Chapter 30: The Arrogant Brat

As soon as the dungeon raid ends, I swiftly move forward with what I planned yesterday.

That is—

“Let’s duel.”

A duel with Marcel.

* * *

“Let’s duel.”

“…?”

“What?!”

At Verdi’s sudden words, Marcel’s mouth, which had been about to open, snaps shut.

Marcel narrows his eyes and silently stares at Verdi.

And Deneb, who makes a bigger fuss than the person the words were actually directed at.

Both of their gazes turn to Verdi at once.

“You sure know how to joke…”

Marcel trails off with a hollow laugh a beat too late.

It must be a joke, Marcel thinks.

“It’s not a joke.”

But Verdi’s voice and expression say otherwise.

That it’s not just empty words—she’s serious.

Verdi’s gaze briefly turns toward Deneb.

“That ‘bodyguard’ thing is just for show. There’s a real purpose behind it.”

“…Oh?”

At the mention of a real purpose, not just a bodyguard, Deneb gulps.

In truth, Deneb had vaguely sensed it too.

That the reason big brother Wilhelm attached Marcel to him wasn’t purely for protection.

There’s no way he’d just assign an A-Rank Hunter for nothing.

The only reason that can be thought of is one.

It must be related to recruiting Ms. Verdi…

Yesterday, big brother Wilhelm didn’t bring up Verdi in front of him.

But Deneb could tell.

When he was just opening the door to the guild master’s office, his brother’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.

On the screen.

The video of Ms. Verdi’s Rank Advancement Exam.

It’s been nearly a month since that video was recorded, but his brother still couldn’t take his eyes off it.

If he couldn’t pick up on that, he wouldn’t deserve to be called his brother’s sibling.

That big brother Wilhelm strongly wants Ms. Verdi.

And now that she’s seen Ms. Verdi’s skill with her own eyes, she knows why.

‘…I know Ms. Verdi is amazing.’

She took down C-Rank Bandits alone and defeated a C-Rank boss single-handedly.

But her opponent is an A-Rank Hunter. An A-Rank Hunter can do that easily too.

Ms. Verdi’s combat sense is clearly outstanding.

But an A-Rank Hunter is a veteran among veterans, having survived countless battlefields.

The difference in experience is bound to be overwhelming.

Ms. Verdi’s magic is powerful and excellent.

But likewise, an A-Rank Hunter is right below the pinnacle of Hunters, the S-Rank.

They’re bound to possess that level of skill.

It’s reckless—that’s all I could think.

“Ms. Verdi, that person is—”

“I know. He’s an A-Rank Hunter, right?”

Verdi calmly says to Deneb, who was trying to stop her.

“I won’t lose. Not to some A-Rank Hunter who’s just lazing around in a place like this.”

Ms. Verdi, no matter how you put it, calling an A-Rank Hunter ‘some’?!

Before those words could even leave Deneb’s throat—

“Well, it seems I look like I’m just idling around here, unlike other A-Rank Hunters.”

Marcel’s lid had already blown off.

“Is there any reason I should accept that duel?”

Marcel still had a relaxed demeanor, but there was a sharp edge in his voice.

Seeing that, Deneb felt a chill, judging that it was already too late to smooth things over.

Even if he apologized on her behalf now, Marcel didn’t seem like he’d let it slide.

“There is a reason to accept. If I lose, I’ll willingly join the Royal Knights.”

“…Oh?”

At Verdi’s words, Marcel recalled what Wilhelm had said.

—If you bring this girl to the guild, I’ll pay you a commensurate reward.

The amount was enough to make even Marcel, who had taken down A-Rank Gates before, widen his eyes.

Paying this much just to recruit a mere D-Rank Hunter—at first, Marcel thought he’d lost his mind, but he soon changed his mind.

‘Black Sword’ Lucius Wilhelm is no fool.

The current head of the Lucius family and the guild master of the Royal Knights, one of the Five Great Guilds.

And an S-Rank Hunter at the pinnacle of Hunters.

If he were foolish, he could never have reached that position.

He’s been famous for quite a while now, but I’ve never heard a single bad word about him from any media outlet.

There’s no way a man like that would throw money around just because he’s infatuated with some promising little girl.

If he’s obsessed, it must be because this girl is special.

“If you refuse, I’ll take it as you chickening out—”

“Fine.”

*Just what I wanted*, Marcel thought, cutting off Verdi’s words with a sneer.

If he accepted the duel and won, he could successfully complete the master’s request and receive a hefty reward.

But that wasn’t the only reason Marcel agreed.

Marcel stared at the silver-haired girl before him with narrowed eyes.

*Arrogant brat.*

He’d heard enough about her background.

She’d done well on her Rank Advancement Exam, taken down a C-Rank boss and C-Rank Bandits.

A super-prodigy even the guild master had his eye on.

But.

She’d been on a winning streak lately and probably thought she was something special, but she’d picked the wrong opponent.

His skills might have dulled, but Marcel was a veteran among veterans—a Hunter who’d closed A-Rank Gates in the past.

