Chapter 04 : It’s Time to Duel!

"Come again?" I tried to make sure. I mean who would be foolish enough to demand someone's subject in front of many spectators. Wait, is this some cliché 'Young Master' situation? Is this world actually a xianxia world disguising like a typical Japanese isekai?

"I said, give me the maid behind you," he repeated. Just how much of a fool he can be?

"So, you want me to give you my maid if I want to stay out of trouble," I said.

"Yes, that's right. Now that you understand your situation –," he tried to put pressure on me with his status, huh?

"But I refuse!" I pull off the best Rohan Kishibe face I could make.

"Wha?" his jaw hangs open.

"For your information, one of the things I enjoy is to find someone who thinks they're some hot shit and say 'No' right to their faces," well, I mean I might enjoy this if I can see people's faces turning red with anger like this one in front of me.

"You! Do you know who I am?"

"Nope, don't know. Don't care."

"I am the son of the Marquis!"

"And I am a Count. But the catch is I am not 'the son' of the one who holds the title. I am the one who holds my own nobility title," I said that to his face. Man, I can't just get enough of the expression he is making.

"You! How dare you humiliate me like this?"

"So, how do you want me to humiliate you? I take requests."

"No. I have a much better idea. I challenge you to a duel. Let us see if your bite is as vicious as your bark," he takes off his glove and throws it to me.

Okay, he also took the quote from the abridged series.

"So, you will get my maid if you win. And what will I get if you win?"

"You will get to keep your life," he said.

I facepalm and drag the hand down from my face. I sigh. What was I thinking when I asked that question? Of course, he will answer like that.

"For you to know, I will not accept the duel unless the reward for me is my satisfactory," I told him.

"Why you!"

"That is enough!" I heard the voice of the girl from the crowd.

"Who the hell are you to –," Mob A in front of me tried to yell but he immediately stopped when he saw who was the one that interrupted us.

"Who the hell am I? I am the daughter of Duke Zestina, Yubel Zestina. Now tell me. What are you doing by abusing your power?"

"No, this is just misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding, I see. Well, I will not interfere with the duel. But the stake must be changed," she said.

Nice! Thank you, Yubel. You are a true friend. I can now extort from him as much as he can fork out.

"Fine," Mob A grumbled. "You! I want your maid if I win. And I will give you this necklace if you win. This is the heirloom of our family," he pointed at me. I take a closer look at the necklace. It looks like it worth a lot.

"Sure," I smile.

We are now in the dueling area. Each holding the wooden sword in our hands.

"You can surrender now if you want to," Mob A said.

"Nah, let's just start."

He came at me with a slash from above. Too slow. I don't even need to use my <Breathing Technique> to beat him up. Well, I am still going to use the sword forms of Hinokamikagura that can be able to use with this sword. I mean, I don't have a sword form of my own. I can't just swing the sword in front of all the spectators.

I used <3rd form: Raging Sun> to counter his attack. The first horizontal strike to block the incoming strike and slash horizontally again to attack him. Well, as I like to aim my strikes to the head, the horizontal upward slash that I attacked hit him on the chin.

Wow, I didn't know that he was this light. A hit from me sent him about 3 yards away. I didn't mean to do that. I just swing with the usual strength I usually – Oh. That is why. I got used to fighting with Gurguit that I used the same strength on Mob A. Oops?

Holding his chin, he stands up shakenly and looks angrily at me. Wow, the look of hatred in his eyes shows me that he wants to skin me alive.

"O' Spirits that rule over the fire, please grant me your power to burn the enemy in front of me. FireBall!"

Yes, if you want to use elemental magic in this world, you need to chant that long-ass incantation without any shame. I've never learned the magic of this world because it always makes me cringe whenever I heard the incantation.

He sent over dozens of fireballs at me. I thought we were going to have a sword to sword fight. Wait, that sentence comes out wrong. Anyway, if he is going to use magic, who am I to stop myself from using my <Breathing Technique>.

This is currently noon. Great. I can use this form. This form works the best when the opponent's eyesight is good.

I start my breathing. When the fireballs are at a near distance, I used <4th form: Fake Rainbow> to dodge all the attacks. The fireballs hit my afterimages and exploded when they hit the ground.

Now, I am not going to drag the fight any longer. I quickly search for the form that will work with the sword I am currently holding. The width of the sword is a little wider but it will do.

