Chapter 39: I Tried Having a Sibling Brawl.
The stage Claris-san had set for me was ready.
The attention of the gathered crowd reached its peak, as they tried to determine who was right. These were the nobles who would carry the future of the Kingdom.
What kind of conclusion would be reached here, what kind of people were these individuals who would lead the future Kingdom…
The tide had turned. However, my opponents were the Prince, and the sons of the Chancellor and the Marshal.
Considering their positions, anyone would naturally favor the sons of nobles.
“Prince Edward, it seems Lady Claris has graced us with her presence as an impartial noble. However, as things stand, your opinion and mine differ, and we won’t reach a resolution. But to simply say we couldn’t reach a conclusion in front of all these people who have gathered would make us both lose face, wouldn’t it?”
Hearing my words, Prince Edward, Raul, and Gard turned to me with suspicious expressions.
“Above all, Liese is my attendant. Normally, you would have no grounds to complain about her in any way, yet here I am, being pressed with strong words like ‘Judgment’ in front of such a large crowd. Is this truly justifiable?”
“Guh!”
Edward gritted his teeth.
“However, what a noble requires is honor. I am not so placid as to remain silent when my honor has been trampled upon. I shall give you a chance.”
“A chance, you say?”
Claris had already shaken the Prince’s popularity.
In that case, all that remained for the Prince was his position, his honor, and his affection for Liese.
“Yes, my honor has been sullied by Prince Edward. Therefore, I wish to challenge Prince Edward to a Duel and reclaim my tarnished honor.”
“Wha-!?”
“And what we shall wager is our positions. If I win, each of you will be disinherited from your positions as heirs. If my honor were sullied by those who are not sons of nobles, I would laugh it off as the words of commoners and forgive it. However, if I am insulted by fellow nobles, it is only right to fight with that very thing at stake.”
Edward and Raul showed hesitation at my words. It wasn’t that they lacked confidence in their martial prowess. But they suspected there might be a hidden meaning behind my words.
“Of course, if you are victorious, I will return my title of Margrave to the King and become a commoner. Wouldn’t that grant your wish? The bothersome me would be eliminated. Besides, this is fair, isn’t it? If I win, you will merely be disinherited. If I lose, I will accept my Judgment.”
The first to react to my proposal was Gard.
“Just what I wanted! I’ll take you on?!”
“What are you saying, Gard? Your representative is Prince Edward, isn’t he? It is only proper for the representatives to fight. After all, I challenged Prince Edward to this Duel.”
“Wha- How despicable! Do you intend to harm your brother again?!”
Raul brought up the past in response to my statement.
“That was from our childhood. Why don’t you understand that you’re dwelling too much on an accident that happened during child’s play?”
“…Very well, Serios. I accept that Duel. To not settle this discussion as things are would be an injustice to those who have gathered.”
“Lord Edward!”
“You mustn’t fall for his glib talk! There’s a chance he has some sort of scheme prepared!”
Gard and Raul tried to stop Edward.
However, Edward looked at me with determination in his eyes.
“I accept the Duel. That’s what you want, right?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. If you want, I can take on those two as well.”
“Wha-?!”
“You bastard?! Do you intend to mock us?!”
“I even offered you a handicap, I don’t think you have any grounds to complain.”
This was a provocation. Nobles live by honor.
It’s natural to initiate a duel when that honor is sullied, but there are also times when proxies are appointed to kill each other.
“Unnecessary! I will face you alone.”
“Is that so? So, what about the method for the Duel? Is the Kingdom-Style fine?”
“Of course.”
In a Kingdom-Style Duel, both combatants face each other with swords.
While exchanging blows like in a fencing match, victory is achieved if the opponent yields, or if you kill them.
“Then, let’s do it. A fight to the death between brothers.”
Edward twitched at my words.
“I’ve never once thought of you as my brother!”
“Is that so. If you have a younger brother stronger than his older one, bring him on.”
We faced each other.
Claris would serve as the witness.
It was Claris who had arranged things to this point.
“Well then, we shall now commence the Duel between Prince Edward von Leclair and Margrave Serios von Aegrid.”
Claris solemnly officiated the duel between the two.
She remained calm even at a time like this, and that’s precisely why I felt apologetic.
If I were to win, she would lose her Fiancée. And if I were to lose, she would likely face the consequences of having protected me.
Either way, I owed her a great deal.
I resolved to be a strength to Claris if anything ever happened.
“To the victor, absolution. To the loser, removal from the nobility.”
With Claris’s words, we readied our swords.
“Duel, begin!”
Simultaneously, we swung our swords down.
Edward used orthodox Kingdom swordsmanship; while conventional in form, its sharpness boasted undeniable strength.
Conversely, I had never been taught by anyone; I observed mercenaries, and though unrefined, it was a practical sword style gained from defeating bandits.
CLANG!!!
Our swords clashed.
“Guh?!”
“Such a well-mannered sword.”
“Your form is terrible!”
I never intended for us to hate each other, but at some point, the rift between us brothers became unbridgeable.
“I will rescue Lady Liese from you!”
“Why don’t you realize that’s already madness!”
I parried the swung sword and kicked him in the stomach. Furthermore, I swung my sword aiming for his legs. He dodged and brought his sword down, and that’s when I landed a tackle.
“Ugh?!”
“Got you in a mount.”
I pushed Edward down and sent his sword flying.
“Ever been in a fistfight?”
“Guah!?”
I punched the pretty-boy Prince right in his beautiful face.
I’d always wanted to do this. Ever since I saw him laughing happily with Liese at the academy, I’d wanted to punch him with all my might.
“Sto-!?”
“What’s wrong, Prince-sama? Aren’t you going to save Liese?!”
Fearing being hit, Edward protected his face, so I punched him in the stomach.
“Guh?!”
“Stop it!”
Just when I had completely grasped victory, Gard tackled me from the side.
“Wha-! That’s dirty!”
“Shut up! I’m your opponent now!”
“Is that so!”
Being pinned down by the well-built, muscular Gard, my chances of winning were slim. That’s why I wouldn’t let him call me dirty.
I grabbed a handful of sand from the ground and threw it in his face.
“Uwah!?”
“Idiot, this is a fight!”
Just like that, I headbutted Gard in the face, breaking his nose.
“Y-You bastard!”
“Not coming, Raul? Those two are down.”
“Hih?!”
I satisfyingly punched the scared, flinching pretty-boy intellectual with glasses, and took down all three of them.
“Phew~ I’m tired.”
“Th-The winner! Margrave Serios von Aegrid!”
Hearing Claris’s voice, I remembered, oh yeah, this was a Duel.
I’d been treating it like a simple brawl.
“Lord Serios!”
Hearing my name called, I looked over, and saw Liese, leaning on Faina’s shoulder, walking towards me.
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Afterword
Hello, this is the author, Iko.
Thank you so much for all the Christmas presents!!!
That’s all for today!
See you tomorrow!