Chapter 259 – 25. Clash! Dueling Trial (9)
A witch wearing a black robe took advantage of the darkness to walk around. Chasing the smoke that hung hazily across the blue-black night sky, we arrived at an empty lot on the outskirts of the city. I found a man waiting with his arms crossed over a bonfire made of leaf trees and straw.
“Who are you?”
Everywhere he looked, he was far from the master who remained in his memory. So, Kenna, who remained vigilant, guessed the identity of the man in front of her and carefully questioned him.
“Lucille of Saint Bourse sent it.”
Wearing the formal military uniform of the north, he was Rome. It was Baron Ardennes, whose very strong body stood out even over his thick clothes. The witch, who read the aura that is rare in human life with her mysterious eyesight, recognized Lumiere’s invincible knight through him.
‘The calluses on the palms, traces forged through the years…’
A medal for those who have not neglected training even after reaching a certain level.
‘Even in a comfortable sitting position, the waist is upright, the center of gravity is like an old tree…’
A sense of perfect balance even in everyday moments that can only be said to have permeated.
‘The gaze is wide, but even the concentration of looking at one place.’
What surprised me more than anything was the modesty of not boasting in the slightest that it all came together. For the most part, a strong person tends to dwell in arrogance, either implicitly or without being aware of it, but there was no hint of that in the man.
If I had to find a flaw, would it be that he seemed to have a strong sense of goodwill? However, if you know how to control even that, it was never a lacking part.
“I heard you would understand if you said that, is that right?”
“… Yes.”
Kenna, who hid her face under a loose black robe, answered. The foreign witch had a long-standing habit of keeping an eye on the person she was facing. As a result, I was able to engrave many masters in my mind and also learn a lot.
“If it’s not rude, may I ask about your relationship with Lucille?”
“I will be your husband.”
Rom stood up from his seat with a smile on his face. Even so, he even willingly offered a handshake to Kenna, who was hiding in a robe in the dark shade. Even seeing my suspicious appearance, it seemed that there was no prejudice.
“I’m sorry for the late introduction, this is Romuald Arden.”
However, the witch took a step back. He lowered his head, lowered his eyes, and spoke in a quiet voice. He didn’t seem like a bad person, but he couldn’t give too much information to the opponent he was supposed to be hostile to.
“I am the freckled princess.”
Tong Seong-myung showed that he was embarrassed and introduced himself with an old nickname instead of his name. It wasn’t the kind of manners one would expect from a local nobleman, but fortunately, Rome didn’t seem too offended. Indeed, like a man with an occultist as his companion, he understood Kena’s reluctance to step forward.
“Before we get to the point, I have something I want to ask you, is that okay?”
“What is it?”
“My wife gave me a note written with kindling and a wooden flute to visit you. Seeing that you came to see me, I think you wrote the note correctly. But in the case of the flute, I heard that its use is a bit strict.”
Rom put his hand into the bosom of his uniform. He said that just showing the long flute would work. Considering that Lucienne Lemoang was not a great person to spew idle talk, there was a high possibility that it was a really threatening object.
“I don’t want to be rude to a subject who has come to me because I have a favor to ask of someone from abroad. So, if possible, please let me know the result of playing this flute. Even if I am threatened, I will choose another method if possible.”
For a noble, it was a strange thing to do. I heard that the life of a wandering knight was long as an illegitimate child, but I wondered if it might be because of that. In a world like pandemonium, a man who is not so stupid is so honest.
Yeah, because it’s really ridiculous.
Kenna, who carefully slipped her rom with a dropped gaze earlier, opened her mouth. When she honestly asked if he hated complicated search battles, she answered him the same way.
“The flute itself is an extremely ordinary object. However, in the past, I made a special contract with her Lucille in exchange for her teachings about her occult and various witchcraft in general, and according to this, I accepted several restrictions on her body so that I could not harm her.”
Throwing her arms forward, she rolled up the sleeves of her robe. She continued, pointing to the magical tattoos she secretly revealed from him. The pattern, which resonated moment by moment with the flames of the bonfire made with slips of paper, unfortunately contained tremendous magical power.
“This is the proof of the contract established between me and Lucille. If you play that flute, the incantation contained here will deem me not faithfully fulfilling my promise. Furthermore, according to a predetermined procedure, they will be deprived of their magical power, inflicted with pain, and eventually made to die.”
“But you gain strength while accepting constraints?”
“Yes, it seems you were able to see magic with your own eyes.”
If you are a sensitive person, there is nothing strange about it. Kenna, who had hidden her tattoos again, put on a calm expression. Then, he inadvertently showed his caution at Rome’s words, who suddenly shook his head. It was because I wanted to see through my identity that he didn’t want to be revealed at all.
“Rather than necessarily, I felt the energy.”
“Cheer up, you mean?”
“It’s just a flimsy sixth sense.”
I could feel it instinctively. Romuald Arden was a dangerous man. He was a menacing opponent at the same time. Unlike his blood relation, Millennium Gong, he had a charm that was not private to him. As if he were admonishing that there is no weapon as powerful as the truth if he knows how to handle it properly.
A man who couldn’t find any pretense in dealing with his opponent, so he had the power to inspire those around him. And usually a person with that kind of power is very hard when he makes an enemy.
‘Even this prayer that permeates the body…’
Kenna muttered to herself as if she finally understood. The hero who led the Great Offensive of Limousin probably achieved a known major based on this charm. He’s a skill. As he is the winner of the Continental Swordsmanship Contest held in the capital, there should have been no doubt about it.
The military talent inherited through blood, the industrious tendency that never skips training, the personality that attracts the hearts of those around you, and finally, the strategy to take the initiative in negotiations after objectively analyzing various situations.
“Going back to what I was talking about, I think you should keep this flute so it won’t be abused by me or anyone else.”
“It is difficult to understand. Without that thing, you have no control over me.”
“Perhaps. But the reason I came here in the first place was not to control you, but to ask you a small favor. Who would like it if you calmly ask for help in words and put a bluff on something. They may help right now, but they often end up with needless grudges or scams.”
Eventually, Rom took out the flute from his bosom and handed it over without hesitation.
“Take it.”
Kenna stretched out her hand in her trepidation and hid a wooden flute in the hem of her wide sleeve. Her contract with Lucille was still valid, but she wouldn’t be able to stop herself unless she went there herself.
She obviously didn’t want to choose the means and methods.
Her sincere baronial demeanor made her witch refrain from acting rashly. Although she is in the position of accumulating her bad karma, she tends to place great importance on her duty. It was therefore unthinkable for her to leave her seat without shame.
“What was the request you were trying to make of me?”
“Ah, now I can speak clearly.”
Whatever the case, the calculations must be thorough.
“My group is staying at a nearby inn. I heard that a witch lives here. Please protect them from her magic.”
“… Let’s do that.”
“Hmm? Is it that easy?”
That is the creed of Kena, the witch of that foreign country Britannia.
“Romuald Arden, your party will be safe from any witchcraft used by the witch until tomorrow’s dueling trial. I promise you on the honor of the Freckles Princess.”
“It’s more pleasant than I thought.”
That was all. Rom kicked the bonfire burning in the middle of the clearing with his foot and held the air with one hand. She smiled very coolly at Kenna, who asked her question in a straight line, and decorated her ending.
“I really want to give it back. Why do you think I will keep my promise? Aren’t you curious about how they know your circumstances when you haven’t revealed your identity?”
“Well, it’s a rumor all over the western continent.”
“If so…”
“As you say, there is no reason to be sure. But my insignificant sixth sense keeps whispering to me to tell you this. If it was really meant to be deceptive, I wouldn’t have aroused suspicion by adding that taste.”
Peek, the blazing fire was extinguished at once. As a familiar expression, it was a blink of an eye. However, Kena, who did not miss the moment, saw it clearly. She demonstrates her Baron’s ability to draw an invisible sword without any preparatory action.
“Then I will believe you.”
“… !”
“Princess Freckles, you.”
Before departing with it, it was not an ordinary object, but a divine miracle that caught and extinguished the flames ignited in the air with a single knife.
‘Intangible sword, Somerset strong sword base, quick sword and short sword, each with three combinations, flexible wrist, various trajectories, power that instantly cuts space, no gaps and sharpness, temperament is the exact opposite of my father, but there is no shaking at the tip of the sword, The toughest opponent.’
And the source of that ignorant swordsmanship.
‘Even Kenneth isn’t enough. It has to be at least like Arno.’
Should I break my promise? Or do we have to re-select the number of participants?
‘Before the problem of ability, poison and curses are not the body…’
Perhaps, she might have to come up with a more fundamental countermeasure than that.
‘Then…’
Because, the man disappearing far away was Romuald Arden.
