"Hoo, I can breathe again."
Azadin, who had been sitting in seiza for about an hour, plugged the nearly empty water bottle and handed it back to the boy.
"So, little miss and droopy eyes, what brings you here?"
"Little miss? How unpleasant. Are you saying that knowing I'm of the Aether lineage?"
Midiam was slightly irritated at being treated like a child by Azadin.
The Aether lineage was one of the five founding families of the Herald Clan, known for producing heralds for generations and amassing enormous wealth through trade. It was a noble family with a reputation for lineage, wealth, and authority, missing nothing in status.
"As long as you're my servant, you're not of the Aether lineage but just my subordinate. Do you want to be respected as a member of the founding lineage? Then give up being a servant. If you do, I'll treat you as a young lady of the Aether lineage. Ah, but you do know that officially, a herald's status is unaffected by their family lineage, right?"
Azadin reminded the girl of her position.
No matter how prestigious her family background was, Azadin, as a herald, had no reason to show her deference. Whether she was a servant or not, he had no reason to address her respectfully.
"No…"
"Judging by the looks of you two, you volunteered to be my servant simply because you were bored in the holy land. Don't tell me you're thinking of challenging me to a duel?"
"…."
Midiam was flustered. Indeed, her plan was to challenge Azadin to a duel.
Azadin, the disgrace of the Herald Clan, the son of a traitor, and a half-wit who couldn't even use magic, was said to have been bullied by his peers among the herald youth.
When he was suddenly selected as a herald, the young members of the Herald Clan protested in unison, largely because of his poor reputation. But contrary to the rumors, the Azadin she met in person was bold.
Despite the sudden arrow attack, he remained unfazed and easily countered her aggressive words. On top of that, his actions radiated confidence.
"Oh, you really were planning to challenge me. Arael spoiled you all, huh? Or do you just see me as that much of a joke?"
Azadin clicked his tongue as he figured out their intentions.
Azadin's twin sister, Arael, was also the child of a traitor but was famous as a prodigy.
A peerless beauty, overwhelming magic prowess, and exceptional swordsmanship.
She had it all and served as a servant, yet as a servant, she challenged a herald and easily defeated them. At thirteen years old, she overpowered an adult herald and took their position.
Like any organization, the Herald Clan placed great importance on hierarchy. Arael's audacious actions naturally didn't sit well with the clan leaders and elders.
However, duels within the clan were a right guaranteed by the Emperor's voice.
Arael boldly secured that right, and despite the subsequent scheming and slander from the elders, she consistently overcame them with her abilities, solidifying her faction within the Herald Clan.
Because of her, the young members of the Herald Clan began to see dueling a herald and taking their position as a realistic possibility, not just a distant fantasy.
"Listen, I won't say anything harsh, so just give up and return to the holy land. Taking along a servant who doesn't respect me is worse than working alone."
It was sound advice, but there was no way Midiam, who had come all the way here, would just turn back.
However...
"Lady Midiam, you mustn't. This man…"
The boy, Ishmael, tried to stop Midiam.
The rumor that Azadin was incompetent. And Midiam's skill, which was superior to that of anyone their age.
Even considering that, his instincts were warning him.
The man standing before them was dangerous.
Midiam felt it too.
This wasn't what the rumors had described.
Azadin wasn't a fool; rather, he appeared strong and astute.
Still…
'If I back down just because the opponent is strong, wouldn't that be too cowardly?'
She had come with the intent to duel him, and now it felt too disgraceful to back down simply because she was afraid.
Once you break, it becomes easier to break again.
Even as fear crept in, Midiam challenged Azadin.
"Herald Azadin, I, Midiam of the Aether lineage, formally challenge you for your position as a herald."
"Are you serious? If you win, my position as herald will be yours, but you do know what happens if I win?"
"Of course. You'll have the power of life and death over me, and everything I have will become your possession. I'm prepared for that. If it comes to that, I'll quickly take my own life…"
-Thwack!
At that moment, Midiam suddenly fell from her goat. Azadin had lightly flicked a pebble, hitting her right between the eyes.
But it had been so fast and powerful. It was just a flick of a pebble with his fingers, and yet…
"Guh?!"
"Little miss, anyone who holds their life so cheaply shouldn't be holding a weapon."
"Huh? Lady Midiam…"
Even Ishmael was genuinely flustered. It had happened right before his eyes, and yet he couldn't figure out what had just happened.
"I'll pretend this didn't happen, so go back to the holy land. If I had to accept every challenge made with that kind of mindset, there wouldn't be any free folk left in our clan."
Though Azadin advised the daring boy and girl this way, Midiam was furious at his sudden ambush.
"How could you ambush someone who's challenging you to a duel?! How rude can you be?!"
"Hmm?"
Azadin was surprised at her retort.
"You have a point, but aren't you the one who ambushed me on the road with an arrow?"
