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The news that Eldisia, the deputy commander of the Elvendell Knight Order, was about to duel with Saint Ophelia Meredein spread rapidly throughout the city.

However, Erwin, who heard the story, didn’t seem particularly shocked.

“Well, the knights of the Elvendell are a stubborn bunch who live and die by honor.”

It was more of a “I figured as much” kind of reaction.

“If she’s a deputy commander, it makes sense. Eldisia, huh? She’s just a rookie who just became the deputy commander. When I met her before, I got the impression she was a real tightass, filled to the brim with pretentiousness.”

I looked over at the hastily set arena for the duel. There, Ophelia was stretching, appearing quite bored. In contrast, the elf named Eldisia was glaring at Ophelia with a tense expression, ready to draw her sword at any moment.

“So, you aren’t going to stop it?”

“Stop what?”

“Your precious saint is about to duel the deputy commander of the knight order.”

“Why should I stop it?”

“Isn’t it a problem when she’s going to duel someone from the knight order?”

“Look, since she’s been recognized by the Fairy King with the Branch of the World Tree, that kid isn’t going to lose any honor by backing out. Besides, she’s not even an elf, so she has no obligation to take responsibility.”

It dawned on me that the conversation was going nowhere.

“Sorry, Erwin.”

“Yeah?”

“I don’t intend to stop Ophelia, nor am I worried about her. If anything, I’m worried about that knight.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Elves live and die by honor, right?”

That was what Erwin had just said.

“But if the deputy commander of the capital’s knight order loses embarrassingly in front of all these elves, isn’t that social suicide?”

“…Yeah, I guess.”

“That’s why I’m worried.”

There’s absolutely no reason to worry about Ophelia.

Why? Because she’s strong enough to take on just about any knight without breaking a sweat.

Right now, Ophelia looked like a true warrior.

In one hand, she held the Branch of the World Tree and in the other, a shield artifact plundered from the Redrick Tribe’s treasury. On her left pinky was the unique item, the Star of Dawn Ring. Lastly, she was wearing an elven traditional outfit that she had stolen from Erwin.

“Man, that looks totally mismatched….”

A ragged golem would be a fitting description of her appearance.

But the performance was undeniably solid.

She had two high-performance unique artifacts. If you invested as much in the original game, even a backline character could dominate the frontline. Plus, Ophelia had learned swordsmanship from me, and on her way to Elvendell, she learned shield techniques from Azar and magic from Emily. In other words, she had been trained in various combat methods by the continent’s top instructors, and she’s also the continent’s best holy magic user.

In short, in our party, the one closest to perfection is Ophelia.

Moreover, Ophelia’s personality wouldn’t let her pick a fight head-on.

To prove my point, Ophelia confidently stepped forward and said to Eldisia:

“Hey, but you said I’m just a flimsy human mage, right? Does it really make sense for me to duel a knight?”

“You accepted the duel. Take responsibility for your words.”

“I’m not trying to avoid it, but shouldn’t I at least get a handicap?”

“….”

Eldisia couldn’t argue against that.

Perhaps out of pride as a knight, she nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Then I’ll only use one arm.”

Ophelia grinned as if she had just taken the bait.

She didn’t stop there.

“Hey, how about we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“It’s a duel. Someone has to get something out of it.”

As she said that, Ophelia waved her branch around.

“If you win, I’ll give you this branch.”

“….”

“But if I win…”

Ophelia raised the Branch of the World Tree and pointed it toward Eldisia’s chest.

“I want that amulet you have. It looks like a magical item, and I want it.”

“This is my family heirloom! I can’t give it up.”

“Then you just have to win, right? Actually, it’s more beneficial for you! If you just beat me, you get the branch for free. It’s an incredibly good item.”

“…that’s.”

“Feeling anxious?”

“….”

The Branch of the World Tree is something elves would go crazy over.

It’s like waving catnip in front of a cat.

And that cat, no, Eldisia completely fell for it.

“Fine. I accept.”

At that, Ophelia’s lips curled into a smirk.

“…Hey, Elliot.”

Watching the scene, Erwin let out a sigh.

“Is that really a saint? More like a thief.”

“…Hmm.”

I couldn’t really argue against that.

*

The bell signaling the start of the duel rang.

Eldisia took a deep breath and drew her sword with one hand behind her back.

Until that moment, the saint, Ophelia, had maintained a relaxed posture, devoid of tension.

Hubris. She had confidence that she would win.

“…Foolish.”

The duel arena wasn’t large.

And all mages are weak in close combat.

That saint was no exception.

Eldisia slowly began to walk forward. The plan was simple. She would not give the saint a chance to prepare her magic and would charge in. With the help of spirit magic, she would dash in and strike. The Branch of the World Tree would belong to Eldisia, and the Fairy King would surely reward her.

She was beaming with thoughts of a rosy future.

At the same time, Eldisia stomped the ground.

Bam!

