The night sky was dark with the sun setting and the moon's shadow hanging over it, but the knight training grounds were as bright as day.
Because the magic lights were turned on for the duel between Sir Aldor and the Imperial Knights.
“Why the sudden duel?”
“That son of a bitch is blatantly... Huh, Miss?”
“What, a young lady? Where... Huh, you’re really a young lady.”
“Lord Perdes has come too.”
The Duke's knights, who had been huddled together and chatting around the makeshift circular arena made by drawing lines, looked at us in surprise when Perdes and I appeared.
The same was true for the royal knights.
Sir Dominic, the leader of them, approached me, placed his hand on his heart, and gave me a slight bow.
“Are you here, Lady Leopold?”
“I heard that Sir Aldor and the Imperial Knights are dueling. What happened?”
“I don’t know the exact details, but I heard that Sir Aldor immediately challenged Usher to a duel.”
Usher is that young royal knight.
But Sir Aldor challenged him to a duel?
Why on earth?
“Not right away.”
The Duke's knight behind him spoke with a slight exasperation.
Other reporters nodded their heads and explained the situation in more detail.
“That royal knight named Usher was the first to start a fight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yes. He said that he knew the level of the Duke’s knights and that the knights without a leader were a rabble and would soon fall apart, he laughed at them.”
“That’s right. I heard it clearly too.”
"Me too!"
“When the Vice-Captain heard that story, he got angry and challenged the royal knight to a duel!”
“...So, what do you think about this, Sir Dominic?”
When I asked in a low voice, Sir Dominic smiled awkwardly.
The Dukes of Leopold were a venerable knightly family, and the Order of Leopold was their pride and honor.
But how can a mere knight of the Imperial Palace insult the Order of Leopold?
This was clearly an insult to the Duke of Leopold.
“Apart from the fact that Sir Aldor challenged Sir Usher to a duel, may we punish the knight?”
“That, that’s a bit...”
“Are you really going to say no?”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
“Why? Is it because the entire Imperial Knights, including Sir Dominic, think so?”
“Oh, no!”
Sir Dominic was startled and waved his hands violently.
“How could that be? I, as well as all the knights of the Imperial Household, sincerely consider the Order of Leopold to be a great order.”
“Not all. There are knights like Sir Usher who openly insult my family’s order.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Sir Dominic was sweating profusely, perhaps in embarrassment.
The other imperial knights also looked quite embarrassed.
It seemed as though they had nothing to do with this matter.
So that means Usher did it on his own... What are he thinking?
I couldn't help but think that the fact that he openly criticized the order rather than gossiped about me was intended to provoke the knights of my family.
What does he gain by provoking them?
Duel? Then what does he get from a duel?
It was also a little surprising that the cool-headed and rational Sor Aldor was the first to challenge Usher to a duel.
Of course, since he openly criticized the knightly order he belonged to, it would normally be right to challenge him to a duel, but Sir Aldor did not fall into that normal category.
In the past life, there were often those who criticized and insulted the Knights of Leopold, but Sor Aldor was never the first to speak out.
Oh, that happened just once.
The reason he stepped forward then was clear...
Wheeeeeek-
Suddenly I heard a whistle and looked in that direction.
Then, suddenly, I saw Sir Aldor and Usher standing facing each other in the circular arena, holding wooden swords.
Perdes, who was next to me, also noticed the two people and muttered as if talking to himself.
“Fortunately, it’s not a showdown.”
Is it my imagination that it seems like a pity, contrary to the word 'fortunate'.
“But Young Lady, can we just leave them alone? Shouldn’t we be stopping them?”
"It's okay."
A duel with pride on the line is not something you can just stop lightly, and since it was a fight with wooden swords, neither one would get seriously hurt, so I decided to leave it alone.
At best, it would be a broken bone.
The only thing that worried me a little was that Sir Aldor would lose the duel.
If he, the vice-captain in name only, were to lose to a rookie knight who had just graduated from the academy, the Knights of Leopold would truly become a rabble.
People will chew on this for a long time and laugh at the Knights of Leopold.
It was terrifying just to think about it.
Of course, Sir Aldor was one of the most powerful men in the empire, so there was no way he would lose to the rookie Knight.
... Yes, if the opponent is a real rookie Knight.
I looked at Usher carefully.
His posture while holding the wooden sword was slightly unstable, and his face was clearly tense.
