8
“Show respect to Master Ban!”
The knights stood up.
It was a gesture of courtesy towards the duke, but what actually unfolded was entirely different.
The knights’ momentum was concentrated on Ban.
“Experience it once, you piece of trash.”
Of course, they weren’t actually causing harm.
It was just a concentration of momentum.
Ban thought he would stop trembling if he clenched his buttocks.
“…What is it? Why is he perfectly fine?”
The knights blinked in surprise.
There was no sign of movement on Ban’s face.
He even looked somewhat lethargic.
“Could it be that he can’t feel our momentum? Is that possible?”
At that moment, the eyes of Ban’s subordinates were squarely fixed on them.
“Is this your loyalty? Pathetic and low.”
“!!”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine such childish acts. No, I won’t blame you. Your incompetence is the fault of our Duke.”
The knights’ faces turned crimson.
This incident was undoubtedly their fault.
They had committed a shameful act due to resentment towards Ban.
However, the reason they couldn’t utter a single word of protest wasn’t merely embarrassment.
‘Why does this trash emanate such intimidation?’
The knights swallowed their saliva.
It wasn’t just a simple delusion. A formidable presence exuded from Ban that couldn’t be dismissed as mere fantasy, even when compared to the Duke’s.
In an instant, a story popped into their minds.
“Foolish ones! Open your eyes wide and wait. On the day of the duel, Ban Gongja’s greatness will be revealed to the world.”
It was the tale spread by the magician Hans, employed by the Duke.
Was everyone disregarding it as nonsense?
‘Could it be?’
At that moment, an angry shout was heard.
“What are you doing, scoundrels?!”
“Your Grace.”
Eldest son Ron appeared!
The knights bowed their heads.
Ron’s favoritism towards the class was well-known.
Letting out a sigh, Ron approached the class.
“Let’s talk for a moment, class.”
“Speak.”
“When Father arrives, kneel down and beg without fail.”
Bahn stared fixedly at Ron.
With an anxious expression, Ron raised his voice.
“Do you know how angry Father is? I’ll somehow support your side, but you must absolutely…!!”
“It’s okay. There’s no need for that.”
“Bahn?”
Ron was shocked by the calm tone.
‘Is he really suffering from delusional disorder?’
Bahn didn’t stop making statements that raised doubts about mental health.
“Don’t worry. After today, Father will regret the misunderstandings he had about me. He’ll regret them greatly.”
“Are you crazy?! Enough! Since Father thinks there’s a problem with your mind, we need to talk about getting you some mental therapy! Let’s go to a mental health professional right now!”
It was the moment when Ron raised his voice.
“The Duke has arrived!!!”
Ron’s complexion turned pale.
It was the beginning of a duel.
* * *
‘Ah, I’m nervous.’
I stepped onto the dueling stage.
The arena fell silent.
The duke standing across from me gave me a cold, piercing gaze.
I believed in my 100% win rate, but facing him like this, my heart tightened.
“Are you ready?”
Swish!
A dizzying pressure rushed towards me.
It was the Sword Master’s ‘intimidation.’
I almost kneeled involuntarily, but I thought of meeting high-ranking individuals on Earth and managed to hold my ground.
‘Treat him as a genuine customer. A genuine customer.’
Fortunately, the charisma of the Black Flame Dragon supported me on that day.
Even my voice sounded confident.
“I’m ready, so you don’t need to worry.”
The duke furrowed his brow.
“Even now, if you swear to come to your senses and show remorse in the military or government, I will cancel the duel.”
“I refuse.”
No matter how terrifying the duke might be, I would never reject the opportunity to suffer in the military or government.
“Ha.”
The duke shook his head as if words wouldn’t suffice, then drew his throat sword.
“I’ll face you using only the pure strength of my body without using any mana. But don’t think the duel will end easily. As your father, I will impart the final discipline upon you.”
It wasn’t an offer for mercy.
It meant he would defeat him thoroughly with the throat sword.
Because using mana would only allow one strike.
The ominous aura in the duke’s eyes confirmed this fact.
“No, I want to fight fair and square, so please use mana properly. I don’t want to hear a story about winning because you went easy on me.”
“What?”
“I’ll make one request. Whatever shame you may suffer today, please don’t get angry and accept defeat cleanly.”
It was a crucial point to confirm in advance.
Otherwise, winning the duel might lead to the enraged duke cutting off his head.
‘Because what I’m about to do is quite audacious.’
Unfortunately, the duke didn’t show a positive response.
“You rascal!! I really need to discipline you properly!!!”
“Father, please calm down!!!”
“Trust me, Sir Ban, we believe in you! Fighting!”
Although Big Brother Ron and the middle-aged wizard Hans shouted, I didn’t hear it in my ears.
‘Wow, he’s fast. I can’t see him!’
Of course.
The specification of the duke’s character in the game is Level 7.
In terms of a knight, it was at the level of the 7th Sword Position.
Referred to as a Sword Master.
Although it was impossible for someone as insignificant as me to react.
– Clash!
The duke’s wooden sword came to a halt in front of me.
“A defensive magic item?”
“I simply used the necessary tools.”
I replied confidently.
In reality, the original mages fought with battles covered in all sorts of magical items.
“Hah. You believed in such tools from a duke?”
“It’s not just any duke.”
I smoothly pulled out additional magical items.
I had secretly taken the highest-grade magical items stored in the Vigo family vault, each possessing formidable defensive capabilities.
Of course, it didn’t mean I could block the duke with these.
