The day of the decisive battle dawned. Rael confidently walked out to the Duel arena.

Many people had gathered in the Village’s Plaza. The rumors had spread far and wide. The story of two men fighting over a woman was also an interesting topic. The Village people were buzzing, wondering who the victor would be to claim the woman.

“Whoa!”

“Boil! Boil!”

“Mercenary killer Boil!”

The Village people shouted, each raising the atmosphere. Some continuously called out the name of the Emissary participating in the Duel.

Most of them were calling Boil’s name. The influence of the Northern Faction Village Chief was strong. What was visible on the surface was also serious.

Compared to Boil’s physique, Rael was literally a child. He wasn’t particularly thin for his age. Yet, when he stood opposite Boil, the difference was significant.

Anyone could see that Boil was the one who would win. If it were a fistfight, it wouldn’t be strange for Rael to be knocked out with one punch.

“Rael! You’ll win if you don’t chicken out!”

“Mister Rael! You must win!”

There were also those who cheered for Rael.

They were Hansen and Amelin. He nodded to them. In addition, several people from East Village called out his name. His influence was still minimal.

It was quite impressive that he had integrated into the Village this much in such a short time. Normally, it would take at least a generation to gradually integrate.

Judging by the reactions around him, the Protagonist’s chances of winning were slim.

However, Rael had no doubt about the Protagonist’s victory.

Because of the Magic of victory that Amelin had cast upon him.

Now, even if he faced Bruno, there was a Protagonist who would win. The strongest Mage in the world, that was Rael now.

Rael was no longer a boy. He was an adult. Thinking and making decisions on his own. That alone didn’t make him an adult. Only now had the boy truly become an adult in the fullest sense.

Boil sneered from where he had fallen. His voice was loud enough for everyone around to hear.

“Hey, kid. Why don’t you give up now?”

“Why?”

“You’re going to lose anyway. No one will laugh at you if you back down now. Why? Because it’s obvious that I, Boil, will win.”

Boil puffed out his chest proudly. His equipment was excellent. His Father was the Northern Faction Village Chief, so while most would only wear a quilted coat at best, he covered most of his body with Chainmail and a very heavy-looking Heater Shield. He even wore a crude-looking Helmet on his head.

Judging by his equipment alone, he was on par with a very expensive war Mercenary.

With such equipment and his physique, it was hard to imagine him losing. But Rael knew.

If the opponent was truly a Protagonist, they wouldn’t have urged him to give up. The very act of talking to him like that meant that the opponent also harbored a hint of fear.

Battle was a frightening thing. There was no way it wouldn’t be scary.

Thinking that the opponent was as scared as the Protagonist made him feel more at ease. The opponent didn’t seem to have fought much either.

In such situations, it was important to break the opponent’s composure. Seeing the signs of wavering, it seemed likely to work.

He returned the opponent’s sneer as it was.

“If you’re scared, just say you’re scared. Don’t just run your mouth.”

“You bastard…”

Boil’s fist trembled. His face contorted. It was Castle’s doing.

The more the opponent revealed their excitement, the calmer Rael’s mind became. The calm one won the fight. It had always been that way.

Although he occasionally made mistakes, the Protagonist had always survived because he calmly did his part. He just needed to do the same this time.

Someone pushed through the surrounding crowd. It was the Vigilantes. The Vigilante Commander was also visible. They seemed to be mediating the Duel.

The Vigilante Commander stepped forward. Rael subtly widened the distance. Every step was precious. It could decide life or death.

“The winner of this Duel will get the woman. Everyone gathered here is a witness.”

The Vigilante Commander turned his head to look at Boil.

“Do you agree to the Duel?”

“Does it matter if I kill my opponent?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s not intentional.”

“Then I agree.”

Boil glared, openly threatening.

The Vigilante Commander now looked at Rael.

“Do you agree to the Duel?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

The Vigilante Commander clapped and shouted.

“The Duel will now begin. If you do not wish to continue the Duel, you just need to shout ‘surrender.’ Understand? If there’s no reply, I’ll assume you understand.”

The Vigilante Commander stepped back. The Vigilantes and Villagers behind him also created space for the fight.

Rael also subtly retreated, taking a deep breath. His mind cleared.

