258: Are We Fighting Today? (1)
Ghislaine and the knights, who were about to go hunting, spotted the group.
The knights, seeing Doncard for the first time, had the same thought.
‘Filthy…….’
‘Does that guy never wash?’
‘He claims to be a king, but he’s a king of beggars.’
Doncard was horrifically dirty. His unkempt hair and messy beard looked sticky just to glance at, and there were unidentifiable stains all over his body.
The stench was overwhelming. Even the people nearby stepped back in disgust. It was so bad that even his followers kept a distance from him.
Still, he couldn’t be underestimated; there was something hidden behind that filthy appearance.
That gaze was like a beast constantly craving blood. No, just looking at him made it clear he had long given up being human.
He was nothing but a filthy beast living to eat, sleep, and hunt, having forsaken civilization.
“Khuh… I heard the new guys touched our hunting ground… Who’s the leader…?”
With a slow drawl, Doncard asked as he looked around at Ghislaine and the knights, saliva dripping from his mouth.
Kaor and the other knights all turned to Ghislaine. Naturally, Doncard and his followers, as well as the onlookers, gazed at Ghislaine too.
“Are you… the leader…? Khup.”
Doncard swallowed his drool and asked again.
In response, Ghislaine put an arm around Kaor’s shoulder and grinned.
“From now on, this guy is the captain here.”
At this unexpected declaration, Kaor looked at Ghislaine and asked.
“Does that mean I’m… the lord of Penris?”
“Not quite.”
“Then what captain?”
“I’ll be leaving after my training is finished. If you want to stay comfortably here, you need to be the captain. That way, you can keep everyone in line and live peacefully, right?”
Kaor nodded. If there was no lord, he was the strongest in this town. That was only natural.
Doncard chuckled at Kaor’s demeanor.
“Heh heh… Alright then, let me make a proposal…”
The temporary captain Kaor stepped forward confidently.
“What proposal?”
“You all seem pretty capable… so come under me… I promise to treat you well.”
“Hmm.”
After pondering for a moment, Kaor turned to Ghislaine.
“What should we do in this situation?”
“Well, that’s up to you. When I leave, you can try living under him.”
Ghislaine replied with a smile, prompting Kaor to snort and glare at Doncard.
“You little punk, come under me. Then I might let you keep your life.”
His confident words made the onlookers laugh. It had been a while since anyone had talked back to Doncard like that.
Indeed, it was a universal truth that things got more entertaining with the arrival of new characters.
Doncard smiled as he scanned Ghislaine and the knights. However, his eyes were gleaming sharply.
‘Too many… It’s a bit too risky to kill them all…’
Murder is not prohibited just because of some law. That kind of law is just a farce, blindfolding us.
The real problem is that my opponents are no pushovers, and there are quite a few of them in the capital. Of course, I could sweep them away, but soon it’ll be the time when monsters come swarming in.
If one of my followers gets hurt or killed from recklessly striking them, it’ll result in danger. If our power weakens, other hunters might ambush us.
But I couldn’t just let them be. Those in power can’t allow anyone to challenge their authority. That’s how organizations operate.
Doncard looked at Kaor and said, “Let’s have a one-on-one duel… If I win, you vacate this inn and leave… If you want to hunt monsters, go to another fortress… If you’re scared, you can leave now…”
“What? A one-on-one duel? You’re daring to challenge the greatest swordsman in the Ruthania Kingdom, me?”
No one calls him that. Doncard cracked a wry smile.
“Right… Of course, no killing is allowed, so let’s use our fists… Unless you get beaten to death… hehehe.”
“This punk is all mouth, huh?”
Kaor had a personality that couldn’t tolerate such provocations. He stepped forward in anger.
Ghislaine, watching Kaor’s back, said casually, “Hey, you can do it, right? Just do as you were taught.”
“Just watch. I’ll stomp this guy flat without a second thought.”
Kaor cracked his neck and grinned. Doncard approached him, still chuckling.
Soon, people cleared a wide space for them. Such duels were commonplace, so everyone was accustomed to it.
As soon as the space was created, Doncard made a surprise swing with his fist.
BAM!
Kaor quickly crossed his arms to block the punch. A tingling sensation finally made him a bit tense.
Doncard still had a smirk on his face.
‘Not bad… Should I ramp it up a bit?’
BAM! BAM!
With his mana engrossed, Doncard’s punches became faster. Despite his dirty appearance, he was surprisingly skilled.
