The weeks leading up to the duel with Lord Wilbur were busy ones for me, though that was my default at this point. I was always busy with one thing or another. It seemed as if I was incapable of relaxing.
After sending Mother off with the House Sturm retainers and the teams of adventurers hired through the Adventurers Guild, Father and I kept an eye out for anyone trying to take advantage of our current state.
While it took a few days, rumors of the beast tide in the Icefall Region started to trickle through House society. Given that news from the Icefall Region was always slow in coming, thanks to its distance from Sunheart, someone must’ve talked. I suspected that it was someone from the Adventurers Guild, though it could have been someone from House Sturm.
From there, it didn’t take people long to realize just how invested we were in House Icefall and the Icefall Region.
Right away, opportunistic scavengers started circling around us, so to speak, looking to further their own interests at our expense. Father and I dealt with them through a combination of threats, bluffs, and leveraging our House’s connections. House Icefall weren’t our only allies and business partners, and we took full advantage of that.
As much as it shamed me to admit it, I also leveraged my relationship with Annabelle to keep the vultures and hyenas at bay, pretending that we had a closer relationship with House Thorne than we actually had. I knew that it would come back to bite me in the ass when Annabelle and her family found out, but that was a problem for future Gabriel.
To my complete surprise, nothing of the sort happened. During a social function that I attended in order to project strength, acting calm in public as if there was nothing to worry about, I received support from Lord and Lady Thorne. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to let people know that House Thorne favored House Sturm. That made my and Father’s efforts much easier afterwards.
Of course, I didn’t think that they had helped us for free. Just as they had aided us in our time of need, we would have to do the same for them if and when the opportunity came.
At least I made sure to send a message to High Inquisitor Corvus, informing him of my suspicions regarding Vice Dean Matthews. A hint of a scent was a poor lead, but it was still a lead. If anyone could make use out of it, it would be the Inquisition. High Inquisitor Corvus sent a message back, thanking me for my help and that he would look into it.
I also commissioned an artisan in Sunheart to make the choker I wanted for Annabelle, using the design I created. It cost me a pretty penny, since the whole thing was going to be made from silver, but it was worth it.
Aside from dealing with all of that, I spent my time focusing on training; my own training as well as that of others’. After our talk, Lorelei and Corie threw themselves into their training with a renewed fervor. Aside from their duties as retainers for House Sturm, the two of them spent all of their time training and cultivating. It got to the point where I had to force them to rest and relax once in a while. Still, their hard work and dedication paid off. They each went up a small realm, catching up with Leroy.
My third disciple, not one to slack off, also threw himself into training and cultivation.
Aside from my disciples, I supervised Roland’s training and education. With Mother gone, it fell to me. Keeping an eye on my little brother wasn’t difficult. The real danger was making sure Roland didn’t hurt himself or hinder his developing body. After all, he was still a growing boy.
Gabriella turned out to be a great help here. As a scion from a House that was also a cultivator Clan, my cousin had started training from an early age as well. She was even ahead of her peers, thanks to her natural talent, and had helped her Clan teach the younger children.
Both Roland and Gabriella were sad when Mother left for the Icefall Region. Roland even cried his heart out the day Mother left. First his sister moved out to attend the academy, and now his mother was leaving for the north again. Thankfully, Gabriella’s presence mitigated his loneliness. The two of them became as thick as thieves.
As for Gabriella, she was sad that Grandfather Gabe was busy dealing with the beast tide, but she understood the necessity of it. It saddened me to see someone her age act so mature, even though it made things easier for me. It gave me a hint of what living in Clan Leone was like for her.
Kaylee wanted to come home and help when we informed her of what happened, but Father and I both insisted that she focus on her studies in the academy. The current situation was dire, but nothing that we couldn’t handle. As the heir, Kaylee’s efforts at the academy would determine the future of House Sturm.
In the end, she acquiesced, though she insisted on helping out when she visited home on the weekends. However, her spirit and determination disappeared when it came to her cultivation and martial training. She called it a waste of time. I insisted otherwise, and Father backed me up on that. Kaylee stood no chance against the both of us, and diligently trained when she visited Sturm Manor, though she grumbled the entire time.
