Chapter 51: Chapter 40: Attacking With Anger
My home was an Orphanage within a crossroads town, one brought down by overbearing taxes, understaffed guards and poverty.
Despite the poor conditions, crime somehow managed to stay low for one reason, the only person with power and money was the Lord constantly watching over us like a monster looking for it's next meal.
In my sixteen years, I only saw him three times, and I won't forget those experiences.
First time I saw him, he adopted the prettiest girl in our Orphanage. She thought she would be able to live a nice life and visit when she could, everyone seemed happy at the time.
A season later he barged through the front door searching for her.
We didn't know that he adopted her to sire his child. He needed an heir because his wife died in childbirth and their sibling was said to be bedridden without hope of recovery.
Instead of treating her well, his only concern was to ensure succession.
Later on, some Adventurers hired by the Lord found her corpse in the nearby woods, boasting about it when they came to have their gear fixed after a monster attack.
Disgusted by their conversation, Rider destroyed their gear and when they came to pick it up, she told them she had lost it in the woods.
A week later she would flee, and her workshop was destroyed by the Lord's personal guards.
I had hoped I would never have to hear that name again.
"Listen, free drinks... Huh? Looks like it's raining, was it meant to rain today?"
"Not at all, but I'm sure nobody will mind waiting out the storm with free food and drink. Tell me Adelard what do you think goes well with food and drink?"
"I don't know, family or somethin'?"
Wow, real smooth Lars
The old man was talented at picking up what he put down, continuing the announcement.
"For some, yes. Today, I would say entertainment"
With a setup complete, an entourage of armed and armored bodyguards created quite the entrance upon arrival. They even had a herald blow a trumpet to announce the arrival of what Enda warned me about, its saplings can dig just as deep.
That's a little on the nose
My best guess was all the other contestants had some sort of agreement or they'd been bought off somehow, and by the looks of things, suspect number one was the Lord.
"I now present, the honorable Lord Holgata's son and heir to Tyrants Rest, Master Svend"
Son? Maybe he got better?
The herald had spoken his truth, but the son seemed anything but honest.
As he made his way forward, all he gave off was the intent to deceive.
He was covered in heavy white makeup, lighting up his face sharp feminine. Based off his bold green eyes and pale yellow short hair, he was either incredibly handsome, or not the Lords son at all.
I couldn't be certain as they wore the standard loose gambeson jacket that I suspected to be padded on the sides to give off a more rigid look, same with their pants.
"Wow, guess you get to fight her"
Ota and I mumbled under our breaths to each other.
"You can tell?"
She simply pointed at her horns.
A disguise?
It was then I figured out Enda's message in full.
The tree was this tournament, the sapling is this sibling. I only had a slight inkling of what the Lord was involved in now, but I knew what he had done in the past.
If he doesn't have a son, only a daughter...
I trusted Ota's judgment, although I still had no idea what her horns were truly capable of.
"Hey, can you make sure no one takes this?"
Getting up from the bench, I took off the makeshift string holster attaching my Relic to my belt and wrapped an enchanted handkerchief around it that Tsumugi gave each of us at Hero's Giving.
Some relics were really weird when it came to who could wield or even pick them up. However, that didn't mean there weren't ways to pick them up or steal them.
Enda was able to survive anything so she didn't even care when it had to be moved, but I was worried about Ota, so I figured I'd play it safe.
There has to be a reason she's here, what is he playing at?
If need be I could always use the ring to send it over.
"Yeah, just be careful, she's strong"
"C rank?"
"Almost B rank"
So that's why she wants to fight her. But B rank? She's slender enough to pass off as the Lord's son, but you don't become strong by being on your deathbed... Well, not normally
Nobles had a reputation of training ever since they were young with magic and certain weapons. This allowed them to wield a wand or staff in one hand, and a sword in the other.
Luckily ranged attacks and magic were off limits, but that left the random weapon.
