A day later.
Yesterday, I found and helped a badly wounded legendary monster called Tailed Fox the same day. Grasping her blood, I got Tailed Fox’s Racial Skills, Minimization, Spirit Sense and Spiritual Scathe.
Minimization is a skill that only reduces the size of the user and could revert it back to the original. Unlike the Size Change, the effect of Minimization is permanent and don’t consume any more mana after casting.
Spiritual Scathe allows the user to inflict a bit of spiritual damage while activated. Soul-damaging attacks are really effective against physical or even magical resistant opponents.
Spirit Sense, on the other hand, is an ability to perceive incorporeal spiritual beings that human senses cannot understand. Floating lights are now flashing in my vision like fireflies under the cloudless night sky. Apparently they’re called Pixies, the weakest species of the Spirit race.
Earlier that day, Sister sent us a letter stating us she cannot go home and challenge the dungeon instead this summer. She can Level up in the dungeon as she wanted since it’s a conquered one.
She also mentioned in the letter that visitors were anticipated during the summer vacation. I don’t know who they are but a single splendid carriage is now marching on its way to our estate.
The ebony magic carriage stably traced the brick pavement then parked in front of our mansion’s gate. The coachman handed a letter of appointment to one of the two male gatekeepers.
Confirming the letter’s contents, the gatekeeper give his affirmation. The door made a clicking noise revealing a well-dressed, elegant young man stepping his black shoes on the pavement.
“Greetings. I am Raphael Raevender, the heir of the Raevender Viscounty. May I know what is your purpose visiting our humble abode?”
As a noble, I formally introduced myself to the young nobleman who just entered our yard. I am the only one welcoming our visitor since both Mother and Mom are busy right now.
I forthwith distinguished he came from a noble house the way he dressed and the crest embedded the carriage.
“So you’re Raphael…” The young man chewed the cud for a moment, then clears his throat. “Pardon for my late introduction. My name is Seth Fordfield, the first son and the heir of the Fordfield Earldom of the Dixon Empire.”
The young nobleman, Seth Ledfinn, put a hand on his chest as he formally introduced himself. He seemingly to be slightly older than me, probably a batchmate of a big sister of mine.
Seth is a tall, slender man with turquoise hair, light-blue eyes, and a solemn handsome face. His voice and demeanor are ostensibly cool, calm and collected.
A sword hanging on his waist coupled with his stylish garments, indicating the type of weapon he specialized of.
“As for my intentions of visiting your household…” he continued, “… I am here to challenge you in a duel.”
“A duel? What does it do with me?” I couldn’t help but blurt out my confusion.
Normally, duels are honorary arranged combat between for two individuals in order to settle accounts. When an issue with options needs to reach a certain conclusion, like the race of two men for a woman’s heart, a duel can decide.
(Medieval problem requires medieval solution.)
But why have a duel with me? I don’t even know or seen this guy personally. Unless it has something to do with that.
“I have started attending the academy this year…”
(So do my sister.)
“At first, I thought life in the academy would be filled with boredom. Ever since I am young, I have been trying to sharpen my sword to the point where no one in my age in our territory can match my skills. That’s why I have confidence in my swordsmanship when I stepped my foot at the academy. But it was instantly shattered to pieces when I took a glimpse of a certain person’s perfect swordsmanship… and that person was your sister, Louise Raevender.”
(I think we all know where this is going…)
“I was immediately fascinated by her charms and got interested in her.”
(I knew it!)
“That’s why I took an approach to her, which led me to have a duel with you.”
“What does this duel have to do something with me?”
“When I asked her about her preferences for a man, she flatly told me, ‘He must have to be stronger than my little brother and had defeated him in a duel.’ That’s why…” Seth said, unsheathing his sword. “I challenge you into a duel.”
So that’s the reason why… and why you have to selfishly pass your problems to me?! You are just making excuse to escape from your aristocratic responsibilities!
(And why don’t you reject him on the spot?!)
But Sister is really standing out at the academy. She had gathered a lot of attention and even captivated some, like this nobleman in front of me. I am captivated by her as well.
