Honorable Duel (4)
“Hey junior. “Don’t look at me too much.”
Burray spoke to Vlad in a weak voice, as always.
“People over there get upset just by looking at us.”
“······.”
The boy also knew.
What Burley said is true.
“It’s only one road, but we’re not qualified.”
“What qualifications?”
Burley, who was leaning against the wall and carving a piece of wood with a dagger, lifted one lip and smiled.
That smile was filled with helpless despair along with a little anger.
“Everything is not enough.”
“······What are we lacking?”
Burray chuckled in response to Vlad’s answer.
“Well, it’s just that I’m lacking, I’m not qualified, I’ve been like that since I was born. “You know everything.”
“······.”
The boy didn’t ask this time.
I just turned my head and looked at the fancy buildings across the street.
There was sparkle and laughter.
And those were things that people in the back alleys weren’t allowed to do.
The boy was always hungry for that.
※※※※
Teong-
As Vlad bowed his head in greeting, the sound of something falling was heard in his ears.
“······You are not qualified.”
Arnstein’s article Pablo.
It was the sound of a knight famous for his shield skills throwing down his shield.
“You don’t deserve to hear my name.”
“······.”
Pablo declared, throwing down his shield.
I won’t do my best.
“From the moment you, the unqualified one, stepped up, this is not an honorable duel.”
A fight between a squire and a knight.
If others hear it, they will laugh at it.
And the person responsible for this absurd incident was himself.
“You can ignore whatever the priest said. Use everything you have and go at it with all your might. “You can try to kill me.”
Josef trampled on Pablo’s honor to save Alicia’s honor and his own opportunities.
And all the anger towards him had to be borne by Vlad.
“······.”
Vlad quietly raised his head in an eerie aura that even the priest could not dare to control.
And asked.
“What am I lacking?”
“······what?”
Pablo was momentarily taken aback by Vlad’s bold and confident attitude.
Even though it was a fight between a knight and a squire, instead of being scared, the guy’s blue eyes were burning brightly.
A man who holds something honorable, noble, and shining.
I want to ask you.
“What makes me different from you?”
Why are all the good, beautiful, and shining things always reserved for the best guys like you?
I hate it.
“······Both of you, go back to your seats…”
Despite the priest’s restraint, the two people made eye contact and did not move an inch.
Conversation through eyes.
For that to be possible, they had to have at least equal momentum, but the boy was doing it.
Even though I was born into an unqualified place, I had no intention of ending up with nothing.
“You said it first. “You can do anything.”
“······Bayezid’s status has fallen.”
That guy is crazy.
He is like a naked thunderbolt who does not know who he is and who his opponent is.
“I’ll cut it in the bud.”
It is obvious that if a guy like that grows up, he will only harm the reputation of the knight.
So it would be better to make sure to step on it here.
“Hurry… go back to your respective seats. please.”
The two men walked towards the end of the battlefield in response to the earnest request that the priest, who was having a very difficult day today, made without realizing it.
“He’s a faithful guy.”
“I have the basics.”
There, seeing the boy holding a sword and muttering in a quiet voice, people thought that Vlad was praying.
This situation was more than enough to ask for God’s grace.
But as always, the boy did not rely on God.
[If your goal is to hold on, I cannot help. If I borrow my body, I will collapse in less than 10 seconds, let alone 10 minutes.]
‘······.’
Vlad had a secret weapon, his voice, but it was a method he couldn’t use at this moment.
[After ten minutes have passed, do not overdo it and abstain. Last time, I had to risk my life, but not this time.]
“I had no intention of asking for help anyway.”
[······okay.]
The voice’s help was great, but it wasn’t his own.
Vlad knew very well that in order to shine fully, he had to have something of his own.
“Can I do it?”
[You have to try it to find out.]
Vlad was nervous, but his voice was also tense.
The boy was full of potential but had no time to refine it.
I did my best to teach, but I was unable to experience actual combat.
And now the thing in front of the boy is a knight.
“Are you ready? Vlad of Shoara?”
He was also a true knight who knew how to handle Aurors.
“······yes.”
