The Duel (Part 2)

Chapter XX

The Duel (Part 2)

The people around the courtyard cheered and booed at the combatants, and the cheers were not directed at Enji. Duels were rare in the kingdom, and when they did occur, they were typically held at the mage’s corps guild, where bored nobles would line up in droves to watch the spectacle.

Galakei glanced at the viewing boxes to her right, reserved for important or high-paying spectators. The domain lord, Mitage Deepford, was smiling as he looked her way.

“Is that pig trying to provoke me?” she mumbled to herself. Galakei was sure that the lord was up to no good, but she had not spotted any tricks. Next to her, on both sides, sat Eithea and Elpinia; behind them were Lia, Maka, Skia, and Nilsei.

Since the duel started, the girls had been on the edge of their seats, wriggling their hands and biting their lips. Eithea, on the other hand, had been uttering expletives at both combatants.

A sudden roar came from the people watching the duel. Galakei’s attention reverted to her disciple in the arena. He had narrowly escaped an exploding fireball and was running to a safe spot. Enji had been a tad slow in reaching the domain lord’s son by Galakei’s estimate; a couple of seconds sooner, and he would have ended the duel with one strike. The magic-canceling spell that he came up with was pure genius. If only he could use magic directly.

Boos came from the spectators. Enji was running away to one side of the courtyard. He avoided another fireball.

“Beat the crap out of that bucket of lard!” Eithea shouted. Not that Enji could hear her, a magic barrier had been set not only to protect the public from collateral damage but also to avoid interference from outsiders. The barrier blocked all sounds, in and out.

“Don’t fail me...” Galakei grabbed the chair’s armrests and leaned closer to the railing when Enji stopped running. He seemed ready to charge toward his opponent. “Why is Morage still on the ground?” Something was wrong, Galakei could feel it.

A new fireball was cast. Galakei stood up. “There is no way Morage can cast that fast! Enji, move!”

***

With no time to think, Enji grabbed the stone in his pocket and yelled, “Run Fireman!”

The air in front of him shimmered like a gossamer curtain. He jumped to the side, rolling on the ground. Immediately, he covered his face with a gloved hand and chanted, “Run Air!”

The spell had bathed the fireball with carbon dioxide to extinguish the flame. For a few seconds, Enji felt the effects of breathing methane gas, but immediately breathing pure oxygen from his ‘Air’ spell cleared his lungs.

“End Fireman. End Air.” Enji rose to his feet. He scanned the arena ahead of him. He figured that if someone were hiding on his flanks or behind him, they would have made their attack already.

He needed to do something fast. “Peek... Open... Load...” Enji tried different commands, attempting to identify where and how many enemies were hidden, until the last one was successful.

[Mag1, Mag2, Mag3, Mag4, Unk1]

Five people! “Peek Mag1!” For a split second, Enji saw the silhouette of someone form behind and to the left of Morage. He touched one of the spell stones on his brace. Not many are left. Enji ran the command for the small flame spell aimed at where he believed the enemy to be. His intention was to approximate the distance needed for his next spell. A tiny bright point appeared near where the ‘peek’ command had revealed his enemy’s position. It was a couple of meters off, by his estimate. Having established the range, he pulled the biggest gemstone he had from his pocket.

“Run Bang5!”

[enter coor in meters]

“x0, y17, z1!” As soon as he specified the coordinates, Enji ran toward Morage.

An explosion shook the courtyard, and a plume of fire and smoke rose to the sky. Enji had combined a methane fireball with an extra gift of hydrogen and oxygen added. The result: three of the mages lay on the ground; they were the closest to the explosion. With the invisibility spell broken, the last remaining mage and a man, who seemed to be an adventurer by his attire, ran to position themselves between the lord’s son and Enji.

The mage, who was the first on his way, commenced an incantation. Enji resorted to using his last gemstone, the biggest one, against the mage. The useless crystal, having been depleted on his previous spell, smacked squarely against the mage’s forehead, knocking him backward. He stepped over the mage; detouring would take too much time.

Only the adventurer remained in his way. The man crouched, waiting for Enji with his sword drawn.

As Enji grabbed the pommel of his sword, he prayed that the training he had received up to now wasn’t for nothing. A few strides were left before engagement.

He waited for the last moment to draw, as he had seen it done in Chambara movies, and it was one of Skia’s preferred methods.

He drew.

The scabbard unhooked from the belt.

As the sword described an arc toward his opponent, the scabbard unsheathed itself from the sword and flew forward with all the momentum of the added leverage.