I rushed toward Mob A, attacking him with a haze-covered slash.

"Hah! Where are you hitting?" he tried to taunt me.

But the attack actually hit him in the stomach. <8th form: Solar Heat Haze> is an attack that slashes the target with a haze-covered slash that seemingly fails to land, but actually does hit them.

He got thrown across the field and smash into the wall of the mansion. I turned toward the referee and asked, "I am not going to compensate for the wall, right?"

"The winner, Lord Gregorios!"

I went toward Mob A and pull off the necklace from his neck. "I will be taking this," I said. It is also at that time that I heard the man's voice.

"No, you can't! That is our heirloom!" Sigh, after beating up the son, the father will come. Why did I have to forget about this? After beating up the father, the grandpa will come out. After the grandpa, the ancestor will come.

"You are Mob A's father, yes?"

"Who are you to call my son Mob A?"

"Then you are now the father of Mob B. Well, father of Mob B, your son had wager this necklace I am currently holding with my maid. And in front of many people, I won this fair and square. If you have anything against it, please feel free to file it to the Emperor," I said. I will give this headache to the emperor I've never seen before. I am too young to deal with this shit.

"You!"

"You will stand down immediately, Marquis." I heard the voice of Yubel.

"My lady, you are still young. You won't know anything about these –," the father of Mob B tried to talk it over with her but the booming voice made him flinched.

"Who are you to talk my daughter like that? Who gave you this kind of courage Marquis?" I saw a man with the body of a bodybuilder, brown hair, and blue eyes are staring down at Mob B's father.

"No, I am very sorry. I apologize for my outburst," he quickly apologizes. No way! The mob that actually apologizes rather than keeps making reasons? You get to learn something new every day.

Then the Duke turns his head toward me. "So, you are my little girl's friend. Please take care of her. This is the first time she went and made a friend on her own initiative. This is the first time for her to talk to me about another person instead of the people from the house," he walks toward me and puts both of his hands on my shoulder.

"But if I see her cry because of you, I dare you, I double dare you, I will find you wherever you are. And I will make sure you will never see the sun another day," he told me with the scary expression on his face. He is making me scared is the reason I will never know. I can kill him easily but I am actually scared of him now.

"I- I promise," I can do nothing but promise not to make the girl cry.

"Thank you!" He thanked me as nothing happened between us. Meaning, he never threatened me.

"I am sorry for making such a scene. You can carry on with your party," the man in front of me turn around and informed the people to resume the ceremony.

3rd POV

During MC is fighting with Mob A, later known as Mob B,

"Those sword forms, I have seen them," a young girl told to the boy standing beside her.

"Really? From where?" the black-haired young boy asked her.

"I've seen some of those forms from the dance my older sister had always been dancing since last year. Do you see the high-speed twists and rotations he is doing right now? My sister also did that," the girl replied.

"No way, that must be a coincidence. How can a princess know someone from the frontier region? Much like having the same sword forms," the boy reason with her.

The girl thinks again. What he said is also right. But she also thought that something is amiss here. Other than that high-speed twists and rotations, all of the forms he used are identical to some of the form from the dance her beloved older sister dance all night. She doesn't know why her sister dances the dance all night and sleeps during the daytime, it must be related to the boy she is seeing. Unlike what her friend slash future fiancé said, this can't be a coincidence.

For that, she will try to ask her sister about this boy. She was sure her sister will know something about this. This sword art doesn't use magic to perform skills. This is something that would let her help her sister. She doesn't like the fact that she gets protection from her sister. She also wants to help her sister too. She wants to show her sister that she does not need protection from her and she can protect herself.

Now to the aftermath of the duel, three people are sitting in the room. One is the father of Mob A, another one is Marquis Oak and another one is someone unique. He has a horn on his head.

"What should we do? We had lost the relic that will let us enter the ruin," the father of Mob A said.

"We cannot go to the ruin without passing his territory after all. Let him safely keep it for a while. I heard that the beasts inside the forest are getting relentless. If it goes on like this, the monster stampede will happen this year. We can just wait for it and capture his territory when his forces are at lowest," the Oak replied.

"I also think this plan will work. I will go and tell my lord about the plans," the demon told them.

"You will give us what you promised, right?"

"Of course, the demons never went back their words," the man gave them a smile.