[STT] Chapter 85: Duel (Patreon)

Martin POV

Got you!

Martin smiled in victory. He had Ben exactly where he wanted him. He'd known the brat wouldn't be able to refuse, not after what he did to Martin's men. All he had to do was influence the crowd a bit and make the accusation believable, and then it was easy to force him into a corner.

He was a commoner, after all, and they were nobles. Whose word would the crowd believe? Of course it would be his. The other nobles knew him, and they knew he wouldn't lie just to hurt nobody.

Martin was Tier 2, whereas Ben was only Tier 1. It was obvious who would win.

The idiot actually thought he could stand up against a noble.

Well, Martin would teach him a lesson he'd never forget.

He was pretty annoyed when, instead of coming back having broken Ben's legs or something, his boys returned with bruises. And then they had the audacity to say they lost to a Tier 1.

It was ridiculous.

Martin had to do something, and a duel was perfect.

He was in a joyful mood, in fact. He'd planned to get some girl to cry harassment so he would have an excuse for challenging. Thankfully, he didn't have to fabricate much when his men told him their money was nowhere on them when they awoke.

Martin could not believe his luck.

The crowd could be a double edged sword, but Martin had learned how to wield it well. He knew he had the advantage here. Even the other two noble brats that were friends with the commoner couldn't say anything. Martin had played this perfectly. They wouldn't interfere. They'd respect the rules.

Ben was on his own, and Martin was going to enjoy breaking him. After all, the boy stood no chance.

The only thing he'd have to worry about was the Theodore guy, and the dog he'd assigned to keep an eye on Ben.

Regardless, Martin turned to the crowd, clearing his throat to gather their attention.

"People of the expedition!" he said, his voice booming. "I, Martin of House Rayne, challenge Ben to a duel! And he accepts! You shall bear witness. This commoner robbed three members of my House. I am a fair man. Give back the coin, kneel, say you are sorry, and give up one of your hands as is the punishment for stealing, and we are done here. Or we duel. He has chosen the duel, and now you shall witness the consequences of his actions!"

The crowd cheered, some of them even jeering at Ben.

"What are the terms?" Ben's voice came out, calm and cold, cutting through the cheers.

Martin raised an eyebrow. He'd expected the boy to be a bit more worried, but he looked like he didn't care. In fact, his eyes... they looked dead. Like there was nothing behind them. Was he just putting up a front? Or did he truly not care?

Martin's smile didn't falter.

"When I win, you serve my House. Ten years." Martin declared.

The crowd gasped. Ten years of service was a lot. It was a harsh punishment.

But Martin wasn't done. "You will also kneel and apologize, and give up an arm, which, after punishment, I shall restore for you."

Ben was quiet.

"Fine," he said. "And if I win?"

Martin laughed. "If you win? You are free to do whatever you want. I forgive the theft."

The crowd laughed with him, piling on.

"Tier 1 wants to challenge a Tier 2?"

"What a joke."

"Does he have a death wish?"

"Are we sure he's not just mentally unstable?"

The crowd jeered, and Martin felt even more confident. Ben did not answer, so Martin dug some more.

"What, you want more? Go on, ask. Ask for something. Oh, but then you would have to match it. Can you match a wager , commoner? With what? The coin you stole?"

Everyone laughed.

Instead of answering or falling for his bait, however, Ben looked toward someone. Following his gaze, Martin found the girl standing next to Ethan. Lady Alice of House Vane.

Martin repressed a frown.

No idea how Ben had made such friends, or why nobles were mingling with such filth, but it mattered little. Even they couldn't interfere.

Alice met Ben's gaze, and nodded once.

Martin did not like what was going on. He felt like Ben was planning something, but he couldn't figure out what. Why was he so calm? Why was he looking at Alice?

Ben finally looked back at Martin, and met his eyes. "A thousand essence shards."

Essence shards were small crystals they used to grow stronger, and a thousand is a huge amount for one man to lose.

The laughter got quiet. A thousand was no small sum, after all.

"Very well." Martin agreed. "A thousand it is. And it seems you have a sponsor?"

Ben ignored him and continued, "Not only a thousand essence shards, but that as well."

He pointed at Martin's hip. Coiled on Martin's Belt was his weapon: a chain whip made of enchanted metal links. They could not only get bigger, he could also manipulate their weight. And they were enchanted with several resistances, so he could use his elemental abilities through them. It was a very rare weapon, and one he cherished. He had spent a fortune to get it.

His smile finally faded.

The crowd was quiet now, and Martin felt flabbergasted. The gall on this commoner to be escalating the wager so much, how dare he. Martin was pissed off. Did he think he could win? Was that it? Was this little brat actually delusional?

"You really think you can win?"

Ben just stared, waiting for an answer.

Martin huffed. "Fine. We have a deal."

In no time, the crowd had cleared the sparring area and they'd made their way to the designated duel arena, and more people came to see what was going on. Martin liked what he saw.

This will be great timing to set an example. He thought, staring at the growing crowd.

They would all see what happened when you disrespected a noble. Even if you had a noble backer or were one yourself, you had to give way to your betters. And he was better. Martin had never lost to anyone at Tier 2, much less a Tier 1.

After all, he always chose his battles well.

This was an easy one.

He uncoiled the chain whip and cracked it once, the sound gathering everyone's attention on him at once. Smiling, he coiled the whip again, slowly, staring at Ben, and then hung it back on his belt. "On second thought, I won't need this."

That got some laughs from the crowd.

Ben on the other hand did not seem intimidated in the slightest. He had the gall to not even take out his weapon, it seemed, as he stood there with empty hands, looking bored. Was he a child who did not understand what was about to happen? Martin scoffed.

"Don't kill him," someone said from the edge of the ring, and when Martin looked up, he saw Ethan staring at Ben. Martin chuckled. Who was he saying that to? Ben? He'd thought better of Ethan, but it seemed there was nothing but an idiot behind the facade.

"Of course. But he might get crippled. You never know." Martin replied.

"I was not speaking to you, but go on, do your worst." Ethan said, a rare cold tone lacing his voice.

Martin laughed. "You don't have to be that way," his smile vanished, replaced by a cold stare. "I will leave him breathing."

This was so ridiculous that Martin did not just want to win anymore.

I need this to be funny when I look back to it.

So, he clasped his hands behind his back. "First strike is yours, commoner. Show them what a thief can do."

Ben looked at Martin, his face blank. But he did not move.

Martin spread his arms wide. "Go on, I won't even move."

"You sure?"

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