While Randy was meeting with the adventurers, Elizabeth was enjoying a long conversation with her parents.
At first, she had been hesitant, but after understanding her parents' feelings, she felt deeply apologetic for trying to shoulder all the responsibility on her own.
(If Lord Randolph hadn't reached out for me…)
According to her parents, the marquis's anger had been so intense that he had nearly rebelled against the royal family and the central government. Her choices could have made her beloved family traitors. That realization left Elizabeth trembling, and her gratitude toward Randy grew even stronger.
"You have not been abandoned by the world. Nor have you abandoned it yourself."
Randy's words echoed in her mind.
As he said, Elizabeth's world—her family—had not forsaken her. And neither could she abandon her world.
Feeling both embarrassment at how well he'd seen through her and immense gratitude, Elizabeth enjoyed the quiet moments she shared with her parents.
She apologized for worrying them.
Reassured them that she was doing well.
And shared the most important news about Eleonora.
Her parents had been surprised about Eleonora, but after meeting her, they were reassured. Eleonora had even sworn on her name that she bore no ill intentions towards Elizabeth
Just as her parents accepted the abnormality that was Eleonora…
"Harrison! Bring me my wooden sword!"
A thunderous shout echoed through the mansion, loud enough to make the walls tremble.
It was unmistakably Randy's voice. Feeling alarmed, Elizabeth and her parents rushed out of the living room.
In the hallway, they ran into Alan, who peeked out from a neighboring room and met their gaze.
"P-please, pay it no mind," Alan said with a strained smile.
"No, this clearly isn't something to ignore," Elizabeth's father—Lucian, the marquis—replied, shaking his head as he stepped into the hallway.
Sighing in resignation, Alan led the group outside. Keith, appearing silently as usual, joined them along the way. Together, they exited through the mansion's front door.
What Elizabeth saw when they arrived was Randy, glaring intensely at a man who appeared to be one of the adventurers.
———
[Flashback: Moments Earlier]
"Is 'Young Master' referring to you, Lord Randolph?"
Randy reflexively turned toward the odd question, catching sight of Harrison's back as he tried to slip away unnoticed.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?"
The chill in Randy's voice stopped Harrison for a moment, but he replied, "Ah, just, uh, going to the bathroom!" and bolted at full speed.
"That idiot…" Randy muttered under his breath.
Ian, the adventurer, exhaled softly as he watched the scene.
"On our way here, Harrison spoke endlessly about you. He said, 'Our young master is as strong as a demon.'"
There was a gleam of curiosity in Ian's narrowed eyes. Yet Randy felt no obligation to entertain it.
"Harrison was exaggerating," Randy said, shrugging before turning away.
But Ian's provocative voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you sure about that?"
Randy turned back with a raised eyebrow. Here we go again, he thought, expecting a different kind of confrontation than usual.
"What are you trying to say?"
This time, it wasn't some lovely lady behind him, but an older adventurer looking him in the eye.
"If you walk away now, rumors might spread that the Victor family is full of cowards."
Ian grinned, but Randy felt more annoyance than before.
(So, he's that eager to test me.)
Randy wasn't unfamiliar with the thirst for strength. He understood Ian's perspective—partly because Harrison had likely hyped him up too much.
It wasn't typical for nobles to lower their heads to commoners, as Elizabeth had once pointed out.
And if the supposedly powerful heir of the Victor family came across as overly casual or unserious, it was natural for someone to want to see if the stories were true.
Still, it was troublesome. Randy scratched his head, noticing the faint trace of mockery in Ian's gaze.
(Maybe Elizabeth was right—he thinks I'm not worth much.)
Half intrigued, half condescending—that's how Ian's gaze seemed to Randy. He sighed deeply.
Randy didn't mind being underestimated himself, but he couldn't allow his family, their retainers, or their household to be disrespected.
(Guess I'll have to give him a little reminder.)
With another sigh, Randy's eyes sharpened.
"Will you regret this?" he asked.
"I won't," Ian replied with a nod.
Grinning, Randy turned and shouted, "Harrison! Bring me my wooden sword!"
The mansion shook with his booming voice, startling birds from nearby trees and causing a commotion inside. Turning back to Ian, Randy's gaze was calm but firm.
