Chapitre 3: Duke Antores
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...."
John asks the maid who has been avoiding eye contact with him. But the maid still refuses to say anything. John takes his defeat and lies down on the bed thinking about his next move.
He is in [The Legend or Divine Twig]. He is almost 98% confident. The message he received from the author clearly stated "bet". This suggests that the author is truly a deity who rules the world.
At least that's the first theory. There could be more reasons for this.
Cing cing cing
The bell rang again, and the creek door opened. The maid moves swiftly to the side and bows. John glances at the door and notices a middle-aged man with a well-trimmed beard. brown hair and sharp brown eyes. His overall facial shape is rather square.
"Good morning my lord, the young master has fully recovered."
The maid said with utmost respect. The man walks in with a dignified disposition. John couldn't help but be in awe. From that short context he could gather that this was his father. In the novel, the Duke has more screen time than Reeva, and rightfully so. The author made him much more interesting.
"Recovered?" Duke sneers "You called this cripple, recovered?"
"I'm sorry my lord."
Face with the overwhelming presence of the Duke, she quickly retracts her word.
"You" the Duke points at John "Do you know what you did wrong"
"I.... lost?"
Unsure what to answer, John just blurts out the first thing that came to mind. The Duke displays his mild surprise with a little movement of his eyebrows. He moves closer to John with an even step.
"Half right"
He lifts his right leg and lightly pushes it toward John. This took John by surprise since that little movement was able to send John's body from lying on the bed flying to the wall.
"ARch"
"You're half right that Antores couldn't lose. That's your first sin."
The Duke grabs John's bed corner and flips it over with his bare hand. It flies off to the side hitting the right walls of the Duke. He walks over to find John with his back against the wall. blood dripping down a corner of his mouth.
He could taste the iron
"The second sin is that you lost to a commoner."
The Duke walks forward and comes to a stop in front of John. Looking down at the poor body. John looks up and notices a fine gentleman dressed in a black suit. He wears his outer shirt like a cape and it sways every time he walks. A silver sword glint on his hips reflects the sun and a sword crest decoration all over his clothing.
The Duke of Crossing Sword
He couldn't stop admiring him after seeing him up close. If the man hadn't kicked him, he might have bowed before the duke.
"And the greatest sin of all..."
The Duke draws his sword and places it on John's shoulder. The son holds his breath, waiting for the Lord's next words. The maid closed her eyes, and the nun began praying. In less than a second, the atmosphere becomes cold. They lock their gaze on each other.
"You broke the silver sword" His voice echoes, like a decree that has fallen upon him. "The sword has been passed down as a family tradition. The sin of breaking it is punished by death."
The sword gets a little closer to severing John's head. A bit of pain came from his neck as the sword drew blood. It trickles down onto his shoulder. Luckily his head is still attached to the rest of his body.
"Do you have any last word?"
The duke said with a low voice. his eyes hold firm looking at his son that he was about to decapitate. From the novel, the duke definitely could kill his son. John knew this since it was the duke who executed the Reeva. His next word is crucial.
"I will recieve my punishment. You could take my life, Duke."
"....." The Duke holds his sword firmly and retracts it. "At least you still have honor. But that doesn't absorb you of your sin. The unworthy can't remain in the family. I will give you 100 stac. Used it well and never come back to the family."
With that, the duke turned around and left. After he was gone, all three people in the room could breathe again.
"Master, are you alright?"
"Do I look alright?"
"....."
John was fairly certain that his heart would stop beating at any moment. According to the maid, he does not appear to be in good health. She reaches into her front pocket for a napkin to wipe away his blood.
The maid look quite worried for him. The action warms his heart. This is what years of slaving away in a company does to a man.
"Why did the lord spare you?"
In the back, the nun asks curious as to why asking to be killed would keep him alive.
"Honor" John "Our family holds such thing in high regard."
The maid couldn't believe what she heard. Her shocked expression eluded John as he considered the real reason for his response. It's not about saving his own life, because, as shown in the novel's later chapters, Reeva could survive. And John didn't believe Reeva could answer these questions better than him.
The real reason is to gain more than nothing. Quickly assessing the situation, John deduced that The Duke had come specifically to disown him. If he had answered differently, he would not have received the initial 100 stac.
But he would be lying if he said that he wasn't scared for his life. the pain in his neck still reminds him of that moment.
Without a doubt the most exhilarating moment of his life.
"Then without any more things, I'll take my leave...."
"Wait." John stopped the nun as she was about to leave, "Could you heal my neck?".
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone