Hero’s Downfall Report chapter 1

1 – Retirement (1)

One week after the incident of Count Lorenz. The southern imperial city, Maxiburg.

Even in a city with nothing much to see, sunlight still finds its way.

Even as the cart pulled by a donkey passes along the worn tracks on the dirt road, and even as drunken people stumble and jab their fingers at each other in broad daylight,

or when someone is pushed out from behind the wooden door of a restaurant, fairness comes to the empire only in the form of sunlight. There is no order or rule.

The man who had rolled about 2 meters away was clearly an old man. Oh my, the passersby exclaimed and rushed to help, but upon realizing who the old man was, they all let go of his hand and stepped back.

Amidst the silence, a glove fell off the old man’s foot.

“I challenge you to a duel.”

The man who threw the glove appeared to be over 2 meters tall. His beard grew like a black pine tree, and his small, greedy eyes glinted with avarice.

If even a single finger were to press against the old man’s thigh, the unfortunate old man was muscular enough to survive with a bedridden life.

“P-please spare me.”

“Will you accept the challenge?”

The old man’s chin trembled.

The passersby could not bring themselves to say anything. None of them sympathized with the old man. A swindler. A money grubber. He was notorious for being a wretched old man who would be buried with money even in death.

But at the same time, the passersby were also indignant. They had expected the old man to be swindled once or for his house to catch fire, not to meet his end by the hands of a highwayman knight.

“Hey, sir.” The giant bent his body. “You stepped on my foot and didn’t apologize. I asked for an apology, but you ignored me and walked away. I take it as an insult to me, a knight of the empire. That’s why I

From the different colors of the border depending on the angle, it was clear that it was an authentic piece to prevent forgery.

Of course, there is a possibility that someone stole the shoulder pads and wore them, but the people of the Makssiburg district would never suspect such a thing.

“I, I apologized! I bowed down and apologized so many times, even bending my waist…!”

“I demanded a sincere apology, not empty words.”

“I didn’t ask you to give up all my property!”

“You tried to hurt me, so I should at least receive that.” Gehan let out a snort. “Look at this. I’m a person who makes a living fighting in wars. But if I injure my feet, what skill can I fight with?”

The old man clenched his fist.

“…Half.”

“Huh?”

“Half is enough. No more than that….”

Gehan ground his teeth and twisted the old man’s collar.

“Enough…!”

“Be a man. Act like a man. I don’t need your pathetic money. Let’s settle this right here. According to the Empire’s dueling regulations, you can find someone to fight on your behalf, and if you want, I can go into the box and fight with only my arms exposed, even if it means taking a loss.”

Blood drained from the old man’s face.

His opponent is ‘Gotsu’, a wicked knight. A wretched excuse for a knight. A lunatic who would crawl under a gangster for money.

But the most wicked thing is this type of ‘duel’. He would provoke him, someone he had been watching for a long time. Just like now, he would wait for the old man to pass by, then stick out his foot and deliberately step on him.

Then he would demand compensation, claiming that he had been insulted. If he paid the compensation, they would call it a settlement, but if not, he would claim that he had been humiliated and request a duel.

During a duel, one can legally kill a person.

And he said that there would be knights who could defeat Gotsu in the capital.

But he knew that if he robbed just anyone, Gotsu himself would also be harmed. So he targeted those with a bad reputation, who had money but weak power.

This old man is one such case. No one would fight in his place. No one would take his side.

“I’ll give money to whoever fights in my stead… money!”

The old man shouted.

“It’s one-third mine, one-third of my property! The money I carefully saved after my children and wife died of a lingering illness! Please, anyone, just…”

No one stepped forward.

“I’ll give half!”

Knight Gots clenched his fist. “If a clear decision is not made by the count of three, I’ll consider it an approval for the duel.”

“Half! I’ll give half!”

“Two.”

A smile spread across Gots’ face. The onlookers’ feelings were complicated.

Would they take the side of an old man they never sympathized with, or would they simply watch the old man legally being beaten to death in broad daylight?

Was that old man such a bad person that he deserved to die at someone’s hands?

“One.”

Gots’ hand gripped the old man’s throat. That’s when it happened.

“I’ll do it.”

A man walked out from the crowd. Gots’ already narrow eyes squinted. The old man gasped for breath.

