Chapter 134 (1/2)

Chapter 134 – Duel Bid (4)

The tense match ended in an instant. Randolph’s trio of lightning strikes had been fast enough to be invisible to the audience. Even the last blow, done from a standstill, had been so fast that an afterimage remained.

“V-Victory!” The voice of the notary rang out one beat later.

The two swordsmen were still standing on the duel stage, but anyone who had seen the previous scene nodded in agreement. Then a frightening sound was heard. Chwaaaak!

Randolph’s falchion dug into the right side of the Black Knight, before emerging on the left. There was no one who didn’t understand the meaning of that. It was thick plate mail, so this meant the body hidden inside had been sliced in half.

“D-Dead…?!”

“What? Didn’t he only strike twice?”

“My eyes could only see one…”

There was no way to survive from being cut having one’s waist cut through completely. The upper half hadn’t fallen off yet, but as soon as it did, there would be a fountain of blood. Everyone except for three people were convinced of the Black Knight’s death.

‘Now, how will you get out of this?’ Theodore questioned as he stared at Isaac.

This much damage wasn’t enough to kill a senior undead, a death knight. He had suffered quite a lot of damage from the almost master level aura, but the skull, where the death knight’s soul was stored, was still intact.

The Black Knight could keep fighting if it so desired. Of course, from now on, Randolph would have a one-sided advantage. If Isaac judged all of this rationally, there was only one conclusion he could make. Unsurprisingly, he reacted as Theodore expected.

“…Dammit! Attendant!” Isaac shouted, rising from his seat.

Then his attendants rushed to cover the body of the Black Knight, who still hadn’t collapsed, with a rug. Isaac’s intention was to end this situation before someone pointed out that no blood was flowing out from the knight’s body.

Theodore knew this, but he didn’t want to challenge it and make the situation bigger.

[Hey, Employer.] At that moment, Randolph, who had lost his opponent, walked toward Theodore. [Are you going to leave it alone? Isn’t this a chance to expose what that agent is?]

[Well, your words aren’t wrong.]

However, Theodore didn’t choose that option. It was possible to claim a connection between the Orcus Company and black magic, but that was just cutting off Isaac’s path of escape.

Would a rat cornered by a cat bite back? However, the problem was that Isaac wasn’t a rat.

[The risk is too large. The death knight hasn’t lost strength yet. There is no guarantee that Isaac only has one Black Knight. Additionally, you probably spent a lot of energy in that duel, Captain Randolph.]

[Umm, I can’t deny that.]

[It is better to take a step back. I’ve attained the item I wanted, and I don’t know how they will react if I accuse them.]

It was a realistic point. Although there were no apparent injuries, Randolph’s physical condition wasn’t good since he had used aura without a break.

If the death knight was in a position where he no longer had to hide his power, then Randolph would face a more unfavourable battle without an Aura Ability. Additionally, both Randolph and Theo were dead if one more death knight emerged.

The gamble was too risky, so they should be satisfied with this much.

[…Che, it can’t be helped. I understand.] In the end, Randolph stepped back.

Theodore’s words were correct, and Randolph was also worried about the actions of the cornered Isaac. So, Randolph descended from the duel stage and placed his falchions back in his sheaths while staring at Isaac. Despite his shabby clothing, Randolph was the winner.

‘The skirmish was won, although it was a close call.’

By tacit agreement, the duel between the two bidders ended.

* * *

The attendants of the Orcus Company carried the body of the Black Knight away, while the spectators, who enjoyed the exciting spectacle, vacated their seats. The result was obvious, so they had no interest in the following announcements.

The notary, who watched the two swordsman compete fiercely a while ago, looked between the two bidders and declared, “The 57th underground auction, the duel bid for ‘Charlotte’s Necklace,’ has been won by Bidder Theo’s representative, Randolph Clovis. Therefore, the winner of this duel bid is Theo. Do both of you recognize this result?”

“I recognize it.”

Unlike Theo, Isaac didn’t answer immediately. “……”

“Agent Isaac?” The notary asked him one more time.

Then the answer fell from Isaac’s heavy lips, “…I recognize it.”

Isaac’s bloodshot eyes showed that he didn’t like this ending. If a passing child saw the scene, they would burst into tears from fear. His expression was dark, but there was something else it contained which incited a feeling of fear.

However, the notary’s declaration wasn’t over yet. “In accordance with the rules of the duel bid, the price for ‘Charlotte’s Necklace’ must be paid by Agent Isaac. 300 gold please.”

Crunch.

Isaac made a loud noise before pulling out 300 gold and handing the gold over to the notary. It seemed like he wanted to lash out at the notary, but he maintained his patience. This was a common sight for the notary… The losing bidders always screamed or glared angrily at him.

The notary turned to look at Theodore with a weak expression and said, “With this, the duel bid is over. Theo, ‘Charlotte’s Necklace’ is now yours.”

After that, a box was placed before Theodore. Just like the first time he saw it behind the glass box, this was the necklace which contained the curse. Charlotte’s Necklace… If it entered the hands of a warlock, it would be able to demonstrate the power of a national treasure. After a moment of hesitation, Theodore held the necklace.

However, at that moment…

“Think well.”

Agent Isaac’s red eyes were staring at Theodore and Randolph with dark emotions flashing in his eyes. This was a warlock who was suppressing the urge to kill both of them right now.

“If you take the necklace like this, one day you will pay for it. It is too late for you to regret it.”

Theodore didn’t ignore him and nodded. “Those words are correct.”

The confused Randolph and Isaac listened until the end, expecting there to be something more. However, Theodore laughed and smashed their expectations. “You should’ve just let me win the bid. Didn’t you suffer big damages because of the duel bid? I am thankful for the lesson that you taught me.”