Yul Kwen stared in anger. She knew she had not been insulted, however, she felt insulted.

She’d told Haruto his duty. He was not allowed to deal any significant harm to the man he was to face, but he was to show an unquestionable display of dominance. Crush his spirit if he could.

Her mother had advised her not to do anything that would foster enmity amongst the summoned even if they were of different kingdoms because in the end, should the Demon King rise, they would all need to work together to face them.

A massive display of dominance could as easily breed enmity as it could establish a hierarchy. It was a calculated risk Yul Kwen was willing to take, and her mother had always taught her to take calculated risks.

And if a person bred enmity from being outclassed then they were clearly not men worthy of power.

So what in the name of the false gods had happened?

First, the man, Aiden Lacheart, had announced Haruto’s own name and class. This was something she would have to inform her mother of. King Brandis had spies within Nel Quan, and exterminating all of them was to be a priority on their return.

Then the fight had begun and ended in a single moment. All she’d done was blink and Haruto was on the ground, convulsing like a choking child.

And as if that was not enough, the fool had the audacity to do the unreasonable.

“Next!” Aiden called.

Had they taught the boy nothing of decorum?

Yul Kwen schooled her expression and turned to another of the summoned. She was about to speak when she caught an odd look on Jang Su’s face.

The man was smiling. And it wasn’t the kind he often showed her. It wasn’t one of curtesy or something flirtatious. It wasn’t patronizing or shown out of simple kindness. It wasn’t even a smile of amusement.

What she saw was a genuine smile. One that touched his eyes. Whatever he had seen, it had impressed him, pleased him.

She didn’t even have to ask to know what he wanted.

Yul Kwen let out a resigned sigh.

“They will not allow it,” she said. “The level disparity is too high.”

The silence of the crowd, born of obvious shock, had dwindled into a small buzz of mutterings. Those around were pleased, but not entertained. Still, they would speak of this for a very long time.

“What will not be allowed, princess?” one of her retainers asked, a man over thirty years old.

She waved him away. “Not you, Gerand.”

Jang Su’s attention had still not left Aiden Lacheart and his strange too-long-jacket.

“They will not allow it,” she repeated.

Jang Su’s smile did not waver. “And yet it must happen.”

She willed as much firmness into her voice as she spoke again. “They will not allow it.”

Jang Su was at level 20 with a unique class that was unheard of anywhere. To make a request to have a level 11 face a level 20 would be an insult, a stain on the name of Nel Quan. And the level 11 was a [Weaver] for that matter, if he was to be believed.

He wasn’t even a combat class.

“And yet,” Jang Su said once more, still smiling, “it must happen. It is inevitable.”

He raised one hand, the one he most often kept hanging on the hilt of his sword, the only one in a sleeve. Yul Kwen grabbed his robe—kimono—discreetly, hoping to stop him.

For the first time since Haruto went down, Jang Su looked at her and she saw the fire in his eyes. She had seen it in a lot of men’s eyes, men that would not be dissuaded from the madness they wished to plunge themselves into.

She knew then that she would not dissuade him. He would insult the name of her great kingdom. Win or lose, there would be no victory for Nel Quan in the game they played this night.

And she would bear the responsibility of it all. She was older and had lived in this world longer. She was supposed to be able to stop him.

But by the life of her, she knew she could not.

Jang Su raised his hand, drawing everyone’s attention.

“The level disparity between us may be high,” he said. “But would you be willing to indulge me in a spar, Aiden Lacheart?”

Aiden smiled. It was almost as wide as Jang Su’s, then he bowed respectfully. “It would be an honor.”

Brandis turned to Jang Su, confused. “And you are?”

“Jang Su, your grace,” Jang Su answered with a bow. “I am level—”

“15,” Aiden said before Jang Su could finish his statement.

Yul Kwen paused, slightly confused. Was it possible that their spies had provided them with the wrong piece of information?

It was. Jang Su was the only summoned that trained away from his peers. His training was under a significantly high level master. Spying on such a person with a level beyond the 200s, as much as anyone knew, was an impossibility. It could not happen unless the person allowed it.

Jang Su was the first to recover from his surprise. “I am actually—”

“Level 15,” Aiden repeated.