He was someone they hadn’t seen before. Of course, Gots was a stranger here too, but he had just finished the basic investigation of this village with his subordinates during the past week.

He knew that this old man was disliked by everyone, and there was no strong person in this seemingly insignificant village.

However, suddenly, out of nowhere, a completely unfamiliar individual walked out. Even for a highwayman knight like Gots, who earned his living on the battlefield, there was something about the way he walked, his attire, posture, and even the weaponry he carried.

A breastplate protecting chest and abdomen. No shoulder guards, suggesting a preference for the free movement of arms.

“A Celit helmet with a chin guard. It’s called a helmet, but it looks like an upside-down deep bowl with elongated eye holes.

Inside, he wore brown leather top and bottom, and Gwotz, the eldest son of a gravedigger, could tell at a glance that the leather was made of soft, flexible, and tear-resistant cowhide.

In other words, it was filthy rare and expensive.

A black, worn-out standard imperial sword at his waist.

The handle was a bit short to grip with both hands and a bit long to grip with one hand. A round pommel at the end. But the body was as well balanced as anything.

It was of the same type as Gwotz’s own sword. That’s why what caught Gwotz’s eye was the thing in that rascal’s right hand.

A staff.

It was obviously a staff. It wasn’t a six-foot stick used for training or a staff used for spear training. It was a one-meter-long iron-banded oak staff that an old man with a sore leg would use.

“Why would a man with healthy legs carry a staff?”

That was one reason Gwotz couldn’t contain his curiosity.

“According to the Imperial Code of Dueling,” the man murmured. “You can find someone to fight in your place, and if you wish, I can even fight from inside a box.”

The original text is longer and more complex, but Gwotz gnashed his teeth. The man in front of him was provoking him. How dare he, Gwotz.

“But your limbs look fine, and I don’t like getting into boxes. I don’t like getting into a straitjacket either. So, I’ll take the penalty.”

“What penalty?”

Snap.

“Fight with the staff.”

“Are you insane?”

Gwotz muttered sincerely.

“Stop talking nonsense and draw your sword. We’ll fight sword to sword.”

“The staff.”

“The madman isn’t eligible for the duel, you know?”

“The staff.”

“Such nonsense…”

“The staff.”

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Gwotz tilted his head sideways. There’s always one crazy person like this. Beating up such a person is neither satisfying nor rewarding. Luck has really taken a turn for the worse, he thought.

“Are you scared?”

The staff-wielding man asked abruptly. Gwotz’s eyebrows twitched.

“What?”

“Well, you must be scared. If you’re worried about an old man stepping on your foot causing your ankle to break, your bones must be more fragile than your parents’ buried in the ground.”

“What are you saying…”

“Considering you’ve devoured ears, it’s already too late. It didn’t work out, but Maxburg is a poor city. There’s at least a free soup kitchen, you should head to Engelburg. If you can walk that far, that is.”

“You son of a b*tch!”

Gwotz was furious. However, the man only touched the ground with the staff.

“Livestock is not subject to imperial dueling laws. Dogs are the same.”

“Draw your sword! No, even a staff is fine. Alright, come on! I’ll pee on your skull today!”

“Oh dear, wait.”

Gwotz’s muscles, unable to endure any longer, twitched. The staff-wielding man pointed to the old man.

“You haven’t hired me yet. So be good and sit down. Don’t disturb people, okay?”

Gwotz, now turned into a beast, was raging, but both passersby and the old man feared him. Yet, the man with the staff remained nonchalant.

“Master Gwotz. Will you hire me or not?”

“Can you win, old man?”

The elderly man swallowed his saliva. The man with a staff sighed.

“Lord Yeong-gam, consider this. If I step aside, you will die at the hands of those bandit knights. You have the option to surrender all your wealth and survive, but instead, you’ll likely starve to death. On the other hand, if you hire me, Lord Yeong-gam, you’ll at least save half of your fortune and your life. That’s what this means, whether I live or die. Doesn’t that make sense?”

The old man understood. The man with the staff took out rolled-up documents, an ink bottle, and a feather pen from his bag at his waist.

“Sign there. Write the exact amount. If you can’t read, just dip your finger in the ink and make a mark…”

“I can read!”

