Cold sweat poured down his temples as he stood there frozen.

What am I supposed to do now? The Glacia Knights know what is going on… They tricked me.

He trusted the Glacia Knights only to be betrayed. But…why?

Ulfhar cleared his throat and stepped between the youths. He lifted his hand calmingly, intervening before Melissa could say or do anything she would regret.

“He was in Trance and is thus not punishable for following some of your movements, Lady Reeze,” The Glacia Knight Captain says. Melissa’s lips parted, but Ulfhar was not done, “That means if we keep this a secret from anyone outside the Reeze household.”

“But why would I? He deliberately copied my Inheritance technique!” Melissa cursed, her sword tip pointed at Percy.

I didn’t do it deliberately. It was just…

Percy didn’t even think about retorting to the young noble. He was on the losing side, no matter what. Lady Reeze could order his death as she pleased. That was a fact.

“I don’t have the right to tell you what you should do, but the Glacia Knight Order would gain a powerful knight with little effort and resources. Or do you think he’s not talented enough to become a Glacia Knight after copying and fusing parts of our techniques?”

Melissa’s lips parted, but she remained silent. She glared at Percy and blushed in anger.

“The Glacia Knights won’t reveal what happened today to anyone other than our Lord. If you–....”

“Stop,” Melissa groaned and cursed quietly under her breath. Meanwhile, Ulfhar and the Glacia Knights had to hide their thin smiles, “You planned this, didn’t you? You told this fool everything he has to know except a few crucial facts about Inheritance techniques.”

She looked over to Percy, the anger in her eyes slowly subsiding.

“Why did you do that?” Melissa asked the knight captain.

“I apologize, but I don’t know what you’re talking about, your Grace,” Ulfhar bowed respectfully to Lady Reeze.

“If you are so clueless, how about I punish this peasant according to the imperial laws?” Melissa asked Ulfhar sharply, but the Glacia Knight Captain smiled in response.

“To punish Percy according to the imperial laws, you need to drag him to court. Of course, if he’d attacked you or publicly revealed his comprehension of the Reeze family’s Inheritance techniques, the situation would be different. But the Glacia Knights are loyal to the Reeze household. We are part of your household, and this incident can thus not be considered as Percy publicly humiliating you.”

Melissa ground her teeth, her cheeks as red as a tomato.

“You’re walking on thin ice, captain!” She cursed, but Ulfhar merely bowed.

“If you do not wish to drag Percy to the imperial court, which you do not want since the case would tarnish the Reeze family’s reputation, you have two…maybe three options.”

Melissa’s eyes squinted into narrow slits.

“What options?”

“First, you kill him right here and there. The Glacia Knights wouldn’t stop you,” Ulfhar said coldly, causing Percy to shudder involuntarily, “But we would have to tell your father about this incident. The report would contain everything, including that Percy is an Ego with a special Monster Card and exceptional comprehension.”

Percy swallowed hard, still not quite understanding where this was going. Melissa, on the other hand, sensed something was wrong.

“What are the other options.”

“You can forget about this incident, and we will keep quiet as well. Nothing will happen, and Percy will never copy your technique again…right?” Ulfhar turned to Percy at the last words. The youth could only nod vigorously, but he paled when Melissa shook her head.

“His actions are unforgivable!” Melissa clenched her fists and pointed her sword again at Percy. “He has to be punished.”

Can’t you be a little bit more flexible…please? This is my life you’re talking so casually about!!

Ulfhar just nodded, “That leaves us only with the third and last option. Challenge him.”

“Challenge?” Percy couldn’t contain his voice anymore. His attention trailed between Ulfhar and Melissa, who didn’t glare at him for voicing his confusion this time.

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“To death?” Melissa asked, but Ulfhar shook his head, “No. This is going to be an Imperiat; a traditional fight without Artifacts, Monster Cards, or Egos. Two combatants and a pair of unenchanted swords.”

The young noble grumbled but nodded. She didn’t remove her armor but switched her sword Artifact with a Tempered Silvron Sword.

“If I win, I will punish you as I please,” Melissa said dead serious. She no longer paid attention to Ulfhar but added, “That is within my rights when I win the Imperiat.”

Percy stared at Ulfhar, his eyes widened in surprise as the Glacia Knight Captain nodded slowly toward Lady Reeze.

“And you will be the bigger person and forgive him if the Imperiat ends in a draw and your loss.”

Do I have to do that? Was that their plan from the beginning? They’re pushing me to fight Melissa…but why?

Percy studied the Glacia Knights but couldn’t detect any malicious intent from them. Quite the contrary, the Glacia Knights smiled encouragingly at him.

