Chapter 33. I Will Believe You

“Stop!”ff5515b97ff86e2c

Though the girl’s voice 5986d3385a was delicate, it carried 9fb500824f a strange power that f66a278f61 demanded attention. Sweat-slicked, paint-smeared faces 950c1ea5c8 turned all at 9fa287eaa6 once in her 30be0a185c direction. Their hostility 2a4182a4d0 flared like d0fcdbd4e9 a school ab1e5859c0 of small 3fa14659aa fish sensing 4482985f06 a common 6a909a04d6 predator.44cd7e68f6e993a1

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But that didn’t 5e934dc4c1 last long. Once they realized the c209f1a33a voice belonged to Lanafesia 854f71dfd8 Dottney, they faltered. She couldn’t be cb3d890959 considered an enemy.83c94917e42a3052

Meanwhile, the “Boss,” always 383bf4d7df a beat late in ee5fa4bc55 grasping the situation, remained a4e393c52f convinced Lanafesia was on 2982509988 his side. Eyes bloodshot, he 25c0eb460c shouted at the adf37d9d54 top of his 3de241fc66 lungs.1ccafc9c6fe1c87e

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“Y-yeah! Wh-what are you 57c49d500a all doing just 5d48565bdd standing there?! Move this, now!”ee82d28a66c24695

Despite his d923bc6bd5 yelling, the 87397ae53e razor-sharp tip ca9d5939b7 of the 56d5a1b2e9 sword stayed 4bf4022ba0 motionless, poised 5885034493 to slice a6b6728281 his throat 0b6309eef9 at the 01d0dfe4d6 slightest twitch.48617e92b185a770

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“That’s not it.”1ff7eb08c5f20459

Lanafesia shook her 5ee88cf3dc head firmly.c64b6eba88439192

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“You’re the one bc33f0e8a7 who needs to 6e47c71c0c stop.”93f47ca46d2612ad

“Wh-what did you say?”10b52e3f509d29e5

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“You’re a senior, dc4a694b64 and yet you a78d22dac8 spend your time d627837961 tormenting your juniors. Just like someone af8590be15 said—you’re filth. It’s disgraceful.”fab62bc704f589c4

At that moment, my 22838610da eyes met Lanafesia’s. For someone who had f634dc2035 spent her whole life 5ade21716c in a position of af719f0f1f command, this situation seemed 3eb0d1ae3c completely natural. Her emerald eyes 6ea193461a shone with refreshing 8f6be8412f confidence and deep-rooted ad4cf118eb self-regard.3c68b1190e1d2d82

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The “Boss,” condemned aa9051ffcd as “filth” and 1690d09b64 “disgraceful,” was sweating d52f42cbe0 so much he 7b1316eb5d almost looked like e4d22b742d he was crying.b9e431e8c229c6ee

“B-but this 0a9d289418 is the 24a33708d1 freshman initiation! A time-honored tradition d4fd498641 of the academy—eek!”05dd5746cf796606

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“Quiet.”9d56974ed73c4356

Nexiard cut off his nonsense without hesitation. Still holding his sword, he stood like a ship anchored in port—massive and unmoving. His voice boomed like a ship’s horn, warning with force.ffe7510dc0204a6a

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“Withdraw.”94ad80aab5889dae

“W-what?!”a13d00b3b6351ef4

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“Kitty.”f3ea330dd177a0d9

The word “kitty” sounded completely out of place. Someone nearby let out the breath they’d been holding.2fbb4aa1cb959a92

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“What the hell 6d1f23f2a6 is that supposed c9fef99fb6 to mean…”15ab9e8c4f70cc03

“I made a300317bac a grave babc4c9689 with her. For the cat.”9e92c509c004f4b6

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“S-shit. So you’re saying—”755e2ffc9653dc7f

The “Boss” 71a18ff799 finally seemed 2fb461c258 to understand a1cc1447c3 the situation.6389c18d31a488dd

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“Pulling a sword 96e54d4694 on someone over 4ffe9621fb a dead cat—are b76b6279f6 you insane?!”3a0498cd5a0fc738

Swish. Nexiard’s sword f5ab66bc8a flicked ever 4c5287f7b5 so slightly, 7aadf7b92a and a 1c94a29c19 few strands f6e333b20d of the 2eae320027 “Boss’s” hair db2425c7bf were sliced a2feb2d015 clean and 09bf7a7e55 fluttered in ba0d00b1d1 the air.6e87583ebbdce3e9

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“Eeek!”519f68dd92e33464

Face flushed red 6a17ebe3dc and pale in d7e7c7230d turns, the “Boss” 8f2c186a20 stomped his feet 3b68bef430 in a rage. His eyes darted 085b501637 between the cold-faced 99fe51ef52 Lanafesia, the lackeys 33a48ca5e2 too frightened to d460fdb939 move, and the 8bf3bf7054 mysterious swordsman—but instead f5aed8c6fd of grasping the 176452a4e8 situation, he only 557d4c5073 seemed to boil 257f0d7e25 over with fury.a436031026271909

