Authors note :

This is the end of the first arc it took me awhile to be happy with the fight scene I had to play it out with my sparing partner to check if the fighting sequence made sense and was possible.

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3rd person pov :

“N-no I won't. I refuse to do this I concede my right to nobility” [ Charlotte ]

Charlotte stuttered over her words as she threw down her sword.

“ It's not that simple once the challenge has been issued there are no refusals. You will fight me you will kill me and then you will succeed me.” [ Augustus ]

“ No! I will serve in the army then I will succeed you.” [ Charlotte ]

“ Charlotte sweet Charlotte do you even know how you are suppose to succeed me. No matter how long you serve in the military, no matter how many achievements you get, we will always end up back here battling to the death.

The only way to get the position of prime minister of war is through battle. I was once in this same predicament as you, but it was later in life on the day of my wedding to your mother, my father came to me saying that I was now ready to take over.

I refused and refused but in the end it didn't matter because he left me without a choice.

So now I will leave you without a choice” [ Augustus ]

Augustus began to remove his coat and unsheathed a dagger from his shoulder sheath.

Seeing this Charlotte did the same to defend herself, but the dagger she unsheathed was a long karambit that had a hollow ground edge on the main blade and a secondary edge on the back of the tip of the karambit.

The satin finish of the blade gleamed in the light. There was also a faint blue glow along the edges. The karambit was enchanted with a mana edge that allowed the knife to cut steel like butter much less bone.

“P-please father let's stop I won't succeed you okay lets put the knives down” [ Charlotte ]

“No if you do not fight you will still be killed this to temper your resolve so that in the future you will not hesitate if a family member falls into greed” [ Augustus ]

Augustus rushed towards Charlotte his stance was low, he aimed the dagger at her solar plex. Charlotte sidesteps to the left and pushes his hand away from her, she takes a step with her right foot, as she does she does a punching motion with her right hand(the one with the karambit ), she also twist her wast to add speed and power to the punch. The blade tip stops at his throat.

As she does this Augustus is not idle borrowing the momentum from Charlotte push he slings his dagger towards himself and catches it with his left hand and thrust the dagger at her side, the blade stops before it peirce her flesh.

This took awhile to explain but it happened in an instant. The crowd could not follow the fluid movements it was like one moment they closed in on each other the next they were in a stand still.

“ Can we stop this now I can't beat you right now we're even in strength so I can't succeed you” [ Charlotte ]

Charlotte pleads looking into her father's eyes. He just gives a mocking smile.

“ We haven't even started. Look I evenchose your specialty so I can fight you at what your strongest at.” [ Augustus ]

“ Stop the bullshit I know that close quarters is your preference, why should we keep going? Give it a couple years then we can fight,okay? just not today. Please?”

[ Charlotte ]

The two backed up from each other, nether taking there eyes off the other.

“ Sorry baby girl but I have to fight yoh in my prime, while I can still walk on my own two feet.

You see it seems I'm dieing I only have two maybe three years. I've caught the crystal veins.” [ Augustus ]

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Crystal veins was a terrible disease. No one knew how any contracts the disease and there is no know cure. The disease as it's name implies turn the victims veins in to fragile crystal that can break at anytime causing the victim to bleed out from the inside. The transformation of the veins is a slow but agonizing process that takes two or three years after the symptoms first appeare.

The disease is not contagious as a person can live with there family till they die and no one else will get the disease. It was first believed to be contacted from blood but after years of testing that was proven to be false.

“Yyyour lying! Your just saying that so I will fight you.” [ Charlotte ]

“You can believe me or not but yoh will fight me” [ Augustus ]

Augustus removes his left glove showing small red crystals growing on his palm.

The air in the room turns still the nobles begin to whisper among themselves.

“Now will you stop being a child and give me my last fight. Let me die as a warrior like my father before me.” [ Augustus ]

He reverses his grip on the dagger and continued the fight.

“I understand” [ Charlotte ]

Charlotte pov:

What's going on? How did it come to this? I still remember my youth how my father would run to me telling how the war effort was going.

“Charlotte we took korves bay today, those bastards didn't even know we would be there! Hahaha it's all thanks to you my little angel. Did you know that we use to be vassals of the country of plains. We couldn't so much as take a shit without their consent.

It's always been my dream to show those bastards who was boss,and now thanks to you my dream came true” [ Father ]

I wiped my tears from my eyes and get ready for my father's attacks. He starts off with a left hook with the dagger in hand I block it with my right and slice down with the back edge cutting off a chunk of flesh from my father's inside forearm. He switches to his right holding his dagger.

I can hear his voice of the past yelling at me.

“ You fool! You had the chance to take his arm or cut major arteries. In battle never miss those chances.” [ Father ]

‘Yes father I won't do it again ‘ [Charlotte's thoughts]

We continue our fight he blocks my blade with his unarmed left hand and stabs towards my stomach with his right, I block with downward swipe of my left hand , I then snake my right hand under his arm and uppercut with my knife tip towards his chin, he back steps dodging the blow the does a backwards spinkick with his right foot, I switch knife to my left hand I catch his leg with my right and cut off his leg below the knee cap with a uppercut from my left hand before he can use the momentum to kick with his left off balance he falls to the floor.

“It's over you can no longer fight and I will not fight a cripple” [ Charlotte ]

I look coldly into his eyes. Then he does something I never thought he would do in this situation he laughs. He laughs so hard his voice rings throughout the ballroom.

“What's so funny have you finally lost it oldman” [ Charlotte ]

“I'm laughing because you made the same choice as I did and my father before him and so on. It's just I wasn't as cruel as you I just cut his tendons so he couldn't walk,but you took my entire leg!” [ Father ]

This bastard he's tempting me to cut out his tongue.

“Alright everyone I give you the new prime minister of war may the ashes of war clear your path” [ Emperor ]

“May the ashes of war clear your path”

[everyone ]

And just like that my bloody fifteen came to an end and I was the new head of the Herba house and the prime minister of war.