We moved to the arena next to the castle. A good number of knights gathered in the stands just to watch my "test" with Julius.
We were each given a wooden sword for the duel.
"I guess it's mandatory to use this..."
"Of course. The sword is the symbol of knights."
I wanted to smile at how funny Julius's exaggerated gestures were, reminding me of the iconic poses of characters from certain anime and video games.
With a vengeance, I managed to maintain a calm face. The last thing I needed was to appear mocking in a situation like this.
"Hey, are there any conditions to this one-sided duel?" I asked with a wry smile.
"I hadn't thought of that... What do you think about this? If you can disarm me, you win."
"Okay. The same applies to me, then."
We both nodded, satisfied with the terms of the duel. Obviously, I wasn't confident I could beat him in a regular battle, so this special rule was like a ray of hope.
"Whenever you're ready." Julius said generously.
"How kind of you." I praised, brandishing the sword in the air to get used to its weight and length.
"Is this your first time handling a sword?"
"Yes, but I have a little experience with daggers: I hope that will help me a little."
The spirit knight approached me. I immediately tensed, thinking he'd decided to start fighting. However, what Julius did was point at my legs and shoulders.
"Your stance is incorrect. Being a medium-range weapon, the sword requires a different type of movement. In fact, if you learn to use it correctly, you could make it as effective as a spear in terms of your attack range."
Giving me practical examples, Julius simulated a series of battle moves that I tried to imitate. The atmosphere of this scene felt radically different from the original. It made sense, since the context wasn't the same.
"Hey! Are you guys going to fight or what?!" Felix tried to instigate violence from his position nearby, since he was designated to referee the duel. "Julius, don't hold back! Ferri will heal any wound Leandro might receive, nya!"
"This idiot... I'm going to stab him with my sword to shut him up." I said, looking at the cat boy menacingly.
"That would be going too far, even if it is a wooden weapon, Julius gently denied."
"Huh? I wasn't talking about this sword." I clarified with a sly smile while I shook my hips.
Julius tilted his head, confused by my response.
"Anyway, thanks for your advice." I bowed. "I think I'm ready. Yeah, ready to be publicly humiliated."
"In that case, you can make the first move."
"Well, thank you."
It was painful to know that his offer wasn't so much out of courtesy but because he was so confident in the difference in our abilities. I bit my lip in frustration, but I didn't let it ruin my mentality.
"This sword is very light, so it's great for fighting with my speed. I'll have to be very fast to surprise this guy."
I leaned my body forward and kicked the ground, gaining great momentum as I pointed my sword at Julius, who easily deflected my thrust.
Seeing that he didn't counterattack immediately, I spun around and threw a sweeping kick to knock him off balance.
"Hmph."
Julius gracefully stepped back, dodging my leg. I clicked my tongue, but charged again.
"My turn."
The knight's sword flickered and appeared where my cheek had been, striking my face brutally. I spun around completely before falling to the ground, but my concentration allowed me to recover from the physical and emotional damage.
Sharpening my senses to the max, I managed to move in time to evade the next attack. Julius's sword was terrifyingly unpredictable, so my only advantage was my reaction time.
Well, even with this demonstration, I'm pretty sure he's not fighting seriously. I don't mean that he's not using spells or spirit arts, but the strength and speed he's employing.
I took a small step back, narrowly missing the tip of my opponent's sword. Then I rolled to dodge another horizontal attack and leaped toward his back, intending to strike his neck.
CRACK!
The wood of the blades rang with a loud impact that splintered my sword. Julius had turned inhumanly fast, deflecting my attack and nearly making me drop my sword.
"Ah, shit, here we go again."
I couldn't help myself, and I smiled in admiration before receiving another blow that sent me flying backward. I planted my sword in the ground to reduce my inertia and stood up, a little dizzy.
I took a deep breath and thought about the plan I'd improvised during the fight. I only had one try.
I gripped my sword tightly, adjusting its angle to cut with the splintered edge. Then I ran toward Julius, who waited for me in a defensive stance.
I slashed toward his abdomen, a somewhat predictable move that he effortlessly blocked by lowering his own sword, just as expected.
"El Shamak!" I exclaimed, casting the latest spell I had learned, thanks to the time I spent with Betty in the forbidden library.
Dark magic exploded from my body, trapping Julius in a paralyzing effect. He would undoubtedly escape in an instant with his power, so I didn't waste a second and accelerated my movements.
My splintered blade embedded itself in Julius's sword, whose grip hadn't loosened while he was paralyzed, but he couldn't strengthen it either, so when I pushed with all my might, the sword fell from his hands.
"Did it really work? Looks like I got really lucky."
"Ah." Felix's puzzled voice echoed in the silence that enveloped the field. A few seconds later, the cat boy regained his composure. "Leandro wins the duel."
Julius had a complex expression, as if he didn't understand his defeat even though he had accepted it. He finally approached me and extended his hand in my direction.
"Yin magic, huh? I have to admit I didn't see that coming at all."
I shook his hand without hesitation, but I couldn't bring myself to feel happy about 'winning' this duel.
"I'm sorry... I'm ashamed I had to resort to magic when you only used your body to fight."
"Okay, it was my fault for underestimating you. Next time, I'll face you properly."
The serious tone he used intimidated me a little. Julius's eyes emitted a fiery gleam that sent shivers down my spine. Felix applauded us for the display.
"It's a bit disappointing that I can't steal the spotlight by healing your wounds! But from what Julius said, I just have to wait for the rematch." He said with a mocking grimace.