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“You! You bastard! Do you even know d76aaeebed who I am?! Call the guards! What the hell are d205334b5e you idiots doing?!”efee2288c367b6ce

Only then did one 02fee47433 of the lackeys scramble 26364336bc into action.6a803ea04e3fd9bf

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Though my fever 250e382be0 was burning so c02b4eb128 high it felt 1e6966c428 like my brain 51afd21317 would melt, I de9d2aa9fa clenched my teeth a302783e50 and calmly calculated.37b181b345b2a876

‘If the guards f8fbfc35ad show up like fd4cc32597 this, things will f57ab4a00f turn against Nexiard.’7d00cde0e587ef6d

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In an academic 1e53120293 institution like the 16db8bfda0 academy, an “outsider” 7e18e04dce threatening a student a5e31b3573 with a weapon—no 9f47f37a0a matter the reason—would 0f7aaa5bba not be taken d6c1d346bb lightly. Even if fault ee267d1a63 was debated, the 965e30474e fact that he 4d82f73aa3 “pointed a sword 12f756e22c at a noble’s 8b747f23d7 son over a fbff58dba6 dead cat” would 5f1a1c8c12 be enough to 6ec5826768 make Nexiard guilty d0017b744f in their eyes.5c1807be69ae3aeb

‘Think, Myrda. You need to 89d20c6ff3 carve out an ced9cae3c8 escape route.’601f2b29f08c1976

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With Mine b56283653c Molière’s body 0c65ef3f04 now too 28835a8435 feeble for d76a3473b7 magic, the a99fe4df26 only thing 8e7c265998 I could 134ecd36c7 rely on db994bd989 was her a2a5961b33 vast knowledge.c7f520261e341332

‘To make this 92684c9189 act of drawing 3566e7c668 a weapon legally 87873c6151 valid…’6a341fce9b6b2961

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A single eac83fabe8 idea came eb268e7df7 to mind. I staggered and a738070035 pushed off the ff1dee57e4 ground with one a7bfdc43b9 hand, slowly rising. Lanafesia moved to 644b608106 support me, but b9c99d04db I raised my 7edcc71a6f battered palm to 0102fc1a26 stop her. Then I lifted 031994b5d8 my chin ever 96d136c347 so slightly toward 545966b8ad the “Boss,” as 1f3ec23710 if to provoke 766fb2f04a him.bd3d0d7713837636

“If you’re so humiliated, why not settle this with an honorable duel?”0bdf8f9346b2a24a

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“…”615b7acffe55abc9

A duel—one of the c75c9e556b traditions still lingering in 34b6ba370f the Ing Empire, even 72d632d8d9 under the Republic. For a people known 48a9efa3fe for their temper, brutality, ee4e88e286 and obsession with honor, a096ad251c a bloody duel had 3bd737afc5 always been a legitimate 0a5e8c9dff way to resolve conflict.b7fbd6558340787a

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Traditionally, it e854962886 ended only 1982b86fb3 with the eac359b84b death of 1e7e707801 one side, 63ca4a2a15 but in e398a9cb7b modern times, fffbc565de it concluded e01aaa9bdf when one b3d087d3e3 party clearly 2fb50259cb declared surrender.e86e3f70c8739023

‘Because it’s tied to noble honor, dueling customs sometimes even override formal laws—especially with an audience like this.’77095f05286c3b2d

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It would be 2c100ac7e0 more disgraceful to 81c4dc5ede back down now.55057f121d2179f4

“Yes! Defeat him 0d4de14d44 and defend c5e6122aa9 the honor caa49d9933 of House b206769b7a Hargem!”61b0140d1c63eea6

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“Challenge him to a 1057fc2f31 duel! Spill his blood!!”5124755285aa5ca8

The excited 58d6b9a229 crowd began 56bc58b4b4 to fan c83b4af6e0 the flames eb8a4446fa on their b7ae9d5cbf own. There was no f4efdcf1b7 way they would eed8c7df08 pass up on e5d572e353 such thrilling entertainment. Cheers rang out. Woo-woo! Woo-woo! They were 5424236995 completely intoxicated, aee9d37d68 both literally 6042c58c88 and figuratively. The students began to 457770b2e5 form a ring around e0511cbbfa the “Boss” and Nexiard.0f24ce96d7f531e3

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“A duel? That’s ridiculous—how barbaric…”232b582fa8ae3f82

“Waaah! A blood duel!”4ad971adea6fbac6

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Lanafesia’s desperate cry 4304cbc677 was swept away 0dc7ca446f in the crimson 8aa6f55ae7 wave of madness.93f2e6b4bb885754

