~ Chapter 45: Official Duel ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

 Broken and confused, lost in my own thoughts and pain, I let my steps lead me away from the Princess’ room. I didn’t answer any calls nor looked at the guards that passed by me. I didn’t even fear the possibility of being pointed at as an intruder and slain on the spot.

There was no more strength in my limbs, no more desire to fight. With Seryanna’s answer, I had lost everything... at least as far as I was concerned. Even the fight for Earth didn’t seem like a good enough reason to keep on struggling in this painful life.

Funny... now that I have lost her, why do I feel like I’ll never be able to love another woman? Why do I feel like I had just one chance and ended up squandering it on some foolish fear? I thought and stopped.

Looking up at the ceiling, I felt like nothing mattered anymore. Then, I realized that there was no certain place for me in this world.

The thought of going to the human kingdoms crossed my mind, but I didn’t know if I could communicate with them. The only language I knew was the one spoken in Albeyater. Even if I did manage to learn the human language somehow, I had no idea how to reach them. Right now, I was in Drakaria, the capital of the Albeyater Kingdom. I was brought here by my friends, by my ex-lover... so I had no idea how to get there. I was completely lost.

“Huh? Am I that useless?” I thought and then looked to my left.

On the wall was a painting of some sort of scenery, but it was unfamiliar to me. The dragons living in this palace might have been able to recognize it, but I wasn’t one of them. It looked like something made up even if it was just the painting of a simple mountain as it was viewed from the shore of a lake at sunrise.

Is this world even real? It can’t be, right? Such crazy things are happening around me... Dragons, spells... Maybe I simply went mad from all of that gaming? Or maybe... I’m trapped in a VR game I don’t even remember buying? What’s happening to me? Why was I one of those picked among all those billions of humans back on Earth, you stupid God-like? I wish you would show your face to me and tell me... Tell me... is being with Seryanna only a dream within a dream? I shook my head and then grabbed it in my hands.

I felt like pulling out all of my hair and even shouting out in despair, but I couldn’t release the sounds trapped within my chest because the truth was that I was still afraid... of the dragons... of the guards... of everyone around me, all of them, crazy murderers who thought of humans only as enemies.

“Well! Well! Who do we have here?” the mocking voice came from behind me.

I wanted to reply: a madman. But I abstained and instead took a deep breath.

“Who are you and what do you want?” I asked coldly.

“My, that’s no way to speak with the one who will soon become the General of the Brekkar Army.” he replied in the same mocking tone of voice.

General? Is this... him? I thought and then turned around.

The white-scale bastard who stole Seryanna from me was right here, looking back at me with a triumphant smirk on his face. I wanted to punch him, so I clenched my fist, but I didn’t launch the attack.

“I have nothing to talk with you. Leave me be!” I glared at him.

“Well, as much as I would like to do that, you see, that’s a bit impossible for me.” he tapped the hilt of his sword.

“You won already. Seryanna is yours. The Third Princess party is done for. What the hell do you want from me?” I asked in anger.

“True. True.” he nodded. “But you see, you still need to do something more.” he smirked.

“What?” I asked.

“Grovel at my feet and beg for forgiveness for being born a human from... stinking human parents.” he smirked.

I gulped and clenched my fist tight.

If glares could kill, I would have destroyed him by now, yet he was still here, mocking me, insulting me, insulting my family too.

“Grovel at your own feet, you bastard!” I retorted.

“Well, you see. I’m a noble with royal blood flowing through my veins. See the golden scales?” he tapped on his chin “That’s the proof of that. As such, I cannot take an insult lightly and simply ignore it, especially since it comes from a human. To think that here, in the Royal Palace of Drakaria, a human like you instead of begging on his knees for forgiveness for ever being born and breathing the same air as us, dragons, he stands up straight and dares challenge me! Ah~! Such shame and disrespect! Well, no matter. I am a merciful dragon, so I will give you the chance to repent yourself... in a duel.” he smirked.

“A duel? Why should I accept it?” I glared at him.

“Because otherwise I’m free to kill you. Then I can just say I did it because you were plotting something against his Majesty. You are a human, no one will bat an eye and search for the truth.” he shrugged like it was nothing.

“What?” I furrowed my brow at him.

