Renalis was once ruled by a dragon and events like watching a duel to the death while drinking fine wine and dining on meats and cheeses really hammered that home. I could easily imagine a dragon coercing its subjects into a bloody battle for their amusement. The whole spectacle was more gladiatorial than I expected, with the lords and ladies quietly hedging bets as they formed a human circle around both combatants. I'd never seen a duel, but the brutal and crude atmosphere resembled a backalley cock fight more than an Olympic fencing match.

"My sword!" Lord Finlay demanded. A man servant bearing the same insignia broke through the crowd and humbly proffered a sword, which Finlay drew with a dull hiss of steel against the leather scabbard. Holding a weapon seemed to give Finlay confidence because his expression shifted.

"I am Lord Finlay of House Kester. Today, I shall take your head, hellspawn. I warn you now, I have reached the 2nd Level after defending my lands from your ilk. Do try and put on a good show."

There were some ‘oohs’ and ‘awes’ from the crowd, but I noticed Lord Belmond and the older nobles twist their faces in disgust and disappointment. Without breaking eye contact with Finlay, Idyia reached for her ankle-length skirt and tugged on a strap that parted the skirt high and up to her hip, revealing her leg and the knives hidden beneath her maid uniform. I pitied any wives that would have to follow that up tonight.

Did Anna add that?! That's so fucking cool!

She drew one of her knives halfway then promptly slammed it back into its sheath with a click.

“My name is Idyia of Tribe Tethys, maid servant to Ranger Levin, the future King of Renalis. After defending Lord Belmond’s lands from the demonic incursion, I am now a 6th Level Assassin.”

Dead silence echoed after Idyia’s declaration. Belmond’s eyes widened ever so slightly and Finlay froze on the spot, his mouth half-open.

I blinked. Was it customary for duelists to introduce themselves so thoroughly? I thought stats were a rude topic to discuss, but the amused glint hiding under Idyia’s apathetic expression told me that the last bit of information was given out of spite. She just wanted to watch Finlay squirm. I briefly looked back at all the times we sparred and flinched. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so cavalier about beating her hundreds of times in a row. If I were in her shoes, I’d also want to vent out my frustration once in awhile.

“Do you have a Class, Lord Finlay?" Belmond asked before the duel could begin.

“N-no. Therefore this duel should be-”

“Very well. Miss Idyia, you are forbidden from using weapons or your dominant hand.” Belmond declared.

“I am ambidextrous, Lord Belmond.”

“Then you shall use neither.”

I grabbed Belmond by the shoulder and squeezed as hard as I could. Belmond grunted but otherwise did not react.

Impressive HP and Constitution.

“What the fuck are you planning?” I hissed.

“At ease, Ranger. Your maid will be fine. I’ve seen both of you fight. She doesn’t need her hands to defeat Finlay. He and his entire generation need to learn quickly that the rule of King Folad has ended.”

One of my eyebrows twitched.

“If Idyia suffers so much as a scratch, I will kill everyone here.”

“No, you won’t. But your anger is noted, «Ranger».”

I let Belmond dislodge my grip before his «HP» drained further.

“Begin,” Belmond ordered.

Finlay charged, his fear erased by the handicaps Belmond forced on Idyia. Honestly, she could have just ignored Belmond’s demands. I seriously doubted anyone in this room could stop us if we tried to escape, but she chose to play along. Finlay’s swordsmanship was admirable for his level. He really did kill his fair share of demons to reach 2nd. But compared to Idyia’s relentless training and experience, his achievements were nothing. She danced around his blade like a ballerina; her silver hair trailed after each move like a sword’s tassel. Her uniform swayed with each spin, casting an aura of refined elegance in the face of death and adversity. This was her Elven half coming out. She possessed a natural grace and kinesthetic beauty that no human could ever truly match.

After nearly two minutes, Finlay finally spoke up.

“F-fight me, cur!” He panted, beads of sweat starting to form over his brow.

Idyia responded by casually adjusting her shoes.

With a scream of rage and frustration, Finlay lunged and their little game of cat and mouse continued. I noticed Belmond wasn’t bothering to watch the fight, but instead was searching the crowd. Most wore expressions of shock, fear, and awe, but several of Belmond’s age and generation mirrored his own, and they simply looked annoyed or irritated. I traced their gazes and realized they were focusing their attention on Finlay.

“What do you want?” I finally asked. Idyia had this fight under control; she didn’t even break a sweat. She was just waiting for Finlay to exhaust himself. I trusted her tactics and judgment.

Belmond regarded me with a sidelong gaze, apparently not interested in the duel in the slightest. “I want to teach those children born under King Folad’s era of peace that our dragonkin Queen will not tolerate weakness like he did. He even believed reaching «2nd Level» would be an achievement worth boasting about; it’s worse than I thought.”

“What are you talking about?”

“King Folad was a foreigner from the Empire who married into the late Queen Evelyn’s family. But after Queen Evelyn died leading our troops in the Endless Abyss, and the entire Renalis retinue serving under her was slaughtered, he refused to meet the Alliance’s demands. This you know. What you don’t fully understand are the consequences of his softhanded leadership.”

He motioned to the duel.

“Lord Finlay believes reaching «2nd Level» is some kind of grand achievement. But it is minor at best, certainly not one worth bragging about in a duel. Someone willing to challenge another to a duel is either cheating, foolish, or confident in their own «Status». Your maid is a prime example.”

“Partner,” I corrected. “But what’s your point?”

