She felt like her mind suddenly turned completely white.
For a moment, the anger and embarrassment she had been holding back rushed, tightening Asher’s heart as if it would explode.
How...?
How did he notice?
It was a dark night 10 years ago, and it was just a moment when they met each other.
Asher didn’t think he would recognize her, but apparently he did.
...No, those things were irrelevant.
Asher quickly came to her senses. She glared at the Spear Saint with eyes full of murderous intent.
His gaze was indifferent and cold. It was the same look he had when they met at that cliff, something that remained in her memory until now.
A wind blew, and silence lingered for a while on the terrace with only the two of them.
“I thought you would die in the end, but I didn’t expect you to be alive and well.”
He obviously didn’t like that fact, as evidence of his displeased voice. It brought a bit of joy to Asher, though.
“Do you remember me?”
“I just said that, didn’t I?”
“...”
“There was one pesky White Moon that I had a hard time catching because it was quite ferocious. I remember it clearly.”
The Spear Saint glanced at the banquet hall inside and continued.
“Looks like you’re an escort knight for the Seventh Lord. Did you commit yourself to Calderic for revenge?”
Asher opened her mouth, but shut it quickly once again.
Before she knew it, she realized one hand was already resting on the hilt of her sword.
Her throat trembled as she swallowed the rising rage.
If this conversation continued any more than this, she felt like she really could not control herself anymore.
Asher breathed in and out several times, and continued walking without paying attention to the Spear Saint.
The Spear Saint looked at her with a strange expression, then opened his mouth again.
“Aren’t your attitude too lukewarm? The enemy of your tribe is right in front of you, you know?”
Asher ignored it and continued moving.
However, she had no choice but to reflexively stop again at the words that followed.
“It seemed that you value your life greatly. It’s a pathetic but wise choice. Keep running away from me like that from now on.”
Asher looked back at the Spear Saint with a distorted face.
Did she value her life more? Was she running away?
What the hell was he spouting?
She couldn’t control her trembling body and finally opened her mouth.
“Shut up. I will surely kill you with my own hands someday.”
The Spear Saint snorted.
“Yeah, that’s what I mean by making excuses and running away.”
“I’m not running away...!”
“Was the White Moon who was with you on the cliff at that time your younger sister?”
The string of reason suddenly broke.
“Then you abandoned your sister and ran away, and today you run away like this again. Your younger sister in the underworld will resent you. Crying out revenge when you’re just a coward.”
“...!”
Asher’s whole body was dyed pure white.
A huge black spirit rushed from her sword, which was pulled from its scabbard.
Wow!
***
Asher went out to the terrace, and soon after, the Spear Saint, who was on one side of the banquet hall, got up from his seat and went out to that direction as well.
I, who was having a conversation with the King of Earth Hill, narrowed my eyes as I watched this scene.
I apologized to the king and stood up accordingly.
It could be just a coincidence, but it was still worrying.
And I was right to feel that anxiety.
It was because as I walked to the terrace and raised my [Super Sensory], I heard two people talking.
- It seemed that you value your life greatly.
- Was the White Moon who was with you on the cliff at the time your younger brother?
- Then you abandoned your sister and ran away, and today you run away like this again. Your younger sister in the underworld will resent you. Crying out revenge when you’re just a coward.
I tried to move faster with a cold, hard expression on my face. But that was then.
Wow!
A huge magical aura, and then an explosion.
Everyone in the banquet hall turned to that direction in amazement.
The smoke cleared, and I saw two people standing on the half-destroyed terrace.
I sighed inside.
This...
Asher’s whole body was dyed pure white, even her racial trait was activated.
She drew her sword, and her eyes were bloodshot with anger.
And right in front of him, the Spear Saint, standing calmly with one hand outstretched.
It was the sight of Asher launching an attack and the Spear Saint blocking it.
Amidst the turmoil, the knights who had been guarding the surroundings quickly gathered, and the others retreated far away from the terrace.
I slowly approached the two people who were confronting each other.
“Asher.”
When I called her name, she glanced back at me, but soon turned her gaze back to the Spear Saint and glared at him.
The Overlord, who had come nearby, tilted her head and said.
“What, isn’t that the escort knight of the Seventh Lord? What kind of fuss is this all about at a fun banquet?”
The Spear Saint, who looked at me and the Overlord, withdrew his outstretched hand and said.
“I was just defending against the attack. The knight here misunderstood something.”
I laughed.
I was dumbfounded because I had heard all the conversations the two had with my [Super Sensory].
What kind of bullshit was that bastard saying just now?
The Overlord moved his gaze to Asher and tilted her head.
“Hmm... More than that, did you know about this Seventh Lord? Looking at that figure, she’s not a human, but a white moon?”