The Protagonist was currently holding a Magic Staff and a Shield in each arm. Besides that, all he wore were Wool Clothes and a Robe made of Lizardman leather. He had no chance in close combat.

Behind the Protagonist was a Water Mass made of water. It was a hot Slime he had prepared beforehand.

He could barely create it at this level, so he couldn’t even form a human shape with the water, nor could he perform difficult actions.

It was just a shape like a clump of Slime, and its actions were limited to attacking if an opponent came close. But that alone was enough.

His opponent still didn’t seem to realize that the Water Mass on the ground was a Golem.

He had a good chance of winning.

As soon as the people retreated, Rael slightly raised his staff and quietly chanted a spell.

He had to launch the first attack, no matter what.

His opponent belatedly noticed and drew his sword.

But he didn’t rush over immediately. He seemed wary of the Water Mass floating in the air.

He even kept a slight distance, perhaps thinking of escaping if necessary. In any case, it was a very welcome action for the Protagonist.

Still, he couldn’t be too careful. He focused as much as possible, with the mindset that he only had one chance.

He hadn’t used mana yet, but he might evade it like Bruno.

But as he watched, it seemed less formidable than he thought.

‘It’s slow?’

Boil approached slowly. No, rather, his body seemed to be slightly dragged by the equipment he was wearing. As evidence, his Shield shook considerably.

It was proof that he lacked strength.

Rael fired the Water Mass without hesitation. He was also ready to create distance if necessary.

But there was no need for that.

He had wondered if the Shield had iron plates, but it was just a normal Shield made of wood with leather. As the Water Mass flew in, it shattered, and the man screamed.

“Ugh!!”

The Water Mass not only broke the man’s Shield but also his arm.

It was satisfying power, but this wasn’t the end.

Rael could create two Water Masses at once.

The remaining Water Mass flew towards the defenseless man’s knee. The sound of bone snapping violently was heard, followed by a tearing scream.

The surroundings fell silent. No sound was heard. Boil’s shouts from the front sounded distant. He had won the Duel. There was nothing more to see.

The opponent had one arm and one leg broken.

He couldn’t even stand properly. He had only defeated one person, but he felt good. He even felt a tingling sensation down his spine.

It seemed to be because there were many people watching. It wasn’t simply a fight to the death.

Rael had just fought a Duel. A lot was at stake.

His pride as a man. The eyes of those around him. The Mage’s pride…

It was a match where even Amelin was at stake. Thinking that he had won, he felt like he could fly.

Boil had not yet shown any intention of surrendering.

He hesitated for a moment.

There was also the option of killing Boil now. But he held back.

The protagonist had already gained everything. Going further than this would only add a little bit of exhilaration.

On the other hand, if he killed him, he would make enemies with the villagers. Since his father was the village chief, it was to the protagonist’s advantage to stop, unless he planned to leave the village.

When he looked at the Self-Defense Commander, the commander flinched. He was growling as if a beast of prey had looked at him.

“What’s the result?”

“Re-result?”

“I think it’ll be the same no matter how much more we do.”

The Self-Defense Commander looked back once. It was in the direction of the Village Chief. It seemed even he had to be mindful of the Village Chief. But even if it was the Village Chief, there was nothing he could say.

The situation was too clear, and the protagonist showed his power. He crippled a properly armed man with a single magic spell. The Village Chief sighed and shook his head.

Only then did the Self-Defense Commander declare Rael’s victory. Cheers erupted.

Occasionally, there were villagers who showed fear. Most of them seemed bewildered, as if they hadn’t known a mage could be this strong.

If they had known the terror of a mage from the beginning, they wouldn’t have dared to challenge him.

The villagers, who either didn’t know about mages or had seen them but never seen such powerful magic, were busy praising him.

The surroundings were all abuzz. It was all about the protagonist.

It was the place where the Capital City might have become Boil’s. He had a good chance of winning. But he was complacent from beginning to end.

With only vague information about mages, he naturally thought he would win. In reality, his skill wasn’t that great.

One could say he was unlucky. If it had been a fight between warriors, his superior strength and equipment would have been a huge advantage.

