Beliher, who had been utterly defeated, came to me with a flushed face, begging for a rematch.
He acknowledged his loss but insisted he hadn’t shown everything he could do, asking to fight again properly.
“Really? Doesn’t seem like there’s any reason for that.”
I firmly declined. My gaze told him not to cling on clumsily, to accept defeat cleanly and step back.
Why should I entertain such a ridiculous request? If we fought again, I doubt I’d win so easily this time.
The reasons I had easily triumphed over Beliher were twofold: the unique nature of the duel and the information gap.
The strength of Gangwan, which had been further amplified through the battle with the Valkyrie, and the robust magic-infused armor.
Beliher had no idea of this and suffered a crushing defeat. He mistakenly believed that his great sword could easily crush any armor.
If it hadn’t been a duel, he would have targeted the unprotected areas instead, right?
Those areas were indeed protected by defensive magic, but since my armor wasn’t a finished product, it would require about six hours to recharge after one use of the defensive spell.
So I couldn’t use it right now. Also, it wasn’t an invincible shield; if it got hit hard by a great sword, the magic could break.
In other words, if we had a rematch, it would be difficult for me to utilize the advantage of my equipment against Beliher.
Beliher was certain that he couldn’t break my armor with his great sword, so if we fought again, he’d probably aim for the vulnerable spots relentlessly.
His gaze kept flickering toward my longsword… perhaps he aimed to prioritize destroying my sword?
Easier said than done, but if by some chance my sword actually broke, that would mean my defeat.
Losing my sword meant becoming a martial artist forced into immobility. That would be a disgrace, meaning failure as a human being.
Of course, if someone skilled in martial arts reached a level similar to mine, that wouldn’t be a disgrace but rather respectably powerful…
But that was only true if they were a proper martial artist.
I, who had never trained martial arts even once, couldn’t replicate their skills, so it didn’t apply to me at all.
So…
“It wouldn’t make sense to triumph over someone you’ve already beaten. If you want a rematch, come back stronger.”
“Guuuhhhh…!”
Beliher made a sound akin to a constipated patient, his face turning an interesting shade of red. Watching him felt oddly satisfying.
Seriously, why did he have to be rude from the first encounter? If it weren’t for that, I might have treated him with some courtesy. That’s what he gets for his own actions.
“Leave, Beliher. I have no doubt about your martial prowess, but this place isn’t a duel arena to determine superiority.”
Argantir sighed, unable to watch any longer, and gestured for him to go away.
“I’ve learned what I needed to know, so don’t waste my time any further.”
“…Yes, Your Highness. I beg your pardon for my disgrace.”
Beliher bowed apologetically and withdrew, looking quite embarrassed.
…You should also apologize to me, pal. I was the one you disgraced.
I glared at that scene in disgust and clicked my tongue softly before stepping back. There’s no point in arguing about it in a feudal society.
Thus, my verification duel ended in a blink of an eye.
◆◆
“I am Curtis, a knight of the Kingdom of Hervor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Friede of Line.”
Friede’s opponent was a knight named Curtis. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, and his demeanor had a polite etiquette, suggesting he came from nobility.
“…I am Siegfriede.”
“Ah, my apologies, Lady Siegfriede. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Friede requested that he use her proper name instead of her nickname and drew a regular black iron great sword, not the Nibelung, but an ordinary one stored in the training yard.
This was a condition set by Argantir.
While he could just barely overlook my armor, using a holy sword for a verification duel felt a bit excessive, right?
If the underground facility were to collapse, it would be disastrous for everyone involved.
Honestly, it was an unnecessary worry. Friede still needed a lot of time and experience to reach that level.
Argantir, being royalty from another country and not Line, seemed to have overestimated the capabilities of the Nibelung based solely on written accounts.
There were tales of a past hero swinging the Nibelung to split a fortress wall in half or some such legend.
Anyways, thus began the duel between Friede and Curtis.
“Hyahaaaaap!”
