Reborn as the Failed Lord with my Resource Gathering System.-Chapter 202: A duel for a win.

The very next moment, Seraphina found herself standing at the lower part of the empty area.

Standing not too far from her was Prince Isak and his mother, Queen Lalatina.

Scattered all around the entrance of the arena were soldiers of the Sualan kingdom, each there to make sure no harm would be done to the queen and her son.

Meanwhile, there on the platform right at the center of the arena, Aces was standing before a man cloaked in armor and holding a long spear in his hand. They were there to present the nobles as their champions.

"That warrior of yours doesn’t look muscular in any way. Are you sure this is someone you want to pick as your champion? I do hope you remember what is at stake here."

The prince uttered out loud, his eyes glancing Seraphina’s way.

Seraphina replied without looking at him.

"You don’t have to worry about me. Can we just finish this as quickly as possible? I really don’t want to remain in this country for another second."

She had an exasperated look on her face.

"Is that so? Surely you don’t hate this kingdom that much." Prince Isak giggled a bit as he fully faced her.

After so long, Seraphina decided to look at him, only to notice his mother still giving her the death stare from behind.

"Gee... I wonder why—"

Isak raised a brow, unable to understand what she was getting at.

But even he knew better than to constantly pester a girl who was obviously not interested.

"As you wish. Then, let us commence with the duel as planned." He fully faced the arena, raising his hand to call the attention of the champions.

"You may begin! To the death!!!"

Seraphina’s eyes widened at the announcement.

"What? Are you being serious, Prince Isak? You called it a duel!"

Prince Isak smiled at her.

"Yes, I did. A duel to the death." He gestured with his hand. "The winner of this duel is decided when one of our champions is bleeding on the cold ground. Or do you not have faith in your so-called warrior?"

He didn’t stop there. He stood a step closer, using his fingers to trace the side of her silky black hair.

"If I remembered correctly, the reports stated this man, Dorian Aurelian, happens to have the best military in the entirety of the Lumberg kingdom. Or is he a fraud, and nothing more than that?"

Seraphina had a disgusted look on her face.

Despite the fact Isak was a prince, she didn’t think twice before she smacked his hand to the side, anything to stop him from touching her.

Then she took a step back.

"The man you speak of is my husband. And I refuse to put the life of his soldier in harm’s way for the sake of a childish bet—"

"Lady Seraphina, please pardon me for interrupting you."

Aces suddenly chimed in, looking at her from the stage.

Isak had a nasty frown on his face. To think a lowly soldier would try to voice his own opinion when a prince and duchess were speaking.

There was also the fact that many of the Sualan soldiers were still angered that Seraphina had just slapped the hand of their prince like it was nothing.

Seraphina ignored them all and turned to look at Aces, listening to the next words that left his lips.

"I don’t mind fighting to the death. Better than having to go back to Lord Dorian empty-handed. Besides, an insult to Lord Dorian is not something I think you like at all. I don’t mind handling the fight for you."

After listening to what he had to say, Seraphina sighed.

"Honestly, my husband really has corrupted you all, and here I thought you wanted to talk the prince out of it too. Fine, do what you want. Not like you were going to lose anyway."

"I appreciate it." Aces turned to face his opponent.

The frown on the prince’s face didn’t clear for a while.

Eventually, he cleared his throat and faced the arena, willing to watch his soldier kill the ignorant pest foolish enough to interrupt him mid-conversation.

Once he had won the duel, he already planned to keep Seraphina even longer in the kingdom with him.

The deal was that the loser would agree to the terms given. No one specified what it could be, or if new things could be added.

He was certain Seraphina didn’t think that far. After all, she didn’t seem interested to begin with.

It was perfect.

The grin on his face was even far uglier than the frown he had on earlier.

Aces slowly drew out his blade and stretched it to the side, his eyes glowing a faint green light as he stared at the opponent before him.

"Hmm, you look like a good warrior. I hope you would honor me with a fitting duel." The armored man uttered right after.

Just like Aces, he whooshed his spear to the side to take a battle stance.

"Only fair that I know your name. This might be your last fight."

"All you need to know is I am a member of the Aurelian army. Nothing more."

"Is that so? For someone your size, you sure do have a lot of confidence."

The man charged forward as fast as he could.

Aces immediately acted as well.

Green lightning wrapped around his arms as he charged forward, his entire body getting wrapped in the energy.

As the man ran, he couldn’t help but run a few assessments on Aces.

From his movement, he figured Aces had to be of the assassin class, but then again, the raw mana coursing around his body was way too much for a regular assassin.

Unless...

The man’s eyes widened.

"Don’t tell me you are higher than a Master Rank?!!!"

In the blink of an eye, Aces had closed the distance and was now right below the man, his fist clenched to land the blow on the man’s gut.

Bash!

The impact sent the armored warrior flying backward, his body crashing into the stone wall of the arena with a sickening crunch. Dust and debris exploded outward as the man slumped to the ground, his spear clattering uselessly beside him.

Aces stood in the center of the arena, green lightning still crackling around his body. He hadn’t even drawn blood yet.

"Get up," Aces said, his voice calm. "I know that didn’t kill you."

The armored warrior coughed, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to his feet. His armor was dented, and his breathing was labored, but his eyes still burned with determination.

"You’re... a Grandmaster," the man gasped, gripping his spear with trembling hands. "How does a backwater barony have a Grandmaster warrior?"

Aces tilted his head. "Backwater? Lord Dorian would probably laugh at that."

The warrior roared and lunged forward, his spear wreathed in golden mana. He thrust forward with blinding speed, aiming directly for Aces’s throat.

Shrr!

Aces sidestepped, his body flickering like a mirage. The spear passed harmlessly through empty air.

"Too slow."

With a flick of his wrist, Aces slashed his blade across the warrior’s chest. The man’s armor split like paper, and a thin line of red appeared across his torso.

The warrior staggered backward, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked down at the wound, then back at Aces.

"Impossible..."

"It’s over," Aces said, sheathing his blade. "Yield."

The warrior’s legs buckled, and he collapsed to one knee, blood pooling beneath him. His spear clattered to the ground as his strength finally gave out.

Silence filled the arena.

Seraphina let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She glanced at Prince Isak, whose face had gone pale.

"Well then," Seraphina said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "I believe that settles it."

Prince Isak’s jaw clenched. His hands balled into fists at his sides, and for a moment, it looked like he might protest. But the eyes of his own soldiers were on him now, watching, judging.

He had no choice.

"Fine," he spat, his voice bitter. "You win."

Seraphina smiled sweetly. "Good. Then as per our agreement, the Sualan Kingdom will provide the Aurelian Dukedom with unrestricted trade access and a 20% reduction in tariffs for the next five years. Also, you agree to fund the production of the bridge, also cost of production as well."

Prince Isak’s face twisted in barely restrained fury. "You—"

"Oh, and one more thing," Seraphina interrupted, her smile widening. "Keep your hands to yourself next time. My husband doesn’t like it when other men touch what’s his."

She turned on her heel and walked toward Aces, leaving the prince standing there, fuming in silence.

As she approached, Aces gave her a small nod. "Shall we head back, my lady?"

Seraphina glanced back at Prince Isak one last time, her eyes cold. "Yes, let’s go home. Honestly, I’m quite tired of this place already."

...

[A/N]

Priv Chapter count is so low I might crash out. Anyway, I’ll be doing two Chapters from next week, since I also plan to release a new book. Hint: The Game’s Villainesses are obsessed with me. Summoner Guild Online: I Started as a Tutorial Boss.