Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 125: Events in Imperial Territory (9), Part 2
──Several hours later──
Archduke Kharon and Crown Prince Diaz stood holding training weapons.
They were in an arena located in one corner of the imperial court.
It was a place built for the imperial family to conduct training and matches, often used by Diaz and Liana as well.
Archduke Kharon and Prince Diaz stomped on the ground, checking their footing. The arena floor was made of compacted soil.
Its shape was circular.
Around it were simple spectator stands.
Seated in the stands were high-ranking officials and princes and princesses called by Diaz.
And on a raised seat was the current emperor—Diaz’s father.
The terms of the wager had already been conveyed to the Emperor.
So, he had probably come as a witness.
Since the emperor was watching, the promise couldn’t be broken.
Though inside the imperial capital, the surroundings were silent.
Many people worked in the court, but their noises didn’t reach here. The area had been completely cleared of people.
Those in the stands silently watched the two.
What was about to begin was a mock battle between Archduke Kharon, the former Sword Saint, and Crown Prince Diaz of the Empire.
Although one arm was impaired, Archduke Kharon had fought a new kind of magical beast.
His opponent was the young swordsman Crown Prince Diaz, first in the line of succession.
If you were a citizen of the empire, this was a match you would pay a large sum to see.
“Are both of you ready?”
The referee, a man, asked.
Archduke Kharon and Prince Diaz had each finished preparing their weapons.
Archduke Kharon held a single-edged training sword. Diaz held dual training swords. For armor, Archduke Kharon wore leather armor; Diaz wore a metal breastplate.
Each had chosen what was easiest to move in.
“Then I shall aim for Your Grace’s chest,”
Diaz declared, holding his dual swords.
Archduke Kharon silently nodded.
The high officials quietly watched them.
They, too, were warriors.
They were likely curious about how the match would unfold.
Archduke Kharon was a former Sword Saint. However, his left arm was impaired.
Crown Prince Diaz was the Emperor’s eldest son. Gifted in swordsmanship from an early age, he could also use magic.
Whoever won, it was sure to be a good match.
“—Match start!”
At the referee’s voice, Crown Prince Diaz kicked off from the ground.
Crown Prince Diaz possessed the “Dual-Wielder” skill.
Heroes also used two swords, a style renowned for its speed and relentless number of attacks.
Even in the Heroes’ world, dual wielding symbolized a powerful fighter. Fortunately ambidextrous, Diaz had honed the style since childhood.
While ‘Holy Sword User’ Liana specialized in offense, Diaz with his dual swords specialized in defense.
Defense—that meant protecting the country from threats.
The threats, of course, were magical beasts and individuals uncontrollable even by the empire’s power.
“Come, Your Highness!”
Archduke Kharon shouted.
Diaz accelerated. The distance to Kharon shortened.
The magic chant had already been completed. Measuring the distance, Diaz unleashed his magic!
“Lightning, seal my enemy’s sight and feet! ‘Lightning Web’!!”
Immediately, countless bolts of lightning danced around Archduke Kharon.
Kharon instantly drew his sword, caught the lightning on the blade, and tore it apart.
The surroundings were wrapped in sparkling lightning.
Kharon’s vision was blocked.
Even more important was the sound.
The crackling lightning hitting the ground concealed Diaz’s footsteps.
This was Crown Prince Diaz’s strategy.
Archduke Kharon was a powerful ally but also a strong adversary difficult to control.
Therefore, Diaz had to think of a way to seal that power.
The best ally could become the worst threat if turned enemy.
That was why Diaz had long been thinking about how to defeat Archduke Kharon.
Kharon’s strength lay in his speed and precision with the sword.
If so, seal those two.
The lightning magic was for that purpose.
The countless flashing bolts sealed Kharon’s sight and movements; the sound sealed his hearing.
Kharon’s greatest weakness was his impaired left arm.
Then Diaz should wield two swords.
One to seal Kharon’s longsword, the other to strike Kharon himself.
That was Diaz’s devised method for overcoming Archduke Kharon.
