Chapter 12: From Mission Mayhem to Mansion Misery: Leo's Ordeal Begins {Edited}

The forest mission left Leo with a splitting headache and a thirst for peace and quiet.

Yeah, like that was possible.

Unfortunately for him, the universe, or rather, his worst enemy- fate, had other plans.

He couldn't even recall how the brawl with Uren ended, only the throbbing reminder of his skull meeting wood a little too aggressively.

As if waking up with a jackhammer in his head wasn't enough, he had to carry, or more accurately, drag Uren, who for some goddamn reason weighed a planet, out of the damn forest.

It was torture, pure and simple.

….

Finally…

After an eternity worth of hours, (or at least it felt like one), he stumbled out of the forest, greeted by a platoon of knights.

Their expressions weren't exactly welcoming, more like "escape now and face Duke Clause's wrath later."

However, what irritated him more about the whole thing was one glaring fact...

They were bigger, stronger, and better equipped than him.

So why in the name of anything, was he sent into that forest, while these clowns lounged about?

It just didn't make any sense.

Duke Clause's motives remained a murky puzzle, but one thing was clear - the man wanted him dead.

….

He explained the situation to them, which they strangely believed.

It was as if they were all already aware it.

But if they were, what then was the reason for him being sent in there?!

It just didn't make anysense…

However, after some mental struggles, he gave up on the thought and entered the carriage.

…

He had a single plan in mind on getting to the mansion.

Rest for a whole week.

But as expected, something just had to spoil it.

There, standing by his door, was Anna, a letter clutched in her hand.

Relief turned to dread as he took the letter from her and tore it open.

"Just why can't I have some rest?!"

As it turned out, Rio, had participated in a knight's tournament, and not just participated, but he won and was now challenging him to a duel!

Leo couldn't believe.

Just why the hell did things keep going south?!

Things were bad.

Very, bad.

Didn't he have autopilot?

The answer was no.

The damn thing had a timer.

A week at least, before make use of it again.

….

He didn't get a good sleep last night.

Not an ounce of it.

But that was no excuse, he had to face Rio on this day.

So he prepared and when it was time, he was taken to the arena.

The arena roared, the crowd baying for blood.

Rio's fury was palpable, his eyes blazing with hatred.

Escape seemed impossible, victory a distant dream.

Leo could only grasp at straws at this very moment.

The merciless sun beat down on the gladiatorial arena, turning the stark white blocks into searing mirrors of its fury. Elevated platforms provided the only respite from the flat, unforgiving surface, a stage for a battle unlike any other.

The grandstand buzzed with anticipation, its tiers packed with knights, the primary audience for this spectacle of violence.

At the pinnacle, amidst the hushed whispers and narrowed eyes, sat the Constel family and Duke Clause, their gazes fixed on the two figures standing on the central platform - Leo and Rio.

"The terms of this match are clear," bellowed a herald, his voice echoing through the heat-soaked air. He unfurled a parchment, its faded script crackling with unspoken tension.

"Should Leo fall, he forfeits not only his claim to this Grand mansion, but the very ground it stands upon. It shall pass, in its entirety, to Rio Constel."

"Tsk," Leo just clicked his tongue in response.

Despite the outward swagger, his mind churned with the bitter truth.

The announcer's words were like salt on an open wound, confirming his deepest fears. Clause, the Duke, wanted him dead.

This "duel" was nothing more than a thinly veiled execution, disguised as sport.

His mind flashed back to the grueling forest mission, the subsequent clash with Uren, and the gnawing suspicion that the entrance examination to come was all a plan to take his life.

But why?

Why would Leo's fther want him dead?

It just didn't make sense.

"However," the herald continued, his voice regaining its booming cadence, "should Rio fail to vanquish his opponent, he shall forfeit the Constel heirloom - the Infinity Ring."

A hush fell over the crowd.

The Infinity Ring, not just a trinket of wealth, but a national treasure rumored to be able hold entire cities within its depths.

For Clause to entrust such power to Leo spoke volumes of his perceived lack of threat.

