Duel

If Edward had possessed his current looks in his previous life, after romantic scenes like a ball and fireworks, the usual options would have been your place, my place, or a hotel.

But the reality was: his "perk" was merely holding Princess's small hand. That hand, calloused from years of sword practice, didn't feel particularly good.

The fireworks show ended. Princess let go of his hand unnaturally as they returned from the balcony to the third-floor corridor. Edward subconsciously touched his nose; his hand still held Princess's warmth, and he felt a sense of lingering desire.

They returned to the first-floor hall, one after the other. The ball was set to end once the New Year's bells chimed.

At this moment, Andrea needed to stand in the hall and deliver a speech to all the guests on behalf of her father, to conclude the New Year's Eve ball.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

The matter had started earlier. Andrea's brother, George, was chatting enthusiastically with Reinhardt over beers. Francois, holding a glass of red wine, passed by. The drinks were free-flowing tonight, and he seemed a bit drunk and unhappy.

The meddlesome George called out:

"Francois, long time no see. Did you dance with my sister tonight?"

"Don't even mention it. Andrea hasn't danced with anyone since that dance with Grand Duke." Francois, who was usually stern with others, was quite friendly with George, who was of equal status.

"You know my sister's bad temper. Last year she even wore men's clothes to dance with girls. At least this year she didn't steal our dance partners."

Just then, they saw Andrea walking over to the Alchemist, who had been "playing dead" all evening, with a drink in hand.

Francois's brow furrowed. He had disliked that guy since the banquet. How could that brat afford a seat that he himself couldn't get for a thousand Golden Eagle Coins? But that guy had been sensible during the ball and hadn't invited anyone to dance, so he hadn't bothered him. And now, that guy seemed to be chatting happily with Princess, even making her laugh so hard she bent over...

"What are you looking at?" George and Reinhardt followed Francois's gaze.

Reinhardt gritted his teeth when he saw it too. However, that Alchemist had killed two Vampire Counts as easily as swatting two chickens.

Although he was one of Princess's admirers, his intelligence was still intact; he wouldn't dare confront Edward directly.

George, standing beside them, started to stir the pot, saying:

"Look, Francois, you should learn from him. Everyone is trying to curry favor with Andrea, but he completely ignores her. That's how you pique a girl's curiosity. See, Andrea is approaching him herself!"

Francois's expression grew uglier by the second, but George wasn't finished. He continued:

"Look, look, he invited Andrea to dance. My god, he actually succeeded."

The Highland Castle young master's face turned the color of their local cocoa beans...

As the song ended, the impatient Francois was about to rush forward. But before he could take a step, Princess Andrea lifted her skirt and pulled Edward upstairs to the second floor.

Before the crowd could marvel, sounds of bangs and flashes of light erupted from outside. The people in the hall curiously walked out, looking up at the flashing sky. They all marveled at the beautiful sight.

As the fireworks gradually subsided, George patted Francois's shoulder and said:

"See, see. This is what you call spending money. Listen to the screams of the girls around you. With this kind of move to chase girls, who can resist? You're out of luck, Francois. Looks like I really have to call that guy brother-in-law..."

Francois didn't speak. He turned back to the hall in a huff. Reinhardt stopped George, who was about to go watch the commotion, and asked:

"Is it good for you to provoke him like this? What if..."

"There's no 'what if'. That guy is too stingy; he wouldn't even make me a War Hammer, so I just wanted to cause him some trouble. Which New Year's ball doesn't have a few duels? Don't worry, nothing will happen. At most, it'll be two weaklings fighting."

With that, he followed them in. The Captain of the Knights gave a wry smile and followed suit.

As Edward came downstairs, he saw a white object flying towards him. With quick reflexes, he caught it. Looking at it in his hand, it was a white glove.

At that moment, a voice said:

"Since you have accepted my duel invitation, please state the time and place, or you may choose the method of combat."

Edward saw the " Elf Prince" whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot and instinctively asked:

"Wait, wait, how did I agree to a duel? Duel what?"

