Chapter 26
Hayden looked back and forth between Richter and Blake once, then opened his mouth.
"The interpretation may vary, but ultimately, the reason you sent Kain to the snowy mountains was to prove and confirm his abilities, wasn't it? In that regard, the important issue would be whether Kain truly caught the Ice Troll on his own."
At those words, the corners of Richter's lips curled up slightly.
'If he changes the point of argument like this, it's obviously advantageous for us. Well said, Hayden. You're indeed my son.'
Focusing on identifying the exact cause had been a favorable choice for the Bederman side, but now that Blake Siers had obtained and presented a clue about the Ice Troll, the Bederman Clan was in a situation where they had to concede a step.
In simple terms, it was now a 1:1 exchange, and in such a situation, shifting the point of argument itself or establishing a completely new one would allow them to take the initiative.
'Because there's no way Kain could have caught an Ice Troll on his own.'
Long ago, when Richter was at the 3rd Circle, he had a record of catching a Poison Scorpion, which was on par with an Ice Troll.
However, at that time, Richter's level wasn't immediately after reaching the 3rd Circle but when he had already reached the advanced stage.
It had to be assumed that there was no possibility that Kain, who had just gained enlightenment and reached the 3rd Circle, could have single-handedly caught a healthy Ice Troll on his own.
'He either cut off the head from a corpse that was accidentally discovered, or he merely finished off an Ice Troll that was already on the verge of death.'
Therefore, if they focused on this point, their victory was certain.
"However, asking Kain, who just returned from the snowy mountains, to catch another Ice Troll would be excessive."
Even if he did catch another one, to perfectly prove that he caught it on his own, Richter would have to accompany him and witness the scene with his own eyes, or a similar level of proof would be needed.
There was no way the Siers side would accept such unreasonable conditions.
"So, this is what we'll do."
Hayden looked straight at Kain and said,
"Kain and I will have a duel, and if Kain wins against me, we'll acknowledge that he has the ability to catch an Ice Troll on his own."
At Hayden's words, the surroundings buzzed with murmurs.
They couldn't openly talk loudly, but their eyes revealed an unconcealable bewilderment.
'A duel all of a sudden? Between our young master and Lord Hayden?'
'Even so, is it right for Lord Hayden, who is about to reach the 4th Circle, to duel our young master, who just reached the 3rd Circle...?'
'Still, I heard that Young Master Kain achieved good results during the mock duel in the east wing.'
'But Lord Hayden has consumed so many elixirs in the meantime. The chances of winning are too low.'
While Hayden wasn't particularly bright, his talent for magic was above average, and with the various support from the Clan, his overall power was quite strong.
Among 3rd Circle mages of his age, few would be able to defeat Hayden.
'Why did the conversation suddenly turn to a duel? Isn't it enough that we brought the Ice Troll's head?'
'Why did we risk our lives going to that dangerous snowy mountain if this was going to happen?'
'We went through all that hardship, and if we lose here...'
The Siers side couldn't help but feel that this was too disadvantageous for them.
Establishing a completely new point of argument meant disregarding the previous discussion.
Therefore, there was a possibility that even the measure to increase the existing support funds by 30% could become null and void if they weren't careful.
If they foolishly accepted the duel here and lost, all their previous efforts could go to waste.
'Surely the young master must be thinking the same thing.'
'Honestly, even the 30% increase in support funds is better than nothing, even though it stings a bit...'
'The young master knows that, so he won't accept it.'
There was no way Kain, who had suffered for days on the snowy mountain without proper meals or a warm bed and was in a grimy state, would accept that.
But.
The grimy face of Kain, whom they looked at with such thoughts, was surprisingly brighter than ever before.
"Are you sure about that? And since we're establishing a new point of argument, the standard for the support funds will also be cleanly set to fully restore the amount that was cut during the previous measures, correct?"
Kain's face even seemed somewhat radiant.
Even Blake Siers was momentarily speechless at Kain's unexpected reaction.
"Kain. Are you serious? Think about your physical condition. You just returned from the snowy mountains."
"I'm fine."
Kain was confident that he could duel and win against Hayden even in his current state.
"Huhu. It seems Kain is quite confident."
Richter also had no reason to back down from his position.
Until just now, regardless of the amount, he would have had to provide some money, but this way, he could completely nullify the increase in support funds itself.
'There's no way our Hayden will lose.'
Richter opened his mouth.
"Very well. As Kain says, if Kain wins in a duel against Hayden, we will accurately restore the support funds to the amount that was cut back then. However, if Kain loses, the support fund restoration measures will be nullified. Since he failed to prove his ability."
All or nothing.
It would be unfair for the Siers side, who had risked their lives going to the snowy mountains, but if they won, the benefits would be great.
"......"
Blake Siers pondered for a moment.
'The opponent is still underestimating Kain's abilities.'
Of course, while Hayden's actions were somewhat simple and rash, his magical abilities couldn't be ignored.
But if the opponent was off guard, Kain's chances of winning would increase even more.
