Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Battle for the Porter - Ducal Domain (3)

"A counter-proposal?"

"I've never heard that term before."

Was that possible? If someone made a proposal, of course there should be a counter-proposal. Then again, this was a class society where the words "proposal" and "order" were used interchangeably.

"One week."

"One week?"

"I'll spend one week alternating between the two of you. I'll decide where to go after that."

"I......"

Gatos and the butler wore matching expressions of bewilderment.

This was a gamble for me too. It was an insolent move, after all. But I had things to do. Because there were people I needed to meet — both at the Ducal Estate and in the Imperial Capital.

- Marina, we're friends forever.

- Marina, friends share everything with each other.

Lines from 「The Bed Strewn with Rose Petals」 that I'd read yesterday replayed in my mind. These were Marina's best friends. One was at the Ducal Estate and the other in the Imperial Capital.

The most important detail: they occupied the supporting-friend slot around the female lead, meaning neither of them had a boyfriend! They were the only women with any possibility for me. You don't go after someone who's already taken. That's every lifelong-single's creed. Of course, it was simply cowardice more than anything.

"...Ha ha."

The butler laughed in disbelief.

One was a prince of the realm, the other the mouthpiece of the empire's second most powerful man. Neither had ever been on the receiving end of someone else's demands. The bewilderment of encountering this situation for the first time was palpable.

"What is that supposed to mean? You're saying you'd like to test the waters?"

Gatos asked. Being a prince, business terminology hadn't quite settled on his tongue yet. Made sense — he'd never need it. When he spoke directly, everyone simply obeyed. Still, minus one point for you.

"Test the waters — that is rather harsh phrasing, Your Highness. Surely it is praiseworthy for one to carefully choose where to place his name."

Alfredo, well played. You really were better at navigating social dynamics. Plus one point for you. At this rate I felt like some training camp instructor grading recruits.

I considered demanding a cheer, but decided I'd get my head lopped off by the prince, so I reined it in.

"True, I misspoke. Then where will you place your name first?"

Wow, the prince really had no pride. Even after I'd openly said I was testing the waters, he was still trying to take care of me. The butler had at least seen my skills, but what was this guy's deal? No wonder the readers treated you like a golden retriever.

I pulled a copper coin from my pocket. They seemed to grasp what I was about to do.

"I'll flip this coin — heads for the Imperial Capital, tails for the Ducal Estate. Fair enough?"

"...Fine. Do as you please."

Gatos seemed to have given up slightly. The butler was watching Gatos's reaction with visible amusement, stealing sideways glances. He'd probably never seen the prince act like this. I, on the other hand, already knew full well that Gatos was a soft touch.

Ping!

Sunlight alternated between the coin's faces, scattering glare into their eyes. They both squinted at the flashing coin.

Tak!

I caught the coin on the back of my hand and slowly lifted my other hand. Watching their gazes lock onto my hand was amusing enough that I peeled it away even more slowly.

Apparently that pushed even the mild-mannered Gatos past his limit.

"Could you do that a little faster?"

"My apologies. The wrist I injured still isn't fully healed."

"Ah, right. I'd forgotten about that. My apologies."

One more prank and I'd probably witness the golden retriever transform into a pit bull terrier. That scene was supposed to be a rare moment reserved for the novel's final act.

Looking at the back of my hand, it had landed on tails. Alfredo broke into a beaming smile, and Gatos wore a look of deflation. Both of them seemed to think going first was the advantage.

"Hmm, so it is. Then I'll send a carriage in one week."

"I can walk. I enjoy walking."

"Is that so? Very well."

Gatos draped his cloak with a sharp flick and strode off down the treatment room corridor, visibly sulking. Quite the sight. A pouting prince. That pitiful retreating figure practically radiated the aura of a dog who'd gotten bland kibble again.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Yes."

They had no idea I had business at the Ducal Estate. Close-reading 「The Bed Strewn with Rose Petals」 had revealed my priorities.

