As dusk bled into night, the two warriors clashed, each fighting for his life.
"You look happy," Lorenz stated, lowering his posture.
Belial's lips curled into a faint smile. "Yes, I am happy. This is better. I was tired of the futile process of this hunt."
He wasn't born with a particularly good or benevolent personality, but Belial cherished the knights who had trained and grown up with him since childhood. He loathed the thought of them all dying. Moreover, every time he was reminded that their deaths wouldn't even be honorable for a knight, he felt as if he had swallowed a handful of pebbles.
"That's right. I was tired of shallow waters."
"I am not the one who cannot kill you, Belial."
"I know. And neither am I."
"..."
"Instead, let us promise each other one thing." Belial raised his sword straight. "If one of us falls, I will not touch the other's beloved."
"Why?"
"Because there is no need for that," Belial replied, acutely aware of Sen's gaze.
Senlande.
At first, she was merely an annoying maid he had encountered in the North. Kyle seemed to place great confidence in her, so Belial had initially wanted to seize her and gain the upper hand. Then he discovered that Sen was Baron Lande's biological daughter, and his mother's discomfort whenever she saw Sen presented an opportunity he felt he should exploit. It so happened that Lorenz and his mother were trying to push him aside, and he needed to use Sen to avoid being marginalized.
That was all it was at first. There was no reason or intention to care about her beyond that.
When did he start to feel something for Sen?
He felt sorry for her. It was a pity she had stepped into this muddy fight for revenge. So, unlike Baroness Lande, he hoped that Sen would survive and achieve what she desired—even if there was no place for her in his future. Even if Sen's perfect revenge included his own life.
Oh, perhaps he was tired. He was weary of living in this imperial city where he had to fight endlessly, where even those around him were hostile. Nevertheless, he hated being left behind and giving up more than he feared dying. So, perhaps he wanted someone to truly bring him down.
"Enough of your introspection!" Lorenz's voice rang out.
Immediately, Belial saw Lorenz's sword rushing toward his right eye. Belial snapped out of his thoughts, raising his sword to block the attack. The immense force from the clashing metal vibrated through his wrists, elbows, and shoulders, a jarring symphony of steel.
The brothers had sparred often since they were young. Of course, they never wielded true swords, but they would fight in the practice yard until exhausted. At first, Belial thought it was just sparring, but as he grew older, he realized it was a form of constant antagonism.
Belial's swordsmanship was superior, without question. However, Lorenz was persistent and never let his opponent drop their guard. Of five fights, Belial won about four times, while Lorenz claimed victory only once or twice. Yet, Lorenz always won the last sparring match, as if to assert that he had only lost to Belial for this very moment. Even Belial's previous victories often felt like the result of being manipulated, leaving him frequently displeased.
However, this time it would not be like that. Belial's green eyes hardened with chilling resolve. The fledgling princes who once tried to read their opponents' intentions with wooden swords were nowhere to be found. Now, there was only the next emperor, ready to plunge a knife into his opponent's heart in order to live, counting the remaining moments of his life amidst a pool of blood.
"Haab!"
The two rushed at each other, shouting their battle cries, neither knowing who struck first. He drew his sword horizontally, stepped forward, and twisted his shoulder to thrust his blade toward his opponent's vital point.
Swish!
Before the sound of blades could fully reverberate, the murderous swords collided again. If they couldn't cut throats, they would stab hearts, stomachs, shoulders, and even thighs. Lorenz's sword slashed the tip of Belial's ear, and Belial's countering blade grazed Lorenz's side.
Thud, thud.
In the chilly silence, only the sharp, distinct sound of blood hitting the ground resonated.
"That's quite good," Belial scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. "I don't think you remember, but I always won our sparring matches. Isn't there such a thing as a winning rate?"
"But in the end, I always won. Do you know why?"
Belial's eyes turned cold again. "Do I need to know? Or are you going to use it to compensate for your defeat?"
Lorenz merely smiled. After a few more exchanges, he spoke again. "You're overconfident in yourself. You think you're different from everyone else."
Belial's face contorted. Why not? Are you trying to say I'm the same as everyone else? It was tantamount to insulting Belial Serena Meinhardt's entire past. He had lived fiercely. Born with noble blood, he did whatever it took to ensure his standing never diminished. Belial competed as if it were his birthright throughout his life: to be smarter than Lorenz, not to be overwhelmed by aristocratic ambition, and to be stronger than Kyle.
"My mother is quite cold. You'll never know how much she honed me every time I lagged behind you," Lorenz said, and swung his sword.
