Chapter 327 The Pinnacle of Foolishness
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Pressner’s POV)
(Isn’t he here──)
The guild’s table.
Sitting across from me is a kid named Hiroya.
Between us stands Bone Schnabel.
He cheerfully smiles and presents the duel agreement on the table.
”Well, as I said yesterday, Alberich Pressner has challenged this duel for the honor of a knight. ──If you lose, you will just be a ‘failed rapist.’ You will lose also your wife and daughter. But──”
With a grin, Bone shifts his gaze to Sasha Zett, who stands behind the kid, and her female guard.
”──If you win, your honor will be preserved, and you can also obtain these two exquisite women.”
Saying this, he first placed the document in front of the kid.
”Now, sign it, kid.”
The kid, pen in hand, checks the document and looks up once.
”Mr. Bone, about this… ‘Carla’ is his wife, and ‘Sandra’ is his daughter, right?”
”That’s right. What of it?”
”What does it mean by Ms. Sasha and Shinobu, and their transfer? Slavery is prohibited in the kingdom, right?”
”Ah… that’s true… it’s not a contract with a slave mark, but it’s basically like being a slave. They trade their human rights as part of a bet. There’s no prohibition on owning or transferring slaves, you see.”
The two are chatting about various things, but I’m unable to join the conversation as I’m preoccupied with thinking of a way to somehow win this duel.
”It’s like ‘the real thoughts and the facade’, right? I get it. ──Now about the ‘ownership rights’ here, what does it mean that I will own his wife and daughter? I’m just acting as a proxy for Ms. Sasha’s duel, so wouldn’t the ownership rights belong to Ms. Sasha?”
”That’s not right, kid. The one who was challenged to the duel is you. It’s Hiroya O’Brien. You’re the one fighting for Lady Sasha’s honor.”
”I see. I got the general idea. Thanks.”
The conversation ended, and it seems the kid signed the document.
”Alright, next is you, Knight Pressner.”
I signed the document that was handed to me.
After picking it up and reading it, Bone signed in the final signature space.
”Alright! With this, the preparations for the duel are complete. Let’s move to the training ground in the back.”
Bone leads me and the kid.
(I wonder if those guys are thinking up some kind of strategy for me…)
If this kid is as rumored, there’s no way I can win against him in a fair fight.
* * *
(Hiroya’s POV)
”Wow… the crowd is amazing…”
A large crowd surrounded the training area of the guild.
In the front row of one section, members of the clans ‘Famière’ and ‘Rose Hip’ were occupying the seats.
”Hiroya isn’t the type to get scared over something like this, right?”
”You have to give it your all, Hiroya.”
The ones following me are Kazumi and Rena.
Pressner has 2 soldiers, one of whom seems to be an acquaintance of Meluda from the Royal Capital days.
It’s creepy how the soldier, who was an acquaintance of Meluda, whispered to Pressner, who then grinned.
Even though Pressner said it was before the duel started, he walked toward my side.
”What’s wrong, Knight Pressner? The duel hasn’t even started yet.”
Bone called out, but Pressner replied, “Just saying hello,” standing right in front of me.
”Can you see the window of the inn in front of you, kid? I’ve kidnapped someone who was in your mansion. If you care about their life… you understand, right?”
I diverted my gaze from the lewd smile of Pressner and looked at the window I was directed to…
”Kazumi, Rena, that is…”
”Oh my, you’ve taken quite a valuable hostage again, haven’t you?”
”Whoa… you’re quite the idiot, aren’t you?”
With my arms held by soldiers on both sides, the one looking this way is──
”Pressner, do you even know who that person is?”
”What did you say?”
Pressner turned around to look at the window…
and dropped the wooden sword he was holding.
”To… Toldo Freeberry…!”
”I knew it. It doesn’t seem like you were the one who ordered it. Ah, maybe whoever could capture him just gave an order? ──You don’t even know who got captured.”
The two soldiers accompanying Pressner find this situation strange.
They turned around.
Then, a soldier who knew Meluda hurriedly ran over to us.
Well, he know him too, right?
After all, he’s his acquaintance’s grandfather.
”Mr. Bone! There’s a people even over there, and it’s someone I know! Can we have them watch from here?”
I called out to Bone and pointed to the window where Toldo was.
Bone looked up at the inn’s window and grinned.
”Isn’t that the renowned blacksmith, Mr. Toldo Freeberry? You know some impressive people, don’t you, kid?”
