But Gerald made no particular response and merely dodged. He was like a viper waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The sight made Osval’s anger flare.
“You rat-like bastard.”
He poured even more strength into the sword he swung.
Boom, boom, boom.
The massive bastard sword came crashing down in every direction. Convinced that Gerald would be caught at least once, Osval drove him back at random. It was as if he meant to leave him no room to evade at all. Just as Osval had expected, the directions in which Gerald could dodge were gradually being cut off.
At last, as though he could endure no more, Gerald raised his shield to meet the bastard sword, and the smile on Osval’s lips deepened.
“Hyaaaah!”
As if he had been waiting for that moment, he poured all his mana into his sword. The instant the bastard sword touched his opponent’s shield, Osval roared.
“It’s over, brat.”
But the situation did not unfold as Osval had expected.
Kwang!
A thunderous roar burst out, but the shield, which had looked as if it would be split in two at any moment, did not break. On the contrary, Osval’s bastard sword was knocked upward into the air. The power carried in the blade had been dispersed into empty space by his opponent’s technique.
“H-how can this be?”
Realizing his attack had failed, Osval was so shocked his eyes seemed ready to pop out. But that was all Osval had time to think.
“Ghh.”
Feeling a chilling sensation dig into the side of his neck, Osval thrashed violently. But his carotid artery had already been severed along with his cervical vertebrae. Having let Osval’s attack flow off into empty air, Gerald counterattacked without the slightest delay. It was a left-handed sword art meant to kill in a single blow, and Gerald’s blade drove straight into the opponent’s most lethal vital point. Along a path Osval had never anticipated.
Clang.
The bastard sword fell helplessly to the ground. As Gerald drew out his sword, Osval’s body staggered wildly like that of a drunken man. Between the fingers clutched around his neck, streams of blood spurted intermittently.
Pshh, pshh.
Osval, whose splendid armor had been dyed with fresh blood, finally could not endure and collapsed on the spot. Seeing his neck bent at a grotesque angle, it was obvious at a glance that he had died instantly.
The surroundings fell silent in an instant. The shock of seeing a scrawny brat who had seemed no match at all defeat a paladin more than twice his size was that great. In particular, the shock Princess Servalti received was beyond imagination. Since she had been certain of victory, Osval’s death was hard to believe.
“H-how could something like this…”
As Princess Servalti stammered, not knowing what to do, Yuliana approached her with a triumphant air.
“It seems this champion’s duel is my victory.”
“…”
“I had originally intended to give you a thorough lesson, but since you’ve lost your guard knight, I’ll generously forgive you. From now on, don’t overstep your place. If you had kept still, your poor guard knight wouldn’t have died, would he?”
Feeling humiliated by Yuliana’s words, Princess Servalti trembled. How could someone who had been raised so gently ever have experienced such an insult? But since it was true that she had lost, she could not utter even a word in reply. As she remained silently still, a group of people suddenly gathered around.
Judging by their attire, they seemed to be Leightona’s guards, and every one of them was heavily armed. With stern expressions, they looked over Osval’s corpse sprawled on the ground. One soldier who seemed to be their leader looked at Yuliana with sharp eyes.
“Was this a duel?”
At his words, Yuliana nodded.
“Yes. They were the ones who challenged us first.”
The soldier looked back and forth between the two, his expression hardening.
“Even if it was a duel, since a person has died, you must undergo an investigation. Please come with us.”
At those words, Kasim stepped forward as if troubled.
“That seems a little difficult. We have yet to apply to participate in the selection ceremony. As you know, time is extremely short, is it not?”
But the soldier had no intention of backing down.
“This is unquestionably the territory of the Crossen Empire. Therefore, you must follow our laws here. Please come quietly before we are forced to escort you.”
A look of distress appeared on Kasim’s face. If they went to be investigated, they would have no time to submit their application. Watching him, Princess Servalti wore an expression of great satisfaction. Since they had already completed their application, even if they were investigated, their departure would merely be delayed a little; there was nothing else to worry about.
‘Hohoho, how deliciously satisfying. This turned out well.’
The soldier leader glared with fierce eyes at Kasim and Yuliana, who did not know what to do.
‘Causing a disturbance in the middle of the city in broad daylight, and murder at that, during the period of the Crown Princess Consort selection ceremony. There’s a limit to how much one can dare look down on our country.’
Damon, who had been watching silently, abruptly stepped in.
“Look here, Captain. I’ll take care of this, so you take Yuliana and go submit the application.”
“W-will that be all right?”
“Don’t worry about a thing.”
Hearing their conversation, the soldier leader gripped the hilt of his sword as if he had been waiting for this.
“You people can’t be reasoned with. I will place you under arrest.”
However, the soldiers who were about to rush forward all stopped at once. It was because of the brief remark Damon had uttered.
“We are members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps. We have been entrusted with guarding Princess Karsel.”
The soldier leader froze on the spot and stammered in disbelief.
“Is… is that true?”
“Would you like me to show proof?”
“N-no, sir.”
The soldiers snapped to attention without a second thought. It was because the orders from above, which they had heard until their ears were worn out, had come to mind. Their commander, too, was a close confidant of Duke Pershtein.