"You caught the white glove I threw, which counts as accepting the duel. From Middle Earth to the New Continent, this is the rule. As for why we're dueling, it's naturally for Princess Andrea. If I win, you are forbidden from approaching Princess again."

Edward covered his face, thinking, Can't we avoid this? Why do I have to encounter every cliché plot? Can my persona of being low-key, handsome, and talented still hold up?

"You're too naive," Edward said, trying to avoid the cliché, and questioned in a steady, magnetic voice:

"By dueling for Princess, do you think it's a display of admiration?

What do you take Princess for?

An object that can be won or lost at will?

On a small scale, you are disrespecting Princess.

On a larger scale, you are disrespecting all women in the world!"

Edward's righteous questioning left Francois speechless.

He was about to say, "In that case, go back and reflect on yourself, young man," and then prepare to make a cool exit.

Unexpectedly, his lower back was suddenly grabbed. Princess, using her clumsy Ventriloquism, said:

"If you don't agree (to him), see how I deal with you."

With his weakness exposed, Edward had no choice but to continue righteously:

"However, since you have sincerely challenged me, I shall magnanimously accept. Time and place, you say? Then let's go now! We'll go to the garden outside."

Francois was momentarily stunned by Edward's sudden turn of events, almost failing to react. When he came to, he was overjoyed and was the first to walk towards the garden.

Princess Andrea, standing beside them, suddenly put on an act and shouted loudly:

"Oh my, what's gotten into you all? Don't fight over me..."

At this moment, Alice who had been watching from the side, tugged George's clothes and whispered:

"What's wrong with Andrea? In previous years, when people dueled for her, she'd cheer from the sidelines and then beat up whoever won in the end. What's different this year?"

George shrugged and said:

"Who knows? Maybe she was stimulated by that flashing thing."

Alice pouted and mumbled, "Too bad Elwin went back. He won't get to see this good show."

Everyone followed Edward and Francois to the garden. Francois had a look of absolute confidence, as if the other party was the commoner and he was the Great Knight.

He said proudly:

"Since you chose the time and place, I'll choose the method of duel!"

He took a Golden Battle Axe Badge from his pocket and hung it on his chest, continuing:

"I choose a restricted duel! I will only use this one enhancement item, and no other items or weapons are allowed. Although you are a professional and I am a commoner, for fairness, you can also use one enhancement item. What do you think?"

Francois spoke righteously, but inwardly he was smug. You, a weak Alchemist, your body isn't much stronger than a commoner's. Any fool knows that an Alchemist's entire skill lies in their items. As long as your items are restricted, you're just a punching bag.

Andrea leaned in and whispered:

"This is the God of War Church's Gold Battle Axe Badge. It can give a commoner peak knight physical fitness, just without Qi."

Edward was surprised:

"That exaggerated? Are there no side effects?"

"Unfortunately, there really are no side effects," Andrea said.

"No wonder this guy has so much stamina, daring to marry over a dozen wives. Maybe I should try using this thing as a stake and win it back?"

Princess Andrea rolled her eyes beautifully and said:

"I let you duel him to help me get rid of this annoying guy. It wasn't for you to take advantage, and besides, you couldn't use it even if you had it. Their family has to contribute thousands of gold coins to the God of War Church every year to recharge that badge!"

Edward sighed at the extravagance of the rich, then took out his Alchemist Pocket Watch and nodded, saying:

"I agree. I will only use the enhancement Pocket Watch issued by the Association."

Then he gestured for Andrea to move away. He fastened the Pocket Watch. He squatted on the ground, looking like an old farmer eating noodles at his doorstep.

He placed the index finger of his right hand on the ground and beckoned to the eager Francois with his left hand. He said:

"Come on, I'm ready."

Francois looked at Edward's strange posture and was somewhat bewildered.

But out of caution, he didn't rush forward. Instead, he slowly circled Edward.

He was also an old hand at duels, a man who had married over a dozen wives consecutively. Normally, someone who couldn't fight or brawl in noble circles would be considered an oddity.

Francois was confident that he had never lost a duel.

Edward remained still, squatting there.

Just as Francois circled behind Edward, the Battle Axe Amulet flashed with golden light, and Francois suddenly moved.

