How to survive as a beggar count

Chapter 17

“Shall we begin?”

Priyana lightly provoked Klood, glancing at him.

“Did you come here to chat?”

But instead, Klood’s words provoked him back, causing Priyana to furrow his brow.

Priyana seemed to be trying to recall who Klood was as he studied him intently.

He was probably thinking something like this:

Who is this guy to be so confident?

Zenith Knight Academy, known as the world’s strongest knight school.

Virtually every knight of note had trained there.

But the man standing before him was a knight he had never seen before.

So, the conclusion must be one of two things:

Either he was a hidden master who had been in seclusion for years, or just a fool who came here for the money as a representative.

It was highly unlikely that a hidden master would come forward as the representative of a reckless count’s son.

So the answer was clear.

The person before him was just a fool driven by money.

Hmph!

Having made up his mind, Priyana tensed his legs.

…Boom!

In an instant, Priyana launched himself forward with explosive speed.

If someone had been watching, they would have found it almost impossible to follow with their eyes.

Oh…

There was no need for any games now.

He would slice his opponent in two and end this.

With a focused strike, his sword raced towards Klood.

…Clang!

A sharp metallic sound echoed as sparks flew in every direction.

It was as if fireworks had exploded between the clash of Klood and Priyana’s swords.

If Klood had been just a fool driven by money, this would have been the end.

“Hmm.”

Klood calmly blocked Priyana’s sword and sighed.

“…Huh?”

Priyana couldn’t believe his eyes. Not only had his quick sword been blocked, but Klood was still standing there, unharmed?

It didn’t make sense.

Over the years at the knight academy, Priyana had swung his sword thousands, if not tens of thousands, of times.

He had honed his own sword dance, never relying on shortcuts, and earned the title of “The Sword of Speed.”

Yet now, his sword was blocked without inflicting a single injury.

“This… this is impossible…”

Priyana shivered with disbelief.

And with that, a new hypothesis began to form in his mind.

Perhaps the man before him wasn’t just a fool driven by money.

Could he be a hidden master who had been in seclusion for decades?

“Too shallow.”

“What did you say?”

Klood, having blocked Priyana’s sword, added another comment.

“Too shallow. Like a hand changing a baby’s diaper.”

“…Ha!”

It was a complete denial of Priyana’s entire life.

He had reached swordsmanship rank 5 after years of effort, only to have it compared to something as trivial as changing a baby’s diaper?

A vein bulged on Priyana’s forehead.

Hss…!

Blue mana began to surge around his body.

He was burning all of his mana to increase both speed and power.

Just looking at the aura around him, it was clear he was close to rank 6.

How could someone who didn’t even seem thirty years old be at such a level?

This was a testament to the harsh training he had undergone.

“Then try blocking this!”

Boom!

An even more intense charge followed.

The speed was so fast that the surrounding air pressure could be felt.

Klood, with a slight smirk, raised his own aura.

Clang! Clang!

This time, it didn’t end with a single strike.

In the blink of an eye, a flurry of blows rained down.

Every time their swords collided, red flames blossomed like flowers.

“Wow…”

I watched in awe, completely absorbed in the fight.

“If this were the Valhalla system… maybe three or four hundred points?”

By the way, I reached level 999 in the Valhalla system. I’m not trying to downplay their fight.

Their battle is definitely a fight of monsters.

It might seem a little weak because the world they are in was like hell, even just breathing was torture, but they would still be counted among the strongest if we only considered the time before the Fourth Cataclysm.

If rank 5 is this strong… how monstrous would rank 9 be?

The Great Sage Oberon.

According to the novel’s lore, he is the strongest of the strong.

A being that transcends even the concept of a rank 9 magic monster.

To team up with Klood meant opposing such a monster.

Thinking about that, I couldn’t help but feel a chill run down my spine.

Hmm… as much as it’s regrettable, my connection with Klood must end here.

With that thought, I set aside my regrets and continued watching their duel.

Countless trajectories of swords clashed.

Each time their swords collided, a thunderous sound echoed.

“Ugh…”

Both Count Benner and Count Aymon were also watching the duel with their jaws hanging open.

They probably couldn’t even fully comprehend what was happening.

I could barely follow the trajectories with my eyes, so I understood how they felt.

Clang…!

Finally, a groan escaped from Priyana.

It was clear that his mana, accumulated from continuous attacks, was finally running out.

On the other hand, Klood still maintained his calm demeanor.

Ka-kaaang!

With the final attack, Priyana staggered back, panting heavily.

“Ha… ha…”

“Is it over?”

“You… bastard…”

“Then it’s my turn.”

Klood casually placed his sword at his waist and grabbed Jassel.

In an instant, he felt his right arm swell with power.

Crack.

The sound of his footsteps was completely different from before.

It was as if the ground itself were being crushed, and Priyana immediately raised his sword in defense.

Boom!

A thunderous sound erupted from Klood’s attack, almost like a lightning strike.

Priyana barely succeeded in blocking it, but he was sent flying, crashing to the ground, still gripping his sword.

“Damn…!”

Priyana struggled to rise once more, but Klood wasn’t about to let him off so easily.

Bang! Ka-boom!

“Ugh!”

Priyana, barely able to stand, could only stumble and struggle to block Klood’s relentless sword strikes.

Just moments ago, Priyana had been quick and efficient with his sword as the famed “Sword of Speed.”

Now, he was staggering, barely able to block Klood’s blows.

“Ugh…”

Blood oozed from Priyana’s mouth as he coughed up a mouthful of crimson.

