To put it bluntly, I would've started off by smacking Morbius on the back of the head if he wasn't part of the Royal Knights. However, as Charles and Hector had cautioned, this was the imperial palace and the other person was a member of the Royal Knights. No matter how reckless I was, I couldn't pick a fight without a justified cause.
It was just like this guy came up with an excuse to break Hector's arm...
It was best for me to push him to lose his temper so that he challenged me to a duel.
" Hah... " Morbius shook his head with a puzzled expression. Strangely, he didn't look very angry.
Was he more disciplined than I expected? Then again, it didn't seem like it judging from how Charles told me he spoke.
Is it due to my appearance? I thought it was a possibility. I was a kid who hadn't grown up, so the opponent showed more patience despite the blatant provocations.
Of course, I had a way—just keep irritating him until he snapped.
Just as I was about to open my mouth again, the knight sitting next to him interjected with a laugh. "Wait! I don't know which noble family you are from, but you seem a bit too worked up. Why don't you calm down first?"
It was a middle-aged man. He was around forty years old. He had a pleasant face and gave a memorable impression. He was dressed as a knight, but he seemed to be in a position far from authority.
I looked at this man with an honest face and said in a friendly tone, "Don't get involved, old man."
He maintained his smile. "Well, there is no need to be cruel."
To put it in nice words, he looked simple. To put it rudely, he was old-fashioned. It was hard for him to be born in a noble family with a face like that.
Is he a commoner? This meant he was the type to brush off most insults with a smile. The problem was that he was a senior. The moment he interrupted, Morbius took his eyes off me and started to focus on the meal again.
Hmm. I had heard that the Royal Knights were a group that operated outside the usual rules of the order of knights. Perhaps they had their own set of rules. In that case, I had to change my approach.
I said, "Okay. Come to think of it, we haven't even introduced ourselves. What is your name?"
"My name is Fabian. I am a member of the Royal Knights along with this friend. You are?"
"Luan Badniker."
"Oh... the Golden Fairy." Fabian nodded in understanding while a slight sneer appeared on Morbius' face.
"Badniker? The youngest son of the Iron-Blooded Lord definitely has a striking appearance, just as the rumors said. You look nothing like your older brother. I see. Did you come to avenge your brother?"
"What revenge? We aren't that type of close-knit family. We agreed that each of us will clean up our own messes."
At my sudden words, the knights eating nearly simultaneously put down their utensils.
Sorry about this. I couldn't apologize outright since I came here to pick a fight, so I just mentally bowed to them.
Morbius still had a sneer on his face as he asked, "Then why are you here?"
"I heard that the Badnikers' swordsmanship is pathetic or something, so I came to see for myself how great you are. It turns out to be a waste of time," I said flatly.
"The Badnikers' taunts are really pathetic." Morbius smirked and raised his glass of water. "Normally, yes. I would've put in effort to teach a brat like you. However, by coincidence, I was already nagged by the captain due to yesterday's incident."
Captain? Did he mean the leader of the Royal Knights?
He continued, "It seems that you are attending the ceremony in place of the injured Hector Badniker. I can't have two people bedridden when they are supposed to be meeting His Majesty."
"What do you mean?"
"It means I don't intend to give into your provocations. It must be good luck from your perspective. You are saved from the fate of having your arm broken."
"My Good Manners aren't so weak," I interjected.
"What is the use of etiquette in the face of pain?" Morbius, who didn't know how I had named my fists, returned his attention to his meal.
The sound of dishes and utensils clinking faintly filled the air.
Did they think I was going to leave? I could feel the gazes on me shifted away one by one. Instead of throwing a tantrum, I leaned back for a moment and examined the situation.
It isn't forced.
Right now, Morbius' interest had actually left me. I had assumed that he would be easily provoked since he looked young. Unexpectedly, it wasn't easy.
Then what should I do? It would be difficult for him to start a fight here even if I threw the food I was eating in his face.
Sure enough, those who are good at insulting and provoking others should be the ones to do it. It was difficult for a gentle person like me who didn't usually pick fights with others.
Should I change my approach? I briefly pondered on the words Morbius had said and his actions.