There was something in his voice, an adamant tone that insisted he not be disobeyed. Yul Kwen knew it and knew it well. Her mother had used it often.

He knows Jang Su is not level 15.

She looked at Brandis.

The king’s expression revealed nothing, yet she couldn’t help but wonder. Did the king know whatever piece of information his summoned was preventing Jang Su from sharing?

He had to know—he was the king. And if he did, then there was no way he would allow—

“Fifteen,” king Brandis mused. “The disparity is not that much.”

Yul kwen’s jaw dropped. She knew she was supposed to school her expression at events such as this but she couldn’t believe this.

The king was allowing it? This was madness. Either King Brandis didn’t know or he had gone mad.

Beside her, Jang Su’s smile threatened to tear his face apart. He was like a boy just given a new gift, something so amazing he hadn’t even known he’d wanted it.

He left her side so fast it was like he practically jumped.

“Alright, alright,” he said, squatted beside Haruto. “You did good, my friend. You did good.”

He helped him up and guided him back to Yul Kwen and the entourage.

She took the moment to grab Jang Su by the lapel of his kimono.

“Win,” she told him vehemently. “It is important that you must.”

He looked into her eyes as if she was a child trying to tarnish something most sacred while he was an adult who was understanding of why she would do such a thing.

“All I can promise you, Yul Kwen Sook,” he said solemnly, “is that I will fight.”

Then he was gone from her reach.

Yul Kwen frowned. She hated this sense of honor and integrity he liked to carry around. Yes, it was sometimes admirable. But he was still young. What did he know about honor and integrity?

What was the honor in a level 20 losing to a level 11?

She blamed this entirely on the man he’d taken to calling Lao Bek. A man of Jang Su’s age should not be so obsessed with honor and integrity to the extent that he was.

Still, despite his level, for some reason she worried. After all, Jang Su did not have his sword.

…

Aiden stood quietly waiting to test his mettle. He faced Valdan every day, but no matter the disparity in levels between them, the knight was always taking it easy on him.

What Aiden needed was a fight that would test his ability to the fullest. A battle to see just how much he could handle. If he remembered correctly, one of Jang Su’s companions had once commented on how Jang Su had always been ten levels above them during his funeral.

There was always a possibility that it had been an exaggeration, but there was also a possibility that he was about to fight a level 22 [Samurai].

Jang Su came to a stop in front of him after helping Haruto back to the envoys.

Aiden bowed when Jang Su stopped.

It took Jang Su by surprise, but after a moment, Jang Su bowed back.

Aiden wasn’t sure how to feel about fighting a twenty-year-old boy, even if all he could see was the general who the demons had feared and acknowledged so greatly that it had even given him a system title.

There had been legends of his training even then, Aiden thought, taking off his trench coat. The last thing he wanted was to give Jang Su any more advantage than necessary in this fight.

“I must say, I did not expect that,” Jang Su said in English. He had a Japanese accent, even if it was only slight. “But I guess not everyone is oblivious of some Japanese customs.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Ah, I see,” Aiden replied, not oblivious to the confused expression on everyone’s face around them. “They have already told you of us.”

Jang Su’s brows furrowed. “They have not told you of us? But you knew of Haruto?”

“They have not told those I was summoned with either, but I already know of you.”

“They should’ve told you all.” Jang Su frowned. “You should’ve told the others.”

Aiden shook his head. “Not mine to tell. Not yet.”

“Then how do you know?”

This was a problem Aiden had seen the moment he'd opened his mouth and revealed Haruto's information. Mainly, he'd done it to disorient the man and show off a little, but it had brought the problem of how he knew what he knew. What Brandis didn't know. Now, he had to rectify the problem.

“I have my ways," he answered.

Jang Su looked at Brandis then back. “It is wrong that they have not told you.”

Aiden almost smiled. So the honor Jang Su had chased until the day he died was one he’d carried since the beginning. Eleven years of unshaken sense of honor.

It was commendable.

“Would you like a sword?” Aiden asked. “Though I doubt there is a katana around here anywhere. I haven’t seen one since I arrived here.”

“How did you…” Jang Su stopped himself, looking down at his kimono. “My attire.”

