Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 47 - Duke Castellia's Duel

What the fuck?

Medrauta stood in a daze as she returned the duke's gaze. She wasn't sure why the man was squinting at her so fiercely. When she first saw him, it didn't look like his eyesight was impaired. Worse, the man's voice had turned dangerously scratchy since she'd last heard it.

"Um... Is your dad alright?"

Viviane hid her face, apologizing profusely. She seemed to know what was happening, but she was also in no condition to give Medrauta a coherent reply.

Seeing this, Medrauta heaved a sigh. In the span of ten seconds, she'd lost all admiration she once had for the man.

"Need I repeat myself?" Duke Castellia intoned, somehow managing to deepen his voice even further. He cocked an eyebrow flippantly. "I challenge you to a duel, Dame Medrauta. Or are you perhaps too afraid?"

"...Your Grace, you cannot challenge me to a duel."

"Ah. Afraid, are we?" The duke smirked.

"...No. You are not a knight, Your Grace." Medrauta said pointedly. "I would immediately be placed on trial by the Round Table if I attempted to enter a duel against you. We are permitted to spar with nobles, but not duel. If your wish is to spar with me, then I would be honored."

Duke Castellia wagged his finger in the air, smoothing his hair back with his other hand. He clicked his tongue thrice in an expression of great disagreement. "No, no. You misunderstand me, Dame Medrauta. I challenge you not to a duel of blades, but a duel of wits. A test of knowledge."

Viviane let out a sound that was similar to that of a dying animal. She curled up into a ball and refused to show her face.

"Oookay," Medrauta placed her hands on her hips. She had absolutely no clue what was going on, but she knew she needed to see this through. Based on Viviane's reaction, it would be the only way to end the duke's insanity. "About what?"

"Kukuku..." The duke pushed himself off the pillar and then strode up to Medrauta. He leaned back as far as he could go, striking a strange pose before he thrust his finger out toward her, pointing straight at the center of Medrauta's face.

All of a sudden, Medrauta was overcome with the incredible urge to throttle Viviane's father, but she managed to keep it suppressed with her unparalleled willpower.

"To earn my daughter's hand in marriage, you must prove that you are worthy of her! And to do so, you must best me in a competition of knowledge! If you truly love her, then your knowledge of Vivi should surpass even mine! Or perhaps... Can you not even say that you love her that much!?"

"But—"

"No excuses! Do you love her or not!?"

Medrauta lifted her hands to her head, massaging her temples. She could already feel a headache forming. "I... I love her, but aren't we skipping a few steps here? Besides, we can't even get married in the empire. We're both women and—"

"Haaah?" The duke glowered at Medrauta as he recovered from his strange pose. He stood a good two heads taller than her, so he would've been quite the intimidating figure had he not chosen to adopt such a strange persona. "You're going to let something so minor stop you despite saying that you love her!?"

"...F-Father, please stop..." Viviane spoke up after finally recovering from her father's weird antics. "We're not even d-dating..."

"Yet," Medrauta added casually, causing Viviane to hide her face with her knees once again. Even so, the scarlet tips of her ears poked through her golden hair.

"Oh?" A dangerous light glimmered in the duke's eyes, his hand casually dropping to the hilt of his saber. If Medrauta was worried, she didn't show it. "So you intend to date my daughter without marrying her?"