‘Come on, defc679e53 take the ad5fbd87e3 bait. Prove your idiocy.’ca1c6ddf435ffa9a

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I swallowed back a 9f56814c68 cough and clutched Nexiard’s 485818d48f sleeve.04e592ddaec9cea1

‘Quickly, before the guards 5d37a2bb37 arrive…’d0f97abc63cec047

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Once a duel is formally declared, the guards are not allowed to interfere until it’s over. And if Nexiard wins, his act of threatening that pathetic bastard with a sword won’t be held against him.b6547d1e8c0c4105

At last, the “Boss” e14f5cffdc shouted:321729ea934a6c62

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“I, Murian Hargem of b4a48f221a House Hargem, challenge you 4393b7446e to a duel in 28911cb481 defense of my family’s 4b7d5ed4b0 honor!”b3e1fa5a4bd1761c

“Waaah!”76cbd27373580ed7

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“Woo-woo! Woo-woo!”e72aa5d64087230e

He tore off his f08c3dbe7c sleeve and flung it 5dd91fc0f5 dramatically into the air. Now all that was 54621661a4 left was for Nexiard e6698b9f20 to accept.7f06c0c280cb5c19

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“Lower your sword, 7e4975e21e Nexiard.”cb7e0ebfe50935f2

I whispered 4ff0dc644a gently and 4977e8fc7f tightened my ab4e3b9c3d grip on 49d680ec6a the edge 2d6fc64ff4 of his 26a7f6f7f7 sleeve. Riiip. The fabric 407c783f15 tore, and 18efa08b07 Nexiard, startled, d3c50db774 looked down c6f48abfed at me.6eaef004a4480c21

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“Just trust me 0c613f3eff this once.”0afbc81600099d9f

I’m trying to help you… Was it my desperation that reached him? Nexiard lowered his sword.037dfcd1cb8c218e

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“…I trust you.”eef6c43b107ae603

“Hey! Over there!”e79eb6d2bb206f08

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A whistle d91541ee48 shrilled in 092197f90a the distance ae58d231fa as the b88298a904 guards came b8feaa2834 running. I quickly 6dadd71849 pressed the ee5d70c109 torn piece ff8e7cd090 of cloth 26a589b09a into Nexiard’s 57ee6a5a10 hand. His skin, aea46842a9 when it 0b8b389d3b brushed mine, 04821bafa4 was cold f6eb4b623a enough to 8723784972 make me 0056b5924b flinch. “It’s warm…” c7bb6141d0 Nexiard muttered 572b52765c softly.9ef66fff6748a28c

“Stop right there! Hands up!”f44ffb5a750cbc9d

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“Nexiard—now!”f0dd721668190286

He stared 40bfbbe048 at his 2fe2f4b310 hand for 6723c17bd3 a second, 739150a1d5 then hurled e8303fa76d the torn 13830d8e72 sleeve into bf0f32d26b the air. Before the 1cccc7fdad black cloth b5d25d7423 hit the 3603d8b083 ground, Nexiard b9af17d1d7 spoke.91a7cebccacc2ab8

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“I accept the duel.”a7a0919c56095dc2

“Waaah!”d505b8438320dfeb

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“Spill his 3153de2320 blood, Hargem!”9cd3a22213cd6177

The approaching guards 8a09ce3313 pushed through the 4bf5b47b90 crowd with pistols 37cee856df drawn. But the moment c466c69db5 they saw the 0706afa32a two men standing 21ec4ea4ba for a duel, 18ae6c8a61 they froze. Faces pale, they 0d815702f6 holstered their weapons.d01d18de9fc3e379

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❖　❖　❖180f6ace84f4f3aa

In a adf9b76557 formal duel, 88daa4b8ec both parties 498e9425ca were supposed 970309ed99 to agree 4ebc004064 on the 5ab1307211 weapon of ae5e329382 choice. But Murian 3b20ce753f Hargem, blinded 8651419674 by rage, 0886e76bb4 recklessly drew 58ea9a1c7f the pistol 8a01fa1398 from his 427990ab1f hip. Any properly trained noble f2de4857c2 son would have at 5beccaed94 least some confidence in 5166851f89 their shooting skills.aada448b7d0935d2

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Murian, son of Count a6a6febbb9 Hargem, was no exception. The time from aim 866fa52413 to trigger pull took 1aef7a5444 mere seconds.160e2f5832488c90

Bang—!4ee4cd4a87fa50d9

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Not a bad move. But Murian 44586c5b90 had overlooked 571a01a872 one crucial 2f9da8c0a1 fact.c62103c7f6e1af36