Besides, Kain was currently full of confidence.
'His eyes are shining even brighter than when he said he would go to the snowy mountains.'
His face was dusty, but his red eyes were full of vitality.
"...Understood. In that case, let's decide on a duel."
At Blake's decision, a small sigh escaped from the Siers side, while a gasp of anticipation rippled through the Bederman side.
Hayden, in particular, clenched his fist and wore a twisted smile.
'Kain... daring to act confident in a duel against me.'
Frankly speaking, Hayden didn't care at all about the 30% increase in support funds or anything like that.
And unlike what Richter thought, Hayden didn't have any complicated calculations in mind, like cleverly shifting the point of argument to escape a messy situation, setting the field to his advantage, or making the opponent's efforts in the snowy mountains go to waste.
'This time, I'll definitely crush your arrogance.'
Hayden was simply annoyed by the fact that Kain had brought back the Ice Troll's head.
The memory of trembling helplessly and freezing up in front of the massive Ice Troll a few days ago was still vivid in Hayden's mind, and Kain's claim that he had caught an Ice Troll infuriated him.
'You, a nobody, caught an Ice Troll? That's ridiculous.'
Even if Kain had somehow managed to catch the Ice Troll through sheer luck, if Hayden decisively defeated Kain in a duel here.
Hayden could show everyone, especially in front of his father, that he was still above Kain, and at the same time, prove that he himself had the skill to catch an Ice Troll.
In any case, the duel was set, and Richter soon spoke.
"Then, the date for the duel... how about tomorrow? I'm a busy man and need to return, but considering Kain's condition after just returning from the snowy mountains, doing it now wouldn't be proper."
They had no obligation to be considerate, but it was also a way of giving him time to rest.
It was also meant to prevent him from making excuses later, saying he lost the duel immediately after returning from the snowy mountains without any time to recover.
"Understood. Then let's have the duel at this time tomorrow."
"I will be waiting."
Richter smiled and left with his retainers first.
Soon, with only the Siers Clan members remaining, Blake asked Kain with a worried voice.
"Kain. Are you alright?"
"Don't worry. I won't lose to Hayden."
"With your skills, you should be able to win. But since you've been to the snowy mountains, focus on taking care of your body now. One day of rest won't completely heal you, but you'll still feel much better after a good rest."
"Yes, Clan Head."
Kain, leaving behind the worried voices of the disciples and servants around him, returned to his room with Alice and Nefty.
"Young Master, I will prepare a warm bath for you immediately."
Nefty bowed her head at once and headed towards the bathroom.
"Young Masterrrrr...!"
Alice, who had been barely holding back her tears since earlier, burst into tears and examined Kain's grimy body.
"I was so worried... going to that dangerous snowy mountain to catch a strong monster... an Ice Troll... I heard it's an incredibly dangerous monster. They probably knew that on the Bederman side, didn't they? So mean... hmph... are you hurt anywhere, Young Master?"
"Yeah. I'm not hurt anywhere, so you don't have to worry."
In fact, he didn't have any particularly noticeable external injuries.
His mana circuits were still throbbing a little, but if he rested well for a day and continuously circulated a certain amount of mana, he should be able to recover fully.
"You have no idea how worried I was about you, Young Master, sob sob."
"For someone who was so worried, you seem to have gained a little weight over the past few days."
"Th-that's...!"
At that moment, Nefty, who had returned after preparing the bathwater, explained.
"She said she would make Young Master his favorite chocolate madeleines when he returned, so she made so many pastries, and even after giving some to the people around, she couldn't handle them all, so she ate them all."
Ah. So that was it.
"Chocolate madeleines... do they have chocolate inside?"
"Yes! They're soft pastries with a perfectly made chocolate cream filling. Ah, do you perhaps not like them too sweet...?"
Alice asked cautiously, and Kain shook his head.
"Sweet snacks are a good source of energy."
In his previous life, Kain often ate sweet snacks while doing magic research.
When Kain gave her a look of anticipation, Alice's expression brightened considerably.
"Okay! Then I'll make the most delicious chocolate madeleines while you're taking a bath, Young Master!"
"Yeah, thank you."
Kain smiled as he watched Alice, who was full of determination.
***
Meanwhile, Hayden was sitting in his room, training.
However, rather than training to build his level, it was closer to evoking his mana to fully feel his strength.
Whoosh!
The vigorously burning fire mana pleasantly illuminated his surroundings.
Imagining crushing Kain in front of everyone, especially his father, and showing off his skills, a sense of elation naturally rose within him.
Around the time he finished his training session and was leisurely humming a tune with satisfaction.
Knock knock knock!
"What? Who is it?"
"Hayden."
"Huh, Father?"
Surprised by Richter's unexpected voice, Hayden jumped up and opened the door.
"What brings you to my room...?"
Richter silently entered the room, closed the door, and locked it.
Then, he took something out from his chest and held it out to Hayden.
"Hayden. I have something for you."