"A wooden sword? Really…" Ian muttered, a faint smirk suggesting he felt insulted.
Randy merely scoffed, offering no further explanation.
As the two men stared each other down, Harrison came running toward them from a distance, gasping for air and clutching a wooden sword.
"P-please spare me, this thing's too heavy!"
Harrison groaned as he handed over the massive wooden sword, his face twisted with strain. Randy, still glaring at Ian, took the weapon without a word.
The so-called "wooden sword" looked more like a crude log with a handle attached. To others, it was a crude and ugly weapon, but to Randy, it was a masterpiece born from trial and error, inspired by baseball bats and practice swords from his previous life.
Still, there was no denying—it was essentially just a log with a handle.
"A… a wooden sword?" Ian stammered.
"Indeed. Tailor made by me," Randy replied casually, hoisting the weapon onto his shoulder with ease.
"So, what are the rules?" he asked with a smile.
Ian, regaining composure, straightened his expression. But his voice betrayed him as he replied, "T-till one of us is unconscious or surrenders."
Randy nodded in agreement. Ian took a step back, increasing the distance between them, gripping his sword with one hand.
He chose not to use a shield, likely realizing it wouldn't hold up against Randy's colossal weapon—or maybe he was just confident.
Not that Randy cared. Both of them had handicaps, so he saw no need to comment. In truth, shield or no shield, it wouldn't have made a difference.
"Harrison, you'll be the judge," Randy declared, leaving no room for argument.
With a resigned slump of his shoulders, Harrison shuffled to a spot between them. "Alright, the rules are simple: you win by knocked the other down or forcing them to surrender. No killing, okay?"
Both Randy and Ian nodded in agreement.
"Then… begin!"
The duel was over in an instant.
The moment Harrison gave the signal, Randy closed the distance in a single step.
The ground trembled under the force of his movement. Channeling the momentum into his massive wooden sword, Randy swung it down from above with just one hand.
The log-like sword stopped mere centimeters from Ian's head.
The delayed gust of wind tousled Ian's short hair and blasted across his face.
From his step forward to the downward swing, it all happened in a flash. Ian hadn't even begun to react, frozen in place with his pale face fixed on the enormous weapon looming before him.
"Well? Want to continue? You can use a shield if you'd like," Randy offered, his tone calm yet overbearing.
Ian's eyes darted back and forth, his lips trembling slightly. Finally, he managed to stammer, "I… I surrender."
Hearing the admission, Randy lowered his sword to the ground and broke into a grin. Placing a hand on Ian's shoulder, he leaned in and whispered, "Lucky for you. Sometimes, I mess up stopping in time."
Randy's mischievous smile sent a shudder through Ian, who collapsed onto the ground in fear. His companions rushed over to assist him, while Randy turned to leave with a polite bow.
(This should keep the adventurers from causing trouble in town for a while.)
Randy gave himself a small nod of satisfaction. In his mind, he'd successfully prevented future conflicts between the incoming adventurers and the townsfolk. …Though the fact that he'd gone a bit overboard hadn't crossed his mind.
"Man, you're amazing, young master!" Harrison exclaimed, sidling up to Randy with exaggerated praise.
Randy frowned deeply. "Harrison, you're joining me for morning training tomorrow."
"Whaaat?! Why?!" Harrison wailed.
"If someone like you thinks I'm as strong as a demon, you're not fit to serve the Victor family."
"Please, have mercy!" Harrison begged.
"Relax. I'll make sure to hold back."
"You just said you don't always stop in time!"
"That was a threat, obviously," Randy said with a wicked grin.
Just as Randy was cackling to himself, he heard an all-too-familiar voice.
"Um… young master, the marquis and his family are watching…"
"…Huh?"
Randy turned to see Rita standing nearby, gesturing behind him.
There stood his father Alan, clutching his head in exasperation; Keith, smiling faintly for some reason; and Elizabeth with her parents, all frozen in shock.
"Ahaha… My apologies for the unsightly display…"
Randy scratched his cheek awkwardly, but it was far too late. With the marquis couple and Elizabeth still staring at him in disbelief, Randy's shoulder slumped.