“Don’t you get it? This is why I hate your kind... so stupid to understand even the simplest of things! Well, let’s put it this way, I’m bored. You are said to be fairly strong, so a duel against me should be considered an honor! But relax, I promise I’m not going to kill you if I win. You will just be tossed out of the Palace and forbidden from ever seeing Seryanna again. However! IF you win, I will... what will I do... Hm.” he scratched his chin. “Oh, yes! How about I... will extend a letter towards his Majesty through which I will ASK him to dissolve my engagement with Sir Seryanna?” he asked with a cunning smirk on his lips.

This was a trap; I could feel it... I knew it, yet this was the only chance I would ever have at making things right. If I still had a chance with Seryanna. If I could still come forth and tell her... no, prove to her that I was strong enough to be by her side, then... then... things would turn out differently.

Inside my head, this was my reasoning. The result of my logic told me this was the only chance, the only shot I would ever have.

Even if this is just a dream or some weird VR game... Even if this is reality, I already lost everything, so I have absolutely no reason not to accept this. I thought as I glared at this dragon.

“Fine. We have a deal.” I told him.

“Great! I will meet you outside in the courtyard, where the Royal Knights usually train. Don’t be late!” he said with a smirk on his lips and then left me alone in the hallway.

I let out a sigh and tried to calm down.

A few minutes later, somebody placed their hand on my shoulder. Blinking surprised, I looked back and saw Kataryna there.

“How are you doing?” she asked me with a gentle look in her eyes.

“I’m sorry... I must look rather pathetic to you right now...” I looked away, nailing my gaze to the floor.

“Yes. I won’t deny that, but you also have a lot on your mind, don’t you?” she asked me.

I didn’t answer.

“Let’s go back. The others are waiting and then we have to see what that Draejan fellow wants.” she told me.

“I’m not going back, and I already met him... He challenged me to an official duel, and I accepted. I’m going to go fight him now.” I said and then shook off her hand.

I walked away from her without looking back.

[Kataryna’s point of view]

 What did he just say? I thought when I heard him mention duel.

I was too shocked by this and lost my time to stop him. Clicking my tongue, I shook my head and clenched my fists.

“I can’t let it happen again.” I growled.

There was no way I was going to let tragedy repeat itself again. There was no way I was going to let Alkelios fall into the same political trap my friend did. These duels of the nobles were all just a convenient way to try and kill someone. It was a way for the strong to flaunt against the weak, but more importantly, the nobility against the commoners.

Alkelios didn’t know, but in a duel like this, a commoner was not allowed to kill the noble, but the other way around was permitted and considered most of the time an unfortunate accident. The idea that the nobles were far more powerful than the commoners floated around these duels and permitted tragedy to repeat itself time and time again.

Besides, there was no telling if the winner of the duel would keep his promise or not. If it was between nobles, then the promise was required to be kept. Even the King himself would enforce this, but Alkelios was a human. He belonged to the enemy’s side. Thus, if Draejan killed him, then it wouldn’t be seen as a mistake, but an honor. Even if Alkelios was a noble himself, it didn’t really matter at all.

Blasted be these hallways! If I didn’t get lost or stumbled into those two brats, I would have reached Alkelios in time! I cursed in my mind as I hurried back to Seryanna and the others.

They had to know of this duel and be there to put a stop to it, if not, I was going to be the one to do so, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

[Alkelios’ point of view]

 The training grounds for the Royal Knights were outside the Palace, on the right side of the courtyard. I arrived there thanks to the guidance of a maid who worked here, otherwise, I would have found myself to be endlessly lost among those luxurious corridors. Either way, I was far too upset and distracted to notice their beauty or even think that maybe this whole duel was something I was getting lured into from the get-go.

Actually, it wouldn’t have been that surprising if this Draejan fellow aimed for this duel from the moment he sent out the summon. It made sense, however, he miscalculated one very important factor.

I am the owner of the 100 Luck stat. The only one with perfect Luck! There’s no way I can lose this! There’s absolutely no way! I thought as I made my way to the training ground.

Honestly speaking, Draejan may have been a powerful dragon. He may become a general who will one day lead the Brekkar Army, but I was a human who defeated a Breakthrough Awakened. I was someone who could fight fate itself because I held all the dices in my hand!

In this game event, there was no way I would lose against a mob character like Draejan.

I can’t lose... There’s no way. I kept thinking.

When I reached the training ground, I could barely withhold my anger, but I was glad I was like this, because then I could unleash it all on this foolish dragon.

