After hearing the explanation, Damon burst into a hearty laugh, as if it were nothing of consequence.
“A champion’s duel, when a hundred apologies still wouldn’t be enough… The man must have a death wish.”
Damon waved a hand at Mitchell with a bored expression.
“You go out and settle it cleanly.”
Mitchell had no reason to refuse either.
“Leave it to me. It’s your affair, Captain, isn’t it? As your younger brother, I can hardly stand by and watch. I’ll handle it cleanly.”
Mitchell thumped his chest and declared as much, but worry still had not left the lord’s mind. Though he knew that the young knight before him was a Sword Master, not just anyone could serve as a champion.
“The qualifications to stand as a champion are extremely strict. One must be a pure native of Penslet and possess noble status…”
At those words, Kasim’s face brightened. Only then did he recall the title Mitchell had been granted not long ago.
“You need not worry, my lord. Mitchell has already been personally granted a title by His Majesty the King of Penslet. Duke Karsus, commander of the Royal Guard Knights, witnessed it himself.”
The lord was startled.
“I-Is that true?”
“It is the truth, without the slightest falsehood.”
Joy welled up in Lord Arne’s mind. If that was true, victory was as good as assured. After all, there was no way a Paladin could defeat a Sword Master. Upon receiving the good news, the lord immediately took the group to meet Count Tudret.
“This knight shall be the champion representing our Arne Domain.”
At the lord’s introduction, Mitchell stepped forward. Seeing him, Hugo, the champion of Tudret Domain, instantly turned pale. The martial prowess Mitchell had displayed while leaving the ceremonial hall was still vivid in his mind, and the completed Aura Blade that had risen from his sword was something Hugo would not even dare attempt to manifest. By common sense, it was absurd for a Paladin to face a Sword Master. Count Tudret stepped forward with an incredulous expression.
“Surely you are not unaware of the qualifications required of a champion? No one who is not a noble of Penslet can become one.”
Lord Arne replied with a smile.
“Of course, he is unquestionably a noble of Penslet. His Majesty the King personally bestowed upon him the title of baron. Is that not so, Sir Mitchell?”
Mitchell nodded without hesitation.
“That is correct. At my investiture, His Grace Duke Karsus, commander of the Royal Guard Knights, personally attended as witness. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Baron Mitchell.”
Now it was Count Tudret’s turn to turn deathly pale. He, too, was well aware that Mitchell was a Sword Master. If those words were true, then even if Hugo stood as champion, there was no chance of victory.
“I-I cannot believe that. Unless the matter has been clearly confirmed…”
“Then why not inquire at the capital?”
“T-That, I shall look into later. For today, let us end this here.”
Damon, realizing how things were turning, gave a cold laugh.
“Trying to back out now? Not a chance.”
As if there were no need to think about it, he flung open Increasia. He had judged that there was a need to create an atmosphere of fear.
Papapapat.
Death Knights and Bone Dragons revealed their terrifying majesty. Four Death Knights, fully armed in pitch-black armor, took their places with swords drawn, while beside them the Bone Dragons Zikrate and Russellant landed lightly, screeching continuously as they flapped their wings.
Kwarururu.
Everyone who looked upon the sight had no choice but to freeze. After the warriors of the Demon Realm, now a mighty undead legion had appeared.
“H-Heavens…”
“Those are the Death Knights and Bone Dragons we’ve only heard of in tales.”
Damon swept his gaze over the ashen faces of Tudret Domain’s soldiers as though admiring them, then put on a triumphant expression.
“Anyone who attempts to leave Arne Domain will have to face them first. Then I shall teleport to Cordo and bring back someone who can prove Mitchell’s status. Since both your domains are at stake, this is hardly a matter that can be handled lightly, is it? Wait here a moment.”
The moment he finished speaking, a magic circle appeared around Damon and emitted a dazzling radiance. His body was swallowed by the cluster of light and vanished at once.
“T-This…”
Count Tudret’s face had turned white, for he had never imagined matters would unfold this way. If by any chance their words were true, he would have no choice but to lose even his own domain.
