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He’s not bluffing.

Most likely, only Hector or Charon could take him on.

He looked to be around my age, maybe even a year or two younger. Who the hell was he?

“...”

Sellen seemed to have something on her mind, but clearly, this wasn’t the time for casual questions.

Barter broke the silence.

“Sellen.”

“Yes, Elder Brother.”

“Elder Brother,” she says...

Before today, I could not have imagined her ever saying such a thing.

Brother or not, I expected something like “Hey.”

Even the nonchalant Butterfly glanced at Sellen with slightly more emotion than before. “Elder Sister, it’s good to see you.”

Barter said, “Sellen, let me ask you directly: Won’t you join us?”

“I’m currently on my way to the academy as a graduate of the training camp. Since we started together, it is only fitting that I finish with them.”

It sounded like she was reading off a script.

It would have been easy to be irritated by her response, but Barter just gave a low chuckle.

“I figured you’d say that. Then let’s make a deal. If Butterfly wins, you come with us without a fight.”

“That’s...”

“Your elder brother is asking nicely. This is the least you can do,” Barter said, his tone gentle, but there was definitely a coercive edge to his words.

Sellen fell quiet. Before long, she sighed and nodded.

Look at them. They’re acting like they’ve already won.

It rubbed me the wrong way.

For a split second, I seriously considered saying “fuck you and fuck House Goodspring” and just beating the crap out of them... and that startled me.

The thought process was eerily similar to that of my master, Baek Nogwang.

That’s a bit...

I needed to rein it in. At this rate, I would turn into Baek Nogwang Jr.

I used to be such a patient, kindhearted person...

Look at me now. This is all Charon’s fault.

Meanwhile, Hector nodded in agreement.

“All right. We will accept.”

Oho...

Even after all the disrespect, Hector was still calm.

It was surprising, given how much he worshiped the Lord of Blood and Iron and took pride in the Bednicker name.

On the inside, though, he was probably more pissed than I was.

Which meant this guy had learned to keep his cool.

Perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the training camp might have been a turning point for him.

Considering how much he had grown, both physically and mentally, it sure seemed likely.

“Under one condition: I’ll be the only one to fight. I alone should be more than enough.”

At that, Butterfly paused and asked, “...You’re saying you’ll fight alone?”

“Yes.”

“I heard the Bednicker’s training camp has rankings. What did you place?”

“Second.”

“And who came in first?”

“Charon Woodjack.”

“I see.”

Butterfly glanced around before quickly spotting Charon and smiling.

It was clearly a belligerent smile.

“So you’re talking about Lord Hyde’s only son. I’ve heard quite the rumors about you. You seem like you could definitely be my match.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Charon retorted with his typical blunt tone.

“Let me just say this: Hector Bednicker is stronger than me when it comes to one-on-one combat.”

“What?”

“One-on-one, that is,” Charon emphasized again, but Butterfly had already switched his focus to Hector, who looked surprised by Charon’s admission.

Afterward, Charon subtly gave me a thumbs-up for some reason I couldn’t understand.

...Did he want me to do something?

Anyway, everyone was staring at someone, which looked quite funny. I felt like I had to follow along and find someone to stare at too.

“Well, fine. If you’re really that good, it might not be so boring.”

Butterfly drew his sword from his waist. Both were using real swords, but obviously, this wasn’t a life-or-death match and nobody should get seriously injured. They were Bednicker and Goodspring after all.

“...”

“...”

The tension increased several times over.

When the two young heroes locked eyes, the fight began.

Hector made the first move. He took one step forward as he drew his sword, then charged with ferocious momentum, closing the distance to Butterfly.

“Hm?”

I cocked my head slightly.

Charon, who had at some point in time come up beside me, quietly said what I’d been thinking: “I’ve never seen that footwork before...”

“He might have learned something new from the family head,” I responded.

As I’d mentioned before, the Lord of Blood and Iron handed out clear rewards and punishments.

Even Hector, who had ranked second in the training camp, had surely received some rewards.

Hector’s footwork technique was quick. It wasn’t quite as fast as my lightning-walker steps, but it seemed to be the kind that unleashed explosive speed in an instant.

Hector’s speed caught Butterfly off guard, and Butterfly reacted a bit too hastily to the attack.

Clang!

When their blades clashed, Butterfly’s expression hardened even further.

He quickly realized his opponent wasn’t someone to be taken lightly, and his previously laidback and unworried demeanor completely changed.

He adapts quicker than I expected.

One very important skill in real combat was adapting quickly to the unexpected. Butterfly Goodspring didn’t seem old, but his real-world experience was likely on par with Charon’s.

The difference between the two, though, was that while Charon had spent most of his time struggling to hunt and survive in harsh environments, Butterfly seemed to be specialized in one-on-one combat.

If that kid had fought Hector before the training camp, my brother might have lost without a chance.

Even now, although his physical ability is greater than Butterfly’s...

That was the interesting part.

Butterfly wasn’t particularly big or naturally strong, yet his physical strength and agility were almost unnaturally sharp.

He wasn’t using mana since this was a quick duel, but something about him made me think he must have abnormal mana reserves.

Is he Goodspring’s wild card?

Still, there was no reason for Hector to lose. No matter how skilled that kid was, he was still at the level of a young hero, and Hector had spent most of the training camp fighting the Instructor of the Hunt.

Whack.

Butterfly was suddenly kicked in the shin from a blind spot.

“...!”

Butterfly’s face scrunched up in pain, and Hector took this chance to bring down the hilt of his sword into his opponent’s wrist.

