Norman rushed over to Carter, removing the shield from his broken arm and setting him up so that he could breathe easier.
Carter's shallow breathing, and the grimace he pulled at each breath showed that William's kick had likely broken a few of his ribs.
William stepped down from the dueling arena and walked towards Damon, who smiled at him.
"You did well, thank you for defending my honor." Said Damon.
"It is my duty" said William as he bowed.
Damon turned to Beren, who was scowling as he looked down at Carter and Norman. Clearly, their plan had been derailed.
"I take it that a second round isn't needed." Asked Damon.
The bald man was attending to his nephew, concern painting his face. "No, your highness, Carter is in no state to continue fighting." He said.
"Good, and the terms?" He asked.
Beren ground his teeth, and Clifford stepped forward.
"We will have to convene with the Royal guard to gather the technique manuals for William. You can expect them to be delivered by the end of the month." Said Clifford, a still smile on his face.
"Great." Said Damon, walking towards the weapon racks.
"In the meantime, I will show some magnanimity and allow you to choose the weapon by which you will die." Said Damon, gesturing at the array of swords, spears, lances, daggers, bows and hammers.
Clifford did not bat an eye at this, but Beren's scowl deepened, and a vein rose at his forehead.
"The boy was a bit rough with his words but he's just an idiot child. This was a clean spar, and both William and Carter gained a lot by it. In fact, William was a little too rough with the way he fought if you ask me, but I won't complain about it. The boy lost miserably, and his loss is punishment enough." Growled Beren.
"That's all very good and well, but unfortunately, it isn't up to you to decide what is good enough or not." Said Damon.
As he spoke, he picked up a crossbow that was much too big for him to properly hold. Fiddling with the mechanism, he turned to Clifford.
Clifford held a look of derision as he saw Damon struggling to arm the crossbow. Still, Damon felt a disturbance in the mana around the man. He had erected some sort of mana shield.
"Cautious as ever" thought Damon. He would have to prod further.
"Have you decided?" Damon asked Clifford, ignoring the stare Beren was boring into him.
Being dismissed angered Beren and he lost control of himself. His aura surged and Damon felt killing intent pierce towards him.
Before Damon could say anything, William had moved to stand in-front of him, sinking into a defensive Southern Royal stance again.
Beren saw this and a dark smirk came over his face.
Sensing an opportunity, Clifford scuttled forward.
"William! To raise your sword against a Vice-Captain of the Royal guard means that you must not take their organisation seriously." Said Clifford, shaking his head.
"I understand that your tutor is a veteran of the guard, but you can't rely on such a personal connection to belittle them. With this offense it will be difficult to convince them to follow up with their offer of sharing mana techniques." Said Clifford.
Evidently, he was still more worried about machinating an upper hand here than he was about the threats that Damon had made.
"You are right Clifford." Said Beren.
He strode forward towards William with his sword, raised, turning to Norman as he went.
"I know that you're fond of him Norman, but I will have to teach this boy humility and drag him back to guard headquarters for proper training." Said Beren, sensing what Clifford was doing.
He continued to pace towards William, when a rush of mana flooded the training field and Beren found himself bound in place by a restrictive force, unable to move.
Reading the flow of mana, Damon could see that Alan had cast a chant-less binding spell.
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"Futile!" Growled Beren as his aura flared once more, shattering the restriction that Alan had placed on him.
"Do you intend to raise your sword towards a prince?" asked Alan, his voice calm.
Damon understood Alan was capable of much more than he displayed. Obviously, he was a card that Damon's mother kept relatively hidden.
Based on when he had withstood his mother's field back when Damon was a baby, Alan was at least a Level 6 mage. A level 5 warrior like Beren stood no chance if they truly fought.
"My good butler, it seems that you're putting the cart before the horse here. We came here with good intentions, in hopes of providing young William with wider perspectives and helping him to grow into a better warrior for the sake of the kingdom." Said Clifford, stepping in front of Beren and placing a palm on his chest to hold him back.
"And how were we rewarded for such good will? The young prince threatened to take the life of a future pillar of the kingdom, and his bodyguard has shown great disrespect to a member of the royal guard. Lord Beren is simply trying to dispense discipline on the boy." Continued Clifford, with a pained look on his face.
"It seems to me that not only do you not intend to follow up with the terms of your agreement with William, but you also refuse to acknowledge your breach of the law in insulting me?" said Damon, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Clifford.
Clifford's face took on a strained look at this.