Strictly speaking, ownership of the domain belonged to the King of Penslet. However, when a champion’s duel took place by agreement between two lords like this, the management rights to the domain would be transferred according to that agreement after receiving the king’s approval. If he lost the duel, Count Tudret would have no choice but to be driven out with only as much baggage as could fit in a single cart. Growing desperate, Count Tudret hesitantly approached Lord Arne.
“L-Lord Arne.”
“Speak.”
“T-To tell the truth, now that I think about it, I misspoke…”
Lord Arne’s response was colder than ice. Even if he were to obtain Tudret Domain, it would not be of much use to him. After he died, it would clearly pass into another noble’s hands along with Arne Domain, so he had no reason to covet the land. However, he was already furious to the tips of his hair at Count Tudret’s vile attitude. Without the slightest hesitation, he replied coldly.
“How could a lord granted the management rights to a domain by His Majesty the King have misspoken? Have not many nobles already served as witnesses?”
“But nothing was written down in a document…”
“Many people heard it clearly with their own ears. I trust you will not deny it now.”
Lord Tudret let out a long sigh.
‘What have I done…?’
His greed in trying to swallow up Arne Domain had been the root of the trouble from the start. He had begun this affair after confirming that Arne Domain had no Paladin to put forward as champion, yet an utterly unexpected Sword Master had appeared as their champion… Now there was only one thing Lord Tudret could pin his hopes on.
‘Now I have no choice but to challenge that Sword Master’s qualifications. I don’t know whom he’ll bring, but if there’s even the slightest point of suspicion, I must cling to it to the end…’
As he was lost in thought, a dazzling light arose from the vacant lot beside them. The magic circle etched into the ground after the mage had disappeared was beginning to shine.
Flash.
After the radiance faded, more than ten people had appeared there. One of them was the mage who had just left. But when Count Tudret looked at the others, his mouth fell open. Someone of a status he could never have imagined had appeared together with the mage.
“Duke Karsus? Why in the world is the commander of the Royal Guard Knights here?”
Standing atop the magic circle was Duke Karsus, commander of Penslet’s Royal Guard Knights, along with more than ten royal guards. The Royal Guard commander, who had suddenly appeared in Arne, slowly turned his head and looked over the people present. He had already come after receiving firm instructions from the King of Penslet. A deep smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.
‘To think there are two people of Penslet in the Kasim Mercenary Corps—what greater fortune could there be? This is all thanks to our wise and merciful king. Yes, indeed.’
First, he approached Lord Arne and offered an exceedingly courteous salute.
“Have you been well? It has truly been a long time since I saw you in Cordo, many years ago.”
Lord Arne, too, could not help being astonished. For the commander of a kingdom’s Royal Guard Knights to appear in Arne, which could be called a remote countryside region… This was not something one saw easily. With a dazed expression, he returned the courtesy.
“I greet Your Grace Duke Karsus. But what brings you to Arne…?”
“I have come to carry out His Majesty the King’s command.”
While the knight commander was speaking warmly with Lord Arne, Count Tudret suddenly approached and bowed his head deeply.
“Your Grace Duke Karsus. It is the greatest honor to meet you like this. I have long sincerely admired Your Grace, whose renown is so great. To be able to see you like this, I can hardly contain my joy.”
Duke Karsus turned his head and responded with a light nod. His attitude was as different as heaven and earth from how he had treated Lord Arne.
“I thank you for saying you have admired me.”
After finishing the greeting, the knight commander coldly turned his head away. Though the two lords both held the same rank of count, Lord Arne was a renowned lord who had deeply earned the trust of his people through benevolent governance. Of course, there was no way the commander of the Royal Guard Knights would not know that. By contrast, Lord Tudret was a man who had incurred deep resentment from his people through repeated tyranny. That was why Duke Karsus’s attitude toward the two lords could not help being so different. In addition, he had various reasons to treat Lord Arne with the utmost courtesy.
‘If a man from the Kasim Mercenary Corps—and the captain, no less—is a prospective son-in-law of Lord Arne…’
Having finished his thought, Duke Karsus turned his head and looked at the two lords.
“I have heard that the two of you are to hold a champion’s duel with your domains at stake. His Majesty the King has already given his approval. Furthermore, considering the importance of the matter, I have decided to personally attend as witness. Now, the champions of the two domains shall step forward at once.”
