Chapter 31: Figured out
The knight stepped forward, his boots echoing across the now-silent arena. His gaze, steely and unreadable, locked onto Wesley with quiet intensity.
"My goal is simple," the knight said. "I will fight you—not to humiliate, not to dominate—but to see you. If you are deemed worthy, even if you have no Mana now, I will train you. Even if it takes the rest of my life, I will make you into a true Knight."
The declaration hung in the air, heavy and absolute.
Wesley nodded stiffly. "Understood, sir."
In truth, he wanted none of this. But saying no now would only make him look suspicious—and worse, it might ruin the good will he accidentally accumulated.
"In this world," the knight continued, "there are those born without Mana, and some who awaken it late. Sometimes much later. But even if your Mana doesn’t surface until your bones are creaking and your hair is white, I will see it. I will know."
Wesley smiled awkwardly. Hopefully, you see nothing, he muttered internally.
The crowd quieted, waiting, as the knight raised his wooden sword and Wesley raised his mop.
The duel began.
Wesley took a hesitant step forward, then darted in with a wide horizontal sweep of the mop, aiming low toward the knight’s legs. The knight shifted his stance and smoothly stepped back, avoiding the strike with a fluid pivot. Another attack came—a jab to the midsection. The knight parried with ease.
But then, he paused.