Saying that, Bone instructed the soldier accompanying Pressner to “Go fetch him.”
Then he approached me and Pressner… and whispered in Pressner’s ear.
”You’re using some pretty dirty tricks, aren’t you, Sir Pressne? But I don’t really dislike that kind of bad struggle, you know?”
* * *
(Pressner’s POV)
(All of them are incompetent, together!)
To think my pawn would take the ‘great craftsman of the kingdom’, Toldo Freeberry, hostage.
How foolish can they be?
In the end, after bringing Mr. Toldo to the training ground, we sat him next to Bone, and the duel began.
(At this point… with my first move of magic, I’ll take that kid’s breath away──)
”Duel… start!”
”Fireball!”
As soon as Bone’s call to start went out, I shot magic at the kid.
I’ll catch him when he dodges and loses his stance!
A fireball explodes at the feet of the kid who jumped back.
And then I dive into his space at full speed──
”Huh?”
Before I knew it, the kid was right in front of me.
The Bokken sword he had drawn was at my right side…
”That’s enough!”
At Bone’s voice, the kid immediately halted the Bokken sword’s movement.
(I got you!)
I swept the kid’s torso with the wooden sword in my hand.
A dull impact resonated in my arm.
”I won!”
The kid was sent flying and knelt on the ground.
”What are you talking about, Pressner? You’re the one who lost. ──What a silly match. I thought you’d put up a better fight.”
”What are you saying? After taking my blow, the kid should be sitting there!”
I stepped closer to Bone.
”Are you really that stupid? Do I have to explain each and every thing to you?”
Bone dug at his ear with his pinky finger and said with exasperation.
”First of all, that’s a rule violation. You’ve already lost here.”
”A rule violation, you say?”
”──Direct attack magic was supposed to be banned.”
From the side, the guild master interjected.
”Also, you didn’t even hit your opponent!”
”Are you stupid? That was because the boy dodged my attack, right? I was aiming perfectly, but in the end it just missed.”
”Hmm…”
”Well, let’s give in and accept that it didn’t hit him──”
This time, Bone is pressing me.
”No. Didn’t the boy’s quick draw land on your right side? I stopped it right then, saying ‘That’s enough!’”
”That wasn’t even a hit! But my strike caught the kid!”
”Are you an idiot? Attacking after the referee’s order to stop is something a knight should never do.”
”I did not hear any such order!”
”Haa… Guild Master, it’s up to you. This fool doesn’t understand anything…”
Bone, what a rude man.
As expected of the troublesome one known as a member of the royal family.
”In the first place, attacking after the stop order is utterly unacceptable. ──Pressner, where exactly did your strike hit Hiroya?”
In place of Bone, the Guild Master asks.
”It hit his torso! My horizontal slash connected!”
”…Hiroya, come over here.”
The kid walks over here, called by the Guild Master.
The Guild Master grabs the kid’s left arm and shows it to me.
”It’s blocked. See, you can tell by looking at this gauntlet.”
The kid’s gauntlet is torn, revealing the metal underneath.
(When did he catch it…!?)
”And Pressner, take a look at your right side. That happened because Hiroya held back his strike.”
Upon hearing that, I shift my gaze to my own body.
”Wh-what is this!?”
The metal armor covering my upper body.
The area around my right side…
”It’s caved in…! I didn’t feel any impact at all!”
”It’s because Hiroya held back. The pressure from the sword alone destroyed the armor. In this duel, no matter how you look at it, you have lost.”
* * *
(Hiroya’s POV)
Pressner, kneeling down dejectedly, is informed of his defeat by the guild master.
I thought they would come without caring about appearances, but I didn’t expect an attack magic right away.
I managed to dodge it with my father’s eyes power and ‘Physical Boost.’
On top of that, there was a strike right after the voice said, ‘That’s enough!’
I did not have the luxury to evade, but it was manageable to receive it with my gauntlet.
(I didn’t think he was that corrupt. I let my guard down.)
”Mr. Pressner, I think it was good that you renounced your knight title. I do not want someone like you to be the same ‘proud knight’ as Master Müller.”
I said that and walked towards Kazumi and Rena.
When I glanced at Bone, he was just releasing a bird that looked like a raptor into the sky.
”Mr. Bone, what was that?”
”Ah, I contacted the Royal Capital. I sent a letter saying, ‘Send Pressner’s wife and daughter to Razia Village.’ It will be included with this incident.”
Saying that, Bone winked at me.
…He really is an endearing old man.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply