Chapter 56: The Trial (2)

“That’s quite a peculiar spirit.”

From a distance, it looked like a small boy, but now that I was up close, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that its face reminded me of someone familiar.

Ash-gray hair, silver eyes, and even the scar near its eye.

At this point, there was no way I could be mistaken.

“This is… completely me.”

“Uwaah! Waaah!”

Adele let out a strange noise and hastily covered the spirit with both hands. Of course, just because she covered it didn’t mean I could erase what I had just seen from my memory.

Watching the whole scene unfold, Arin chuckled before explaining to me.

“Spirits usually take the form of the person their contractor feels most familiar wi—mmpf!”

She hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth, but it was already too late.

I hadn’t known this because the original novel never detailed how spirits worked, but so this was how it was.

So, to Adele, I was the most familiar person?

For some reason, that realization left me with a strange feeling.

At the same time, it also meant that she trusted me that much. That thought was… slightly gratifying.

Not that I’d be immature enough to let it show on my face.

Have I also grown attached to Adel?

In the past, I wouldn’t have cared how she felt about me at all. But lately, I’d found myself mildly curious about what Adele thought of me.

“Ah, Abel? Don’t listen to what Arin just said. I mean…”

“So, Adele likes me quite a bit more than I expected.”

“T-that’s not it!”

“No need to worry. I find you quite endearing as well.”

“…Huh?”

Adele stared at me blankly, her face, which had been faintly flushed moments ago, now turning as red as a ripe persimmon.

I never thought teasing her would be this fun.

I barely held back a chuckle, knowing that if I laughed now, she’d realize I was messing with her.

When I took a step closer, Adele instinctively stepped back. I moved in again, and once more, she retreated.

I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at the sight.

“U-uh…”

She covered her face with both hands, her cheeks burning like a radish.

Maybe I’d gone a little too far?

Deciding to cut her some slack, I spoke first.

“Well, I suppose that’s enough teasing for now.”

“Ugh, you…!”

Biting her lip, Adele glared at me. But given her strikingly beautiful face, even that expression somehow looked a little… cute.

Maybe this was why people said that beauty alone was enough of an advantage.

Not that I was suddenly paying attention to her looks now.

“Arin, I assume you’ve heard about the upcoming subjugation battle in a month?”

“Yes.”

The Subjugation Battle.

The Riman Mountain Range in the northwest of Hardenberg territory. The region bordered the Holy Kingdom of Numen and was always swarming with monsters.

The biggest reason was the periodic rifts to another dimension that opened in those mountains.

These dimensional rifts, which lay on the border between worlds, didn’t just release monsters from this world but also creatures from entirely different dimensions.

Naturally, the Holy Kingdom of Numen didn’t sit idly by either. They regularly dispatched their Holy Knights to close the rifts.

The Subjugation Battle was an operation where we collaborated with their Holy Knights to eliminate the invading monsters and seal the rift.

Some creatures from the rift were nearly impossible to defeat without holy power. That was why working with the Holy Knights was practically mandatory.

Even the Emperor himself maintained an alliance with the Holy Kingdom for that very reason.

[The Holy Kingdom of Numen…]

“This subjugation battle sounds dangerous.”

“Indeed. It’s nothing like the Hunting Festival.”

The monster hunt during the Hunting Festival was mostly for show.

Sure, it was a long-standing tradition, but in the end, it was just a spectacle to display Arie Empire’s military prowess to neighboring nations.

Besides, completely eradicating the monsters from the Eternal Snowfields was physically impossible.

The first emperor might have done it, but back then, the snowfields weren’t nearly as vast as they are now.

However, the rift in the Riman Mountain Range was different.

If left unchecked, the monsters would multiply rapidly, wiping out entire settlements in mere days.

“Abel, are you going too?”

“Yes. This time, I’ll be personally participating.”

Until last year, I had technically been part of the subjugation battles but had never directly fought.

That was to hide my magic skills.

But now things were different.

I had already revealed my strength during the Hunting Festival, so it was politically advantageous to showcase my power during the Subjugation Battle as well.

Since cooperation with the Holy Kingdom is practically necessary.

To completely destroy the Emperor, I would need the Church of the Goddess.

Even in the original story, the Emperor had been most wary of the Holy Kingdom of Numen.

If this battle allowed me to secure cooperation with them, that would be ideal.

Though, of course, it wouldn’t be that simple.

The Holy Kingdom wouldn’t easily ally themselves with a duke under the Emperor.