"Ambushing someone while challenging them to a duel is different!"
"No, which is exactly why you should be more embarrassed. I was ambushed when I couldn't even see you, but you were ambushed while I was right in front of you. Which side was more careless?"
"…"
"Give up. Once the duel starts, there's no turning back, and sorry, but you're weaker than me. Beating an adult at thirteen is something only Arael can pull off. Even if my reputation in the clan isn't great, they wouldn't appoint someone who could be beaten by a thirteen-year-old girl."
Once again, Azadin tried to decline the duel. But Midiam shook her head.
"Do you think I'm someone who takes back her words? I challenged you to a duel for the position of herald, and now you ambush me and tarnish the honor of the duel! Azadin! Duels begin with both sides standing a hundred paces apart! How could you disgrace such an honorable duel with an ambush?!"
"Ah… are you serious?"
Azadin scratched his nose.
"Then! Of course, I'm serious!"
Midiam mounted her goat, retreating to put distance between herself and Azadin. When they were about a hundred paces apart, she dismounted.
"There, a hundred paces! Azadin! I challenge you for the position of herald!"
"Wow, you're really going through with this?"
As Azadin was taken aback, a chilling voice suddenly echoed.
[The duel has been established, Herald Azadin. Accept the challenge.]
"Oh, for heaven's sake."
"…Th-the Emperor's Voice!?"
Ishmael was equally flustered. The spirit known as the Emperor's Voice, which was said to accompany every herald, had spoken to him as well.
Now that the Emperor's Voice had become a witness, there was no way to dismiss this as a child's whim.
'This is bad.'
Ishmael grew anxious.
His family had served Midiam's household since his parents' generation. The reason he had applied to be Azadin's servant along with Midiam was to ensure she safely returned home.
But Ishmael had been too complacent. If Azadin were truly the fool that the rumors claimed, and if his appointment as herald had been nothing more than the result of the elders' curiosity or whim, then Midiam could win.
In fact, not just Midiam, but anyone could. Many of Ishmael's peers dreamed of challenging Azadin when they got the chance and claiming the position of herald for themselves.
However, the Azadin standing before him was no pushover.
'But from her perspective, admitting fear and backing down from her initial intent would feel like a disgrace.'
She regarded fear as humiliation and sought to break through head-on. This was common among immature youths who had yet to taste the bitterness of the world or experience failure.
The problem was that a duel wasn't something to be taken lightly. Losing meant becoming a slave. Being enslaved by Azadin, who was the laughingstock of the Herald Clan, would be a fate more humiliating than death.
With the Emperor's Voice now involved, there was no turning back. If Midiam won, all would be fine, but if she lost, the consequences would be dire.
"Then she just needs to win!"
At that moment, Midiam nocked an arrow onto her bow.
'He's definitely the type who honed martial arts instead of magic. In that case, I need to maintain my distance while fighting!'
Midiam enchanted her arrow with magic.
'White Crane!'
She shot the arrow high into the air.
'Yellow Crane!'
Then, she shot a second arrow low to the ground. While it appeared similar to her previous Dual Immortal Bow technique, these arrows were imbued with magic, and trying to block them as before would be a grave mistake.
'His quiver must be nearly empty. I've already shot two arrows, so he should only have two left in his quiver! Given the distance, he'll definitely want to catch these arrows with his quiver!'
In duels between members of the Herald Clan, the number of arrows each person had was critical. Azadin would undoubtedly try to catch the incoming arrows.
Sure enough…
Azadin didn't try to dodge. Instead, he waited for the arrows to approach.
'Hmm? At least she's confident in her skills.'
Thinking that, he nocked an arrow onto his own bowstring and ran forward while aiming upward.
Whoosh!
With the sound of air being split, Azadin's arrow intercepted Midiam's arrows midair. Surprisingly, instead of a direct hit, the sheer force of the wind created by the arrow's flight caused Midiam's arrows to lose power and spiral downward.
Azadin raised his quiver and caught the falling arrows. Then, he picked up a stone from the ground, placed it between his fingers, and pulled back the bowstring.
'That's absurd.'
Ishmael, watching the duel, couldn't help but smirk when he saw Azadin preparing to shoot a stone with his bow.
There was a special type of bow designed specifically to shoot stones, known as a slinging bow. It had a channel to hold projectiles, and the bowstring was equipped with a cradle to effectively transfer force to the projectile.
Without such equipment, attempting to shoot a stone with a regular bow would likely result in injuring one's own hand.
However…
Thunk!
Azadin easily fired the stone.
'What?'
Azadin's hand, which had been gripping the bow, twisted sharply and released with a flick, propelling the bow as if he were throwing a discus.
'An extreme Aragasa shooting technique?!'
By flicking the bow in such a manner, it sacrificed accuracy for maximum projectile speed—an ancient battlefield archery technique.
Among the Herald Clan, it was now considered a classical shooting technique.