Chapter 176 : Chapter 176
Chapter 176: Will of Steel (2)
"A duel, with Miki...?"
"Teacher!? A duel... Me, with my brothers?!"
As expected, not only the brothers but also Miki showed great surprise.
As I said earlier, Miki could not easily imagine the fact that he was stronger than his brothers.
To him, they were still objects of admiration, existences like giant mountains.
"Trust me, Miki."
But the current Miki is stronger than those two.
This is an unchanging fact.
After resolving the event in Shurina, we reached level 16.
It was thanks to receiving experience points from the strong beings, Kurt and (though we didn't kill him) Pariah.
So, simply looking at the level, Miki was stronger than those two who were level 15.
"Show your brothers that you are a different person from before."
Of course, not to mention the combat 'experience', not just the numerical experience points obtained by defeating such strong beings while being with us until now.
At my confident words, Miki, who was confused at first, soon nodded with a determined expression.
"Brothers!"
Then looking back at his two older brothers, he said as if declaring.
"Please duel with me!"
At the definite challenge that came directly from Miki, not anyone else this time, the two brothers looked back at each other.
"I will show you that I am not the me of the past!"
Prejudices once planted do not disappear easily.
Even more so if they have seen it for a very long time.
Unless they break the prejudice by seeing and feeling it directly, Miki will always be nothing but a cute youngest to the two.
"If you see directly how much stronger Miki has become, you will know well that we are not talking nonsense."
The brothers, who were agonizing.
"...Fine."
Soon nodded.
"If you insist, show us."
***
Like that, the duel between the brothers and Miki was arranged.
Actually, strictly speaking, it was a duel between Gabriel and Miki.
Of course, they couldn't fight 2 against 1 in a knight's duel.
So Gabriel, the eldest son, decided to take him on.
Hearing the story that Irons were having a duel, not only the attendants of the Irons family's military camp but even people from other camps started gathering one by one, wondering where they heard it.
Due to that, despite being a duel not held in a proper stadium but simply in a training ground... actually, since there wasn't even a separate training ground, it was a duel at the level of just doing it in front of the tent, they became surrounded by numerous spectators.
Because of this, it was inevitable that Miki, who wasn't yet used to receiving the attention of many people like this, started showing signs of nervousness.
"Grab your weapon, Miki."
On the other hand, Gabriel, who was somewhat used to this situation, had an attitude of not minding the spectators at all.
At this one calm word from Gabriel, Miki, who was already nervous in front of unfamiliar spectators and facing his brother whom he had admired for a long time as an opponent, gulped.
"Miki."
Usually, I would have relieved his tension through 「Encourage」, but if he receives the influence of my buff like that, it wouldn't be a 1-on-1 duel actually.
"Trust yourself."
There was no need for that in the first place, though.
Even without borrowing the power of the skill called 「Encourage」, just this one word was enough for the current Miki.
"Yes!"
At this, Miki, who looked visibly nervous, nodded vigorously showing a determined expression again like when he first proposed the duel.
Then instead of lifting a weapon, he raised one hand holding a shield and one hand with only a gauntlet on it respectively and took a stance.
The basic stance of a 'Fighter'.
"...Don't tell me, you intend not to hold a weapon?"
Gabriel looked at such Miki with eyes that were somewhat complex rather than wondering.
"That guy, still can't handle a weapon...?"
It was the same for Raphael who muttered while watching together from the side.
After all, the biggest flaw as a knight that Miki had was the point that he couldn't handle a 'weapon'.
So no matter how hard he tried, Miki eventually became nothing more than a half-wit knight.
To the brothers who knew he even ran away from home in the end due to the inferiority complex caused by that, naturally, it must be complex.
"It is okay."
But Miki showed a resolute attitude as if there would be no more causing worry to his brothers.
"This is the answer I found."
Raising his two clenched fists, putting them in front of that resolute expression.
"...If that is your will."
Then Gabriel, nodding once, subsequently held a shield and a mace in each hand.
"Prove it, Miki."
Similarly taking a combat stance.
"Cheer up, Brother Miki!"
"Show him clearly who you are!"
Lily and Ibi threw words of support one by one, and Toric just nodded quietly with his arms crossed as if showing he believed in him without needing to express it in words.
Rine also was sending eyes where firm trust was felt similarly, only without crossing arms or nodding.
Miki, who looked around at us one by one, calmly caught his breath with an expression gaining more strength.
──Clang!
Before long, the musical instrument... instead, Raphael's shield rang, announcing the start of the duel.
But Miki and Gabriel, instead of rushing in rashly, kept a distance first and engaged in a probing war.
Both of them showed standard movements as 'Knights'—who were fundamentally classified as tanks in this world.
In the situation where tension began to hang in the air along with the circle they started drawing while keeping distance like that.
"──Haap!"
The one who kicked off the ground first was eventually Miki's side.
Miki quickly rushed toward Gabriel and threw a punch.
Kang!
Gabriel, who leisurely swung his shield to parry it, swung his mace immediately.
Clang!
Miki, who also quickly raised his shield to block this, swung his punch once more.
Whoosh!
But the punch couldn't reach Gabriel, who slightly leaned his body back to dodge, and cut through the air.
Though Gabriel's shield did not.