The time to get into a ready position is now up.
All that remains is the clash of swords with swords.
“good night.”
Once the priest was sure both sides were ready, he stepped back and raised his hands.
“God allows it under today’s sun!”
People looked at the duel with excited eyes as the signal announced the start of the duel.
“······!”
Before I knew it, the boy who was supposed to be standing where he was supposed to be was no longer visible.
A duelist’s swordsmanship specialized in short-term combat.
It fit well with the personality of a boy who always enjoyed taking the lead.
“Hwaap!”
A move that is both subversive and linear at the same time.
A confident movement that does not care about things that stand in its way.
Therefore, Vlad’s sword, which rushed at him like a thunderbolt, did not contain the slightest hesitation.
There was only intention.
Kyaang-!
The boy went first as intended.
Regardless of whether he gave it or took it, Vlad’s intention was successful.
“······.”
It was a quick rush that couldn’t have been seen by ordinary people, but Pablo blocked Vlad’s sword without difficulty.
‘Always think about the next move. Unless you want to attack once and die.’
“······!”
Even though the attack was blocked, Vlad did not lose his momentum.
Just as he had learned from Jayar, successive attacks began to strike Pablo as if he had been waiting for them.
The sound of the swords continuing incessantly was echoing in the hall at precise intervals.
It was like a signal indicating that the duel was progressing according to the flow of the boy leading the attack.
“······.”
Even though Pablo gave up the first strike, there was no sign of embarrassment on his face.
I was just calmly appreciating it.
‘You were born with it.’
Although it was only a one-time collision, Pablo seemed to have some idea of why Josef had sent this kid out as his opponent.
[Aim for the left side where the shield is raised. Habit is a scary thing.]
“Huh!”
Following the voice’s advice, Vlad digs into Pablo’s weaknesses with a strong cry.
It was clearly an attack that could be easily blocked, but Pablo felt something sparkling inside Vlad’s sword.
The boy’s sword was like a hungry wolf.
Like a wolf that smells blood, it was persistently biting its own weak points.
hunger.
And innate cruelty.
It was hidden in the boy’s sword.
‘Still, I guess I’ll have to stop at this point.’
Pablo gave the go-ahead with a sudden attack, but felt he had to stop the momentum at this point.
That’s how fierce the boy’s spirit was.
“What the hell…!”
“That guy never gets tired!”
Vlad’s quick and sudden movements were as flashy as the boy’s blond hair.
And people were fascinated by it.
I was becoming more and more absorbed in the energy that the boy named Vlad was giving off.
Kang-! Kang! Ka-ang!
The sparks created by the clash of swords flew out loudly.
“······.”
Watching Vlad’s storm rage, Pablo quietly waited for his chance.
Taking advantage of Vlad, who had great momentum but had not matured yet.
“Hmph!”
Then he dug into the gap and struck down.
With the hardness of a rock that can easily overcome small storms.
“······!”
Vlad, who had been striking Pablo non-stop, instinctively raised his sword at the sudden feeling of weight.
Kwaang-!
“Keuok!”
At the same time, it fell to the ground.
I was hit with such force that my body bounced right back up as soon as I fell.
‘Off!’
He obviously blocked it with his sword, but Vlad couldn’t come to his senses due to the tingling sensation as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a hard stone.
A blow that was blocked but could not be blocked.
Because he was unable to let it go, Vlad absorbed all the shock, but with the sense he had acquired, he quickly tried to fall and quickly stepped back to widen the gap.
“Off…”
Movements that are caused by the body reacting, not by thinking.
It was the result of real-life practice with Jayar.
[Come to your senses!]
‘······Ugh.’
The swords that Xayar wielded during practice were threatening enough, but Pablo was clearly stronger than him.
‘I feel like I got hit with a rock.’
I only blocked it once, but my whole body was throbbing.
Although the blow was not sharp, it was extremely heavy, and Vlad naturally became intimidated.
“Have you performed all your tricks?”
“······.”
Pablo’s momentum in front was growing.
Pablo didn’t want to waste any more time, not only did he have to fight in an dishonorable duel, but he also provided entertainment.
