~CHAPTER 44~
When the dust that had clouded my vision settled, the raw scene came into view.
There was a man standing just fine, and another man sitting on the ground clutching his neck and coughing.
The moment I recognized the faces of those two people, the expressions of me and the Lord split in opposite directions.
“You use cowardly tricks. Well, I figured you looked like someone who would.”
Illay clicked his tongue as he looked at the mercenary sitting on the floor as if he were a bug.
Illay had won.
He looked far more unscathed than I feared.
“…It seems we’ve reached a conclusion.”
Sian checked the situation and quietly glanced at the knight, the other witness.
The knight nodded with a stunned face.
There was no room for doubt. It was Illay’s victory.
“The winner is Serena of House Fabrein.”
“N-no, impossible… Do you know how expensive that is? It was made by Zahar, a rising star of the Magic Tower!”
What?
I turned my head at the Lord’s desperate denial because a familiar name had popped out.
Zahar, who had been standing nearby, blinked in surprise as well.
He met my eyes and hurriedly waved both hands.
“It wasn’t me!”
“I understand.”
He didn’t look like he was lying.
I stopped looking at him and walked toward the Lord.
The closer I got, the more his expression twisted.
“T-this is impossible. We need to check whether you pulled some kind of trick—!”
“You’re the one who pulled tricks. You even used a magic bomb. The fact that you still have anything to say is impressive.”
He tried to ramble on with words that weren’t worth hearing, so I cut him off.
I stared at him coldly.
“You said it yourself. The loser admits his crime and compensates the winner with whatever they want.”
“Kugh…”
“Sir Sian.”
I didn’t want to look at the Lord’s face any longer. I turned away and called Sian.
Then—
“This is the incense the author lit when I met him in his room. It contains mild aphrodisiac substances.”
I took a small pouch from my clothes.
Inside were the burnt remains of the incense. I’d brought it from the Lord’s room just in case.
“…Did you say aphrodisiac?”
“Yes. I’m not completely sure, but it seems so. Based on how the author behaved after lighting it.”
Disgust filled Sian’s eyes as he looked at the Lord.
“N-no! I never—!”
“You said you would admit your crimes.”
“I can’t admit something I didn’t do!”
“Well… if that’s how you want to play it.”
I gave a light laugh and tossed the pouch.
It landed at the Lord’s feet with a soft thud.
It didn’t matter whether he admitted it or not.
“Fine. You don’t have to admit anything.”
“…W-what do you mean.”
What mattered was making the witnesses detest him.
Even though the winner can demand anything from the loser in a duel trial, excessive demands are not accepted.
And the people who decide what counts as excessive are the witnesses.
See? Both Sian and even the knight who was the Lord’s own witness.
The moment they heard the word “aphrodisiac,” they were looking at him like he was a worm.
Sian was a proud Holy Knight of the Great Temple, and even a small-town guard knight would naturally feel disgust toward someone who tried to take a woman using a foul method like that.
The Lord didn’t seem to understand my intention. When he saw that I wasn’t pressing the issue and seemed willing to let him off lightly, he only grew more confused.
“Forget the crimes. You owe me compensation, don’t you? I thought about what would be good.”
I smiled.
“You have a Viscount title, right? Hand it over. Oh, and this territory along with it.”
It was outrageous. The Lord’s face stiffened, then twisted into a sneer.
“Ha! And here I wondered what you’d demand. You’re dreaming nonsense, girl!”
“Titles are the Emperor’s authority! How could I hand my land to someone who shares no blood with me? Are you challenging the Emperor’s authority? Foolish!”
“The Emperor doesn’t need to be involved. There’s no problem when succession goes to someone who shares your blood.”
“…What are you talking about? Have you gone mad? You and I share blood? That’s—”
“Wait.”
I cut him off before he could say something disgusting.
“You misunderstand. Who said I wanted the title for me?”
“…What?”
He froze.
“I looked into it. You have a younger brother.”
“How did you—”
“You’re not the only one who can investigate people.”
I hadn’t spent the last two days idly after leaving the duel entirely to Illay.
I went to Ifrit and asked him to look into the Lord.
‘There’s barely anything worth digging up… but he does have a half-brother.’
‘A half-brother?’
‘The previous Lord, his father, had an illegitimate son with a maid. The current Lord bullied him so badly he’s living quietly in some remote village. Unlike the Lord, he’s known for being kind and selfless.’
‘Really? Can you bring him?’
‘That’s easy.’
Ifrit found the half-brother and brought him to me in less than half a day.
‘This should settle part of my debt.’
Maybe he still felt sorry for not being able to take me to the World Tree.
I nodded. Zahar, sharp as ever, handed me paper and a quill he had prepared in advance.
“This is a magically bound oath. Swear in front of me that you’ll transfer your title and territory to your brother.”
The Lord’s face drained of color when he realized it wasn’t ordinary paper.
‘If I only had him write it on normal paper, he’d scream forgery later.’
A magically bound oath had the same power as a pact made with spirits, demons, or gods.
It must be honored, and breaking it brings consequences.
There is only one way to break it: a stronger magician must overpower the binding magic.
And since Zahar would soon be the Tower Master, finding someone stronger would be nearly impossible.
“Go on.”
“T-this is too much! You there, Holy Knight! Say something!”
Sian touched his chin as he examined the oath.
“It is true that taking both title and land at once seems harsh. You could end up on the streets.”
“Exactly! Someone reasonable at last!”
The Lord brightened for a brief second.
“We should add a clause allowing you to stay in your brother’s house. If he permits it.”
“M-my brother’s house…? That’s my house! Wait, what is wrong with you? How is that your conclusion? You’re still saying I should hand over everything!”
Sian watched his reaction with genuine confusion.
“What is the issue? You lost the duel and agreed to compensate the winner with whatever they request.”
“Still—”
“The request is reasonable. She is giving everything intact to your own family without taking a coin. It even looks generous.”
“My witness—!”
“No objections. Lady Fabrein is being extremely generous.”
The Lord looked at his witness in despair. The knight nodded firmly.
“Both witnesses agree. Swear.”
“N-no…”
“Refusing to accept the results is not allowed. You won’t like what happens if I step in.”
Sian showed the edge of his blade. The sharpened steel gleamed cold.
The Lord finally trembled and placed his hand on the oath, forced to comply.
