"You have something else in mind for them, don't you?"
Not long after I had answered whether I was alright or not, another question was asked again.
And this one was rather an assumption rather than an inquiry.
The funny thing was that he had already answered himself.
Just as he said, I had something else in mind.
"Mmh. Yes. Rather than killing them, I have something better in mind."
"What?"
"What is it?"
"What will it be?"
When I gave a calm answer, questions once again sprang up from all sides.
The various voices made me shake my head.
Goodness me, it's so loud.
Instead of looking at any one of them, I stared into the air.
"Towards people like that who spit with their mouths, naturally, they need to be taught a lesson on just how scary words actually are."
In fact, the matter of Cassion's test had also been solved here.
'Whoever it is, then you're even lower than the ground beneath my hand, he said?'
In that case, sure.
Whoever's the opponent, I'll surely crush you to the ground with my own two hands.
Then please, it would be great if you could remember what's been uttered by your flapping lips so that you can keep your word.
* * *
'Why the hell did the Young Duke call for me?'
Currently, David was on his way to the central mansion because he was called by Damian, the young duke.
It's the first time that he's entering the duchy's central mansion. Everywhere he looked, he couldn't stop admiring what he saw.
'Just how much money does the Duchy have?'
Of course, if he just looked at the size of the training hall and the expansive plot of land situated at the mountainside where the ducal residence stood, it's obvious that they had a whole lot of money, but…
The masters of the household versus the atmosphere of the place where they're staying were two separate things.
Something like the feeling of pressure in the atmosphere.
David was a member of the Valheim Viscounty, a family that had enough wealth, but no fief.
He never had to worry about money for all his life, however the life he lived was by no means luxurious.
But if he were to compare this ducal household to his own family house, then his home definitely felt like a cheap shed.
His light brown eyes were shadowed by greed and envy.
Ha, he was also a member of House Valentine as part of the branch family, but what's with this difference…
'A criminal's daughter lives in a place like this, while someone like me who's a legitimate member of House Valentine is just living in a place like that?'
It occurred to him that the world truly was unfair.
'Yeah, of course the world is unfair.'
Wasn't the letter that he received earlier this morning proof enough?
David's lips contorted as he recalled what happened.
Earlier today.
He received a letter that his family had sent. The content of the letter was, as usual, filled with greetings and messages of encouragement.
'Be sure to uphold the pride of the Valheim family there as well. Besides that, once you become a valiant knight and get recognized by House Valentine, this will be of great help to our family, too. So, work hard. —Viltor Valheim.'
Yeah, it was fine up until that point.
It's just that the sender was the one that got on his nerves.
Viltor Valheim.
He was David's older brother. At the same time, he was the firstborn son and the heir to the Valheim family.
David loathed his brother who was the heir because he had always been compared to him since his birth.
No matter what it was that he did, he couldn't beat his brother, who was always superior to him, so David ran away and went to the knights' academy.
However, his pent-up emotions couldn't get resolved in that place either.
Humiliation, disgrace.
Whatever he did, in the end there was a sense of inferiority that he would just be overshadowed by his older brother.
These negative emotions gradually festered within him, and he relieved his wrath by taking it out on those who were weaker.
Even though he couldn't beat his damn older brother, there were still a lot of other people who were beneath him.
If he just messed around with them a few times, they'd shed tears, apologize profusely, crawl on the ground and grovel to him.
Whenever that happened, he would be inundated with such thrill that it felt like he'd become a king.
After his tyrannous stint at the academy, he was lucky enough to pass the test to enter the knighthood of House Valentine.
Because, in his own way, he had pretty good swordsmanship skills.
His father was overjoyed. His mother was the same.
All the people who constantly disapproved of him were so joyful that to David, it felt like he finally knocked his older brother down a peg.
The ultimate goal was to take over the successorship from his brother.
After being recognized in House Valentine's knight order, he'd be one step ahead of his brother and he'd be able to take away the successorship like that.
But then, this letter.
Why did it feel like he's acting as the household head who's encouraging a subordinate?
Their father always mentioned the words 'pride of the Valheim family', that's how it was, but…
Hearing the same words from his older brother made his blood boil to the fullest.
He was so enraged that he was huffing out, but then he promptly received notice that the young duke was looking for him.
After his recollection of that morning, his hands clenched into fists.
The crooked line that was his mouth became tense with anger.
Crack, crack. When he turned his head, the joints of his neck cracked loudly.
As a result, he arrived at the drawing room with a violent air to him.
The maid who guided him there disappeared quickly after saying only, 'The Young Duke will be arriving in just a moment.'
David looked skittishly around the drawing room.
Up until now, he was filled to the brim with rage, but when it dawned on him that he really was here to talk to the young duke, he then grew nervous.
'Just what the hell did you call me here for?'
He tapped the armrest of the chair he was sitting in as he thought hard about it.