“Ugh!”
Kaor was taken aback. Doncard’s skills were unexpectedly good.
‘What’s this guy? He’s strong!’
Having fought many knights while participating in wars, Kaor was well aware that he was among the top knights in the north.
With Ghislaine’s teachings, his skills had improved. He thought that any regular knight wouldn’t stand a chance against him.
But as the fight dragged on, Kaor began to slip.
‘Damn it! This guy means business!’
Doncard’s punches were so unpredictable it was hard to anticipate them. Even Kaor, who was confident in handling tricks, couldn’t help but be flabbergasted.
There was a reason this guy posed as a king in such a rough place.
‘Calm down, I need to stay calm.’
But contrary to his thoughts, his hands and feet started to grow chaos.
Kaor had learned the basics from Ghislaine and advanced swordsmanship. Thanks to that, he’d managed to fill his deficiencies and overcome small obstacles.
Yet, no matter how advanced the technique, there wasn’t enough time to solidly engrave it into his body.
These were techniques that took years to master. There was no way he could comprehend and grasp them perfectly in a brief moment.
Ghislaine clicked her tongue, observing Kaor’s state.
“Tsk, tsk, that impatience of yours is always the problem.”
It’s tough to change one’s inherent nature. Especially when it’s deeply ingrained through life-and-death experiences.
As the fight continued, Kaor’s desperation resurfaced. He instinctively fell back into his old habits, trying to aim for the kill quickly.
His hands and feet became unsteady, reverting to the familiar patterns and techniques that felt comfortable to him.
“Profit!”
Kaor unwittingly grimaced and clenched his teeth.
At first, his punches landed a few times, but they were now starting to miss. Meanwhile, Doncard’s face grew more confident.
“Hehehe… Watching you fight, it seems you’ve only improved through real-life experiences, just like me. Your skills seem decent, but you can’t utilize them properly. You’re just perfect for dying in battle…”
“This guy. He seems to have decent skills, but he just can’t utilize them properly. He’s the type that would easily get himself killed while rampaging on the battlefield…”
A laugh escaped me. I could sense that my opponent was flustered and anxious.
He had fought countless battles here. Surviving those fights, he honed his own techniques.
If both of us were equally seasoned by real combat and improvisation, there was no way I wouldn’t come out on top given my age and experience.
In short, Doncard was a superior version of Kaor.
Finding his composure, Doncard calmly defended against Kaor’s attacks while countering.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Ugh!”
After taking a few more hits, the accumulated shock began to wear Kaor down.
His face swelled and he seemed to be bleeding from his mouth.
The Knights of Penris watching were utterly amazed.
Kaor was among the strongest in the territory. Yet, seeing Doncard progressively dominate him was hard to believe.
“Indeed, this place is no walk in the park.”
“There’s no way the guys who’ve been living just hunting monsters for years would be pushovers.”
“Were we really just frogs in a well?”
Seeing Kaor, who was stronger than them, getting beaten, they felt an inexplicable tension rise. The confidence they had gained from easily dealing with the first Hunters began to fade rapidly.
The crowd, sensing the tide turning, began to jeer Kaor while cheering for Doncard.
“Ha ha ha! Those reckless fools! They thought it was all good when hunting monsters, huh?”
“Hey, redhead! Put some more effort into it! You were fighting well at first, so what’s up now?”
“Doncard really is strong. He’s the one who single-handedly took down over a thousand monsters. No wonder he’s called the king of Ironcliff!”
Although the Hunters disliked Doncard, they still relied on him because he was indeed the one who had slain the most monsters here.
And they were certainly not pleased with Ghislaine and his crew, who had suddenly appeared and thrown the hunting ground into chaos.
This atmosphere only fueled Kaor’s rage further.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
It felt like a hot fire was rising within his chest. He couldn’t bear the humiliation.
“If it were Gillian, he wouldn’t have been taken down like this.”
Gillian was a man of iron. Rough, but there was something immense and solid within him.
No matter how strong Doncard was, he would have calmly navigated the fight. No, if it were Gillian, he would have turned Doncard into a pile of bloody meat long ago.
Thinking that made Gillian’s skill more palpable. But Kaor could never accept it.
“I am! I’m stronger than that old man!”
No matter how much he tried to keep calm, his emotions wouldn’t settle. He felt a storm brewing inside.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Now, every punch missed. Doncard toyed with Kaor, easily dodging and striking back.