Enji hesitated for a second but resumed his sprint. Before his sword clashed with the man’s sword, the loud sound of a horn reverberated all around him, and a voice shouted something.

Enji didn’t hear what the voice said. He was staring at the adventurer wide-eyed. The man released Enji’s sword arm’s wrist and, smiling, said to him, “You did well, kid.” He pointed behind him with his thumb.

Enji looked. The domain lord’s son lay sprawled on the ground on his back. Enji realized what had happened when he saw his sword scabbard by Morage’s side. “Huh. You had to be kidding me?”

“Hey, kid, those aren’t your friends, right?” He pointed.

Half a dozen burly men, sporting all kinds of weapons, charged at them.

The hell they are!

“By the look on your face, the answer is clear.” The adventurer readied his sword and stood next to Enji. “This is going to be fun!”

Enji side-glanced at the man by his side. No! It’s not! Oi, whatever kami oversees this world, please stop throwing this crap at me. I get the point, alright!

He held the sword firmly in his hand, thinking how useless his action was, remembering how the adventurer had effortlessly stopped his swing with just one hand.

“Simier’s the name and the sword’s my trade. What’s your name, kid?”

“Huh? Ah! Enji. Enji Hasegawa.” Crap, crap... Crap?

Several lightning bolts that seemed to come out of nowhere struck the attacking men, knocking them to the ground.

Did the kami hear me? Enji first looked at the sky, searching for a divinity, then his gaze fell on one of the balconies, where a robed figure, with arms spread wide, stood on a chair with one foot on the railing. Galakei’s red eyes glowed.

At that moment, several palace guards entered to secure the grounds, surrounding them.

Enji turned to Simier, who was offering his hand. I guess handshakes are universal. Simier’s grip was firm without trying to squish his hand.

Two guardsmen disarmed Simier and tied his hands behind his back. As they walked away, Simier looked back over his shoulder and said, “See if you can put a good word in for me.”

“If I have any say in all of this, I promise I will.”

Skia was the first to reach Enji and hugged him, followed by Nilsei. With a girl in each arm, they headed to the exit.

“Oi, Chief! You forgot this!” Sol ran to their side, carrying Enji’s scabbard.

When they reached the archway, Enji looked back. People were carried out on stretchers through another door.

***

In one of the balconies, a spectator who concealed his features under a hood gestured to someone near him.

The man quickly knelt next to him. “My liege?”

“Is that boy the Grand Mage’s apprentice?”

“Yes, my liege. His name is Enji Hasegawa, a lord from distant lands.”

“Distant lands? Do you mean, beyond the sea?”

“That’s the rumor. Our spies have not been able to obtain the name of the country he comes from.”

“Have you seen that type of magic before?”

“No, my liege, but I’m sure the guild’s mages will make a report soon.”

“Interesting!” The hooded man leaned closer to the railing to look at Enji, who at that moment was being hugged by Skia and Nilsei.

“Hmm...” The hooded figure stroked his chin. “Two girls in his arms, and there is the contested claim in custody of our guards. That girl, she’s from Lady Eithea’s farm, right? The other one is a stranger to me.”

“Yes, my liege. The white-haired lady is one of the Grand Mage’s charges.”

“Find out who—never mind. I’ll know soon enough. Prepare my coach, I’m finished here.”

“Yes, my liege!” The man rose and exited the viewing balcony.

The hooded man gave the courtyard one last look, and he, too, left the balcony.

***

They returned to Galakei’s suite after picking up Silma and Popa from the guard’s station and settled down on the various sofas and chairs in the room.

“Enji, I missed seeing you fight,” Silma complained as she grappled his arm.

“Enji Lo, pat my head.” Popa pulled his hand to her head. Silma and Popa were sitting on either side of Enji, monopolizing him, much to the envy of Skia and Nilsei.

“You two, leave Enji alone. Pinia cast a healing spell on him.” Silma and Popa obeyed Galakei’s order reluctantly. Elpinia left Sol’s side to cast her magic on Enji.

“How are you feeling?” Galakei asked Enji after sitting across from him.

“Nothing is broken.” Enji moved his arms around.

“Oi, Master Enji, that move with your sword was magnificent!”

“What move?” Enji, puzzled, asked Pol.

“The one where you shot the sword’s scabbard in the lord’s son’s face.”

“That was an accident!”

“But my lord, the movement was so fluid and precise.” Nilsei’s eyes sparkled.

“I tell you, it wasn’t planned! It just came out that way!”

