Miss Rabbit went out energetically in the morning and arrived at the Duel Arena, only to wait all morning without getting her turn.
Fortunately, lunch was provided here, and the food wasn’t bad either.
The young lady polished off a bowl of stewed venison ribs, half a chicken pie, and also ate two slices of raisin milk jelly, but she didn’t touch the beer braised rabbit.
Feeling stuffed up to her throat, she rested for a while and managed to eat a cream apple before the waiters cleared the table; now she really couldn’t eat anymore and stood there, leaning against a flagpole, burping.
Ferdinand couldn’t stand to watch anymore and said to her, "Are you sure you’re alright? Don’t you have to perform this afternoon?"
"It’s fine. It’s just a small event. I, burp—won’t be affected, burp—"
"..."
"I’ll get you sothing to drink."
"Hmm, that sounds good."
The Lady drank so honey wine, feeling slightly better, then continued sentintally.
"I know why everyone wants to co to the Royal Capital, burp—there’s so much more food here than in the Western Territory, and there’s the tournant to watch, but..."
"But for so reason, the big shots I’ve t these days living here, burp—seem not very happy."
"That’s because they think about a lot more usually," Ferdinand said. "They’re not like us, they manage larger territories, have more people, and naturally face more problems."
"But that’s the purpose of enjoying good food, isn’t it? It lets you temporarily forget those troubles."
Because of the honey wine, the girl’s cheeks were tinged with a faint blush.
"Don’t just focus on enjoying the food and forget the important stuff," the head of the Batoris family warned.
"You are a Dragon Slayer Hero knighted by His Majesty himself, the Empire’s fourth female Knight, and many eyes are watching you. If you don’t perform well at the tournant, there might be many waiting to kick you when you’re down."
The Lady was about to speak when suddenly her vision darkened.
It was the sunlight being blocked by a tall man with a long face, dressed typically as a Knight with Armor and a sword at his waist, but his most striking feature was the pair of ears on his head.
They were slightly shorter than Miss Rabbit’s, with black and white patterns at the bases.
"Excuse , are you Sir Irelia?" the man asked.
"You are..."
"Prudent Jose, son of fleet-footed Bales, from the Vilnaf family..."
"I know the Vilnaf family; you were once vassals to the Weiting family."
Hearing the Lady ntion that na, a flicker of discomfort crossed Jose’s face, "We now serve the Drummond family."
"Alright, what do you want from ? Sir Jose, burp—"
"Just ca to say hello, I’m your next opponent in the duel," Jose declared proudly.
"I’ve been wanting to test the ttle of a Dragon Slayer Knight. I hope you can last a bit longer under my sword so I can demonstrate my superior Martial Arts to His Majesty and the other spectators."
"Erm... what was your na again?"
"Jose, rember this na because your journey in this tournant will end with ."
"No, I an the nickna before that. Everyone calls you Prudent Jose, but you don’t seem very cautious at all," Miss Rabbit expressed her confusion.
Upon hearing this, Jose’s gaze turned icy, "You should be glad you’re a woman, otherwise, just for that remark, I would kill you during our duel later."
"Wow, are you threatening ?" the Lady widened her eyes.
"So what if I am?" Jose snorted coldly, "Once we’re in the Duel Arena, martial arts will do the talking, and even your foreign god can’t protect you."
"It’s one thing to offend , but you really should show so respect for Saturday," the girl said sternly.
Jose, however, dismissed it, "I will prove to everyone that duels are a matter for n, you don’t belong here."
Without waiting for the Lady to respond, he turned and strode away.
Miss Rabbit burped again and asked Ferdinand next to her, "Is this pre-duel trash-talking session common to everyone, or is it just..."
"Just directed at you," the head of the Batoris family said, "My opponent didn’t say anything to before the fight."
He paused then added, "But it could also be a matter of personal character."
"Good, I am starting to get angry," the Lady flexed her wrists and fingers.
"I plan to take him down in one round."
After a while, once the duel in front of her ended, the referee finally called the girl’s na.
Having been sowhat impatient, Miss Rabbit imdiately walked to the center of the arena with Ge Lipeng.
Soon, Jose and his squire knight arrived as well, and the duel host checked to make sure neither participant was carrying a hand crossbow or poison.
When he noticed the three duel pistols and a flintlock axe at the Lady’s waist, he noticeably flinched, but didn’t say anything once he learned there were no hidden arrows inside.
Afterward, Jose and Ireya separated again, each walking to one end of the Duel Arena.
Here Ge Lipeng helped the Lady finish the final inspections of the firearms, loading the gunpowder and bullets, then silently stepped aside after completing everything.
On the other side, Jose also finished all his preparations and mounted his horse.
The referee looked towards the girl again, unable to resist asking, "Sir Ireya, where is your horse?"
"I don’t need a horse," Miss Rabbit said confidently.
Although the journey from Green Field to the Royal Capital taught her to ride, that was about it. As for fighting on horseback? She wouldn’t even consider it.
Moreover, shooting required her arms to be as steady as possible; dismounting would allow her to aim more accurately.
"Are you sure you want to face the cavalry on foot?" The referee seed puzzled by the girl’s choice, considering the substantial advantage cavalry has over infantry.
He had overseen duels all morning; normally, competitors tried to exploit every possible advantage within the rules, making it rare to see soone voluntarily put themselves at a disadvantage from the start.
"I am certain," the Lady nodded firmly.
"Very well, I announce the beginning of the duel..."
"Wait," Miss Rabbit spoke up at that mont, "Before we start, may I say a few more words to Sir Jose?"
"If it’s necessary..."
"It is, it is," the Lady stepped forward, cupping her hands around her mouth like a gaphone, and yelled across to her opponent.
"Surrender now while you still can. If you surrender now and repent for your previous words that offended Saturday, I will spare your life; otherwise, divine punishnt awaits you.
"I will use a terrifying power that you have never seen before to defeat you viciously. First, your warhorse will drop dead, and then your left leg will be injured, leaving you a cripple.
"If you remain obstinate after that, hmm-hmm, don’t bla for taking your life. Alright, I’m done,"
the girl told the referee, who stood dumbfounded next to her.
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