BBYW Vol. 3 Interlude Part 1 (WN)
Interlude – Royal Martial Tournament
Part 1 – An Eloquent Blade
Two years before the current events, in the Lamperouge royal capital…
The massive circular arena was overflowing with people.
The waves of spectators were all focused on the center of the field, where the battle would soon start.
Hundreds, thousands of eyes were all concentrated on a single spot. It was a rather bizarre sight, especially considering that the upcoming battle was simply a one-on-one duel.
All the excitement and expectations in the arena were directed at two men; one of which casually addressed the other.
“This has to be your unlucky day…to run into me in your first battle.”
The young man who spoke was clad into a light armor, likely crafted for ease of movement.
His features and demeanor clearly showed he was born and bred in high society: the young man grinned at his opponent, then made a show of winking to the audience.
Flaunting his dazzling shoulder-length blond mane and charming appearance, the young nobleman basked in the audience’s cheers — mainly coming from young women.
I did not know his name: if memory served me well, he was the third son of a noble family in the central province, but I did not care enough to remember more.
“What a nuisance…”
Facing him was a man wearing well-worn leather armor, without any decorations or engravings: it looked like it’d belong to a mercenary back from the battlefield rather than a noble heir.
In other words…the young nobleman’s opponent was me.
“My my, I thought you were the successor of a noble house? Were you unable to find better gear?”
“Shut up, using equipment I’m used to is obviously better.”
The young man sneered and derided my scratched, banged-up armor, but I answered calmly.
I could feel anger welling up inside me because of his arrogant behavior, but gripping the hilt of my blade wiped it all away.
The duel would start soon: all I needed to do was to funnel all my irritation and anger into the blade.
I took a deep breath, suppressing all unnecessary emotion and focusing on my sword arm.
I could feel a pure, uniform killing intent fill the blade to the tip, as if the weapon had become one with my body.
I did not know what the young man thought of my concentration, but his mocking tone became even more clear.
“Please, do not be so tense. This duel will be decided in a single instant. You will not even have the time to feel pain.”
“…really now.”
“As you passed the preliminaries, I suppose you have some skill… but I have been trained by Saverne, the Sword Saint, since I was but a child, and have achieved enough prowess to be appointed as a member of the Twelve Blades of Heaven at 15 years old.”
The young man flicked his hair, making it flutter in the air, and more shrieks from the young women in the audience followed.
“For a countryside noble like you, I imagine this is the only chance to face me. Even if you have finally achieved such a precious opportunity, however, I doubt you could learn much from me.”
The young man drew his sword. The blade, ornate with intricate patterns, shone like a jewel against the sunlight.
On the other hand, my sword was still in its sheath: silently, I moved one leg forward and took my stance.
“Draw, if you please. Or could it be that fear has gotten the better of you? I concede to you the first strike. Do show me what you can do.”
Following the young man’s declaration, trumpets blared in the arena: the signal that the duel had officially started.
“Come at me! Do know that you are in the presence of the 10th in line of the Saverne Twelve Blades of Heaven, third born of the Viscount House of Lotterdam, none other than —”
“Enough already.”
“Wha?”
I took a heavy step forward and propelled myself close to my opponent. The young man’s expression was completely shocked: like a ghost had suddenly appeared before him.
“If you just talk about how strong you are, you’ll be a second rate forever. You’re a swordsman, let your sword do the talking!”
“GWEAH!?!!?”
I drew my sword at blinding speed and struck the young man’s torso. The weapon I was using was blunted, but it was still a block of iron heavy enough to crush a human skull with enough force.
The young man’s decorated armor cracked and shattered loudly.
“Mph.”
“”GWAAAAHHH!?!”
I completed the swing of my sword, and the young man was tossed away like a rag doll.
He rolled on the sand, yelling and shrieking, eventually slamming against the arena’s walls.
“Gw…eh…”
The young man slumped on the ground, crumpling like paper. His well-combed hair and handsome features were smeared with sand: he barely looked like the same person anymore.
The instant conclusion of the duel left the arena in complete silence for a dozen of seconds…followed by a roar of cheer.
“WHOOOOHHHH!!!”
“I don’t have anything against learning the sword at school…but you need more actual experience to fight me.”
I raised my sword in answer to the thunderous cheers, then left a message of “advice” to my opponent, still knocked out on the ground.