Chapter 45 is out! Lately there have been more and more of you on Patreon, thank you so much for the support! Didn"t think we"d ever get to ninety, but here we are!
Anyway, here"s the chapter, I hope you"ll enjoy it!
Chapter 45
【"―― No matter the outcome, no objections will be allowed. You may fight until you"re satisfied with the result! Begin!"】
The second Frigga gave the start signal, Wedel rushed forward.
His charge"s power was considerable, so much so that even Frigga was somewhat impressed.
But from a different perspective, this meant that, even with the help of his armor, all he managed to do was to impress Frigga a bit.
【"That footwork needs some work."】
With one light move of his foot, Kurats made Wedel fall headfirst to the ground together with all the strength he carried in his charge.
He did not take any damage thanks to the strengthening properties of his armor, but Wedel was still blinded by humiliation.
He had been ashamed in front of both the king and Frigga.
【"You"re dead! You"re a dead man! Let"s see you dodge this one, you trash!"】
【"Well, I don"t need to dodge anything really."】
In his rage, Wedel swung his sword with all his strength, but Kurats could dodge that with his eyes closed.
However, a simple dodge would not be enough to clarify the difference in strength between both parties.
Knowing that, Kurats caught the blade of the sword with the palm of his hand.
【"…Impossible… Why won"t it cut?"】
Not only Wedel, but every member of the Agren household present was left breathless.
This great sword should have been able to slice a rock in two and to cut through steel, yet this man had just caught it with his bare hands.
The fact that they knew first-hand how sharp the sword felt only served to heighten their surprise.
【"With your awful martial arts and a sword that"s not even enchanted with magic ―― There is no way you"d ever wound me!"】
If this was Rosberg, then he could have cut through Kurats" skin even with a blunt weapon.
And if he used his magic sword Gerlach on top of that, then Kurats would be fighting with his life on the line.
But in both ways, Wedel was miles away from Rosberg.
【"What"s going on?! Who catches a sword barehanded?! This is strange, isn"t it?! How do you explain this?!"】
Faced with an irrational reality, Wedel yelled like a child throwing a tantrum.
Perhaps this was not an issue since he was inside the royal castle, but if he was facing an actual enemy, such a denial of reality would have been downright suicidal.
【"Doesn"t matter how I did it. What matters is how we"re going to proceed from here."】
【"You arrogant piece of-…!"】
(I guess talking won"t get me anywhere with this spoiled young master.)
『These type of people won"t hesitate for a second to oppose you so long as you haven"t thoroughly planted the seeds of fear in them.』
(I know.)
Kurats tightened his grip on Wedel"s sword.
【"Huh…?"】
Because he used too much strength, the sword did not break but was instead squeezed out of shape like a poorly sculpted ma.s.s of clay.
Then, he bent it on itself again and again, until it turned into a small sphere.
Wedel was completely motionless. He did not understand what was happening.
Now that the sword was only a lump of steel, Kurats threw it away, and stretched his hand towards Wedel"s armor.
【"What are you doing… Stop! Don"t touch my armor!"】
【"It"s fine, it"s just an armor. Or maybe you want me to spare it and hit your body directly instead? "】
Wedel had lost both his weapon and his courage, there was no way he would offer any resistance.
The chest part of his armor was casually stripped off.
This precious armor was made of a magic metal that should have made it impossible to scratch it even for a trained soldiers armed with a spear.
But in Kurats" hands, it was no different from clay.
The valuable magic armor that was worth the price of a castle was cruelly broken, smashed up, and crushed into a plank of metal.
Looking at the ancestral heirloom turn into an unshapely plank, the marquis of Agren fainted from shock, with traces of foam coming out of his mouth.
【"Well, now that I"m done with you armor, how about we take this fight… to the next level?"】
The armor was stronger than steel yet this man had played with it like it was a toy, what would happen if he grabbed a person with that monstrous strength?
Just imagining it made Wedel shiver like a bird hatchling.
【"I-I-I admit defeat!"】
Admitting defeat was not that big a deal for Wedel. He was not someone with a strong enough will to voluntarily go on with a disadvantageous duel in which he was certain to die.
Looking somewhat proud, Frigga took Kurats" hand and declared the result of the duel.
【"Sir Mathers wins! Anyone who disagrees with this verdict is welcome to duel him or myself!"】
【"Any chance you will eventually let go of him?"】
Looking at Kurats and Frigga, whom he had invited to his living room, Siegfried laughed in a casual tone.
