Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Looks like I’m meeting the same type of guy. (3)
A dagger flew toward Ghislaine’s eye.
He casually moved his head just enough to dodge it and then stabbed the dagger into Kaor’s side.
“Ugh, this bastard…”
Kaor grimaced and glared at Ghislaine.
‘It must be a coincidence!’
He immediately reached out to jab Ghislaine’s temple.
But Ghislaine casually tilted his head back to dodge and then swiftly turned his fingers to grip the dagger in reverse.
“You need to give it your all.”
As soon as Ghislaine said that, he sliced Kaor’s arm.
“Gah!”
Realizing that the first attack wasn’t a coincidence, Kaor clenched his teeth.
He opened his eyes wide and relentlessly attempted to attack, but every time he struck, Ghislaine blocked him, only resulting in more wounds.
“This bastard!”
Kaor shouted in anger and suddenly yanked the tied hand, disrupting Ghislaine’s posture in an attempt to behead him.
In that moment, Ghislaine’s body twisted strangely and easily evaded the attack.
He had utilized the opponent’s strength and maintained his balance.
It was truly a peak technique.
Even while dodging, Ghislaine didn’t miss the opportunity and slashed the dagger.
Swoosh!
“Ggh!”
Another red crack appeared on Kaor’s chest.
The mercenaries watching the duel gaped in shock.
They recognized that Ghislaine’s movements were extraordinary.
Unlike Kaor, who was right in front of him, the distance allowed a clearer perception.
“He’s moving like that without using mana.”
“He looks young, but what are those techniques?”
“Knights wouldn’t be able to pull that off!”
The mercenaries babbled in astonishment, but Gillian didn’t hear them.
The hand that had gripped the sword to attack Kaor was already off the hilt.
He had unconsciously loosened his grip, distracted by Ghislaine’s movements.
‘What an incredible technique! How can he move like that at his age?’
Gillian, seeing Ghislaine fight for the first time, was shocked.
Is he a genius?
No, that’s not it.
Having experienced numerous battlefields himself, he understood.
If a brilliant realization is the realm of geniuses, then that calmness and experience were built through countless drills and experiences, representing effort and age.
That left Gillian even more perplexed.
Where did the steadfastness and enormity of years emanating from each of Ghislaine’s movements come from?
While Gillian pondered, the duel continued.
The sounds of fabric tearing and groans of pain intertwined.
Thud! Wham! Thud!
“Grr!”
Kaor’s attacks continued to fail, and Ghislaine’s dagger burrowed into his body every time.
“W-why! You shouldn’t be able to do this!”
Kaor had never once been able to wound Ghislaine.
His arm holding the dagger was already covered in wounds, and he couldn’t straighten his back due to the pain.
He couldn’t believe that the noble who looked like a mere pup possessed these skills.
He was confident in his own abilities.
Among mercenaries, he was strong enough to stand out, with great courage and malice that even knights would concede to him.
Yet against the pup noble in front of him, all of that skill was utterly ineffective.
“Ggh!”
Kaor raised his already wounded arm again and aimed for Ghislaine’s vital spot.
Targeting the opponent’s vital points to deliver a single deadly blow was his specialty.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t land a shot on Ghislaine’s vital spot.
Clang!
Ghislaine lightly deflected the dagger swung by Kaor.
“Aiming solely for vital points isn’t always effective. Even a beast can do that.”
Ghislaine spoke as if teaching Kaor, then began stabbing the dagger in various directions.
To the side, shoulder, chest, and abdomen, all precisely avoiding the vital points.
“Ggh…”
Eventually, Kaor, covered in blood, let his arm droop.
But even then, his fierce, defiant eyes remained locked on Ghislaine.
Even on the brink of death, he refused to surrender, and Ghislaine nodded in respect.
“Your tenacity is admirable. I commend you for not using mana until now in this situation.”
“Don’t make me laugh. It’s not over yet. I’ll definitely kill you.”
“With that body? If you get stabbed any further, you’ll die.”
