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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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Chapter 60: Demon Hunting (1)
After listening to Hamel, Daniel remained silent for a while, then muttered in a dispirited tone,
"I couldn't even sense Aura when I was your age. But you..."
Hamel, who could handle talismans, dragon language, and even his unique ability, the Azure Flame.
It was natural for Daniel to be speechless that Hamel could now use Aura as well.
'These are abilities that are difficult for one person to master even in a lifetime.'
Daniel gazed intently at Hamel.
Who could possibly call Hamel a half-baked person now?
The Hamel who was mediocre in mana, holy power, and swordsmanship was no more.
'He himself doesn't seem to realize how amazing he is...'
After a moment of disbelief, Daniel sighed lightly and said,
"Take a look over there."
"...?"
Hamel turned his head in the direction Daniel was pointing, and his eyes fell on Rupert.
Rupert was staring at Hamel with burning eyes.
It wasn't difficult to understand what that look meant.
"It seems like he's feeling a bit competitive."
"...I didn't intend for that."
Hamel averted his gaze with an embarrassed look.
He had thought Rupert would be pleased to see him use Aura.
After all, the north had always revered martial arts. Moreover, wasn't Glenvale a Clan that held the sword sacred?
But it seemed he had only stimulated Rupert's competitive spirit.
As expected, the thoughts of such people were difficult to understand.
Hamel sighed lightly at the unexpected situation.
It seemed things had gotten complicated.
And a moment later,
Hamel's prediction came true.
"The winner of this match is... Sir Rupert of the Glenvale Clan!"
"Waaaaaaaaaah!"
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Rupert raised his sword.
A clear Aura flickered on the sword.
Despite the obvious difference in skill between him and his opponent, Rupert had deliberately used Aura to break his opponent's sword.
The reason for this pointless performance was simple.
"..."
Rupert silently turned his gaze towards Hamel.
Hamel, holding his aching head, subtly turned his head away.
'...Nothing is going as planned.'
Hamel hadn't intended to win the tournament from the beginning.
He had thought that if he simply showed his swordsmanship skills and Aura, Rupert would acknowledge him.
However, Rupert now seemed determined to defeat Hamel no matter what.
Things seemed to have gotten quite complicated.
Hamel sighed softly, but nothing changed.
His sigh was merely added to the clouds in the overcast sky.
The following matches proceeded faster than expected.
Even though the tournament was held in the north, famous for its swordsmanship, high-ranking knights were by no means common.
This territory also had no high-ranking knights besides the knight commander.
However, this tournament had three high-ranking knights who could handle Aura: Daniel, Hamel, and Rupert.
Although some knights stepped forward with fighting spirit, they were a minority.
Most of the knights gave up on the matches.
This was because, for knights, these tournaments were a kind of gamble.
If they won, they could gain a fortune by receiving a ransom or taking the opponent's armor and weapons, but if they lost, they could lose everything.
Moreover, not many knights were willing to push themselves in a situation where they could suffer serious injuries or even die.
Thanks to this, Hamel and Daniel were able to reach the semifinals after only one fight each.
"We finally meet."
Hamel's semifinal opponent was Rupert.
Rupert grinned, openly displaying his boiling fighting spirit.
"Defeat me here, and I'll believe your words and follow you."
"..."
Hamel remained silent.
He simply tapped the guard of the sword at his waist.
Rupert laughed heartily and drew his sword.
"That's right. We don't converse with words. Let's talk with our swords."
A fight between knights who used Aura.
It was not a common sight, so the audience watched the match with great excitement.
The announcer was no different.
He gulped.
As soon as the lord gave the signal, he would raise the flag to announce the start of the match.
The lord slowly opened his mouth.
"Now then, let the match..."
"Wait."
A sudden voice interrupted the lord.
A look of confusion crossed the faces of the people who had been building up the excitement.
Who would dare interrupt the lord at this moment?
"Please stop."
The owner of the voice was none other than Hamel.
All eyes, including the lord's, turned to Hamel.
Hamel shrugged and replied,
"I forfeit."
"...?"
Rupert, who had been ready to swing his sword at any moment, stared at him blankly.
Hamel turned around and walked off the arena.
A chilling silence fell over the arena.
Only Rupert stood there dumbfounded, like a statue.
***
Hamel subtly averted his gaze from Rupert, who was glaring at him from afar.
It couldn't be helped.
Hamel had only recently learned to use Aura, and he wasn't confident he could defeat Rupert with swordsmanship alone.
Not to mention the Azure Flame, which was useless against humans.
He had to conserve the talisman, as it couldn't be used for a long time after a single use.
Then all that was left was consuming Dragon Blood...
'There's no reason to go that far in a swordsmanship tournament.'
He couldn't use Dragon Blood, which he refrained from using even in life-or-death battles, in a place like this.
'Let's give up.'