He charged at Edward like an arrow. The two were only twenty paces apart, so he reached him in the blink of an eye.

But Edward's fingertip flashed, and Shaping Technique activated. A Mud Hand emerged from the ground and grabbed Francois's ankle.

Francois lost his balance, his feet leaving the ground. He was about to face-plant into the dirt.

He remained calm in the face of danger, shielding his head with his hands and curling into a ball, preparing to roll sideways upon landing to evade subsequent attacks.

However, the impact with the ground never came. Another large hand, emerging from the mud, grabbed the back of his clothes and lifted him into the air.

Francois thought Edward was being friendly and sneered:

"Do you think this is a sparring match? This is a battle for honor and dignity! Put me down!"

Edward turned around, using his index finger on the ground as an axis. His finger remained on the ground, like a crab spinning in place.

The mud hand firmly gripped the back of Francois's clothes, lifting him two to three meters into the air, inverting him so he was face up, head down.

Edward looked at him like an idiot and said:

"It's not a sparring match. Come down if you can."

People from Edward's past life knew that humans are very agile "animals." Humans can touch all parts of their body surface with their hands. But the only place they can't exert force is the back of their Back Heart. You can try it yourself. Most people find it very difficult to touch there with their fingers.

In Greek mythology, the demigod Hercules used this move to lift the son of the Goddess of the Earth into the air, rendering his immense strength useless.

At this moment, Francois's limbs were suspended, unable to exert any force. He was like an overturned soft-shelled turtle flailing its limbs.

Edward was taking advantage of his lack of Qi, possessing only brute strength. An ordinary knight could shatter Edward's mud hands with a surge of Qi, but he might never be able to do so.

"Still not surrendering?" Edward asked, lifting his hand from the ground and dusting off the mud.

"You're cheating! Put me down!" Francois struggled uselessly. Because his head was down, his face was turning red.

"Don't struggle too hard, you'll rip your clothes. Look what's below you?" Edward threatened with an evil tone.

Francois glanced directly below him, where dense Ground Spikes had already risen. The Ground Spikes were incredibly sharp, like countless daggers pointing at him. He immediately dared not move.

Edward continued to intimidate him:

"But it's useless whether you struggle or not. In another 20 seconds, the Mud Hand holding you will automatically collapse. Hurry up and surrender, or there won't be time to save you."

Then he took out his Pocket Watch and checked the time:

"Starting the countdown now, 10, 9, 8, 7..."

Francois looked at the spikes on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face. The fear of death finally gripped his heart. Tears of grievance welled up in his eyes, and he cried out with a snotty, tear-streaked face:

"I surrender! I surrender! Let me down quickly..."

"Too late." Edward smirked and closed the lid of his Alchemist Pocket Watch.

The mud shattered into dust on the ground, and Francois crashed down heavily. The spikes on the ground had already turned to powder before he landed, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the dust gradually dispersed, it revealed Francois, covered in dirt. The tear tracks on his face were smeared with mud, making him look like a dirty calico cat. He was still crying, tears of relief from surviving and tears of grievance.

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, he fled the Duke's Mansion as if escaping, and returned south in his private Battleship.

Edward clapped his hands and turned to Princess Andrea, smiling:

"Princess, the task you assigned is successfully completed." He then wore an expression that clearly said, "Praise me quickly."

Princess glanced at him and said:

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. Humiliating him like this is worse than beating him up. He is the young master of Highland Castle; be careful he doesn't seek revenge later."

"Given that guy's temper, he'll probably seek revenge if he doesn't win. It's fine, I can handle it," Edward replied with a smile.

The crowd dispersed, and Edward left the Duke's Mansion alone. Today's experience was very interesting, like watching an immersive movie. His forty years of monotonous life in his previous life were not as exciting as these few years in this world.

As he walked to Fountain Square, he saw someone and suddenly froze in place.

I've been writing a bit too casually these past few days, please don't mistake my novel for a romance novel for women [manual facepalm]. The real battle is about to begin.

Finally, thank you all for your collections and recommendation tickets. Thank you. I'll continue to beg and roll around for collections and recommendations.