Outside the duel arena.
"Sir Ahtal, please wait!" An anxious voice called out; Xi Mu turned around to see Norma hurrying over.
Compared to her previous destitution, she now not only dressed lavishly but also wore a very confident expression, obviously due to the confidence boost from having made money.
Money can indeed change a person remarkably.
"What is it?" Xi Mu calmly asked, only to see Norma pulling out a letter from her purse, but hesitating to hand it over when she saw Letixia being held by Xi Mu.
Now it seemed inappropriate to take out the letter.
Norma's eyes flickered with conflict, having been too anxious to fulfill her agreement with Miss Anastasia and chosen an improper moment.
Letixia also noticed the dilemma of the woman in front of her and, with her intelligent mind, immediately understood.
"Please don't mind us. Sir Ahtal and I aren't in the relationship you think; he's only carrying me because I'm incapacitated," she explained.
Having said this, she even showed Norma her wrist injury.
"I see," Norma said with a look of realization, though she didn't believe a word Letixia said.
She explained to Letixia,
"This was entrusted to me by a friend, to give to Sir Ahtal as a farewell letter, and it is not a love letter."
It was indeed no lie; the letter was not from Miss Anastasia as a love letter, but it did record her whereabouts and included some words of gratitude towards Ahtal.
However, whether there were other thoughts and feelings in it, Norma hadn't read the letter's contents and had no understanding of them.
Moreover, even if there were other feelings, they couldn't possibly compete with the young woman Ahtal was holding, whether in terms of looks or demeanor.
"Is that so?" Letixia nodded slightly, then averted her gaze, not wanting to pressure Ahtal's friend.
Seeing this, Norma sighed in relief, quickly handed the letter to Xi Mu, then stepped back and waved at Xi Mu and Letixia.
"Then I'll leave you two to your date," she said.
"If you have no other business, leave Lionheart Castle as soon as you can," Xi Mu advised Norma as she stepped backward.
Norma was momentarily stunned, then nodded politely. She had worked hard to make a name for herself; leaving now was not an easy decision.
She had given almost everything to stay in Lionheart Castle, both her body and her dignity.
If she left, all her past struggles would have been in vain.
Xi Mu said no more, walking away with Letixia. He had no interest in wasting much energy on an insignificant NPC.
Whether she left or not, he wasn't particularly concerned.
...
...
In the hotel.
Booking a room.
Single.
A man and woman together in one room.
Letixia sat on the edge of the bed, her pale shoulders exposed, lips tightly pursed, allowing Ahtal to treat her.
A greenish glow bloomed in Ahtal's hands, healing Letixia's arrow wound and easing her pain.
If a bishop had used the Healing Prayer, Letixia's wound would have been healed instantly.
But for lower-ranking nuns and priests, the Healing Ability was somewhat mediocre; the more competent ones could regenerate limbs.
The less capable could only alleviate pain and slightly speed up the healing process, still requiring medication for assistance.
The gap was enormous.
The Healing Prayer that Xi Mu was administering was quite weak; his level was simply too low.
To achieve later stages where severed limbs could quickly regenerate was still a far-off possibility.
"Alright, rest now," Xi Mu withdrew his hand, stood up, and was about to leave but found his wrist grasped by Letixia.
"If it's just ten thousand Gold Coins, I might have a way," Letixia's emerald eyes were calm as she explained to Xi Mu.
"With my status as a Princess, securing a loan of ten thousand Gold Coins isn't too difficult," she said.
"Finding the right lending source would take too much time," Xi Mu shook his head, freeing his hand from Letixia's grip.
"And a duel is not dangerous for me."
"How could a duel possibly not be dangerous!" Letixia argued, but the silver-armored Knight gave no response and calmly left the room.
Before closing the door, the Knight looked back at her and whispered, "Don't worry, I've already had twenty matches, twenty victories."
With that, he closed the door without waiting for a response.
Letixia's expression was worried; she felt Ahtal was too confident in himself. In a duel, there was no such thing as absolute safety.
Especially in the duel arena, to maintain suspense, efforts would be made to find an opponent of equal strength to Ahtal.
This money was not easily earned.
But now, even if she went to persuade him, she couldn't make Ahtal change his mind.
Unless she could produce ten thousand Gold Coins before Ahtal's duel.
...
...
Meanwhile.
In the living room.
...
Xi Mu looked around, seeming to ensure safety. He took off his helmet and began to remove his armor. As he was about to take off his leg armor,
a rapier streaked out from behind the curtain, and a figure in black lunged at Xi Mu's unprotected back.