A huge pit behind the chieftain’s dwelling.
It was wide enough for two people to have a duel, decorated with spikes of shadow and animal bones and hides, giving it an intimidating atmosphere.
And there, Rudell and Kahlan faced each other.
Dududududududu!!
Uh! Ha! Uh! Ha!
The Nord tribe people had gathered around the pit, drumming and shouting.
“What are the rules?”
“Declare surrender or until your opponent is incapacitated. There is no other option.”
“I’m a shaman by your words, is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter. We don’t force the path of a warrior on outsiders.”
With a calm voice, Kahlan raised his great sword.
Well, this situation does allow for some flexibility.
Thoughts like that crossed Rudell’s mind as he gazed at Kahlan’s great sword.
The massive chunk of metal was more akin to a bludgeon than a sword.
If he got hit by that, he’d be turned into mush.
But he didn’t feel that he would lose at all.
That was because the sky was already clothed in heavy darkness.
Kamak! Buta! Ka!
At that moment, an elder of the tribe slowly raised his hand, and the noisy voices of the tribe gradually subsided.
Before long, only the sound of a gentle breeze filled the air, and with a nod from the elder, a skilled drummer brought down his drumstick.
Uwooooaah!!
With a booming sound, the battle cry that could make ears ring echoed as Kahlan charged straight at Rudell.
The massive great sword came flying at Rudell’s head, making an intimidating sound, but Rudell did not move an inch.
The Nord tribe watching the scene cheered.
It was obvious to anyone that Kahlan was certain to win.
But…
Kaang!!
Uuh!?
His attack was suddenly deflected by the spikes of shadow that appeared out of nowhere.
Kahlan, surprised that his attack had been blocked, stepped back, while Rudell smiled faintly at the sight.
“Night is my time.”
At the same moment, thick shadows began to spread around Rudell.
The Nord tribe, seeing this, screamed and stepped back, while Kahlan stared in shock at the scene.
“Then I’ll come over from my side.”
Declaring confidently, Rudell waved his hand into the air.
And from the shadow surrounding Kahlan, countless spikes of shadow surged up.
Kahlan hurriedly raised his sword to fend off the incoming spikes of shadow, but could not block them all.
With sharp sounds, injuries appeared all over his body, and blood splattered.
If it hadn’t been for the armored boots made of monstrous beast leather he was wearing, that attack could have already decided the battle.
“Do you wish to continue? I have no objections…”
Graaaah-!!
Seemingly furious at Rudell’s polite words, Kahlan let out a battle cry and charged at Rudell without answering.
Of course, Rudell wore a faint smile at that look.
Kahlan’s movements were undoubtedly an enormous speed compared to an average person.
But compared to Leje, he seemed to move slower than walking.
Having seen Leje’s movements countless times by now, that speed was hardly impressive.
“If that’s your answer…”
Speaking that way, Rudell charged straight at him.
With a sound slicing through the wind, Kahlan’s great sword brushed past Rudell’s head, and gliding across the ground, Rudell placed his hand against Kahlan’s chest.
“It was a good duel.”
At the same moment, Rudell unleashed his magic power.
His emitted magic become a dark shadow that began to envelop Kahlan’s body, pressing down on him with tremendous force.
Gahk!!
With a pained groan, blood burst from Kahlan’s mouth, and as Rudell confirmed he had lost consciousness, he withdrew his magic power.
The shadows that had engulfed his body disappeared as if melting away, leaving Kahlan sprawled on the ground with his eyes partially rolled back.
Silence began to sweep through the Nord tribe who witnessed the scene…
“Uh, huh…?”
Was that too much?
As Rudell scanned the crowd for their reactions, at that moment…
Bika! Kama! Kadana!!
Wooaaahh!!
With the elder’s shout, the watching Nord tribe erupted into cheers.
*
After a bit of time…
Doon! Dudung! Dudung!
In the center of the village square, a festival was taking place.
“Wahahaha! Drink up! Pour it out!”
“Kahahaha! Kahaha!!”
The sight of the trading guild worker and the Nord warrior arm in arm, chugging down beer, was quite hard to put into words.
“Aren’t you drinking?”
“Not really fond of it.”
With a friendly look, Kahlan approached, putting his arm around Rudell, who wore an awkward smile.
The drink in the cup Rudell held had barely diminished since he first received it.
“That’s unfortunate. A true warrior must be strong in drink too.”
Upon Rudell’s response, Kahlan genuinely looked disappointed, then gulped down the drink in his cup.
“Khahaha! Today is indeed a great day! To the strong ones!!”
“To the strong!!”
As Kahlan filled his cup again and shouted loudly, the nearby Nord tribe and trading guild workers raised their cups and drank.
