Raguyaran.
Unlike Lehainjar, where snow fell year-round, this land saw no snow. Instead, the sky was gray and misty, and the ground seemed to be soaked with fog. There was a vast stretch of a silent sea without even a ripple.
A gate of chains appeared, and the members of Black Mist poured forth. The Blade of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, stepped onto the land of silence.
"Huh."
Before even taking in his surroundings, Gavid chuckled and looked up.
He could see the familiar Giabella-Face above in the milky sky. As the black mist finished emerging and the gate of chains shut, the mouth of Giabella-Face opened.
“I thought you would come alone,” Noir commented.
She smirked as she floated in the sky. She was known for her eccentric and flamboyant fashion, but today, she was uncharacteristically clad in a monochrome dress.
Gavid glanced at the black veil covering Noir’s face and smirked.
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“You predicted I’d die in defeat,” he said.“Ahaha. Of course, but I have no intention of mocking your death. I would sincerely mourn you if you were to die,” Noir responded.
Noir lifted her veil slightly and revealed a smile.
“But this is unexpected. I thought you’d come alone,” she repeated.
“The whole continent wants to see this duel,” Gavid responded.
“That answer is even more surprising, Gavid Lindman. I didn’t know you were a man of such vanity. What will you do if you lose?” asked Noir.
“If I lose, all the more reason I brought the Black Mist here. They will get to see how formidable Helmuth's enemy is,” Gavid responded while turning to glance at the Black Mist.
They were a group of Helmuth’s elite knights. Even if he were to lose, Gavid hoped this duel would allow the knights within the Black Mist to gain and learn something.
Gavid continued, “And it’s not just because I wished for it. You know as well. The Black Mist are the personal guards of His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. The Black Mist must naturally be present in the presence of His Majesty.”
“Oh my,” Noir sounded excited. Her eyes sparkled, and she briefly glanced at the gate of chains that was now closed.
“The Demon King of Incarceration himself... is coming?” she questioned.
“He agreed to bestow his power upon the arena,” Gavid responded.
“I’d heard as much, but I didn’t think he’d come in person,” Noir said.
“Are you afraid he might scold you for your impudence?” Gavid jested.
“Ahaha! Hardly. I’ve done nothing wrong,” responded Noir. She laughed heartily while waving her hand dismissively. Gavid shrugged at the echoing laughter and started walking.
“Duke Lindman. Why is it that His Majesty doesn’t scold Duke Giabella for not serving His Majesty with reverence?”
The one who asked the question was the lieutenant of the Black Mist. It wasn’t just him, either. All of the Black Mist found the situation baffling.
The Demon King of Incarceration ruled over Helmuth. He preferred the title Demon King to Emperor, but regardless of his title, all his subjects must owe him deference. Yet, Noir Giabella did not address him with the proper title.
"It is because she recognizes his stature," Gavid responded in a calm voice.
Noir had refrained from the customary courtesies due to the Demon King for a year now, acting as if she were his equal. Gavid had been tolerating her behavior since then.
"Therefore, take care not to do anything that might upset Duke Giabella. She can destroy you as easily as one crushes ants, and His Majesty will not reproach the Duke, even in the face of your demise,” Gavid warned.
"Yes."
Unfair as it was, the members of the Black Mist responded obediently.
"Impressive,” Gavid exclaimed while gazing up at the dueling arena. It was hard to believe such a magnificent structure was completed in less than a year. He smiled wryly as he surveyed the delicately carved walls.
"It's a pity this has to be the last time,” he commented.
If he won the duel, then….
He stopped himself from thinking further. Such thoughts were better enjoyed after a victory.
Gavid chuckled while soaring into the sky. There was a door below that would lead inside, but there was no need to use it. The building was similar to the Coliseum of Shimuin in that it had no ceiling.
"It looks fancy on the outside but somewhat plain within, doesn't it?" Gavid commented to no one in particular.
He laughed softly upon seeing the mostly empty stands. It was to be expected. This place was at the very northern edge of the continent. One had to cross an endless plain filled with snow and scale steep, rugged mountains to get here.
'Even so, they could have installed a warp-gate. Why didn’t they…? Is there a reason for it?’ Gavid pondered briefly.
He looked to the side. He could see the sea, which was eerily calm, as well as the ominous, thick miasma over Lehainjar.
It wasn’t present the last time he was here, during the Knight March. But now, Gavid could see the death energy and the poison energy festering in the mountains of Lehainjar.
Atop the highest peak overseeing Raguyaran, he saw a man standing tall. The man felt even more gigantic than the mountains of Lehainjar themselves.
"Molon of Terror," Gavid said.
The distance between them was great, yet Gavid could feel Molon’s murderous intent as if he were right before him. Molon had his axe, which was shattered for some reason, slung over his shoulder, and he locked gaze with Gavid from afar.
"You could come closer if you wished. Ha, perhaps you, too, are bound by certain unavoidable circumstances,” said Gavid.
He saw the blood-stained axe on Molon’s shoulder, from which the death and poisonous energies were emanating. Gavid snickered again while looking down at the stands.
