CHAPTER 157
All eyes were immediately drawn to Elric.
Especially Tritan's face, which twisted into an ugly scowl.
"I haven't even delivered His Majesty's full message yet…!"
"Did you receive formal approval for that message from the Secretary's Office?"
The Secretary's Office was a direct institution under the Emperor, serving as a sort of administrative body. It managed the imperial treasury and conveyed the Emperor's intentions to the government and various departments.
Naturally, all imperial decrees were supposed to go through this office, meaning that even the Imperial Inspection Bureau couldn't communicate directly with the Emperor without the Secretary's Office.
At least, that was the official procedure.
Elric had pointed this out precisely because of that formality.
Even if it was a mere formality, the official procedures were outlined in law, and if those procedures weren't followed, the document held no legal power.
"It seems you didn't receive approval after all," Elric said with a faint smile, watching Tritan glare at him as if he wanted to tear him apart.
"But His Majesty's orders are meant to be followed by all his loyal subjects…" Tritan started again.
"You're absolutely right. So, the duel between Herman Weyl and Paul Weyl should be stopped here, as per His Majesty's will."
"…?"
"…?"
People were puzzled. Wasn't Elric just rejecting the Emperor's command? Why was he now saying they should follow it?
They were left baffled, but soon enough, they let out a chuckle at his next words.
"But I don't think that applies to me. Isn't that right?"
"…!"
Tritan ground his teeth.
The Melvinger family had existed long before the Empire was even founded. From ancient times, they had been known as a magic royal family.
When the first Emperor founded the Empire, he made many concessions to bring the Melvinger family to his side.
Among those was the guarantee of absolute non-interference unless a crime akin to rebellion was committed.
Without a golden bull, the Melvinger family could not be compelled to obey any order from the Empire.
Though the Melvinger family had fallen from power rapidly after the Great Demon War, and few remembered this treaty today, it still held force.
Now that Elric was regaining prominence, the Imperial family sought to keep him in check for precisely this reason.
So, merely invoking a part of that old treaty left Tritan powerless to enforce any sanctions on the Melvingers.
"The duel may be stopped, but the Melvinger family's territorial war isn't over. I will proceed with that now," Elric declared.
Wasn't it just a simple verbal warning? The crowd, which had been merely curious, now grew restless.
Elric turned his gaze from Tritan to Herman.
"I appoint Herman Weyl, the Blue Lion, as my family's proxy."
Herman, realizing Elric's clever maneuver, chuckled.
By absorbing the political pressure that would have fallen on the Weyl family, the Melvinger family would take all the practical benefits. There was no reason to refuse.
"I accept."
"Then as the Melvinger family's representative, Herman Weyl, please punish Paul Weyl."
"I shall."
"Wai—!"
Before Tritan could say anything, Herman was already swinging his sword.
The Aura Blade sliced through the air in a swift diagonal arc.
Tritan, trying to intervene, instinctively flinched.
'What is…?'
Relying on his instincts, Tritan had no choice but to retreat. Having spent his life in the shadows, he trusted his gut above all else.
Despite the seemingly simple nature of the strike, there was something menacing behind it… something like a hawk's beak snatching its prey.
The power behind that single strike was immense. If Tritan had confronted it head-on, even he might not have escaped unscathed.
And sure enough…
Chaang!
Though Paul blocked what appeared to be a simple attack, the result was far from simple.
Herman's sword sliced through Paul's blade and continued downward, deeply cutting into his right shoulder.
Splaash!
"Arghhh!"
Paul's sword-wielding arm flew through the air, a fountain of blood spraying from the wound, his scream echoing throughout the training grounds.
Where Herman's sword had passed, there was a faint white smoke rising from the friction heat, and the blade itself was blackened by soot.
'The hawk's beak…!'
The Inspection Bureau had long monitored the Hexagram of the Magic Tower and the Eight Lion Families of the Lion Duchy. They had meticulously studied their individual strengths, goals, and personalities.
Tritan immediately recognized that this was the technique Herman had pursued and hoped to perfect for many years.
'Could it be that he finally mastered it?'
Tritan had previously dismissed the technique, knowing it was so difficult it had led Herman to reflux disease. He hadn't imagined that Herman could have perfected it while traveling in the northern regions.
But that wasn't all.
Tritan also knew that the "Hawk's Beak" was just one part of the swordsmanship technique known as
Since Herman had mastered the Hawk's Beak, it was only a matter of time before he also mastered the remaining techniques, such as the "Claws" and the "Wings."
The fact that the Blue Lion had grown stronger was a cause of great concern for the Inspection Bureau.
Tritan briefly considered pinning the Weyl family as rebels, just like the Red Lion family, to bring them under control, but he couldn't. Even dealing with the Red Lion family had already created enough political tension, and antagonizing the Lion Duchy further, especially the Golden Lion, would be a mistake.
But more than anything…
'The Blue Lion has regained his power!'
Tritan had thought Herman hadn't fully recovered from his reflux disease, but now it seemed Herman was completely healed.
The floating blue spheres of aura surrounding Herman's sword left Tritan stunned.
