The ball was already winding down. The musicians were playing their final pieces. Darius was chatting in the table area with Alistair, Lily, and Karina. Vincent and Bianca were nowhere in sight—they'd probably gone for a stroll through the gardens. However, Karina, instead of leaving with her friends, had stayed with them.

Darius had noticed that the redhead seemed more sulky than sad about the prince's engagement. It wasn't like her heart had been broken, not at all.

As for the other guy, Bianca's former fiancé, he'd seen him earlier in the gardens, talking with Judith. They seemed comfortable together. His other friend, Theodore, had gone off to dance with Mary a while ago and they were still on the dance floor.

"So, you have one duel when the ball ends and another in four days, at the dueling arena in the capital?" Alistair asked him.

"That's right. Baron Holloway agreed to duel today, though he asked to delay it until the end of the ball so as not to disrupt the evening. Count Whitmore, however, wanted to duel where he always does: in the capital."

"Yeah, I imagine his intention is to defeat you while putting on a big show. Be careful—the count likes to seriously injure his opponents."

"It's fine, I've got it under control."

"That ace up your sleeve you mentioned... seriously, be careful. He's several levels above you and he's very skilled. He's got a mount specially trained for dueling: a strong, tough horse."

Darius shrugged. Venomcrusher, as he'd named the mount Ronan had gifted him, would take care of whatever horse the count brought in a heartbeat, and would definitely help him out afterward if Darius needed it.

"I think I misjudged you," Karina said thoughtfully. "I assumed that both you and this pyro here, only thought about fighting". She pointed at Alistair. "And now it turns out you're risking yourself against a renowned duelist, an arena champion with a reputation for sadism, all for a friend's honor."

"Hey, I'm not a pyro," Alistair protested. "And don't hold Darius in such high regard—what he's about to do is, precisely, fight."

Lily burst out laughing. She had her chair very close to Alistair's. Even Darius, who usually didn't pay attention to these things, could see that his friend had finally succeeded in winning over a girl—and none other than the second princess, no less.

In response, Karina smacked Alistair on the shoulder, one where she didn't hold back her strength. Of course, being a mage, she probably didn't have many points in that stat.

"You don't get it. Even if he wins, he won't get any XP. That's not fighting for fighting's sake, but for a higher cause," she declared.

"It's not that big a deal, Karina," Darius clarified, though he was delighted that the young woman was looking at him more favorably. "Ronan is my friend, a great friend, and I refuse to listen to two idiots insinuating that he's the next demon king. Absurd."

"That's very true," Lily commented, "because once a rumor starts, it tends to spread like wildfire. You did the right thing stopping it like this. If you win the duels, no one else will have the courage to say it in public or they'll find themselves facing your gauntlet."

"By the way, there's not much time left before the ball ends. Shouldn't you go change or something?" Alistair asked him. "It'd be a shame if you tore up that formal outfit you're wearing."

"I don't think my opponent can change, so no. Equal conditions."

"Suit yourself."

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Shortly after, they accompanied Darius to the academy's outdoor area where they held many of their combat classes. There, they waited for his opponent to arrive. On the stone benches along one side of the hardened dirt clearing, other nobles began to take seats. They'd come to watch the duel. Spheres of light glowed overhead, illuminating areas the long permanent wooden torches stuck in the ground couldn't reach.

The orbs had been cast by the light magic professor who was going to oversee the duel. That role usually fell to the healer, but apparently he was busy in the infirmary. According to what the professor had told Darius when he asked while they waited for the others, there was an injured student requiring his services. He didn't say who, and Darius didn't want to ask, though Lily looked somewhat disappointed.

Gradually, more spectators arrived. From the royalty, only the princess was there—something Darius appreciated, since he didn't like being on display. He was surprised, though, that neither Bianca nor Vincent had come. He had already figured as much about Ronan, since Bianca had told them he'd had to leave for reasons even she didn't even know herself.

He hoped Ronan was all right.

As for the duel, it was going to be quick. Holloway was lower level than him and wasn't exactly famous for his combat prowess. He of all people should have least dared to speak ill of his friend.

When the baron finally arrived, he looked nervous. Like Darius, he'd removed his dress coat and vest, leaving just his shirtsleeves.

Both opponents greeted each other and walked to the center of the clearing. A guard officer, the one overseeing the duel, established the rules. Since Baron Holloway hadn't come prepared and didn't have his sword on hand, they decided it would be fists or magic only. And first blood, at that.

Perhaps the baron thought that fighting without weapons would put Darius at a disadvantage, since he was a warrior with solid mastery in greatsword use. However, Darius was calm because, though at a lower level, he also had mastery in unarmed hand-to-hand combat. With a single punch, he could probably knock his opponent out of the fight.

"Are you ready? The duel begins in three, two, one, go!" the officer declared from the edge of the clearing.

Holloway and Darius stood at opposite ends, separated by about fifteen meters. As soon as the officer finished the countdown, the baron began casting a splash spell.

Darius, who knew it both from Theodore and from magic theory class, knew it was a short-range spell that cast quickly. It seemed like a good choice if he intended to hit him point-blank. He'd definitely finish it before Darius could close the distance between them. With that in mind, the warrior quickly devised his strategy: he'd charge at his opponent, feinting an attack from the right.

The baron couldn't help but show a pleased expression when he saw him break into a run. Calculating his speed, he waited for the right moment to pronounce the final word—the one that released the spell—so the student would take the splash point-blank.

However, Darius feinted right and threw himself backward at the last instant, moving out of the spell's range, then pivoted to attack his rival from the left. While the water scattered through the air, he approached the baron from the other side and landed a resounding punch to his cheek. Very hard. His calloused knuckles sank into the mage's flesh. The blow knocked him off balance and pushed him toward his own spell. Luckily for him, it also interrupted it, so he didn't take any splash damage. It was just the punch that left him sprawled on the ground and unconscious.

For a moment, Darius panicked—he hadn't meant to kill him. Had it been a critical hit? Or did Holloway have even less constitution than he appeared to possess?

He immediately realized he was breathing, which relieved him enormously.

"He's unconscious," the officer testified after approaching to check. "The winner is Darius Veylore, defender of the honor and innocence of Ronan Velbrun. The loser must pay the winner 20 gold coins for his offenses."

Lily started clapping and whistling, congratulating him. A few other students who'd come to watch the duel did the same. The baron's relatives didn't look too pleased.

Meanwhile, the academy's healer approached to cast a healing spell on the injured man, and when he still didn't wake up, asked that he be taken to the infirmary.

"Congratulations," Alistair patted Darius on the back, having gotten up from the benches and approached along with his two friends.

"You're not just a brute. I like that," Karina blurted out, catching him off guard.

What was that about? She'd already seen him fight in the dungeon, and he always fought smart. Sure, he'd charge enthusiastically alongside Alistair against the enemy, but only because Vincent told them to, and besides, they knew they could defeat those creatures without getting seriously hurt.

In any case, he couldn't help but puff out his chest, proud. It was nice that the pretty redhead, who was always so sincere, would say that to him.

Maybe if at the next ball he asked her to go with him again, she'd accept?

Well, this duel had been quick and easy. The next one, thanks to Venomcrusher, he hoped would be another resounding victory. His friend's honor, even if he was a necromancer instead of a warrior, was important.

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