Chapter 58
The duel was to take place behind the Guild building.
It was normally used as a training ground.
Even now, about twenty people were in the middle of training.
"Hey, we're having a duel. Clear out!"
At Roger-san's call, the adventurers in the training ground stopped what they were doing and moved to the edge.
"All right, let's get started."
Roger-san and a female Guild staff member stood in the center. Opposite them, I and the other three stood spaced apart, as if to flank the pair.
The crowd surrounded us.
Some had been inside the Guild, and others had been training in the grounds.
Still others had heard about the duel and come to watch.
There were nearly a hundred people in all, and I spotted Rinka among them.
For adventurers, duels were the greatest entertainment of all.
Bets on who would win had already begun, adding to the excitement—but wait, wasn't Jin-san from 'Meteor Shower' running the betting pool...?
Honestly, that guy...
He must've heard about it from Roger-san and prepared in advance.
Jin-san never missed a chance to make money.
Anyway, I was relaxed enough to observe the spectators like this.
I knew there was absolutely no chance I'd lose.
What I was about to do was, in a way, a dirty trick.
They might call it underhanded.
But for an adventurer, there was no such thing as fair or unfair.
You did whatever it took to win.
That was the adventurer's way.
In preparation for the duel, Guy and the others each drank a magic recovery potion.
But their magic didn't recover; it stayed at zero.
They hadn't finished paying off today's amount yet.
I heard Guy click his tongue.
After a few more bottles, today's repayment would be complete, and their magic would start recovering.
But it seemed they hadn't even realized that.
They hadn't given anything a thought for the past two weeks...
They really were incorrigible idiots.
Amid all this, the Guild staff member spread out a sheet of parchment and spoke.
"Before we begin the duel, each side must state what they're wagering. Rento-san, you first."
"If I win, you must stay at least five meters away from me and my party members from now on. And you must not attack us in any way."
"Is that acceptable, Guy-san and the others?"
"Works for me."
"We're the ones who'll win, anyway. I have no problem with that."
"No problem here."
"Then, Guy-san and the others, what are you wagering?"
"If we win, stop collecting our magic."
"Rento-san, is that acceptable?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"Then..."
As the staff member wrote the terms on the parchment, she read them back.
"That concludes the terms. If there are no objections, both sides will swear their oaths. Rento-san first."
I walked slowly over to the staff member and signed the parchment.
Then I placed my index finger on the designated spot and read the words written there aloud.
"I, Rento, hereby pledge to abide by the outcome of this sacred duel."
When I finished, the parchment and my index finger resting on it were enveloped in light.
"The oath has been made. Rento-san, please return to your place."
Once I returned to where I'd been standing, the staff member continued.
"Now, Guy-san and the others, please swear your oaths..."
All three of them took the oath just as I had, then returned to their previous positions.
A duel's oath was absolute.
If you tried to act against it, intense pain would shoot through your entire body, and in the worst case, you would die.
Unlike a verbal agreement, a duel's oath carried that much weight.
"I, Roger of 'Meteor Shower,' will serve as the witness. There's a big crowd watching, so don't make fools of yourselves."
Roger-san's provocation sent a roar through the crowd.
"Please don't say anything unnecessary," the staff member admonished him, but Roger-san didn't seem to care.
Roger-san signed the parchment as well and pressed his index finger against it.
Then Roger-san raised one hand high, and the crowd fell silent.
Guy and the others drew their swords and readied their staffs, entering combat stance.
They were so furious, they looked ready to charge the moment the duel began.
As for me, I was relaxed, keeping my body loose.
There was absolutely no way I could lose.
"All right, begin!"
Roger-san shouted sharply as he lowered his hand.
Now, all the preparations were complete.
All that was left was to beat them to a pulp.