“Jumping, eh…? What bizarre—no, unique swordsmanship…!”
Friede spun like a top with wings, leaping repeatedly while swinging her black iron great sword like a storm.
Curtis, who had presumably trained in the orthodox techniques as a royal knight, was clearly not used to such tactics.
With no wings, leaping into the air where counterattacks couldn’t reach left him bewildered, unsure of where to strike first.
Of course, anywhere he aimed wouldn’t make a significant difference.
Perhaps due to the absence of the holy sword buffs, Friede’s strikes were a tad slower and weaker than before, but she still showcased an overwhelmingly intense momentum.
The fierce sound of metal resonated in the air, like a bell caught in a whirlwind.
Curtis skillfully wielded a weapon that combined an axe, spear, and hook, thrusting, slashing, and navigating with a torrent of intense strikes.
Using his great sword as a counterweight, Friede skillfully evaded and deflected his attacks while changing her posture in mid-air.
A close battle seemed to rage on. The deciding factor in this victory was—
“Disappeared…?!”
“Hyahap!”
With a dramatically low stance, Friede executed a sweeping lower attack that grazed the ground.
The black iron great sword crashed into Curtis’s shin armor with a loud bang. Curtis spun around jokingly before diving headfirst into the training yard floor.
All his focus had been on avoiding her relentless jumping attacks, causing him to momentarily miss Friede’s sudden low maneuver.
“I’ve learned something. This puts into perspective just how ludicrous the rumors circulating about you were.”
Curtis, sitting up, seemed somewhat dazed as he held his head, shaking it slightly but acknowledging his defeat with a calm tone.
“It was… entertaining.”
Impressed by his composed attitude, Friede followed suit with her own respectful gesture as they ended the duel.
Thus all verification tests concluded.
Friede and I proved our skills by defeating the knight of the kingdom.
By their standards, we were on par with elite knights. It was said that we were the top tier of adventurers, akin to those with golden insignias.
It seems those responsible for small squads within the royal knight order had abilities similar to ours.
In other words, Beliher and Curtis, who lost to us, were just ordinary knights in the royal knight order, only barely shedding their novice status.
Well, considering everything, it was an obvious conclusion.
Argantir was currently sneaking out of the palace, so he couldn’t bring along top-tier powerful escorts suitable for a prince.
The exceptional presence of the prince himself aside, he had to rely on similar level individuals to cover the absence of those strong warriors…
How could that ever be a possibility? Ridiculous.
If Argantir intended to venture outside unnoticed, taking along some obscure knight who wouldn’t draw much attention seemed to be the best option.
◆◆
Once all tasks were completed, Argantir issued me a parting line to not be a nuisance anymore and released me from duty.
He handed me a small identification badge confirming my status as an organization official, along with a brief profile of Esther, a female knight, and an introduction letter to her.
He mentioned he’d later send a magic item for changing hair color. Friede was excited, saying it would turn her hair the same color as hers.
After that, I returned to the inn in Ahilant and carefully read through the personal profile he handed me.
Verloren Esther.
That was the name of the woman who would serve as my mother on paper.
38 years old, single.
She had divorced her husband, and her only child was missing.
She was one of the former deputy candidates of the royal knight order and had reached a level where she could rival a high-ranking knight.
‘Just shy of becoming a high-ranking knight… far more impressive than I thought.’
I wasn’t sure if she truly was a high-ranking knight or merely stopped due to hitting a barrier, but regardless, she was a formidable individual beyond imagination.
In the current kingdom, there were no existing individuals who had reached a high-ranking level.
Even those called the kingdom’s best swordsmen had only reached high-ranking top tier, yet fell short of surpassing that threshold.
The reason nations supported heroes was to cultivate high-ranking strong individuals.
The same went for other professions as well.
The majority of high-ranking mages were tower lords or branch leaders, while high-ranking priests only held the title if they were above a bishop.
In short, being just shy of the high-ranking knight level indicated that one was a powerful figure within the kingdom, staying within the top 20 strong.
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