It was a gap that couldn’t be overcome no matter how much he struggled. But Rael was a mage.

The villagers didn’t really know how great mages were.

The protagonist showed them how strong he was.

It was a place where the strength of a mage was proven.

Rael returned home as soon as the duel ended. His heart was still pounding.

On the way, villagers held him back, showing him their daughters.

The protagonist already had Amelin. The duel itself was fought over her. But the village fathers didn’t seem to care much.

There were many men who had multiple wives. If their income was decent, they would have two or three wives, and some men had even more.

The Village Chief said he had eight wives, which made Rael’s head spin. He wondered if he could handle it.

Rael left, only saying he would think about it.

Even when he blended into the Village as an Herbalist, there were women who subtly approached him. However, there had never been a case where his Father overtly stepped in to arrange a marriage like this.

The attitude of the Village people was now becoming a burden.

The women’s gazes were particularly frightening. It was as if they would devour the Protagonist if given the chance.

Amelin seemed to feel it too, and she hugged Rael as if he was hers. A soft sensation and a fragrant scent permeated his nose. He felt like his mind was going to fade away.

The day ended.

As usual, he went to sleep in the hut.

Amelin was also next to him. It was because he had won the Duel. It was like any other day.

But it was different from before, when they just slept.

Rael looked at Amelin and said,

“Was it good?”

“Hmph. You’re quite the lustful little Wolf cub.”

Amelin cringed. She sent him a subtle look.

That ignited a fire in his heart.

He trained. It was training to improve his relationship with women.

After training until he was exhausted, he came out to find Hansen standing in front of his house in the distance.

He waved and greeted him.

“Little Wolf Rael~ How’s life~”

His face flushed. It seemed the sound had reached even the next-door house.

“Don’t make fun of me.”

“Hahahaha.”

He exchanged a few words with Hansen. After the Duel, he had blended into the Village.

He seemed comfortable with this kind of life.

“Are you planning to live here like this?”

“I wonder.”

Hansen was a Mercenary. He wondered what he lived for. Perhaps he became a Mercenary just to eat and kill. Or perhaps he picked up a sword to try and make a fortune and improve his lot in life.

Judging by his demeanor, it seemed more like the former than the latter.

“Just living life as it comes, like a Beggar.”

“But Hansen, you’re a Mercenary.”

“That’s how all Mercenaries are. No one earns a King’s ransom and retires well. They either die by a Monster during a request, or they’re betrayed. At best, they’re lucky enough to survive and drift into a Village to live out their days. That’s all.”

Hearing his words made me think a lot.

I had never seriously thought about the lives of Mercenaries. I only thought of them as swordsmen lured by money.

“Rael, you said your parents were Mercenaries, right? Isn’t this a similar case?”

I thought of my parents. They were people whose faces I couldn’t even remember.

It seemed they, too, had drifted in that way. Since Dorian was also a Mercenary, it was exactly three people. If I substituted Protagonist, Amelin, and Hansen, the numbers matched, and the Castle’s star aligned perfectly. It was a strange feeling.

Without Protagonist even knowing it, he was following the same path as his parents, whose faces he couldn’t remember.

If he decided to live out his life with Amelin in this Village, it might turn out that way. But Rael didn’t want Protagonist to end here yet. He wanted to become stronger.

“Well, since you don’t seem like someone who’ll end up here, joining the Territorial Army wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

“The Territorial Army?”

“It’s chaotic because of the Orcs. They might come from The North to conscript, or the Baron might decide to fortify the territory.”}]}

His words were natural. It wasn’t just a monster wave. The North seemed to have been devastated by the Orcs, and the Orcs had reached almost the central region. It wouldn’t be strange for the Baron, the shop owner of the territory, to step forward immediately. This village was his source of income.

If the Baron came, the Alchemist could come to the Capital City. If he came, there was a possibility that Lorina would also follow.

If she came, I didn’t know how I would face her.

He grabbed his head.

She might try to kill the protagonist. The moment the girl told her father, the protagonist’s head would be gone. He was afraid.

But that was an unnecessary worry. The trouble was coming from above, not below.

“Help me!”

“We’ve lost our village and come here!”

“Please save us!”

People who had fled from the Orcs.

They were refugees.