Episode 18

Man sets the stage, and God decides the victor.
–An Ancient Proverb

“Excuse me, young hero, would you join me for the next dance?”
“I’m afraid not. I wish to first learn a move from you, sir.”
“I am quite at a loss, my ladies, that you should bestow your attention upon a trifling idler such as myself.”

I replied appropriately while glancing up at the VIP section on the second floor.
As expected, several chaperones were staring at me intently.
I am the disciple of the mysterious figure who once humiliated their martial clan.
It’s only natural that they would send their promising disciples to crush me.

“I will do my utmost to ensure the lady feels at ease.”

I chose the one who hid her determination most among the dozen or so ladies surrounding me.

“Then, where shall we meet?”
“The fourth dueling stage would be good. It’s the closest.”

We wrote our monikers on each other’s cards.
The blonde lady who had come to see me was rather elated as she moved her pen. It seemed she was excited to unveil her newly acquired moniker to someone for the first time.

After the five-minute grace period ended, the host gave the signal.
As the attendants removed the ice sculptures, mechanisms activated, and square dueling stages began to rise from the empty floor.

-Grrrrrr!

The true nature of the masquerade ball began to unfurl itself.

The real purpose of the Debutante Ball was simple.
It was to compare skills and build camaraderie with different clans and families.
In the British Empire, where duels between martial artists of similar standing were encouraged, this gathering was one of the rare occasions where men and women could face each other in a contest that did not end in life or death.

The sword dance performed to the first tune, as I mentioned earlier, is merely a preliminary exploration.
The true contest begins with the second piece.
The duel proceeds in the format of a tournament.
Only the two individuals who reach the finals can obtain the inner core of the Unicorn Salamander.

“Now it begins.”

The rules of the Debutante Ball are twofold.

First, until you are defeated, you may select an opponent of the opposite gender from among those who have won matches to challenge to a duel.
Fighting someone of the same gender is only possible once all potential opposite-gender opponents have been eliminated.

Second. Since it is not a life-and-death match, killing your opponent is not permitted.
This is a masked contest where faces and identities are concealed, and the battle is purely based on skill between men and women.

“The contestant who chose Ring 4, please step forward.”

Following the host’s instructions, I retrieved the Heavenly Demon Cane that was leaning against the wall and stepped onto the stage.
Across from me, the woman who had just written her name on my card was ascending with a sword.

“I bear no grudge against you, but my master insists that I must sever your lineage. I do not intend to take your life, so do not resent me.”
“…It seems my master may have wronged yours in the past. I hope you will show mercy with your skills.”

If her master is a woman, there might have been some relationship with mine, and if a man, then surely he was struck in a vital area during a duel.
However, I still couldn’t fathom why that grudge was directed at me. I have no intention of inheriting someone else’s vendetta.

“I am merely following instructions to the best of my ability. Please be prepared.”
“They say that grudges in the martial world never end…”

Since this is a masquerade, unlike a typical duel, there is no need to reveal our names or the martial arts we use.
We handed our cards to the attendant acting as a referee and removed our gloves.

As all the participants took their stances, the monikers of the Debutantes from ring number one began to be called in order.

“Ring 4! In the east corner, Killer Blonde!! In the west corner, Little Heavenly Demon!”

…Of course, in my case, it was a name my master forced upon me despite my reluctance.

“Duel Standby!!”

Regardless, now that I bear this name on my back, defeat is not an option.

“Duel!!!”
“Taaaaa!!!”

As soon as the host signaled, the performance started, and the woman charged forward faster than the trill of a trumpet player.

The Orthodox Tai Chi Sword of the Wu-Tang Clan.
Instead of drawing my sword, I took a step forward.

‘Baritsu, Bare Knuckle Style―’

Movement in a diagonal direction. The sword path veers away from me.
By deceiving the distance at a timing where she cannot react, I seize the initiative.
At the predetermined position, as the opponent’s body approached and touched my waiting fist, I fired a short strike through the full coordination of my body without any preliminary motion.

‘Straight.’

-Boom!!

A gentlemanly counter responding politely with a basic move without hindering the opponent’s attack.
The body of Killer Blonde, who flew a good few dozen yards and slammed into a pillar of the ballroom, slid powerlessly to the floor.

‘I should go see how Watson is doing.’

A derisive nickname given to those eliminated in the first round of the tournament.

The moment a lone wallflower bloomed in full.

To conclude, Watson managed to defeat her opponent in less than 40 seconds after the second piece started.

The opponent declared they would concede three moves as Watson, with her impaired leg, climbed into the ring using a cane.
In a typical duel between rising prodigies, being this relaxed might be considered arrogant, but this time was different.

Since the opponent had an injury on one leg, not giving her a three-second head start would have been criticized.
As a result, Watson was able to immediately use the technique she perfected under my guidance over the past few days.

“I thank you for your consideration, sir.”