—Should you encounter members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps, you are to receive them with the highest courtesy. If anyone makes a mistake, they will be severely punished according to military law.—
The soldier leader, his body trembling, bent at the waist to a right angle.
“We have been terribly rude. Please forgive us for daring not to recognize you. If it would not be an imposition, we will respectfully escort you.”
Even if these people were impostors claiming to be the Kasim Mercenary Corps, there was nothing that could be done. To show disrespect to those presumed to be members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps was, in a word, the fastest path to losing one’s head.
In truth, the soldiers had been in a state of considerable pent-up frustration.
Because so many people had gathered in Leightona, maintaining public order was inevitably overwhelming, and they were extremely exhausted from the repeated heavy workload. For that reason, they had been waiting impatiently for someone to cause a disturbance. Their purpose was to make an example of them and warn the people who had gathered. In such a situation, a duel had broken out and someone had died, so for them, it could only be welcome.
And yet, of all people, the ones who had caused the commotion turned out to be the Kasim Mercenary Corps… Since the words the soldiers had heard most often recently concerned how to handle the Kasim Mercenary Corps, they guided the group without another word.
“We will escort you to the application site.”
The mercenaries could only stare in bewilderment. Until just a moment ago, the soldiers had treated them so harshly that it seemed they might charge at any second, but their attitude had suddenly changed a full one hundred eighty degrees. It was impossible not to find it strange. Princess Servalti was the same.
“Shouldn’t there be… an investigation?”
At those words, the soldier leader glanced at her.
“There will be no investigation. These people are the most honored guests we must receive. You should consider yourselves fortunate. Thanks to them, you need not be investigated either.”
Having finished speaking, the leader issued orders to the soldiers under him.
“Open the way. We must escort these people to the selection ceremony application site as quickly as possible. And one of you, go ahead and report to the higher-ups so they can prepare to receive them.”
“Understood.”
One soldier wearing light armor hurriedly dashed off. Without even watching him go, the soldier leader bent at the waist once more.
“Please follow us.”
The mercenaries had no choice but to follow with bewildered expressions. Only Damon wore a deep smile on his lips, as if he had fully guessed the situation.
‘That fellow Pershtein must really be getting impatient.’
When the mercenaries arrived at the application site, they had to be surprised once more. The status of the person receiving them was beyond anything they had imagined. The one who came running out with a broad smile on his face was a middle-aged knight wearing splendid armor. Seeing the knights lined up behind him, none of whom looked ordinary in the least, it was impossible even to guess the extent of his status.
“Welcome. I am Krovitz von Amengard, commander of the Duke Knights, the knight order directly under His Grace Duke Pershtein. I sincerely welcome you to Leightona.”
“Y-you are the commander of the Duke Knights?”
At his introduction, Kasim was startled. Of course, there was no way he did not know of the Duke Knights. The Duke Knights, a powerful armed force that ranked second in Arcadia after the Crossen Knights. The commander of that very order had personally come out to receive them. But that was only the beginning. When a young knight introduced himself next, Kasim fell into an outright state of panic.
“How do you do? My name is Crancia von Helfrein. I currently serve as vice-commander of the Duke Knights.”
“If your family name is Helfrein…”
To help him understand, Krovitz added an introduction.
“He is the eldest son of His Grace Duke Pershtein. He is also an indispensable talent in our Duke Knights.”
Kasim was at a loss for words. As if the commander of the Duke Knights were not enough, even Duke Pershtein’s son had been dispatched to Leightona to welcome them… In place of Kasim, who could not continue speaking, Damon stepped forward. A somewhat artificial smile appeared on his face.
“Well, this is a pleasure. For such eminent gentlemen to come out to greet us, I cannot thank you enough.”
When they saw Damon, Krovitz and Crancia’s eyes suddenly gleamed. The mysterious dark mage shrouded in questions had finally appeared before them. If only the dark mage joined them, nothing would stand in their way, so they could not help but be tense. First, they showed Damon the utmost respect.
“It is the honor of my life to meet you.”
“To think I would meet one whose fame resounds across the entire continent—I hardly know what to do with myself.”
As if he had expected this in advance, Damon responded with a thoroughly pompous air.
“To call it an honor—my mood is quite excellent as well.”
After speaking, Damon turned his head and looked at Yuliana. As if her anger had yet to subside, she was glaring at Damon with fire in her eyes. Damon played dumb and spoke glibly.
“As you know, we came here to have Princess Karsel participate in the selection ceremony. It seems about time we submitted the application…”
Before Damon had even finished speaking, Krovitz quickly answered.
“Please do not worry at all. We have already filled out most of the participation application forms. Once the princess signs at the end, she will be able to participate without any problem.”
“Is that so? We hurried all the way here, worried we might be late…”
Krovitz shook his head as if that were utterly unthinkable.
“In truth, if you had been late, we intended to keep the officials waiting for as long as necessary. We were dispatched for precisely that matter. Now then, please come this way. We have prepared special carriages for Princess Karsel and the members of the Kasim Mercenary Corps.”
“Thank you.”
Damon moved as if it were only natural. The mercenaries, too, followed behind Damon with uneasy looks. None of them had imagined they would receive such grand treatment. To think that renowned powerhouses of the Crossen Empire had been dispatched to Leightona and were waiting for them…