My own training progressed as well. I continued honing my senses using the dyed ball method. First I dodged them while blinded, then I dodged them while blinded and deafened, going down the line until I had to dodge the balls by relying on nothing but my intuition. Even for someone like me, that sort of training was difficult. Aurora and my disciples started hitting me more and more with the balls.
I also started dodging more dangerous objects while blinded, deafened, and so on. At first I used blunted arrows and the like, but soon progressed towards actual arrows and other lethal weapons. There was nothing more motivating than the chance of suffering grievous harm.
At first my disciples were hesitant to attack me with actual weapons, but after some poking and prodding from me, they started getting more into it. It helped that I used a shield spell to protect myself. Even I wasn’t reckless enough to train like this without one. I wanted to motivate myself, not suffer a debilitating injury.
Annabelle came by to visit during the weekends, often visiting with Kaylee. She split her free hours between Sturm Manor and Thorne Manor, making sure to spend time with both me and her family. It wasn’t enough, but it was better than nothing.
Unfortunately, I was too busy with training and dealing with my family’s problems to go anywhere with her and take her out on a proper date. Annabelle understood, however, for which I was grateful. It helped that she was just as crazy about cultivation and training as I was. The two of us often spent our time together sparring and trading pointers.
Of course, we didn’t spend all of our time together training. I wasn’t that crazy. Instead, we spent half our time sneaking around and having sex. While we weren’t as rough with each other as we were the first night we spent together, in this lifetime our passion never waned. We couldn’t get enough of each other. The more we indulged in each other, the more we wanted. It was like an addiction, one we wouldn’t break any time soon.
It was tricky, since there weren’t many places we could go without getting caught, but we made it work. I was certain Father knew what we were up to, but he turned a blind eye to it as long as we remained discreet about it. My disciples might have had an idea, though none of them said anything. The one who worried me the most was Kaylee, but she never caught on.
That was how I spent the days and weeks, which passed by like grains in an hourglass, and soon the date for my duel with Lord Wilbur arrived.
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House Griffin’s underground arena was located in Sunheart’s Sky District. Well, to be more accurate, it was located underneath the Sky District. The public entrance to the underground arena was located along the Street of Fire and Steel, home of the crafters who specialized in making enchanted weapons and armor. It was a small, one-story stone building that reminded me somewhat of a ticket booth. There was a counter, where guests paid the entrance fee in order to receive a token before they were allowed down the stairs that led to the arena proper.
From what I heard, this stairway led to something resembling an underground shopping complex. In addition to the arena itself, there were stores, bars, restaurants, and more, all themed around the arena and its fighters.
Like with fighters back on Earth, people had their favorites. Also like Earth, people bought merchandise of their favorite fighter.
House society considered the arena a vulgar spectacle, though none of them said it within hearing of House Griffin. Everyone else, however, loved it. The sight of wizards who specialized in internal magic duking it out was a spectacle to behold, whether they were fighting each other or magic beasts. Sometimes it was to the death, but most of the time it wasn’t. After all, the fighters were the ones bringing the audience in. Letting them die would be a waste.
In addition to the public entrance, there was a private entrance reserved for House Griffin, the arena fighters, and any special guests. This was the entrance that my friends, family, and myself took. It was located within the same building as the public entrance, behind a closed door that only those with permission could enter.
The private entrance led directly to the “behind the scenes” areas of the arena, the ones only the fighters and the arena’s employees ever saw. Despite being located underground, the place was rather cozy. Unlike the rest of Sunheart, the arena complex was made up of sand colored stone, though it wasn’t actual sandstone, which I found soothing to the eyes. Magelamps shone with a warm, yellow light. The temperature remained cool and even. Tapestries depicting past fights and famous fighters hung from the walls.
I stood alone, facing a steel portcullis which led to the arena itself. I wore a simple linen outfit for ease of movement, with Sky’s Dream at my hip.