The best friend stationed in the Capital would remain there for the time being, but the one at the Ducal Estate could disappear at any moment — so I needed to get there as soon as possible. And charm her with everything I had.

"Lucky break."

Alfredo said, looking pleased.

Lucky, my foot. If an S-rank Hunter couldn't rig a coin flip, what kind of S-rank Hunter would he be? I simply smiled at Alfredo and said nothing. Here I come.

***

"I am Yeraup Lapitess, Duke. A pleasure."

"Appari Tion."

The man with the long beard spoke while keeping his hands clasped behind his back. Not yet worthy of a handshake — was that it? I knew Trafviche's etiquette. Even skimming, it was something that came up constantly.

I tugged my left lapel with one hand, covered my abdomen with the right, and bowed my head.

"Oh? You know Trafviche etiquette?"

"I picked it up by watching."

Duke Lapitess chuckled. I sensed a gaze and looked up toward a window on the second floor, far away. Airi was poking her head out, watching me. The moment her eyes met mine, she ducked down out of sight.

"What an amusing fellow."

"I haven't told a single joke."

"That's what makes you first-rate. Winning before the battle is fought makes a first-rate commander, and being amusing before a joke is told makes a delightful person."

An unexpectedly high compliment from Duke Lapitess. Speaking of which, I wondered if the books I'd read could be put to use here. English had gotten jumbled up with Ancient Yensian, and the line about winning before the battle was from Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"Would you like to spar with one of my knights?"

Ah, so that was the Duke's intention. He'd been tipped off by the butler, who'd gotten some idea of my abilities. And now he was going to assess me directly.

A knight in full plate armor clattered out with precise, measured steps. The rhythmic footfalls made him look almost like a mechanical soldier. It seemed as though his chest housed a nuclear plasma core rather than a heart.

"You're no first-rate man yourself, Your Grace."

"What?"

Lapitess was the type who couldn't hide his expressions either. Especially not in front of someone as lowly as me. Alfredo outright gasped in horror.

This had to be handled carefully. The butler was just an underling, but Duke Lapitess was the real lion. Not that I intended to back down.

"It is said: a hundred battles, a hundred victories — this is not the highest excellence. To subdue the enemy's forces without fighting — this is the highest excellence. Your Grace has not subdued me without a fight."

"...Ha ha."

Lapitess laughed in disbelief, then erupted into full-blown laughter.

"A Yensi fellow who even knows the great Commander Kamel's writings! What an absolutely delightful young man!"

Thank goodness that worked. So Sun Tzu's Art of War became Kamel's book in this world? Lapitess was the type to ramble when something he knew came up, and he continued eagerly.

"Indeed, rather than winning a hundred battles out of a hundred, the pinnacle is to subdue the enemy without fighting at all. But surely you can't expect me to judge you on words alone?"

"You're right."

"Then what shall we do? I'll ask you."

I had an answer prepared for this too. I'd commanded plenty of raid parties, so I'd studied a good deal of strategy. It had come in handy more often than I'd expected.

"It is said: in war, I have heard of haste, even when clumsy, but I have never seen a prolonged campaign that was skillfully executed. Since we're doing this anyway, I'll finish it quickly."

"What a character. Finish it quickly, you say?"

My head was aching from dusting off classical quotations. I'd only ever gone on variety shows and laughed — this was a first. I wasn't some educational-program producer. At least the Skill Window showed me the exact passages I'd read, which saved me.

Duke Lapitess looked entertained, but the armored knight was trembling with what appeared to be indignation. I'd been spouting quotations left and right and then claimed I'd end it fast, so the man was probably burning up.

"Pru, that Yensi boy just disrespected you."

"I am aware."

Lapitess threw fuel onto the fire for good measure. Alfredo's face twisted with alarm.

"This man's wrist hasn't fully healed yet. Might it not be best to postpone the sparring?"

"Did you not hear what the man himself said?"

Duke Lapitess fixed Alfredo with a frigid stare. Alfredo immediately crumpled like a Yorkshire Terrier meeting a tiger.