That was why this Subjugation Battle was so crucial.

“What do you want to do?”

“Huh? Me? Aren’t I supposed to go with you?”

She asked as if it were obvious, but I shook my head.

The Subjugation Battle was a war against the creatures from another world—far more dangerous than the Hunting Festival.

There was no real reason for my fiancée to be there.

“I’ll say this again. This battle will be far more dangerous than the festival.”

The monsters that emerged from the rift were exceptionally powerful.

The very fact that they survived the tear between dimensions was proof of their strength.

The battlefield would be teeming with creatures as dangerous as the calamity-class monster we faced at the Hunting Festival.

Of course, the Knights Order wasn’t weak enough to fail at protecting Adele, but that didn’t change how dangerous it was.

“I see…”

Crossing her arms, Adele closed her eyes in thought.

It didn’t take long before she reopened them with a determined look.

“I want to go.”

“…Are you sure?”

When I asked again, she nodded firmly.

“Yes. I want to become stronger.”

Her resolve wasn’t just empty words.

The determination she showed in my office that day hadn’t been a lie.

She was prepared, even knowing the battle could be more dangerous than the festival.

“Fine. But on one condition.”

“…A condition?”

She tilted her head, puzzled.

I couldn’t just take her along because she wanted to be stronger.

As I had said before, this battle would be filled with calamity-class monsters.

If she wanted to grow stronger there, she at least needed the strength to survive.

“In one month, defeat me in a duel. Then, you can come.”

“…So, you just don’t want to take me, huh?”

Adele squinted suspiciously, but I just smirked.

“Of course, there are conditions.”

First, I wouldn’t use magic.

Second, I wouldn’t use Aura.

If she could win under those terms, then it was fair.

“…Sounds fair.”

Well, ‘fair’ didn’t mean ‘easy.’

Even a grandmaster at chess could beat a beginner without their queen.

“Arin.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“If Adele defeats me, I’ll grant you a favor.”

“Really?!”

Excited, Arin’s voice shot up an octave.

Personally, I hoped Adele would be able to participate.

Because I, too, wanted her to grow stronger.

****

“Lady Arin, do you think I can defeat Abel?”

“At the moment… it’s impossible.”

Arin stated it as if it were the most obvious fact in the world.

Of course, I had expected as much. Even if he refrained from using magic or aura, Abel was already at the level of an Archmage.

It would be pure arrogance for someone like me to claim that I could defeat him as I was now.

The real question was—could I become strong enough in just one month to stand a chance against him?

“What if I grow stronger over the next month?”

[That still sounds impossible.]

Sylphi, who had been hovering nearby, muttered with a sigh.

Seeing this, Arin also nodded in agreement.

“I think so too.”

“...Really?”

…No, perhaps their response was only natural.

Abel wasn’t just an Archmage—he was also a highly skilled knight. Even without magic or aura, his sheer physical abilities remained overwhelming.

“There is… one way.”

“What is it?”

[Wait, there’s actually a way?]

Sylphi and I spoke in unison, making Arin avert her gaze slightly.

She hesitated for a moment, fidgeting as if debating whether to speak. Then, with a deep sigh, she finally responded.

“It’s going to be tough… Are you sure you can handle it?”

“Yes. I’m ready.”

At my firm response, Arin seemed to solidify her resolve.

She turned and walked toward the weapons rack at the edge of the training ground. Wooden weapons of various shapes and sizes hung neatly on display.

After a brief pause, she grabbed a wooden sword and pointed it toward me.

Both Sylphi and I were caught off guard by her sudden action.

[W-what’s going on?]

“From now on, I will be imitating the Duke’s combat style.”

“You mean…?”

“Yes. You’ll learn by getting hit.”

Just hearing it sounded like an absurdly reckless method.

But if this was the only way to prepare for the upcoming test in a month, then so be it.

Sylphi looked absolutely horrified, but I didn’t care.

“I’ll do it.”

[What?! And what about all the injuries you’re going to get?]

“We have plenty of potions. I also plan to take as much rest as needed.”

[But still, the pain—]

“It’s fine.”

I cut Sylphi off before he could argue further.

With a deep sigh, he gave me a disapproving look before eventually nodding.

[Tsk… Fine. If this is what you want, do whatever you want.]

I appreciated his concern, but this wasn’t the time to hesitate.

At this moment, a little pain was the least of my worries.

– – The End of The Chapter––

 

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