Chapter 48

DD – Chapter 48The Outcome

“…Round start!”

At the referee’s shout, I swung my sword at the man named Ryle with all my strength . I glanced over and saw my original opponent doing the same . It seems like we both came to the conclusion that we’d have no chance of winning if we fought them together .

Ryle deflected my attack with his sword . The clang of metal on metal reverberated across the arena . From then on, no matter how hard I tried to overpower him, he didn’t move an inch . Seeing him so unruffled, taking my swings as if they were nothing, ticked me off .

If this continues, I won’t be able to land a hit . Considering my options, I took a step back and tried to attack from a different angle . As I began to attack again, my sword was repelled, and this time I was pushed back by a torrent of blows . Each and every blow was heavy, and it was all I could do to protect myself .

“…kuh . ”

I tried looking for a hole, a place to break through, but couldn’t find anything resembling an opening . Being one-sidedly attacked, I couldn’t even muster an attack . …It’s been a long time since I’ve been forced into a corner . Given my upbringing, I’ve never lost to my colleagues . When I joined the Order, I worked hard and won . Even still… In this situation, I can only defend . My opponent is calm and composed . I can’t see the possibility of me winning this fight . To be honest, I’m astonished by the difference in skill between us .

*Clang*

In my periphery, a sword flew through the air . It seems like the match between the army guy and Dida has concluded . The winner is Dida . At the same time, Ryle’s swings became stronger and stronger . As I thought, he had been taking it easy on me . The blows continued until eventually, I too was disarmed .

I lost… I tried to surrender, but Ryle kept swinging his sword .

“Wha- . . ”

Normally, if your opponent loses your sword, you’d pull back . All I could do was dodge, I couldn’t even murmur what I thought . Given the strength of his blows, the speed at which he swung his sword was astonishing .

“Stop! The match is over!”

Ryle stopped his sword upon hearing the referee . His sword was inches away from my neck, I was barely saved by the ref .

“…… . . ”

Ryle pulled his sword back with a look of disappointment . I let out a sigh of relief .

“…Why aren’t you two affiliated with either the Army or the Order?”

I relaxed, not having wanted to confront the last attack . Instead, I asked them something that has been on my mind . If it were them, I’m sure both organizations would welcome them, but I’ve never heard of nor seen them before .

“We have someone who we must serve . ”

“But… With that level of strength…”

“So what? I never even once thought of serving the royal family . As long as I protect the princess, I’m fine . ”

“…Dida, you… You don’t need to say such a thing here . ”

Ryle sighed at Dida’s outburst .

“But Ryle, aren’t you the same? What has the country done for us? The one who saved us was the princess . ”

“That is true . ”

“That’s why . We have no intention of joining the Army nor the Order . ”

After that remark, both Ryle and Dida left the arena . General Gazelle took their place in the arena and stood in front of the Army and the Order .

“You’ve done well, all of you . Let’s set the pleasantries aside for today and have a drink . ”

With that final speech, the mock battles had ended .

While the arena was getting lively again, I figured I’d go wash off my sweat, so I headed to the nearby watering grounds .

“Nice work today . ”

Having been tapped on the shoulder, I turned around to see my senior standing there . Since he was the closest to me in age, he frequently helped me out .

“That fight earlier was impressive . ”

“Not even . I didn’t even come close to being on par with them . ”

“Well that’s a given . If they were to fight someone on equal grounds with them there’d probably be only General Gazelle on the army’s side, while on the Order’s side there’d Captain Malcolm . ”

Captain Malcolm was the Order’s ace . If General Gazelle’s apprentices could fight on par with him, it’d be an amazing feat .

“I truly wonder why those two won’t come to the capital . I’m sure that both the Order and the Army would welcome them with open arms” .

“They explained earlier . ”

“Even still…”

“When you suddenly questioned them, I was terrified . If you had continued, there’s no doubt that they have drawn their swords on you . ”

“You’re kidding, right…”

I glanced at my senior hoping he was joking, but I could only see him grimacing .

“Just like you, both the Army and the Order tried to scout them a while back, but we were firmly refused . We came on too hard, and there was duel . They said that their master had been insulted by the scout . They won . ”

I was dumbfounded . True, if your master was insulted as a knight you had the right to challenge them to a duel, but I’ve never heard of it actually happening before . I could only imagine them as mad dogs, protecting their master at all costs and barring their fangs at anyone who crosses them . But to have someone that can control such a beast, just who could their master be?

“…That fight was worse . They weren’t playing around like they were today, and had General Gazelle not stopped them, the scout would’ve lost his life . ”

“It was that bad, huh…”

“Yeah . They don’t follow the Order’s code, nor do they fit the Army’s ferocity, seemingly adapting to the situation . Dida’s movements were too fast to perceive, while Ryle’s attacks were too strong to guard against . That fight was unforgettable . That reminds me, you were also saved from Ryle’s blows towards the end as well . ”

“Why?”

“The master of those two is none other than Duke Armelia’s daughter, Iris . I feel sympathy for your terrible luck . It’s highly likely that General Gazelle knew beforehand that the results of the competition were likely to disturb the balance between the two organizations . That’s why the two would step in to ensure that neither party would win . In the worst case scenario they probably decided to allow our two versus their two to defuse any bad situations . After the score ended up being 2 wins and 2 losses, they appeared . And when they did I figured since it was your turn next, they’d be taking revenge for what happened at the academy . I was seriously worried about you for a second . ”

“That is . . ” .

Their master was Duke Armelia’s daughter Iris… Hearing the identity of their master, I was assaulted with a wave of emotions . Surely it was a joke that she was leading them, that she was the one they were attached to…

“That’s why I said you did great coming back alive . ”

I now feel that way too . It was good that today was only a mock battle . It was good that I fought Ryle over Dida, or else I might’ve not been standing here right now . I felt a chill creep down my back .

“… . Senpai . ”

“What is it?”

“What do you think of Duchess Iris?”

“Don’t look for an answer from me . After all, I’ve yet to talk to or even meet her . ”

I felt those words pierce my heart . Before that event even occurred, I recalled that I never spoke to her once .

“But you know… seeing how those two act, I can only say that it seems like she’s a big-hearted person . ”

“……That is a good point…”