Chapter 11: Beat him, Don’t beat him, beat him (2)


    Kane gritted his teeth and growled at the provocative remark.


    “This bastard really has lost it now, hasn’t he? You better get ready to lick my boots while crying.”


    The two moved toward the training grounds. News of the duel spread quickly, and people began to flock to the area. The rumor that the ill-tempered Grand Duke was about to get beaten was too good of a spectacle to miss.


    Even some knights who were off duty showed up. Among them, Ghiin noticed one drunk knight and smiled as if he were happy to see him.


    ‘Oh, Skovan’s here too.’


    The knight, stumbling around with a red nose, was Skovan. He had boasted to everyone about how Ghiin had performed during the subjugation, but no one believed him. Instead, he was criticized, with people using him of giving all the credit to Ghiin just to curry favor with the heir to the estate.


    Before long, he had be known as a sycophantic knight, someone who had ttered the Grand Duke from an early age. The titles that followed him were “Lying Knight” and “The Knight Who Abandoned Honor.”


    From that point on, Skovan lived in a drunken stupor. No one believed him, and he lost his knight’s honor. With no purpose left, he had no choice but to drown himself in alcohol.


    Ghiin, fully aware of the rumors, felt a twinge of pity.


    ‘Those disgraceful titles will disappear soon enough. Hang in there, Skovan. Just endure.’


    Ghiin and Kane didn’t start the duel immediately; they waited for enough people to gather. It was customary to allow onlookers time to assemble when a duel was about to take ce. In Ferdium, where entertainment was scarce, these duels were events not to be missed.


    Once a sufficient crowd had gathered, a knight stepped forward and spoke.


    “Alright, it looks like enough people are here. Let’s begin.”


    The crowd began cing bets on who they thought would win. The problem was everyone bet on Kane.


    “This isn’t going to work; the bet can’t stand like this.”


    “Well, the oue’s obvious, so there’s no helping it.”


    “How about changing the terms of the bet?”


    “Let’s wager on how long the Grand Duke willst instead.”


    Hearing thismotion, Kane smirked arrogantly. From how people reacted, it was clear who the favorite was.


    “In that case, let’s change the rules. The standard is…”


    “Wait.”


    Just as the knight was about to alter the rules, a slurred voice interrupted.


    “Skovan?”


    Skovan, looking disinterested, didn’t even bother to respond as he set down his bottle. Then, he rummaged through his belongings, pulled out a pouch filled with money, and tossed it forward.


    Thud!


    The knight caught the heavy pouch and, with a strange smile, asked mockingly.


    “What’s this? Why so much? You’re not serious, are you?”


    Skovan, his eyes bloodshot and teeth clenched growled.


    “I’m betting everything I have on the Grand Duke. If you’re scared, you might as well just die.”


    The knight’s face brightened at Skovan’s words.


    “Good. Yeah, this is how the bet should go. But the amount feels a littlecking.”


    No matter how much Skovan scraped together his entire fortune, how much could a knight from a poor territory really earn from his sry?


    Besides, he had been spending most of that on alcoholtely, so it wasn’t as though he had much money to spare.


    “Hey, does anyone else want to bet on the Grand Duke?”


    Since the rest of the people had all bet on Kane, even if they won, they would have to split Skovan’s money among several people.


    Though the amount Skovan had bet wasn’t insignificantpared to the others, it still felt a bitcking when it came to splitting it among everyone.


    “Ugh, it’s a shame, but I guess we’ll proceed like this. Then…”


    At that moment, the door to the training grounds opened, and Elena entered, walking in with her maids.


    She wore a proud expression as she stood before the knight and gracefully ced a pouch of money on the table.


    “I’ll ce a bet, too.”


    The knight cringed slightly at the sight of Elena, whose eyes were dark with shadows under them, before asking for confirmation.


    “Who exactly are you betting on?”


    “On my mother’s son.”


    “Understood.”


    The knight, delighted, collected the money.


    Due to the poverty of the Ferdium family, Elena hadn’t been receiving much for her living expenses either.


    Still, she was a noble, so when her money was added to Skovan’s, it became an amount that everyone was satisfied with.


    Elena sat in the chair her maids had prepared for her and suddenly met Skovan’s gaze.


    It was a sense of shared pain. The two could understand each other’s suffering.


    Like Skovan, Elena was also treated as a liar trying to support Ghiin.


    It was frustrating that no one believed her, andtely, she hadn’t been able to sleep properly.


    ‘Mydy, this is so unfair.’


    ‘I feel like I’m going crazy from how unfair it is, too.’


