You have completed the quest ‘The Ways to Fight a Knight’.
You have gained the skill ‘Steel Destruction’ as the reward.
Steel Destruction
Active
Armor, helmet, sword, or spear. No matter what, if it is created using steel, destroy it in one strike.
Cooldown: 3 minutes.
The status window to notify me of my quest completion appeared, but I didn’t have time to look at it.
“Sir Bolvar!”
I ran to Sir Bolvar, who fell on the ground.
He just sat on the floor while laughing at the absurd state while brushing himself off.
“This… I was waiting for some fearsome magic…… but for it to just be Light.”
“Well, using non-lethal magic doesn’t break the academy’s rules.”
“I couldn’t expect it. You really got me this time. Thanks to you, I learnt something as well, Young Master.”
I reached out my hand to Sir Bolvar, and he grabbed it, standing up.
Then…
Smack!
Someone slapped me on my back.
Ouch…
There was only one person in all of Ardell who would mercilessly slap me on my back like this.
“Ruin! Have you no honor? How dare you use magic in this sacred duel!”
Ruina.
Even though she was only 12 years old, she had awoken to the mindset of the knight and reprimanded me for using magic in a duel, and I accepted it wholeheartedly.
“Yeah. It was dishonorable. However, so are you for smacking an unsuspecting person on the back.”
“What? You wanna get hit again?”
“Ehm, no. I’ll pass.”
“Stop running away!”
I laughed as the enraged Ruina chased after me.
But still, she was right.
Since I couldn’t accomplish it with a wooden sword, I had used all the tricks in my book.
It definitely could’ve been a dishonorable duel, just as Ruina said.
However, Sir Bolvar defended my actions for me.
“Young Lady, the young master dueled me more honorably than anyone else.”
“Really? B-But using magic during a knight’s duel—”
“Young master is not a knight, but a magician. But didn’t he only use Light?”
“……”
Ruina couldn’t refute and closed her mouth before Sir Bolvar gave me a slow thumbs up and jokingly cried,
“After being defeated by a magician who only used Light, I’m too ashamed of myself to lift my head. Who cares about being ‘The Flash’ or ‘Spear Saint’? This old man will silently go back to fishing.”
He was obviously lying.
If he had wielded his half-moon spear rather than the wooden sword.
If he was at his peak condition and not matching my level, sparring for my growth.
Would I really have been able to deal a ‘fatal blow’ to him?
I couldn’t dare dismiss Sir Bolvar’s power just because of this.
“Anyway, are you done now?”
“Eh? Ah, yes.”
“I don’t know what you gained from sparring against me, but now I can go take a warm bath.”
“I’ve taken too much of your time. Sorry.”
“It was my pleasure to see your talent, Young Master.”
As Sir Bolvar and I shook hands…
“Wooooo—!”
The people of Ardell watching our duel cheered for us.
No matter who won, no matter who lost.
Weren’t we all part of Ardell?
Everyone saw an exciting fight early in the morning, and it was an energizing sight to start the day.
Well, for me, it was the end of the day.
I wanted to fall over and sleep in my bed.
I felt like I would fall asleep as soon as I sat down.
* * *
When I opened my eyes, a day had already passed.
“How did you sleep for 24 hours?”
“……”
“Ruin, are you actually a bear?”
24 hours.
I couldn’t believe it myself.
I ended up being called a bear by Ruina and also missed out on my daily quest, but my condition had returned.
While eating breakfast, I asked Ruina how Sir Bolvar was doing.
However…
“Sir Bolvar woke up yesterday evening to do his daily tasks, unlike you who fell dead like a corpse.”
“……”
He had only slept for 4 hours and went back to do all the things he needed to.
He kept repeating that he’s gone old, but wasn’t he more energetic than a teen?
There was also another thing that changed while I was out cold.
“People from Eight-Lake came by?”
“Yeah. They said they were workers.”
4 groups of 12 people.
A total of about 50 people had come to Ardell to construct the trade route through South Mountain.
As they were all paid by the 1st representative of Eight-Lake’s House Baltraze, they told us that they were here to build a base in Ardell and start the construction project for the next few months.
The fruits of my labor in the break had slowly started to bud.
Through this route we would be supplied weapons by Eight-Lake, and after that, we would be able to start our large-scale subjugation.
“Thanks to that, the town is alive. This is the first time that we had so many foreigners in our territory. Mrs. Mary looks so happy.”
For Mrs. Mary, who ran a restaurant in Ardell, this may have been the most customers she had ever seen.
It was great that she was happy.
After I came out with Ruina to check, it was more alive than I expected.
“Oh my! You can come in. It’s all been cleaned up perfectly!”
The Ardell’s only inn, ‘The Solitary Southern Traveler’, that was mostly used as a warehouse all year round had finished cleaning and preparations to meet their new customers.
Klang! Klang!
Mr. Pison, the blacksmith that had only been able to make farming equipment and saddles, started to efficiently craft different types of construction equipment and was able to show off his skills for the first time in a while.
Just looking at these scenes was enough to make me happier.
And next to me…
“Young Master, have you woken up?”
“Ah, yes.”
My father, Chief Baggins, and Sir Bolvar.
Ardell’s key personnel had gathered.
* * *
* * *
“Young Lady worried greatly about you not waking up, fearing that something happened to you.”
“Ruina did?”
As I turned to look at Ruina, her face became red and turned away while muttering, “I asked if you were a bear…”
Everyone burst into laughter.
After laughing like that for a bit, Chief Baggins asked me,
“How do you feel?”
“How do I feel?”
“Yes. This has all happened because of you, Young Master. I’m curious as to what you’re feeling right now.”
“……”
It was happening because of me……?
No.
It was all because of the help from my father and Irene, and because luck was on my side.
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