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Count Huntar visited Count Whiskers with more than ten people.

The purpose of his visit was to inform Count Whickers about the downsizing of his main businesses, the potion business, and the magic tools business.

Although these two matters were the main objectives, there was also a desire to boast about his own son.

Once, Count Whiskers held a significantly higher position than Count Huntar, but over time, the gap between them narrowed, and in their generation, the hierarchy had completely reversed.

Moreover, the comparison extended to their children’s achievements.

Nathan Whiskers, the second son, entered a renowned academy and demonstrated promising skills, while the eldest son, referred to as a frail individual, was disregarded.

Ethan Whiskers, who was once hailed as a sword genius and even refused to be compared to the nobles of neighboring territories, now had a name that was utterly insignificant.

Letra Huntar, the eldest son of Count Huntar, glanced briefly at Ethan with a hint of disdain.

‘Back then, you were my goal, Ethan Whickers.’

There had been a small sparring session organized among the noble youths, serving as a form of reconciliation to promote development between their respective territories.

Letra had faced off against Ethan during that sparring session and suffered a crushing defeat due to the overwhelming difference in skill.

In the end, Ethan emerged as the victor of that sparring session.

Though he was now frail, to Letra, that image of Ethan Whiskers, exuding a formidable aura during their spar, lingered in Letra’s mind.

That was why he wanted to shake off that lingering image.

“You seem tense.”

“Tense? That’s what I should be saying. If you want to give up now, go ahead and give up. With your current condition, you can never defeat me. And I won’t go easy on you. This is a spar fought in the name of Huntar.”

He was the pride of the Count Huntar family.

Having achieved success in the Huntar swordsmanship that his father could never reach, Letra was overflowing with confidence. If he could defeat Ethan here, he would no longer have anything to fear.

“Defeating you, weakened as you are, would indeed hold no meaning.”

It was a clear provocation. Letra believed that Ethan would be even more determined not to give up on the spar in the face of such provocation.

“Admittedly, I am not in perfect condition.”

For Ethan, being in perfect condition didn’t simply mean having a curse-free body. It meant reaching a state where his abilities resembled those of the character he had nurtured.

Compared to those abilities, his current state was far from perfect.

“But we’re not here to kill each other, are we?”

“I am fully prepared to kill you today.”

Letra said.

“The festival duel, I still remember that day vividly.”

As they entered the small duel arena, the entourage brought by Count Huntar and the Whiskers Knights became visible.

The knights of the Whiskers wore concerned expressions, whispering among themselves.

“Facing a spar just as young master starting to recover.”

“Why did the Count accept this spar?”

“The Young Master may be seriously humiliated. No, it could even result in severe injuries.”

The members of the Whiskers Knights were all deeply concerned about Ethan.

Ethan’s condition was undeniably precarious. While he had improved considerably, the knights were unaware of the extent of his recovery.

Even if it appeared fine on the surface, it didn’t necessarily mean he was in a condition to fight.

“Schudlen.”

“Yes.”

“Go and talk to Young Master once again. You should know best about the state of his health since you accompanied him on the outing!”

Schudlen, who had engaged in deep conversations with the steward, was quite exhausted. However, upon seeing Ethan entering the arena, his eyes lit up with anticipation.

“Do you mean to encourage him?”

“No, it’s not that. I mean we should intervene. This spar was unfair from the beginning. Letra Huntar, the eldest son of Count Huntar, has been training relentlessly, while our lord has only just begun to recover. He is not in a state to fight!”

“Did Young Master Ethan engage in any fights during this outing, Schudlen?”

Schudlen shook his head in response to the Knight Commander’s question.

“He hasn’t been in any fights, but…”

“Then we should intervene. He could be seriously injured. He has only just begun to recover, and if he gets hurt, it will greatly distress our lord.”

The knights never even considered the possibility of Ethan winning. In fact, they didn’t even see him as a worthy opponent for Letra Huntar.

Although he had regained some health, his stamina was still insufficient.

On the other hand, how about Letra Huntar?

One could tell just by looking at his muscular physique.

“He has trained properly.”

“He claims to have excelled in Huntar swordsmanship, and it doesn’t seem like a lie.”

Even the Knight Commander felt a tingling sensation, seeing Letra’s condition looking so good.

But Schudlen had no intention of listening to the Knight Commander’s words. Instead, he saw this as an opportunity.

It was a chance to show that their Young Master could make another leap forward!

He had lied about Ethan not having engaged in any fights, but in reality, hadn’t Schudlen seen Ethan in action?

“I’ll go then.”

Schudlen said so and moved to the back.

There was a seat arranged at the back where he could sit and watch the fight.

“Oops.”

There was already a person there.

“Now that he’s changed his clothes, Mr. Ethan truly looks like a noble.”

Since the spar had been arranged suddenly, Yerica hadn’t been introduced to anyone yet.

As a result, Yerica had been lingering in an ambiguous state ever since arriving in Whiskers County.

“He’s a noble, indeed.”

“But who is that person? From what I briefly heard, it seems like he’s going to participate in the spar.”