    The duel finally began as the two exchanged nces, silently conversing with their eyes.


    Ghiin swung his sword through the air a few times before pointing it at Kane.


    “Come on.”


    “What?”


    “You said you wanted to fight, right? Come at me. No matter what, it’s cowardly for a master to attack a novice first.”


    “You bastard!”


    Kane raised his sword and charged at him with a wild rush.


    Being at least a head taller and much bulkier than Ghiin, the scene of their duel looked like a bullfight.


    ng!


    The two swords collided with a loud crash.


    Kane red at Ghiin as if he wanted to kill him, gathering all his strength.


    ‘I’ll turn him into a cripple.’


    How dare Ghiin suddenly challenge him? Kane couldn’t forgive him.


    Just as the rumors said, this bastard must have gonepletely insane.


    ‘The best medicine for a madman is a beating.’


    Kane truly believed that. Up until now, he had never seen anyone who didn’t listen after being beaten.


    The problem was that Ghiin thought the exact same way.


    ‘Is there something that can’t be solved with strength? Then maybe you just don’t have enough strength.’


    As their swords shed, Ghiin was evaluating Kane.


    ‘As expected, his strength isn’t bad at all. With his build, he probably has decent endurance, too. Looks like I won’t have to worry about what happens next, so that I can beat him up a bit. He’s good at cursing and probably would’ve made a great bandit. A bit of a shame.’


    His size and strength far surpassed those of his peers, likely thanks to being well-fed and well-rested.


    Most formal knights wouldn’t stand a chance against Kane alone in terms of raw strength.


    ‘Now, let’s see how his swordsmanship holds up.’


    ng! ng!


    The two swords collided rapidly without pause.


    People were astonished as they watched Ghiin handle his sword with ease. Even Kane, who was facing him directly, couldn’t believe what was happening.


    ‘W-what the hell! When did his skills improve this much?!’


    Ghiin struggled to block even a single strike thest time they sparred.


    Kane had expected the same oue today, but the reality was different. Ghiin was now easily blocking or dodging every one of his attacks.


    While Kane groaned and swung his sword furiously, the spectators couldn’t help but marvel at Ghiin’s impressive performance.


    “The Grand Duke’s skills have improved a lot!”


    “Could it be that Lord Kane is weaker?”


    “They both look pretty shy to me.”


    “Usually, it’s the ones without skills who fight more dramatically.”


    Hearing the crowd whispering, Kane’s face turned red with embarrassment.


    He had intended to crush Ghiin in one blow but hadn’tnded a single hit.


    ‘Damn it! Why can’t I hit him?!’


    As Kane grew increasingly frustrated, Ghiin smiled and lightly stepped back.


    “Shall I make this a bit more interesting?”


    “What?”


    Everyone around them turned their curious eyes toward Ghiin.


    Click.


    Ghiin calmly sheathed his sword and, shaking both hands, spoke casually.


    “I’ll fight barehanded. The level difference is so obvious that I must give you a handicap to make this fun.”


    ‘And besides, feeling the impact when I hit with my bare hands is more satisfying.’


    Kane’s face flushed with anger at the sudden provocation.


    “You, you bastard!”


    Ghiin paid no attention to him and instead raised both hands toward the crowd, urging them to cheer.


    “Hahaha! This is fun!”


    “Wow! The Grand Duke has improved so much!”


    “Just win, somebody!”


    Duel between knights or nobles usually had a certain level of dignity and solemnity.


    That had its own charm, but it was undeniable that what Ghiin was doing now, with his showmanship, was much more entertaining for the audience.


    Ghiin, looking around at everyone, threw out another bold statement.


    “If I win, I’ll buy everyone here drinks and meat!”


    “Wow! That’s awesome!”


    “Go, Grand Duke!”


    “As expected of the heir of Ferdium!”


    He didn’t have money, but he promised anyway.


    This was how Ghiin, who had lived as a mercenary, operated.


    Mercenaries’ duels usually yed out this way.


    They showed off their skills, attracted attention to themselves, and skillfully manipted the atmosphere to their advantage.


    To the nobles, Ghiin’s behavior seemed vulgar beyond belief, but for the spectators, that only made it all the more entertaining.


    As the crowd cheered, Kane clenched his teeth and looked around.


    “You… you crazy bastard! How dare you pull this kind of stunt in a sacred duel!”


    In an instant, the atmosphere had turned chaotic, like a bustling marketce. It felt like Kane had be nothing more than a diator ve put on disy for the audience’s amusement.


    As Kane stood there flustered, Ghiin clicked his tongue and spoke.