Not only that. He’d survived the ‘Dark Moon,’ called the worst Gate in history.

He hadn’t been a main member of any subjugation team since then. But the experience he’d gained on his way to becoming an A-Rank Hunter still remained.

Even if he’d neglected his training for a while, the skills he’d built up over time didn’t just vanish completely.

Marcel was once a Hunter who’d received countless accolades.

That was why, at one point, he’d thought he had the right to challenge the top.

At least, until the Dark Moon happened.

What he’d experienced back then had completely broken his spirit.

In the end, Marcel’s blade had dulled, and he’d ended up in his current state.

He’d been arrogant, not knowing his place.

Just like you, challenging me now.

*I’ll make you feel what I felt.*

The helplessness of facing an opponent you could never handle with your own strength.

The terror of death looming right before your eyes.

He wanted to teach those two feelings to this arrogant little girl.

The stakes for losing were high, but there was no way he’d lose anyway.

Not to some mere D-Rank Hunter.

* * *

My reason for challenging Marcel to a duel is clear.

A D-Rank Hunter can only enter Gates of a limited rank, but with A-Rank qualifications, you’re eligible to participate in all raids hosted by the Hunter Association.

Not only that. If a Gate opens outside Association territory, you also qualify to join as a mercenary depending on the Gate’s rank. As an A-Rank Hunter, you can enter most Gates in existence.

And Marcel is an A-Rank Hunter.

My real goal is to make him our party member as the condition for winning this duel, then use his status to enter High-Rank Gates.

Of course, there’s one more secondary reason.

When I heard about Marcel from Mr. Luca yesterday, I felt a faint sympathy for him.

Looking at the records, Marcel hasn’t done proper Hunter work recently.

Just because a mining team or a porter enters a Gate doesn’t mean you call them Hunters.

Hunters are those who subdue Demon Beasts in dungeons beyond the Gates.

So, can you really call the current Marcel a Hunter?

Others might disagree, but I’d definitely shout NO.

That’s why.

I wanted to give Marcel a chance to stand up again.

And to earn that chance, the bastard needs to be broken one more time.

So thoroughly that he can’t get back up without someone’s help.

The method is simple.

Like how Nolbu broke the swallow’s leg and then fixed it, I’ll make him lose overwhelmingly here, then sweet-talk him with plausible words and save him.

The more desperate a situation a person is pushed into, the weaker they become. If you extend a hand of salvation then, it usually works.

With Deneb watching us from a distance, Marcel and I face off.

Marcel’s blade is far duller now than when he participated in A-Rank Gate subjugation teams in the past.

Of course, even if Marcel in his prime came at me, he still wouldn’t be a match, but right now he’s much weaker than that.

For me, who has to pretend to chant incantations, it’s a decent handicap.

“No regrets?”

Marcel, sword in hand, asks.

“Now that you mention it, I forgot to mention something.”

“…And what would that be?”

“The conditions if I win.”

“Let’s hear it, then.”

Marcel snorts, as if he’s willing to listen.

“If I win this duel, Mr. Marcel, you have to leave the guild and join our party. No exceptions.”

Anyone listening would think it’s a crazy condition. If he loses, he has to leave one of the Five Great Guilds and join a party with two D-Rank Hunters.

“Pfft, fine.”

But Marcel doesn’t refuse. Instead, he doesn’t bother hiding the sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, as if he finds it amusing. Of course he does. He doesn’t even entertain the thought of losing to a D-Rank Hunter.

Right now, Marcel is probably excited at the idea of bringing me into the guild.

* * *

“Ms. Verdi… are you really sure about this?”

Deneb, standing behind Verdi, asks with a tearful expression.

“It’s fine.”

Verdi answers confidently.

“I won’t lose.”

“…!”

Verdi turns her head slightly, and her gaze meets Deneb’s.

Verdi rarely shows emotion to others.

She’s always expressionless; occasionally she smiles, but it’s never because she’s happy or having fun.

Deneb thought those were sneers meant to control the other person’s emotions.

They haven’t known each other long. So for Deneb, it’s hard to guess what Verdi is thinking.

But right now, Deneb can vaguely sense Verdi’s feelings.

There’s a clear confidence that she absolutely won’t lose.

And one more thing.

‘Ms. Verdi… is she actually enjoying this right now?’

Ms. Verdi already knows that Ms. Verdi isn’t an ordinary Hunter.

After all, she’s the disciple of Yoschuko Verdiol — an S-Rank Hunter and a hero in his eyes.

But…

The opponent in front of her is an A-Rank Hunter.

No matter how skilled Verdi is, it’s a tough — no, it’s certain she can’t win.

Even the disciple of an S-Rank Hunter doesn’t suddenly gain the ability of an A-Rank Hunter overnight.

And yet, why?

Deneb definitely saw it.

The very slight, subtle upward twitch at the corner of Verdi’s mouth.

That was not the face of someone about to lose.

Maybe, Deneb thinks, swallowing hard, and carefully opens her mouth.

“Begin!”

Almost simultaneously with the shout signaling the start of the duel.

*CRUNCH!*

They push off the ground and charge at each other.