Ch.78Amelia Windsor (3)

I couldn’t speak in the face of Winter’s mana, which felt like it could freeze anything it touched. Blue ice crystals gradually spread across the floor around Winter, which was coldly embedded in the ground.

Behind Winter, Karon knelt on one knee, sweating profusely. He had barely dodged at the last moment.

But he hadn’t escaped unscathed. His entire left arm was frozen. He grimaced in pain as he clutched his left arm.

“…What a calamity. To think such power belongs to a child who only knows how to throw tantrums.”

Ruide paid no attention to Karon’s words. His focus was solely on the faint scratch on Amelia’s cheek.

If they had picked a fight with him directly, he would have let it go. He might have even joked, “Yes, I am indeed a pathetic person.”

But his family had been hurt. He was angry. Angry at himself for being indecisive, and angry at Karon for causing trouble and making him angry.

‘This isn’t a situation I can avoid. What I need to show now is strength.’

Ruide raised his arm. In sync with his movement, Winter slowly levitated. Winter’s blade pointed toward Karon. Just as a bead of cold sweat trickled down Karon’s forehead…

Ruide lowered his arm.

Clang!

However, Winter was blocked. Not by Karon, but by Shearer’s sword.

“That’s enough, young lord.”

Shearer’s sword was surrounded by invisible mana. Winter continuously attempted to freeze Shearer’s entire body but was blocked and couldn’t advance.

“……”

Ruide repositioned Winter to a blind spot where Shearer couldn’t see it.

As if reading his thoughts, Shearer spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Young lord. Calm down.”

At that moment, Karon suddenly lunged at Ruide, aiming for his back.

Without even looking back, Ruide pulled another sword from subspace and hurled it at Karon. He left Winter to deal with Shearer.

Clang!

Karon deflected the flying sword. However, his stance collapsed significantly, and he staggered. The sword broke in half. Unlike Winter, it wasn’t a divine weapon. But it had achieved its original purpose of blocking Karon’s attack.

That bought him casting time. Ruide muttered runes and stretched his hand toward Karon. His mana flowed excessively, flashing in his eyes.

“Goodbye.”

Ruide clenched his fist. Immediately, the result of this magic formed in his mind.

Karon would disappear. Torn apart at the particle level by the strong gravity closing in from all directions, his very existence would be impossible to find in this world.

‘Not enough.’

But—it wasn’t enough.

Ruide couldn’t be satisfied with just that. If Karon died like this, it would be meaningless. It would be too easy. Karon would die without even knowing what he did wrong. He would die believing he had been right all along.

‘I’ll toy with him.’

Ruide’s anger was greater than he thought. Like a wolf playing with its prey before killing it, he wanted to break the pride of the Vice-captain of the Empire’s finest knights.

So Ruide lowered the power. He reset the magic formula drawn in his mind and decided to shoot only a simple mass of mana.

“Y-you’re insane.”

Countless blue spheres appeared in the air.

“He’s very angry.”

Damon quietly surrounded himself with a barrier and closed his eyes.

Ruide glared at Karon and fired the mana masses. A straight line of blue lights struck Karon directly.

Karon blocked or dodged them with dazzling sword movements. He took hits that weren’t fatal. Ruide’s eyes gradually sank deeper. He was deliberately firing in a way that made it easy for Karon to deflect the light. Ruide was waiting.

‘Your pattern is simple.’

Block one attack, then attack once. A typical counter method. As expected, an attack would come the moment he showed an opening.

“Hup!”

At that moment, Karon lowered his stance and placed his sword at his waist. Just as expected.

‘I’ll give it right back to you.’

Ruide completed a magic spell designed to reverse causality. It could reflect any attack coming at him.

If someone tried to kill him, they would die; if they tried to inflict a fatal wound, they would suffer one themselves.

This was on a different level from the barrier he had used earlier. If even this was broken through, he planned to use Winter, but he was confident that wouldn’t happen.

However.

Ruide sensed Shearer’s arm moving.

“You calm down too, Vice-captain.”

Clang—!

Karon’s sword was blocked by Shearer. Karon dropped his sword as if caught off guard.

‘…What kind of magic did he use?’

There was quite a distance between Karon and Shearer. Yet, Shearer had subdued Karon just by drawing his sword through the air.