The fierce blade cut Belial's cheek and the nape of his neck. Red blood flowed down his sweaty skin, soaking his collar and staining the fabric black. At that moment, Belial gritted his teeth as he noticed a subtle blur in his vision.
"Dirty tricks..."
It was poison. The poison Lorenz had applied to the tip of his sword had entered Belial's body through the wound and was spreading. Perhaps it was a paralyzing type, as a dull ache began to seep in from the injured area. Probably not. Perhaps it was just a trivial impediment that a knight's antidote bottle could easily counteract.
However, in a battle where lives hang in the balance, even that much can be the difference between victory and defeat.
Belial gritted his teeth. "It looks like you've decided to cast aside something like honor!"
Sharp swords clashed. However, Belial's power was visibly weaker than before. Lorenz lightly turned his head to dodge the attack. A few strands of hair were cut off and fluttered into the air. A grim and contemptible smile hung over Lorenz's face.
"There's no greater honor than survival, Belial. You merely wanted not to die like prey… Sadly, you're going to die in the way you fear the most," Lorenz added in a disdainful voice. "You are arrogant and duplicitous at the same time. Kyle accused him of being the maid's child, and didn't you also meet Kyle's maid? Haha! It's a spectacle. I didn't know that Belial would fall in love!"
"Who is in love!" Belial roared.
The very will to protect himself from Lorenz vanished. Even if he sacrificed an arm, he would still pierce the other person's heart; his will burned fiercely.
However, Belial did not kill Lorenz. No, he could not kill him. Belial's sword could not reach Lorenz. It was because something more urgent than that demanded his attention.
"…Look, Belial." Lorenz's gentle contempt was chillingly similar to pity. "What a ridiculous weakness love can be. Oh, it's alright. You won't regret it for long."
"..."
"You're going to die soon, my foolish brother."
If I had to guess, not much time had passed. Yet, too much had come and gone in the interim.
"No." Kyle seized my arm as I was about to leave. "If you want to tell me not to interfere in other people's affairs, stop. Are you truly saying that now?"
Then Kyle said in a low voice, "If it wasn't for that, you would have already rejected me, no matter what I said."
"..." It was true. I let out a shallow sigh.
The situation was worsening. I desperately wanted to intervene immediately, but at the same time, I was afraid to.
If Belial wins, Lorenz dies. If Lorenz wins, Belial dies.
Am I confident that I can handle the death of one of these two people? Or do I deserve to choose someone's death? As Kyle said, once a bloodstain is made, it can never be erased.
"As I said before, this is a matter between two people."
"... Can you say that while someone's dying? 'It's my choice, so I can't help it even if I die'?"
"Then choose it, Shu," Kyle snarled. "Go and kill Lorenz to save Belial. Then you'll understand why I stopped you."
"..."
"You will regret bringing yourself into this fray, and you will never forget that you contributed to someone's death."
His words were fierce, yet they resonated with even greater clarity. In our tense silence, Belial and Lorenz fought desperately to kill each other. Even I, who had never witnessed a duel before, could see the sheer desperation in their fight. Belial stabbed himself in the shoulder and, in turn, pierced Lorenz's thigh. Lorenz then retrieved his sword and cut across Belial's chest, and Belial moved closer, thrusting his sword toward Lorenz's heart.
However, as time passed, Belial's movements slowed. His face turned a pale blue, and it was clear he was poisoned. While I was afraid, I hesitated for that crucial moment. Then, everything happened.
"Sen!"
The knights who had been waiting behind Lorenz all this time moved. They bypassed the clashing Belial and Lorenz, rushing towards us. To be precise, they were coming towards Sen.
I know.
Sen loves Belial, and Belial's heart is with her. To distract Belial, they must kill Sen first. Once again, Belial's focus shifted from Lorenz to Sen. A look of profound distress crossed his face. Kyle quickly drew his sword and confronted the knights, but he couldn't stop the archers positioned behind them.
An arrow flew in our direction. There was no one left to act in the sudden chaos, and I didn't have enough time to reach Sen and save her.
"!"
In the end, I decided to intervene.
[Ice, Ding! Sunflower Seed Chocolate | Miracle Amount 5% Consumed | Time can be stopped for 1 minute.]
Whether it was 5 percent or 10 percent, now was not the time to think about it. I quickly chewed the chocolate that appeared in the air. I was in such a hurry that it felt like I had chewed the flesh inside my mouth as well, and a tingling pain spread. Then, like a lie, the entire world stopped.