How dare he steal my dragoness away! I thought.

The training ground was a big patch of dirt with a ring in the middle, a running track around it, and several wooden dummies scattered around, which were used for sword, tactics, or skill practice. It wasn’t very impressive in my opinion. I saw larger ones in the pictures with military camps back on Earth.

As expected though, there were quite a lot of stares aimed at me. I was a new face, and more so, I looked like an Unawakened dragon. It was normal, and from what I heard from Seryanna, although not unthinkable, it was still very rare. Dragons didn’t treat Unawakened ones with the same respect as they did Awakened ones. It was almost instinct with them.

Even so, I ignored them and patiently waited for jerk-face to make his appearance. I was here to beat some dragon general behind not socialize with the knights who were currently using this place.

After several minutes had passed, Draejan finally showed his smug face on the battlefield, but he wore a completely different armor. This one was bulkier and didn’t have any sort of emblem on it, however, I could feel a far more intense Magic Energy flow radiating from it.

Without even thinking if it was a good idea or not, I called forth one of my skills.

“[Identificus Processus Juridicus].”

(General Draconian Armor): [Bounded to Draejan Andrakaryus Doesya] Draconian armor made by a Grand Master Blacksmith. Can only be bounded to one Dragon at a time. Special stats: [Increases All Stats by 25%], [Immunity to High or Low Temperatures], [Immunity to Mind Control Spells], [Increased Magic Regeneration by 10%], [Absorbs 10% of ALL incoming attacks and changes the energy into a Magic Barrier]. Special skills: [Passive: Reduced Weight 10%], [Passive: Protection Buff (Nullifies 10% of incoming Damage)], [Active: Paralyze on touch with Shock], [Active: Casts Shadows around the user], [Active: Shockwave worth of 75% of all stored absorbed energy], [Active: Telepathy with linked dragons].

This was one quirky armor. It was probably just as impressive as Seryanna’s, although I had the feeling that hers was far more powerful. Although it didn’t have any ‘Active’ skills, it focused more on passives that aided her on the long run. It was an armor specialized for her combat style. At the same time, this one was made by a Grand Master while the other by a Legendary. If the latter was an honorary title or the actual level of their skill, it remained to be seen, but judging from the given stats alone, I was inclined to believe it was a bit of both.

“I see you didn’t run away. Good!” Draejan said with a smirk as he put on his helmet.

I stepped into the ring without bothering to equip myself with a better armor or taking a good weapon. My luck would make sure I wasn’t going to die, so what was the use of weighing myself down like that?

“Funny. I thought you were going to be the one to run away.” I mocked him.

“Impudent little human, you will be thought a very painful lesson today.” he declared, and then added “One which you could not have learned on Earth.” he smirked and stepped into the ring.

What did he just say? I looked at him with big eyes and opened mouth.

Even though he could read my surprise on my face, he didn’t bother to explain why he knew that world’s name, but if I were to guess... he managed somehow to get his hands on one of the summoned humans.

“Good morning, to the both of you. For this official duel, I will be the one to judge the winner and the loser.” said a grizzled old dragon as he stepped into the ring.

He had silver scales, medium sized wings, and a pair of horns sprouting from his temples. His tail was long and covered in sharp spikes, but it was cut clean at the tip, an old wound by the looks of it. His slit eyes hid a deep note of wisdom within them, but also carried a strength that I knew in an instant far surpassed mine. This old dragon wasn’t one to be recklessly challenged to a battle.

I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course. I accept, Master Teolas.”

“Who?” I asked.

“This here is the esteemed Teolas Draegu, one of our Kingdom’s Breakthrough Awakened and also the Knight Master at this Royal Palace. By the way, I am just a couple of power levels myself from reaching this esteemed status.” Draejan explained and showed me a confident smirk.

This means he is around level 990. I thought.

“Just a few more years, and you’ll become one.” Teolas said with a nod.

“Thank you.” Draejan made a polite bow in front of the dragon.

“Now, if I understood this right, you... the human, accepted this duel?” Teolas asked as he looked at me as though I was the most foolish of individuals who had ever dared to show his face before him.

When he mentioned my species, everyone here began to whisper among themselves. It only annoyed me, but I replied him with a nod.

“Then, Sir Draejan, what are the conditions of this duel?” he asked as he cast a lazy gaze at the other dragon.

