Wearing a completely emotionless face, he locked eyes with Sybil, who donned an arrogant and condescending look. The entire training ground held its breath as they watched the intense staring contest between the two. Suddenly, Elysian burst into a fit of laughter, causing confusion among those present. Even Sybil frowned at his unexpected reaction to the challenge.

“Do you think I’m being funny?” asked the older boy, gritting his teeth due to Elysian’s incessant laughing. “I’m serious here.”

Elysian just kept on laughing without even bothering to respond to the other boy. He laughed so hard that he was nearly on the ground, his eyes even started to water. All the soldiers watching the scene had even started thinking that he had gone crazy.

“Hey, stop!” Sybil shouted in frustration, then smirked. “Or are you scared?”

Elysian slowly stood up, trying hard to stop himself from laughing. He took a deep breath to calm himself, flashing a grin at the older boy. “I didn’t know you had the audacity to talk to someone like me—a noble.”

Sybil kept on smirking, “Are you going to use that status of yours to run away from me?”

“Sybil!” Lucas shouted, trying to stop the young soldier. “Have you gone ma…”

Elysian quickly signaled to the captain to stop, “Ah, the taunting—a classic. Do you really think it will work?”

“Just admit you don’t want to fight. That you’re scared,” Sybil laughed mockingly. “If it were your brother, I’m sure he would have accepted. Refusing such a challenge would be a stain on his honor.”

“Wow!” Elysian suddenly clapped while chuckling. “You use the words ‘brother’ and ‘honor’ at the same time. Not only brave but also gifted in irritating people. Sad to say, I’m not my brother, and I won’t die for honor.” He grinned before shrugging. “You’re older than me, you have more experience, and you can use Aura. Do you think I’m stupid?”

‘How do you respond to that, brat!’

Sybil couldn’t come up with a retort. All eyes were now scrutinizing him, unable to believe that he had just challenged a little kid to a fight. Under the gaze of those judging eyes, he found it difficult to look at them, so he could only stare at the floor while beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

“I’m curious though,” Elysian said, breaking the deafening silence in the training ground. “Why do you hate me so much? Is it because of my brother? I know you idolize him, but whatever goes on between my brother and me is our business. It’s not anyone’s concern. However, challenging a little kid with little competence, there must be a reason… But what?” he asked, pondering. “Have you become a fanatic of his? One of his crazy overzealous fans? I know my brother has the looks and charisma. But you’re a man and a soldier. Aren’t you embarrassed? Oh, my…”

Everyone’s mouth dropped when they heard his words and the hidden insinuation. When Sybil looked around, everyone just averted their gaze. He was so embarrassed that his cheeks started to redden. Sybil was fuming to the point of exploding. “Yo…You!”

“Sybil, stop!” Cedric, the commander of the garrison, moved between them.

From what Elysian remembered, he was the sword instructor of his brother and extremely loyal to him. He also greatly disapproved of Elysian, seeing him as arrogant and cruel, which is true. Compared to his older brother, who was a genius swordsman and a kind person, and him, his complete opposite, it wasn’t surprising that he wanted Aldric to be the heir of the barony. Even though he was one of the few who knew that his older brother was adopted, it didn’t prevent him from giving his support. “You don’t need to waste your time on him,” he looked condescendingly at Elysian. “If he doesn’t want to fight, why force him?”

With the sudden arrival of his commander, Sybil appeared to regain his composure. With a smug smile, he said to Elysian, “If you're afraid that I’m older and more experienced, I’ll just use my left hand. Also, I won’t use my Aura. What do you say? Do we fight?” Elysian didn’t answer, instead he just stared at him while maintaining his smile. “If you don’t want to fight, just say it. Why all these excuses,” Sybil snorted before turning his back to him.

‘I’ve seen that boy before, but I can’t seem to remember. Hmm, where did I see him?’

As the boy was walking away, Elysian remembered something. “Wait, ah! Now I remember,” he whispered, nodding to himself. With how long it had been, and with the things that had happened, it wasn’t surprising that he had forgotten about the boy. Also, he had only met the boy briefly in the past. Well, as briefly as his career in the military was. Sybil had made his life miserable. When they fought, he made sure to point out that he was beneath him. He hated him so much that he even made Elysian ask the Baron to kick Sybil out of the military, which was a total mistake. It completely backfired. Not only was he insulted by his father, but he was also beaten for being weak. It was not a good memory at all. He was one of the reasons why he hated fighting in the past, leading him to quit the military. His father was right. He was truly weak.