"Fuck off." I stood behind him and spanked his ass with my sword... the wooden one.
"What do you think you're doing, nya?!" He yelled in my face, blushing.
"Just giving in to my intrusive thoughts." I looked away and whistled.
"You can't spank Ferri! I'm not a girl, you pervert!"
"What's wrong, do you have fragile masculinity?"
The cat boy dug his claws into my shoulders and shook me.
"Apologize right now and promise not to do it again!"
"Sorry, I won't do it again. Not with weapons."
"You were thinking something weird, weren't you!?"
"I didn't do it." I lied.
"Yes, you did." A familiar, powerful voice spoke from behind Felix. It was a girl with dark green hair and orange eyes.
"Lady Crusch... It's a pleasure to meet you."
Ignoring the fact that she detected and exposed my lie, I bowed respectfully to greet her.
"I was looking forward to speaking with you, especially after hearing your debate with Mr. Rickert."
"Are you referring to the official with the thick mustache?"
Crusch gave a slight smile upon hearing my description of the man.
"That's the one. By pointing out the contradiction between questioning the Dragon Tablet and defending the Pact tooth and nail, you managed to trip them up over their own words. It was very clever."
"I was just pointing out the obvious." I dismissed the compliment modestly. "Anyone who isn't blinded by arrogance can see that. The problem is that not all the conference guests possessed that virtue."
Knowing what Crusch was like, I changed my vocabulary to aristocratic mode.
"Although it's not elegant to say it, you're right. By the way, I'd like you to visit my house when you can." Before I could get my hopes up as usual, Crusch explained. "Sir Wilhelm expressed his desire to see you again, so you can meet him there."
"I'm honored. I assure you I'll go, Lady Crusch."
Then I changed my tone of voice to a more casual one, looking her straight in the eyes.
"Anyway, I'd already thought about paying you a visit."
***
Since there were a few hours left before the return trip, Emilia and I went for a little walk around the city.
"I couldn't believe it when they told me you were fighting Julius!"
"Why? Were you afraid I'd embarrass you by losing the fight?"
"I did think you might lose, but what worried me was why you were fighting. I thought you two..."
"Oh, I see." I laughed. "Did you think we were fighting over you? What a self-centered girl! Even if you are a beautiful half-elf, that's very immodest of you."
"I never thought of anything like that!" Emilia waved her hands, embarrassed by my comments. "Besides, I don't understand how you can say 'beautiful' and 'half-elf' in the same sentence. It doesn't make sense."
"Of course that makes sense! Haven't you looked in a mirror? You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
I smiled, delighted by the blush on Emilia's face as I continued to compliment her appearance. Although she was embarrassed, I was very nervous. It didn't show in my expressions or my breathing, but the crazy heartbeat in my chest was evidence of the strange love Emilia made me feel.
"If you put on that cute face, you'll make me want to say those things to you all the time."
"No way! If you do that, I'll... I'll cool your food with my magic!"
Did she just call me a glutton? Well, she's not wrong about that.
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to accept."
"Boo! You're a dunce!"
Just now, the perfect girl from a fantasy world got childishly angry and called me a 'dunce'.
God, thank you for remembering that I am your son. I promise I will honor your kindness by getting a harem and dressing my women like nuns for my- for your pleasure.
Ah, that's not a realistic thought. Let's return to the not-so-pleasing reality.
"Leandro, look over there!"
Suddenly, Emilia pointed to a spot where quite a few people were gathered. We looked at each other and nodded simultaneously before running into the crowd.
I noticed Kadomon among the people gathered. Isn't this supposed to be his work schedule? Did he take a break or something? Bah, none of my business.
"Mr. Kadomon!" I slapped him on the back to get his attention. "What happened here?"
"Something quite serious, lad." His expression was grim. "The head of the merchants' guild, Russell Fellow... He was found dead in his office."
"Oh, that makes sense. The death of such a figure could have a huge impact on the city's economy, and even the entire kingdom... Wait a second. Russell Fellow, you said?"
In response, Kadomon nodded. At that moment, I had a bad feeling that manifested itself as a chill spreading throughout my body.
That name was very familiar. He wasn't just an extra, nor a 'new' character like Nadir.
Looking back, I remembered him as the blond man who had helped Subaru make a deal with Crusch. He was a significant figure.
"This shouldn't have happened."
Somehow, I managed to make my way to the scene's focal point. There lay the body, lying on a stretcher covered with a blanket.
There were some uniformed men standing around him. They were knights.
I looked for someone I recognized among them. Luckily, I saw Felix walking into the building. Steeling myself, I decided to go inside.
"Sorry, no civilians are allowed inside." One of the knights stopped me firmly.
"I'm not a civilian. Felix, tell your friend to let me through!"
The cat boy turned around in surprise upon hearing my voice.
"Leandro? What are you doing here nya?"
"Investigation! Please let me help!"
I clasped my hands and looked at the femboy with my best puppy face. He sighed and gestured to the knight at the entrance, who immediately moved away.
"Thank you."
I nodded to the knight, who was just doing his job. Then I approached Felix.
"Do you have any idea what happened to Mr. Russell?"
"It's very strange... His injuries are something I've never seen before. We also found these on his body; some were on the floor and others were embedded in the office wall."
He showed me some used revolver bullets, stained with blood, of course. I almost threw up.
"Leandro? Are you okay, nya? You've gone pale."
"Fuck... Holy shit!"
I wanted to rip my scalp off with pure rage and remorse at that moment. I didn't need to examine Russell's body to know what kind of injuries he had... and what weapon had caused them.