"Listen, Yensi boy. This man is the youngest in our knightly order, but he is also the youngest to ever achieve Sword Expert Two. Are you confident?"

"I'm not confident."

I said. The room's expressions collectively sank into disappointment. Everything I'd said so impressively was now boomeranging back.

Sorry, but this was staged too. Spend enough years in broadcasting and you pick these things up.

"I'm not confident I can lose."

"What a character indeed!"

Duke Lapitess was now clapping and laughing. The knight called Pru had turned red-faced and drawn his sword first.

"We don't need to go to the sparring grounds. I'll water this garden with your blood."

"Now, Pru. Calm down. He's an amusing fellow, isn't he?"

Lapitess grabbed Pru's shoulder and laughed. I went cold inside. No more joking, no more smiling.

Lapitess and Alfredo led us to the sparring grounds.

"What possessed you to keep running your mouth like that?"

Pru, already harboring resentment, kept needling me, but I didn't give him a single word in response.

When fighting, you always had to keep your mind clear and composed. There were A-rank Hunters who got injured in F-rank dungeons. Not by monsters — they'd twist an ankle from a misplaced step, something like that. But that kind of carelessness accumulated until it cost you your life.

We soon arrived at an open clearing. The sparring grounds were on the opposite side of the garden. In the distance, Airi was visible again at a window. She'd apparently crossed over through the corridor to watch our fight. Even when our eyes met, she didn't look away — that curious about the match.

"Then let us begin. Pru, remove your heavy armor and take a wooden sword."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"You'll just need a wooden sword, I take it?"

"That's correct."

We received our wooden swords and took our positions. Just then, a gust of wind blew between us, kicking up a cloud of sand and dust.

"When this dust settles, the fight begins. Agreed?"

I licked my finger and checked the wind. Not the kind that would die down quickly. He checked the wind the same way. But our purposes were different.

If he was gauging when the fight would start, I simply wanted to know how strong the wind was.

If the fight began when the dust cleared, then starting the fight was simple.

All I had to do was clear the dust. I immediately dashed to the center and slashed the air with my sword. The dust split left and right in an instant, and clear sunlight poured down the path between us.

I thrust my sword along the corridor of sunlight. He flinched and raised his sword diagonally to block. Sorry, but you couldn't stop my sword with one hand.

I didn't know the exact standards of a Sword Expert, but I estimated I was fighting roughly a B-rank Hunter.

"Ugh!"

Or not. He couldn't block it. A C-rank Hunter, then? I adjusted my mana and pulled my sword back. Being an S-rank Hunter, I sometimes gave lectures at Hunter training academies, and occasionally sparred with the new recruits as an event.

I'd hurt plenty of them during those bouts, so I was getting a little careful. But I'd never started with a dangerous move to hurt someone first. It was when an overeager rookie trying to catch my eye went as far as a killing strike that I'd simply react in kind.

Reacting to killing intent was instinct — I couldn't help hurting them.

"HYAAAAH!"

Trying to shake off the pressure bearing down on him, Pru screamed and drove his sword straight at me. Right — this was exactly the situation I'd been talking about.

A killing strike during a spar. When that happened, my S-rank Hunter instincts couldn't help but kick in.

【Skill: Reflex Lv. MAX - Active】

I immediately bent backward at the waist to dodge the sword aimed at my heart, then drove my own sword into the ground behind me to create a pivot point.

Using that sword as an axis, I spun around and delivered a powerful kick to Pru's solar plexus.

BANG—!

With a sound like a firecracker bursting, Pru flew across the sparring grounds, slammed into the wall, and crumpled to the ground. Ouch — he'd need a month's rest for that. Cracked ribs, for sure. That's what you got for pulling a killing strike in a spar.

I straightened my back naturally and surveyed the scene. The expressions on Duke Lapitess and Alfredo — and on Airi watching from a distant window — were all perfectly identical, which made for a satisfying sight.