"Silence! I... Adris of Karryas accept your terms and formally challenge you to a knight's duel!" Adris suddenly flung his hand, shouting loudly.
Immediately after, he also had his attendant place the money bag on the Herald's table, glaring fiercely at Karl, as if he held a deep grudge against him.
In reality, from beginning to end, this whole matter was provoked by him, and had nothing to do with Karl.
If he hadn't idly mocked Karl, Karl wouldn't have retorted and ridiculed him.
But now, with honor and money at stake, even the challenge was initiated by him, and Karl was forced to accept.
His arrogance and pride made it impossible for him to retract his request for a knight's duel in front of so many onlookers.
Even when Karl proposed insulting terms, he gritted his teeth and agreed.
Because he felt that the fellow opposite him was not old, and his swordsmanship was far inferior to his own.
He believed he had a great chance of winning, and then both the money and the reputation would be his.
Meanwhile, Triss was sitting quietly at a table in her home in the Trade District.
She stared blankly at her reflection in the basin of water, her fingertips constantly twirling her hair.
"His name is Karl... Has he already left Vizima?"
"I had someone inquire; no one by that name is in Vizima."
"Should I use hydromancy to see what he's doing? But peeking isn't very nice... Hmm, I'll just take a quick look."
Triss murmured to herself, as if she had convinced herself, and her eyes gradually regained their sparkle.
Blue magic surged from her palm, and she gently waved it over the basin of water on the table.
Then, she softly chanted a spell in the Elder Speech, imagining in her mind the things she wished to divine.
Soon, the water in the basin rippled, humming and emitting light.
Scenes of recent events appeared in the water: her conversation with Keira.
Decisions made with the court ministers and others, and Foltest's instructions for them to secretly search for the Witcher's whereabouts.
Seeing that the scene she wanted to see still hadn't appeared, Triss frowned and began to concentrate, recalling the situation from that day in her mind.
Before long, the images in the water stopped flickering, freezing on the scene from yesterday when she met Karl at the herbalist's shop.
Immediately after, the scene quickly dispersed, leaving only Karl's figure.
His attire had changed, and the surrounding scenery gradually shifted, with many figures appearing.
"Oh? Karl is wearing full plate armor? Only ennobled knights are qualified to be armored and possess it."
"Hmph, it seems he's hiding a lot. I even guessed he was a merchant's son at the time."
Triss's eyes curved, her pale blue gaze flickered, and a slight smirk played on her face.
Evidently, discovering what Karl was hiding gave her a thrilling feeling.
Subsequently, the smile on Triss's face gradually faded, her brows unfurrowed, revealing a puzzled expression.
"They seem to have had a conflict? The bearded man, he seems to be a knight Keira once sponsored?"
"Can Karl handle it? Or... should I go to the scene to help him?"
"But I'm not there, yet I know what's happening there. Will he guess I was peeking afterwards...?"
"Hmm... Triss, what are you thinking?! Your relationship with him is merely that of strangers who've met once."
"Creak." Just as Triss was troubled, a slight creak of a door sounded, accompanied by rapidly approaching footsteps.
"Triss, are you casting a spell? If you're not busy, come shopping with me to unwind."
"Someone sent me a harassing letter today, honestly, it's put me in a bad mood." Keira said softly, walking barefoot behind Triss.
"Ah? No problem, I'll be right there."
Triss quickly dispelled the hydromancy, patted off non-existent dust from herself, and then stood up.
Keira put her hands on her hips, observing the basin of water on the table, noticing the figure in the basin gradually dissipating.
She rolled her eyes, finding Triss feigning calm, but a fleeting panic crossed her face.
"Heh heh, I seem to have found someone using hydromancy to divine things related to herself, and which she urgently wants to know."
"Keira, I did use hydromancy, but it's not what you're thinking." Triss's cheeks flushed slightly as she explained softly.
"Hey, I haven't even asked anything, and someone is already eager to explain." Keira said with a teasing look, smiling.
Triss snorted, rolled her eyes at Keira, then said no more and turned to walk down the nearby stairs.
"Wait, Triss, I was joking, are you angry?"
Seeing this, Keira paused, then quickly moved to catch up with Triss... In the Trade District square, in the open space surrounded by many vendors and pedestrians.
Two figures in full plate armor shimmered with a cold silver light under the sun, with the Herald, acting as the temporary judge, standing between them.
"Ready, the duel begins!" The Herald commanded, then quickly retreated a few steps to avoid being accidentally injured.
Karl and Adris stood ten paces apart; the heavy armor did not slow their movements in the slightest.
Two longswords, specifically designed for armor-piercing combat, with sharpened side edges and pointed tips, had clanged out of their scabbards.
No sooner had the Herald's signal for the duel to begin fallen than Adris, opposite Karl, let out a low growl and charged forward, sword tip thrusting straight, a standard ox guard opening.
Adris, beneath his helmet, even revealed a look of smug satisfaction.
He believed that with his speed, his opponent wouldn't have time to react.
In his view, the boy looked so young, he surely hadn't undergone rigorous swordsmanship training.
However, events did not unfold as he had imagined.
Karl merely shifted slightly, flicked his wrist, and with a crisp "clang," precisely parried his thrust with the flat of his blade.
A tremendous force instantly transmitted through the sword, halting Adris's charge.
At this moment, Adris's face twitched uncontrollably inside his helmet; his arm beneath the plate armor was numb, and he could barely hold his sword.
Now, no matter how arrogant and conceited he was, he knew he had bitten off more than he could chew.
But now, he had no choice but to push through.
And Karl, without waiting for him to adjust, moved, his figure so fast it didn't seem like a man clad in steel, but more like a gust of wind sweeping across the ground.
He took two steps forward in an instant, his sword tracing a silver arc, not a chop.
Instead, he used the flat of the blade to forcefully strike the side of Adris's helmet.
"Thwack!" A dull sound, like a poorly cast bronze bell being struck.
Adris was clearly dazed by Karl's heaviest blow; his steps faltered, and he uncontrollably stumbled backward, a suffocating hum echoing inside his helmet.
Karl gave Adris no chance to catch his breath, following him like a shadow.