Looking at it this way, it seems like the name of Rookie Knight is correct, but I was really curious about what the truth was.
'But Aldor will win.'
In the past, the reason Sir Aldor was defeated by the Anatome Guard was because they made surprise attacks or attacked in groups.
There was no way Aldor could lose in a fair fight.
The referee decided to have the two judges, the Imperial Knight and the Leopold Knight, watch together fairly.
The two knights placed their hands on their hearts and swore to judge fairly, and then spoke to Sir Aldor and Usher.
“The rules are simple. When one side surrenders or becomes unable to duel, the other side wins immediately.”
“Please be careful, if you go out of the stadium you will be disqualified.”
It was a very basic rule.
As Aldor and Usher nodded in understanding, the judges left the arena.
And then, without saying who would go first, they both shouted at the same time to start the duel.
“...”
“...”
But neither Aldor nor Usher moved.
The two just stood there, their feet glued to the ground, staring at each other.
To someone ignorant of swordsmanship or such, it might have seemed like a pointless staring contest, but it wasn't.
This was an advanced psychological warfare and exploration operation.
If you move rashly and get counterattacked, the damage will be great if your attack fails, so you wait for your opponent to show an opening and then accurately attack that part.
Sir Aldor, of course, showed no weaknesses, and neither did Usher.
He was on perfect alert, leaving no room for even a needle to enter.
“Is he a rookie knight who just graduated from the academy? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it.”
“That’s right. Just looking at him, he seems to have quite a bit of combat experience...”
Leopold's knights murmured after seeing Usher like that.
The faces of the royal knights, who had half given up, naturally thought that Usher would lose, also brightened.
Sir Dominic especially liked it the most. The corners of his mouth went up in satisfaction.
When engaging in psychological warfare, not only physical strength but also mental strength is considerably consumed, so as the battle goes on, those who are trained in both have the advantage.
And Sir Aldor was highly regarded among the knights as being strong in psychological warfare.
So I thought Usher would strike first before it became a long-term war, but surprisingly, Sir Aldor attacked Usher first.
It happened just ten minutes after the duel began.
If Usher had shown an opening, it would have been understandable that Sir Aldor would have attacked first, but that was not the case.
Usher was still vulnerable, even when Sir Aldor launched a surprise preemptive strike.
Taaak-
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed loudly.
As Usher calmly blocked Sir Aldor's attack, there was a hush from the Knights of Leopold and cheering from the Imperial Knights.
“Isn’t the attack by Sor Aldor just now a little strange?”
Perdes asked me in a small voice.
I nodded in response and looked at the two of them, specifically Sir Aldor.
I don't know if it was because of his mood, but Sir Aldor looked impatient like he was being chased by something.
The battle between the two continued.
Most of the time, Aldor attacked, and Usher defended and stabbed once in a while.
The attack looked quite sloppy on the surface, but it wasn't.
It was a fierce attack aimed precisely at the vital point.
It was definitely not a skill that a rookie knight who had just graduated from the academy would be able to use.
In addition, this attack technique disguises itself as being sloppy, making the opponent let their guard down, and then accurately strike the vital point.
I feel like I've seen it somewhere, but where have I seen it...!
[It's the end.]
Suddenly, a voice that seemed unfamiliar yet familiar passed by my ears, and a scene unfolded before my eyes like a panorama.
In a dark forest.
A woman who runs away from the enemy and eventually collapses from exhaustion, and a man who holds a sword with an injured body to protect her.
And the men in black masks surrounding the man and woman.
It was the last moment of my second life.
Coming out of the forest, Sor Aldor fought fiercely against the Anatomie guards sent by the Emperor and was eventually killed.
[They say you're one of the best knights in the empire, but you're nothing special.]
At that time, the man who laughed at Sir Aldor and took his life was none other than... Usher.
I hadn't even guessed it until now, but seeing Usher's swordsmanship made it clear.
Because swordsmanship was another face and business card for a knight.
It was certain.
Anger welled up in me as the unforgettable, hellish memories overlapped.
As my eyes turned white, the unlucky Usher's expression and voice were clearly imprinted on my mind.
"...Miss?"
I wanted to grab Usher right now, make him kneel before me, and inflict revenge on him even more severe than what had been done to me and Sir Aldor.
“Young Lady!”
In my burning desire for revenge, Perdes suddenly grabbed my hand.
