Chapter 24: Ludwig’s Right Hand (1)

A tone that seemed polite, yet wasn’t, reached my ears.

Narrowing my eyes, I saw Leon’s grinning face.

What kind of nonsense was this? My brow furrowed instinctively.

“What did you just say? I must have misheard.”

“Would you care for a sparring match?”

This knight before me, Leon, was clearly missing a screw.

It was no different than an adult asking a child to spar.

“Why? You have nothing to gain from this, Sir Leon.”

“Your mana trait, your new demeanor… and…”

Leon began listing reasons for the duel, folding his fingers one by one.

To sum it up: he was curious about me.

Aaron, standing nearby, reacted even more than I did to Leon’s sparkling eyes.

He looked dumbfounded—and it hit me.

This smiley man was Ludwig’s right-hand man, a legend in his own right.

And despite countless attempts from the noble heirs, he had remained staunchly neutral.

If he ever took a side, the dormant succession war would ignite once more.

“Sorry, but I have training to do.”

“M-My Lord…!”

Aaron groaned in frustration as I firmly rejected the offer.

To him, this must have seemed like a golden opportunity to win Leon over.

Of course, I had no such intentions.

Leon would remain Ludwig’s loyal servant—nothing more.

His interest in me was purely out of curiosity.

‘And I don’t care about becoming the heir anyway.’

I’m just trying to make a living. Who has time for succession battles?

“Would you please leave now, Sir Leon?”

“Aw, come on. Sparring is excellent training, better than regular practice.”

For someone who’s supposed to be the captain of the knights, he sure didn’t act like it.

“Only if our skills were close. If I get injured sparring with you, I can’t train at all.”

That was the real issue—I had nothing to gain from this duel.

I’d be better off sparring with Aaron.

But Leon wasn’t giving up so easily.

“Do you know who I am? I can hold back just fine!”

I simply shook my head.

He began fidgeting nervously—he genuinely wanted to fight.

“I don’t mean to brag, but there are knights lined up to spar with me.”

“Then you should spar with them.”

I wished he’d just leave already.

Maybe he sensed my disinterest, because then he said:

“How about this: if you manage to land even one clean hit on me, I’ll help with your training for a few days.”

“Even if you injure me in the process,” he added.

‘…That’s tempting.’

Having a top-tier master help me train? That was enticing.

No wonder Aaron gasped beside me.

But the real question was: could I land a hit on Leon?

Some say you don’t know until you try—but surely a snake and a dragon can be distinguished from miles away.

“Hmm…”

I glanced down at my training sword.

A fine crack ran along the blade.

Must’ve gotten worse after my duel with Moritz.

I discreetly moved the sword behind my back.

“Sigh. If you insist so much, I suppose I have no choice.”

“Oh! You accept?”

I gave Leon a bright smile.

“Shall we begin immediately, Sir Leon?”

“Of course, I look forward to it.”

Leon gave a slight bow, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

He wanted to see my mana firsthand.

As he wished, I infused divine power into my blade.

“Ooooh!”

Ignoring Leon’s excitement, I charged forward.

CLANG!

He blocked the first strike with ease.

Sparks flew between our crossed swords.

“You’re stronger than your physique suggests. Is this your mana trait?”

Even mid-clash, Leon kept talking.

He talked more than he fought—infuriating.

I slashed a few more times, then went for a low kick.

“Oh-ho! That won’t work on me.”

He jumped back and kept chattering.

I lowered my sword and spoke coldly:

“What exactly are you doing?”

“Pardon?”

“You asked for this duel, and yet you’re treating it like a joke.”

This wasn’t a duel—it was mockery.

Or just self-indulgent curiosity.

Not the conduct expected of a knight who values honor and etiquette.

Leon winced at my rebuke.

“Apologies if I offended you.”

“Take this seriously.”

Only then did he draw on his mana.

Now it was a proper duel.

CLANG! CLANG!

Our swords clashed dozens of times.

He matched my skill perfectly—no more, no less.

He was truly a top-tier Swordmaster, expertly controlling his blade.

“You’re even more impressive than I thought. Your fundamental swordsmanship is beyond excellent.”

He looked genuinely surprised.

Even I had to admit, my basic sword skills were S-rank and nearly flawless.

“Let’s end it. Multiple duels in a row are exhausting.”

WHOOSH—

With that, I channeled all my divine power into my blade.

A radiant light ran along the edge.

