That had its own charm, but it was undeniable that what Ghislain was doing now, with his showmanship, was much more entertaining for the audience.

Ghislain, looking around at everyone, threw out another bold statement.

“If I win, I’ll buy everyone here drinks and meat!”

“Wow! That’s awesome!”

“Go, Grand Duke!”

“As expected of the heir of Ferdium!”

He didn’t have money, but he promised anyway.

This was how Ghislain, who had lived as a mercenary, operated.

Mercenaries’ duels usually played out this way.

They showed off their skills, attracted attention to themselves, and skillfully manipulated the atmosphere to their advantage.

To the nobles, Ghislain’s behavior seemed vulgar beyond belief, but for the spectators, that only made it all the more entertaining.

As the crowd cheered, Kane clenched his teeth and looked around.

“You… you crazy bastard! How dare you pull this kind of stunt in a sacred duel!”

In an instant, the atmosphere had turned chaotic, like a bustling marketplace. It felt like Kane had become nothing more than a gladiator slave put on display for the audience’s amusement.

As Kane stood there flustered, Ghislain clicked his tongue and spoke.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a fight. Sacred? What’s so sacred about it? Did the temple sponsor you or something? Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense that doesn’t suit you?”

“Don’t you have any pride as a noble, you bastard?!”

“Nope, none at all. Are you just going to keep talking? If you’re too scared, I can fight you with just one finger.”

Ghislain wiggled his finger tauntingly, and the people around them burst out laughing.
Rather than viewing it as a noble duel, the crowd found it more relatable, like a brawl between common street thugs.

“Wahaha!”

“The Grand Duke’s personality seems different now!”

“Still, this is way more fun to watch!”

For a brief moment, the image of the pitiful Ghislain from the past disappeared from their minds.

Instead, they began to anticipate what else he might show them next.

Amidst the loud cheers from the crowd and Ghislain’s provocations, Kane lost his temper and shouted furiously.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

“Ah, you’re still just talking. I told you not to.”

Swoosh!

Ghislain suddenly dashed toward Kane and swung his palm toward Kane’s head.

Thwack!

“Gah!”

Kane let out a painful groan, unable to retaliate against the surprise attack.

Even though it was just a slap, his skull throbbed as if it had been shaken to its core.

Grabbing his head, Kane staggered backward, bellowing like a bull before charging at Ghislain again.

“You arrogant bastard!”

But Ghislain dodged the attack effortlessly and immediately began beating Kane’s body.

Thwack!

“Ugh! You bastard!”

Thwack!

“You damn… argh!”

Thwack!

“How dare you… keuk!”

Thwack!

“W-wait!”

Thwack!

Kane couldn’t even attempt a counterattack, nor could he properly curse, as he continued to take blows.

The onlookers watched with awe in their eyes.

“The Grand Duke’s movements….”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Has he always been this skilled?”

Ghislain’s movements were sometimes graceful, sometimes beautiful, and at other times, fierce.

Even the knights who had been watching were left in shock at his dazzling display of skill.

Every movement Ghislain made was filled with masterful technique, a level that was impossible for someone of the Grand Duke’s age to achieve.

Even when comparing himself to Ghislain, it was hard to say he was superior confidently.

“Waaaah!”

“The Grand Duke is the best!”

“He’s so cool!”

The spectators couldn’t help but cheer as they watched.

The more dazzling Ghislain’s punches became, the more the audience felt exhilaration as if their frustrations were being blown away.

On top of that, seeing Kane get beaten up was its own source of pleasure.

After all, no one liked him, since he often came by just to harass people.

‘Now, I suppose it’s time to really begin.’

Feeling that the atmosphere had shifted entirely in his favor, Ghislain decided to deliver the final blow.

He looked at Kane, swollen all over and on the verge of tears, and smiled wickedly.

“Hey.”

“…?”

“Bite down tight. If you don’t, you might end up biting off your own tongue.”

Boom!

The moment Ghislain’s fist slammed into Kane’s stomach, it sounded like a thunderclap had struck.

The spectators were so shocked that they instinctively stepped back.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kane flew across the training ground incredibly fast, crashing hard into the wall.
When his body finally slumped to the ground, cracks that hadn’t been there before appeared on the wall behind him.

That was the result of just one punch.

The knights who saw the scene wore expressions of disbelief.

“H-how is that even possible?”

“I didn’t sense any mana, though…”

In truth, Ghislain had quickly infused his fist with mana and swiftly withdrew it.

However, to those watching, it looked as though Ghislain had demonstrated immense power without using any mana at all.

Only a master could manipulate mana with such precision.

“Wooo! It’s over!”

“The Grand Duke won!”

“I can’t believe it! The Grand Duke actually won the duel!”

The crowd cheered, but for Ghislain, it wasn’t over yet.

If he had a heart kind enough to end things here, he wouldn’t have survived the rough world of mercenaries in the first place.

“But he’s still not dead. He hasn’t even surrendered. Guess I’ll have to keep going.”

Ghislain approached the fallen Kane.

Kane, barely clinging to consciousness, weakly opened his mouth.

“S-stop… I, I surr—”

“Hm? What was that? I can’t hear you.”

“I s-surr—”

“I still can’t hear you.”

Just as Kane was about to declare his surrender, Ghislain’s fist struck him right in the philtrum.

Thwack!