Aileen had finally realized how infuriating the guy in front of her really was. He was relying on the upcoming duel tomorrow to disgust them. But there was nothing they could do about it. The whole city knew about the duel, and it was a sacred event. Once set, it couldn't be altered. If they attacked Linton now, he could just claim he was injured in a sneak attack and refuse to duel, which would bring disgrace to Bayar. It was said that even the emperor had approved the duel, so if it didn't happen, how would they explain it to him?
Linton's shamelessness and stubbornness were beyond their imagination. Aileen gritted her teeth but held back, preparing to leave with Tram. Just as they were about to go, Linton suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Tram, and punched him in the stomach again. This time, Linton used a bit more force, making Tram double over and start vomiting.
"You!" Aileen instinctively wanted to pull him away, but as soon as she reached out, Linton blocked her fist with his face. "Go ahead, hit me, I dare you."
Aileen restrained herself again, knowing she couldn't touch Linton.
"Let me be clear," Linton said, "I could cripple your senior or junior brother right here in front of you, and you wouldn't dare lay a finger on me. Everyone saw that this guy provoked me first and even threatened to chop me up. That's a death threat! Now I'm too scared to sleep tonight. What am I supposed to do? Tomorrow's the duel. Do the honorable Knights of Golden Phoenix really need to use such underhanded tactics to win? How eye-opening."
"Utter nonsense!" Aileen snapped back, furious that he was insulting her master's honor with every other sentence.
"For my peace of mind tonight, I've decided to eliminate the threat," Linton said with a smile. "I'll just cripple him so I won't have to worry."
Aileen was at a loss for what to do. At that moment, Bayar finally stepped forward. He hadn't wanted to intervene at first because the situation was beneath him, but now that Linton was talking about crippling his disciple, he couldn't ignore it.
"Linton Meloway, please, let my disciple go," Bayar said in a calm tone.
"Alright, after all, you are a legendary knight, so I'll give you some face," Linton replied. "Just have your disciple apologize, and I'll let him go."
"You're dreaming!" Tram, still recovering from the punch, growled from where he crouched on the ground.
"Tram, apologize!" Bayar commanded. He didn't want to drag this out any longer. There was no point in continuing the dispute with Linton—it only tarnished his own reputation. He was furious that Tram had provoked the situation in the first place, so he shouted again.
"I'll kill him!" Tram seethed.
"Apologize!" Bayar snapped in a low growl, clearly angered.
Hearing Bayar's voice, Tram flinched, still fearful of his master. Though he wanted to tear Linton apart, he reluctantly followed Bayar's order and muttered a half-hearted "Sorry."
Linton chuckled. He didn't care about Tram's sincerity; it was irrelevant. His real target was Bayar. "Well, that's that. A legendary knight like Bayar wouldn't send his disciple to scare an opponent, would he? Must be that your disciple's got a bad case of madness, right?"
Bayar remained silent, staring at Linton.
"When picking disciples, you should really be more selective. Avoid mad dogs like this one," Linton continued.
"That's none of your concern," Bayar replied, clearly irritated but not engaging further.
"Ek!" Linton suddenly called out to Ek, who was standing behind him.
"Yes, young master... what is it?" Ek had been watching the whole scene, stunned, but snapped back to attention at Linton's call.
"I just remembered—I have two dogs at home. Make sure they're leashed up so they don't bite anyone. As their owner, I'd be held responsible. Just a reminder." Linton smirked.
The faces of the three in front of him darkened, knowing exactly what he was implying.
"Let's go," Bayar said, clearly furious but restraining himself.
Aileen grabbed Tram, and the group mounted their horses. Linton didn't stop them from leaving, but as they were about to go, Tram, still fuming, turned to glare at Linton.
"You think this is over? Not a chance," Tram muttered, his rage uncontainable.
Linton heard him and smirked, raising a middle finger. As he did, he activated his Conqueror's Haki, targeting Tram alone.
With a sudden "buzz," Tram, still seated on his horse, was struck by the overwhelming pressure. His eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and he fell off his horse.
"Tram!" Aileen rushed to his side. Though Tram had sustained some injuries earlier, he wasn't hurt badly enough to lose consciousness. How could he have suddenly fainted?
Linton's precise use of B-grade Conqueror's Haki went unnoticed by everyone else, but Bayar sensed something. Though the Haki wasn't aimed at him, he felt a strange threat from Linton in that instant. Yet, he couldn't figure out what ability Linton had used.
"Take him, let's go!" Bayar ordered. The group hurriedly picked up the unconscious Tram and left in a rather sorry state.
As soon as they were gone, the surrounding townsfolk erupted in chatter. They had witnessed everything and couldn't believe that Linton had won in a confrontation with Bayar. Bayar's disciple had been beaten unconscious, and they could only leave in disgrace. Linton didn't even have a scratch on him. It was unbelievable, almost too cool.
Even though everyone was impressed by Linton, no one dared approach him. In fact, they subtly distanced themselves from him. The reason was simple: Linton had provoked too many people. Who knew if they'd come back for revenge? No one wanted to get caught in the crossfire.
Linton didn't care. He was about to leave when he noticed someone still standing by his side. While everyone else had backed away, this person stood out.
He looked at the young man, who seemed to be around his age, probably under 20, with short dark blue hair. He was dressed neatly and didn't look like a commoner. The boy had a frail appearance, almost sickly.
"L-Linton?" The boy stammered, unsure.
From his voice, Linton recognized him. This was the person who had called out to him earlier, causing Tram to notice him and start the whole mess.
It was clear this guy knew him, but Linton had no idea who he was, which was a bit troubling.
Fortunately, Linton had brought Ek with him. Ek, now fully aware, looked at the boy and exclaimed, "Is that you, Master Maruk?"
"It's me," the boy, named Maruk, nodded. "I remember you, Ek."
"It's been a long time," Ek nodded in return.
Linton relaxed a bit and played dumb. "Uh… sorry, I'm having trouble remembering. Who are you again?"
"What? Young master, this is Master Maruk! You two grew up playing together! How could you forget?"
"Oh! Right, now I remember," Linton said, pretending to have a sudden realization, though he still didn't recall a thing.
They grew up together? That could be problematic. Linton's biggest fear was running into people who knew him well. While most of his family looked down on him, he had managed to avoid close connections. But a childhood friend? That was tricky.
"It's been five years," Maruk said with a sigh of relief. "You almost didn't recognize me."
"I wasn't close—I really forgot," Linton replied. "My mind's been all over the place lately."
"So what's going on with you? I wasn't sure if it was really you when I heard the name Linton Meloway. Have you awakened your battle aura?" Maruk asked.
"Long story," Linton replied. "What are you doing here?"
Trying to change the subject, Linton's tactic worked. Maruk didn't seem suspicious. "The academy's on break today, so I decided to come out and see what's happening. I didn't expect to run into you... or all this chaos."
"Academy?" The mention of the academy jogged Linton's memory. He still had an engagement to call off. Maruk was a student at the academy, so it was a perfect opportunity to ask about it. He had no idea what the academy was really like.
(End of Chapter)