My mana core screamed in protest.

I never had a large mana pool, and this was pushing it.

“My final strike. Please receive it with all your strength.”

“Very well. Show me everything you’ve got.”

Good.

I gripped the sword tightly and charged.

In an instant, the gap between us vanished.

My divine-imbued sword slashed at Leon.

He met it with his own blade—

At that moment, my divine power ran dry.

Perfect timing.

The crack on my sword—hidden by light—was now fully visible.

The blade looked like it’d snap with the slightest tap.

“Huh…?”

Leon’s eyes widened.

He tried to stop his sword—but too late.

‘Too slow!’

CRACK—

My sword shattered instantly.

“Guh…!”

Leon’s blade struck my collarbone.

With a loud crash, sky and earth flipped upside down.

If Leon hadn’t tried to hold back, I’d have been seriously injured.

“M-My Lord!”

Aaron rushed over in panic.

“Ugh!”

I tried to rise, but pain shot through my body.

“Lord Richard! Are you alright?”

Leon asked with cold sweat on his brow.

This wasn’t entirely his fault—broken practice swords sometimes caused injuries.

But still—

“Aagh! I think my bone’s broken! I told you I didn’t want to spar!”

Leon, who promised no harm would come to me, must’ve been horrified.

I groaned and glared at him dramatically.

His curiosity was gone—only panic remained.

“Sigh… Sir Leon, what were the conditions of our bet again?”

“If you landed a hit on me…”

“Tsk-tsk. Not just that.”

He fell silent.

Figuring he forgot, I kindly reminded him.

“You said you’d take responsibility even if an accident occurred.”

“….!”

The saying “curiosity killed the cat” came to mind.

He really shouldn’t have spoken so freely.

Despite the pain, I couldn’t help but grin.

“Aaron, you heard it too, right?”

“Yes, I heard it very clearly.”

Despite Leon’s high status, Aaron nodded firmly.

Leon’s eyes began to shake.

“Y-You didn’t plan this from the start, did you…?”

“What are you saying? It was just an accident.”

Of course, I couldn’t admit it was intentional.

Feigning innocence, I clutched my wound.

“Ow! I’ll be counting on you, Sir Leon.”

Two months left until I had to leave for the Elven Forest.

Now I had the perfect personal instructor.

***

Meanwhile…

Tap. Tap.

The sound of fingers tapping on a desk broke the silence.

Leon stood before his master, Ludwig.

“What did you just say?”

“I was impressed by Lord Richard’s skills and would like to assist in his training.”

Even Leon wasn’t thrilled with this outcome.

He had only made the bet to satisfy his curiosity—

And now it backfired.

Richard’s smug grin while clutching his broken collarbone was still fresh in his mind.

But a promise was a promise.

“Do you understand the implications of your words?”

Ludwig’s deep voice echoed through the office.

Being Captain of the First Knight Order carried immense influence.

It wasn’t a minor title.

The noble children of Batenberg had long tried to win Leon over— And yet he had always remained neutral.

Now, he was offering guidance to Richard? That was no small thing.

“So you’re declaring allegiance to Richard?”

“N-No! It’s unrelated to the succession issue!”

Leon denied it firmly.

Ludwig raised a brow.

If not for the succession, then why?

Surely he understood the political ripple this would cause.

“Don’t tell me it’s your damn curiosity again.”

Thirty years ago, Ludwig had found a hidden gem in a slum.

He had recognized Leon’s talent at once—

Fed him, trained him, and raised him into the swordmaster he was today.

He knew Leon’s personality inside out—Especially his insatiable curiosity.

“You’ve never changed—not even after all these years.”

Leon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

He truly had become curious about Richard.

The bet might’ve been the final push, but Leon’s interest hadn’t waned even now.

“But acting on curiosity might cause serious consequences.”

As captain of the First Order, Leon’s every move would be scrutinized.

If he was seen as siding with Richard, rumors would spread—“Leon backs Richard as heir!”

Especially since he’d always remained neutral, the impact would be significant.

But Leon didn’t care.

“Lord Richard needed guidance. I became interested. That’s all.”

Tap. Tap.

Ludwig tapped the desk again, deep in thought.

Eventually, he spoke:

“I approve.”

There was no reason to stop it.

Even if it fueled more factionalism—Even if it made his household noisier—

That was just the nature of Batenberg.

A battlefield of endless competition.

And who knew—

Leon might truly choose Richard in the end.