22 – Retribution (2)

“……”

Kenneth’s pristine white shirt, usually so impeccably clean, was unusually stained with dark patches.

Perhaps because he was troubled by Esther Tristi engaging in suspicious activities, he hadn’t seen May, who was running an errand for coffee, and had collided with her.

Coffee dripped from Kenneth’s hair as he glared at May with a terrifying gaze.

“K-Kenneth, young master. I-I’m so sorry. Ah, uh…”

Normally, it was an incident that could be overlooked.

Objectively, the fault lay with Kenneth.

But Kenneth’s face was a storm.

“Who dares make such a mistake, jeopardizing someone’s safety?”

“I…I’m so sorry. Truly, I am…”

May’s repeated apologies did nothing to soften Kenneth’s expression. Esther Tristi’s presence had already soured his mood, and now it had plunged to its nadir.

He raised his hand, poised to strike May across the face.

Just then, Dalpi entered the hall, swiftly seizing Kenneth’s wrist to stop him.

“Prince Kenneth, calm yourself. Whatever the matter, this child isn’t even ten years old. Do you intend to kill her?”

An Aura user’s body was a weapon.

Even a mere slap would be akin to striking a child’s head with a wooden club.

Dalpi knew that if Kenneth, as an Aura user, struck with true force, May could very well die from the impact.

This was why Dalpi, who otherwise never intervened except when it involved Esther Tristi, had restrained Kenneth.

Kenneth’s hand immediately lashed out at Dalpi.

“Prince Kenneth…”

*Smack!*

Dalpi’s cheek blossomed red.

*Smack! Smack!*

Blood trickled from Dalpi’s lips.

“…”

*Smack! Smack! Smack!*

A ringing shrieked in his ears.

Kenneth, panting, roared something incomprehensible.

‘Ah…’

Dalpi sighed inwardly.

Even when trying to do good, things like this often happened.

That was why one should mind their own business and ignore injustice.

Having endured hardship and strife since childhood, Dalpi knew that interfering in such difficult situations always led to bloodshed.

This was also why Dalpi deliberately avoided forming close bonds with the other servants.

Drawing as little attention as possible to himself significantly reduced the chances of getting tangled up in such troubles.

‘Ah well, I must be getting soft.’

My cheek throbbed, a cold fire.

To suffer this indignity for saving some brat I barely knew.

If my old self, the one who lived like a stray dog, could see me now, he’d surely laugh.

Dalpi glanced at Kenneth.

He thought it would end here, but Kenneth seemed to be in the throes of some serious rage.

“…….”

It wasn’t that Dalpi couldn’t defend himself against Kenneth’s attacks.

On the contrary, he could easily demonstrate the difference in their strength to this angry bull of a young master.

But if he were to harm Kenneth, it might hinder his ability to serve Esther in the future.

Dalpi decided to endure it.

He was accustomed to pain, after all.

‘I miss Master.’

The job of exclusive maid suited Dalpi perfectly.

He could see the face of the person he admired every morning, entirely legally.

‘How did I even get here?’

He couldn’t possibly quit this dream job over such a minor squabble.

Dalpi closed his eyes, awaiting Kenneth’s next move.

Then, *crack*! A crisp sound echoed through the air.

It hadn’t come from Dalpi’s body.

Opening his eyes, he was treated to a most welcome sight.

Esther, having rushed in from the entrance, had just punched Kenneth square in the jaw.

“Ghk!?”

*Thump-* Kenneth collapsed to the floor in a pathetic heap.

“Who the hell… dares…”

Esther ignored Kenneth’s muttered curses and checked on Dalpi’s condition.

Dalpi blinked.

“Master…”

“Stay put right here.”

Dalpi unconsciously pursed his lips at the chillingly cold tone.

He had never seen Esther wear such a terrifying expression before.

Ester approached Kenneth.

“Don’t play the invalid, get up. It hasn’t even started yet.”

Ester looked down at Kenneth with eyes that had turned frigidly cold.

“Ester, you son of a b*tch….”

“Heh, your language has gotten rather coarse.”

When was it that he used to point out the proprieties to others?

Ester sneered, offering a twisted smile.

“Kenneth, from now on, you’re just going to take it. Get up if you don’t want to die.”

Kenneth staggered to his feet.

Intolerable rage roiled within him.

Who did she think she was, trying to lecture him, of all people?

“You solved the Millennium Problem and everyone praised you, so you seem to have forgotten your place.”

No matter how great Ester’s magical talents had become,

Ever since they were children, whenever they sparred, Ester had always been at Kenneth’s mercy.

There was no opponent easier to handle than Ester; she was practically a beginner.

Kenneth actually thought it was a good thing.

Now was the perfect opportunity to smash that arrogant face of Ester’s.

“Right here, right now, I’ll send you crawling back to Haniel’s arms, crying like the little child you used to be.”

Kenneth gibed.

“Fine. If that’s your last words… I’ll pass them on to Father.”

Ester wiped the smile from her face.

“What?”

Meanwhile, drawn by the commotion, people began to gather in the hall.

About three hours before, guests had arrived at the Tristy manor.

They were warriors who had pledged their assistance to Jeper regarding this Insane Curse matter.

Edward Henry, the former vice-general of the Justina Kingdom, stroked his beard and said,

“So that’s Baroness Ester, recently granted the title, and Kenneth, the eldest son of Tristy.”

“A fight, perhaps?”

“That’s certainly how it appears to me.”