“Um, Master, is this alright? At this rate, all the drinks we brought for trade…”
“Let’s just consider this service for this time; the real deal is food and essentials anyway.”
Since he intended to present the drinks as gifts to win their favor from the start, Rudell replied nonchalantly.
“By the way, try this; it’s supposed to be meat from a monstrous beast, and it’s tastier than I expected.”
Saying that, Rudell pulled out a skewer being grilled around the bonfire in the middle of the village and handed it to Kyle.
“I-I’m fine. You worked hard, so you should…”
“I was eating it a while ago?”
“…”
Though it was called meat from a monstrous beast, it was actually monster meat.
It seemed Kyle was reluctant, having fought numerous monsters since he was in the territory…
“Come on, just try it.”
“Well, then…”
At Rudell’s encouragement, he reluctantly took the skewer and took a bite.
And…
“This… is surprisingly good?”
“Right? I was surprised too.”
Seeing Kyle’s eyes widen in surprise, Rudell replied with a grin.
Though what kind of monstrous beast it was, the texture and taste seemed like a suitable mix of chicken and pork.
If one didn’t know it was meat from a monstrous beast, it would be quite a tasty dish.
“Speaking of which, Kahlan, about our deal…”
“Oh, that? As per your request, I will exchange adequate valued byproducts for what you’ve brought. In terms of meat, that’s part of our food supplies, so that’s a no-go, but we’ll take good care of skin, bones, and organs!”
“Thank you.”
Although it’s hard to open up, once they do, the Nord tribe is notably generous.
“Wahaha! Today is truly a good day!”
With Rudell bowing his head, Kahlan sang in a cheerful voice as he gulped down his drink.
Just then, as Rudell was sipping from his cup…
“Rudellheit.”
“Huh?”
At the voice from beside him, Rudell turned to see Kurt seated next to him.
“What’s up?”
“I saw you fight. You’re strong.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Upon reflection, it was a kind of cheat, but utilizing it to that extent was solely Rudell’s effort.
With a smile, he replied to Kurt…
“I want to be strong like you.”
“Huh? What’s that out of the blue…”
With Kurt’s next words, Rudell expressed confusion.
At this point, Rudell had roughly grasped the situation.
In the original plot, he started getting stronger when he began as a second-year student, quite a while after transferring to the academy.
That means he needed to bring him to the academy as part of the protagonist’s party to play his part as in the original.
“Do you really want to get strong?”
“Absolutely. I have a reason to become strong.”
“A reason to become strong?”
Pretending not to know, Rudell casually asked, but he actually knew the reason.
The calamity beast Charybdis.
It was a being that reached the pinnacle even in the dangerous terrain of the eternal winter plains.
It was so enormous that its active time throughout the year didn’t even last a full month, yet the influence it wielded on the eternal winter plains was beyond imagination.
The Nord tribe, as well as even the monstrous beasts, could not withstand the snowstorm that it weaved, roaming the plains with a singular purpose.
To satiate its endless hunger.
And Kurt’s tribe was annihilated, leaving him as the last survivor by that beast.
It could be said that if Kahlan hadn’t found him buried in the snow, he too would have died cold beneath the ice.
“I have something I absolutely must do. And I became convinced that you can make me strong.”
“Hmm… even so…”
At Kurt’s words, Rudell put on a troubled expression and lowered his voice.
Of course, internally, he was elated, but he wasn’t going to show that outwardly.
“Please. If you can do that, I will pledge unchanging loyalty to you.”
“Sorry, but that’s a no-go.”
“Why? Is my loyalty not enough?”
“No, that’s not it… I’d rather have you as a friend than pledge loyalty.”
“Friend…?”
“Yeah, friend.”
The pledge of loyalty was already sufficient with Kyle alone.
If he accepted Kurt’s proposal, it was something Rudell wanted to avoid at all costs, as Kurt would essentially become Kyle.MK2.
“I can’t understand, but if that’s what you want, I will be your friend.”
“Great! Then I look forward to your friendship, Kurt…”
Just as Rudell thought that and began speaking to Kurt…
“Chief! Kakasha! Ghinabadah!!”
A Nord warrior sprinted into the square and shouted loudly.
At that moment, an atmosphere of bewilderment began to spread among the Nord tribe enjoying the feast, and without waiting for anyone, the Nord people started gathering their weapons and began to run somewhere.
“What’s happening?”
“It’s here.”
Rudell, who was watching the scene, raised his voice in confusion, and at the same time, Kurt stood up, arming himself with his large axe.
“It’s here?”
“Thunder Fang. That thing has returned.”
At that moment.
Auuuuuuuuuu!!
The howl of a wolf carrying the sound of thunder began to echo from somewhere not far away.
