------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
Chapter 9
Chris did not deny the warning.
“If you go all out, of course, I wouldn’t be able to defeat you, Vice Commander. But will you really give it your all? Someone from the main family, taking a mere scoundrel like me seriously?”
“…….”
“You can use up to First Star demonic energy, and curses are forbidden. Let’s fight under those conditions. Or, if you think you can’t win with just the First Star, should I allow you to go up to the Second Star?”
Melin burst into laughter.
That brat was provoking her, implying that he could win as long as she only used First Star demonic energy.
Against her—a Fourth Star.
And not just any Fourth Star, but one at the upper level.
“I don’t even need the First Star. I’ll use only half of that. I’ll also limit my swordsmanship to the most basic—‘Mud Swordplay.’”
Tight.
She tied her hair back.
“In return, once the duel is over, I’ll break both of your legs as payment for insulting me.”
It wasn’t an empty threat.
She would follow through.
The only reason she would stop at breaking his legs was because he was, at the very least, a member of the Dark Demonic House’s bloodline, even if from a branch family. If anyone else had provoked her this way, she wouldn’t have let them off so lightly.
Yet Chris continued to smirk.
“If I lose the duel, then so be it. But shouldn’t you also consider what happens if you lose, Vice Commander?”
“!!”
“I don’t see myself losing, after all.”
Melin let out yet another dry chuckle.
She couldn’t decide whether to be angry or just dumbfounded by this reckless brat’s insanity.
“If you win, I’ll grant you any request. No matter what it is.”
“That seems like a rather risky condition.”
“It’s fine. Whatever the request may be.”
Flash!
Melin’s body accelerated in an instant.
She struck down at Chris with her sheathed sword.
Crack!
Chris barely managed to block in time.
Watching him, Melin whispered coldly.
“You won’t be walking out of here today, anyway.”
Arrogant brat.
Melin thought.
It was clear now that he possessed extraordinary talent.
Perhaps his potential could even rival that of Ashid de Baron, the heir apparent of the main family.
A talent worthy of arrogance.
But that was all.
Being arrogant was one thing, but failing to understand one’s place was another.
‘A demon’s most crucial virtue is knowing their place—if they want to live long.’
Despite the demons’ philosophy of survival of the strongest, their society wasn’t without order.
If anything, their rules were absolute.
It was about submitting to the strong.
By that standard, Chris’ actions were nothing more than the foolish recklessness of a lowborn who didn’t know his place.
‘I should correct that behavior. I owe Count Khazar a great deal, so I might as well repay the favor through this opportunity.’
She intended to thoroughly “educate” Chris today.
So that he would never again act like an ignorant, rampaging monkey, unaware of his place.
Even that brat would come to thank her later.
‘I need to teach him how to bow his head before the strong.’
The method was simple.
She just had to beat him.
Once he was beaten enough, he would naturally develop respect for the strong.
With that thought, she swung her sheathed sword again.
A considerable amount of time passed.
The duel continued with Melin attacking unilaterally while Chris barely managed to defend himself.
The demons watching all thought the match would be decided soon.
‘As expected, he’s no match at all.’
‘Still, he’s holding out surprisingly long against the Vice Commander.’
‘So his talent is real, after all.’
The demons looked at Chris with a mix of admiration and surprise at his unexpected endurance.
But that was all.
That brat would collapse soon.
Any moment now.
Any second.
And yet… that moment refused to come.
“!!”
Melin’s expression hardened.
Something was off.
She clearly outclassed him in skill, yet strangely, her attacks weren’t landing.
A sense of déjà vu crept in.
This had happened before—with Teren, and even in her previous duels… hadn’t it?
Chris smirked.
“Seems like things aren’t going as planned for you.”
“!!”
“And honestly… Vice Commander, you’re not as impressive as I expected.”
Heat rushed to Melin’s face.
She hadn’t heard such an insult since she had reached her current level.
Grinding her teeth in anger, she decided to end this irritating, mosquito-like brat in one swift move.
Demonic energy flared from her core, flowing into her sheathed sword.
She was using Mud Slam, one of the strongest techniques in Mud Swordplay.
As promised, she limited her power to only half of the First Star.
It wasn’t a large amount, but it was more than enough to subdue that brat.
However, as she focused her will, a problem arose in her stance.
Her movements had become just slightly larger.
She wasn’t even aware of her own mistake.
Or rather, perhaps it wasn’t truly a mistake.
Her movement had widened, but not by much—under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been an issue.
Unfortunately for her, Chris—more precisely, the one residing within him—was far from an ordinary opponent.
A genius, one even a Hero had admired.
He didn’t miss that opening.
More importantly, in just a few days, he had completely grasped Mud Swordplay.
He knew exactly what kind of opening appeared when executing Mud Slam.
Chris wasted no time and closed the gap.
“!!”
Caught off guard by his sudden approach, Melin faltered.
The distance between them had changed.
That meant her attack had to change as well.
The problem was that her previous movement had been too large.
Adjusting her stance now created a slight delay.
Once again, Chris didn’t miss the opening.
He knew—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If he let it slip, he would never win.
So he moved without hesitation.
Demonic energy surged from his core, spreading through his body.
It was still too weak to enhance his entire body.
So he focused on strengthening only the most necessary part.