The stands were mostly empty, not just because the place was remote and hard to reach but also due to the skepticism surrounding Eugene Lionheart, who had vanished for a year — and perhaps because of the anxiety over what might happen if Eugene were to lose the duel.
"Would you have preferred the stands to be full?" Noir whispered from above in the sky. "If not just humans but also demons had come, oh, it would have been interesting to see whose cheers would be louder.”
"I heard the duel is going to be broadcast across the continent anyway,” Gavid said dismissively.
"That’s right. Everyone in the world wants to know the flow and the outcome of the duel,” responded Noir. She sensed the various spells installed in the grand arena. It seemed like an attempt to mimic the Black Tower and magic cables in human fashion.
She muttered while chuckling, "Broadcasting things like this is my specialty. If they had asked nicely, it would have been easy for me to set it up for them.”
Nevertheless, the reproduction was impressive. With the current set-up, people in the main squares of all the nations would be able to watch the duel.
Who would win and who would lose between the Hero, the Radiant Eugene Lionheart, and the Blade of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman? Who would live, and who would perish?
"The audience is sufficient as it is," Gavid declared with a smile as he descended. "After all, we have the heroes of the continent, as well as the Lionheart clan."
Given the location and the unknown dangers, the emperor, the pope, and the kings were absent. But all the heroes Gavid had seen on the battlefields of Hauria were present.
Gavid gave a slight nod in their direction in a gesture of respect.
"However, the main participant hasn’t arrived yet," Noir said with a grin. There was no sign of Eugene anywhere in the stands or the arena. "It appears my Hamel hasn’t arrived yet."
"The day isn’t over yet," Gavid responded nonchalantly, his gaze crossing to the opposite side where Helmuth’s flag was prominently displayed. He chuckled at the sight of the large chair in the center of the stands. "Fortunately, it seems they don't plan to make me wait in the center of the arena."
"If you sit in that chair, where does the Demon King of Incarceration sit?" Noir asked with a mischievous smile.
Gavid laughed heartily while leading the Black Mist across the sky.
"His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration would not deign to make that chair his throne," Gavid stated disdainfully.
"That’s true. The Demon King of Incarceration always prefers a throne of chains over a proper chair. What comfort does he find in those hard, uneven chain seats?" questioned Noir.
Gavid landed and sat down under the Helmuth flag. The Black Mist spread out behind him in an organized fashion. Noir chuckled as she surveyed the knights of the Black Mist. None of them were seated.
"Do you plan to sit here until the end of the day?" Noir inquired.
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"Indeed, I do,” responded Gavid.
"What if my Hamel doesn’t come today?" asked Noir.
"I believe Hamel will come,” came the response.
"But I’m asking what if — what if Hamel doesn’t show up?" said Noir.
The atmosphere among the Black Mist shifted — a chilling intent to kill wafted as the mist began to ripple. Gavid slightly raised his hand and calmed the mist with that single gesture.
"Well, I'm not sure what to do. I never considered the possibility that Hamel wouldn't show up for our agreed duel," Gavid mused aloud.
"Heh, the last time anyone saw my Hamel was with you. So naturally, you should know where he is. Why don't you go fetch him?" Noir teased.
"I made no such promise with Hamel." Gavid shook his head. "If Hamel does not arrive here by today, he will break his promise to me. I do not think Hamel would run from a duel… but if he does not show up, there's nothing to be done, is there?"
"And then?" Noir probed further.
"As much as I'd prefer not to, if Hamel doesn’t show, someone else will have to take his place in the duel."
Gavid’s statement elicited a burst of laughter from Noir.
"If that is unacceptable, I shall leave this place at once. I haven’t thought about where to go yet, but it will probably be some city,” Gavid continued.
"To a city? And then what?" asked Noir.
"I will slay everyone there," Gavid declared. The air in the dueling arena chilled with his words.
"No one will be able to stop me. If they try, they'll be the first to fall,” said Gavid. He raised his gaze and looked straight ahead.
"Is that a sufficient answer, Saint Kristina Rogeris?" He called out to a figure in the stands.
Kristina stood in front of the stands with eight Wings of Light spread behind her. Her face was marked with a frosty expression. She hadn't spoken, but Gavid seemed to have read her intentions without needing any words.
"What you need to do is not to persuade me. Return to your place, fold your hands, and pray. Pray that Hamel arrives here before the day ends,” Gavid declared.
"Are there no other conditions?" Kristina finally spoke. She felt a chill run down her back.
But that was it. She did not back down. Instead, she maintained eye contact with Gavid while holding her ground.
The old Kristina would have been pale and trembling at the sight of Gavid, Noir, and the malignant aura of the Black Mist. But she, too, had grown stronger over the past year. Despite picking up the bad habit of drinking, she had fully adapted to the Stigmata on her hands and never missed a day of prayer.
"I had thought of you as someone who… prioritized chivalry, someone courteous. And as much as you eagerly awaited your duel with Sir Eugene, I believed you would be considerate if Sir Eugene could not make it in time due to unavoidable circumstances,” Kristina said.
