Before the sun had even risen, Rodos opened his eyes.
It was a day no different from any other, save for one special thing.
‘Today is the day.’
The day of the duel had arrived.
Moving more lightly than usual, Rodos made his bed and headed toward the training grounds.
While he was warming up there, Igrun appeared.
Rodos immediately picked up his axes and assumed a combat stance.
“Let us begin immediately.”
“Ha.”
Igrun let out a disbelieving laugh.
Even on the day of his duel, Rodos still intended to spar with him.
“Do you not have your duel today? You should enter it in the best possible condition.”
“I need to warm up.”
Rodos was adamant.
Their spars had originally been meant to prepare him for the duel, but by now they had become a habit.
Starting his day with a spar against Igrun made the entire day feel refreshing.
“Very well. We will only warm you up lightly.”
With no other choice, Igrun picked up his sword.
He truly intended to do nothing more than give Rodos a light warm-up.
CLANG!
Once again, sword and axes collided.
Despite having an important duel ahead of him, Rodos swung his axes with everything he had.
After their bout ended, Igrun wiped down his dirtied sword and spoke.
“When fighting a mage, you should try to stay as close to them as possible.”
It was advice born from Igrun’s experience.
What Rodos currently lacked was experience.
Of course, some things could only truly be understood through firsthand experience, but knowing them beforehand was still better than remaining ignorant.
“I will keep that firmly in mind.”
Rodos nodded.
It was something he already knew, but there was no harm in reminding himself.
“I hope you achieve a good result.”
Igrun wished him well.
He did not believe Rodos could defeat a 7th-Circle mage, but considering everything Rodos had shown him thus far, he doubted the young man would be overwhelmed without resistance.
***
After returning to his room, Rodos lowered himself into the bathtub.
The water was cold enough to send a chill through the body, but he calmly washed away all the sweat from his morning training.
Once he finished bathing, Rodos took out a set of new clothes he had never worn before and put them on.
Then he began carefully sharpening his tomahawks against a whetstone.
In the North, a duel was no different from a sacred ritual.
It was only natural for those entering a duel to compose both body and mind and ensure their weapons were in the finest possible condition.
SCRAPE. SCRAPE.
The rough whetstone ground against the axe blades, revealing keen, blue-edged steel.
Sunlight streaming through the window made the tomahawk blades gleam white.
‘The preparations are complete.’
Rodos slung the freshly sharpened tomahawks over his shoulders and left the room.
“It is obvious he will not come out anyway. I do not understand why the Chief Steward ordered us to escort the Young Master.”
“Exactly. We have seen what he is like all this time. He may have changed a little lately, but people do not change that easily.”
Two servants were waiting outside, joking among themselves.
BANG!
The moment Rodos opened the door, both men jumped in surprise and hurriedly bowed their heads.
“We were instructed to escort you, Young Master.”
“Let us go.”
Rodos had heard everything they said, but he paid it no mind.
There was no need to prove anything with words when he could demonstrate it through his actions.
The Dueling Arena of House Augustus was housed in a separate building from the main residence.
As befitted a family obsessed with advancing its magical ability, the arena was enormous.
Arched structures surrounded a circular dueling space at its center.
‘It resembles the Peak of Duels.’
Rodos thought it looked similar to the peak where Tinder Mot was held.
At the Peak of Duels, towering cliffs likewise surrounded the battlefield like the walls of a crater.
Of course, this place was different from a naturally formed mountain peak.
It had been built by human hands.
But that did not change the fact that it existed solely for battle.
‘I hope this will be an enjoyable fight.’
Rodos’s heart beat faster as he looked up at the arena.
A battle awaited him.
He strode inside without hesitation.
People were seated all around the interior.
There were quite a few of them at a glance. It seemed that most members of the family, including the branch families, had come.
Duels were extremely important events within House Augustus.
Unless there was some exceptional circumstance, every member of the family was expected to attend.
After all, a duel could be the moment when the family hierarchy and one’s standing within it changed.
“Young Master Rodos is entering.”
A servant who noticed Rodos’s arrival called out.
Every gaze immediately turned toward him.
They stared at Rodos carefully, their eyes widening.
“He came? I was certain he would run away.”
“Good. At least this will not be a waste of time.”
The members of the family whispered among themselves as though they genuinely had not expected Rodos to appear.
The mere fact that he had come to the Dueling Arena was something new for the family.
“Did you know? This is his first time entering the Dueling Arena.”
“I heard he has been learning swordsmanship from the Knight Order lately, yet he came carrying axes.”
“How absurd. Axes? Are those not weapons used by uncivilized barbarians?”
A member of a branch family wearing a monocle sneered.
To bring axes to a place where people competed through magic.
The accident must truly have damaged Rodos’s mind.
“The result is obvious without even watching.”
At that moment, Rodos swung an axe.
WHOOSH!
The air displaced by the axe swept over the man with the monocle.
The monocle, which had been firmly fixed in place, popped free and rolled across the floor.
“What?”
The man stared at Rodos in disbelief.
There was no question that Rodos had just knocked the monocle away.
