Ch.43Duel #6

“Haha, well, this is something…”

While the faint rattling of carriage wheels could be heard, Ellen’s voice, tinged with admiration, reached my ears.

“What’s the matter?”

“Hmm. I’m just feeling unexpectedly nervous. It’s my first time entering a royal palace in my life. I find that rather curious.”

“Ah… I see.”

The answer to my casual question was so unexpected that I tried to suppress the laughter that threatened to burst out.

It was impossible not to react when seeing a woman who had lived for so long getting excited like a child.

At the same time, Ellen’s reaction was perfectly understandable.

As a mercenary summoned to battlefields and a Dark Elf living under contemptuous gazes, she would naturally have little connection to royal palaces.

If anything, having close ties with royalty would be more suspicious.

“There’s no need to be nervous. His Majesty is only here as a notary. And once the duel is over, we’ll leave immediately, so you won’t need to worry about other humans’ judgmental looks.”

“I appreciate your consideration… but I’m not a woman who lives constantly worrying about others’ opinions. I’ve grown to find harsh gazes rather comforting.”

Ellen responded to Helena’s considerate words with a rough smile.

She knew well what kind of glares Dark Elves received, but her message was clear—she would never tolerate anyone crossing the line.

Helena merely nodded quietly with a slight smile. Ellen seemed to strictly follow her own principles, so there was no need to worry about her now.

Besides, thinking about it, it was almost amusing for humans with such short life experiences to offer such advice. After all, Ellen had lived twice as long as us and would continue to do so.

“That’s good to hear.”

“Still, I appreciate your consideration. I’ve never met humans like you before. It makes dealing with you somewhat awkward at times, but also quite comfortable.”

Ellen wore a gentle smile, as if she had opened her heart halfway, if not completely.

From the perspective of someone who had invited her, it was a reassuring sight.

I initially wondered if we were being too relaxed before a duel, but then changed my mind, thinking this was actually better.

Excessive tension could lead to timidity, making it difficult to demonstrate one’s true abilities.

Though I doubted these women would have their skills diminished by such things.

◎◎◎

We arrived by carriage, passed through security, and entered the knights’ training grounds within the royal palace.

There was a training field larger and better maintained than the one at Krauser’s mansion, reminiscent of a grand stage.

—Gasp! A Dark Elf…!

I remained silent, recalling the face of the soldier who had been startled upon seeing Ellen at the checkpoint.

It wasn’t just that soldier; we had to endure uncomfortable stares all the way to this training field.

The hostility was so thick that even I, not the direct target, felt uncomfortable.

“Are you alright?”

“Heh. Why are you so concerned? As I said before, I find such obvious stares more comfortable. Look, when people’s intentions are so clear, I don’t need to guess what they’re thinking. How convenient.”

“…I worried for nothing, it seems.”

I was so impressed by Ellen’s composure that I wanted to applaud her.

Thanks to her, what little tension I had felt dissipated, leaving me feeling as comfortable as if I were at home.

I almost let my guard down completely as a side effect.

“Lord Krauser. Are you really sure about this?”

While I was collecting my thoughts and composure, Ellen asked, alternating her gaze between Helena and the people on Killinear’s side across from us.

The swarm of knights gathered there was truly an impressive sight.

“Sure about what? Oh. You mean those knights?”

“Yes. I heard that the Lord would be facing a hundred expert-level masters… and they look quite formidable. Many high-ranked ones, and even some top-tier scattered among them…”

“I expected this much. It’s fine.”

Helena nodded with unusual confidence, unlike her usual self.

Normally being rather timid by nature and not one to hastily predict victory, today she seemed quite different from her usual demeanor.

I interpreted this not as confidence but as determination.

Given the situation where losing wasn’t an option, it seemed more like she was driven by the compulsion to remove obstacles quickly rather than arrogance.

If that weren’t the case, Helena wouldn’t be wearing such an ice-cold expression.

“Ten against one… Considering the size of the training field, that seems appropriate.”

Helena, who had stepped onto the field first, nodded as she watched the knights approaching from the opposite side.

Despite their evident reluctance to gang up on a single person—a woman, no less—they couldn’t hide their tension.

After all, their opponent was no ordinary woman but a Sword Master.

However, I found it puzzling that they hadn’t completely surrounded the perimeter to cut off any escape route.

Of course, I understood that too many people could restrict movement and cause confusion, leading to them tripping over each other.

But blocking escape routes was a different matter.

It seemed like they only needed to maintain their positions outside the training field.

“I think they didn’t station knights around the perimeter because of… knightly pride or dignity, something like that.”

Ellen, who had moved closer to me, muttered in a low voice.

The fact that she accurately answered a question I hadn’t even voiced aloud suggested my expression must have been quite transparent.

“Is that so? It doesn’t seem like they would be swayed by such emotions after accepting the Duke’s invitation.”

“I can’t completely dismiss your opinion. Still, that’s what I think. Or perhaps they decided to approach in turns to avoid interfering with their allies.”

“So in the end, all we have are speculations.”

“Pretty much.”

We reached the somewhat disappointing conclusion that our thoughts were all just conjecture.