Then, he closed in even further.
“!!”
Melin was even more taken aback.
He moved in closer? At this range, even he wouldn’t be able to swing his sword properly.
In that instant, she realized his intent.
‘No way—!’
But it was too late.
The explanation was long, but everything happened in the blink of an eye.
She had been caught off guard, and it was impossible to change her stance in time.
And as a result—
Thud!!
Chris’ forehead slammed directly into the bridge of her nose.
A headbutt, strengthened by demonic energy.
Silence filled the arena.
For the umpteenth time.
But this time, unlike before, the demons couldn’t even open their mouths.
‘What… just happened?’
‘Why is the Vice Commander…?’
From the very start of the duel until now—
Chris had been completely overwhelmed.
That was only natural.
No matter how much her power had been restricted to half of a 1-star’s demonic energy, the gap between their abilities was simply too great.
And yet, at some point, Chris had managed to slip inside her guard and land a headbutt.
It was a precise strike that took advantage of the opening Melin had shown, but the demons watching lacked the keen eye to recognize that.
Chris, with blood trickling from his nose, inwardly smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the dazed Melin.
‘Strictly speaking, this duel is practically a scam.’
It was a shocking realization.
But it was true—everything about this duel had played out exactly as Chris had intended.
‘No matter how strong a 4-star demon is, there’s no way they could be an even match for me with this kind of restriction. Especially not a Magic Swordsman.’
A Magic Swordsman.
A knight who wielded both sword and magic simultaneously.
The Dark Demonic House had a long-standing tradition of training warriors proficient in both swordsmanship and magic.
They primarily focused on swordsmanship while supplementing it with various dark magic.
The Black Swamp Knights, in particular, were renowned for their mastery of curse magic. Sealing away their curses was akin to fighting with one hand and one leg bound.
Had Melin been a demon who focused solely on swordsmanship, Chris wouldn’t have been able to exploit an opening so easily.
‘If we’re talking about pure swordsmanship, she’s probably at a 3-star level. Magic Swordsmen always tend to lag behind in individual achievements compared to their overall mastery.’
Of course, that didn’t mean what he had done wasn’t impressive.
The wide-eyed stares of the onlookers were proof enough.
Horror, shock, chaos, disbelief—every emotion was messily tangled in the gazes directed at Chris.
Then, Melin suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha!!”
Surprisingly, she didn’t look angry.
If anything, her laughter carried an inexplicable sense of relief.
She roughly wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand.
“I should apologize for what I said earlier. I underestimated you too much, young master.”
She had raised the way she addressed him.
Melin had acknowledged Chris.
A pleased smile spread across her face.
She was a demon to her core.
For the first time in a long while, she had found a worthy opponent—and it exhilarated her.
‘Day after day, I’ve been wasting away on this branch assignment, but to think I’d find such enjoyment here.’
The thought of correcting his attitude had long since vanished.
In this moment, Melin recognized Chris as her adversary.
Of course, strictly speaking, Chris wasn’t truly her match.
If she unleashed her full strength, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
But what did that matter?
Her blood was boiling.
She recalled the moment Chris had slipped into her guard.
That insane level of perception that didn’t miss a single opening.
That fearless decisiveness, like a beast that never let an opportunity slip away.
It was electrifying.
She hadn’t felt this kind of thrill in ages.
“Things will be different from now on. Stay focused.”
Melin licked her lips.
Her gaze had become far more serious than before.
But Chris simply shrugged.
“That might be a problem. The match is already over.”
“…What?”
“Look at your neck.”
Startled, Melin reached up and touched her neck.
There, she felt a faint scratch.
“When…?”
“I scratched you with my fingernail when I landed the headbutt. If there had been poison on my nails… you know what would have happened, don’t you?”
Melin was left speechless.
Chris was right.
She had lost.
“…But… this… this is…”
She bit down hard on her lip.
Was it because she had let her guard down?
That was an excuse fit for a fool.
But was this really the end?
Had she really lost so meaninglessly?
More than anything, she didn’t want to let go of the thrill burning inside her.
She wanted to properly cross swords with that genius.
She wanted to feel that electrifying sensation again.
In the end, she swallowed her pride.
“…Let’s go again.”
“Hm? Are you refusing to acknowledge your defeat?”
Melin bit her lip.
After hesitating, she answered.
“No, I acknowledge it. You won.”
As soon as she admitted defeat, the entire audience stirred.
“Then why are you being so desperate?”
“That’s because…”
Melin’s cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment.
“…I’m making a request. Setting aside victory or defeat, I want to properly cross swords with you, young master. In return, if you accept, I’ll grant you any additional request of your choosing.”
The demons around them looked on in disbelief.
That proud vice-captain was humbling herself like this?
“So, in addition to what I’ve already won from the duel, you’re offering me one more request?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was a significant offer.
Adding that to his reward from the previous duel, it was essentially two blank checks.
And considering that she was someone recognized even in the main house of the Dark Demonic House, the value of that offer was immense.
However—
“That doesn’t interest me much.”
“!!”
“The right to make you move twice… is that supposed to be impressive?”
Melin’s face stiffened.
Chris smirked.
Then, in a low voice, he spoke—so that only Melin could hear.
“Unless… the condition is that you kneel before me.”
------------------
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
------------------