But everyone knew that Rodos’s damaged magic circuits left him incapable of using magic.
“It must have been a gust of wind.”
A man with shaggy hair bent down to pick up the monocle for him.
At that moment, Rodos swung his axe again.
WHOOOSH!
Another gust swept past and tore the shaggy-haired man’s hair from his head.
It was a wig.
“My hair!”
The man jumped in shock and covered his now-bare head with both hands.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight, but soon turned to Rodos with newly curious expressions.
“He really is different.”
“I know.”
“I suppose he must have some sort of plan if he did not avoid the duel.”
After strapping his axe back across his back, Rodos searched through the original owner’s memories and found himself slightly surprised.
‘This really is the first time.’
This was his first time setting foot inside the Dueling Arena.
The old Rodos, weak and frail with no particular ability, had refused every challenge from his siblings.
He had felt no shame in doing so.
He had simply been more afraid of fighting.
He had not even been permitted to attend as a spectator.
He had been forbidden from entering on the grounds that his presence diminished the dignity of the direct bloodline.
Rodos could not understand such behavior.
Even if one collapsed in battle, the proper course was to face the opponent head-on.
There could be no paradise waiting in the place one fled to.
Rodos cast aside the memories of the past.
What had happened before did not matter.
Focus on the present.
That was how a Northern warrior moved forward.
“You actually came? I thought you would be too frightened and run away.”
When Harka saw Rodos, he waved with a bright smile.
“How are you feeling today? Good, I hope. Otherwise, I cannot burn you without worrying.”
“…….”
Rodos did not answer, instead looking up at the sky.
“Not answering? You are frightened, are you not? I knew it.”
Harka laughed loudly.
Rodos was avoiding his gaze.
That was the Rodos he remembered.
The boy must simply have lost his mind for a moment back in the dining hall.
‘It is a fine day for a fight.’
Rodos continued looking at the sky.
It truly was clear.
At that moment, a servant shouted.
“The Head of the House has arrived!”
At the announcement, everyone rose to their feet.
The family mages quickly moved into orderly lines.
“We greet the Head of the House!”
“We greet the Head of the House!”
Not a single person failed to bow respectfully.
Marcos walked past the assembled mages with an expressionless face and sat in an ornately decorated seat.
“Raise your heads.”
Only after Marcos gave the order did everyone lift their heads.
The Dueling Arena fell completely silent.
Every eye was fixed upon Marcos.
Resting his chin on one hand, Marcos crooked a finger.
Kshar bowed and immediately began the proceedings.
“We will now begin the duel. The match will be between Lord Harka, the tenth young master, and Lord Rodos, the thirteenth young master. Young Master Harka, please step onto the Dueling Arena first.”
Harka stepped onto the arena and waved toward the spectators.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
Thunderous applause immediately erupted.
They were all Harka’s supporters.
“Next, Young Master Rodos, please step forward.”
“…….”
Rodos climbed onto the arena.
There was no reaction whatsoever.
Once both men had taken their places, Kshar began explaining the rules.
“I will explain the terms of the duel. There is no time limit, and the duel will continue until one side is rendered incapable of fighting. Weapons and magic may be used freely. Surrender is not permitted. The battlefield will be selected at random.”
Rodos liked the family’s rules.
It was a simple battle that continued until one side fell.
Either he would fall, or Harka would.
There were only those two outcomes.
“Now, before the duel begins, I will announce the most important matter: the battlefield.”
The memories of the body’s original owner surfaced in Rodos’s mind.
The family’s Dueling Arena operated through a Magic Circle, and the battlefield changed with every match.
‘Interesting.’
Rodos liked it.
To be able to fight in a different environment every time was an excellent feature.
It seemed House Augustus took combat quite seriously after all.
“The battlefield for this duel will be a forest.”
As Kshar spoke, the Dueling Arena began to transform.
Grass and trees rapidly sprouted from what had previously been a floor of white marble.
The arena, which had been little more than an open space moments ago, soon became a dense miniature forest.
Once the battlefield was complete, Kshar spoke again.
“Prepare yourselves.”
Rodos drew the two tomahawks from his back and assumed his stance.
Harka also drew his staff and looked at Rodos.
“When you are ready, please raise your hand.”
Harka and Rodos raised their hands simultaneously.
“The duel will now begin. May the blessing of the God of Magic be with you.”
The moment Kshar finished speaking, a barrier formed around the arena that had transformed into a forest.
The battlefield became a space belonging solely to Rodos and Harka.
Rodos stared directly at Harka.
Harka could not help but be surprised by the expression on Rodos’s face.
He looked as though he had been waiting eagerly for this very moment.
Rodos’s eyes burned with fighting spirit.
“Yes. That is more like it. Now this might actually be fun.”
Harka felt his mana flare.
If Rodos acted like this, then perhaps the fight would be worth enjoying.
“Ready yourself.”
Harka’s staff began to blaze.
At the same moment, dozens of searing masses of flame hurtled toward Rodos.
FWOOSH!
Rodos did not evade.
Gripping both axes tightly, he charged directly toward the flames.