It couldn’t be helped—the duel had already begun, and we were just spectators now.

We couldn’t intervene, nor would knowing the answer change anything at this point.

All I could hope for was that Helena would win without killing them.

◎◎◎

“Begin.”

With the solemn voice of King Soter seated at the high seat, the first act of the duel commenced.

The knights activated their Aura Blades as soon as they heard the king’s declaration.

Originally, the rules dictated that the match would end only when the opponent surrendered or died, but at least they wouldn’t die today. Despite this, their tension was evident.

And for good reason—not dying didn’t mean they wouldn’t be injured.

Especially if they suffered injuries that would prevent them from continuing as knights, they would face a fate worse than death.

The knights had responded to the Duke’s persuasion and threats to be here, but regardless of the outcome, they needed to protect their bodies.

This was different from not exerting their full abilities due to self-preservation.

“Come on, then.”

Helena’s ice-cold voice instantly pricked the knights’ nerves.

Not using an Aura Blade and merely flicking her sword tip—everything about her posture was provocatively unusual.

The knights facing Helena all thought this, yet they hesitated to step forward.

This wasn’t a time-limited duel.

They could have approached more leisurely, but the hearts of the knights on the field and the rest of the group were burning black with anxiety.

Helena’s increasing pressure was squeezing their hearts.

“Then… excuse me!”

The knights exchanged quick glances before charging forward together.

More precisely, they planned to form a formation surrounding Helena before attacking simultaneously.

With limited space to swing swords from the front, it was a natural choice.

Excuse me, in this situation?

Helena watched the visibly tense knights and slowly raised her sword, concentrating her distinctive black aura only at the tip of the blade.

She was always efficient with her aura usage, but this action declared she would drastically reduce aura consumption.

It also conveyed another message:

The tip of her sword would be enough for opponents of their caliber.

“Ugh…!”

Even in a situation with such a vast difference in skill, being so blatantly mocked naturally provoked anger.

The knights understood Helena’s intent well and tightened their grip on their swords.

The fear that had lingered like smoke dissipated, replaced by anger.

And with that anger, their swords swung down from ten different directions.

Neck, shoulders, arms, ankles, legs—attacks came from all directions without any openings, clearly swung with the intent to kill.

King Soter’s expression tensed with concern.

Even if she became a slave, a Sword Master’s power wouldn’t disappear, but falling to such an attack would be a significant loss.

He had agreed to witness this duel after his own calculations, but it shouldn’t end so pathetically.

However, the king’s worry was utterly unnecessary.

“Huh…!”

When did she—?!

One of the knights swallowed air in shock, staring at his sword that had been deflected without warning.

Helena, who had been standing still until the moment they swung their swords, had somehow spun around once and deflected all the blades.

Like a butterfly’s wing beat, Jion thought.

Having focused solely on Helena’s movements from beginning to end, he could barely glimpse the black lines tracing through space in the span of a single short breath.

Not completely, but most of it.

“Tsk.”

Helena clicked her tongue and swung her sword toward three knights in front of her.

Two knights behind her had corrected their stance and attacked faster than expected, requiring an even quicker response.

“Argh!!”

Her sword penetrated deeply into the knights’ arms, partially protected by black gauntlets.

Thanks to the aura concentrated only at the sword’s tip, their arms weren’t half-severed, but the wounds were critical enough to potentially prevent them from gripping objects.

The cuts reached nearly to the arm bones close to their wrists.

The knights groaned and inevitably dropped their swords.

“To think the sword tip would waver this much.”

Helena, who had somehow spun around again, muttered in a low voice.

Though her sword swings showed no hesitation, the tip of her blade was wavering.

Because the knights who had attacked her alongside their comrades had suffered deep wounds in the blink of an eye.

“How pathetic.”

Helena usually treated opponents with courtesy, but when Jion was involved, she seemed to crumple that courtesy like trash.

Challenging Duke Killinear to a territory duel from across the hall with a sinister smile was one such action, as was her unrestrained provocation toward the knights.

And now, rolling on the ground after deflecting a sword aimed low at her legs was another such action.

There was no need to roll on the ground in this situation—it wasn’t because she was at a disadvantage, but rather a calculated move to thoroughly crush her opponents.

That calculation involved cutting the Achilles tendons behind their ankles.

“Aaaagh!!”

“I can’t… I can’t put any strength in it…!!”

When the strong cord that supports the body is cut, standing becomes difficult.

This was no exception even for expert-level knights.

Unless they could receive treatment from a mage later, these were wounds that made standing impossible in the current situation.

“Hup!”

But as if Helena’s humiliation was just beginning, an even more shocking sight captivated the audience’s attention.

She kicked the breastplates of the knights who were groaning while clutching their severed Achilles tendons, using them as projectiles.

“Guhk?!”

Perhaps because it happened so suddenly and unexpectedly?

The knights who had been targeting Helena’s back flew outside the training field, embracing their comrades’ bodies.

The force was so strong that the plate mail breastplates she had kicked were grotesquely dented.

“Next.”

Yet Helena, who had caused this devastation, calmly demanded her next opponents.