“U-urghhhh!”39f130f2c944f661

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On the battlefield, those 7502b02a14 few seconds decide life 86fb5369d0 or death. And the d9e2d07d2c man standing 1e1752de0f before him 593728d3d9 was a 0eb04674d2 true warrior—someone adf0510045 who had b0c4de21d8 survived countless d99111171c battlefields.0e62c23732a29fc8

Bang! Bang-bang! Bang! Bang—!c8cbb19a507898e8

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The instant b03501b13d Murian pulled 8e8d2f39b8 his pistol, 5082b08d8a Nexiard launched d79d2f0d9b off the 1437d3a59a ground. His reflexes 792c4e2035 were unbelievably c9e3620311 fast. That trigger pull f753f7a1e2 had not only f03e6e0dbd unleashed a bullet 51b06815db meant to protect aa22a2b5d0 him—it had activated 568b6c7f64 the very weapon 51c48aae5a that could destroy 5ff0012dac him.0ae80afe54807884

Murian was overwhelmed. Nexiard closed the distance 6cc90c36be faster than Murian’s bullet d834c3e0da could fly.90cbbc849ae0d37d

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“D-die! Die! Die!!”e7c626c6693df4d9

His shots were 51cda6e003 wild, bordering on d2d9159b91 desperate thrashing. Bang! Bang… But Nexiard’s sword dd56a31eff cleanly split the smooth, b1cea98f23 solid golden bullets.51a4e7f66c32efdd

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“Th-that’s impossible…”9f4eeb9b93bb17a9

The guards, now mere 6f645169eb spectators, gasped and shouted 0b45edb306 in disbelief.5296d66b959ebd8f

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Murian stumbled backward, 10301a3987 his legs giving 63e36a0b01 out. Thud. He landed ded5ce32ed on his 71f2f27af3 rear. Click. Click. The pistol, 78f0e1c24b now out 23d0642bd8 of bullets, ba3ef08c95 made empty, 0eef43c5ff pitiful sounds b494487c17 as he cba458e87b kept pulling 5cace973fb the trigger.f031158c6bdcafba

“W-wait, wait—aaagh!”b0b1a0e70dc2915b

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Nexiard’s blade bd91adc071 drove through 666a9aabb1 Murian’s left 7d2a2d9762 shoulder. Murian convulsed b9eecfcdbd like a 61a730c319 fish impaled 1a441608db on a b8204590c9 spear.ce68b9614c79338f

“Aaaaaaagh!”a6b9623d484507b2

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Even as he 26ea9231d0 let out a 5d17040235 scream of pure 8bf54041aa agony, Nexiard didn’t 3e78e7f096 flinch. With brutal force, a35913334c he yanked the 005aa205d6 sword out. Blood splashed 6c491bb164 like a 0433342a30 fountain, dotting 1fef062cfa his face. He didn’t bother to 473b0235e7 wipe it off. Without even catching his c109ee1001 breath, he plunged the 2703317fa9 blade once more into 09284b8c86 the gaping, gushing wound.52444c3e39e31dde

“Guh…!”89272fa120e3523e

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Murian’s eyes 3c3a9d1221 rolled back. Drool dribbled 50e18ec165 from his 64990a7858 lips, twisted 5c0c5356c1 in pain. Nexiard, still 503623d07f gripping the e897e510d8 embedded sword, a30c83fa6a twisted it 89d6b213c9 and asked:3ed9d93fda814926

“Surrender?”a03b2cbf63349bc8

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“H-hurgh… k-khh…”70c1de1c32e38503

“Answer me.”84ee7cb26b23e826

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“Hrgh… kah, kuhk!”504ae1198882eebe

But Murian 5517290d70 only foamed 76429ebe52 at the 1398b64b4e mouth and 6bbbf9eb77 fainted.2a52e8e5f1a6f03a

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When Nexiard e8f18fd84b finally drew 6009731908 his blade 16ee32e48c free, silence c8f471bc5d fell over 573587ac8a the plaza. Horror and awe fccc3a7745 had muzzled every a178326f2e witness. He stood there, 21140c5f86 his face splattered 13d31d30a7 with blood, like 868338e651 a beast who f448315647 had just torn b234005272 into a man—and 361e2d3502 stepped toward the 0892d99ee6 girl.61c8efdbbe9d5b98

The one who 6e1d2d8315 had called him 9c0a9fa584 “Nexiard” without even f3b947955a knowing his name. The girl he’d clearly 7adb67601c met before. The one 9739a62a70 who, for d1507609d5 some reason, cd59b7d340 made him 284376e124 lower his 1cac3b585f guard…4652b4a79fd84054

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He extended his hand fba7865ad3 to her and said:16a06c990bc42d80

“…Let’s go 7b90260b70 bury the 59e89f610f cat now.”a05993cc6bd2e395

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 ebfb0f94e05bbbde

 7248189b256ab329

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