[come.]
Although he was not holding a shield, Pablo’s strength was like a mountain.
‘······Where!’
[Trying to dominate the interval. You have to move somewhere!]
Pablo, who had created a solid defensive stance with only his sword, began to slowly pressure Vlad with mountain-like steps, as he always did.
Just showing this level of sincerity would have been an honor for Vlad, but in the current situation, it was just an awkward step forward.
[It has to flow somehow.]
‘That’s easier said than done!’
Voice swordsmanship, which can be defined as short-term close combat and single-hit killing, could not be used in the current situation.
‘footwork.’
Now I needed the wave-like movements of another teacher, Xayar.
The boy recalled Zayar’s movements in his head and prepared for Pablo’s approaching attack.
bang-!
“Off!”
However, even if you prepare, there are some things you cannot prevent.
Vlad, who had only recently picked up a sword, did not have the experience or skills to overcome the huge wall that was Pablo.
bang-!
Kwaang-!
Vlad was slowly taking a step back with an unbelievable sound as swords clashed with each other.
The precarious retreat accompanied by the threatening sound made Alicia unable to breathe properly.
It was too harsh a punishment for a boy to bear.
[Come to your senses!]
The voice continued to wake him up, but Vlad was so shocked that he almost lost his senses.
If this had been a sparring match rather than a duel, just holding on for this long would have already been enough publicity and it could have been said that he had proven his worth.
However, the boy did not come here to learn anything.
I’m here to prove it.
‘no!’
Vlad barely managed to hold on to his fading spirit and thrust his unadorned sword towards the approaching sword.
It was like a final struggle.
Kwaang-!
However, it did not provide any opportunity to the black boy who reached out with faint will.
Mei profit-
Due to the collision just now, Vlad was pushed all the way to the end of the battlefield.
“Gagging!”
Bright red blood poured out of Vlad’s mouth.
The grip that had been forcefully holding the sword had long since been torn, and the droplets of saliva flowing down his lips were mixing with the blood stains on the floor.
“excellent.”
Just a moment ago, Pablo was very angry at Josef for ignoring his honor, but after crossing swords with Vlad, his thoughts changed slightly.
He was a great guy.
He was a kid who had the qualifications to dare to criticize him.
Although it was still too early to officially duel.
“Come back later.”
Pablo raised his sword high, preparing for the final blow.
Vlad was looking at Pablo’s strike with bleary, exhausted eyes.
[······Good work.]
The voices, Zayard, who prepared Vlad, and Josef, who ordered the boy, were nodding.
The boy did his job.
It would be good to rest now.
The moment when everyone in the hall was about to applaud the boy who fought hard even though he lost.
Tong-
Pablo’s sword, which was striking at the boy, was strangely bent.
With some kind of dull sound.
“······?”
When everyone doesn’t understand what’s happening right in front of their eyes.
“······!”
Colin, who had been sitting helplessly, stood up at the sound that seemed like something out of a nightmare.
“I am a bastard.”
Joubert, who was chewing dried fruit while watching the boy’s struggle, could not hide his surprised expression.
“······.”
Only after seeing Colin’s scream-like silence did Pablo understand why his sword had bounced.
This was something that even Pablo, an experienced driver, found difficult to accept at once.
“······Why, only you guys······.”
Hearing Vlad’s low voice, Pablo quietly put away his sword and looked at the boy in front of him.
His hazy eyes are half-open, as if he’s lost his mind.
The eyes seemed to be dreaming somewhere in a memory.
“me too······.”
The unqualified boy has always longed for something to shine.
I wanted ability, I wanted opportunity, and I dreamed of becoming qualified.
To go to a shining place.
And the boy has now proven that he is worthy of shining.
Vlad of Shoara, who cut off the sword of Arnstein’s knight Pablo.
He reproduced the counterattack according to the sword path shown by his teacher.
“······I want to be there too.”
The boy’s earnestness meets opportunities, teachings, and crises, and he is slowly creating his own world.
Flowers were about to bloom.
A gorgeous flower that no one has ever seen.
The boy’s sword was crying.