Of course, this could only be used once. The second time, Kharon would prepare countermeasures.
But for now, this was enough.
The goal was to show everyone that Archduke Kharon was no longer the strongest. To confine Kharon’s actions even slightly.
More power than that wasn’t necessary at this moment.
(Archduke Kharon, I respect you as an uncle. However… that doesn’t mean you may say whatever you please!)
Earlier, Archduke Kharon spoke about the House of Marquis Tilik.
He probably knew about the House of Marquis Misra as well.
For Diaz, it felt like an old grave had been disturbed.
The Tilik Rebellion had occurred more than forty years ago. It mustn’t be disturbed.
How that incident happened must remain unknown.
(You mustn’t speak of that matter. Why can’t you understand that!?)
Crown Prince Diaz kicked the ground and accelerated.
He moved at high speed and went around Kharon’s left rear.
Immediately, the view cleared.
Diaz’s precisely controlled lightning opened a path between him and Kharon.
Kharon still hadn’t noticed.
(If you ever learn defeat, will you become humble, uncle?)
Diaz accelerated even more.
He approached Kharon’s back.
At that moment, Kharon’s eyes caught Diaz. He turned his body and swung his longsword.
At the same time, Diaz swung his arm.
His aim was Kharon’s longsword. To hold off a strike from the former Sword Saint for a few seconds.
Clang!
Diaz’s right-arm sword touched Kharon’s longsword.
A shock ran through them.
He desperately resisted being knocked away.
As expected of the former Sword Saint—cold sweat trickled down Diaz’s forehead.
He had withstood a strike from the former Sword Saint Kharon. That alone made him proud.
He thought no one else on the vast continent could meet Kharon’s sword head-on. With that pride, Diaz poured strength into his other blade.
A gap less than one second.
That was the point of the dual swords.
One sword stopped Kharon’s blade; the other aimed at striking Kharon’s left side.
He didn’t intend to kill.
Nor did he wish to cause injury.
To Diaz, Kharon was a threat, but also like a respected uncle.
He didn’t wish for his death or injury.
He merely placed the stability of the Empire—and the imperial family—above Kharon.
“Prepare yourself! Uncle!!”
Diaz’s sword swung down toward Kharon’s left shoulder.
He sensed the distance.
Even Archduke Kharon couldn’t avoid this.
The moment he dodged, the lightning flashing from the blade would strike Kharon’s body.
“I’ve won.”
Diaz silently thought, I’ve won. Then—
“Well done, Prince Diaz.”
Smack.
Spin.
Whoosh.
Archduke Kharon’s left hand struck Diaz’s wrist.
The impact made Diaz’s sword slip from his grasp.
Immediately after, Kharon grabbed Diaz’s wrist.
He swept Diaz’s supporting foot, broke his balance, and sent him flying with a whoosh.
“—Wha!?”
Flying through the air, Diaz looked at the arm that had thrown him.
(No way! Uncle’s left arm…!?)
He saw a dark red scar.
An old wound remaining on Kharon’s left arm.
Because of that, Kharon’s left arm was supposed to no longer move well, and he had resigned as Sword Saint.
But that left arm… was moving.
It effortlessly caught Diaz’s sword and threw him.
Impossible. Why—
“—Gah!”
Diaz screamed as he was slammed to the ground.
He instinctively looked at the sword still clenched — but the dual swords were gone. They lay at Archduke Kharon’s feet.
Before throwing Diaz, Kharon had taken both swords.
Probably to avoid injuring Diaz.
His strategy was broken, he was thrown, and yet Kharon took care not to injure him.
It was a complete defeat.
(…N-no way…)
The high-ranking officials were watching Diaz.
They weren’t disappointed. Rather, their expressions praised Diaz.
He had challenged Archduke Kharon and lost. That was only natural.
The arena was filled with lightning.
They probably hadn’t seen Kharon use his left arm.
(…Father…)
The Emperor was nowhere to be seen.
He must have stood up when Diaz’s sword was caught.