“Amusing. Disappointing.”
The duke’s gaze turned cold.
Whoosh!
A pillar of light burst from the wooden sword.
It was the symbol of a master-level knight, the ‘Aura Blade.’
“Prepare yourself.”
Crash!!
The shields of the stolen magic tools were shattered in an instant.
A terrifying force.
But I gritted my teeth.
I had expected the duke to use his blade when he came.
No, more precisely, it was my ‘intention.’
“Making the duke use his blade when he comes is the only way for me to win.”
The difference between the duke’s level and mine was Lv. 1 and Lv. 7.
No, I hadn’t even properly achieved Lv. 1, so I was more like Lv. 0.5.
Even so, the simulator judged a 100% win rate.
It meant there was a surefire strategy.
“There’s a way to win.”
The duke is a named character.
No matter which protagonist you play, you will inevitably encounter him.
– Duel with the duke.
It was a crucial event.
The problem was that this event occurred during my second year.
When I was still low level.
It was absolutely impossible to win head-on.
There was a strategy.
‘We need to utilize the characteristics of the Duke’s Ora.’
The Duke belonged to the ‘Dual Knights’ class.
A class that combined magic and sword.
Unlike the ‘Sword Knights’ who dealt with pure swordsmanship, when handling mana, they received assistance from the ‘star.’
In other words, the Duke’s Ora contained a ‘star.’
‘We just need to conquer that star.’
Fortunately, the Duke’s ‘star’ had a single conquest point.
The Duke remained oblivious.
Of course, it wasn’t easy to conquer, quite the opposite. The sparring with the Duke was notorious for its extreme difficulty. The clear probability was not even 5%.
And that was achievable by only one out of the 16 protagonists, the ‘True Protagonist’ Jin.
In reality, it was an event designed for defeat.
‘You only get one chance.’
The Duke, who shattered the shield, reaped the Ora.
No matter what, he couldn’t afford to turn his son into an Ora.
In that fleeting moment, a gap appeared in the star.
It was a ‘habit’ that even the Duke was unaware of.
‘Not exactly a weakness.’
Those who possessed the agility and mana control to reap an Ora during combat, especially in such a brief moment, were extremely rare.
‘The Reason Only the Pearl Protagonist Can Do It.’
‘I can perform the Grand Mage of my magic.’
Paat!
I drew a star.
It was a 1st-level manipulation magic, ‘Mana Resonance.’
Just an effect that caused a vibration response between mana.
However, when I resonated the exposed core area of the aristocrat’s ‘star’ with mana, a dramatic effect occurred.
“!!”
The aristocrat’s body instantly stiffened.
Mana was momentarily disturbed.
Of course, it was an extremely short moment.
If I miss this opportunity, it’s over.
Paching!
I unfolded the 1st-level manipulation magic ‘Bind.’
Originally, it wouldn’t work, but now the aristocrat has a problem with the flow of mana.
Especially targeting not the aristocrat’s body but the damaged ‘star’ of the aristocrat’s Aura Blade, I bound the sword.
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Pachachacha!
Next, the 2nd-level implementation magic Sphere manifested. Thanks to the Grand Mage ability, even magic beyond the transcendence level could be manifested with tricks.
The target is the aristocrat’s heart.
The aristocrat’s eyes widened in surprise.
“No, a bind with a spear? And Ban Gongja using dual casting?!”
“Huh! Are you blind?! It’s a triple casting, including the first mana resonance! Ban Gongja, you’re the best!! Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty!”
A dilemma crossed the Duke’s eyes.
If he turned his body to evade, he would have to release the sword bound to the bind.
In a life-or-death situation, it might be understandable, but in such a critical moment, letting go of the sword was unthinkable.
Instead, he opted for a different approach.
Paaat!
A shield materialized over the Duke’s chest.
It was a mana shield!
My spear would be helplessly blocked, but…
“It’s done!!”
I wore a victorious smile.
From the beginning, my target was not the heart.
Mana moved.
The Duke belatedly wore a shocked expression, but it was too late.
Whirrr!
It was a basic 1st-tier fire magic.
“Unbelievable!! Quadruple casting?!”
“Did you see? This is the greatness of Ban Gongja!! hahahaha!”
That wasn’t what mattered.
All inside the hall gaped at the location where the flames had erupted.
“Umm.”
The original 1st-rank fire magic usually conjures flames above the palm.
However, I improved it so that, if there were combustible materials around, it could ignite remotely.
The material I chose for combustion was hair.
…Specifically, the duke’s topknot.
…The duke’s head was on fire.
“Duke!!!”
“Are you okay?!”
The knights belatedly screamed.
“…Noisy. Be quiet.”
The duke lifted mana and extinguished the flames on his hair.
A bald crown was revealed.
“…Hmm. Was it too much?”
But there was no other way to feed him a single blow.
If I were the ‘Pearl Prodigy,’ I could have won more splendidly.
“…I hope he won’t get mad and rewrite me in frustration.”
“How about that? This should be sufficient for a duel.”
I quickly suggested ending the duel, approaching the duke with a nervous heart for a gesture of reconciliation.
“Please accept it.”
What I offered was a wig.
It was a bribe, pleading not to get angry, but the duke’s expression strangely changed.
“I have proven my point. Now it’s your father’s turn.”
The duke stared at me for a long time with his mouth shut.
I flinched, and the duke did something unexpected.
“hehehe.”
He let out a sudden laugh.
Gradually, the laughter grew louder.
“hahahahaha!!!”