"Is that so?" questioned Gavid.
"I think you are wrong, but I will not blame you. A duel with a single opponent versus the massacre of an entire city. Such acts may seem insane from a human perspective, but you are not human,” Kristina continued.
"It might be better not to add such remarks if you and I are to maintain a more friendly relationship,” Gavid warned.
"That might be true. But I do not wish to forge a friendly relationship with you. Moreover, wearing a mask of falsehood in dealing with you would itself be an insult to you,” Kristina stated calmly.
Kristina wasn’t scared. She viewed Gavid rationally. It was in stark contrast to her past self, and now she could feel his strength clearer than before.
Gavid Lindman was terrifyingly powerful. Without Eugene and Sienna present, no one here could contend with him. Even if they summoned Molon, the chances of victory seemed slim. Moreover, if Gavid chose to simply vanish using the Demoneye of Divine Glory, capturing him would be impossible for any of them.
"So I will state my intentions honestly, Gavid Lindman. If I kneel before you and kiss your feet, would you consider postponing the date of the duel?" Kristina proposed earnestly.
"Do you actually understand your position when you say this?" Gavid asked. He did not scoff at her. Instead, he looked at her with genuine surprise. "You are the Saint of Light, an existence more akin to the Light than even the Pope of Yuras. And yet, you would kneel before me, a demon, and kiss my feet? In front of everyone on the continent?"
"Yes,” answered Kristina.
"And you would do this even if it shames the Light you serve?" Gavid questioned with narrowed eyes.
"The Light I serve does not consider it a humiliation for the Saint to kneel and kiss in order to save the lives of a city's people. What do a few scuffs on my knees and some dirt on my lips matter in comparison to saving an entire city?" Kristina responded.
"That's an interesting take, Saint Rogeris. What if I refuse your offer?" Gavid asked.
"Then I have another proposal. How about you take me as a hostage until Sir Eugene returns? To my knowledge, the Saint has never been taken hostage in the long history between Helmuth and Yuras,” Kristina proposed.
"Holding you hostage wouldn't be particularly enjoyable for me. I have no intention of torturing anyone either,” Gavid rejected her immediately.
"Then I'll do it voluntarily. If Sir Eugene does not arrive by tomorrow, I will remove my left eye. After two days, I will cut off my left arm, and after three days, my left leg; after four days, my right leg; and after five days, my right eye,” declared Kristina without hesitation.
Gavid's mouth fell open at her words.
The Saint was suggesting that she would harm herself. She might have enough trust in her miracles to make such a bold suggestion, but the idea of the Saint voluntarily taking herself hostage and mutilating her body was filled with a madness beyond imagination.
"Five days. If Sir Eugene has not arrived by then,” Kristina continued.
[Kristina!] Anise had been screaming for a while now, but Kristina ignored the cries. She didn't relinquish control of her body to Anise.
[I'd rather reveal my presence here. I'll put my soul up as collateral.]
The outcry went unanswered.
Kristina continued in a steadfast voice, "Then I will offer my neck."
Kristina's declaration ended, but Gavid said nothing and remained silent.
"Hahaha!"
Soon, Gavid burst out laughing loudly. He hadn't expected to hear such a thing.
After laughing for a while, he looked at the eight radiant wings spread behind Kristina. The brilliant wings and her visage inevitably reminded him of Anise of Hell from three hundred years ago.
“The prospect of taking the Saint hostage and having the power to kill her is… a very tempting offer indeed. However, I must decline,” Gavid answered, still sticking to his initial rejection.
“Why would you refuse?” asked Kristina.
“To trade your life, Saint Rogers, for the lives of merely one city’s worth of people would be unwise. Your life is far more valuable,” Gavid said softly.
Kristina continued with her persuasion, “That would actually be to your advantage—”
“Yes. It would indeed be a great achievement to spare a city and instead take you as hostage to kill. But, I do not wish to do so,” Gavid declared. “So, do not try to persuade me further, and return to your place.”
Faced with his repeated refusals, Kristina could only stare at Gavid in surprise. She had believed he would never decline such an offer.
"This man is more principled than you think," Noir whispered from above the clouds. "If you really must plead, you'd be better off pleading with me rather than Gavid Lindman. Heh, Kristina Rogers, I might be able to hold Gavid off for a few days, depending on what you do."
[Kristina. Please, do not listen to that whore’s words.]
This time, Kristina did not ignore Anise’s outcry. She bit her lip and turned away.
"Well," Noir's eyes gleamed as she whispered. She looked over the audience and at the eerily calm sea beyond. "You won’t need to beg anymore."
Kristina's shoulders shuddered. She swiftly spread her wings and soared into the sky. She wasn't the only one who felt something. Everyone in the stands stood up and turned to look at the sea.
“I see,” Gavid commented. He nodded with a smile as he rose to his feet and looked towards the sea. "He has arrived."
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From a far-off place, they could feel the waves coming from the tranquil sea.
Openbookworm & DantheMan's Thoughts
Momo: I don’t think anyone can beat Kristina when it comes to baiting. Unfortunately, she chose the wrong target.