He seemed to be showing his real self.
Although he was the king of a country, he was still in his early twenties. It wasn"t strange for him to have a youthful aspect to his personality.
【"But it"s soothing and exciting to stay close like this. I want to do it more."】
【"No no no, it would be a bad thing if you got more excited."】
Said Kurats while scratching his cheek.
When he looked at Frigga as she held him by his side, it was clear to him that she was in heat.
If it came to be known that the Snow White Valkyrie was in such a state, it could cause a national crisis.
【"Is that so? But I thought for sure that this was normal."】
Siegfried"s expression changed.
【"Wait a second. Who in the world did you learn that from?"】
【"Hmm? Well, of course, I learned it from watching the knights, but I never could do it until now…"】
【"―― Explain in detail."】
This could be no simple matter.
Siegfried and Kurats felt shivers as they started guessing the chilling truth.
Puzzled by the fixed gazes of the two men, Frigga started explaining.
【"Well, you see, I was the only woman in the knight order, right? So I was always alone, and I"ve always been envious of the others" friendships."】
(We"re better off not hearing the rest.)
Siegfried and Kurats looked at each other, so convinced by their presentiment that it gave them gooseb.u.mps.
【"Frigga, you don"t need to say more ――"】
【"After training, they"d keep their upper bodies naked and hold each other by the shoulders, then they"d wipe each other with wet towels; you know, the standard things that male friends do…"】
【" 【"LIKE h.e.l.l THAT"S FRIENDSHIP!"】 "】
Kurats and Siegfried shouted in sync.
Unlike Frigga, they were not naive enough to believe that that was just a show of friendship between men.
【"I-It"s not?"】
【"Absolutely not!"】
【"Even when they"d share their lemon juice together after training, or when they"d eat one rib steak together by starting from both ends of it…?"】
【"Of course!"】
【"Even all those artificial respiration exercises they kept doing in their safety training…?"】
Still shivering, Kurats and Siegfried once again looked at each other.
【"―― The h.e.l.l is wrong with the discipline of this country"s knight order?"】
【"I don"t know! This is the first time I"m hearing of this!"】
They felt like they had gazed upon a dark abyss they should never have seen; like they had opened a box they should have kept sealed.
【"So none of that is normal? Well, I"ve certainly never noticed that one thing happening with you or the people in your inner circle, brother…"】
【"What thing? There is more?!"】
【"I noticed that when the knights go take their baths after training, for some reason they always come out of the bath looking more tired than before entering…"】
【"I did not want to know that!"】
【"Plus I did think it was strange for knights to be so adamant on taking off their armors right after training, and to stay half-naked. But since the maids seem delighted when they come watch the knights do all these things, I figured it was all normal…"】
【"Even the maids are lost causes? What"s wrong with this whole country?"】
【"There are some matters that I have yet to know about this kingdom…
I may be king, but I am still young, I would rather not think about these sorts of things.】
Even if Siegfried tried to lighten things up in his mind, it was useless.
【"No no no, you can"t escape from reality, you have to face it!"】
【"Of course, you are right. I have to do everything in my power to enforce tighter discipline in the knight order!"】
Later, this decision would bring a wave of tragic, tear-jerking love stories to the knight order of Lapland… But that was in a still distant future.
Adding to that, the maids would turn those stories into picture scrolls and spread them around. The stories would then circulate through underground routes and spread across the kingdom like an epidemic.
Even this world had girls who fantasized about boys" love stories.
『Come to think of it, there were these kinds of girls in Dolmond, too. The thought process of women is truly mysterious and complex.』
【"Frigga, all these things you described, they are more akin to what a man and a woman would do to court each other rather than befriend each other, so you should be more careful."】
【"Ah…?"】
Having finally realized what she was doing, Frigga jumped away from Kurats in a panic.
However, as the warmth from staying close to him faded, she hesitantly rubbed her knees together, like she felt that something was missing. Kurats could not help himself from thinking she looked very cute.
【"Well, look, it should be fine to do it as long as we"re out of public sight."】
【"Oh! As expected of my close friend!"】
Frigga"s face brightened up like a blooming flower, and she once again clung to Kurats.
【"But you are not out of sight, I am still here…"】
【"You"re my relative, it"s fine if you"re the one looking!"】
As she rubbed her head on on Kurats" back, Frigga looked more like a purring, dependant kitten than a woman.
Since she was cute, Kurats decided to let her do what she wanted for the time being.