They’d been enduring tedious tales spun around the table, each dragging on longer than the last, when this spectacle erupted. Now, every eye was alight with a morbid fascination, tracing the escalating tension between the two.

“W-what in the world is happening?”

“How should I know?! We can’t just stand here, we need to see what’s going on!”

Servants, dispatched from the depths of the manor, hurried towards the commotion.

“What is this…?”

Finally, Uriel and Zephyr arrived.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Zephyr moved to approach Esther, but…

Uriel gripped his shoulder, halting him.

“Things are getting interesting, aren’t they? Let’s just observe for a moment.”

“……”

Zephyr was forced to remain in place.

Not only by Uriel’s implied threat, but also because it was clear that neither Kenneth nor Esther desired his intervention.

Esther swept her gaze across the gathering crowd.

And, as if she’d been rehearsing the lines for hours, declared,

“Esther Tristi challenges Kenneth Tristi to a duel.”

Esther raised her right hand.

A tacit agreement, a symbol signifying that any violence enacted here was to be understood as part of the duel.

“A duel, and not even in the training grounds. Seems the genius who cracked the Millennium Problem isn’t just a bookworm after all.”

“Some fissures in the soul can only be mended with fists. I remember those days… I miss them.”

Unlike the excited guests…

“So sudden…?”

“Shouldn’t we st-stop them before someone gets hurt…?”

The servants wore expressions of grave concern.

This couldn’t even formally be considered a duel.

The location was the manor’s hall, and the brothers were locked in a deathly glare, hostility radiating from every pore.

No matter how one tried to frame it, it was a fight.

A murmur rippled through the hall. But…

Kenneth did not reject Esther’s challenge.

He raised his right hand in response, mirroring her gesture.

Ester and Keneth glared at each other through the throng of onlookers.

A sharp tension hung in the air.

Intense emotions flickered in their eyes.

Then, in unison, they lowered their hands.

“I ask for your consideration.”

“Hmph…”

A brief silence fell.

Soon after, Keneth unleashed his mana, signaling the duel’s start.

He had no intention of dragging this fight out.

A blue light began to swirl around his entire being.

“He’s already using Aura…!?”

“Straight to the main course, I see.”

A gasp rippled through the crowd as the corner of Keneth’s mouth curled upward.

‘I’ll end this in one fell swoop.’

Keneth was a warrior who had mastered both the Royal Sword style and the Royal Fist arts.

Even though he didn’t clutch a blade now.

A warrior didn’t necessarily need armor and sword to fight.

Aura, simply put, was a type of enhancement magic.

It was a secret technique that strengthened the user’s body and weapons, transforming the person into a living weapon.

Cardio, dynamic visual acuity, momentary explosive power, brute strength—all physical functions were enhanced, granting Aura users superhuman specs.

Just as a human would have a 0% chance of winning a fight against a tiger barehanded.

The difference between those who could use Aura and those who couldn’t was clear as day.

Keneth surged forward, already certain of his victory.

‘I’ll crush her nose and break her arm.’

He’d humiliate her in front of the entire audience.

Moreover, he would ensure Ester couldn’t shine in this successor trial, no,

that she would be crippled, forever unable to shine.

Keneth believed he was more than capable of it.

He had to do it.

Ester was meant to be a paltry thing, groveling at my feet.

Not a celebrated prodigy, lauded by all.

A failed scion, undeserving of standing face-to-face with me.

“Ugh!?”

Kenneth’s steps, moving at a speed exceeding human limitations, faltered for a moment.

Overcome by the sudden anomaly in his body, Kenneth nearly lost his balance and collapsed.

‘My aura… it’s unraveling?’

Mana Jacking.

The signature spell of the Celestial School, allowing the caster to control the mana of the target.

Its principle: connecting the caster and the target’s circuits with mana threads that are physically unbreakable, disrupting the flow of mana.

Although, admittedly, the caster is also unable to use mana while it’s active.

In exchange for this, Kenneth was now incapable of wielding his aura.

“Ha.”

Realizing his body had reverted to a normal level, Kenneth let out a dry laugh instead.

He was well aware of Mana Jacking.

The cost of stripping him of his aura was never cheap.

Ester, too, would be unable to use magic.

And Ester was a mere half-wit, barely proficient in swordplay, let alone fist-fighting.

It would have been better for Ester’s chances of victory if they could both use aura and magic.

“You don’t mean to tell me… you intend to defeat me in a hand-to-hand brawl?”

A perfect blunder.

Kenneth slowly advanced toward Ester.

It was the deliberate stride of a predator closing in on cornered prey.

But Ester’s expression remained utterly placid.

Merely adopting a stance, as if a martial artist.

“Hm?”

“That’s an unusual posture, isn’t it?”

The guests invited by Zephel were all keenly interested in martial arts, to the point of knowing every style practiced in the kingdom. Even to their eyes, Ester’s stance seemed peculiar.

Arms held close to the face, center of gravity shifted upward, the footwork giving the impression of bouncing lightly on both feet.

It was completely different from the Parallel Stance taught in the kingdom’s fist-fighting arts.

Kenneth scoffed inwardly at Esther’s stance, deeming it utterly lacking in refinement.

“I will maintain a Kickboxing stance.”

*Crack!*

The flash of Esther’s right leg, and in an instant, Kenneth staggered.

A Calf Kick.

A brutal low kick unseen in the Royal Martial Arts, or indeed any martial art in this world, shattered Kenneth’s balance.