episode_0057

Finally, the day of the party.

I wore a light and easy-to-move suit, the so-called ‘dueling suit’, and entered the banquet hall without anyone noticing and enjoying drinks and food.

“Master. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“If you eat a lot of food before a duel, your movements will become sluggish. Drinking alcohol requires rational judgment…”

“Master. Would you like me to secretly cast a defensive spell?”

Perhaps because they were worried about me, my companions were following me and nagging me about various things.

“Oh, I guess it’s okay. You guys enjoy the party too. Are you planning on wasting your time by nagging me when you’re dressed so pretty?”

“I don’t see other men.”

“That’s right. The only thing that makes them better than you is that they are older. Honestly, if you had eaten three or four more, do you think you would have been the star of this party?”

“Ah, it floats too much.”

Even though I said that, I smiled brightly and wrapped my arms around Halona’s waist, who was wearing a thin dress. The other women were generally dressed similarly. The thin dress that clung to the body had a deep back and a slit on the lower body that was so wide that it seemed like not only the thighs but also more private parts could be seen.

Seeing all the women at the party dressed like that, it seems like that’s the trendy party outfit in the empire. It is indeed desirable.

Of course, even among those women, most of the attention was focused on my women.

…Now that I think about it, I haven’t even debuted in the social world, let alone attended a banquet, at this age.

Usually, when you read fantasy novels about people going to another world, they talk about people making a fuss at a party or something… but I didn’t even have time to do that because I had to endure the regular training in Delheim.

“Ugh…”

My heart is complicated because I cannot deny that I have become stronger thanks to you.

Would life have been better and more comfortable if I had been born into a merchant family somewhere?

“……”

He shook his head and laughed. That can’t be possible. Just because I was born into a merchant family doesn’t mean my fierce desire to own and collect things will go away, so at some point, I would have used every means possible to collect characters. The means must have contained strength as well.

“…Hey, master over there. Aren’t you touching me too much? Everyone is looking at me…”

“What do you think? I said I was going to touch mine.”

As I grabbed Karen’s butt more forcefully, she sighed and twitched her butt nicely. Her buttocks were particularly large and soft enough for my fingers to bury themselves in, so they felt good to the touch.

“You too…”

She rolls her eyes darkly, but doesn’t complain any further.

“Hmm, the feel of each person’s butt is definitely different. Harriet is firm and bouncy, Vanessa has a soft feel, but Xenia is soft… Sarah’s butt looks like a combination of both Vanessa and Xenia’s strengths, right? Oh…this is so addictive?”

Slowly, slowly, slowly.

After drinking and eating food and massaging the women’s buttocks for a while, Garnis, who was hosting the party, appeared.

“Ladies and gentlemen who have completed construction. Thank you for participating in the party I hosted despite your busy schedule.”

He bowed politely, looked at us, his eyes sparkled, and his temper grew even more.

“But as you know, the purpose of this party is not to eat, drink and socialize. This is a venue for a duel of honor due to the hasty provocation of my poor son.”

After a pause, he lowered his voice.

“However, I don’t know if everyone knows, but my son died during another honor duel not long ago. It was all a foolish death due to my lack of education.”

“Oh my…”

“Oh my…”

“Kkkk, it jumped like a thunderbolt…”

“I knew it would happen someday.”

There were murmurs of sadness and ridicule everywhere.

“However, as everyone knows, an honor duel is an event held with the honor of the family on its back. There is no such thing as cancellation just because the person involved dies. If I give up the duel with that excuse, my poor honor will plummet to the depths of hell.”

“No! Count Garnis is a great man!”

“That’s right! Who could imitate the Count?”

As if he had planted a wind catcher, the timing was perfect and a voice supporting him rang out.

People nodded as if in agreement with the voice.

“Well, Count Garnis is a flawless person.”

“Although the children’s farming failed, that alone did not mean that the honor of the entire Bamkatul family fell to the ground.”

I laughed out loud as I saw the dead Baldite’s fault being completely passed on to his own karma.