"...Kuk!"
Kang!
As the edge of the shield Gabriel thrust hit the middle of his chest, Miki faltered stepping back one step.
Even so, Miki blocked Gabriel's mace that flew in immediately with his shield, bounced it off with force as it was, and threw a punch again toward the opening created forcefully like that.
Clang──!
Miki's gauntlet and Gabriel's shield.
As the two steels clashed, sparks flew.
At the same time, the spectators surrounding them started murmuring.
"Miki, that guy..."
Although they only exchanged blows a few times during the short time of just a few seconds, for 'skilled people', that alone must have been enough.
"He really, became strong...!"
One of them, Raphael, muttered looking at Miki with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe it well.
It was the same for Gabriel who kicked Miki's abdomen with force with his foot raised straight away to push him back.
"...That you became strong, seems to be true."
If it were like before, the match would have been decided already within that short time, within those few exchanges.
It wasn't a situation where Gabriel was going easy on him like before on purpose either, rather it was a situation where he was sharpening his edge more than usual to break Miki's will to walk into a place of death.
(Although he isn't holding a sharp weapon, really.)
Even so, they exchanged blows tensely.
Miki, after running away from home, although there were many twists and turns, eventually achieved tremendous growth.
"I am proud of you, Miki."
"...!"
Because he knew this, in Gabriel's voice trying to speak as calmly as possible, emotion he couldn't hide was revealed.
There was no way Miki, the person in question, wouldn't know that.
If it were like before, exchanging blows like this with his brother who was being serious would have been something unimaginable to him.
But when he actually tried, it worked.
Something he couldn't easily imagine even in his head was unfolding in reality.
Moreover, receiving recognition directly from the mouth of the brother he respected so much, of course, he had to catch his breath.
"──But acting with recklessness is a different story!"
Of course, Gabriel was not an easy opponent as expected.
Although he probably didn't intend to, he didn't miss that single moment of opening where Miki relaxed, and this time he rushed in first and delivered a blow.
"Ugh...!"
Miki barely blocked the thick mace swung quickly but immediately launched a counterattack, but Gabriel, who let it flow smoothly, conversely used his force to push him down as it was.
Although Miki got up quickly performing 「Breakfall」 agilely, this meant he consumed a 'turn' to react.
Eventually, Miki, hit directly by the shield Gabriel swung, was pushed back and stumbled with a loud impact sound, Kaang!.
As expected, the difference in 'experience' was felt between the two.
Although Miki also accumulated numerous experiences with us during that time, as one could tell just by looking at that huge scar, the experience Gabriel accumulated roaming the battlefield with Johannes during that time was also tremendous.
Therefore, the one who was seasoned as a 'Knight' was Gabriel's side as expected.
Actually, it was inevitable; even though the total level was one level higher, Miki's 'Knight' class level, who chose the path of multi-class as a 'Fighter', had to be lower than Gabriel who took the single 'Knight' tree.
"If you can't even beat me, you will eventually only die a dog's death!"
Saying that even if you became stronger than before, allowing you to cross the wall is a different story, Gabriel pushed Miki further.
Kang!
Clang!
Steels resonated continuously.
Like that, the duel of the two Irons seemed to be gradually tilting toward Gabriel's victory.
However, Gabriel didn't know.
The fact that Miki falling behind him as a 'Knight' meant.
"──!"
Conversely, that Miki as a 'Fighter' whom he didn't know also existed.
The 「Breakfall」 that made him get up on his own immediately when he should have been in a 'fallen' state was like that.
"──Gah!"
The 「Stomp」 that made him close the distance like wind as now, or the 「Triple Strike」 that landed consecutively were like that.
Clang!
Gabriel stumbled for a moment at Miki's fierce punch hitting his armor.
Like that, Miki followed the basic combo as a 'Fighter'.
"Haaap!"
Against Gabriel who hurriedly widened the distance and tried to take a defensive stance, this time a basic skill as a 'Knight'──
Whiririk!
Through 「Shield Throw」, he broke his posture preventing him from assuming 「Iron Wall Stance」, and ran again to deliver a 「Shield Bash」.
Clang!
Toward Gabriel who stumbled once more at this, Miki threw a punch with force.
As if bidding farewell toward his weak past self, who had always been under the protection of his brothers.
He delivered a splendid blow to the middle of Gabriel's chest surrounded by steel armor.
The winner of the duel was Miki.
"Brother Gabe."
Miki, panting heavily, reached out one hand toward Gabriel who was sitting on the floor exhausted as well.
"Now, will you believe in me?"
Gabriel, who looked up at that hand for a moment, eventually smiled, "Heh."
"I am sorry but that is impossible, Miki."
With an attitude where no resentment was felt at all even though he suffered a defeat with no room for excuses from Miki whom he had thought was weaker than him all along.
"Because I have believed in you all along from before."
"...!"
Holding Miki's hand refreshingly.
Getting up from the spot like that, he placed one hand lightly on the head of Miki, whose eyes were already brimming with tears perhaps feeling choked up receiving recognition from the brother he admired, and said.
"Let's show him too. That he was wrong."
As if the fact that he is still a precious younger brother doesn't change even if he became stronger than him, of course.
"Let's go save Father."
"──Yes!"