Thwack!
Kaor, hit on the chin by Doncard’s counter, fell backward, rolling on the ground. It was as if Doncard wasn’t even trying hard.
Although Kaor felt the humiliation and quickly got back up, the spectators sent more mockery his way.
“Haha! This guy is way too weak! He came here acting tough with those skills?”
“Look at him, trying to regain his pride by standing back up.”
“Hey! Put in a little more effort! Doncard hasn’t even used his special move yet!”
With jeering voices coming from all directions, Kaor glared around and shouted.
“Shut up! You bastards! After I take this guy down, I’ll kill every last one of you!”
His shout brimmed with frustration, but it only backfired. The crowd laughed even harder at Kaor.
“Dammit!”
Ignoring the onlookers, Kaor threw another punch at Doncard. He couldn’t stand that mocking look in Doncard’s eyes.
“I’m the strongest! You bastard!”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
His movements had become too large. Doncard easily dodged and swung back.
Wham!
“Ugh!”
It seemed he was planning to finish things off now, delivering a strike far more intense than before. Hit hard in the face, Kaor stumbled back, spitting blood as he did.
It was a powerful strike different from everything up until now. Kaor, hit hard in the face, sputtered blood and staggered backward.
‘Am I just a guy who can’t do better than this?’
The pain of the hit was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Regret washed over him.
‘I should’ve trained harder…’
He thought he had mastered everything Ghislaine had taught him. But at some point, nothing came to mind.
Only the random techniques he had learned before came out.
‘Was I just strong against weaklings?’
When he fought the Knights of Cabaldy, he won easily thanks to what Ghislaine taught him.
But looking back, it was only possible because of the skill gap. That small difference allowed for leisure, letting him use what he had learned.
Meeting an opponent with more experience, he couldn’t even think to properly apply what he had learned.
‘That’s just how I am…’
He should’ve trained properly instead of slacking off. He got arrogant after learning just enough. Honestly, he was tired of the same training every day.
Those small differences piled up, leading to the current result.
‘The lord was right.’
He was just someone who did things only when the situation forced him. That’s why he said to fight with your life on the line to improve your skills.
If it hadn’t been for that way, he wouldn’t have trained consistently.
Thanks to a bit of talent and luck, he had come this far. His stubbornness only came out like a mad dog in battle.
Effort lacked that stubbornness. In a way, this humiliation was expected. And that only led him to feel more worthless.
As Kaor staggered, Doncard approached.
“Time to die, you bastard.”
As Doncard bared his yellow teeth and swung his fist again, Kaor heard Ghislaine’s voice in his ear.
― One step to the right.
Kaor’s body reacted immediately to Ghislaine’s words. It was the effect of special training.
Swish.
“Huh?”
Doncard’s punch missed. Kaor seized the opportunity and quickly thrust his fist into Doncard’s side.
Puhak!
“Uh!”
As Doncard staggered back a step, Kaor glared at Ghislaine and shouted.
“Don’t interfere! I’ll handle this myself!”
The onlookers stared at Kaor with dumbfounded expressions. It seemed like Ghislaine was causing trouble out of nowhere while standing still.
For those who didn’t know the technique of conveying messages by vibrating the air, it was only natural.
This was a technique that only someone with Ghislaine’s mana control, who ranked among the top seven on the continent, could even think of.
Ignoring Kaor’s and the crowd’s reactions, Ghislaine continued speaking.
― Get a grip. You have enough skill to beat that guy, and you know how to do it. It’s just that you haven’t properly embodied it in your body, and you’re too hasty to make use of it. We’re starting training now. Real battle is always the best training. If you argue, you’ll go into special training alone.
“Profit! I said I’ll handle it myself…”
― One step backward.
Swish.
Annoyingly, his body moved reflexively again. Doncard’s punch missed once more. Kaor also threw a punch, but this time Doncard dodged.
― Go in.
Kaor immediately planted his feet and charged towards Doncard. Before he even threw a punch, Ghislaine’s voice came again.
― Turn half a step to the left.
Kaor’s body moved slightly. Doncard’s face unconsciously followed.
― Thrust.
Although they were fighting with fists, he had learned swordsmanship not hand-to-hand combat. He was just adapting it to fit hand-to-hand.
Kaor thrust out his fist like he was drawing a sword, following Ghislaine’s command.
Puhak!
Blood splattered in the air as Doncard’s head snapped back.
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