He wouldn’t watch his son’s defeat. That was the kind of man he was.
(Failure. In front of Father… so humiliating…)
“Are you alright, Prince Diaz?”
Diaz suddenly noticed Archduke Kharon standing close by.
With a gentle expression, Kharon extended his left hand to Diaz.
“…Archduke Kharon. Th-that arm…”
“Oh, this?”
Archduke Kharon smiled shyly and twirled his left arm.
“I told you earlier, did I not? The borderlands have a pleasant climate. Just as Princess Sophia regained her strength, somehow my left arm began to move again.”
“W-what!?”
“It’s a strange story. While I was there, I fought magical beasts, investigated the fortress, toured the borderlands, visited the Trading Post, and—with the manager’s permission—bathed in a local specialty. That’s all. I honestly have no idea what helped.”
“………”
“Prince Diaz, you might want to leave the Imperial Capital once in a while. Broadening your horizons is important for a ruler, in my opinion.”
“…I’ll take your words seriously…”
That was all Diaz could say.
For him, this defeat had supposedly been within his calculations.
He sealed Archduke Kharon’s sight and hearing, and struck with dual swords.
He had estimated his chance of victory at four to six.
Even if he couldn’t win, he thought it would be possible to corner Archduke Kharon. It was enough to show everyone that Archduke Kharon wasn’t the strongest in the empire.
However, Archduke Kharon easily surpassed Diaz’s calculations.
The four-to-six odds he had calculated had turned out to be ten to zero.
On the contrary, Diaz had made it known to everyone that the Archduke was indeed the strongest.
He couldn’t win against Archduke Kharon, who had both arms available.
Whether by fair means or by unorthodox methods.
This fact crushed Crown Prince Diaz.
“Your Grace, and… what about the wager?”
“Please provide the promised support for Princess Sophia. As for those who escaped the fortress and their possible connection to the Tilik Rebellion, we’ll await further investigation. If the suspicion proves unfounded, there will be no need to make it public.”
“Understood.”
“Still, you’ve grown strong, Your Highness. I’m impressed.”
Archduke Kharon nodded as he spoke, then—
“But, Your Highness, the girl I met in the borderlands was even stronger.”
“──!?”
“One reason I wish the Grand Duchy to hold territory in the borderlands is that I want to take her as my disciple. She appears unwilling to leave, so I want opportunities to visit and teach her swordsmanship. You may laugh at me as a swordsmanship fanatic.”
Archduke Kharon continued, looking down at Crown Prince Diaz.
“In this world, there are those who possess power that astonishes even me. Not only that, there are alchemists who create magic items beyond imagination. We must never be careless or complacent.”
“…I believe you’re right.”
“As expected of Your Highness Diaz, you understand quickly. I, Kharon, wish I had a son like you.”
“You jest. Ha, haha.”
Diaz gave a dry laugh.
He had been defeated. But he had been able to try out the dual-sword strategy.
He had shown Archduke Kharon’s fighting style to his comrades in the audience.
For now, he had no choice but to be satisfied with that.
(…I understand well, Archduke Kharon. My respected uncle.)
And so Crown Prince Diaz kept a smile fixed on his face—
(The empire—no, with the current imperial power, we can’t stop you. Then—)
Without voicing it aloud, he murmured such words.
Thus, the match between Archduke Kharon and Crown Prince Diaz ended in Kharon’s overwhelming victory.
Afterward, the officials formally decided to make Noza Town and the surrounding area an exclave of the Grand Duchy, with Princess Sophia Dorgalia permitted to govern it.
Official envoys were eventually sent to Noza Town to explain the decision to Princess Sophia.
With her reply in hand, the envoys returned to the imperial capital—
“We have received Princess Sophia’s reply: ‘I gladly accept Archduke Kharon’s proposal.’”
“We also received news from the Demon Lord’s Domain. Thor Regus, the hostage we sent there, has obtained the Demon Lord’s permission and announced his engagement to a woman of the Domain.”
The high officials were stunned by the information the envoys brought back.