Aiden nodded. “I’ve been wondering something since you arrived, though. If you would indulge me, why do you wear your kimono that way?”

Jang Su looked down at his left hand hanging out of the front lapel of the kimono so that the left sleeve was left empty.

All Aiden’s memories of Jang Su were either of him wearing his kimono properly or waging war in a samurai armor.

“It is an old samurai custom,” Jang Su answered. “A samurai wears their kimono this way when they are without a master. A Ronin does the same. Or so I heard back home. Before coming to Nastild, I mean.”

Aiden nodded. It meant he must’ve gotten a master as at the time they’d met in his past life.

“As for a weapon, I believe I am fine without one,” Jang Su added. He reached for his empty sleeve, adjusted the kimono and started tying it into a knot around his waist so that his left side was left uncovered, revealing only the black shirt he wore inside.

Aiden folded up his trench coat and placed it on the ground.

“I guess that would make sense.” Aiden rubbed his jaw in thought. “Your class should also account for unarmed combat.”

Jang Su’s brows furrowed.

“Yes,” Aiden answered his unasked questions as impatient murmurs began to rise amongst the spectators. “I am very much aware of your class. Still, I do not mind facing the Demon of Nel Quan without his sword.”

Jang Su blinked. “What did you call me?”

“Nothing important.”

The murmurs were rising now; impatience growing ever louder.

“We have kept our spectators waiting for too long,” Aiden said. “Shall we begin, General?”

“How about we make this entertaining,” Jang Su said, taking a combat stance. It looked like he held a sword in front of him with both hands, but there was no sword and his hands were not fists. “If you win, I will grant you one request to the best of my ability. And if I win, you will explain why you have called me two things I know nothing about.”

“Deal.”

Aiden looked at Brandis, and the king shook his head in dissatisfaction before raising his hand.

“Is the representative of Nel Quan ready?”

“Yes, your grace,” Jang Su answered.

“Is the representative of Bandiv ready?”

Aiden nodded.

Brandis brought his hand down. “Begin!”

Jang Su closed the distance immediately. His speed surpassed Haruto’s and Aiden took a moment to adapt. Jang Su already had him before he was even ready, hands grabbing him by the lapels of his shirt.

Aiden knew the technique immediately. He stepped in, slipped his feet between Jang Su’s legs to prevent himself from being thrown. Before he could affirm his defense, Jang Su was already throwing him.

Aiden locked his hands around Jang Su’s arm as he braced for the fall. When he hit the ground, he grit his teeth against the impact. His hands held firmly on to Jang Su and he threw his leg around the man's arms. Allowing the momentum of his throw give him leverage, Aiden brought Jang Su down with him.

Jang Su hit the ground but twisted away from Aiden’s hold before Aiden could switch his technique into a submission arm lock.

They were back on their feet almost immediately and commendable murmurs moved through the crowd. It wasn’t voiced by many, but it was voiced by enough.

Jang Su’s smile never left his lips and Aiden rushed him.

Aiden struck with open hands that he switched into closed fists. He didn’t go just for the face. He ducked and weaved and added as much flair into every combination.

Jang Su met him, deflecting and evading. They moved, spiraling the large center that was their sparring ground. For a moment, Aiden had Jang Su on the back foot. It was taking a lot out of him just to keep up with the man. Even with all the technique he knew, matching Jang Su's speed and strength was taking all the stamina out of him. It was taking far too much stamina out of him.

His flow and rhythm was waning.

Then Jang Su took advantage of a break in Aiden’s combo and separated from him with a massive back step, only to close the distance immediately. Aiden’s last strike was a grab that caught the air before Jang Su was on him once more.

Jang Su came at him from below, body bent at an odd angle so that he struck at him with an upward thrust. Aiden leaned back, allowed the blow scrape past him. Then Jang Su brought the blow down.

Aiden acted quickly. His feet carried him back, away from the blow that would take him in the chest. The blow came down, hit the ground, and Jang Su vaulted forward with a kick, leveraging on it.

Aiden deflected the kick with both hands, sending it aside. It did little to disorient Jang Su, and the moment the man faced him, they went into a flurry of blows.

They stood deep within each other’s space, striking and blocking. Standing so close, there was no space for evasion. Each strike had to be blocked or deflected before it crossed a certain point and landed.