“You play politics a bit. That’s how propaganda and fabrication is done.”

I glanced at Garnis and saw that he was also rolling his eyes and looking at me.

“So! I would like to send out a dueling agent. We ask that the distinguished guests who visit this place not be disappointed and show great generosity.”

“It’s okay! Isn’t it inevitable when the person involved is dead?”

“Rather, the honor of the Count who did not shy away from an honor duel is high!”

Satisfied with the response, Garnis raised the corners of his mouth and spread his hands towards me.

“Thank you. Now, let me introduce our representative right away. This is Delheim de Zanderom, the youngest member of the Delheim family!”

“I’ll go and come back.”

I put down my drink, patted my girls’ buttocks, and walked over to stand in the center of the banquet hall.

“…Huh?”

I even smiled to respond leisurely to the pouring gaze, but the atmosphere around the place was unusual.

“Delheim de Zanderom?”

“What on earth is going on?”

“Why him? Could it be an internal dispute? Succession dispute?”

A disturbing murmur. While I was tilting my head because I couldn’t understand, Garnis spread his hands in the opposite direction.

“And the person who will be dealing with our representative is none other than Delheim de Camelcam, the eldest son of the Delheim family and a great genius!”

“…What?”

While I was startled by the unexpected name, a handsome, tall blond man walked forward and stood in front of me.

“…What are you doing here?”

He was frowning as if he was very embarrassed.

“…Brother?”

Of course, that was the same for me.

***

I was hit.

This was the feeling I felt immediately after meeting my brother.

When I glanced back at Garnis, he was smiling with a very cheerful expression.

“Now! Then, I have no doubt that everyone gathered here will become witnesses to this duel! The arbitrator will be Lord Bahal, who is renowned for his swordsmanship, and the defensive barrier will be served by the famous wizard, Malidna!”

Simply put, an arbitrator is a judge. It only serves to ask whether you will refrain from using cowardly means and whether you are willing to end the duel. A middle-aged man named Bahal stood halfway between me and my older brother, with his sturdy shoulders spread wide as if showing off. Looking at his strength, he seems to be roughly at the upper level of a sword expert.

The old man who was about to set up the defensive barrier was impressive, with a body that looked less than half the size of Bahal’s and a bushy beard. Judging by the amount of mana flowing naturally, it seemed to be around 5 circles.

“I, Celeric de Bahal, promise on my name and the honor of my family to fairly mediate this duel.”

“……”

“……”

The two of us just looked at each other with ambiguous faces.

As I glanced around the banquet hall, I saw Sister Dahlia’s bluish face not far away, so I couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

“Okay then! Let this duel of honor begin! Knights on both sides, please draw your swords!”

When I hesitated and pulled out my sword, my brother also pulled out his sword.

Bahal saw us draw our swords and walked away. At the same time, Malidna’s defensive magic spreads over a wide area.

There is no separate starting signal, and the dueling parties can start on their own.

But inside the defense magic, we just looked at each other from a distance for a while.

“…haa~”

My brother broke the silence for a while with a deep sigh.

“Little brother. I’m sure you didn’t take that bastard Baldite’s side… What’s the matter? Did you find any weakness?”

“No, that’s not true… Actually, I was the one who killed Baldite. I accepted the duel using that as an excuse, but your brother appears? I’m panicking too.”

“…Damn. You got hit.”

As if he understood the entire process with just a short explanation, a low curse came out of Camel’s mouth.

“Little brother. Do you know why this duel happened?”

“I just know that Baldite is the cause.”

“Okay. He insulted your sister and our family. He scorned Dahlia, saying that she was going to become a sacrifice in an arranged marriage anyway, so what was the use of swordsmanship? Why not become his concubine instead? He treated the rules and role of our territory, which values swords and strength and protects the border, as insignificant. It was degrading.”

“…I should have killed him more painfully.”

“That’s what I came here for. But…huu~ Rom. My lovely little brother.”

He looked at me with mixed eyes, then gritted his teeth and shook his head.