It wasn't a long conversation, but he wasn't the type to hide his emotions. There should be clues in the short exchange. I habitually tapped on the table three times when something came to mind. This arrogant, self-centered person who acted on his own whims actually showed respect to his captain. Did he respect his captain?
Let's try it.
I cleared my mind and opened my mouth "I admired knights quite a bit when I was younger. However, most of the knights I read about in fairy tales didn't tolerate insults. You are different."
"A knight's scabbard is heavy. You have to know when to draw the sword and when not to," Morbius said.
"Are you saying it is the latter case now? I see. Now I can see that the Royal Knights are a group of pure cowards."
The moment I deliberately laughed, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. It felt like the Royal Knights were staring at me. Morbius' mood also changed slightly. Even though he had chewed all his food, he didn't move his utensils again and just stared at me.
"Luan Badniker," Morbius said in a sullen tone. "If you want to live a long life, you should be careful with your mouth. Our honor isn't so light that you can say anything about it."
"What utter bullshit."
I wasn't the type to be intimidated by a malicious voice or an atmosphere filled with pressure. On the contrary, seeing his hostile attitude was also making my mind hot from anger.
"Is smashing the arm of someone who came here to get a reward for doing a good deed considered honorable? Even street dogs aren't more shameless than you. At the very least, they run away when caught stealing food. They know what shame is."
"You—"
"Hector was in a position where he had to endure insults," I continued calmly. "It is more than you in front of me right now. However, in the end, that idiot drew his sword. Why did he do that?"
No one answered. Before I knew it, the surroundings got eerily quiet. Even the sound of the rattling of dishes stopped. At the very least, now there was no one nonchalantly eating their meal.
I had no choice but to answer myself. "It is because you crossed the line."
"What line?"
"Me, you, and every person has a bottom line engraved in their hearts. People aren't stupid and don't cross that line. Anyone can make fun of someone's dead parents, but no decent person would do so. Whether consciously or not, we all recognize the boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. But you deliberately crossed it. This is why Hector was so angry."
A cheerful laugh interrupted me. It was Fabian. "Young Master Luan, I understand what you are trying to say. However, you are being a bit emotional."
He was speaking politely, but he was strangely rude. It was because his tone was closer to a lecture.
"Who in this world truly lives freely expressing their emotions? Most people swallow their humiliation, become used to insults and that is how they become adults. It is also what separates humans from beasts. You too, Young Master Luan, will come to understand this naturally after experiencing the vicissitudes of the world a few times," Fabian said.
"Should one endure it even when the other person insults their family, friends, or betrothed?" I questioned.
"If you have to. An emotionally swung fist can bring you a fleeting sense of satisfaction, but in the end, it comes back as a boomerang that you can't handle." A sneer crossed Fabian's face. "You probably find it hard to understand but most commoners are already living this way. Do you think they don't know anger? They have to endure it even when robbed of the grain they worked hard to harvest."
I nodded. "That's right."
"What?"
"Commoners can live like that. It is because they will die if they don't. However, knights shouldn't do that." My tone was calm as I spoke in what appeared to be a knights' dining room. "You are the wrath of the common people. You are the group who should burn with anger on behalf of the weak, and roar on their behalf. That is why the nation pays you so much to buy weapons, take elixirs and train relentlessly. Yet what is this? You are pretending you don't even hear the provocation of a hero disciple."
"The conversation is suddenly becoming strange. Your words are sophistry," Fabian noted.
I smirked. In fact, Fabian was right. My words were sophistry. It didn't really matter. This war of words wasn't my main focus in the first place. The important thing was that my original goal was achieved. It was to get under their skin.
I clapped my hands and continued, "If people find out that the prestigious Royal Knights of the imperial family are such cowards, they will be greatly disappointed."
Was this the catalyst?
A strange metallic sound rang out. Morbius had imbued the dining knife in his hand with mana. Given his expression, it didn't seem intentional. Rather, it was a result of his anger manifesting subconsciously.
I shifted my gaze to Mobius' bowl beyond the knife. "You don't like beans? It seems like you are a picky eater, Sir Knight."
I grinned and spun the fork in my palm with a quick flick.
"A fork?"