The encircled each other as if executing a dangerous waltz, their footing doing as much work to control the fight as their blows. The sound of fists meeting open palms and thrown elbows being stopped filled the silent air.

Aiden struck with his leg never going above waist level and Jang Su stopped it with a raised knee. The moment their legs met, Jang Su maneuvered his, stepped on Aiden’s foot and brought the strike down.

Aiden winced at the pain of being stepped on by someone who’s strength stat was clearly superior to his own, but was quick to slip his foot free immediately. The distraction was instant and he barely stopped the elbow strike thrown at his nose with an open palm.

The flurry lulled back into its odd pattern of attacks and defense.

Until a notification flashed in front of Aiden.

[Stamina 58%]

Aiden frowned as he avoided a leg strike from Jang Su, pushing his speed to keep up with his opponent’s.

He couldn’t allow the fight draw out longer than it already was. He was already using all the skills in his arsenal to fight on par with someone with superior stats than his. It was taking everything he had just to stay afloat in the battle. And it was drinking his stamina like a man starved of water.

Yet, he would be lying if he said he was not enjoying himself.

Aiden executed a quick and complicated flurry of blows. By design, the switch up confused Jang Su. The man’s strikes faltered and Aiden caught his hands and pinned them down.

Jang Su’s smile deepened as their faces met.

“I would not advise a battle of strength,” he said in English. “As you probably know, I’m level 20.”

“Thank you for confirming that,” Aiden said, then he switched his grip and pushed forward, forced Jang Su back.

Jang Su brought his pushback to a stop after two steps, then tried to break Aiden’s hold. Their hands bobbed once before coming back down to the level Aiden had kept them.

Jang Su stared at their hands in confusion, then at Aiden. When he tried again, it was more of a display of skill than strength.

Aiden strengthened his hold, kept their hands in place.

“There are ways to pin any man down,” Aiden said, groaning under the strain of keeping Jang Su’s arms locked down. “It will take far greater technique to release yourself than you think.”

[Stamina 44%]

“Nope,” Jang Su disagreed. “It’s really not that complicated.”

Then he head-butted Aiden.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Aiden’s head reeled back from the blow. His vision blurred and he fought to secure his hold on Jang Su’s hands.

Jang Su was already moving. He shook his arms one way, then another. Aiden’s hold did not budge, but it took a lot out of him to ensure it.

[Stamina 38%]

Jang Su threw another head-butt as Aiden’s head came back but Aiden was ready for it. He angled his head just right, tucked his chin into his neck and braced for impact.

When their heads met, Jang Su was the one reeling back from a cut lip. But Aiden was not unaffected. His head thrummed and his vision worsened.

[Stamina 36%]

His hold on Jang Su waned, his strength failing.

Jang Su’s hands went into another frenzy, turned one way, then another. Aiden knew he could not keep his hold so he switched it from a hold to a grip, then spun himself into Jang Su and flipped them.

Aiden used a full body throw, tossing himself as well. It sent Jang Su soaring through the air. Jang Su hit the ground and rushed quickly to his feet as if he felt no pain, arm flailing defensively in the air to keep Aiden and any follow up attack away from him.

Aiden dived at him, tackled him with a wrestler’s spear. He felt the strength in Jang Su’s core give under the force of his shoulder as he knocked the wind out of him and brought the both of them back down.

They hit the ground hard and Aiden’s interface flashed in front of him once more.

[Stamina 31%].

Oh shut up, he groaned as he slipped his arms under Jang Su’s left arm, locked his hands over the right side of his neck, and squeezed.

Jang Su struggled against his hold. He went for strength, trying to break Aiden’s lock. Aiden bent himself into the technique, squeezed with all his muscles.

[Stamina 28%]

Come on, then. Tap!

[Stamina 26%]

Jang Su’s strength was waning. Aiden could feel it in the lack of resistance against his lock. The air was silent, the crowd mute in anticipation.

Then pain flared in Aiden’s side and he buckled under the force of it. Somehow, Jang Su had reached across with almost no space for any significant momentum and punched him in the side with enough force to shake him.