The wind spirit propelled Eldisia forward, and in an instant, she reached right in front of the saint.

Even though one hand was sealed, Eldisia could still wield her sword freely with one hand. There was no major issue.

Confident of victory, Eldisia swung her weapon.

“Uh?”

The sword sliced through the air.

Just before Eldisia charged in, Ophelia adopted an awkward stance, letting her sword stroke fly right over her head.

That was luck. Pure luck. Eldisia judged that and changed the trajectory of her sword in mid-air, but suddenly, she hit a solid wall.

Bam! It wasn’t a wall. It was the Branch of the World Tree. Ophelia swung the branch in her right hand and deflected Eldisia’s attack.

Crack!

Eldisia’s sword wasn’t sturdy enough to push back the Branch of the World Tree.

“Surprised? Is it your first time seeing a mage wield a sword?”

Ophelia smiled slyly as she withdrew the Branch of the World Tree and, using the recoil, she balled her empty left hand into a fist and landed it squarely on Eldisia’s face.

Just when it seemed the world went dark, a sharp pain surged through her face. Eldisia staggered back, wiping at her nose.

She was bleeding from both nostrils.

“What the heck! You attacked my face!”

“Isn’t it shameful for a knight to get punched in the face?”

Ophelia chuckled as she raised the Branch of the World Tree.

“I let you go first, so now it’s my turn?”

In an instant, the saint leaped into the air, creating a platform of divine power beneath her feet. Using that platform as a springboard, Ophelia swung the Branch of the World Tree horizontally.

Bam! Though Eldisia barely raised her sword in time to block it, her feet dragged across the ground as she was pushed back.

This was absurd. No matter how incredible the Branch of the World Tree is, there’s no way a knight trained for a hundred years could not withstand it.

In other words, this was entirely because the opponent knew how to effectively wield her sword.

“You learned swordsmanship, didn’t you?”

“Why, is it your first time seeing a priest use a sword?”

“Isn’t that obvious?!”

“I’ve seen quite a few. Some punk even stabbed me in the thigh with a knife.”

Ophelia adjusted her grip on the Branch of the World Tree and continued.

“So you said you’d only use one arm?”

As Ophelia rushed in, she swung the branch again.

Eldisia realized that all of her attacks were aimed at her left side.

The left side.

She was fixated on the hand Eldisia had sealed as a handicap.

“Cough! That’s cowardly!”

“Well, who told you to be arrogant?”

Like chopping into a massive tree, Ophelia’s branch broke through Eldisia’s stance. Eldisia wasn’t without resistance. She swung her sword repeatedly, but they bounced back against the intangible force created in mid-air.

Holy magic. Magic specialized in defense. No matter how enveloped Eldisia’s sword was by spirits, it couldn’t pierce that solid barrier.

It was a malicious and unreasonable situation.

Currently, Eldisia was trapped like a mouse. Continuing to duel would yield no benefits. She grit her teeth and tried to pull her body back, but as if she was expected to do so, the saint pressed in closer.

The variation began. A golden concentric circle radiated from the Branch of the World Tree.

A shockwave born from holy magic. The impact from within disturbed Eldisia’s stance, and at that moment, Ophelia gripped the Branch of the World Tree in reverse.

Eldisia sensed it.

That saint was trying to drive the Branch of the World Tree into her heart like a stake.

She was going to die.

The fear of death surged right up to her face.

“Cough!”

Inevitably, Eldisia had no choice but to grip her sword with both hands and deflect the branch.

And then it hit her.

“You used two hands! That means I win, right?”

A few steps back, Ophelia was smirking.

“…I-It’s true.”

The stares from those around them felt piercing.

There was no way for Eldisia to argue “cowardly.”

The fact that she had sealed one hand as a handicap was her own choice, and breaking that promise and using both hands was also her fault.

Therefore, she couldn’t deny her defeat.

Wiping the blood from her nose and grimacing in discomfort, Ophelia made a suggestion.

“Or do you want to go again?”

“Go again…?”

“Yep. You can use both hands. Use spirit magic as much as you want. I’ll go without any handicaps this time. I’ll do it just like before.”

“….”

Why is she making that offer?

That question was resolved by the saint’s next words.

“But if I win this time, you have to give me the armor you’re wearing. How does that sound?”

“Th-That!”

“But if you win, you can take the Branch of the World Tree with you. I hear only the greatest warriors of the elf tribe can claim it. You could become a big deal in one go?”

“….”

Eldisia bit her lip tightly.

She fell deep into thought.

She lost because she was careless last time.

If she uses both hands, deflecting that branch will be easy.

This battle was more than worth it, and for Eldisia, it was a boon.

“…Alright.”

The decision was made.

Eldisia readied her stance again.

“This time, I won’t lose.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Ophelia grinned and lowered her stance.

Here it comes. As Eldisia thought of taking her position, suddenly—

Slash.

Ophelia grabbed a handful of sand and threw it.

 

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