At those words, Lord Tudret’s face went dark. For the commander of the Royal Guard Knights to serve as witness to the champion’s duel… Now there was no way to withdraw, so he had no choice but to take issue with the opposing champion’s status.
“H-However, I question whether the champion of Arne Domain truly meets the proper qualifications…”
Before he could finish, anger settled over Duke Karsus’s face. Without the slightest hesitation, he called Mitchell.
“Baron Mitchell. Come here.”
Mitchell approached with a bright smile and offered Duke Karsus his respects.
“We meet again after three days. Have you been well?”
“I am glad to see you as well.”
Duke Karsus nodded with a smiling face, then placed a hand firmly on Mitchell’s shoulder and glared at Count Tudret.
“I hereby state that to doubt his status is no different from insulting His Majesty the King. Baron Mitchell received his title personally from His Majesty the King three days ago, under my own witness. Do you think that is all? He was also granted the privilege of being able to become a member of the Royal Guard Knights without undergoing examination. From character to skill, and even loyalty, he is a fine knight of Penslet who lacks nothing in any respect. Is that not so?”
After finishing his words, the duke looked at Mitchell with a subtle gaze.
“I am already considering him as my successor. Though, of course, that would be after he enters the Royal Guard Knights.”
Mitchell lowered his head with an embarrassed expression.
“To think you hold me in such regard… It truly weighs heavily on my shoulders.”
To Count Tudret, those words were nothing less than a bolt from the blue. The other side’s claims had been proven beyond doubt, and now he had no choice but to have his domain taken from him. As if to allow no further argument, Duke Karsus brought the matter to a concise close.
“Upon inquiry, I have found that Hugo of the Tudret family is also a knight with no disqualifying factors whatsoever for standing as champion. Then we shall now begin the duel.”
Pitifully, Hugo was trembling all over. At the thought of having to fight a Sword Master, he had already lost his will to battle. Noticing this, a mischievous impulse quietly surfaced in Damon’s mind. He turned his head and looked at Mitchell, who was putting on his armor.
“Mitchell.”
“Did you call me?”
Giving him a slight wink, Damon began to subtly create an atmosphere of fear.
“I’m asking you, but in this duel, please don’t cut your opponent in two… You know very well how difficult it is to clean up a dismembered corpse from a sea of blood, don’t you?”
Mitchell had already reached the point where he could discern Damon’s intentions from a single glance.
He deliberately put on a troubled expression and answered haltingly.
“But is there any other way? If I wish to spare my opponent pain, the surest method is to cleave him in two with a single blow. Sending him to the afterlife before he even has time to feel pain is the only consideration I can offer.”
At those words, the image of the Doom Warrior being mercilessly hacked apart by his opponent’s attack surfaced in Hugo’s mind. When he remembered how the hooked sword the Doom Warrior had been holding had been split like a carrot, he could not bring himself to put on armor and lift a shield. Before a completed aura blade, steel armor and a shield were no more than a coffin lid, and his legs soon began to tremble.
Count Tudret was dumbfounded as he watched him. He had pinned all his hopes on Hugo alone, yet the man was terrified before the fight had even begun. Recalling that Hugo had injured his hand, he hurried over to Karsus. He had to buy time somehow, if only to salvage even a little more of his property.
“Y-Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
Under the cold gaze of the knight commander, Count Tudret tried his utmost to remain calm.
“M-my apologies, but I have only just remembered. Our champion suffered a severe wound to his hand while fighting the monsters of the Demon Realm. He is in no condition to hold a sword. Could you not postpone the champion’s duel for a few days?”
Hearing this, Duke Karsus turned his head and looked at Hugo.
“Is that true?”
“Y-yes, it is. At present, I cannot even grip a sword.”
As if there were nothing to think about, Hugo unwound the bandage from his hand and showed the wound. It was not all that serious, but he wore an expression as though he were in terrible pain. He was doing his utmost to prolong his life, even by a little. Duke Karsus continued without any noticeable change in expression.
“Very well. If such are the circumstances of Tudret’s champion, there is no helping it. In that case, this champion’s duel shall be held fifteen days from now at the training grounds of Cordo’s royal palace. By then, the wound on his hand should be more than healed.”