[He truly believes a dog could fly rather than you winning, Leo,] Mel, his sardonic companion, interjected with a dry chuckle.

"And whose side are you on exactly?" Leo shot back, his voice laced with frustration.

[….,]

"Forget I asked," Leo muttered, his mind racing with options, each one as bleak as the next.

Refusing the duel meant defying the Duke, a path leading straight to the executioner's axe. He had to escape, flee this gilded cage, but without funds, he'd be no better than a beggar scavenging in the dust.

The Academy in the capital of the empire, his one beacon of hope, demanded a hefty admission fee, an insurmountable wall in his current predicament.

[Why accept the duel then?] Mel pressed, his voice devoid of its usual mocking tone.

"I couldn't refuse it. Refusing would be signing my own death warrant," Leo spoke, bitterness dripping from his words. "Clause would find another excuse, accuse me of disrespect, anything to justify ending me."

[He could have killed you already if he wanted, this IS his duchy,] Mel argued, a hint of doubt creeping into her voice.

"Perhaps," Leo conceded, "but something seems to be holding him back. Reputation, maybe, or some twisted sense of theatrics. Whatever it is, I need to exploit it, escape while the iron is hot. But escaping penniless? That's suicide. I need enough to reach the capital, enough to buy my way into the Academy."

[But that doesn't answer why you accepted the duel, Mel prodded further.

"Are you deaf or just playing dumb?" Leo spat, exasperation coloring his voice. "Refusing would have sealed my fate! Clause would have found a reason, any reason, to end me. Dead or banished, the outcome wouldn't change."

A tense silence descended between them, broken only by the distant murmur of the crowd.

Then, the herald's voice shattered the quietude, his booming "Begin!" jolting Leo back to the present.

*Whoosh*

Rio, a blur of fury, charged across the platform, arriving in front of Leo in a split second

However, instinct took over, his body twisting, stumbling back on the unforgiving sand, and the windblade missed by a hair's breadth, the force of its passage stinging his cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.

"What the..." Leo gasped, tracing the wound with trembling fingers.

[You...survived that?] Mel's voice held a hint of surprise.

"Do you want me dead?!" Leo roared, anger momentarily eclipsing his fear.

[Of course… not,] Mel replied, her tone neutral.

[But I didn't expect you to survive that still. You've exceeded expectations.]

[Enough! Quit talking like I'm about to die!]

Mel, relented. [Fine, fine.]

But before his words even faded, a SWOOSH sliced through the air.

A flaming blade aimed straight for Leo's forehead, but just again, seemingly by a hair's breadth, it met only the messy bun atop his head, sending strands flying like fallen stars.

"Huh?" Rio, gaped.

He had anticipated a clean kill, not this.

Seizing the moment, Leo capitalized on Rio's shocked stupor. With a swift scissors sweep, he sent Rio's feet tumbling, transitioning seamlessly into a vertical slash.

Faster than a viper, Rio recovered, twisting away with a graceful twirl.

His knee, propelled by years of honed combat, shot towards Leo's groin.

*Thwack!*

The impact sent a white-hot searing pain through Leo, doubling him over on the dusty floor. He choked out a curse, his breath ragged.

[Get up, you fool!] Mel's voice held a desperate edge.

Leo forced his gaze upwards. A bloodthirsty grin stretched across Rio's face as he raised his sword – now engulfed in crackling flames – for the final blow.

"Oh, slag!" Leo muttered, scrambling to roll away.

*Boom!*

The flaming blade found its mark, erupting in a shower of searing debris that peppered his body, leaving him sprawled and gasping.

Rio, his movements eerily fluid, muttered cryptic words, reigniting the blade in an even more infernal glow. He stalked towards the fallen Leo, the tip of the sword pointed like a accusing finger.

"This ends now, mongrel!" he roared, the sword whistling as it descended towards Leo's exposed neck.

"Damn it!" Leo squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable.

[No!]

Then, a sudden, earth-shattering BOOM! tore through the air, engulfing everything in a blinding flash of light.