I arrived earlier with my friends and family, about an hour before midnight, long after the arena had closed down for the night. This way, Lord Wilbur and I could fight without an audience.
When we first arrived, a pair of House Griffin servants had greeted us, before leading us through the private entrance. Once we reached the arena complex, we split off. I followed one servant, who had led me to the portcullis, while my friends and family followed the other. This included Aurora, since I didn’t want House Shelton to accuse me of cheating by using my familiar. It was a bullshit argument, since a familiar was part of a wizard’s strength, but that was a headache that I didn’t want to deal with. Maybe I was overthinking it, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Aurora complained, saying she didn’t want to be left out, but gave in after I insisted. She pouted and wrapped herself around Kaylee’s shoulders. My little sister had received special permission from the Solarian Imperial Academy to attend the duel.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
While I waited for the portcullis to rise and the duel to begin, I looked around the arena with my divine sense. My mind finished healing last night, and I could finally use my divine sense again. It was as if I could see again, after being blind for so long. I admit, I cried a little. Aurora teased me for it, but I didn’t care.
The arena looked similar to the one in the Solarian Imperial Academy. It was an oval shaped pit filled with sand, made from the same sand colored stone as the rest of the complex. Massive magelamp hung from the ceiling, bathing the entire arena with light. Tiered seating surrounded the pit, though it consisted of little more than stone benches, at least for the general public. There were boxes reserved for special guests.
These boxes were filled with comfortable looking furniture, and there were servants available to attend to the guests’ every need. Privacy spells prevented anyone from listening in on any of the guests, though the boxes' occupants were still visible from the outside.
My friends and family, which also included Annabelle and Lady Thorne, were located in one box, while members of House Shelton were located in another. Neutral observers occupied a third box. The rest of the arena remained barren and empty, just how I wanted it.
Father, Kaylee, and my disciples occupied the House Sturm box, sitting alongside Annabelle and Lady Thorne. Like my sister, Annabelle had received permission from the Solarian Imperial Academy to attend today’s duel. My intuition told me that Lady Thorne played a part in that.
Speaking of which, it became clear to me that Lady Thorne had informed Annabelle that she was a cultivator. Annabelle had stars in her eyes and chattered nonstop with her mother. From the smile on her face, I saw that Lady Thorne found her daughter’s attitude endearing.
The rest of my friends and family chatted amongst each other, looking calm and relaxed. None of them were worried. They all knew what I was capable of, and they all had faith in my abilities.
In the House Shelton box, I saw the three fuckers who harassed Lorelei at Thorne Manor, as well as five older adults. Two of them were Lord and Lady Shelton, or so I assumed, while another two were Lord Shelton’s younger sister, Gloriana Shelton, and her husband. I didn’t know who was who, since I had only read about these people when I researched House Shelton in preparation for today and I didn’t know who they were on sight.
Not only did they look similar to each other, but they were all also roughly at the same wizardry level, Third Circle, and they all had the same elemental affinity, Earth, which didn’t help matters.
The four of them, plus the three fuckers, talked amongst each other. Each and every one of them wore an arrogant sneer on their faces, which I found impressive. Once in a while, one would gesture towards the House Sturm box. No doubt they were insulting me and my family.
Of the five older adults, it was the fifth one who worried me the most. He was an old man, who looked to be in his seventies, who looked a lot like the archetypal wizard depicted in popular media back on Earth. He was thin, with light brown skin and a wild mane of white hair. A long white beard adorned his face. All he needed was a conical hat, and he’d be set. However, instead of a staff, he carried a wicked looking spear by his side, which ruined the image somewhat.
Like Sky’s Dream, the spear was a high-rank Fourth Circle magic item. Additionally, the old man was in the Fourth Circle, fourth thread, meaning that he was capable of bringing out its full potential. Taking Mother’s words into account, where wizard cultivators kept their wizardry and cultivation apace with each other, I could infer that the old man was in the Essence Collection stage, even though I couldn’t sense his cultivation level.