[Health 97%]

Aiden’s hold cracked under the impact of the blow and Jang Su pulled himself from it. To Aiden’s surprise, Jang Su didn’t disengage. Instead, he grabbed Aiden and moved to somehow throw him even from their position.

Aiden braced himself as Jang Su rolled over him, using the momentum of the roll to force Aiden to go with him. Before Aiden knew it, Jang Su had risen to his knees and was throwing him over his shoulder.

No you don’t.

Aiden moved his center of gravity, transitioned from being thrown over the shoulder to an upper arm grapple that sent Jang Su moving with him.

Jang Su followed him down and his head hit the ground at an odd angle before he forced them apart with a strong kick to Aiden’s chest.

Each of them slid along the ground but not so far apart.

They were back to their feet as quickly as was possible, staring at each other, shoulders heaving as they panted heavily.

Aiden’s eyes locked on his stamina.

[Stamina 19%]

Fighting someone stronger that knew what they were doing with everything he had was far too taxing for him right now.

If Jang Su kept going, Aiden was going to lose due to insufficient stamina. There was nobody present who wouldn't have noticed it at this point in the fight.

Not an entirely bad way to go, he thought, smiling.

At least he’d left Jang Su panting almost as much as himself.

Jang Su’s eyes ducked to something nonexistent in the air and Aiden almost chuckled.

“How many percent do you have left?” he asked in English.

“Stamina’s thirty-eight,” Jang Su panted. “You?”

“Nineteen.”

Jang Su laughed. “Call it?”

Aiden nodded. “Sure. This one’s yours.”

Jang Su dropped and sat down carelessly on the ground, exhausted. Aiden laughed and did the same, doing his best to control his breathing.

The moment they both hit the ground, the crowd erupted in cheers. They didn’t even wait for Brandis to call it. In all fairness, they hadn’t waited for Brandis to call Haruto’s loss either.

Brandis stood in place for a minute, gave the crowd some time to get their cheers out of their system before raising a hand to silence them.

“The winner…”

He looked from Aiden to Jang Su. Aiden nodded towards Jang Su when his eyes met with Brandis’. He knew the verdict and wasn’t going to argue it. Even if Jang Su had sat down first, Brandis knew the truth.

Brandis sighed.

“The winner,” he declared, “is Jang Su, representative of Nel Quan.”

Some of the members of Yul Kwen’s entourage made short and quick gestures of victorious celebration before schooling themselves at a reproachful look from their princess.

Another round of murmurs filled the crowd. It was debatable but not displeased. Apparently, everyone had something to say to each other about the spar.

Before Aiden could pick himself up from the ground, Jang Su raised his hand, drawing attention to himself.

“Just for the record,” he said when silence returned. Aiden saw Yul Kwen’s expression dip into worry. “Lord Lacheart made a small mistake about something.”

That held everyone’s attention and Aiden almost laughed.

Ever the honorable one.

He had no idea what could’ve happened to make a man of twenty so obsessed with honor, so much so that he held it to his heart for years up until his death.

“And what is that mistake, Lord Jang Su?” Brandis asked.

Jang Su took another moment to catch his breath before answering. “Lord Aiden Lacheart is level 11 but I am not level 15.”

Behind him Yul Kwen dropped her face into her hand as Jang Su finished.

“I’m actually at level 20.”

The crowd erupted in a new type of cheer. Jang Su gave Aiden a smirk and Aiden laughed as the chaos grew around them.

At his table, Brandis shot Aiden a quizzical look.

When Aiden saw it, he remembered that some of his posturing tonight would cause him some issues. He would have to answer questions he wasn’t supposed to know anything about.

When he looked away from Brandis, Jang Su was standing in front of him, holding a hand out to him.

Aiden took it and allowed Jang Su pull him up.

“And he calls me the Demon of Nel Quan,” Jang Su said when he was standing. “What level 11 spars a level 20 to a standstill?”

“One that used every technique in his arsenal. And we can’t really call it a standstill, can we?”

Jang Su chuckled in amusement.

“I never expected to run into another student of a Sage," he said. "I didn’t even know you guys had a Sage. You’ve got to tell me how you convinced him to teach you his style of fighting, though. Mine keeps on refusing.”

Student of a Sage?

Aiden blinked, the glory of their spar forgotten immediately.

“Wait, what?”