“Then write the exact amount.”

The grumbling old man began to read the documents. As he read, the old man made a sound as if he was catching his breath.

Shocked, the old man looked at the man with the staff with widened eyes. The man with the staff put his finger to his lips.

The old man quickly nodded and signed the documents.

“Contract complete.”

Before he could finish speaking, the man with the staff suddenly threw off his helmet. Clang. He even untied the sword at his waist.

A face with black hair and brown eyes was revealed. He wasn’t handsome enough to be called a beauty, but his eyes were sharp and clear. They were the eyes of a predator.

The man with the staff jumped lightly in place. Gwutz snapped his neck. The two of them walked to the middle of the road. The man with the staff pointed to a man who looked a bit more composed.

“Excuse me, sir, could you kindly throw a pebble for us? You know what it’s for, right?”

The man quickly nodded and picked up a small stone. It’s written in the laws, but it’s also common knowledge in literature and songs.

A duel must have a witness. Even a passerby is fine. And one of the passersby is designated to give a fair signal.

Typically, they throw a pebble between the duelists, and from the moment the stone hits the ground, the duel begins.

The man with the staff and Gwutz faced each other with a 20-meter gap.

The pebble floated slightly and then…

Tock.

Unexpectedly, Gwotz did not rush forward first. He held his sword diagonally in front of him, assuming a defensive stance. His opponent held a staff, while he himself held a standard two-handed sword, so there was no reason for him to attack first.

On the other hand, his opponent simply stood still, holding the staff. No, not just standing still. He held the staff with his right hand and raised his middle finger with his left hand.

“So, the girl with such a chest has managed to survive. You’ve been living by picking up corpses on the battlefield, haven’t you? You’re nothing but a worthless wretch.”

The passersby murmured. Veins throbbed on Gwotz’s forehead. Still, he restrained himself. He knew that letting his guard down would lead to death. He was accustomed to such provocations, but it was as difficult to bear as the screaming of the muscles in his right hand, waist, and both thighs.

He should just rush out and strike the arrogant bastard’s neck.

Right hand. Waist. Thighs. The staff-wielding man nodded his head and suddenly charged. It was an angle so straightforward that it seemed honest to the point of stupidity.

Straight at Gwotz, plunging directly.

Gwotz yelled and slashed through the air. It was a stable slash with the center of gravity on his body. It focused on restraint rather than a single blow.

The staff-wielding man dodged the sword as expected. Hadn’t he lightened his body by taking off his helmet and loosening his sword belt? That’s why Gwotz threw a punch with his free left hand.

It was a technique he often used on the battlefield. He would fix his opponent’s gaze on the sword in his right hand and then deliver a decisive blow with his left hand.

“Take this!”

Something felt off. The smile disappeared from Gwotz’s face as he reached out towards the staff-wielding man’s face. The man momentarily tilted his head slightly.

What was supposed to fly towards his face grazed the side of his ear.

“Did I misjudge?”

Surprised, Gwotz bowed his head. The staff-wielding man raised his arm from below. The tip of the staff was aimed at his chin. Gwotz pulled his chin back.

Clang.

Whether it was due to his

“Let’s settle this.”

With his cane, Gwache’s knees were struck alternately, one second each. In the span of one second, his cane struck Gwache’s forehead with a thud, his chin was lifted to knock him down, and finally, his Adam’s apple was pushed and soaked.

Gwache fell backward. Words barely came out of his mouth as he was hit by the tip of the cane. It was just a groan, a whimper.

“You scoundrel knight, Gwache von Bäringen. According to the Imperial Insurrection Prevention Act, I am arresting you. By law, all your assets will be seized, and your subordinates will also be tried.”

“Who… who are you… imperial knight!”

Gwache struggled to raise his head. The cane holder revealed his scabbard. Gwache, an Imperial knight, recognized the pattern on the scabbard. One was a shield engraved with a deceased and a crowned double-headed eagle. And below it, a torch was drawn.

It was the symbol of the Security Bureau.

“I am an Imperial official.”

In his final moment, Gwache looked up at the rooftop of the adjacent building. He saw a subordinate wearing a hood that covered the sun.

“Tch.”

Fortunately, Gwache could see his subordinate twitching his fingers.

And finally, he lost consciousness.