Because the magic lights were turned on for the duel between Sir Aldor and the Imperial Knights.
“Why the sudden duel?”
“That son of a bitch is blatantly... Huh, Miss?”
“What, a young lady? Where... Huh, you’re really a young lady.”
“Lord Perdes has come too.”
The Duke's knights, who had been huddled together and chatting around the makeshift circular arena made by drawing lines, looked at us in surprise when Perdes and I appeared.
The same was true for the royal knights.
Sir Dominic, the leader of them, approached me, placed his hand on his heart, and gave me a slight bow.
“Are you here, Lady Leopold?”
“I heard that Sir Aldor and the Imperial Knights are dueling. What happened?”
“I don’t know the exact details, but I heard that Sir Aldor immediately challenged Usher to a duel.”
Usher is that young royal knight.
But Sir Aldor challenged him to a duel?
Why on earth?
“Not right away.”
The Duke's knight behind him spoke with a slight exasperation.
Other reporters nodded their heads and explained the situation in more detail.
“That royal knight named Usher was the first to start a fight.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yes. He said that he knew the level of the Duke’s knights and that the knights without a leader were a rabble and would soon fall apart, he laughed at them.”
“That’s right. I heard it clearly too.”
"Me too!"
“When the Vice-Captain heard that story, he got angry and challenged the royal knight to a duel!”
“...So, what do you think about this, Sir Dominic?”
When I asked in a low voice, Sir Dominic smiled awkwardly.
The Dukes of Leopold were a venerable knightly family, and the Order of Leopold was their pride and honor.
But how can a mere knight of the Imperial Palace insult the Order of Leopold?
This was clearly an insult to the Duke of Leopold.
“Apart from the fact that Sir Aldor challenged Sir Usher to a duel, may we punish the knight?”
“That, that’s a bit...”
“Are you really going to say no?”
I crossed my arms and tilted my head.
“Why? Is it because the entire Imperial Knights, including Sir Dominic, think so?”
“Oh, no!”
Sir Dominic was startled and waved his hands violently.
“How could that be? I, as well as all the knights of the Imperial Household, sincerely consider the Order of Leopold to be a great order.”
“Not all. There are knights like Sir Usher who openly insult my family’s order.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
Sir Dominic was sweating profusely, perhaps in embarrassment.
The other imperial knights also looked quite embarrassed.
It seemed as though they had nothing to do with this matter.
So that means Usher did it on his own... What are he thinking?
I couldn't help but think that the fact that he openly criticized the order rather than gossiped about me was intended to provoke the knights of my family.
What does he gain by provoking them?
Duel? Then what does he get from a duel?
It was also a little surprising that the cool-headed and rational Sor Aldor was the first to challenge Usher to a duel.
Of course, since he openly criticized the knightly order he belonged to, it would normally be right to challenge him to a duel, but Sir Aldor did not fall into that normal category.
In the past life, there were often those who criticized and insulted the Knights of Leopold, but Sor Aldor was never the first to speak out.
Oh, that happened just once.
The reason he stepped forward then was clear...
Wheeeeeek-
Suddenly I heard a whistle and looked in that direction.
Then, suddenly, I saw Sir Aldor and Usher standing facing each other in the circular arena, holding wooden swords.
Perdes, who was next to me, also noticed the two people and muttered as if talking to himself.
“Fortunately, it’s not a showdown.”
Is it my imagination that it seems like a pity, contrary to the word 'fortunate'.
“But Young Lady, can we just leave them alone? Shouldn’t we be stopping them?”
"It's okay."
A duel with pride on the line is not something you can just stop lightly, and since it was a fight with wooden swords, neither one would get seriously hurt, so I decided to leave it alone.
At best, it would be a broken bone.
The only thing that worried me a little was that Sir Aldor would lose the duel.
If he, the vice-captain in name only, were to lose to a rookie knight who had just graduated from the academy, the Knights of Leopold would truly become a rabble.
People will chew on this for a long time and laugh at the Knights of Leopold.
It was terrifying just to think about it.
Of course, Sir Aldor was one of the most powerful men in the empire, so there was no way he would lose to the rookie Knight.
... Yes, if the opponent is a real rookie Knight.
I looked at Usher carefully.
His posture while holding the wooden sword was slightly unstable, and his face was clearly tense.