Having finished speaking, Duke Karsus looked from one lord’s face to the other.
“In exchange, I shall freeze both lords’ rights to dispose of their assets. From this day forth, neither lord may touch any property of his domain. One carefully selected royal guard knight will be dispatched to each estate to oversee this, and after the champion’s duel is concluded, the defeated lord’s domain shall be transferred to the victorious lord exactly as it stands. Do you agree to this?”
“I agree.”
Lord Arne had nothing to be concerned about anyway. He had no hidden wealth, nor any need for it. Lord Tudret, however, was different. He had been planning to spirit away every last bit of his property during the time he had bought, only for his right to dispose of his assets to be frozen out of nowhere. It was truly news like a bolt from the blue. Count Tudret’s face turned ashen. But as Duke Karsus continued to press him, he too had no choice but to nod.
“I-I agree.”
“Good.”
The knight commander nodded in satisfaction and promptly selected two men from among the royal guard knights. Each was free of greed and known for fairness.
“I command each of you to reside in the domains of Tudret and Arne respectively, and to watch over the lords’ assets for fifteen days. Carry out this mission with the honor of the Royal Guard Knights at stake.”
“Yes, sir.”
Having settled the matter, the knight commander continued speaking without relaxing his stern expression.
“In addition to this matter, I shall now carry out one more order from His Majesty the King.”
With that, the knight commander strode toward Kasim, who was standing hand in hand with Matilda. He had already asked Mitchell and learned who Kasim was. When he stood before him, the tense Kasim paid his respects to Duke Karsus.
“Kasim Florence, a resident of Arne, greets the commander of the Pencelot Royal Guard Knights.”
Duke Karsus hastily waved his hand.
“Dispense with the formalities. From this moment on, in accordance with His Majesty’s command, I intend to deliver a royal order to you, Kasim.”
At the unexpected words, Kasim’s face went blank. A royal order from the King of Pencelot, out of nowhere… Matilda and the lord and lady also could not hide their surprise. None of them could even guess what sort of royal order it might be. Duke Karsus unfolded the document containing the royal command and read it aloud in a solemn voice.
“Kasim Florence. As one born of Arne, you led the Kasim Mercenary Corps and raised Pencelot’s name throughout the continent of Arcadia. Not content with that, you defeated the monsters of the Demon Realm that trespassed into the Arne domain with indomitable fighting spirit and courage, saving many lives. Therefore, We bestow upon you a noble title in recognition of your achievements. From this day forward, the title of baron bestowed by Us shall be inherited by the descendants of Kasim Florence for generations to come.”
After reading the royal order in a mechanical tone, the knight commander smiled.
“Kasim. If you agree, you may receive the title of baron. In doing so, you will officially gain the right to inherit a domain. Should you inherit the Arne domain, you may immediately be invested as a count. What say you? Do you agree?”
It felt like a dream to Kasim. As if gaining Matilda had not been enough, he could even succeed to the Arne domain… Without any need to think, he bowed his head. It was the domain his benefactor, Lord Arne, had struggled so hard to protect, and he would be able to take responsibility for the happiness of its people and continue that work. There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
“I gratefully accept the royal command.”
“An excellent choice.”
Duke Karsus drew his sword with a satisfied expression. Lightly touching the blade to both shoulders of Kasim, who had knelt on one knee, the duke declared to those present with a solemn look.
“As I have performed and witnessed this ceremony as the representative of His Majesty the King, you are from this moment forth a proud baron of Pencelot. I hereby proclaim this fact to all the world.”
The moment his words ended, applause burst out thunderously.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
The applause, which began with the mercenaries, soon spread to the gathered residents of the Arne domain.
“H-how in the world could such a thing…”
On the faces of Matilda and the lord and lady was an expression that said they could ask for nothing more. They had gained not only a dependable son-in-law, but also an heir to succeed the domain, so how could they not be pleased?
Amid the residents of the Arne domain, who had gathered and were cheering, Count Tudret and his party walked away desolately. There was no longer any reason for them to remain, so they were leaving. Among them was Morcer, his shoulders drooping. The dispatched royal guard knight was watching them sharply from head to toe, ensuring that they could not siphon away even the slightest bit of property.