The carriage ride wasn't as pleasant as Ein thought. The vibrations from the small pebbles as the wheels rolled over them were directly transferred to his rear. In just a few hours of riding, his butt-cheeks were already starting to get numb.
Unlike Ein, who was about to give up, Sophia, Nayta, and Melina were seemingly unperturbed. Sophia should be used to riding carriages, so it was no wonder she was still fine, but it was a surprise that the two elves were still okay.
"Please excuse me for a moment," Ein suddenly said before jumping out of the running carriage through the small window.
"Wha-?!" the three girls shouted in surprise.
When they peeked out the same window, Ein was leisurely running along with the carriage. He wasn't injured in any way, so it was safe to say that he landed on his feet despite the carriage moving at quite a fast pace.
'My butt really did get numb from all that vibration,' Ein contemplated as he ran.
Looking toward the wheels, he noticed that they were made of wood and had no suspension, so to speak, installed anywhere. He was finally convinced about why the ride wasn't pleasant.
'When we return, I'll ask the dwarves to recreate suspensions for carriages.' Ein planned for the next time he was to ride a carriage.
The whole morning, Ein continued running beside their carriage. Not once did he get tired and rest inside the carriage. When noon was nearing, the caravan stopped and prepared lunch.
As they were outside, no fancy food was available. Even Sophia herself was eating plain soup and bread with her guards and the others. Ein, who didn't really need to eat, volunteered to keep watch while the others dined. Just looking at the soup, Ein was unwilling to force himself to eat it.
Ein didn't bring any food either. Although he could survive without eating anything, the others would worry for him when nobody saw him eating.
Ein stayed atop the middle carriage and scanned the surroundings. There are no monsters or animals around. The large group probably scared them away, as only the faint sound of insects remained.
Ein noticed some weird movements and turned his head, only to see 12 of the 24 paladins heading towards him. Looking around, he saw the other 12 were spaced out equally, as if to encircle Ein.
Sir Gawain, the one leading the other 11 paladins, approached Ein's location with a steady and determined gait. Ein jumped down from the roof, looking straight at Sir Gawain as if to gauge the reason why they pulled off such a stunt.
When they reached about ten steps away, they stood still. Only Sir Gawain went forward a couple of steps.
"Adventurer Rain! I, Sir Benedict Gawain of the Church of Purity, hereby declare that you are a dangerous being. You shall die! Resistance is futile!"
As soon as he declared so, the ground beneath Ein's feet burst with a bright light. Ein squinted his eyes in displeasure. This same scene happened to him about a week before. Of course, he didn't want to fall for the same trick.
Ein touched one of his rings, and in an instant, the magical barrier that was holding Ein in place vanished like smoke.
"I-Impossible!" One of the 11 paladins behind Sir Gawain shouted in disbelief. "The barrier should've immobilized you!"
Sir Gawain, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. His subordinates didn't know just how strong Ein was. Now that his trump card, the weakening barrier, was rendered useless, they had no other way to stop what was happening next.
"..."
Ein scanned each of the twelve faces one by one, his face adorned with a deep frown.
"I've firmly remembered your faces. If, by any chance, something bad happened to my companions..." Ein threatened with a fierce glare. "... Consider you and your family's lives forfeit."
After saying so, Ein walked away. He then moved towards a different carriage and once again stood guard on top. The paladins were left speechless on the spot. They thought that he was just spouting bravado; there was no way he could do such an act.
Only Sir Gawain was deeply affected. He knew that if Ein really wanted to, he could waltz towards the Church of Purity itself and decimate all its forces while humming. Eliminating their powerless family members should be as easy as taking candy from a child.
However, Sir Gawain knew that since he had already scorned Ein twice, there was no going back. He was way past the point of no return. He also had his reputation to keep in front of his subordinates. Whether he failed to subdue Ein or not, his life (as a human or as a paladin) was already as good as gone.
