Chapter 47 : To house with Nothing (4)

Once, I believed I was invincible.

And it was understandable. 

The flames I emitted melted every creature I had once considered a monster. 

The iron forged by my flames became a weapon capable of strangling the life out of them.

In my arrogance, I thought I could end the war with nothing but my own strength. 

But that was a huge mistake. 

They were not just weak, helpless dummies who could be beaten senseless.

They had enough intelligence to at least gain experience and use it. 

They thoroughly analyzed my strength, found my weaknesses and limits, and used that knowledge against me.

That was my first failure and defeat, as Wolfgang Leonhardt. 

Since then, I’ve suffered many more defeats, but the first one, I never forget. 

I work harder because of it.

I know the saying, “History repeats itself.”

One day, I might become drunk with the arrogance of power again.

But to avoid making the same mistake, I must be cautious.

I don’t like things that are bothersome. 

I prefer to do things as easily as possible. 

No, if I could, I’d just give up working altogether. 

That was the future I wanted, and my personal belief.

But that doesn’t mean I’m lazy enough to ignore something that has come up right in front of me. 

If it’s something that has to be done, I’ll complete it thoroughly. 

That’s why I considered whether accepting this duel would be worth it.

At the moment, Duke Frost is hesitating. 

He’s probably stuck between the saint and himself.

I understand. 

After all, it’s a matter involving the destiny of the Frost family, who has served the kingdom for generations. 

Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t just kick out the imperial soldiers who showed up out of nowhere but instead agreed to listen.

“If that’s the case, then proving my strength is the best way.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if everything in life could be solved by power alone? 

But after all the experiences I gained in the winter war, I know one thing for sure: the world can’t be solved by strength alone.

Is it intuition, or is it insight from experience? 

My instincts tell me that the Saint Jeanne doesn’t just have the royal guards and the dragon knights at her disposal.

She’s definitely hiding something. I don’t know what, but it’s probably a highly dangerous power. 

Of course, if things go wrong, I might have to just force everything out of the way.

But that would be a last resort. Once I do that, there’s no turning back. I’ve already lost many people by relying too much on power in wars.

Having experienced that once, I can’t afford to be reckless. 

Moreover, the Frost family has a long, proud history. 

They must have a fair amount of records about the kingdom.

“Know your enemy, and know yourself, and you will never lose a battle.”

If I understand the enemy and know my own strength, then I will never be in danger, no matter how many times we fight.

That was the judgment I, as a soldier, made. I know my strength is the greatest, but it’s not invincible. 

That’s why I accepted this bothersome duel.

Soon, a crowd of spectators gathered in the Duke’s training hall for this sudden big match. 

I took in the faces of all those gathered. 

Aside from a few dozen knights, the rest were servants, and even they weren’t many. 

For a family that’s supposed to uphold the history of the kingdom, it was a rather pitiful sight.

Even the training hall itself, no longer weathered by time, was falling apart. It was far too humble for a duke’s estate, so I spoke up.

“It seems that the Duke’s situation isn’t as good as I thought.”

“Ah, did it show that much?”

“One glance, and you can tell the family is struggling.”

“Yeah, there’s no reason to hide it.”

Mirina, tying her golden hair back, admitted it freely. 

Just ten years ago, the Frost family was the kingdom’s most prominent noble house.

“Honestly, I’m not really interested in noble honors or power. Even if the family falls, I have enough skills to live as an adventurer.”

“Yet you’re standing in front of me. Why is that?”

“It’s fun. Fighting strong people is fun.”

Even within the Frost family, with its warrior bloodline, Mirina’s talent was extraordinary. 

Though young and inexperienced now, she was confident that within ten years, she could surpass Theodore, the kingdom’s strongest swordsman. 

In fact, after ten years, she would definitely be able to defeat him.

That said, it would take only five years to surpass the royal guards. At that time, she had never faced a wall that she couldn’t break through.