"Since when..."
Fabian and Mobius narrowed their eyes at the same time.
"Hands are faster than the eyes. If you don't want to duel then let's do this. From now on, I will take all the beans from your table. I will win if I take them all within a minute. If you manage to keep even one, it is your victory," I suggested.
Fabian sighed. "What is this strange—"
"I accept."
"Mobius!"
Fabian glared at him, but Morbius said coldly, "Is there a problem? It isn't a duel, just a bet. No one will get hurt. You saw it right? This guy is persistent. The quickest solution is to crush him like this."
"Dammit," Fabian muttered a curse under his breath and pressed his fingers to his temples. "It can't be helped. Then I will be the referee of this bet."
"Yes, let's do so." I shrugged and aimed my fork at Morbius. "Shall we start?"
The moment he finished speaking, Morbius swung the knife. I could see the bluish mana swirling around the blade. It looked like he intended to cut my fork in half.
So this is how it is going to be?
I welcomed this direct confrontation with a smile and extended my fork to meet his knife.
The moment the utensils clashed, Morbius' expression hardened. The knife was wedged in the prongs of the fork. He hurriedly tried to retrieve the knife, but the response was slow.
I immediately activated the First Fire Technique and transferred the heat to the fork. Since it was made of metal, the conduction speed was quite fast. The heat was quickly transferred to the knife it was in contact with.
"Ugh..." The sudden heat made Morbius drop the knife. He immediately made an expression of regret as he realized his mistake.
I pulled the knife down. The knife bent in a straight line and lodged in the center of the table.
The moment Morbius hurriedly reached for the knife, I threw my fork. It stuck in the back of his hand and a small drop of blood trickled out.
Morbius flinched. It was only a moment, but he was full of openings. This was all I needed. Without any further interference, I swiftly snatched the plate with my hand and dumped the beans into my mouth.
I did prefer meat over vegetables and grains, but these beans were delicious since they were food of the imperial palace.
Morbius glared at me as he held his hand pierced by the fork. "You, bare-handed—"
"Why? There was no rule that I could only use a fork," I cut him off.
"Ah..." Fabian reacted late and acted like he had been hit.
I laughed and said, "Is your hand okay? Sorry. I made a mistake. This is why you can't swing a knife like that at the table."
I could hear the sound of grinding teeth.
Morbius stared at me with wide eyes. Then he took a deep breath and seemed to spit out his words. "Okay. If you want to end up like Hector Badniker then I will do it."
The moment I saw his face turn red, I could roughly predict what he was going to say.
"Let's duel."
***
Naturally, there were many training grounds in the imperial palace. There was even one in front of the dining room. It must be the architect's consideration so that they could exercise after a meal.
There were quite a few people gathered at the training ground. There was nothing more entertaining than watching a fight, so I could understand it.
"What are you doing?"
There was also a bystander I knew. It was Charles. She hadn't followed me to the dining room, but once she realized what was going on, she started belatedly lecturing me. "What are you doing? There is less than an hour until the award ceremony!"
"One hour, huh?"
At first glance, it seemed that there was a lot of time to spare. Of course, it would take at least tens of minutes to get ready since it was an audience with the emperor. Considering the travel time, the actual free time must be less than ten minutes.
"It is enough."
"Huh? W-wait—"
I bypassed by the unusually talkative Charles and went to the training ground. In the center of the training ground stood Morbius, who was already prepared.
I asked him, "Are you okay after eating? You might get a pain in your side if you move around right after a meal."
"You are still talking in this situation. Even now..."
"Will you let me go if I kneel and apologize for the insult? Why do guys like you always say the same thing?" I laughed as I said this.
Morbius could only sigh. He scanned my attire and said, "I heard that your main focus is in hand-to-hand combat, but that won't be enough."
I was puzzled.
"I am telling you to use a weapon. Your fists won't be able to handle my sword," he warned.
"Hmm. Certainly..."
I nodded for a different reason. Somehow, it felt like facing Morbius would require more than my fists, Good Manners.
I said, "Okay. I'll bring out a new weapon this time."
"A new weapon?"
"Yes." I pointed to my right leg. "By happy. This is the debut of Concept."