Ghislaine smirked and threw the dagger back.
“…?”
Kaor had a perplexed expression. Why throw the dagger when he had already won?
Did he perhaps think the fight was over on his own?
“You bastard…!”
Kaor absolutely couldn’t accept it. This duel had to end with one side surrendering or dying.
In a fit of rage, Kaor shouted.
“Is that bastard laughing at me? Who said the duel’s over? Get your dagger back right now! It’s not finished! I’ll kill you!”
Watching the raging Kaor, Ghislaine flicked his ear and said.
“Who said it’s over?”
“What?”
“I don’t plan on ending it yet either.”
“Then why throw the dagger…?”
Before Kaor could finish his words, Ghislaine’s fist flew toward his temple.
Wham!
“Gah!”
Caught off guard, Kaor’s body staggered heavily. But despite that, he swung his dagger to attack Ghislaine.
He had an astonishingly quick reaction speed.
Ghislaine couldn’t help but admire him, wearing a satisfied expression.
But admiration and teaching were two separate matters. He seized Kaor’s wrist, twisting it backward.
Crack!
“Ggah!”
The sound of bones grinding echoed as Kaor dropped the dagger. Ghislaine kicked it away, sending it back into the air.
He caught the dagger and immediately cut the rope binding their hands.
Snip!
As Ghislaine pulled on the rope holding their hands, Kaor suddenly staggered back as his bindings released.
It was only a few steps, but it was enough to get outside the ring.
‘Oh no!’
According to the rules, one could lose without dying or surrendering simply by stepping outside the ring.
Realizing too late, Kaor wore a grim expression.
Never once in his life had he feared death, but this was… an unavoidable situation.
“Pfft.”
Kaor spat a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva on the ground and glared at Ghislaine.
“I accidentally stepped outside the ring. You should feel lucky, pup. Unfortunately, this is where our duel ends. I’ll consider it my loss. Even in life, days like this happen.”
He hadn’t died or surrendered.
He had simply stepped outside by accident because that bastard suddenly cut the rope.
He hadn’t lost due to lack of skill but simply because of the rules, allowing him to exit gracefully.
For Kaor, it was the best conclusion.
While the mercenaries around him wore solemn expressions, he didn’t care.
‘…Honestly, that guy is too strong.’
Kaor brushed his hair back and continued with an arrogant look.
“Then let’s discuss the request in detail as you wished…”
“It’s not over yet.”
Ghislaine interrupted Kaor, pulling his fist back behind his shoulder.
Boom!
With a sound like air bursting, Ghislaine’s fist shot forward.
Startled, Kaor crossed his arms to block, but it was pointless.
Bang!
“Gghh!”
Kaor was unable to withstand even one blow and was sent flying backward.
It hurt. Much more than being stabbed or slashed. His arm throbbed as if it had shattered.
Kaor, rolling on the ground, quickly collected himself and stood up.
But before he could even get into position, Ghislaine’s fist flew at him again.
Wham!
“Wait! According to the rules, if I step outside…”
“What rules? Do you want to worry about rules while fighting on a battlefield?”
“No, you were the one who said let’s settle this like this!”
“Don’t try to bind me with rules. I’ll do as I please; if I want to fight, I’ll fight.”
With that, Ghislaine swung his fist again.
Wham!
‘Ah, this guy really is crazy.’
A mad dog known in the town had run into a really insane guy.
“Alright, let’s see this through! I’ll definitely kill you!”
Kaor gritted his teeth and counterattacked.
Swoosh.
But that attack never reached its target. Every time Ghislaine’s body blurred, Kaor’s fists sliced through the air.
It was like facing a ghost.
“I won’t accept this!”
Kaor glared at Ghislaine with fierce eyes.
Thanks to luck and a decent mana circulation technique, he had lived without fear.
Yet here he was unable to lay a hand on this noble pup and getting beaten instead.
“Uuurgh!”
As Kaor charged, shouting, Ghislaine swung his fist mercilessly.
“Against a mad dog, a club is the antidote.”