I would have the advantage with any two handed weapon, and some basic one handed weapons like a mace, if the rumors happened to be true.
Stretching as I entered the ring, she began whispering into one of the ears of her attendants, a young butler with black hair and brown eyes, who proceeded to head towards the announcement stand, bringing what looked to be formal sealed documents with him.
Four of her armed followers spread around the ring, each holding a Runestone.
Once the stones started glowing she entered the ring.
"What are they for?"
"Security"
Her voice doubled up with another, managing to sound both ladylike and sensible.
The Runestones?
"Tell me, have you ever walked around Tyrants Rest? Seen what it's like?"
After receiving a nod from one of her men, she spoke up.
"Are you completely devoid of manners, you peasant?"
Enda's words rang through my head one last time 'A light breeze can stir the peak of any tree, and it's saplings can dig just as deep, do not hold back'.
Who she was, where she came from, I didn't have time to figure it out.
"Fitting attitude for someone willing to sell out her own people"
"Mind your tongue before I slit your throat"
The more she spoke, the quicker her tone shifted, quickly becoming the voice of a normal young woman, albeit one full of spite and stress. I was quickly adapting to the runestones, rejecting it's illusions.
She acts like a noble, at least how Ota described them...
Volkov entered the ring, dice at the ready.
"The rules; until one gives up, knocked out, or a judge declares a winner, do not stop"
With that she rolled the dice, and the weight of expectations crept up my spine.
It stopped, and the blue projection of a dagger appeared in front of us.
Shit
"Looks like this duel will get personal folks, we're in for a hell of a fight"
"I don't know about that. Master Svend is a noble, he should be accustomed to stabbing others in the back"
Despite the fitting joke, her focus stayed on me as we locked eyes, trying to get any hint of the others strengths or weaknesses.
Is she a warrior or a noble?
After passing each of us a crude blunted dagger by pulling it from the inside of her cape, she quickly left the ring.
"Aztearo, Lucetta, Guillaume, Lionel, ring any bells?"
"Never heard of them"
To guards, daggers are used more like tools than backup weapons, so I barely knew how to use it. I was pretty sure I spent more time learning ways to counter a dagger rather than use it.
Fine, I was going to do it sooner or later
With a call from Volkov the match started, and we both shifted into a battle stance.
Taking a deep breath I spoke up once again
"Aztearo taught me how to cook-"
We drew closer.
"Lucetta helped me learn how to write-"
She tried to feint into a strike, but I whacked her blade back and went on the offensive.
"Guillaume gave me jobs when there were none!"
I dashed forward at high speed, twisting my body when she counter trusted, narrowly avoiding her blade while grabbing her arm with my left hand and thrusting into her lower torso with my right. My dagger slowed down and hit something solid, nothing like flesh or cloth.
She had a metal plate hidden under her gambeson. She was trying to rig this match from the start.
"Lionel introduced me to Rider!"
She tried to hide her interest while striking back.
I dodged back and distanced ourselves, moving counterclockwise around the ring and she pretended to be hurt.
"Name yourself peasant!"
In letting my emotional state run wild, I sacrificed focus and speed. Rage filled my heart.
They were all kind people who didn't deserve to be caught in the crossfire when we fled.
"Those people were taken by Paladins you invited into Tyrant's Rest!"
"..."
"Your not fit to rule the mold growing under the Orphanages porch"
"So you're one of those useless kids!"
She dashed towards me for another fake out, I chose to simply ignore it and not strike back at the false opening she created, instead concentrating on my quickly fracturing breathing.
"Holgata visited us once, taking in a girl, and naming her Inga"
Her face became filled with anger as she knew where I was going.
Throwing my dagger, to which she deflected, inviting her to stop me.
Bending my knees, I felt my blood circulate through my body, then flow into my right fist.
"Lord Holgata has no son"
"Enough!"
She aimed right for my heart.