She is gorgeous and has a beautiful body, her chest is remarkably bouncing in every swing of her sword. She is absurdly strong and high-leveled compare to average academy student.
Deep inside, I honestly don’t want other man to look at her body. Why she have to stay at the capital? She could just hunt monsters in the forest with me.
“Is the duel really that necessary?”
“It is. If I cannot achieve victory against you, I cannot find myself worthy of challenging your sister into a duel.”
I see. Sister probably told him to defeat her in order to accept his feelings. Before that, Seth have to step over my dead body first. Which lead him to the current situation.
“Fine. I will accept this duel.”
“Thank you very much.” Seth bowed down his head. “Let’s have a fair fight.”
◆◇◆◇◆◇
Gathering the duelists, the two of us stood in the front yard of our manor. Summer afternoon is certainly hot and blazing but a single sweat haven’t flowed down our temples.
We have done changing our clothing and now clad in our battle gears. With a naked blade in our dominant hand, we faced each other between the gap of ten meters.
“Are you ready?” I asked Seth.
“I am ready.”
In order to duel my sister, Seth have to prove himself first in gaining victor against me in a sword fight. Seth didn’t know what Sister’s real sexuality is, which I knew.
She intended to pass the baton on me because of a reason. That reason is to let me be the invincible wall before the beautiful garden.
“Let’s fight fair and square.” 𝘰𝑣𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
With those words as the mark, we launch ourselves towards one another. We draw our own blades and collide it together. To break the stalemate, we repelled each other and do a long stepped back.
“Power Up! Accelerate!”
Seth charged with great velocity approaching me. He swing his sword parallel to the ground casting a Sword Art technique.
“Horizontal Slash!”
The flying blade aiming for my left shoulder. I raised my mithrill sword and unwaveringly block his sword.
The sword bounced off of my blade due to the impact of the clash. Seth rotate his wrist before turning his body oppositely and change the direction of his sword. He used the momentum to rotate his body clockwise and execute another sword technique.
“Circular Swipe!”
Now the sword is aiming at me right side. His mithrill sword drew an arc of its fluid motion. But before it touched my clothes, I already gave my reply.
“Parry.”
I intendedly landed his attack on the forte of my sword and effortlessly deflected his sword downwardly along with the casual invocation.
His sword followed the path of the gravity and embedded deeply under the dirt. He hastily pulled out his blade and fixed his feet backwards.
Seth charged pointed his blade at me. I deflect it upwards to address it.
He put back himself again and began to attack me all over my body simultaneously. But all were either blocked or parried by my blade.
My Thought Acceleration raised my brain’s computational speed dozens of times normal. Speed where I could see all his movements as clearly as the day.
There were no extraneous movements in his swordplay, showing the results of his time and effort sharpening his blade. Everytime I deflected a blade, he just shrug it off and aim at my weak spots all over again.
I caught a glimpse of the change in pace of his attacks, his sword has been gradually decreasing its power and speed for each blows. Sweats started to cascade from his temples down to his face.
Seth had rained me a lot of blows at this point, but none of it had landed a strike. His breathing beginning to rag and started to catch it up.
He held the hilt both handed then take a stance. Knowing what it means, I instantly imitated his posture and did the same technique as him.
(There no way I would lost and gave my beloved sister to anybody else!)
“Power Swing!”
“Power Swing.”
We recited the technique in unison. Like a war cry, Seth consumed all of his remaining strength and swing his sword horizontally with all might. As for me, I swing my sword like throwing a flat stone to repeatedly skip on the water surface.
Clank.
Our blades clash with a shockwave that billowed the grasses of the yard. Although we use the same sword technique, the outcome isn’t.
“Ahh!”
His full blow was overwhelmed by my casual swing. Despite limiting myself to his Level, my swing was more powerful with the combination of strength and speed, granting superior momentum.
His sword was blown away along with him. The intense shock and vibration writhed through his hands causing him to let go of his sword.
I pointed my blade under his chin to conclude the duel.