"A duel, you say? Now, Sir Arthur, how could a no-name soldier-turned-knight like me dare fight the great Grey Raven? Though I've been knighted just today, I still have not even earned a title of my own, you know?"

Arthur then showed a vile smile while still pointing his blade in my direction, then insisted:

"Have more faith in yourself, Sir Kazimir. You may say that, but your squadron is quite well known for achieving a good deal of accomplishments. A simple duel should be of no difference to slaying vermin to you."

This man is making a duel to the death sound like it is a mere walk around a blooming flower field, yet he cannot even care to hide the bloodlust gushing out of every corner of his body. Though I've heard of rumors about how good ol' Arthur here is the "knight cleanser", I never expected he'd challenge a knight the exact day they're appointed.

Then, he spoke once more, breaking my train of thought:

"If you truly are that uneasy, then how about this? I shall only use my sword "Griffith" for the duel. I shall not even carry a shield or don my armor. Surely there is nothing to fret about now, right?"

Now, this is merely looking down on me, but it IS Arthur we're talking about here. He still is a mighty foe even equipped with only a sword. But if he has decided to mock me and take me lightly, then soon he shall witness the consequences birthed from his actions.

I accepted his challenge by simple uttering the words "Very well, I accept."

Here we are, at the center of the castle town. This is the place we have decided to hold our "friendly duel" at. While I took the time needed to prepare the items I need, and to also don my armor and collect my weapons, Arthur left immediately after our conversation, after saying he'll await me at the promised battleground.

A full moon shines its feint, yet majestic light all over the various stone houses scattered around the town. The lights of every home seem to be out, all but the ones at a certain noble's mansion. My eyes then moved towards a man standing in front of the town's grand fountain, with one arm behind his back, and the other resting on the hilt of the sword sheathed at his waist. As the wind blew at his braided blonde hair, he asked:

"Well, shall we begin, Sir Kazimir?"

To which I responded with "Yes", as I drew my pair of blades.

Before I could even begin planning my attack, Arthur leapt at me while unleashing an overwhelming series of slashes. Evading attacks at such speeds was out of the question, so I focused all of my might on defending-

-and I failed to evade a low-kick he dealt, then proceeded to disarm my broadsword, which he followed up with a strike to my right shoulder.

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In our contest of pure strength and swordsmanship, it is clear that Arthur is the victor. However, whether it's honorable swordsmanship, or through despicable means, my only aim is survival. In a war, those who walk away with their lives are the victors. I am not fond of bloodshed, but if it is for a good cause, I will spare no thought and will do what I must. This man is making an attempt on my life, the same way he has done so to many others before.

With blood still gushing out of my arm, I used my other to throw my dagger towards Arthur's face, though he simply deflected it with ease.

Seeing that I am now unarmed and injured, he let his guard down, as I expected, and began to slowly walk towards me, while wearing a very repulsive grin on his face.

"My, I expected much more from someone our king has great interest in, yet as expected of a lowly commoner, you disappoint. But fret not, as I shall now rid you of your miserable state."

"Is that so?" I spoke as I swiftly grabbed three black eggs from the pouch on my belt, then launched them straight at his face.

Of course, Arthur only blocked a single one of them, and the remaining pair shattered against his detestable face, and their contents reached his eyes, earning a deafening screech of agony from him.

"AAARGH!"

The "Black Egg". I often listen to tales from a dear friend of mine. Though they mostly were rambles about various myths and legends, sometimes he would speak of the cultures of neighboring lands. I once heard of an eastern land far away during one of his endless rambles, and supposedly, said land harbored a clan of highly skilled assassins, and one of their countless tools is called the "black egg", which, simply enough, is an empty egg filled with powder such as pepper, along with shards of glass. It is mainly used to blind targets and render them defenseless.

Of course, the replicas I attempted to create were only filled with pepper, so Arthur should only suffer a bit without losing his vision permanently.

As our great and noble knight squirmed in pain and gasped for air on the ground, I managed to walk towards and pick up my dagger-

-Then I swiftly impaled the right leg of the man rolling on the ground in agony, earning another deafening cry from him:

"WAAARGH!"

"Since this a duel, normally I'd be expected to finish you off. However, you yourself seem to be in quite the "miserable state", and I suppose that is sufficient for me. Killing you is of no gain to me."

As a fountain of blood gushed out of Arthur's leg, and blood ran down my arm, I walked over to collect my other blade, then turned around to leave the now bloodied town center.

"Farewell, Sir Arthur."

However, as I dragged my wavering legs away-

"RAAARGH"

A sword was sent flying and struck my left leg, making me kneel on my knee.

"Turning your back on a breathing opponent, lowly peasant scum?! That blunder will cost you your life!" howled Arthur.

I turned around to face him while still kneeling on one leg. It appears that the bastard managed to stand with his remaining might, while bearing his immense pain. His eyes were bloodshot, and rivers of tears made their way down his cheeks, all while his wound continued to paint the ground with his blood.

"This duel shall not end until one of us is sent to the abyss!" howled the blonde nuisance one more.

"Very well, my dear Sir..." I replied.

While breathing heavily, I also managed to stand and draw my dagger for a second time. But as we closed in on each other once more-

"Enough!" declared the tired voice of an old man.

Both my and Arthur's attention were stolen by the appearance of the king and his personal guards, who appear to have arrived to put a halt to our duel.