I jumped back, grabbing the blunt dagger blade with my left hand, letting her momentum push me backwards, then hitting the ground and pushing back. By grabbing the dagger and pushing it sideways, I quickly let go and wrapped my arm under her arm and around her back, bringing her close.
I wanted to throw out an insult, scream in her ear, mention the Waterborn slave trading, but I couldn't express any words except how I felt about her.
"I pity you"
She screamed furiously and began stabbing my back as hard and fast as she could.
My right fist began to emanate a purple aura.
This was a technique Naji taught me, the only offensive strike I could pull off, turning negative emotions into a disgusting cheap shot, aimed right at her stomach. A transfer of life force I'd seen Rider use far more efficiently.
All it needed was close contact, and a release.
With all my might, I uppercut right into the plate hidden under her coat and heard a subtle crack as she stabbed my back to little success. Half a second later, she violently vomited and passed out, ruining my jacket that quickly became stained with blood and stomach acid.
It was a cheap shot for a shitty person, not nearly as refined or powerful as it could be, but it did the job and was my only shot that could go through her hidden protection. If I hit her chest with the same force I might have gotten the same result with less bile to worry about.
And yet, her stabs were strong enough to piece the cloth armor and cut deep. Blood flowed down my back as the sensation of stinging took me by surprise.
Letting the noble slide off me, I looked for Volkov to call it, then felt immense bloodlust rise from her nearby guards as they drew their blades.
*Thump*
The world slowed as I desperately poured mana into my ring.
With each step, my heart beat louder. Raising my hand to catch the relic, I looked over to Ota. She had thrown her dueling Halberd to the bodyguard on my left.
Behind me, Aoife transformed out of her bird form, surrounded by a cyclone of feathers, staff in hand shining bright with lightning.
To my right Adelard had leapt from the announcers podium, landing right on top of another.
And the last bodyguard held down by a shimmering, almost invisible oversized arm projected by the Nyx that passed only Enda's message.
As I caught my relic that flung at incredible speed, all four bodyguards hit the ground, one after the other.
The last bodyguard was hit in the back by Ota's crude halberd and landed just shy of striking distance. Volkov materialized on top of him with a knife to his neck. I took note of her ability to use illusion magic well.
Silence filled the room and Aoife quickly tended to my wounds.
"Excellent! Brilliant! Perfect! Exactly what I would expect from Dragons Mort!"
A voice rang out from the announcers podium.
From up above, a young butler addressed the massive tent of confused people.
As if it didn't already feel like a complete mess of a situation, Enda emerged behind him, clearly pissed off.
"Explain yourself"
Unrolling the sealed letter, he made an official announcement.
"*Ahem* I, Master Svend Holgata, besee- Hey wait!"
Enda grabbed his shoulder and sucker punched him across the face with such force it knocked him out cold.
"Master Svend, you are being detained for Illegal Entry, Bribery, Refusal to Submit Arms, Attempted Manslaughter, Disregard Of Chivalry and a bunch of other shit. Feel free to write that in the news paper"
A squad of Bluecoat Guards quickly entered the tent, gathering up and restraining each of them with thumb cuffs whilst stripping them of armor and weapons.
The tournament had come to an abrupt end.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Aardartem
Aardartem Yeah this got a bit out of hand in the final touching up process, so it took a bit longer.
When I write, one thing I like to focus on is narrative consistency, so if someone is known to act a certain way, they shouldn't do the opposite without good reason or growth.
The way this manifested in this chapter was by changing who and how the bodyguards got subdued. I figured 'Hey isn't like the whole party there? Wouldn't they step in?' and so that whole last part was added.
I hope that twist was unexpected, although I would find it interesting to explore a concept of repression for the sake of a forced role and social narrative within this medieval world, I dislike troupes or obvious bait and switch.
So while I’m not sure how this will be received, but I tried to lay several hints in a way that could make sense.
That said this isn’t the last we’ve seen of any of these characters, especially the woman Touji fought.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone