113 3.25 You lost the sword?! - Part 6

"I don't think that's a good idea. I should probably just do it by myself."

I wasn't sure how much I needed to hold back with him as an opponent. I couldn't appear weak in front of all these nobles because that would defeat the purpose of me coming here. But if I try displaying my power, I might accidentally end up hurting him.

"That would be too dull. Even though I am an Earl now, I am a trained knight who has fought in the front lines several times. With me as an opponent, you will be able to display your abilities without holding back." He moved a little back and looked towards the crowd in front. "Doesn't everyone here agree?"

"Yes!"

"That's what we have been waiting for."

"We want a duel!"

It looked like he was able to shift the attention of the crowd to us. And this was indeed a good way to spice things up for them. Though I was still concerned that I might injure him. But despite my concern, there was no way to avoid this duel at this point, so I decided that I would just heal what's broken later.

"Alright, though it might turn out a little different than what you are expecting."

"Yes, I am prepared. Just give it your all."

As we were talking, the old butler came forward and pointed towards the door with his hand. "Please this way then."

The two of us followed him to the open ground at the center of the castle. Around us was the sturdy-looking inner wall, and from the balconies, the nobles were curiously staring at us.

While I was looking at the inner wall and observing the structure of the castle, a familiar figure came walking towards us. When I took a closer look, I realized it was Garo, the captain of the knight squad that we once fought.

After he came closer, he bowed to Markus and then turned towards me. "So, we meet again."

"Yeah, it has been a while. But it's good to see that you are doing well," I replied.

"Okay, let's not waste any more time in petty talks. I, Garo shall be the referee of this match"—He then looked at my waist— "I thought this was going to be a sword match. Where's your sword?"

"About that… I think I might have accidentally lost it on the journey."

"What?! You lost the sword?!"

"Sorry, it was a tough battle and I dropped it on the lake."

"For a knight, losing his sword is the most shameful thing that could happen. A sword is your partner in battle and companion in countless journeys. How could you lose it so easily?"

"But I had no choice back then. The lives of my friends were in danger."

"Then, I guess I will let it slide just this once. Even though that sword was a remarkable piece of art, I hope you will be able to find a better replacement. For now, you can use my sword."

He took the sword in his waist out of its sheath and gave it to me. I took the sword and tried swinging it a few times.

"Now that the two of you are ready. Please take your position while keeping a suitable distance among yourself. The distance between the two of you must at least be 4 longswords. Also, both of you must already be aware of the rules. If not, remember that you lose only when you drop your sword or admit defeat."

Both of us moved a little backward after he said that. Instead of just four longswords, the distance between us was at least 6 longswords which was almost like seven meters.

Normally, I would have taken my stance, but the technique I was about to use was a bit hard to control. And since I wasn't used to this sword, I kept it as far from my body as I could.

Both Garo and Markus looked surprised when they saw me do that. But that surprise didn't last for too long as Marker took his stance.

After the two of us were ready, Garo raised his hand and gave us the signal to start.

Markus came straight at me with a diagonal slash. He was faster than normal knights and was able to reach me with a single leap. It was a good use of physical enhancement and his stance.

I bent backward and dodged the attack, but it looked like he had already figured out what I would do. So, his next strike was a vertical slash that came at me from above.

I blocked it with my sword while moving my right foot behind and pushed him back using the physical enhancement. Till now I hadn't used my magic because I didn't want to end this in one fell swoop.

A loud cheer was heard from the balcony when Marcus covered his sword in red flames. Though to me it wasn't a big deal since I had seen Arica do it several times.

Following him, I used Darkness magic and Fire magic at the same time and covered my sword in dark flames. Unlike when Marcus covered his swords in flame, no cheers were heard this time. So, I looked towards the balcony, just to realize that they had a shocked reaction on their faces.

It was only a few seconds later that another loud cheer was heard from the balconies.

This time it looked like he was going to try some long-ranged attack. So, I prepared myself to hold back so that I don't end up freezing Markus while trying to counter his attack.

When he saw me a little distracted, he attacked me with the fire slash. But this time, I had no intention of dodging that attack. So, I countered it by firing a slash of my dark flames.

I was surprised when I saw the flames itself being frozen. But compared to my surprise, the surprise on everyone else's face was several times greater.

: Start of the chaos