Butterfly’s pure-white blade clattered to the ground, and in the next instant, the end of Hector’s sword was pointed at Butterfly’s throat.

The fight had ended in an instant.

“Do you wish to continue?”

* * * * *

* * * * *

But then...

Butterfly clenched his teeth so hard I thought I heard something crack. His expression turned to one of anger, and an aura emanated from his entire body.

It felt similar to the Blessing of the Silver Moon that had surrounded Sellen.

A divine beast?

Suddenly, Barter sharply shouted, “Butterfly—!”

Butterfly flinched in surprise, and in seconds, the power he had been gathering dissipated like mist.

Barter turned toward us and said, “This duel... is our loss. We concede your victory, Lord Hector. You’ve grown unrecognizably stronger since we last met.”

Without sheathing his sword, Hector faced Barter and, in a calm voice, said, “Excuse me if I’m out of line, Sir Barter, but such remarks should not be made lightly.”

“What do you mean?”

“You cannot accurately gauge someone’s growth without even crossing swords. Not to mention that I did not give my all in that duel.”

Butterfly’s eyes blazed in anger, clearly irked even more by Hector’s comment, but Hector paid him no mind.

Hector continued, “Lord Butterfly from House Goodspring said so himself, did he not? Both combined and consecutive matches are acceptable.”

Hector glanced at Butterfly, the end of his sword still pointed at the kid’s neck.

“But—”

“I do believe my skills are still quite humble, thus I dare not imagine withstanding a combined match with you, Sir Barter...” Hector paused to give his signature smirk, reminiscent of those annoying days from the past. “However, as far as consecutive matches go, I daresay that should pose no great challenge. What do you say to this proposition?”

Damn... look at him talk. Way to go, Elder Brother.

Watching him beat them up a second time with words was extremely satisfying.

I couldn’t help but give Hector a thumbs-up for his eloquent reply, returning to the Goodsprings the same disrespect they’d shown us.

It was truly an aristocratic way of handling things.

Barter stiffened slightly under Hector’s gaze but soon recovered his smile.

“...Let us postpone that to another occasion.”

“That’s a pity.”

Only now, in one smooth movement, did Hector sheath his sword.

“Given the outcome, I would appreciate you looking after our family’s young lady,” said Barter. “If you don’t mind, since we are on the same path, why not travel together?”

“Very well,” Hector replied.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Then we shall take our leave.”

Barter Goodspring backed off quietly, to my surprise, although Butterfly Goodspring continued to glare at Hector until the end.

Unlike his great experience in one-on-one combat, he seemed to lack any skill in hiding his emotions.

What was the point of all that?

Sure, they’d wanted to take Sellen back, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that they had another reason for sticking around.

I felt like they’d only brought up Sellen as an excuse. Of course, this was all just a hunch for now, but one thing was clear: We now had unwelcome company on our journey to the capital.

Again, I just wanted to say “screw it all” and start beating them up.

However, not unless they started something first. It wouldn’t be right for me to stir up trouble, especially not when Hector had already handled things perfectly for Bednicker.

Whatever. It’ll only take three or four more days to reach the capital.

We’d be fine until then, right?

***

They returned to the Goodspring carriage, and even before sitting down, Butterfly said, “I apologize. Because of me, he ended up dragging you into this mess...”

“Never mind that. How is your injury?” Barter asked while nodding to Butterfly’s shin, where Hector had landed a solid kick.

“It seems to be a little bruised, but I’m okay.”

“That’s a relief.”

“...”

There was a brief silence before Butterfly, voice strained with frustration, said, “If we fight again, I will win.”

“As you should. But it’s not Hector Bednicker you should be baring your fangs at. At the very least, aim for Hero or Nero Bednicker.”

“But—!”

“Are you going to continue to insist on having your way? I’m sure Father told you to obey me on this matter.”

“...”

At the mention of Hatehm Goodspring, the family head, Butterfly immediately fell silent.

Barter looked at his youngest sibling’s face and slowly said, “But... I suppose a little venting wouldn’t hurt.”

“Venting?”

“When you fought Hector earlier, did you see the blonde-haired young hero standing next to Charon Woodjack?”

Butterfly thought back for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, there was someone who looked like a delinquent.”

“That boy is also a Bednicker.”

“What? But his hair is blonde.”

The majority of Bednickers had dark hair, a trait inherited from their ancestors, the dark fairies.

Barter calmly continued, “He likely inherited much of his mother’s bloodline. You must have heard the rumors—he’s the family disgrace.”

“Ah...” Butterfly grimaced. “Wasn’t he the one who was engaged to Elder Sister?”

“That’s right. And on top of that, he’s the one who sold the sword of the house. His name is Luan Bednicker. He would be the perfect target for your frustration.”

“I actually wanted to give him a good beating... but won’t there be backlash? No matter how much a fool he is, he’s still a Bednicker.”

Barter smiled. “The children of Bednicker don’t have good relationships. Hector Bednicker in particular is a strict meritocrat. He loathes Luan Bednicker for tarnishing the family name. That story is quite well-known in social circles.”

“Oh, I see.”

“But of course, you shouldn’t beat him so hard that he is left crippled for life. And you’ll need a good cause for your actions.”

“A good cause...”

“If we say it was just a friendly spar between the youngest of each house to strengthen our bonds, they won’t be able to say much about it.”

Butterfly’s face lit up. “Oh! That’s perfect! As expected of you, Elder Brother.”

“As I said, don’t go overboard. You lack restraint.”

“Haha, I know, I know. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Butterfly beamed, happy as a kid who had just found a brand new toy.

____