Still, he believes that his decision was the correct one. No matter how powerful the enemy is, since it poses a threat to the church, it should be eliminated as soon as possible. If he were to encounter a similar scenario, he would definitely make the same decision.
Thus, he took a step forward.
...
Ein released a deep sigh.
His emotions were so unstable that he almost raised a hand against the paladins of the church. He took deep breaths, trying to calm his rage.
However, before he could calm down, Sir Gawain once again headed toward him. Ein felt his temple beating in pain.
'What's wrong with this guy? Didn't he get my message?' Ein thought angrily.
Sir Gawain continued forward, oblivious to Ein's internal chaos. When he reached talking distance, he shouted.
"Adventurer Rain! I hereby challenge you to a duel! Are you brave enough to accept the challenge?!" Sir Gawain shouted.
Ein felt a headache coming. He felt dizzy. He held his forehead in his arms and answered back.
"And why should I? There's no benefit for me even if I accept it." Ein was no longer hiding his irritation. "If I win, would you keep quiet until the trade ends?"
Hearing his condition, Sir Gawain thought for a moment. Then he nodded.
"I accept. However, if I win, you should accept being brought to the church's headquarters for inquisition!"
Ein tilted his head in wonder. 'Why is he raising his own conditions? Is he confident enough that he could win? Is he looking down on me?' Still, believing that he wouldn't lose to a frontal attack, Ein accepted the condition.
When he jumped down the carriage, Sir Gawain asked Ein to follow him. They headed toward a small clearing near the main road. There, everyone was already forming a circle, waiting for the two.
Nayta and Melina were worriedly looking towards Ein, while Sophia and General Frost wore disgruntled expressions. It's not something that Ein knew, but a duel is a sacred act. If one ran away from a promise after the duel, they would be treated as criminals and hunted down everywhere.
Sir Gawain set this situation up. Thinking that in front of this many spectators, if he manages to beat Ein, he will have no choice but to accept the inquisition.
Ein, on the other hand, was feeling dissatisfied. Never mind how Sir Gawain acted disrespectfully; conducting their duel where there were many spectators was like saying, "I'll trample you and show everyone here!"
A blue vein was popping on Ein's head. He was almost nearing his limit of anger; he didn't have enough time to regain his composure. At this rate, only God knows what could happen.
When the two duelists entered the center of the crowd, Sir Gawain drew his sword and started explaining the rules of the duel. After hearing it, Ein finally realized why Sir Gawain thought he would win.
"The rules are simple! We would fight with our weapons, fair and square. Magic is forbidden; this includes the use of magic tools! If magic was determined to be used, then he would be deemed cheating and branded as the loser!"
Since Ein looked like a skinny elf with a flimsy sword at his waist, he didn't look that strong. Sir Gawain thought that he was either a magician or a spellcaster and that the sword at his waist was for self-defense only. He firmly believes that as long as he sealed that enormous amount of mana Ein had, he would win 10 out of 10.
Ein, on the other hand, calmed down slightly. The use of magic tools was forbidden. He was using several magic tools constantly for protection and even used the Illusion Orb to fake his appearance. Ein couldn't disable the orb, or else his facade would break. After thinking, he decided to elaborate on the rules.
"For the magic tools part, does it mean anything that brings an advantage to the other party is not permitted?"
"Of course!" Sir Gawain shouted with a grin.
Hearing Ein confirm the rules as if nitpicking, he noticed that he really had a chance at winning. Ein, on the other hand, released a relieved sigh. With that, it means he could keep the Illusion Orb on.
Ein quickly removed the accessories he had on. It had increased in number ever since he set off. He removed about five rings, one bracelet, and one pair of earrings. The only tools he had left were the Illusion Orb and the Mermaid's necklace.
After making sure that he didn't miss anything, he passed the items to Nayta for safekeeping before returning to his position and drawing his sword.
Ein and Sir Gawain were staring at each other. When General Frost confirmed that the two sides were ready, he took a deep breath and shouted.
"Begin!"