Aura Spheres.
Also known as Sword Orbs, these were a hallmark of a 5th-chain Superior.
The Aura Spheres were created by compressing an Aura Blade to an extremely high density, and each one held the destructive power of dozens of Aura Blades.
Even a single Aura Sphere was enough to make someone nearly impossible to match.
Tritan, who had only ever managed to create three Aura Spheres, watched in shock as Herman wielded four!
Considering that Herman had previously only been able to create three, this meant not only had he regained his former strength, but he had surpassed it!
At that moment, Tritan had to drastically revise his assessment of Herman's power.
Herman was no longer just a "1st-grade person of interest."
He was now a "1st-grade high-priority target."
Aside from individuals like Guy of the Nerester family and Augustine, there were only a few people in the Empire who could match Herman.
Swish, swish, swish—
Herman continued to unleash a flurry of powerful sword strikes at Paul, determined to completely break his brother's strength.
Having lost his weapon, Paul was unable to resist.
"No…"
Fwuuush!
"…I… can't…"
In Paul's trembling vision, he saw Herman's sword descending toward him like a hawk folding its wings for a dive.
"…I almost had it…"
Schk!
A red line formed across Paul's throat, his head rolling to the side.
Even in his final moments, Paul's eyes were filled with greed and fury.
Thud!
The sound of his body collapsing echoed through the now-quiet training grounds.
It wasn't a particularly loud sound, but to everyone present, it felt overwhelming.
The significance was too great to ignore.
Not only did it mark the Blue Lion's triumphant return, but it also signaled the Melvinger family's victory!
Herman slammed his blood-soaked sword into the ground. He quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, ensuring no one saw his moment of weakness. Then, he turned, walking proudly toward the knight orders.
The fact that he had to kill his own brother weighed heavily on his heart, but he couldn't afford to show any of that now.
His eyes scanned the audience.
There were the Blue Horse and Blue Ram, who were filled with joy, and the devastated allies of Paul, the journalists hurriedly scribbling notes, Isabelle and his sworn brothers smiling, and Elric observing quietly.
Herman infused his voice with mana and spoke loudly.
"The sins and chaos of the past shall be laid to rest. But from now on, let no one ever doubt the authority of the lion or the fighting spirit of the hawk again. Do you understand?"
His voice carried an undeniable authority.
It was a command no one could defy.
The knights of the Weyl family all stood up in unison, raising their swords high in their scabbards.
It was the Weyl family's ritual of swearing loyalty to their lord.
"Yes, sir!"
***
After the chaos within the Weyl family had been resolved…
Tritan, who had gained nothing and lost much in his attempt to intervene, quietly disappeared as he had arrived.
Of course, he didn't leave without leaving a parting message.
[Elric Melvinger, I'll be watching you. You'll regret what happened today.]
It was a warning to Elric, who had thwarted his plans.
But Elric's response was simple.
『It seems you've made quite a few enemies.』
[Let him do as he pleases. After all, clashing with the Imperial family was something inevitable.]
Still, Elric thought that even the Inspection Bureau would have its limits when it came to interfering with the affairs of the Melvinger family.
'There are far too many places the Inspection Bureau considers potential enemies. It would be hard for them to focus solely on me.'
They likely didn't have an endless supply of resources either.
Even so, Elric thought it wouldn't hurt to prepare countermeasures, and as he pondered this, Herman approached him with a smile.
"This was all thanks to you. I must express my gratitude again, on behalf of my family."
Elric shook his head.
"Lord Herman, you would have risen again on your own, even without my help."
"There's no way that's true. You directly saved my daughter from danger and cured my reflux disease. Without your aid, none of that would have been possible. Not to mention the prescriptions you gave me afterward, which helped speed up my recovery."
Scribble, scribble—
The reporters were on high alert, making sure not to miss a single word exchanged between Elric and Herman.
Each sentence could be a vital clue to understanding the deeper ties between the Weyl family and the Melvinger family.
『This guy, using some tricks he normally wouldn't,』 Mephistopheles mused, shaking his head.
He realized that Herman was deliberately turning this into an even bigger issue for publicity.
When Mephistopheles first saw him, he had thought Herman was a straightforward warrior. But now he could see that even Herman had a cunning side.
Elric cast a sideways glance at Isabelle, who was standing next to Herman. She simply smiled, making it clear that all of this was likely her handiwork.
"And so, I'd like to make a proposal to you," Herman continued.
Scribble, scribble—
"Even though I've reclaimed my position as the Blue Lion, we can't predict when another crisis like this might occur. The reason this tragedy unfolded is because I didn't have an heir. So, to prevent such things from happening again, I have a request for you."
Elric suddenly felt a sense of unease. He turned quickly toward Isabelle, wondering if this was her idea as well, but she looked just as surprised, her eyes wide in shock.
It was clear this was Herman's decision alone.
"I—"
Elric tried to stop Herman from making his "request" somehow, but Herman, already smiling mischievously, went ahead and made his offer.
"I want you to become the next Blue Lion."
"…!"
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