The aura sword is a double-edged sword.

While it boasts great power, a significant skill difference can lead to internal damage, just as it had with Priyana.

A few minutes of relentless fighting were enough to bring him to this state.

This was the difference between rank 5 and rank 6.

In the Valhalla system, just a one- or two-level difference can flip the outcome of a fight.

But here, in this world of “Rank-based world domination,” ranks govern everything.

This is a world where ranks rule all—an unfair world.

That’s the world in this novel.

“Your sword is far too light.”

“…What?”

“It’s not enough to just be fast. Each and every strike must have the power to crush your opponent before it becomes truly dangerous.”

“Ugh…”

Klood continued to lecture Priyana, who was on the brink of death.

It seemed as though Klood felt some sort of bond with Priyana, who used a sword style similar to his own.

Well, now that I think about it, even back when Klood was gruff, he gave swordsmanship lessons when he fought against Dia for the first time.

Although he was the antagonist, Klood had been something of a swordsmanship mentor too.

He had once told Dia that knights should rely less on artifacts and incorporate more magic into their swordplay, only to ultimately be killed by his own pupil.

“Shut… up…”

Despite coughing up blood, Priyana stood firm once more. Klood watched him, a faint smile crossing his lips.

He looked like the kind of guy who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if I stabbed him while talking to him…

“Alright. I understand.”

Klood readied his stance once again.

“Now, let’s finish this.”

Klood unleashed his aura sword once more.

Priyana squeezed out every last ounce of strength he had to face him.

Boom!

Another clash ensued.

There were no surprises.

***

“Should we continue?”

Priyana, a wreck of a man, lay sprawled on the ground.

A rank 5 monster.

And yet, he had been defeated by a knight whose origins were unknown. And it had been an overwhelming defeat.

The judge stood there, mouth agape, staring blankly.

He had grasped the general situation of the duel.

The goal had been to reduce Count Impera to a blank, igniting a bloodbath among the nobles. If Count Benner had changed his mind, his role was to prevent it.

The idea that Priyana would lose had never crossed anyone’s mind.

And yet, he had lost.

A genius from the prestigious Janiss Knight Academy, supported by the King.

“Uh…”

“Judge.”

“Huh? Oh! Uhm…”

The judge mumbled incoherently, unsure of what to say.

Unable to watch any longer, another judge stepped in to speak.

“Th-the winner! The Impera family!”

“Wow!”

Cheers erupted from the gathered crowd.

Though, it was just Ilene and me cheering.

“Hah…”

Count Aymon, too, seemed unable to believe what had just happened.

He looked stupefied by the sudden appearance of a rank 6 proxy, and the fact that Klood had won.

He had assumed that either he or the proxy who had been saved by Ian would die, and that would be the end of it.

“Lord! We won!”

“Heh… it seems that Lord Trias’s favor is with us, doesn’t it?”

Instead of jumping for joy, I teased Count Benner to get under his skin.

“Ugh…”

He hadn’t anticipated the loss at all. His face was flushed with anger as he seethed.

Heh, serves you right!

“Oh! By the way, as we discussed earlier, the ownership of the Valdig Dungeon. We’ll be taking that as well, right?”

“What? What nonsense! This is void! It’s all void!”

This petty count… does he really think he can get away with this?

But now that we had won the trial, the initiative was on our side.

“Void? Are you saying that a fair duel trial conducted in the presence of judges is void? That would be considered treason, wouldn’t it?”

“Th-that’s…”

Count Benner sweated profusely as he nervously looked toward the judges.

The judges, though surprised, knew what their role was. They couldn’t just let Count Benner throw a tantrum.

“As he said, the ownership of the Valdig Dungeon will rightfully go to the Impera family.”

“Argh…!”

Unable to hold back his fury, Count Benner collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

“Lord!”

His attendants rushed to him, but it was already too late. He had lost consciousness.

“Take care of it.”

It would be nice if he just died here, but that wasn’t likely. He’d probably recover after a few days of suffering and try again to meddle with our family.

“Tch.”

I turned my back on the collapsed Count Benner and approached Klood.

“What are we going to do with this one?”

I was referring to the fallen Priyana.

When you win a duel trial, you gain the right over the opponent’s life and death. You can kill them without mercy, or cut off a limb and turn them into a blank.

It was entirely up to Klood.

Honestly, I didn’t want Priyana dead.

He was a man who would one day become the commander of the Aisotter Knight Order.

If he died here?

The flow of the novel could get even more tangled than it already was.

Though I had already caused some chaos, I needed to minimize further variables.

Of course, the fact that the Impera family won here was a problem in itself.

It was a similar issue but viewed very differently.

A small, poor count’s family had survived against all odds.

This was a big deal for me, but when considering the bigger picture of the continent, it might not be such a huge issue.

However, Priyana was different.

For him, it meant the very bond he could have formed with the protagonist as the knight commander would be completely erased.

“…That’s enough.”

“Enough?”

“What I promised was only to win the duel. I never promised to take the opponent’s life.”

Phew!

I let out a quiet sigh of relief inside.

As long as he doesn’t die, I thought the impact on the future might be relatively minimal.

“…”

Klood silently stared at the fallen man for a moment before turning his head away.

“Then, may we leave now?”

“Y-yes.”

The judge nodded in a dazed expression.

“Please make sure to speak properly when Count Benner wakes up. Understood?”

“Uhm… I suppose so…”

With that, I hummed happily and climbed into the carriage heading toward the Impera fief.