The Extra Who Stole the Hero's System-Chapter 17: Duel
We had walked the length of the porch several times, the march of our footsteps on the gravel the only sound besides our voices. I had carefully crafted my responses, blending Olberic’s known personality with my own observations, trying to appear as a son who craved his father’s attention, rather than a terrified imposter. He had listened, his head tilted, bearing a strange and calculating interest about me in his eyes.
Then, he stopped. We were standing near the edge of the porch, the part of the garden that gave way to a darker, less cultivated area of the manor grounds. The shadows here were deeper, the moonlight struggling to penetrate the thick foliage.
"You possess a certain... resilience, Kai Lorne," Lord Sapphire said, his voice a low. He turned to face me fully, his eyes, usually so distant, now sharp and focused. "And a surprising composure, given the events of the evening. Perhaps there is more to you than meets the eye. More than I, your father, have ever bothered to discover."
What he said felt like a prelude to something big, and it truly was.
He took a step back, a faint smile on his lips. "They say a man’s true nature is revealed in crisis. And tonight, you have shown... a certain hidden depth. A certain strength." He paused, his gaze ever piercing. "Perhaps my son is a swordmaster, who knows. There is so much I don’t know about you."
My eyes widened slightly in surprise, my mind raced. A sparring match? Here? Now? My mind immediately flashed to his persona as a scholar, the piles of books, the quiet demeanor. But then, I remembered the armory. The vast, hidden collection of military-grade weapons. A scholar with an overwhelming amount of armory.
A surge of confidence from the recent upgrades to my stats, waved through me. Agility 37. Strength 32. I was no longer the weakling who had faced Theodric. I had power now. I had a chance. This wasn’t just a challenge; it was an opportunity. An opportunity to gauge his true strength, to understand the man behind that scholar’s facade.
My answer to his question, hadn’t been enough to truly dispel his suspicions. He hadn’t just brought me out here for a stroll. He had decided to put an end to me himself. It wasn’t a sparring match; it was an execution. He knew it was me who killed the assassin. He was testing me, but also cornering me.
Lord Sapphire turned, his gaze at the dense bushes at the edge of the porch. He walked over, his movements surprisingly agile for a man of his stature, and reached into the thick foliage. With a soft rustle, he pulled out two long objects. They were Military-grade longswords. It wasn’t just practice blades. These were designed for killing.
He tossed one towards me. It spun end over end, catching the moonlight, its weight surprisingly heavy in my hand as I caught it, it made me question whether the strength boost was sufficient. The cold steel felt solid, it felt real.
Lord Sapphire immediately took a stance. The Ox Guard. A classic, powerful defensive stance, blade held high, tip pointed at his opponent, ready to parry and thrust. His posture was good, his movements fluid. This was no scholar. This was a trained warrior.
I took my own stance, the Front Guard, blade held forward, ready to meet his attack. My heart trembled, but there was a strange, almost exhilarating thrill mixed with the fear. I somehow felt excited.
It began. The duel.
Lord Sapphire lunged first, his blade a blur. It was a powerful and precise thrust, aimed directly at my chest.
CLANG!
I parried, the clash of metal echoing sharply in the night.
The force of his strike was immense, but my newly upgraded Strength allowed me to meet it head-on, the sword not flying from my grasp as it would have before.
We moved, a series of strikes under the moonlight. Each of his strikes was met by a counter from my blade. We dodged, our movements fluid. My Agility boost was evident; I was quick on my feet, intercepting his strikes with surprising speed, dodging his thrusts by mere inches. It was an even match, at least at first.
CLANG! CLANG!
Lord Sapphire’s eyes, it held a flicker of genuine surprise, then a growing frustration. He may not be used to being challenged, especially not by the adopted son he had so easily dismissed. His movements grew sharper, more aggressive.
"Hmph," he grunted. "You hide your talents well, Kai Lorne."
He increased his strength. I felt it instantly. His next strike was a heavy, a downward chop that vibrated through my entire arm, threatening to disarm me. I gritted my teeth, steady my leg, and managed to parry, but the force pushed me back a step. His speed also increased, his blade a flash of steel, attacking from multiple angles.
The even match quickly turned one-sided. He was overpowering me. His strikes came faster, heavier. My upgraded strength and agility were impressive, but he was a master, maybe a seasoned warrior in his past, who knew how to exploit every opening, every weakness. He moved with power that shunned his scholarly appearance. He was a dangerous predator finally shedding his disguise.
My parries became desperate, my dodges narrower. I was pushed back, step by step, I was obviously cornered.
Then, with a sudden, devastating lunge, he broke through my guard. His blade pressed against my neck. The tip of the steel touched my skin, a searing cold that promised instant death. I froze, my breath caught in my throat.
"Was this how you killed the assassin?" he murmured, his voice was a low, chilling whisper.
I wasn’t shocked. Not truly. I had known. Deep down, I had known he suspected. He knew I had killed his guard. This wasn’t a test of my fighting prowess; it was a for him to confirm, whether I possessed the strength to do so. To kill the assassin.
He thought he had me. He thought he had won. But a slow, chilling smile was on my face, a mirror of the one I had given the assassin. My eyes met his.
And then, I flipped backward, away from his blade, away from the edge of the porch, landing lightly on the grass below.
The grim smile still on my face, I replied, "Nah, That’s not how I killed him."