But no matter how much he contemplated, he couldn't think of a good enough answer.
Ah, maybe.
It could be about the monthly evaluation of House Valentine's knights.
After deliberations, it was usually during the first month of the following year that the knights would be reshuffled. However, the fourth order was an exception to this.
The fourth order were also required to take monthly evaluations, but they wouldn't be able to relocate to another order because the fourth order was a mandatory stage for all knights.
Instead, their evaluations would be compiled over a three-year period, and they would be officially knighted and assigned to their new order during the first month of the following year.
However, there were rumors going around that the required training period would be reduced for those who had outstanding talent.
They wouldn't need to go through those three years and would be deployed earlier than the others.
'I knew it, I'm one of those, right?'
A silly grin appeared on David's face.
Because in his own opinion, this guess seemed entirely plausible.
Ever since his seniors had been relocated to other knight orders last time during the first month of this year, David remained to be at the top of every evaluation report.
It was the result of the talent he was born with, and also the fruit of his labor.
Yes, his labor.
Whenever it looked like he was about to lose the top spot, he would order his underlings to drug the meals of whoever talented person there was.
It wasn't to poison them, it's just to give them a little stomach ache.
However, a stomach ache on the day of a match would deal a huge blow to someone.
Of course, the drug would make it so that the person wouldn't be able to display the full extent of their skills, and so David simply won those matches.
That was his secret to staying at the top all this time.
This process, in a way, superficially showcased his excellence.
That's why it's only natural that he'd be able to get an early promotion.
Daydreaming sweetly by himself, David let out a quiet chuckle.
However, a few minutes later.
Damian, who appeared at a leisurely pace, relayed a completely different message from what David was expecting.
"Sir David, you will be Maxwell's opponent."
"Pardon? That, what…"
With his eyes as wide as saucers, David asked in return after hearing Damian's words.
Questioning one's master was something that a knight shouldn't be doing, but instead of berating David for his blunder, Damian graciously explained.
"Maxwell, the temporary escort knight of Ducal Princess Rosetta. You've been chosen to be his opponent to determine whether or not he's truly qualified for the post."
Well, David had no way of knowing if the young duke really was being gracious, but.
David kept his mouth shut.
That can't be, this is such a huge disgrace.
There were so many things he wanted to say, but there was nothing that he could actually say.
He just nodded and said yes.
He clenched his fist beneath the table.
He didn't even notice with what kind of gaze Damian was looking at him from across the table.
That golden gaze observed the man coldly.
David thought that it wasn't obvious, but the way his body trembled was obvious to him.
Besides that, his emotions as well.
'You must be displeased.'
And the reason for this was simple.
It would be unpleasant to be pointed out as the opponent of someone who hadn't even properly trained in the discipline of swordsmanship.
But no matter who he would face in a duel, it was necessary for a knight to always take it seriously.
Regardless of each other's positions, it was imperative to respect the other person as they were also doing their best.
But this 'David' wasn't that kind of man. In fact, his attitude towards respect was terrible.
However, Damian did not point out how lacking David was when it came to respect.
To be more precise, he did not feel the need to do so.
Feeling respect for one's opponent before a match.
This was also something that could lead to nervousness.
It would be normal for someone who wasn't nervous to trip over their own feet.
Then, who would be blamed for that?
Damian's straight eyebrows twitched slightly.
* * *
They talked no further.
After going over what's only necessary, Damian said to David, 'You may return now,' then left first.
David sat in that same spot for a long while, shaking as he fumed, then he left the drawing room.
He felt so damn shitty.
He had been chosen to be the opponent of that street rat.
As he was overwhelmed by that noble golden gaze, he couldn't even utter one word of complaint.
The way he shuddered like a fool and ran away was outrageous, and this made him angry.
'Nothing's going my way. Nothing!'
That letter from this morning was sent to him like that, and nothing good's happening to him either.
As he marched out of the central mansion, he crossed the garden to get to the training grounds.
He had the urge to skip today's training and just drink alcohol, but if he did that, then his evaluation would be shot.
He struggled all this time to stay at the top, so he mustn't damage that record.
"Goddamn fucker. Everything's all that street rat's fault."
The anger blazing inside him looked for a target to burn, and the most vulnerable person he could think of was that guy.
He'd be able to get revenge through that easy prey and even criticize him to his face.
By nature, wasn't it that this was how he rationalized his emotions?
While marching forward with all his might, David soon ran into someone.
Because his eyes were so tinged with his wrath, he didn't see the other person standing in his way.
"This shi…"
He rubbed his chest as that's where the other person bumped straight into. However, as his lips were about to let out a curse word, he soon shut up when he realized who it was standing before him.
"Ahh…"
Groaning quietly while holding her forehead in one hand, it was the Princess of Valentine.
Rosetta Valentine.