“Since you’re so eager to fight me, I’ll agree to it. You can even use both arms or your teeth if you want,” Elysian said as the older boy turned around to face him. “However, I have a condition.”

“What?” Sybil asked, wary of his antics.

“Well, it’s really simple,” he shrugged. “Let’s make a bet to spice things up. If I win, I want you to crawl around the training ground from sunrise to sunset, shouting repeatedly, ’Oh, Aldric, my charming prince! Your smoking hot body burns my heart!’”

“You!” Sybil shouted angrily, shooting him a piercing gaze. He completely lost it. “You damned bastard! I’ve had enough of your nonsense. Let’s just fight, here and now.”

As they heard his request, everyone’s mouth dropped. No one could believe what they had just heard.

“Why are you angry with me?” Elysian asked, appearing confused by the slurs thrown at him. “You’re the one who challenged me. I accepted, but under one condition. If you’re not confident in winning, just refuse the fight. Simple, right? If the words bothered you, I can just change them. Let's see… What about, ‘Oh, Aldric, you nasty…’“

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“Shut up!”

The soldiers around them found it impossible not to laugh. Despite Sybil’s glare, some soldiers couldn’t stop themselves from laughing.

“Well, what now? Do you agree? Please, make up your mind now. I have a busy schedule.”

“You think I’d refuse?” Sybil snorted. “Everyone here knows I won’t lose. Of course, I’ll accept,” he grinned. “You mentioned this as a bet, right? That means I can also make a request.”

“Of course,” Elysian chuckled. “What do you want to me to say, ’Oh, Sybil, you’re so hot…’”

“Shut up!” the older boy snapped. Meanwhile, the soldiers just laughed, shaking their heads at his antics.

“You think you’re smart, but honestly, you're just a spoiled brat who knows nothing. Your mistake was not putting any limitations on what I can and can’t request,” Sybil laughed triumphantly. “I won’t ask for some childish prank like you did. However, I will ask something that will truly hurt you. Something that will make you regret…”

“Please, stop talking. Get to the point.” Elysian smirked. “My time is valuable, since I’m a noble.”

‘Damn, it is really nice getting under his skin.’

Sybil was growing increasingly frustrated with the entire exchange. If he could, he wanted to strangle the boy to death, but he couldn’t. Instead, he just gritted his teeth. “If I win, I want you to cancel your engagement to Lyra.”

His mouth dropped when he heard the request. Seeing his reaction, Sybil burst into laughter. “Don’t tell me you hate me because of a woman?” Elysian asked, still in shock. He initially thought that it was because of his brother, but no, a woman. “Wait.. wait. F*ck! Not a woman, but a little girl?”

All eyes suddenly turned to Sybil, including the commander, and they regarded him strangely.

“Why is everyone giving me that look?” His cheeks reddened like a tomato. Intense embarrassment fueled his anger at Elysian even more as he hastily explained, “We have a slight age difference. I’m fifteen, and she’s twelve. We’ve been promised to each other since we were small. You’re the one who interfered. You use your status in persuading the Baron to compel the kind and gentle Lyra into an engagement with you.”

‘Kind and gentle, really? Male animals are really idiots. Well, I’m also a male… Yeah, I’m one of these idiots.

I’m not entirely clear on the details, but from what I can remember, it wasn’t the Baron who broke their engagement. I’m sure of it because, if the Baron knew, I’m the one who would’ve been broken. I’m sure it was my uncle. As I later learned that Edmund, Lyra’s father, was in cahoots with the illegal activities my uncle was involved in. They’re the ones who orchestrated it so that I’d fall for that damn girl. Kind and gentle? She’s a snake and a fox rolled into one. She knew what she wanted. She wanted to be a noble. She wanted to be a baroness. And maybe she wanted even more than that. Damn that woman! If he wants her, then I will give her to him in a pre-wrapped package personally delivered by me.’