The Overlord had never seen Asher use her racial trait, so this was the first time she knew about it. And there’s really no need to tell her, so I never did.
People around her groaned at her remarks.
“White Moon tribe? If it’s White Moon tribe...”
“Yes, at the Santea Imperial Family...”
It was 10 years ago, but at the time, there was no one who didn’t know about the incident that made the empire buzz.
No matter how low-ranking a prince was, it was a great case in which they directly executed an imperial family member to save the name of that same imperial family.
I looked around and then looked at the two again.
“The woman who attacked me just now is a survivor of the White Moon tribe, as the Overlord said.”
The Spear Saint’s voice instantly calmed the commotion, reverberating throughout the banquet hall.
“And the reason she attacked me is because of the grudge she holds against the royal family of Santea. So I understand that.”
Then, looking at Asher again, he spoke in a polite voice.
“As one of the Five Stars of Santea, I express my sincere regret for the past mistake of the imperial family.”
“...”
“However, it was a cataclysmic event carried out by the fifth prince and the people under him. It was not the will of the imperial family. They had already been judged and executed under strict justice. I understand your hatred towards the imperial family, but I’m not the enemy who destroyed your tribe.”
Asher’s body trembled.
His heinous words completely dumbfounded me.
The Spear Saint, this bastard, was the main culprit in directly annihilating Asher’s tribe following the emperor’s order.
That same guy was saying he had nothing to do with it.
The imperial family completely covered up that terrible massacre by pushing all the blame to the fifth prince and his aides.
The only ones who knew the truth were the emperor, the Spear Saint, and Asher, the only survivor. Of course, except for me who played the game.
The emperor, who had come and stood nearby, watched the situation with calm eyes.
It was an expressionless face. He seemed startled at first, but then just looked at the Spear Saint.
The Spear Saint, who glanced at the emperor, exchanged glances with him before opening his mouth again.
“Survivor of the White Moon tribe, if you still want to burn such fleeting hatred, I’ll gladly accept it.”
“...”
“It means that you can formally challenge me to a duel. If your sword touches me, then I will give you my head.”
At those words, it was only then that I understood the purpose of the other.
Duel.
He provoked Asher with this thought from the beginning.
What then was the purpose? Did he want to take Asher’s life by doing this?
Whatever it was, it was just an obvious provocation that didn’t have to be reciprocated, and there’s no way that Asher wouldn’t have noticed that.
But she seemed to have already lost half of her reason.
“Asher, stop it.”
Asher turned to me.
I was telling her with my gaze to not fall for this obvious provocation, and that she could have her revenge later.
“I’m sorry, Sir Ron.”
“...”
“This time... just this once, I beg you, please don’t stop me.”
It was a dangerously trembling voice, colored with many emotions.
She turned her gaze to the Spear Saint, spewing out her murderous intentions again.
“I will challenge you to a duel, Spear Saint Cayden. I will slit your throat as you said.”
The crowd stirred once more, and the Spear Saint looked at me.
“Will you allow it, Seventh Lord? It’s a matter of life and death, risking each other’s lives. Please swear that you wouldn’t interfere in the duel until a clear victory or defeat was decided.”
“...”
The crowd’s eyes turned to me.
The Overlord next to me looked back and forth between Asher and me with an interesting gaze, as always.
I sighed inwardly.
A duel between Asher, who was level 82, and the Spear Saint, who was level 91.
The result was already determined.
The nine level difference between the 80 and 90 levels was a vast gap that could not be crossed no matter what.
It was impossible for Asher to win against the Spear Saint, one of the five stars.
And from the way he spoke, it’s obvious that he wanted Asher’s life.
However, Asher didn’t seem to be in a state where she could do anything about it.
This was the first time I had ever seen her release such a vicious killing intent.
The magical energy I felt inside her body was boiling unsteadily, and her hand holding the sword was twitching, as if ready to be swung toward the Spear Saint’s neck at any moment.
...Should I stop this?
If I tried to stop it, I had to force Asher.
There was no reason to allow a duel in which the outcome was obvious, anyway. But...
“...”
Seeing Asher’s expression once again, I decided not to.
No matter what the outcome, if I stopped this duel I felt like she would go astray.
In the end, I had to nod my head.
“Do it.”
Thus, the duel between the two was concluded.
***
The duel took place in the gymnasium located outside the banquet hall.
As spectators, only me, the Overlord, the emperor, and the kings of other neutral countries were seated.
Asher and the Spear Saint stood facing each other in the middle of the gymnasium.
The Spear Saint was holding a spear much longer than his height in one hand as a weapon.
The Spear Saint immediately spoke to Asher.
“I will yield the first move.”
