The Water Magician

"Your Majesty the King, please forgive me for defiling your presence with blood."

Ryo faced Abel and respectfully bowed his head as he spoke.

"Y-yes... if it's a duel, I suppose it can't be helped."

Abel seemed unable to keep up with the rapid and abnormal developments, or perhaps he had simply given up and was ready for whatever would happen next... probably the latter.

"Now, Lord Harold, are you truly ready for this?"

"Enough with the questions! Draw your sword!"

Ryo confirmed, and Harold shouted back.

At this moment, Hugh McGrath had retreated to the wall of the audience chamber to watch the unfolding situation.

Marquis Heinlein ordered the guards to silence a sly nobleman, and they moved to the opposite wall.

In the center of the audience chamber, only Ryo and his three companions remained.

"＜Ice Wall Layer 10 Package＞"

As Ryo chanted, ice walls rose around the four corners and the ceiling.

However, only the priest was surprised by this.

The other party member of Harold... likely the dual-wielder, was so enraged that he seemed unable to comprehend the change in circumstances.

"Isn't this supposed to be a duel with swords... Ryo?"

Only Princess Rhea, standing nearby, heard Abel's murmur.

She shook her head slightly.

"Well, it's fine with three of you on that side. It would end too quickly with just Lord Harold alone."

"What did you say?!"

Harold easily took the bait from Ryo's provocation.

The dual-wielder was completely bloodthirsty.

Only the priest remained calm, holding his staff steady.

(This priest is clearly in a different class... I'm very interested, but...)

Yes, Ryo was interested, but that wasn't why he provoked Harold.

Not at all.

Probably... it wasn't the reason.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. That was a lie.

Ryo got Harold involved because he wanted to see the priest's abilities.

"The duel between C-rank adventurer Ryo and Harold, along with his party members, will now commence. Are both sides ready?"

Abel confirmed.

"Yes."

"Please go ahead."

Both Ryo and Harold acknowledged.

"Then, let the battle begin!"

"Guh!"

"Ugh!"

The instant it started, a thick ice spear with a rounded tip pierced into the abdomens of Harold and the dual-wielder.

Before the two could fall writhing in agony, Ryo, wielding an ice sword, smiled and slashed at priest Zeek.

Priest Zeek was not caught off guard.

He understood that Ryo had brought up the incident at Café de Chocolat to deliberately indicate that he was the one who had tripped him at that time.

And this ice wall...

This alone made it clear that he was no ordinary opponent.

What an incredible mage.

However, if he could bring it to close combat, there might be a chance... or rather, he had to force it into that kind of development.

With that thought, Zeek readied his staff.

But...

(In an instant, ice sprouted... Harold and Gowan are incapacitated?! What the hell is that!)

At that moment, the mage appeared right in front of him.

And he was wielding an ice sword!?

(That can't be allowed!)

In an instant, Zeek made the judgment to not receive the ice sword with his staff and instead dodged it with body movement.

Furthermore, the sword that should have swung down immediately attacked from a diagonal angle, which he dodged again with weight shifting and a slight retreat.

But...

(That's it... it's impossible...)

That was as far as he could go.

"Guh!"

The sword struck him in the torso... he wasn't cut, but he lost consciousness right then.

Ryo was surprised.

The priest had even avoided a fake swallow dive.

(This priest has clearly been trained since he was little... and with proper swordsmanship... not with a staff. It feels a bit different from the Hume style of Abel's group... I'm intrigued.)

With that, he returned Murakumo's blade and performed a technique known as "blunt strike" to knock out the dual-wielder.

He then struck the back of the dual-wielder's head, who was just recovering from his agony, with a blunt strike to knock him out again.

His interest was only in the capable priest.

That was very much in line with Ryo's character...

That said, he still had to settle things properly with Harold, the Mont Blanc brat, who was the cause of the duel.