    “At the end of the day, it’s just a fight. Sacred? What’s so sacred about it? Did the temple sponsor you or something? Why are you suddenly spouting nonsense that doesn’t suit you?”


    “Don’t you have any pride as a noble, you bastard?!”


    “Nope, none at all. Are you just going to keep talking? If you’re too scared, I can fight you with just one finger.”


    Ghiin wiggled his finger tauntingly, and the people around them burst outughing.


    Rather than viewing it as a noble duel, the crowd found it more rtable, like a brawl betweenmon street thugs.


    “Wahaha!”


    “The Grand Duke’s personality seems different now!”


    “Still, this is way more fun to watch!”


    For a brief moment, the image of the pitiful Ghiin from the past disappeared from their minds.


    Instead, they began to anticipate what else he might show them next.


    Amidst the loud cheers from the crowd and Ghiin’s provocations, Kane lost his temper and shouted furiously.


    “You bastard! I’ll kill you!”


    “Ah, you’re still just talking. I told you not to.”


    Swoosh!


    Ghiin suddenly dashed toward Kane and swung his palm toward Kane’s head.


    Thwack!


    “Gah!”


    Kane let out a painful groan, unable to retaliate against the surprise attack.


    Even though it was just a p, his skull throbbed as if it had been shaken to its core.


    Grabbing his head, Kane staggered backward, bellowing like a bull before charging at Ghiin again.


    “You arrogant bastard!”


    But Ghiin dodged the attack effortlessly and immediately began beating Kane’s body.


    Thwack!


    “Ugh! You bastard!”


    Thwack!


    “You damn… argh!”


    Thwack!


    “How dare you… keuk!”


    Thwack!


    “W-wait!”


    Thwack!


    Kane couldn’t even attempt a counterattack, nor could he properly curse, as he continued to take blows.


    The onlookers watched with awe in their eyes.


    “The Grand Duke’s movements….”


    “Wow, that’s amazing.”


    “Has he always been this skilled?”


    Ghiin’s movements were sometimes graceful, sometimes beautiful, and at other times, fierce.


    Even the knights who had been watching were left in shock at his dazzling disy of skill.


    Every movement Ghiin made was filled with masterful technique, a level that was impossible for someone of the Grand Duke’s age to achieve.


    Even whenparing himself to Ghiin, it was hard to say he was superior confidently.


    “Waaaah!”


    “The Grand Duke is the best!”


    “He’s so cool!”


    The spectators couldn’t help but cheer as they watched.


    The more dazzling Ghiin’s punches became, the more the audience felt exhration as if their frustrations were being blown away.


    On top of that, seeing Kane get beaten up was its own source of pleasure.


    After all, no one liked him, since he often came by just to harass people.


    ‘Now, I suppose it’s time to really begin.’


    Feeling that the atmosphere had shifted entirely in his favor, Ghiin decided to deliver the final blow.


    He looked at Kane, swollen all over and on the verge of tears, and smiled wickedly.


    “Hey.”


    “…?”


    “Bite down tight. If you don’t, you might end up biting off your own tongue.”


    Boom!


    The moment Ghiin’s fist mmed into Kane’s stomach, it sounded like a thunderp had struck.


    The spectators were so shocked that they instinctively stepped back.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Kane flew across the training ground incredibly fast, crashing hard into the wall.


    When his body finally slumped to the ground, cracks that hadn’t been there before appeared on the wall behind him.


    That was the result of just one punch.


    The knights who saw the scene wore expressions of disbelief.


    “H-how is that even possible?”


    “I didn’t sense any mana, though…”


    In truth, Ghiin had quickly infused his fist with mana and swiftly withdrew it.


    However, to those watching, it looked as though Ghiin had demonstrated immense power without using any mana at all.


    Only a master could manipte mana with such precision.


    “Wooo! It’s over!”


    “The Grand Duke won!”


    “I can’t believe it! The Grand Duke actually won the duel!”


    The crowd cheered, but for Ghiin, it wasn’t over yet.


    If he had a heart kind enough to end things here, he wouldn’t have survived the rough world of mercenaries in the first ce.


    “But he’s still not dead. He hasn’t even surrendered. Guess I’ll have to keep going.”


    Ghiin approached the fallen Kane.


    Kane, barely clinging to consciousness, weakly opened his mouth.


    “S-stop… I, I surr—”


    “Hm? What was that? I can’t hear you.”


    “I s-surr—”


    “I still can’t hear you.”


    Just as Kane was about to dere his surrender, Ghiin’s fist struck him right in the philtrum.


    Thwack!