Taking a deep breath, Elysian sighed. “If you want her, you can have her. Even if I win, I promise I’ll give her to you.”

“Do you think I’m joking?” Sybil growled. With how nonchalant he acted, he didn’t believe that the younger boy was serious.

“I even promise that I’ll give her to you, win or lose. Why are you still angry with me?” Elysian chuckled before stopping when he realized something. “Wait. If I’m giving her to you, win or lose, why do we still have to fight?”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Sybil scoffed. “You’re just afraid to face me. And if we don’t fight, you can simply deny later that you made that promise.”

“Yes, you’re an idiot. You can already have what you want without facing any risk.” Elysian pondered for a moment. “Well, if I were you, I wouldn't trust myself either. So, you’re totally not wrong there,” he suddenly chuckled. “Okay, if you want to fight, then let’s fight. I hope you don’t regret that decision later. Also, to ensure that we both make our promises, let’s have the Commander be our witness. If I break my promise, he’ll report it to the Baron. That will ensure that I’ll stick to our agreement. As for you, I’m sure he can force you to fulfill those noble acts that I had envisioned.” Sybil growled at him but nodded. He nodded back, turning to Cedric. “Commander, can you be our witness?”

“Okay,” he nodded. Suddenly, Lucas approached him. “Sir, I’m worried about the young master…”

“No need to worry, captain. I’ll be fine. You should be more concerned for him,” Elysian gave him a sincere smile. “Thank you, though, for your concern.”

Lucas was about to protest again, but Cedric stopped him, “If the boy wants to fight, let him fight. If there are any problems, I’ll take responsibility. I don't think the Baron will have an issue with this fight; instead, he’ll be pleased.”

“Be careful, young master,” the captain warned. After handing him a wooden sword, he patted him on the shoulder, walking to the side. All the soldiers followed suit until only Sybil and Elysian remained in the center of the training ground.

“Ready.”

“I’ll make sure you regret the day you were born,” the older boy snarled, glaring at him with intense animosity.

“Fight!”

Sybil rushed straight to Elysian, gripping his sword with both hands, slashing downward. Intent on ending the fight quickly, he poured all his energy into the strike. However, just as the sword was about to hit him, Elysian simply turned sideways. The sword came so close, mere inches from his face and body as it passed, hitting nothing but air. While dodging the attack, Elysian deftly lowered his sword downward, causing the older boy to trip and fall to the ground.

Elysian sighed, looking down at Sybil, who had slammed his face onto the ground. “What the hell. Even here, there’s no originality. Please change it to something like, ‘I’ll make you regret that you’ve eaten eggs for breakfast,’ or something. Tsk, tsk!”

“You! You!” Sybil screamed, consumed by rage as he went on a rampage. “I’ll f*cking kill you!”

“Hey, man, calm down. Even though you're young, you should take care of your heart. You might develop heart disease,” Elysian said, effortlessly dodging all the attacks of the older boy with mere inches from him. This only fueled Sybil’s anger, continuing his relentless assault.

“I’m getting bored of this,” Elysian sighed, easily dodging an angular cut before hitting the back of Sybil’s head, causing him to collapse like a puppet whose strings were cut. “You spewed too much nonsense, but you only amounted to this? Tsk, be more humble, boy.”

“Commander, make sure to enforce our agreement,” Elysian said, walking away, leaving the soldiers’ mouths hanging open. Even Cedric was left speechless, staring at the young noble’s retreating back.

“Stop!” Cedric suddenly screamed, rushing to prevent Sybil, who was blazing with Aura, from attacking the younger boy. Upon hearing the commander’s shout, Elysian quickly turned around; instead of reacting, he simply stared blankly at the incoming attack as if frozen from fear. Realizing it was too late to thwart the empowered strike directly aimed at the boy's head, the commander stopped moving, recognizing with grave horror that the boy might really die. Suddenly, Sybil fell to the floor, screaming in pain while clutching his private parts. The commander struggled to comprehend what had happened until he noticed the younger boy’s sword was angled forward. He stared at the young noble, who casually shrugged.

“It’s not my fault,” Elysian raised both of his arms, showing his innocence. “He’s the one who ran into my stick and hit his—you know—his Aldric.”