“Everything goes, but we both agreed not to kill each other.” Draejan replied.

I nodded.

“What does each side stand to gain from this duel?” he asked.

“If I win, this human will leave in shame from the Seyendraugher Palace and never again show his face in front of Sir Seryanna. If he wins, I will extend a request to the King and inquire if it may be possible to dissolve my engagement with Sir Seryanna.” he replied.

“What? You said you will break it off, not ask!” I retorted and pointed my finger at him.

“I said ask, which also means inquire. Do you really think that I, a noble, would dare to use underhanded methods against one of lower birth and species?” he asked with a smirk.

“True, you boy should be glad he accepted this duel in the first place.” Teolas nodded.

“What? But he was the one to...” I stopped when I was struck by his piercing gaze.

“Watch your tone and language, human. This is Drakaria, and I am a dragon noble with royal blood flowing through my veins. IF I demand your head, I will have it. So far, I have shown you a lot of leniencies. Don’t make me regret it.” Draejan glared at me.

I ate my own words and glared at the ground.

I dug my own grave... I thought.

“With both sides settled on their terms, I declare this official duel as legal and ready to begin.” Teolas stated.

I clenched my fists and prepared myself to battle this dragon. I even fought against Kataryna when I was far weaker than I was now. There was no way I was going to lose against him! I had all the luck in the world, after all!

“Wait!” Seryanna shouted.

Draejan lifted his palm up, to let me know that he wished to wait and see what this was about.

I agreed.

“Sir Seryanna, a pleasure to see you again.” Draejan said with a bow.

“What’s the meaning of this? Why are you and Alkelios dueling?” she asked with a glare.

“Oh my, but I’m merely answering him to his challenge.” he defended himself.

“He lies.” I retorted.

There was no way Seryanna was going to listen to him over me.

“I find it hard to believe it was so, but please stop this duel at once.” she demanded.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible. I declared it official just a moment ago. If you weren’t late, maybe I would have put it off.” Teolas came forth and told her.

“Master... why are you here?” she asked.

“Sir Draejan asked me to oversee this duel to make sure nothing impolite happens.” he replied, then looking back at me, he added “Although, I doubt he has anything to fear... even if he kills that boy.”

“What about me?” Kataryna asked as she stepped forward.

“Hm? You? What are you doing here?” Teolas asked, and there was sudden change in his attitude.

Was that shock? Or maybe fear?

“I came out of my cave because I wanted some sunshine. You know it does wonders for a dragoness’ scales.” she smirked at him.

“Hm, to see an old fossil like you step out of her den after such a long time makes me wonder if maybe I’m getting too old and starting to see things?” Teolas shook his head.

“Breakthrough Awakened dragons need not fear age once they went past a certain level.” she replied with her chin up, showing complete defiance to the one who held the title of Knight Master.

“That may be true, but why do you care so much about what happens to this human?” he asked narrowing his eyes at her.

“He is my friend.” she then lowered her chin and looked straight into his eyes “And you know how I... become, when I lose a friend, don’t you?” she asked with a smile that sent chills down your spine.

Teolas gulped.

“I will make sure such a tragedy won’t repeat itself...” he let out a heavy sigh.

“Good. I would hate to see Drakaria destroyed because of this incident.” she smiled, and even I could feel the chilling threat behind her words.

This dragoness had the power she needed in order to bring down the end of most of the dragons living here. On the other hand, I... how much was I even worth in the eyes of the dragons here?

Ignoring these disturbing thoughts of mine, I narrowed my eyes at Draejan and said “Seryanna, don’t worry, I’ll get you back from this guy.”

“How rude.” the dragon commented.

“Alkelios, this is an official duel... If you lose, you will have to do exactly as he says, otherwise not even the King will guarantee your safety.” she warned me.

“Well... IF I lose.” I said, but I was quite confident I wouldn’t.

“Don’t do anything foolish, Alkelios. These mongrels aren’t worth it.” Kataryna warned or maybe advised me?

“I won’t.” I replied.

“Oho? You have quite the confidence in this young human?” asked Teolas.

“You’ll see.” she smirked.

“He will lose, you know.” he pointed out.

“Even if that will be so, I’m certain he’ll find a way to get back up on his feet.” she replied.

Thank you, my friends... I thought in my mind.

With this, the duel that would decide my fate began.