‘Shearer is dangerous indeed.’

Ruide reassessed the threat. From Karon to Shearer.

“Damn it.”

Karon cursed as he sheathed his sword.

“Who said we’re done? I haven’t even started yet. Draw your sword again.”

Ruide had no intention of stopping.

‘I’ll block Shearer’s attack by twisting causality, then quickly finish Karon with Winter.’

He was formulating countermeasures, anticipating that another Teuton Knights member, Judith, would also step in.

“Rui.”

Amelia embraced Ruide.

“That’s enough.”

Ruide had planned to face all the Teuton Knights. He intended to neutralize them all and issue a clear warning. And he wanted to receive an apology. Without fail.

‘…She’s trembling.’

But he noticed that Amelia’s body, which was holding him, was trembling slightly. Ruide turned his head.

She wasn’t trembling from fear. With his mana heightened to the extreme during battle, Ruide could tell. This resonance was anger. Amelia was angry. Much more than he was.

Yet she was holding it back.

“I’ll handle this, brother.”

“……”

Ruide stared at Amelia for a long time. Looking into Amelia’s eyes, which had the same blue color as his own, seemed to calm his mind.

Ruide slightly closed his eyes and sent Winter back to the armory. Opening his eyes, he answered as usual.

“Okay.”

Ruide’s mana, which had seemed about to explode, subsided instantly.

Seeing Ruide’s face return to normal, Amelia felt relieved. She stroked Ruide’s head with sad eyes, then stood up.

“How should I interpret this, Sir Karon?”

Amelia spoke while barely suppressing her anger.

“I heard you were my brother’s escort. You said so yourself. Yet, to attack your charge… This is unacceptable behavior.”

She took off her glove. She threw it in front of Karon, who was sitting down. Karon only moved his eyes to look at the glove.

“I challenge you to a duel. In a public place, fair and square. Of course, after you’ve fully recovered.”

“…!”

The difference between a duel and a sparring match is clear.

Sparring prohibits inflicting fatal wounds on the opponent.

A duel stakes everything. You show all your skills. Naturally, death is possible.

The number of knights who die in duels each year is enormous.

“How foolish, Amelia Windsor.”

Karon looked up at Amelia with an expressionless face.

“Didn’t you learn anything from our earlier sparring? You are no match for me. Perhaps your immature brother, but not you.”

“That is not for you to worry about. I have been insulted, and you pointed your sword at my brother.”

Amelia stared coldly as she spoke.

“I cannot let someone who pointed a sword at my brother live.”

Ruide was shocked.

‘Sister can’t win.’

That was his first thought, regrettably. The Teuton Knights were strong. They were the strongest knights in an empire that had swallowed half the world.

Among them, Karon was renowned. Ruide disliked Karon, but regardless of that, he had to acknowledge his skill.

After all, he had torn through Ruide’s barrier, which had never been broken in this world.

But Amelia, despite her anger, was maintaining complete composure. It was evident. She was more rational than ever.

“I see. I accept the duel. Let’s not drag this out, let’s do it right away.”

“I refuse. If you’re not in perfect condition, I won’t feel anything even if I win the duel. From the beginning, that wouldn’t be honorable.”

“Wow… this is completely frozen solid.”

Karon’s left arm was frozen due to Winter’s influence. Judith marveled as she punched Karon’s left arm.

“Honor, is it? If you’re pretending to be a knight, that’s quite convincing. I don’t dislike it. But I must say this. Your name was Ruide, right?”

Ruide was full of hostility. Honestly, he wanted to use magic to neutralize them completely right now. If Amelia hadn’t been holding his hand tightly, he would have actually done it.

“It’s common for a senior knight to guide a junior knight. Not considering that circumstance and rushing in recklessly is, well, any way you look at it… an immature act. With great power comes great responsibility. You don’t seem worthy of that power.”

Karon spoke calmly, and Ruide listened calmly. He didn’t care about such things. All that mattered to Ruide was that Karon had scratched Amelia.

However, he wanted to say this:

“Talk when you’re stronger than me, novice.”

**

After Ruide’s group left, the silence was broken by Judith’s sigh.

“What was that sudden outburst about? Vice-captain, you idiot.”