"You must understand, my prince, that young Carter is a confidant of prince Richard. He often finds himself in the company of royalty and thus his tongue is looser than it should be. As a prince, you should exercise some magnanimity and overlook such small things, if not for the sake of the Carter's bright future, then at least for the sake of your brother." Said Clifford.
"Alan." Said Damon.
"Yes, your highness?" asked Alan.
"Based on the agreement between Lord Clifford, Lord Beren and I, what does the outcome of this duel call for?" said Alan.
"It calls for the surrender of Lord Clifford and young Master Carter to your highness, that you may execute judgement as you wish." Said Alan.
Damon nodded his head and looked back at Clifford.
"It's not too late to beg for mercy and magnanimity after you have surrendered yourself. Once you do, I am all too happy to consider it. To refuse to surrender at all, however, puts my dignity into question." Said Damon.
Beren sighed at this and interrupted.
"Unfortunately, my Prince, I don't seem to recall having signed off on such an agreement. As far as I can remember, we only agreed on a duel." Said Beren, stroking his beard as he looked up, as if trying his best to cast his mind back.
"You need to read more, Lord Beren. A combat trial for dignity predates the reformed laws of the Kingdom. Such a ruling does not require a signed document – just eyewitnesses and a soul oath are enough." Said Damon.
Clifford waved away Damon's words.
"My prince, a soul oath is a dangerous thing to play around with. Out of fear for your safety, the courts would not allow you to undergo such a barbaric display." Said Clifford.
Soul oaths were oaths sworn by invoking the presence of the gods. If one were to break a soul oath, or lie in one's name, the retribution of the heavens would strike them down – killing or crippling them.
In almost every country throughout the continent, centuries of relentless lobbying had allowed most nobles to get the legal system of their countries to outlaw accepting such oaths in court.It would require voting and acceptance of the highest ranked legal officials in the kingdom to allow for such a thing.
As far as Clifford and Beren were concerned, there was nothing that Damon could do to enforce what he was saying. From the very beginning, they hadn't seen this as an issue.
Carter had a gloating look on his face as he saw what was going on but kept his silence. Only Norman looked uneasy.
"And if I insist on pushing the matter in court?" asked Damon.
Both Clifford and Beren laughed at this.
"Forgive me, my prince, but that would not be wise. At the end of that day, you are still a child. The fact is what you say would not hold up against what we say. Being supported by a commoner with a little talent and an old butler who is bound to parrot what your words will not have help either." Said Clifford.
"After all, Lord Beren is a well-respected man, and young master Carter has a bright future. As I said, your brother is quite close with Carter. You should know that your brother is projected to awaken as a uniquely titled mage? Do you really with to pit your will against his?" said Clifford, his eyes narrowed as he emphasized prince Richard's influence.
As time moved closer to Richard's awakening, the buzz surrounding him grew louder and louder. A mage from the Tower of Flame had been contracted to act as Richard's magic tutor, and the man had predicted that Richard would awaken as a unique class. This had sent waves of fanfare through the kingdom, and Richard's standing was higher now than it had ever been.
Damon nodded his head, and Clifford's smile grew deeper as he assumed that Damon was nodding in understanding.
"Just one more push." He thought.
"I see, so he will awaken to the level of my attendants." Damon said.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured onto Clifford.
"Child, you must learn to temper yourself. Yes, you are a prince, but that does not mean that you stand above social proprieties. I wonder how your mother has taught you for you to be so rude to your elders." Said Clifford, beginning to lose his cool.
"Finally." thought Damon.
Both Alan and William had been triggered by Clifford's words, but Damon stepped in forward and raised his free hand, stopping them from doing anything.
It would be a shame for them to ruin his plan.
Damon walked forward, concentrating his mana threads through the bones and muscles of his right arm as he did so. With this, he was able to support the crossbow's weight.
"Clifford Walfian, you defended one who offended me. That was a breach of my dignity." Said Damon, taking another step forward.
"You attempted to use my brother's prestige to pressure me. That was a breach of my dignity." Continued Damon, setting his feet.
"You failed to address me as a Prince, and then belittled my mother. That was a breach of my dignity." Damon activated True—Sight.
Damon analysed the mana shield around Clifford, identifying a few weak spots in the flow of mana.
In a single motion, Damon sent a mana thread forwards, interacting with the shield and disturbing its mana flow whilst he raised the crossbow and released the mechanism.
WHOOOOSH!
PUCHI!
The bolt pierced the warped mana shield, then pierced through Clifford's throat.
Eye's wide, Clifford toppled onto the field, dead.
"I will not stand to have my dignity breached." Said Damon.