“Excuse my rudeness.” To my surprise, Belmond actually ceded some ground in our conversation. “If they survived their service, three out of five men and women sent to the Alliance returned to Renalis. On average, they were «3rd Level», with the most exemplary of them even reaching «5th Level». For the last 25 years, we have not sent any Renalian citizen into the breach. Almost two generations of weaklings spawned because of it. They know nothing about leadership or adversity. The young nobles who would govern their lands gorge themselves on indolence and depend on the power of their predecessors. I understand King Folad’s desire to protect his daughter and the people of Renalis, but it has only made our kingdom weaker and ruined our international prestige.”

“Did you side with Hasting?”

“No. Cedric Hasting wanted to change the kingdom into a republic or some such nonsense, the quota was just his caucus belli. I want Renalis to prosper as it once did under the rule of a dragonkin.”

“L-Lord Belmond!” Finlay bellowed again. Both of us looked down from the staircase. At some point, Finlay discarded his fancy, heavier clothing, wearing only a tunic and a pair of trousers. Even so, he was practically covered in sweat. I could see his lungs rise and fall even without magnifying my vision. Idyia stood on the opposite side of their makeshift dueling ring. She looked composed; I doubted anything Finlay did would phase her. After all, she sparred me on a daily basis.

“Lord Belmond,” Finlay inhaled to calm his breathing, “The demonkin refuses to exchange blows! This cowardly display brings shame upon all those gathered here! I demand you end this farce!”

“He’s right,” I spoke up before Belmond could answer. “Idyia, finish it.”

For the first time since the duel began, Idyia went on the offensive. She swiped her right leg at Finlay and kicked off her shoe with extraordinary force. Aimed with her transcendent «Dexterity», it spun through the air like a buzzsaw and nailed him in the face. Finlay cried out in surprise and actually dropped his longsword. He tried to scramble for it, but Idyia was already within striking distance. He folded like paper over Idyia’s front-snap kick then she twirled in mid-air to deliver a spinning heel-kick to Finlay’s temple while he was gasping for air. His «HP» must have bottomed out at some point because everyone heard his jaw snap on impact. He sailed through the air before landing with a wet crunch.

Idyia completed the follow-through of her spin-kick at nearly the same time. To add some dramatic flair, she flourished the momentum of her spin into a pirouette and pulled up the hem of her dress to a curtsy for the audience.

“You’ve chosen well, «Ranger» Levin. With this display, no one will question the martial value of your first servant,” Belmond said as the remainder of the local lords and ladies gave Idyia an obligatory applause. “Did you intend to provide such a grand show?”

My lips pulled into thin lines. “Yes.” I lied.

Belmond stroked his chin but said nothing. Instead he clapped once to silence the audience. Idyia quietly ascended the staircase and joined my side. I squeezed her hand as she passed and she shot me a smirk then shook me off.

“As you all have witnessed, «Ranger» Levin has a great eye for talent. Soon, he shall march into the Rift and lead the mortal races against the Endless Abyss. Miss Idyia will be the first of many who will grow strong and powerful under his banner! Those that wish to lead their House and Renalis into a glorious, new age shall join in his crusade! Who among you will volunteer their lives and honor?”

“This was all for a glorified recruitment pitch?!” I asked Idyia for confirmation while various nobles began swearing their service. I paid them little to no attention.

“Yes. The Queen informed me shortly after the duel began and told me what to do to make the most impact.”

“Did you know about this?” I directed my question to Lydia.

“No, of course not. I improvised based on what Lord Belmond made of the situation. I didn’t expect you to lose your temper in front of all the lords and ladies, so I had to salvage what I could. Baiting out Lord Finlay was an unexpected boon and served to expedite the process.”

“Why the recruitment? I thought I was enough to fulfill the quota!”

“Yes, technically. But I need to rebuild my military power after 25 years of complacency. Sending volunteers into the Rift is the fastest way to do it. Most will not survive even if they fight alongside you, but those that do will become powerful pillars of my generation and my kingdom. And you will secure their loyalty through your actions and leadership on the battlefield. Lord Belmond understood my intentions and took advantage of your arrival, as I thought he would after I sent him the letter of introduction several weeks ago.”

“I didn’t want this! It’s a personal vendetta!”

“I thought you would do anything to go back to Rebecca, Levin. To do that, you will need an army. Unless you really thought you could single-handedly slay every single demon standing between you and three Demon Gods.”

“You could have just told me!”

“You made it clear you did not want to participate in my political machinations after I ordered you to assassinate Hasting. Besides, you have no qualms with dragging Idyia to certain death alongside you.”

“That’s different!”

“Is it really, Levin? Come now, I know you are not so naïve. You need an army and I need powerful supporters. We both stand to benefit.”

“You’re playing with people’s lives!”

“And so are you, Levin. You just haven’t realized it, yet. Or, will you actually attempt to march on the Endless Abyss by yourself and Idyia? You might as well give up on ever seeing Rebecca and live with us in Renalis. If you want to reach your goal, to kill a Demon God - to kill three Demon Gods - then you know the road you walk will be paved with bodies.”

I facepalmed. "What happened to my sweet princess?"

"She became a Queen."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn’t like how Lydia played this game, but I couldn’t deny how correct she was. I was going to sacrifice the lives of many, many people. She was just trying to help, in whatever way she could. Providing me the kingdom’s support, however she stood to benefit, was already more than I could ever hope for. I steeled my resolve. I led men into war before. I’d do it again. This was probably another reason why Seras wanted me.

“I'll lead them to war. And I'll lead them home.”

“Spoken like my one and only hero.” I could hear the smile in Lydia’s voice.