Judith was blunt. She wanted to smack Karon on the head.

Karon had his eyes closed. Leaning his back against the wall, he spoke softly.

“This is difficult.”

“Ah, I should have gone drinking with Nolan instead.”

Judith glared at Karon.

“Get ready to be severely reprimanded by His Majesty.”

“You think that’s all that will happen?”

“No? From what I can see, His Majesty seems to like Young Lord Ruide more than his own son. Won’t you have to step down as Vice-captain?”

Karon massaged his stiff neck and said.

“That would be nice.”

The reason Karon was the Vice-captain of the Teuton Knights wasn’t because he was exceptional or skilled.

It was because he found it bothersome. While being the Captain might be different, the Vice-captain position had many duties but few merits.

Judith sighed again and said.

“I didn’t expect you to lose. Wasn’t dealing with mages your specialty?”

“It’s meaningless if the opponent doesn’t use magic.”

Each Teuton Knight had a specialty. In mage terms, it was a power. Karon’s specialty was ‘Dispel’.

Although it didn’t work on some high-level magic, he could always erase stationary magic. In other words, barriers didn’t work against him. That’s why no mage could defeat Karon, but…

‘Was it coincidence or instinct? This is the first time I’ve been defeated in such a way.’

Karon held back a hollow laugh.

“So, what’s your real intention? Were you genuinely angry at the young lord’s attitude, or were you trying to give him guidance through sparring? Or is there some other profound reason?”

“…Both. I was genuinely angry, and I also wanted to provide guidance.”

When he first saw Amelia’s sparring, he thought it was pathetic yet pitiful that she couldn’t control her own power.

It was obvious she had excellent skills, so he thought a few guidance sessions would suffice. However, his sharp words were due to Karon’s personality. He had accumulated many misunderstandings because of this personality since long ago. This time was no different.

“Then you could have spoken more nicely.”

“I told you. I was angry. And I’m a nobleman. I must take responsibility for the consequences of my actions, whatever they may be.”

Judith looked like she genuinely didn’t understand.

“…Why are all nobles like this? Would it kill you to bend your pride a little?”

Judith shook her head as if she couldn’t comprehend.

She crossed her arms regretfully.

“Ah, I thought something interesting was about to happen. While escorting Young Lord Ruide. Given the situation now, that won’t be possible… Sigh, really.”

Judith stood up. Since everything had gone awry, she was thinking of leaving. She considered going for a drink with Nolan. Then she noticed Shearer, who still hadn’t sheathed his sword.

“What’s up, Shearer? Why are you standing like that?”

“……”

Shearer held his sword with an indifferent face. Thinking it was directed at her, Judith tensed up slightly.

But then she looked at the sword with a puzzled expression. Following the sharp blade downward…

Shearer’s hand was frozen. Along with the sword handle.

“…The young lord is strong.”

Judith covered her mouth with a “pfft” and then grabbed her stomach, bursting into laughter.

“You got like that just from blocking once? Hahaha!”

After laughing for a while, Judith asked with tears in her eyes.

“Would you lose to the young lord if you fought again?”

Shearer nodded with an expressionless face.

“Can’t win.”

Hearing those words, Judith was a bit surprised. After all, Shearer was one of the top 1 or 2 skilled fighters in the empire. Judith had never imagined Shearer losing. It seemed impossible.

Moreover, in one-on-one combat, knights had a significant advantage over mages. The advantage of pure mages lay in creating environments favorable to themselves, not in sudden close-quarters combat.

Despite Shearer’s admission, Judith simply couldn’t imagine him losing.

“…In a sparring match. I can’t win.”

“You can’t win in a sparring match?”

“In a life-or-death battle, I would win.”

Judith blinked in confusion.

“What does that mean? If you can’t win, you can’t win.”

“When he threw the ice sword at Karon, he reduced its speed at the end. So Karon could dodge it. Probably, that young lord. He’s not accustomed to staking lives.”

Judith frowned.

“Of course he’s not accustomed to it. What would a 12-year-old have to stake his life on?”

“…He was 12?”

“…You didn’t know?”

Shearer walked slowly toward Karon.

Karon looked at him quizzically. Without hesitation, Shearer punched Karon on the head.