“Do you know the meaning of an honor duel?”

“…I know.”

“Okay. For the honor of my sister and my family, I must defeat the duelist sent by House Bamkatul. And as you know, how much you have been insulted and how angry you are is indicated by your state of defeat at the end of the duel. So…”

In other words, roughly speaking, this perception is spreading among nobles.

There is no need to worry about losing your life even if you insult and disparage the Delheim family and the women belonging to the family. They say they threw their honor to the ground.

“…I understand. Everything.”

“Then I’m glad. sorry. thanks. And…try your best.”

As he raises his sword, life explodes from his entire body.

I’m seriously thinking of killing you.

“Plague…”

Feeling that the confidence that had been full before the duel was rapidly waning, I raised my sword.

Unlike me, Camel is a real guy.

This means that he is a genius born with talent given by heaven.

I, who had been watching it closely, was extremely nervous and stared at his movements.

“…Going.”

“Inhale…!”

The moment my brother took a step forward with his sword in front of me, my thoughts accelerated rapidly.

In a world that had slowed down as if it had stopped, with my heart racing like crazy, I roused all my muscles and relaxed as much as I could.

The moment when the sword coming towards me accelerated in earnest to draw a gentle trajectory.

“…Khaaap!”

It slid in with all its might and pierced his heart.

visor!

“…Huh?”

However, what I felt was not the sensation of piercing my chest, but the unique rebound of a piece of iron.

I was embarrassed, but that feeling was fleeting.

The moment our eyes met, a lightning-like sense of crisis arose and we continued to attack with all our might.

“Ho…oh…fast…gu…me…”

“Crazy…!”

There were 3 horizontal cuts to the neck from left and right, 8 downward strikes targeting the collarbone and shoulder, 12 cuts and stabs to the torso including the heart and liver, and 38 small cuts targeting the legs and arms.

All of these attacks took place before my brother could even finish his exclamation.

An attack that accelerated to the limit by mobilizing all of the reaction force, rotational force, and physical ability.

But the only thing that sounded was the clear sound of metal.

How could my speed be caught up so easily!?

No, if you look at it calmly, my speed was clearly superior. But strangely enough, my brother’s sword was not blocking one attack with a single slash, but two or three attacks at the same time.

I was convinced by the results, but when I looked back on the process, I couldn’t understand it at all.

A sword so creative and amazing that you don’t even know how it was blocked!

“But…but…it’s…fast…and…not…all…no…all… It seems like I neglected my swordsmanship training… ◦ @◦

“Shut up! You damn genius!”

His mouth was still speaking slowly, but his throat was moving in the same area as me, as if dancing, and he was continuing to defend himself in short bursts, which was extremely bizarre.

“Pfft…!”

In the end, my side emitted the aura first.

That is also an attribute aura where sparks fly wildly. I originally had no intention of showing it here, but I think this is the only way to at least be on par with my older brother.

“Ho…oh…?”

“That…thing…!”

“Speed…seong…power…aura…!”

The feeling of the crowd’s astonished exclamation coming like a slow wave and exploding like firecrackers was anything but pleasant.

“Dong…my brother…is…happy…!”

“I told you to shut up!”

I attacked at a faster pace than before, but my brother easily blocked my attack by emitting a clear aura. And that too with a smile on his face.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

A wide bolt of electricity eats up the air like a spider web, trying to seep through his body.

“Hey…ku…!”

Camel, who looked embarrassed for the first time, hurriedly took a step back.

“Hmm…ma…na…ryang…”

“Is it low on mana? I know. I can’t do it because I moved up to the upper level too quickly.”

“…that…now…yes…choi…”

“Is it the best? Not yet. You can do more, so stop talking nonsense and go for it.”

“……”

“You’re not hanging up because you want to stop talking. It’s because my brother’s words are frustrating to me right now. It’s too slow. Phew…!”

I took deep breaths, made my mana circulate faster, and raised my sword with a smile.

The electric aura formed on the sword splashes around and makes a bloody sound.

“Then let’s go. Brother.”