“He is the eldest son of Count Huntar from the neighboring territory…”

Schudlen explained briefly.

“Ah, I see.”

Among those present, only Schudlen and Yerica believed that Ethan would win.

The two young masters ascended the dueling platform, followed by the two counts.

When Count Huntar entered, the attention of the knights shifted to him. They were silently gesturing for him to stop the spar.

Count Whiskers wanted to comply with their silent pleas.

However, knowing Ethan’s determination, he couldn’t do so.

Before the spar began, Count Whiskers called Ethan aside.

“Yes, Father?”

“Ethan, are you sure about this? If you accepted this proposal just for the sake of pride, I can go and decline it on your behalf. Besides…”

Count Whiskers let out a short sigh.

“If they withdraw, it will be difficult for our county finances. Whiskers County doesn’t have any major projects to rely on, so we’ll have to raise taxes even more. But in order to pay those taxes, the people of the territory need to earn enough money.”

“It’s alright, Father. In fact, it’s the situation where they should withdraw.”

“They should withdraw?”

“Yes, because I have brought a new business opportunity. It will help resolve the financial issues.”

Ethan smiled as he spoke.

“So please watch me.”

* * *

Amidst everyone’s concerns, the spar finally began.

The steward, who had been opposing this spar all along, looked at Ethan with a worried expression.

“Young Master, is this really alright?”

“Don’t worry, Steward. I would appreciate it if you trust me and watch over me.”

The steward wanted to stop this spar right away. Looking at the expression on Letra Huntar’s face on the other side, it seemed like he was ready to strike Ethan down immediately.

Both the knights and the count shared the same sentiment, but no one could stop the spar.

It was because Ethan stepped forward confidently.

And sensing the atmosphere, the spirits of Count Huntar’s vassals chuckled quietly.

“It seems like the young master hasn’t been able to properly assess the situation.”

“Well, he was called a sword prodigy in his prime.”

“Now that his health has somewhat improved, he must have felt the desire to fight.”

It goes without saying that Count Huntar’s vassals had no doubt that Letra Huntar would win.

They knew it firsthand from training together.

Letra Huntar was the strongest swordsman in the Huntar family, even in this generation.

His renowned Huntar swordsmanship was a ruthless style focused on overpowering opponents with sheer strength.

As his massive build indicated, his goal was to crush his opponents with powerful blows, and he wielded a gigantic greatsword.

“It’s a sparring match for mutual exchange… I would prefer that you didn’t use a real sword.”

As soon as Count Whiskers finished speaking, Ethan drew the sword at his waist.

“It’s fine.”

“You say so, Count Whiskers. Don’t worry. Our Letra will handle it properly. Letra’s swordsmanship is not bad enough to harm the weak. So, watch with peace of mind.”

Count Huntar smiled proudly.

Hesitantly, Count Whiskers nodded with a complex expression.

The steward raised his hand, and the two men stood facing each other.

“The sparring begins, a fair and square exchange between the two territories.”

Start-!

As soon as his hand dropped, it was Letra who made the first to move. To erase all previous memories, he unleashed the Huntar swordsmanship.

The massive greatsword swung from top to bottom, striking like an axe.

It was a swift and fierce attack, even in his own thoughts.

Above all, there seemed to be no place to dodge. If Ethan retreated, he would be subjected to a continuous assault, and if Ethan stood his ground and swung his sword, it would undoubtedly shatter.

Just as the steward raised his hand to call for a halt.

Ethan’s sword flowed like water, effortlessly avoiding Letra’s sword.

Kwang-!

A powerful strike slammed into the ground.

Ethan seamlessly transitioned from the first form of Whiskers swordsmanship, deflecting the opponent’s attack, to the second form.

A swift strike aimed at Letra’s chest. Letra hastily raised his sword to block Ethan’s attack.

Kwang-!

With a resounding noise, Letra’s body was pushed back.

Ethan didn’t miss a beat. He moved forward lightly and unleashed the Whiskers swordsmanship.

From the second form to the third, from the third to the fourth.

The speed was astonishingly fast, leaving Letra desperate to block the attacks rather than launch his own.

And then came the fifth form.

Kwang-!

This was not the frail Ethan of the past.

With the boost from traits and level-ups, Ethan had grown stronger and gained stamina. Letra had no chance of blocking Ethan’s attacks.

Kwang! Kwaaang-!

Letra desperately tried to block Ethan’s attacks. He had no opportunity to unleash his renowned Huntar swordsmanship.

He wanted to swing his sword forcefully to push back Ethan’s attacks and seize the chance to use the Huntar swordsmanship, but it wasn’t easy.

“Keuk.”

Ethan’s attacks were not only fast but also powerful.

Each attack was so heavy that it pierced through Letra’s defense and struck his wrist.

With each strike on his wrist, Letra couldn’t even find an opening to counterattack.

Kwaak-!

Under the continuous onslaught of Ethan’s attacks, Letra couldn’t regain his composure

In the end, Letra missed Ethan’s attack.

“Keuk…!”

Suddenly, Ethan’s sword was at Letra’s throat.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.