But right now, for the first time, Mirina was facing an enormous wall—a wall that, no matter how much she tried, seemed insurmountable. 

She could feel awe in the face of this wall, this overwhelming strength.

“Honestly, I thought you could easily sweep everything aside by yourself. But there must be a reason you chose this path.”

“…”

“Thanks to that, I’m actually happy. Because, for the first time, I can face a real wall. So, please, fight me with all your strength?”

An impossible wall can bring despair to some. 

But for Mirina, she felt not despair, but excitement. 

How far could she go against this wall? Could she become stronger than she is now? 

The anticipation made her heart race.

At that moment, Wolfang understood the emotion on Mirina’s face. It was pure joy.

Some fight for the honor of their family, some for a peaceful life.

And yet Mirina stepped into this for the sake of pure enjoyment?

Looking at her, Wolfang’s expression began to darken. Then, an emotion appeared on her face—anger.

“Yeah, you must be enjoying this situation.”

“What…?”

“But I’m standing here with my life on the line.”

A military commander must always consider the worst possible scenario. 

What if the kingdom has hidden, asymmetric forces? 

What if those forces are so strong they could surpass even me? What if I die?

She stood here, facing those dreadful possibilities, because she knew that if Saint Jeanne was left unchecked, she would eventually become a threat.

Originally, I had planned to go slow. 

I was going to give the right amount of respect, exchange some pleasantries, and leave some room for dignity. 

But after hearing Mirina’s words, I changed my mind. 

What was once a simple spar had turned into something filled with anger.

And so, I decided to crush her with all my might from the start.

The loud sound signaling the beginning of the duel echoed. 

The moment it did, Mirina felt as though a heavy iron chain was tightening around her neck.

Of course, that feeling was a mistake. 

It wasn’t a chain—it was just Wolfang’s overwhelming strength, so powerful that it made her believe she was being strangled by chains.

The golden eyes of Wolfang glowed with deadly intent.

“Here’s some advice. There’s no joy or honor in fighting. You do whatever it takes to survive.”

“Tch, aren’t you being too careless?”

“What?”

“Your hand’s in your pocket…”

And indeed, Wolfang had one hand in her pocket while the other was grabbing Mirina by the neck, holding her like an object. 

It was a clear warning: she was no match for her.

But Mirina saw an opportunity in that moment. With her guard down, this was her chance to land a single blow.

She reached for her axe, a special weapon created by the Frost family. 

It could fly to her hand whenever she desired.

However, at that crucial moment, Mirina couldn’t hold onto the axe. 

It felt too heavy, as if her grip wasn’t strong enough.

“Why…?”

“The key to victory is to completely block any chance of your opponent fighting back.”

“What?”

“Don’t you feel it yet? The pain?”

Perhaps because she heard her words, Mirina suddenly felt the kind of pain that made her wonder if her arms and legs had been broken.

Did I break my limbs in that short time?

“…Am I crazy? If I were a civilian, I might have died right there.”

“You asked me to fight with everything I’ve got.”

“…”

“Your talent hasn’t even fully blossomed. It’ll just vanish into dust, just like that.”

Wolfang’s murderous voice echoed in Mirina’s ears. 

The trembling in her limbs wasn’t just from the pain—it was the fear she was experiencing for the first time.

BANG!!

Wolfang, not having a hobby of tormenting the weak, didn’t drag out the pain. Instead, she slammed her into the ground of the training hall.

“If this were a real battle…”

However, the unconscious Mirina didn’t hear her muttering. 

The faces of the onlookers who had been watching the duel were filled with horror.

And it wasn’t just the spectators. 

The Duke also shared the same expression. 

Even though Mirina was very young, her talent was such that she could easily surpass even Theodore, who was the kingdom’s strongest swordsman.

Yet, such a genius, Mirina, was easily overpowered? 

But that wasn’t the end. 

After defeating Mirina, Wolfang shouted to the crowd.

“I’ve proven my strength to you all! Now, make your choice. Join me, or lose everything to me.”