The next moment, Hersis could feel the sharp and piercing wind whispering in his ear. The Duke did not miss the opportunity when the tension unknowingly loosened during the ambiguous conversation.

If Hersis had been a little slower in avoiding it, his ear might have flown off.

But the Duke, as if he had never tried to cut his opponent’s ear, calmly continued walking and said.

“But, thinking about it, it might be difficult.”

“…….”

“You and I are different from the start. You’re not a product of servility, and you don’t even have a less capable older brother blocking your path, so being daring without hesitation is natural for you. How can I imitate that?”
Hersis’s gaze became fierce at the insulting words towards his parents.

The Duke leisurely savored the change and spoke.

“Do you know how incompetent your father was? He couldn’t do anything properly. He couldn’t even make basic decisions on his own, so he consulted me for advice. And yet, look at how much he generously distributed to the vulgar commoners.”

“Have you ever thought it was intentional?”

“…….”

“Have you ever thought your father did it intentionally to revive the spirit of his younger brother?”

Hersis adjusted his sword.

“If it were me, I would have thought about it at least once.”

He quickly closed the distance, swinging his sword horizontally. However, the Duke effortlessly stepped back with the tip of his foot. The distance between the two widened again, and the Duke remained intact, except for a single missing shirt button.

“It might be possible. It doesn’t seem highly likely, though.”

The Duke casually circled again.

“Only you would know the truth, brother.”

The footwork became a bit more delicate.

“When you go to the afterlife, ask him. Whether he was truly incompetent or just pretended to be.”

The veins on the Duke’s hand holding the sword handle gradually bulged. And…

“But not now!”

He stepped forward and swung the sword.

Hersis didn’t retreat. Instead, he skillfully avoided the swinging sword and turned behind the Duke. With the intention of thrusting a neat dagger into the vulnerable back, he exerted force on the sword…

But the experienced Duke twisted his body and parried the attack with his nephew’s sword.

At that moment, a strangely cheerful sound rang out.

He also felt a sense of lightness.

“……!”

Hersis realized that the upper part of the sword had flown away.

No matter how well-forged the sword was, it was just an ordinary soldier’s sword. It couldn’t compare to the Duke’s masterfully sharpened sword, honed daily.

Since the Duke didn’t give him time to change weapons, Hersis had to face him with a blunted sword.

The clear sound that was as crisp as a bell just a while ago had now begun to make a dull noise, as if holding a triangle and striking it, contrasting the previous clarity.

Naturally, Hersis was at a disadvantage.

But he laughed.

“Now I look somewhat similar, don’t I?”

Hersis pointed at the Duke with the flattened end of the sword.

“In the past, I would have waited for you to change to something else.”

“Why bother?”

The Duke released one hand from the handle. Then, smoothly sweeping the blade…

“This should do it.”

The tip of the sword broke with a thud. The sight of steel falling off like a biscuit was eerie and awe-inspiring.

As if showing the scene to Hersis, it seemed like he had deliberately blown away Hersis’s sword.

Hersis’s laughter momentarily dimmed but suddenly burst out.

“It’s amusing.”

Now, the echoing room was filled only with the loud and crisp sounds of the two broken blades.
However, the energy emanating from the two did not diminish at all. Rather, it rose more quietly and lethally than when using proper swords.

Especially on the Duke’s side.

Even well past his prime, the Duke’s sword pierced the opponent’s vulnerabilities quickly and sharply.

The Duke knew Hersis too well.

“You haven’t changed, Hersis.”

He spoke while skillfully exploiting Hersis’s openings.

“This area is empty.”

“…….”

“And this one too.”

As he attempted to thrust the sword like handling a rapier, Hersis swiftly parried. In doing so, the Duke pointed out Hersis’s twisted wrist with the flattened end of the sword.

“Didn’t I tell you not to do this?”

Afterward, he rapidly and non-fatally stabbed various parts of Hersis’s body, including the legs, knees, and arms, as if giving a lecture.

“Do you need to move a bit faster? Hersis. This won’t do. Can’t you do better?”

The heads of the onlookers tilted here and there like bobbleheads. It was no longer clear whether they were watching a duel or attending a swordsmanship class.

One thing was certain – Hersis was falling behind. A few red stains appeared on his shirt, but he didn’t seem too concerned.

Onlookers thought it was because the Duke was allowing it. He still seemed to approach the duel with the heart of a mentor.

“Phew……”

However, now it seemed like the time to end it. The Duke straightened up with a sigh.

Then, he tossed the useless sword from a distance and picked up two blades from the soldiers’ pile nearby.

“Take this.”

He threw one of the blades to Hersis.

“Why? Are you done with the lecture now?”

“Yes, I am. Now I need to cultivate another disciple.”

The Duke raised the sword to examine the blade under the chandelier light.

Then, quite well-forged, the pupil of his eye reflected in the light. It was the eye of an old fool who suffered and died because of a mere woman, not an eye inherited from his father.

The Duke lowered the sword. If not, it seemed like he might gouge out his eyes right there.

“Another disciple… Do you have someone in mind?”

Hersis asked with a smile.

“Yes.”

The Duke replied. Then, pointing the sharp tip of the sword at Hersis:

“Your child.”

“…….”

“I will teach properly this time. So that they won’t end up like you.”