Alex made his way back to the castle under the cover of the evening dark. He jumped the outer wall again, the same way he had slipped out earlier, landing with a soft thud on the inside path. His legs felt heavy after everything that had happened, but he kept moving. He walked through the quiet corridors and up the stairs until he reached his room. Once the door clicked shut behind him, he pulled the bone from his pocket and slid it into the drawer by his bed. He turned the little key until it locked tight. No one was touching that thing tonight.
He fished the letter out of his pocket one more time and unfolded it under the dim lamp light. His eyes ran over the address of the knight's family house. "I'll keep my promise," he said quietly to the empty room. "You can count on that."
The words from the game's old story came back to him clear as day. That knight had been part of the Silver Wolf Order. He got sent on a mission to the borders, walked straight into an ambush, and took a bad hit. He managed to run for a while, but the internal bleeding was too much. In the end he collapsed right here on Rover family land and never made it home. Alex sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor. No way was he chickening out now. Once this duel with Elara was over, he was heading to the border himself. He would find whoever set that ambush and make them pay.
He dropped back onto the mattress with a long sigh. What a damn long day. His eyes had just started to close when a loud knock sounded on the door. "Who the fuck is knocking at this hour?" he muttered, pushing himself up. It was already full evening when he had been walking back through the forest.
Still grumbling, he crossed the room and yanked the door open. His heart dropped straight into his stomach.
Elara stood there. Her white hair fell loose over her shoulders, and those sharp blue eyes locked onto his. This was the sister who would probably kill him in three days.
Alex swallowed hard. "What do you need?"
Elara stared at him, head tilted just a little. A couple of the maids had mentioned seeing her "brother" finally leave his room and head out for a walk in the back forest. She studied his face closer. He looked like he was hiding something. Maybe he had found some trick for the duel? It wouldn't matter. She had broken through just that morning and reached fourth-ranked mage. He didn't stand a chance.
She narrowed her eyes. "You had better be ready for the duel in three days. I came here myself to tell you it will be held at ten in the morning, right in the grand arena on the estate."
Alex nodded stiffly. "Is that everything?"
Elara gave one short nod. She turned to leave, but not before shooting him one last glare. "Any trick you think you've come up with, you can forget it right now. It won't work."
As she walked away down the hall, Alex stood there a second, thinking. Then he remembered something from the game. In the original story she always carried that black sword, the one that was cursed. He stepped half out the door and called after her, "Don't rely on that sword too much during the duel."
Elara stopped, snorted, and looked back over her shoulder. "None of your business." She kept walking toward her own room, her thoughts already racing ahead. In just three days she would finally be the count. In just three days she could start avenging her friend.
She pushed open her door, kicked off her shoes, and dropped onto the bed. She pulled a pillow tight against her chest. Lia. The name still hurt. Her childhood friend had awakened the saintess class, and the church had noticed right away. They took her in, but it never stopped there. Every time Elara saw her, there were fresh slashes on Lia's arms and back. After a lot of pushing, Lia finally broke down and told her the truth: the saintesses were being harassed every single day by the church officials. It never reached rape, but the abuse and the fear were constant. Elara had seen enough. She offered Lia a job as her personal maid. Lia said yes without hesitation. That same night Elara swore to herself she would drive the corrupt church out of the Rover estate for good.
She hugged the pillow tighter and finally let sleep take her.
Back in his own room, Alex closed the door and leaned against it. So they had already picked the date and the place. No more waiting around. There was no time left, he needed to train harder than ever.
Three days later, Alex stepped into the arena. The stands were packed. Up in the high seats his parents sat watching with the same cold faces they always wore. He spotted Elara already standing dead center, holding that black sword, her blue eyes locked on him like ice. He gave a wry smile and started walking toward her.
He reached the middle and stopped. An old referee shuffled between them. "On the count of three, you may begin," the man said. He raised his hand. "One." Then he started backing away slowly.
Alex slipped his hand into his pocket and touched the bone. "Activate," he whispered.
The moment the referee reached "three," everything changed. The old man's mouth moved like it was stuck in thick syrup. Alex laughed inside his head. Is this the power of ten times feedback from a fifth-layer knight?
Then his eyes narrowed. Elara's blade was already slicing straight toward his face. "Oh shit!"