Looking at it this way, it seems like the name of Rookie Knight is correct, but I was really curious about what the truth was.
'But Aldor will win.'
In the past, the reason Sir Aldor was defeated by the Anatome Guard was because they made surprise attacks or attacked in groups.
There was no way Aldor could lose in a fair fight.
The referee decided to have the two judges, the Imperial Knight and the Leopold Knight, watch together fairly.
The two knights placed their hands on their hearts and swore to judge fairly, and then spoke to Sir Aldor and Usher.
“The rules are simple. When one side surrenders or becomes unable to duel, the other side wins immediately.”
“Please be careful, if you go out of the stadium you will be disqualified.”
It was a very basic rule.
As Aldor and Usher nodded in understanding, the judges left the arena.
And then, without saying who would go first, they both shouted at the same time to start the duel.
“...”
“...”
But neither Aldor nor Usher moved.
The two just stood there, their feet glued to the ground, staring at each other.
To someone ignorant of swordsmanship or such, it might have seemed like a pointless staring contest, but it wasn't.
This was an advanced psychological warfare and exploration operation.
If you move rashly and get counterattacked, the damage will be great if your attack fails, so you wait for your opponent to show an opening and then accurately attack that part.
Sir Aldor, of course, showed no weaknesses, and neither did Usher.
He was on perfect alert, leaving no room for even a needle to enter.
“Is he a rookie knight who just graduated from the academy? No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like it.”
“That’s right. Just looking at him, he seems to have quite a bit of combat experience...”
Leopold's knights murmured after seeing Usher like that.
The faces of the royal knights, who had half given up, naturally thought that Usher would lose, also brightened.
Sir Dominic especially liked it the most. The corners of his mouth went up in satisfaction.
When engaging in psychological warfare, not only physical strength but also mental strength is considerably consumed, so as the battle goes on, those who are trained in both have the advantage.
And Sir Aldor was highly regarded among the knights as being strong in psychological warfare.
So I thought Usher would strike first before it became a long-term war, but surprisingly, Sir Aldor attacked Usher first.
It happened just ten minutes after the duel began.
If Usher had shown an opening, it would have been understandable that Sir Aldor would have attacked first, but that was not the case.
Usher was still vulnerable, even when Sir Aldor launched a surprise preemptive strike.
Taaak-
The sound of wooden swords clashing echoed loudly.
As Usher calmly blocked Sir Aldor's attack, there was a hush from the Knights of Leopold and cheering from the Imperial Knights.
“Isn’t the attack by Sor Aldor just now a little strange?”
Perdes asked me in a small voice.
I nodded in response and looked at the two of them, specifically Sir Aldor.
I don't know if it was because of his mood, but Sir Aldor looked impatient like he was being chased by something.
The battle between the two continued.
Most of the time, Aldor attacked, and Usher defended and stabbed once in a while.
The attack looked quite sloppy on the surface, but it wasn't.
It was a fierce attack aimed precisely at the vital point.
It was definitely not a skill that a rookie knight who had just graduated from the academy would be able to use.
In addition, this attack technique disguises itself as being sloppy, making the opponent let their guard down, and then accurately strike the vital point.
I feel like I've seen it somewhere, but where have I seen it...!
[It's the end.]
Suddenly, a voice that seemed unfamiliar yet familiar passed by my ears, and a scene unfolded before my eyes like a panorama.
In a dark forest.
A woman who runs away from the enemy and eventually collapses from exhaustion, and a man who holds a sword with an injured body to protect her.
And the men in black masks surrounding the man and woman.
It was the last moment of my second life.
Coming out of the forest, Sor Aldor fought fiercely against the Anatomie guards sent by the Emperor and was eventually killed.
[They say you're one of the best knights in the empire, but you're nothing special.]
At that time, the man who laughed at Sir Aldor and took his life was none other than... Usher.
I hadn't even guessed it until now, but seeing Usher's swordsmanship made it clear.
Because swordsmanship was another face and business card for a knight.
It was certain.
Anger welled up in me as the unforgettable, hellish memories overlapped.
As my eyes turned white, the unlucky Usher's expression and voice were clearly imprinted on my mind.
"...Miss?"
I wanted to grab Usher right now, make him kneel before me, and inflict revenge on him even more severe than what had been done to me and Sir Aldor.
“Young Lady!”
In my burning desire for revenge, Perdes suddenly grabbed my hand.
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