Do they think I’m going to win? No…What are they thinking? This is too much for me…

He swallowed hard but clutched the Silvron Sword tightly. He retrieved another potion and glanced at Ulfhar, who nodded slowly.

“You can replenish your stamina and mana first. The Imperiat is an honorable event between two combatants who’ll fight fair and square.”

“Do I have to remove my Monster Card? I know we’re not allowed to use it, but I have a passive Augmentation,” Percy pointed out while emptying his last pair of Ego-augmented potions. Since he was forced to fight Melissa, he would give his all. However, if he managed to end the Imperiat in a draw, Percy didn’t want to hear any complaints from the young noble.

“Keep it. I’m at a higher Rank than you, either way. It doesn’t matter what Augmentations you have. You will lose!” Melissa hissed and brandished her sword. She changed into a combat stance and was ready to fight.

I really have to do this, don’t I? At least, I can use [Blade Mastery] and [Minor Strength Boost]...

Percy also switched into a combat stance and took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves. Entering a fight, nervous and anxious, wasn’t going to help him. He might as well have lost already.

But he didn’t want to lose.

I’m going to win. I saw her movements and the flaws in her style. The epiphany from upgrading [Blade Mastery] will be my victory!

Percy was too deep in thought and didn’t hear the countdown. Only Ulfhar’s resounding “Fight!” reached him, pulling Percy back to his senses.

Everything happened way too fast. Percy happily upgraded [Blade Mastery] to a three-star Augmentation and used the foreign influx of information and empathy to improve his understanding of sword styles. Never did he imagine the situation would escalate like this. It was shocking.

His only advantage was to be alive and that he had a chance to stay alive. All he had to do was win against the heiress of a duke.

Great.

Percy cursed in his mind, stirring the mana within him and commanding it to follow his will. The mana circulated through his body quickly and enhanced his strength and speed. However, Melissa was already before him, her sword flashing.

Percy could barely intercept, lifting his sword to block her first attack when she accelerated again. She slashed him multiple times, moving much faster than Percy. Still, he managed to block three out of five attacks, whereas the last two scratched his shoulder and thigh.

He groaned in pain, but his eyes glimmered bright like an ocean. His eyes first followed Melissa’s blade, but his attention diverted to her wrists, arm, upper body, and eyes. The young noble’s body language wasn’t simple to decipher but the low mastery of her Inheritance technique certainly was. It was even easier to discover her flaws when she didn’t use her Ego to unleash the full potential of her Inheritance technique.

Percy breathed heavily within the first 60 seconds of the Imperiat, but the corner of his lips curled upward. Melissa accelerated, and her sword cut through his flesh on more than one occasion. Nonetheless, Percy sensed an opportunity. His understanding of the blade and meager knowledge of the Reeze family’s Inheritance technique showed him exactly what he needed to know.

She is not allowed to kill me! No. She doesn’t want to kill me in the first place.

He flashed a smile and made use of his only advantages. His delicate mana control, [Minor Strength Boost], and [Blade Mastery].

Percy kicked the ground hard enough to leave a deep imprint in the moist soil as he dashed forward. His blade flashed through the air, altering the trajectory of Melissa’s first attack. Her blade scratched his cheek, but the pain was all the more reason to end this fight before anything worse could happen.

No one was allowed to be killed during the Imperiat. But…did that mean no one could attempt it?

Percy ignored the voice in his head and unleashed the bloodlust of the Gnoll through his body. Melissa tensed up at the sudden change and twisted her blade. However, she was a quarter of a second too late and responded instinctively to the threat to her life.

Before Percy could lift his blade to deal a killing blow, the scenery around Melissa changed drastically. The temperature decreased by several degrees at once, and it dropped further as a glacier-blue reptile's head emerged from Melissa’s chest. The reptile, a glacier-blue Lizard, appeared in its full might before Melissa and protected her master. It roared at Percy or would have if he was still where he had been a moment ago.

Percy wasn’t a fool. He left close combat immediately after he unleashed the Gnoll’s bloodlust through his body and avoided getting killed by Melissa, her summoned Monster, or her Glacia Knights.

The Glacia Knights had already unsheathed their weapons, ready to protect their lady, but that wasn’t necessary. Their reaction was fast, but Percy was prepared for that and acted thus much faster.

“Your instincts are great, Lady Reeze,” Percy bowed deeply toward Melissa, who stared at him wide-eyed and sheathed his sword, “But you lost.”

He smiled at the roaring lizard and the chilly hue coating Melissa’s body.

“You used your Ego and a Monster Card!”