Altogether, this old man was the most dangerous person in the arena, aside from Lady Thorne. Now that I could use my divine sense again, I saw that she was a Fourth Circle wizard at the ninth rank. Unlike the rest of his House, the old man remained silent and watched the arena with an unreadable expression on his face.
The box with the neutral observers only contained three people. There was Lord Asher, which didn’t surprise me at all, as well as an older woman who looked like Guildmaster Sinclair’s younger sister. Not only was she tall and muscular, but she also had a smattering of freckles across her face. From her light brown skin, dark hair, and dark eyes, I guessed that this was Lady Diana Griffin.
Lady Isabella Rhodes also sat in the neutral observer box, which did surprise me. She had nothing to do with this situation at all, so why was she here? Curiosity? Unlike when I saw her at Thorne Manor, she wore a set of plain blue robes that hid her figure and her grayish-silvery hair was tied up in a severe bun. She reminded me a bit of Lady Teresa, now that I thought about it.
Lord Asher and Lady Isabella talked amicably with each other, while Lady Diana remained silent. From time to time, her eyes wandered to Lorelei in the House Sturm box.
Across the arena from me, behind another steel portcullis, stood Lord Wilbur. He wore a set of brown and silver silk robes, looking like he just arrived from Spirit Earth. In his hands, he carried a plain looking spear. Despite its rather mundane appearance, the spear was a high-rank Second Circle magic item, meaning that it was not to be underestimated. I didn’t know if it had any spells infused into it, the same way that Leroy’s Crimson Fang had Fire spells infused into it, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case.
Despite his arrogance, it looked like Lord Wilbur would take this duel seriously, which was to his credit. It still wanted to wipe the smug smirk off of his face.
Another minute passed, before someone else entered the arena: a young man wearing the garments of a priest of the Church of the Sun. He walked up to a podium located near the edge of the pit, which I guessed was used for making announcements and commenting on the fights. The young priest started speaking and proved my guess right, since I could hear his voice just fine, despite the distance between us. The podium must have been enchanted to enhance the voice of whoever stood next to it.
“Lords and Ladies of Sunheart,” the priest said, speaking in what could only be described as an announcer voice. “Welcome to House Griffin’s arena. My name is Terry Davidson, and I am a priest of the Church of the Sun. House Griffin has asked me to officiate today’s duel, to keep things fair and to ensure that the parties involved adhere to the agreed upon terms.” He bowed with a flourish. “I’m also here to heal any wound that either duelist may sustain.”
I raised an eyebrow as Priest Davidson spoke. For a man of the cloth, he had a certain flair about him. Still, what was with the performance? There were less than two dozen people in attendance, and most of them already knew what this duel was about. There wasn’t any need for all this drama. Perhaps he had missed his calling in life and was trying to make up for it.
“Let us introduce today’s duelists. Raise the gates!”
As the steel portcullises in front of me and Lord Wilbur rose up, the sound of moving gears filled the air. When they finished rising, the two of us stepped forward and entered the arena.
“First,” Priest Davidson said, gesturing to Lord Wilbur. “We have Lord Wilbur Shelton, heir to House Shelton.”
“Put that vulgar upstart in his place, Wilbur!” Fucker One yelled, calling out from the House Shelton box. He must have turned off the privacy enchantments.
Priest Davidson gave the House Shelton box a glare, before clearing his throat and continuing.
“Second,” he said, gesturing to me. “We have Lord Gabriel Sturm, first son and former heir of House Sturm.”
“Kick his ass, Gabe!” Annabelle yelled, her voice ringing throughout the arena.
Priest Davidson let out a visible sigh.
Throughout all of this, the neutral observers remained quiet.
Priest Davidson waited, making sure that no one else would interject, before continuing.
“Now then,” he said. “I’m sure this is unnecessary, but let me reiterate the terms of this duel.”
As Priest Davidson spoke, I tuned him out and studied Lord Wilbur. The heir to House Shelton looked relaxed, complacent even. Nevermind. It appeared that he wasn’t taking this duel seriously at all. That ticked me off, but it would make his defeat all the sweeter.
