Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Vitas Vitalius had dueled several times, all in the presence of family members and dignitaries. After being expelled from the family territory, he stopped dueling.

This is the glory of a knight, the conduct of a nobleman. How can it be done beside a muddy road, surrounded by a group of simply dressed commoners?

Perhaps, but Vitas did not agree that the common people of Ortham City had the right to watch, especially since they were not cheering for him.

He got into the zone almost instantly, raising the tip of his rapier.

Leon was also ready. He looked troubled, but seeing Helena's worried expression beside him, he gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Vitalius, I apologize for what I just said, but this is not to beg for your forgiveness. Because what I'm about to do is beg you not to die here."

"Enough with the chit-chat, let's get started once you're ready."

"As the initiator, shouldn't you strike first? Do you really lack confidence?"

Leon attempts to provoke Vitas with words, which could have an unexpected effect in the fight against the thugs.

Vitas appeared to be enraged; his sword, like a deadly venomous tongue, aimed at Leon's neck and thrust forward.

Leon had certainly not learned proper swordsmanship, and even his sword-holding posture seemed ridiculous compared to Vitas's.

However, mercenaries always possess an innate arrogance, believing that those nobles who have lived in luxury since childhood are only practicing fancy moves, or that their own life-and-death experiences over the years are enough to make up for this deficiency.

If Leon wins, it will become a new heroic deed for him, a new story that will be told by many.

This is where these guys lack vision.

Vitas's sword tip pierced through Leon's defenses before Leon could even put them into place, aiming precisely for Leon's neck.

Leon bent his knees to lower his center of gravity, and twisted his body and arms dramatically, barely managing to dodge the sword. Unfortunately, the tip of the sword only grazed Leon's neck.

Vitas and Leon used the Flying Eagle Knights' own weapons, which were not particularly sophisticated, but were still enough to easily kill ordinary people who were not wearing armor.

Helena realized that Vitas had come with the intention of killing, while Leon certainly did not have such resolve.

This duel was unfair from the start!

Vitas could naturally tell that the guy in front of him had no sword training, but considering that most situations faced by mercenaries did not require particularly good swordsmanship, he expressed his understanding.

If this guy hadn't made any outrageous remarks and it hadn't happened to coincide with a bad mood, Vitas would have been happy to let the matter rest.

Unfortunately, Leon made all of them.

Vitas looked at Leon, a boy who was a little younger than him and whose face still had a childish look. How could he be so arrogant? What gave him the right to live in this world?

Leon's previous defense had already caused his stance to collapse and his center of gravity to become unstable. By the time he had fully recovered, Vitas's next attack had already arrived.

"Mr. Vitalius!"

At the critical moment, Helena rushed in with her sword, stood between the two, and swung it in a wide arc to smash Vitas's sword away.

Vitas immediately stopped. Any external factors that arise during a duel should be stopped to avoid unnecessary casualties.

However, Leon did not have that ability. His sword continued to thrust at Vitas with the same force and speed as before, but Helena was caught between the two, so his sword was actually aimed at Helena.

Vitas reacted the fastest. As he released Helena's hand and pulled her towards him, he turned his body to the side, leading Helena away from the blade, and grabbed Leon's wrist with his other hand.

With just a firm grip, Leon cried out in pain, even dropping his sword to the ground.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I...I didn't expect that."

The situation suddenly became complicated. Vitas was holding Helena, while Leon threw away his sword, clutching his hand that had been pinched sorely, looking quite embarrassed.

The onlookers realized that although it wasn't a matter of life and death, the atmosphere would be even more awkward than if someone had died.

Vitas felt Helena's warmth, a statement that was quite unbecoming of a nobleman, yet Vitas truly felt it.

A moment later, Vitas pushed Helena away, his expression unusually stiff.

"Excuse my bluntness, Helena, but to me, your actions are no different from declaring war on me. Do you think disrupting and obstructing a sacred dueling ritual is something that can be forgiven?"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Vitalius, Leon meant no harm, he was just... rather reckless."

"Helena, you don't need to apologize for me."

Leon quickly said, and Helena immediately added.

"Yes, of course not. It's all my fault. I'm sorry, I'm the one who caused this misunderstanding."

Vitas rubbed his forehead. All this time had been wasted. He had come here to look for some work, but it turned out that these people didn't even understand their own internal workings.

Damn it, the Duchy of Vilan is still too free. Even people like this can form mercenary groups and wreak havoc on others.

The moment the thought crossed Vitas's mind, a sense of unease immediately arose. Had he been too emotionally agitated today? Perhaps it was the immense pressure he had been under these past few days: killing Viya, constantly being on guard against investigations from those around him, and the unexpected killing of a new wizard a few days ago while on a mission, whose status was only slightly higher than Viya's.

Vitas tried to calm himself down, but it was difficult.

"That's it for today. Just pretend I was never here."

"Wait a minute! Vitas! Can we talk alone?"

Helena grabbed Vitas's clothes, and Vitas, angered by this rude behavior, responded rather coldly.

"I think it's more important to talk to your team leader than to talk to me."

Helena turned to look at Leon, as if she had made up her mind, and said.

"Mr. Vitalius, please give me a chance to talk to you first."

Vitas glanced at Leon, then at the others. No one else seemed dissatisfied, only Leon looked displeased.

He seemed to realize something.

Could it be that while Leon is nominally the leader of this knightly order, everyone actually obeys Helena's opinions more?

Vitas ultimately decided to listen to Helena's perspective.

Helena led Vitas to a nearby tavern, which was not crowded since it was daytime.

The two found a corner, and Helena recommended the apple pie in the shop to Vitas, who readily agreed.

Anyone with a modicum of sense could sense that the atmosphere between the two was somewhat delicate.

After the apple pie was served, Helena spoke first.

"I'm sorry, I took it upon myself to do it. I mentioned it to Leon before, but he probably thought I was joking."

"So, why are you so obsessed with recruiting me?"

Helena opened her mouth, then closed it again, taking some time to organize her thoughts before finally speaking.

"Because we once had a valuable opportunity, a potential new client. I had met with Leon before, but he politely declined. Although he didn't say it explicitly, I could tell he felt we weren't professional enough. But that's the truth."

"Oh, then why did you contact me?"

Vitas turned his head; he could probably guess why.

Sure enough, a fervent look appeared in Helena's eyes, and she said with a tone of longing, "Anyone who just sees you in your armor will understand that you are extraordinary! Your name and your surname both proclaim your nobility, and you can teach us to become a true knightly order!"

Vitas controlled his expression. Helena, this woman, seemed quite calm, but she wasn't actually rational. Did she really judge him to be noble based solely on appearance and intuition?

However, this armor is certainly not something that ordinary people can possess.

"I think I understand, but this reason is quite laughable. Have you really thought about it seriously? Don't you think it's very abnormal for a knight not to have his own knightly order?"

"I'm sorry, sir."

"I lost my knightly order, and even a rough country girl like me could understand the connection."

"We have no intention of replacing your original order of knights."

"If you have this kind of mentality, then I will despise you. I am willing to give you some guidance, but you'd better reach a consensus within yourselves first."

"Okay, okay! I'll go back to find Leon right away!"