Chapter 24: The Duel in Three Days
Silence.
After Shaya spoke that sentence, everyone on the floor fell into silence once again. They were still recovering from the shocking news of his challenge to Angelica when another piece of heavy news hit them hard.
What kind of punishment should one face for publicly insulting the daughter of the Duke?
The imperial law contains no specific regulation regarding this.
However, in Angelica’s heart, the moment he uttered that word, he had already been sentenced to death.
As expected.
Just as Shaya’s voice faded, a chilling aura, intense enough to feel almost tangible, surged forth like a blizzard!
All the students on this floor felt as if they had suddenly found themselves in the heart of the northern polar region, a bone-chilling cold wave hitting them, causing them to instinctively hug their arms and shiver.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
At first, they thought it was just an illusion caused by the extreme cold.
But when the sound reached most people’s ears, they exchanged glances and involuntarily looked up, searching for the source of the noise.
Then they were shocked to discover that a thin layer of ice began to form on the windows, walls, and floor—every slightly smooth surface was being covered, like something insidious gradually spreading, seemingly intending to freeze the place entirely.
It was merely autumn; winter was still a long way off, yet this anomaly, transcending the seasons, had so easily appeared here.
Was this merely the result of magical energy overflow presenting such a terrifying change?
And the instigator of this phenomenon stood coldly at the door of Shaya’s apartment.
Angelica’s mood was extremely, extremely, extremely bad right now.
A faint bluish light enveloped her, the turbulence produced by magical energy overflow slowly lifting her short hair, while the rose-colored mage robe fitted to her figure seemed to move autonomously, making her look like the queen of ice and snow, able to easily command and wield the power of cold.
The Eternal Freeze spell was a powerful magic that the Algeria family, hailing from the Northern Earth Duchy, relied on to gain fame in the world. That land was perpetually cold, covered in frost and snow.
Such magic was as cruel and chilling as the weather there, capable of ruthlessly stripping away life, yet freezing them at the moment before death.
“I suddenly admire you a little.” Angelica’s beautiful eyes were long and icy, revealing a hint of amusement and a smile, but within that smile lay an unmistakable cruelty. “To be so arrogant and ignorant to this extent, to be honest, is also a kind of ability.”
“In that case, at this time in three days, I will be ready with a magical contract at the arena waiting for you. The wager will be the title of the Viscount of Adelaide. If you lose, you will willingly give up your right to inheritance and leave the royal capital, returning to that poor and broken rural village to live out the rest of your life, never to step out again.”
“This is a punishment for your lack of propriety and for insulting me.”
“And if I win?”
Shaya didn’t answer but stepped forward to shield Deyora from the incoming cold aura.
Angelica took a step closer, closing the distance once again, her finger lightly tapping her lips, an expression of curiosity as she fell into thought: “Ah right, what if you are lucky enough to win, what then?”
“Isn’t what you’re thinking right now is to rely on the true abilities you’ve been hiding, plus some magical items with special effects, to catch me off guard and achieve victory?”
“Hmm, let me guess… a quasi-knight? One star or two stars?”
As she spoke, she cast a glance at the ancient artifact in Shaya’s hand, as if implying that she knew everything.
“?!”
Upon hearing this, a trace of shock flashed across Shaya’s face just right. The smile at the corner of his mouth faded, and his hand, wearing the “Veil of Concealment,” instinctively moved to hide it.
It looked as if Angelica had pierced through his true thoughts.
Though he quickly realized what was happening, his expression returned to calm, gazing deeply at Angelica, the fleeting expression from earlier could not deceive her.
The surrounding students, hearing this exchange and combining it with Shaya’s reaction, unveiled looks of astonishment.
On ordinary days, Shaya’s knight training had always received the tutor’s praises; in the most recent assessment, he had demonstrated the realm of a five-star knight retainer, truly a standout among first-year students.
Could it be that this guy had long since broken through to quasi-knight, waiting to spring a trap?
Judging by his expression, along with Angelica’s tone that clearly indicated prior investigation, it was probably very close to the truth.
Though not comparable to those peerless geniuses, he could still be seen as someone with a promising future.
Many sighed quietly to themselves.
Clearly someone considered a genius, yet why choose such a path of self-destruction?
It was incomprehensible.
Seeing him act this way, Angelica’s expression quickly turned cold, as if she had unraveled Shaya’s deepest secret, feeling somewhat bored.
“Concealing your strength, waiting for an opportunity to challenge me, hoping to turn the tables based on my underestimation of you to regain your right to the title, is a decent tactic, and your only tactic, considering your lack of foundation.”
“But it’s just decent.”
“Sometimes, when faced with the absolute disparity in pedigree and talent, your little cleverness really isn’t worth mentioning.”
“I hope that in three days, there will be no more Shaya Adelaide in the royal capital.”
She cast one last glance at Shaya before turning away with indifference, leaving with Naya and a group of companions.
As she left, Naya glanced at Shaya with a blank expression, remained silent for two seconds, then, like a puppet, bowed to him, “Goodbye, my lord.”
They came grandly and left grandly.
……
When the people in the corridor gradually dispersed, Shaya finally closed the apartment door.
Recalling Angelica’s words earlier, he did feel a bit of respect for the Algeria family’s investigation capabilities.
Despite having never revealed strength surpassing that of a knight retainer, Angelica still managed to deduce that he was hiding his true abilities based on certain information.
Fortunately, he had only been a quasi-knight at that time; otherwise, more could have been exposed.
And Angelica’s precise gaze toward the ancient artifact in his hand was even more ridiculous.
Having just killed someone not long ago, the news hadn’t circulated yet; even if Angelica was the one directing it, she shouldn’t know so quickly.
Considering this, she probably had some magical device that could detect magical items.
Seeing Shaya silent, Deyora felt worried and took the initiative to approach him, wrapping her arms around him: “Young master… are you okay?”
After witnessing his earlier reaction, it was easy for her to come up with some negative assumptions.
Could it be that young master’s trump card had been exposed by that woman?
Deyora harbored such concerns deep inside.
As for how much of this was motivated by a desire to be close to Shaya, we cannot know.
At her words, Shaya paused momentarily, then turned around, the pallor and disbelief on his face vanished and was replaced by the usual calm smile.
“Don’t worry, I was just acting to fool her and the others.” He snapped his fingers lightly with a smile, “Alright, Maid Miss, please help me get my clothes ready; I’m going to visit Mr. Sital shortly.”
“By the way, I also want to thank Angelica for scheduling the time for three days later, just as I had in mind.”
Shaya took off his outer garments, rummaged through his pocket, and found the small white flower that Aileen had given him. Without thinking much, he casually placed it in a vase on the table.
“Three days later… does it have any special significance?”
While Deyora helped him change clothes, she asked.
Of course, after changing, she once again hugged Shaya.
Feeling the remarkable softness from his maid’s chest, Shaya stretched his back slightly and then said, “It’s a good thing for me that more people become aware of this duel, allowing things to ferment a bit.”
“Why?”
Noticing Shaya’s movements, Deyora’s lips curled slightly, tightening her embrace and feigning ignorance.
Shaya sighed, “Only with more exposure and the presence of higher-ups coming to watch can what I display have value—confronting a grand noble like Algeria, it’s impossible to reclaim the title relying solely on myself.”
“Oh…”
Deyora responded vaguely, not sure if she understood.
“By the way, Deyora, do you know that your chest is quite large?”
“Of course I know, young master.”
“Well then… could you let me focus entirely on preparing for the battle for just these three days?”
