"Anne! Is this Mr. McLain?"
Anne had not yet figured out how to comfort Charlotte when she heard an unusually gentle voice.
Two young officers approached side by side.
Both were in their late twenties, looking confident and full of life.
One of the young officers was exceptionally handsome, with short, pure golden hair and emerald-like eyes, with a slightly delicate air, somewhat resembling Anne in appearance.
Charlotte, who had joined the City Guard, had to supplement her knowledge of Old Continent military ranks and recognized the officer's insignia, identifying him as a First Lieutenant, a rank of the 24th grade.
The 24th grade rank was known as an insurmountable level in the Empire. Ordinary citizens, even if they followed all rules and received extra accolades, could never reach this rank.
The other young officer, with a sunny demeanor, was strong and imposing, with black hair and eyes, exuding a natural sense of authority. He held the rank of a Fifth Grade Major, ten ranks higher than Charlotte's own position as a Third-Class Clerk. Without external help, Charlotte would have to work over thirty years to reach such a rank.
Feeling somewhat awkward, Charlotte performed a salute and said, "I am Charlotte McLain, good afternoon, gentlemen."
The young officer who resembled Anne took a step forward and said, "Anne has asked me to assist you in a duel."
"Although I agreed, I have a small request."
"If you can withstand three moves from me, I will help you unconditionally. If not, I will still help, but I would ask you to stay away from Anne in the future."
Anne's expression changed slightly, and she said, "Cousin Clair, I can do without your help."
Clair Brittany smiled slightly and said, "Mr. McLain, what do you think?"
Charlotte took a deep breath and said, "I respect Anne's wishes!"
"But... I personally would very much like to engage in a duel with you, Mr. Brittany, someone of your high rank."
Charlotte knew what he needed to do to "earn points" with the Brittany family. He couldn't let Anne think he was a coward, nor could he back down in front of her cousin, Clair, giving him a bad impression.
Most importantly, dueling Clair would certainly pose no life-threatening danger.
Facing an upcoming duel challenge from the Mustang Society, gaining experience against a skilled opponent would greatly benefit the duel that was soon to come.
Charlotte had never been one to place all his hopes on others.
He was prepared to fight.
Clair raised an eyebrow and said to Anne, "I won't strike too hard."
The Fifth Grade Major next to Clair stepped aside, making room for the duel.
Anne was a bit anxious, but after looking at the two men, she eventually stepped aside.
This was Golgia University, where the warrior spirit was strong in nearly all Old Continent countries. If Charlotte avoided this duel, it wouldn't be long before he was branded a coward.
On the contrary, losing a duel was common and did not harm one's reputation.
She also trusted that her cousin would not strike too hard.
A duel in the university was a major attraction, and soon, dozens of students gathered around, with more arriving.
Clair Brittany and Charlotte stood about ten paces apart, but Clair did not strike immediately. Instead, he leisurely took out a pair of white silk gloves and said, "You don't mind, do you?"
Charlotte shook his head and said, "Not at all!"
As Clair put on the gloves, he said, "I have a slight cleanliness habit and prefer to wear gloves during duels to avoid direct contact with my opponent."
Seeing that Clair had no intention of using a weapon, Charlotte calmly activated his Blood Glory and said, "I just washed my hands before coming here."
Clair smiled and said, "Then, please take my first move!"
Despite his elegant appearance and slightly delicate demeanor, when he moved, he was as fast as a gust of wind. His hands were like blades, striking out dozens of times in an instant, creating a flurry of knife-like shadows.
In the first instant, Charlotte activated his Insight ability. In the second instant, he realized he couldn't keep up with the "hand speed" of this golden-haired young officer and transformed his body into a blood flame in the shortest possible time.
Clair hailed from Hattingen's Thunder and Storm University, a school that produced the most grand knights, whether Thunder Knights or Storm Knights, who represented the pinnacle of knightly traditions in the Old Continent.
Although Sheffield University had Dark Breathing Technique and Black Moon Meditation, the most authentic legacy of the Black Moon Lady was not knighthood but the Dark Moon Sorcerers!
Golgian University, blessed by the Elven God, had the most traditional teachings in astrology and card magic. Anne Brittany had chosen the path of a Dreamwalker, a branch of this extraordinary tradition.
Incidentally, the Cat Elven Magic mastered by Winnie Arsenault also originated from Golgia University.
The blood flame state was immune to most physical attacks, but knights from Hattingen's Thunder and Storm University often had thunder or storm attributes in their battle energy. Charlotte had no intention of directly withstanding Clair's hand strikes but instead kept his "body" as empty as possible, with the blood flame swirling around Clair's stabbing hands like a nimble feather, lightly drifting.
Charlotte fully utilized his two abilities, Insight and Angel's Thorn.
Though Clair was striking barehanded, he was using the authentic knight swordsmanship of Hattingen's Thunder and Storm University.
Relying on his Insight to sense the changes in air currents and the swordsmanship insights from the Angel's Thorn, Charlotte managed to predict his opponent's sword techniques and miraculously survived the onslaught of the seventeen-ranked knight.
Clair was greatly surprised. Though he had indeed held back, he hadn't expected Charlotte to skillfully evade his deadly Thunderstorm Sword Technique.
Switching from a stab to a light palm strike, Clair hit Charlotte, sending him flying dozens of steps back. Ultimately, the gap of more than ten ranks between them was too great. If Clair had taken it seriously, he could have easily defeated Charlotte. However, after pushing Charlotte back, he did not continue the attack, instead removing his gloves and casually using his battle energy to disintegrate them into dust. He then asked, "Did you choose Blood Glory at the university?"
Charlotte returned to his human form, his face somewhat pale. Clair was indeed a formidable seventeen-ranked grand knight. Although Charlotte had managed to dodge his thrusts with Insight and Angel's Thorn, it was like dancing on the edge of a knife. His Blood Flame Transformation was still affected by Clair's battle energy, causing slight injuries.
"If we met on the battlefield, my Insight would be almost useless. Even if I could predict my opponent's moves, I wouldn't be able to counter them. Although Angel's Thorn contains the intricate sword techniques of the Asilo family, my rank is too low..."
Charlotte took a deep breath, letting the Blood Glory slowly circulate, trying to expel the lingering battle energy from his body, and replied, "Yes, I chose Blood Glory."
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