Chapter 29
29
As Nina stepped forward first, the knights wore faces that said, "Of course."
It was exactly as they had expected: Nina would be eliminated, and then Jin would face them.
Red-haired Jin was quite well-known due to the civil war, so everyone was wary of him.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you."
At his opponent's words, Nina chuckled and flicked her finger.
"Come at me."
"You...!"
The enraged knight lowered his Helmet spear and charged straight at Nina.
'?'
In an instant, Nina disappeared from his sight. The next moment, a tremendous impact struck him, and his memory ended there.
Clang, clatter.
Silence descended upon the arena, accompanied by the sound of iron armor clattering to the ground.
"Just now..."
"What...?"
The soldiers and knights who had been preparing to cheer wore blank expressions. No matter how they looked at it, they couldn't understand the situation.
Nina, gripping an Iron sword with both hands, swung it like a baseball bat, yelling "Yat!" and striking the knight from behind.
Up to that point, it was still somewhat understandable.
But the knight struck by Nina's Iron sword flew through the air and landed on the ground.
Even to the naked eye, the iron armor was visibly dented.
Nina swung the Iron sword a few more times and said,
"Next, please step forward."
Only then did the audience erupt in cheers, as if released from a spell.
"Uwaaaaaah!!"
"Waaaaah!!"
It was almost a scream. The peasants cheered with all their might.
The second knight reflexively stepped forward but couldn't understand what was happening.
'With that physique? How?'
Was something wrong?
Only when Nina said to the referee, "Signal?" did the referee hurriedly signal.
"Begin!"
The second knight carefully raised his sword.
'I'll observe carefully and then...'
And his memory was cut off just like that.
Once again, cheers erupted.
One by one.
The knights who came out as if possessed couldn't withstand more than one blow from Nina.
Now, the peasants were hugging each other, tears streaming down their faces.
Sensing the reversed atmosphere, Nina let out a deep sigh.
"Ha, I'm too soft-hearted."
If I hit their heads, they'd die, but I'm still just hitting their bodies to end it with injuries.
How kind of me.
Of course, hitting someone hard enough to dent and send their iron armor flying could cause broken bones, punctured lungs, or ruptured organs, but.
'It's better than having their heads smashed, right?'
By the fifth knight, the knights had changed their approach. They removed their armor and opted for agility.
But either way, to Nina, they were no different from mice in front of a cat.
Six, seven, eight.
Each time Nina defeated a knight with her sword, the peasants jumped up from their seats, shouting.
Nina's sword was merciless. The knights weren't cut, but they were definitely broken and unconscious.
Now, as the ninth knight stepped forward, he fell silent.
"I, I forfeit."
The ninth knight dropped his sword with trembling hands.
The commander's angry roar fell.
"Forfeit in a duel! What are you doing!"
"Commander, that, that's a monster! A monster, I tell you!"
There was a limit to the power a person could exert. At least, they would have understood if Nina was a giant who was 2 meters tall and weighed in the triple digits.
But she had a slender frame. There was no way that kind of power could come from that body.
The commander, Terabolta, trembled and stepped down from the platform.
"I'll go out last!"
"Oh."
Nina blinked. She thought he wouldn't come out because he was afraid of losing, but the commander himself was coming out.
'So the knights are still knights, huh.'
Nina twirled the Iron sword.
Terabolta refused armor.
That was Bellac.
An existence no different from Bellac.
If so, there was no need to wear armor for personal combat.
He stood holding an Iron sword.
"I look forward to it."
At his words, Nina smiled gently.
"I'll teach you a thing or two."
It was an arrogant statement, but Terabolta didn't get angry.
He focused.
It was important to avoid the first blow. Then, he had to create enough distance.
His whole body was tense with anticipation.
"Begin!"
At the referee's shout, Terabolta charged at Nina.
In an instant, Nina disappeared from his sight.
"Is it this way!"
He swung his sword, but the spot was empty.
"The answer is core muscles."
A whispering voice was heard, and Sir Terabolta lost consciousness just like that.
As even the commander collapsed onto the arena floor, everyone stared blankly at the situation.
It didn't take long.
The ten best of the Eagle Knights had fallen at the hands of a single person.
All that victory, all that fame, had been shattered by one person.
Nina raised the Iron sword high. A brilliant light flashed at the tip of the sword, as if reflecting the sun.
It was thanks to Nina subtly adding a highlight effect with the sun.
The effect was also tremendous.
At the same time, the peasants jumped up from their seats, stomping their feet, clapping, and shouting.
"Long live Louveaen! Long live the Archduke! Long live!"
"Long live the Jet-Black Knights!! Long live!!"
As if snapping out of it at the shouts, the Eagle Knights rushed over.
"C, Commander!"
"Commander!"
Everyone witnessed Nina striking his neck with a hand blade instead of a sword, out of consideration for him being the commander.
If she had struck his neck with that force, his neck would have broken and he would have died, but thanks to Nina's careful control, he had only lost consciousness and was still alive.
"So, we won, right?"
Nina's clear voice cut through all the noise. All eyes turned to her.
Nina raised the Iron sword and pointed it at the Eagle Knights' flag.
"Withdraw by the end of today."
Nina shook a bottle of wine and exclaimed in admiration.
"These guys must be doing well, drinking something so expensive."
"Is this really okay?"
"What?"
"No..."
Jin looked around. The two had settled into a barracks that the Eagle Knights hadn't managed to pack up.
The barracks, built for long-term residence, were difficult to quickly dismantle and leave.
Moreover, since they had to quickly inform the Count of this defeat, the Eagle Knights had hurriedly left with only simple belongings, as if they had been ambushed and fled.
If the commander, Terabolta, had been awake, they wouldn't have retreated in such disarray, but he remained unconscious until the moment they left.
Moreover, a monster who had instantly blown away the ten strongest of the Eagle Knights was staring intently at them.
There was no telling when that woman might go crazy and swing her sword.
That fear fueled the entire situation.
Thanks to that, the barracks were overflowing with luxurious items for Nina and Jin.
Nina had invited the peasants to stay overnight, but they had refused.
They said they wanted to quickly return to the village and spread the news to the people.
Nina distributed the food in the barracks, and they thanked her several times.
"Now that Young Master Adrian has become the Archduke, life will be easier."
Nina didn't forget to subtly promote him.
"Of course. Of course."
The peasants bowed deeply, took the distributed food, and returned the way they came, singing cheerfully.
There was plenty of food, probably intended for a victory feast today.
In addition to what the peasants had brought, there were also the luxury goods they had brought.
Baskets of fluffy white bread, wine, jerky, and fruit.
There was even prepared pork.
"Heh, there's nothing missing?"
Nina and Jin, who had lit a fire in the hearth, ate and drank their fill. Nina, who had exerted herself, devoured the amount that ten grown men would eat in one go.
"What if they come back?"
Jin asked, swallowing the well-grilled pork.
"Those guys?"
"Yeah. It's not like there are only soldiers here. What if they join up with others and come back?"
"They already lost in the duel. There's no justification, right?"
"Because they know it's just the two of us."
It was a question of what if they came back and committed murder to silence them.
Nina chuckled.
"What about us being two?"
At Nina's words, Jin was momentarily speechless. Nina tilted her head and spread a generous amount of butter on the white bread.
"Wouldn't the Count Lava family be in trouble if the Eagle Knights and soldiers went missing?"
- To kill people to prevent word from getting out