“Now then,” Priest Davidson said after he finished speaking. “Do either Lord Gabriel or Lord Wilbur have any questions?”
Lord Wilbur shook his head.
“I have one,” I asked, pitching my voice to carry. “Neither of us are allowed to use spells for this duel. Does this include shield spells?”
Priest Davidson frowned, looking thoughtful.
“The terms of the duel forbid all spells,” he said. “However, given the dangers involved, I’m sure an exception can be made. Assuming that Lord Wilbur agrees that is.”
We both looked at the House Shelton heir. He gave me a nasty smile.
“No spells,” he said, wearing a triumphant expression on his face.
As I looked at him, I realized that simply defeating him wasn’t going to be enough. I had planned on giving Lord Wilbur a chance to show off his skills, by holding back before crushing him entirely, which would have allowed him to save a bit of face.
However, Lord Wilbur’s answer told me everything that I needed to know about him. Shield spells were necessary for wizards, who were as frail and fragile as regular mortals. By forbidding the use of shield spells, even though he was a cultivator, Lord Wilbur showed that he didn’t care about playing fair or acting in good faith. He just wanted to win.
In that case, two could play at that game. Instead of playing around, I would crush him right from the beginning, so he would know exactly the depths of his folly.
Priest Davidson frowned at the heir to House Shelton.
“Are you sure about that, Lord Wilbur?” he asked, his tone meaningful. “Dueling without the use of shield spells is dangerous. Either one of you could suffer serious injury as a result.”
“I’m sure,” Lord Wilbur said.
Priest Davidson studied him for several seconds, before shaking his head.
“Very well,” he said. “Before we begin, I must ask. Is there no way either of you can resolve this conflict without violence?”
“No,” Lord Wilbur and I said at the same time.
Priest Davidson clicked his tongue.
“I feared as much,” he said. “In that case, you two may begin on my signal.”
Lord Wilbur and I stared at each other while we waited for Priest Davidson to signal the start of the duel.
“If you put up a good fight,” Lord Wilbur said. “I’ll make sure not to cripple you.”
I just snorted in response.
“Begin!”
As soon as Priest Davidson finished speaking, Lord Wilbur lifted his spear and rushed right towards me, letting out a yell. As he charged at me, I took the time to study him. Despite my dislike of the young man, I had to admit that Lord Wilbur knew what he was doing. His form was solid, and his stance unbreakable. Just by looking at him, I saw that he was already a skilled fighter. Perhaps he had already grasped spear intent. If so, it was an impressive feat for someone his age. At this rate, it wouldn’t take him that long to achieve mastery. Back on Spirit Earth, he would have been considered a genius.
None of that mattered to me.
I drew Sky’s Dream, coated it in my sword mana.
[Sword Arts: Rain of Blows]
In the blink of an eye, I sent one hundred arcs of silvery-violet mana flying through the air towards Lord Wilbur. Now that I had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I could’ve sent one thousand, but I held back. I wanted to probe Lord Wilbur’s defenses, not kill him.
Lord Wilbur’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped when he saw the arcs of sword mana heading his way. He halted his charge and took a defensive stance, his movements seamless. Spear intent coated his weapon.
“Bulwark of the Legion!” he yelled out.
How nice of him to yell out the name of his technique. Amateur.
Still, I had to admit, the name was accurate. As Lord Wilbur defended against my attack, using his spear to pierce through the arcs of sword mana, he gave off the impression of a one man army fending off attacks coming at him from all sides. Despite the number of arcs he faced, Lord Wilbur remained calm and collected. He deflected each and every single one of my attacks.
Despite his skill, I noticed the flaws in his defense, openings that I could exploit. I waited until just before he dealt with the last arc, before I sent Sky’s Dream flying right towards him. My sword reached Lord Wilbur just as he parried the last arc, giving him little time to defend against my second attack. Sky’s Dream pierced him right in the abdomen and sent him flying backwards, taking him off his feet. Lord Wilbur hit the ground with a thud, landing on his back.
Silence filled the arena as everyone except for my friends and family stared at me in shock.