“Worm, you are being too modest. Be proud of your achievement!” Skia reprimanded him, waving her finger in front of his face.

Release scabbard! The hell is that! I’m no mecha with a flying punch or piledriver!

Their little comedy skit was interrupted when Kasus arrived at the suite.

“I’m ready to report, Lady Mage.”

Enji stood up to give Galakei some privacy.

Galakei told him and the others to remain; she also wanted them to listen to Kasus’s report.

“Kasus, tell us,” Galakei commanded.

“Mitage had been apprehended, not only for interfering in a duel and attempting on a lord’s life, but also for treason. He will be stripped of his lordship and noble status; the same will be done to his family. Mitage might receive the death penalty.”

“Is Lady Aslei alright?” Galakei showed concern.

“Lady Aslei was instrumental in obtaining proof of his treason; she will be rewarded. While Mitage was occupied here at the capital, she facilitated the infiltration of agents from her clan into the lord’s mansion to obtain the necessary evidence, which is now in the hands of the crown investigators. A lot more heads will roll among the nobles after this.”

“You performed an outstanding job as always, Kasus,” Eithea praised him.

“I see you are happy, My Lady. I surmise that your winnings on the bets are substantial.”

“Kasus! That’s not what happened.” Eithea, with her tail curled around her, stole glances at Enji and the girls while denying with her hands.

“Come on, why deny it? I, too, made a killing this time.” Galakei leaned back on the chair and smiled.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were betting on the duel?” Enji looked at her in disbelief.

“I need money to maintain my lifestyle, and running a mansion that size is no easy task.”

Enji looked at Eithea. She shrugged her shoulders.

“What if I had lost?”

“You didn’t lose!” Galakei quickly replied.

“I almost died.”

“I was ready to intervene, even if it had cost my reputation.” Galakei smiled.

“I, too,” Skia butted in.

“Yes, had to hold these two; if not, they would have jumped in.” Galakei pointed to Skia and Nilsei. Both girls lowered their heads.

Enji looked at them in silence for a few seconds. “Thanks.”

“We’ll get substantial compensation from the domain as winners,” Eithea stated.

“In addition to a reward from the crown,” Kasus added. “Lady Ashley, in her report, stated that she had received help from us, especially the young lad.” Kasus looked at Enji.

“What?” Why do they keep giving me credit for things I didn’t do?

“Nevertheless, since we have come this far, let’s rejoice over food while I wait for what I petitioned.” Galakei stood.

“What is it?” Eithea asked, wriggling her fox ears.

“To get Enji to meet with Ultonaliefang.”

Yeah, right, I have forgotten about her. “Thank you.” Enji smiled. He would soon meet with the elf girl.

“Lady Galakei, if you permit me, I shall see to it.” Kasus requested.

“You will miss dinner.”

“I shall return promptly.” Kasus bowed his head.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here!”

***

“Kasus, welcome back! Grab a pitcher and sit anywhere!” Eithea shouted when Kasus entered the private room they had reserved at the tavern for their dinner.

“Thank you, My Lady.” He took a tankard of ale and sat close to Eithea and Galakei. “I have some news to report,” he said after taking a swig of the ale.

“Come on, out with it!” Eithea seemed drunk. Her fox ears lay flat against her head, and her cheeks sported a rosy color.

“The royals had summoned everyone to the palace.”

“Oh, crap!” Eithea slammed her head against the table and remained with her head down.

Enji eyed her with concern. Is it really that bad to visit the palace?

“When is the audience?” Galakei asked.

“The day after tomorrow at midday.”

Galakei glanced at all of them. “Some of you are going to need proper attire to attend.”

Eithea raised her head. “I know just the place!” Her ears and tail all perked up; gone was her drunkenness.

Enji eyed her again. Huh? Where is the doom and gloom of a minute ago? “I brought the suit I wear for dinner at your place,” Enji said.

“Unacceptable! You will wear the same suit you have now. I want to see some people tremble.” The smile on Galakei’s face could scare monsters away.

Who are these people she’s referring to? Enji looked down at his black outfit. I don’t have to worry about dry cleaners with this world’s magic.

“The other news I bring is of concern for the lad.”

“What is it?” Galakei asked.

“The elf girl is not at the capital. She and some others of the magical court went into a labyrinth for training and have not returned at the allotted time.”

Galakei rubbed her temples as she pondered for a few moments. “Let’s worry about the palace for now, then we’ll see what can be done afterward.”

Labyrinth? Uneasiness took hold of Enji.