Hamel cleanly gave up on the match.
The reason for his decision was simple.
He had already prepared for this possibility.
"The final match will now commence. Sir Rupert of the Glenvale clan and Sir Daniel of Heidern, please prepare yourselves!"
At the announcer's call, Daniel stood up.
He chuckled and said to Hamel,
"I'll be back."
"Yes. Don't overdo it."
"Alright, alright."
Daniel waved with a smile and headed towards the arena.
Meanwhile, Rupert, who was sitting a little distance away, also headed towards the arena.
Still glaring at Hamel.
He seemed quite disappointed in Hamel.
But what could he do?
The condition of their bet was to defeat Rupert.
'I didn't say who had to do it.'
It didn't matter if he won or Daniel won.
Hamel calmly watched the two of them enter the arena.
Ono, watching from the side, asked with a hint of worry,
"Are you sure it's alright to waste your energy like this when Vinea could make a move at any moment?"
"I don't think it will move now. And it probably won't waste its energy either."
"What do you mean?"
When Ono asked with a puzzled look, Hamel calmly asked back,
"What do you think would happen if I fought Sir Daniel without using any of my abilities?"
"You'd lose?"
"Yes, I would. To be precise..."
Hamel looked towards the arena.
The flag signaling the start of the match was raised.
In the next moment,
Clang!
With a sharp metallic sound, a sword flew into the air, spinning.
Then it fell powerlessly to the ground.
"..."
One person had his sword pointed at his opponent's neck, while the other stared blankly at the sword that had fallen to the ground.
The final match of the swordsmanship tournament.
The winner was decided in the blink of an eye.
"Th-the winner... Sir Daniel of Heidern!"
Hamel, watching this, continued what he had been saying to Ono,
"I wouldn't be able to withstand a single blow."
***
Rupert was a far more skilled swordsman than Hamel.
And Daniel was a far more skilled swordsman than both of them.
Of course, if Rupert had used Aura from the beginning, things might have been a little different.
But even then, the outcome wouldn't have changed...
'It wouldn't have been as easy a victory as this.'
The reason for Rupert's defeat in a single blow was clear.
'Carelessness.'
Hamel looked at Rupert with an impassive expression.
Rupert was trudging off the arena, seemingly unable to believe his defeat.
"Just as expected."
Daniel, returning to his seat, shrugged and said.
Daniel had anticipated that Rupert wouldn't go all out from the start.
Partly due to carelessness, and partly to gauge his opponent.
Normally, it wouldn't be considered a bad move.
But not in this match.
Daniel had used Aura from the beginning, putting forth his full strength.
Moreover, Rupert had been preoccupied with Hamel until the very last moment.
With their differing mindsets from the start, his defeat was, in a way, inevitable.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Ono asked Hamel impatiently.
The tournament was over.
In the evening, there would be a feast in the plaza to celebrate the winner.
Even the most oblivious person could tell.
That the time for the final battle was approaching.
'About three hours until sunset...'
There was enough time.
Hamel stood up and said,
"You two rest until the feast. I have someone to meet."
"Who?"
At Ono's question, Hamel looked around and then fixed his gaze on a certain point.
"G."
"...What are you talking about, suddenly bringing up a rat?"
Hamel lightly ignored Ono's retort and quietly walked away.
And when he naturally moved out of sight of the others,
"Greetings."
Hamel greeted the person walking ahead.
"Hmm? Are you talking to me?"
The middle-aged man turned around with a bewildered expression.
"Have we spoken before?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to talk after the tournament, Sir Galahad?"
Hamel said calmly, looking at Galahad, the knight commander of Lonely Ridge.
Galahad stared at Hamel blankly, as if bewildered...
"Oh my... how did you know it was me?"
...and then expressed his admiration.
He tilted his head in wonder and continued,
"Did I make a mistake somewhere?"
"Not at all. I recognized you as the knight commander because of something else."
"I'm very curious about this 'something else'... but anyway, I understand."
The reason Hamel had guessed G's identity was simple.
In a heavily guarded castle, the person who could slip a letter into Hamel's room had to be someone in a high position.
And the hint Tristan had given him.
'Come to think of it, Uncle Galahad didn't like the pendant either.'
If he hadn't figured it out after hearing that, he wouldn't be qualified as an exorcist priest.
Hamel shrugged and got to the point.
"So, may I ask why you wanted to see me?"
"Well, before that, I have one question."
"Go ahead."
"Was it truly a coincidence that you came to this territory, Sir Hamel?"
Galahad's eyes, which had seemed gentle until just now, suddenly gleamed sharply like a polished sword.
Hamel looked at him silently for a moment, then slowly shook his head.
"No."
"Then..."
Galahad's eyes held a hint of expectation.
Hamel calmly opened his mouth.
"It was to hunt the demon hiding in Lonely Ridge."
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
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