Watson took the Position Of Appointment, a knightly gesture of kneeling on one knee.
Commonly known as Kneeling Position or something akin to Knee Shooting Position, it was a posture used only when preparing for a specific technique.

However, even as Watson lowered herself and shouldered her cane, the young nobleman from an aristocratic family had no idea what was about to happen.
As mentioned to Watson before, it was because he had neglected basic training and had no practical experience.

“Army’s Drill―”¹

Having declared he would give a three-second head start, the man couldn’t even dodge and had to channel his internal energy to protect his vital points.
Yet Watson targeted a spot the man never even considered defending.

“Bullet Finger, Martini-Henry.”

The power focused in Watson’s finger passed through the cane handle and compressed within the drilled hole in the shaft.
The completed finger technique surged forward, spinning rapidly along the spiral groove inside the cane, soon breaking the sound barrier as it was fired.

-Bang!

What Watson used was an Army’s Drill rooted in the E-Mei Clan’s Zither Finger Technique, a move that fired multiple finger energy bullets in succession.

“Argh!”

The man’s scream and the sound of the finger technique firing erupted almost simultaneously.
The bones of his left instep and big toe fractured at the same time.
Watson swiftly approached the fallen opponent and sealed their movements with a quick jab of a silver needle at the acupuncture point.

“Winner, Discharged Medical Maiden!!”

A match decided in an instant. The referee announced the victor of the duel.

“This tournament is really in your favor.”

Watson, who cheerfully saluted and descended from the ring, laughed pleasantly before her expression hardened.

“Well, did the moniker really have to be like this? Discharged Medical Maiden is a bit…”
“What’s wrong with Discharged Medical Maiden?”
“No matter how unmarried, being called by a moniker with ‘Maiden’ at this age is embarrassing. Honestly, I’d prefer to change it to Discharged Lady Doctor.”
“Monikers are something you have to be content with, as others give them to you. If you’re dissatisfied, how about deciding it with a duel? I promise to only use my left hand.”

Watson looked alternately at the Killer Blonde slumped against the wall and me, then shook her head.

“No thanks. You’re ambidextrous, aren’t you?”
“Your observation skills have improved.”
“……”
“Rest assured. I was just testing you.”

With an irritated expression, Watson tapped the innocent floor with her cane.
In truth, Discharged Lady Doctor would have suited her just fine, but registering Watson’s moniker as Discharged Medical Maiden was to see her embarrassed reaction.
I felt a similar way when my master first gave me a nickname.
Friends should experience both good and bad things together, so it’s only right that Watson goes through this too.

“You’d better conserve your energy. As soon as this tune ends, you’ll have to find your next duel opponent.”
“Don’t worry, I’m still fine. The golden dragon fruit you gave me has been quite helpful in boosting my power.”
“That’s a relief, then…”

Army’s Drill was specialized for lethality, and Watson, who returned from the battlefield, was by no means weak.
Due to the injury on her leg, she cannot display her lightness skill, and the Nine Yin-Qi Nails makes it difficult if the fight drags on.
Her specialty is Fingertips, which focuses energy on a single point and shoots it. As befitting her background as an army medical officer, she was specialized in subduing enemies from a distance rather than close combat.
Though it requires precise targeting of vital points, the finger blast that Watson unleashes at maximum power can inflict damage even on a first-rate martial artist.

“Only thirty-two left now.”

Thanks to feeding on a few of the fruits obtained from the Physic Garden, the amount of energy she can wield has increased. If luck in matchups holds, she can break through the remaining four matches until the finals.

Even if Watson loses, if I reach the finals, I can acquire the highest-grade return gift, the inner core of the Unicorn Salamander.
Of course, to succeed in the plan, there are a couple of people that need to be “cleared away”.

“There you are….”

When I turned my gaze to Ring number 4, where I had just completed a duel, I saw a woman in a relatively simple dress.
She was facing a swordsman from the Northern End Clan of Scotland.

The Scots, who have long wielded the heavy claymore, absorbed the Southern End Clan’s² sword techniques to create a new swordsmanship system.
The Northern End Clan, born this way, is unmatched by any other major clans in terms of sheer swordplay prowess.

-Whoosh!
-Boom!

The large man, likely wearing nothing under his kilt, was swinging his claymore freely, overwhelming the masked woman.
Seeing the use of a traditional two-handed sword rather than the basket-hilted sword and shield, he appeared to be a descendant of a Highlander family with innate martial prowess.

“Indeed.”

The emblem of the bloodline engraved on the red kilt confirmed that he was undoubtedly a young hero from the McMahan Family.
Aside from that, the swirling internal energy emanating from the well-developed muscles of his lower body caused the kilt to flutter violently, which was truly uncomfortable.

“Hmm…”

The lady facing the Highlander seemed to have the same thought. She ceased her feigned retreat and finally began to reveal her true skills.