Wham!
“Gah!”
Wham!
“Guh!”
As the strikes continued, Kaor gradually faded into a daze.
Thoughts of the wager and proof had long vanished from his mind.
‘Why? Why am I getting hit here?’
Wham!
‘What was I doing just now?’
As blood flowed freely and the beatings continued, no matter how tough of a mercenary, it was hard to endure.
With a glazed expression, like being intoxicated, Kaor blinked as he swayed, causing the mercenaries to gulp nervously.
“Is it really possible to hit someone like that…?”
“He might actually die at this rate. Isn’t it already over? The bet has practically been settled.”
“Honestly, he should have just killed him earlier… This is why you don’t mess with nobles. I knew one day this would happen.”
And it was this reaction that Ghislaine aimed for.
If he didn’t firmly seize the atmosphere, it would only take a moment for those beasts to pounce upon him.
Wham! Wham! Wham!
In the midst of this, Ghislaine’s punching didn’t halt.
Kaor’s blurred vision caught a glimpse of his deceased grandmother from his childhood.
‘Oh, Grandma! When did you arrive? I want to eat the omelet you made!’
Seeing Kaor’s eyes mist over with tender memories, Ghislaine halted his punching.
It was a truly exquisite timing.
“Hmmm, I guess that’s enough?”
Boom!
The moment Ghislaine nodded and stepped back, Kaor collapsed to the ground and fainted.
“Captain!”
The mercenaries rushed to Kaor’s side and shook their heads.
“It’s over. His breathing is too shallow. He looks like he’s about to die.”
“I can’t believe the Captain would die so ignobly.”
The mercenaries cast down their gazes, glancing at Ghislaine.
No one could hold their ground against the immense violence that could even make that hot-tempered Kaor kneel.
As Ghislaine silently watched the fallen Kaor, he finally spoke.
“Gillian, bring the person I called.”
“Ah, yes.”
Gillian disappeared without a second thought, too astonished by Ghislaine’s display of power.
Within moments, he returned carrying a priest on his back.
Before Ghislaine had even arrived, he had already paid a lot of money to have him wait at a nearby inn.
‘My lord seems to have a plan.’
At first, Gillian had not understood why they needed to call a priest.
But it seemed Ghislaine had anticipated scenarios up to this point. No, he had likely planned to create this situation.
The more Gillian observed, the more it felt as if his lord had predicted and prepared for everything.
“Start the healing immediately.”
As soon as Ghislaine’s words ended, the priest rushed to Kaor and poured forth divine power.
The wounds closed much faster than expected. There were many wounds and he lost a lot of blood, but by some miracle, his vital areas and organs had remained unharmed.
The mercenaries expressed their admiration as they saw Kaor healing.
Also experienced in real battles, they quickly grasped Ghislaine’s intentions and how he’d attacked.
“After all that stabbing, the vital points are intact?”
“How excellent is his swordsmanship, really?”
The mercenaries kept marveling as they watched Kaor recover.
After a moment, once the healing was complete, Kaor slowly opened his eyes and muttered.
“…Grandma?”
“What grandma? Get your head together!”
At Ghislaine’s voice, Kaor jerked up, scrambling to backslide along the ground.
“Am I… alive? I definitely just met my deceased grandmother!”
“There are plenty of folks who said they met their loved ones after getting a beating. Anyway, I’d like to sign the contract today. I’m pretty busy, you see.”
As Kaor wearily looked up at Ghislaine, who wore a jovial smile, he staggered to his feet.
He scratched his head a few times, spat on the ground, and said.
“Let’s sign it right away.”
Now, he didn’t have the mind to argue or resist. Seeing his skills, one could believe he was something out of a nightmare rather than a noble.
Having lost the bet, he had no choice but to comply.
Seeing Kaor obediently submit, Ghislaine wore a satisfied smile.
“Good, you won’t be disappointed.”
It was the moment Ghislaine grasped the leash of the Cerberus Mercenary Group, often referred to as mad dogs.
