The first blow was a sharp thrust that ripped open his right shoulder. It is not a simple test of strength. It is a blow to make sure you bleed out while avoiding a fatal wound. You duck and dodge and step away.

　The rules of a tavern duel are simple. If one of you bleeds, it's over. It's a gentleman's rule, no fighting for life.

　Two knives that Kalia Vadnick had pulled out of the hexenbiest. This and her silver long sword. In the world of martial arts, where spacing is the key to success, how much of a difference is there between these two weapons?

　I don't need to tell you that. Naturally, the shorter weapon is at an overwhelming disadvantage.

　--Squeak!

　The silver makes a sound that cuts through the sky, and comes at you again, drawing a trail. It's as sharp as if it were going to snatch you right in the side, and you deflect it with the knife in your right hand to match its trajectory. Even the slightest scratch is not allowed under these rules. And with this gap in time, there is no chance of victory unless you move in, move in.

　He takes a step forward. The silver trajectory of the thrusts is uninterrupted and grows sharper with each step. You can't even see the moment of pull and make up the number of steps. In the next moment, silver slices through space, slicing through his shoulder. If he were to catch this slash with his knife, it would be the end. At that point, the knife would shatter and inflict a wound, though not a fatal one.

　And then what? You work for him. Yeah, that's not gonna change. It's the same path I used to take.

　The silver threat won't stop. In fact, it won't stop because it won't let us do anything. It's better to strike repeatedly to repel and trample the enemy. She knows it well.

"Whoa!

　The silver line that had been relentlessly trying to damage her torso now targeted her wrist. He quickly twisted it and flicked it away with his knife. It was clearly an impossible move. The base of the knife wobbled and taught him its limits. I wonder if she was capable of this kind of trickery.

　This woman...

　The crafty old man called Richard watched the scene, stroking the beard around his chin.

"What's the matter, is it over?

　I'm not sure what to make of that. The spacing that Lugis had closed is back to square one. She still has the advantage.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. We're just a bunch of rats.

　Lugis's provocative, yet pausing voice echoed well in the silence of the tavern.

　The atmosphere around them had changed from festive to breathlessly watching the two fight. Everyone thought that the game would be decided in the first round or two. Of course, Lugis was defeated.

　Lugis was not even a novice, he was still spending his days slaying rats and dredging mud. I don't even know if I can call him an adventurer.

　That novice is fighting against a knight, albeit an apprentice. Two knives, countless combinations. With a deft use of his wrist, he fights off and deflects the long sword. It's not an easy task. Once is a coincidence, twice a miracle. But if it happens a third time, it's a sure sign of skill.

　I don't know why. The change is too dramatic. What could have happened while I was away? Richard shows his teeth in amusement and clears his throat at his student's behavior.

　But it doesn't matter why. To this scoundrel, the only way to judge a person is whether or not they are worth using. Until now, Lugis has been used as a decoy at best. That was a fair assessment and a hard fact. But now...

　---- Giyin

　Kalia Vadnick's uppercut was a slamming blow. It's not the kind of martial arts you want to use in a duel. A slash that would have cut an armored knight in two on the battlefield. It cuts through the still air of the tavern and joins with Lugis' knife.

　The knife snaps. No matter how cleverly he fights off the blow, there is no escaping the pressure of the joint. The blade shattered from the root and plunged into the table nearby. In its wake, the silver was cleaved to the side. There was nothing he could do. There was no way to avoid the perfect barrage. With one of his knives broken, he was in a precarious position, unable to even resist.

　Richard stood up, wondering if it was time to stop. If he's not careful, that knight might kill Lugis. At least now, Lugis has a use. He's also my student, despite his inability. It is unacceptable for Richard to simply kill him. All you have to do is say that the game is over. And with that, this brief, if much longer than it should have been, duel is over.



　--But the word was not yet released.

　It was a strange sight. With a slight slash of green clothing, Lugis swatted away a cleave slash to the side in an arc. He shifted half his body to align his other knife with the long sword, altered its trajectory, and sliced it away into the sky.

　Astonishing. That's the only way to describe it. It's as if the movement is the result of years of training. Even if that were the case, there was no way she could do such a move at first glance. It's as if he knew, he sensed everything. This barrage. It was as if she knew the habits of this knight, Kalia Vardnick. Her expression changed to one of shock in that instant.

　The pause, it was a pause.

　The gap that had been open and had never been shortened. In the instant that the sword was swatted away, it turned into a knife fight.

　With the flow of the long sword, the knife drew a line as if it were cutting the shoulder of Kalia Vadnick. The trajectory was magnificent. Using the distance between the knives, it traced the shortest distance to the opponent.

　But Kalia Vadnick is not an ordinary person. When it comes to swords, she's not about to let anyone off the hook.

　The sword that had been cut down flew in the air, but it came close to slaying the opponent again. The strength of her muscles and her actions are undoubtedly the result of her daily training and her talent. If she were an ordinary person, she would have been cowed by the trajectory of the knife and tried to get in time, but she could not escape and was cut down.

　The reflected light of the knife flickered and changed its trajectory slightly, and was sucked into Kalia Vardnick's neck, while the root of the long sword came close to crushing Lugis' shoulder.

　One moment. In that moment, all that exists is cause and effect. There is no superiority, no inferiority, no affinity, no strength, no weakness. There was only cause and effect, and at the end of it, victory or defeat was about to be achieved.

"That's it!

　Richard's voice, announcing the end of the duel, echoed through the silence of the tavern.