The Hunted Regressor: Rise of the Heretic Saint-Chapter 119: Duel In Her Honor

***

"You dare ask me that after running away last time?!"

Theodore practically exploded, his hair shaking as his face turned red, veins bulging in a way that made Ignotus wonder if he'd pop a blood vessel before the conversation even finished.

"You and your horrendous reputation ruined her image!"

He jabbed a finger at him.

"Even though the realm knows of her talent now, barely anyone proper came to propose! I doubt she would even look at you again!"

Ignotus further tilted his head.

"…huh."

He scratched the back of his neck while his eyes wandered around the hall, feeling a bit disillusioned by this trend.

"That's not true. You called me Demon, so I thought you watched the Colosseum Trial, but did you not? Or are you simply too old to remember these things?"

That made Theodore freeze mid-rant.

Very slowly, he turned his head towards one of the guards, silently demanding an answer.

"He's... kuhm! Kuhm!"

Coughing, the armored man looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the realm.

"…he's telling the truth, my Lord."

"Ba—whatever!"

Theodore waved his hands furiously.

"Just leave this manor! You are not—"

"I–Ignotus?"

A small voice cut through everything.

Every head in the hall turned.

At the top of the staircase stood Gaia, her dirty blond hair flowing, her soft brown eyes wide in surprise. Two maids trailed behind her, seemingly having tried and failed to stop her.

She clearly ran all the way here.

Theodore's posture instantly changed, his shoulders snapping straight.

"Nothing you have to worry about, dear."

He forced a smile that barely hid his annoyance.

"Be a good girl and leave this matter to me, alright?"

Acting as if he didn't exist, Gaia brushed past him.

"...W... what?"

Theodore's jaw dropped, but she didn't care, walking until she stood directly in front of Ignotus, perhaps a breath away, looking up at him with confusion swirling in her eyes.

"Tell me."

Ignotus stared at her for a second.

'Alright.'

His grin turned into something warmer.

'Let's make this quick.'

He reached behind his back and, with a flick of his hand, materialized a small box from his inventory, an act that wasn't seen by anyone.

Gasps echoed through the hall while guards half raised their weapons as Ignotus revealed that box, thinking that it was something dangerous, only to see him slowly drop to one knee.

Theodore looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"What are you—!?"

Ignoring him completely, Ignotus put one hand behind his back, while the other opened the box toward Gaia. Inside, a faint light shimmered off a silver ring, simple but engraved with tiny and beautiful Arcane along its edge.

Much like the earlier Eris, the entire hall paused.

Gaia blinked especially, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink, entirely forgetting what she so desperately wanted to talk to him about.

"W–What are you doing…?"

There was no such tradition in their stratum.

No 'kneeling' or 'proposing;' they only had political arrangements and contracts. But, of course, Ignotus didn't care one bit; he'd start the trend right here.

Great House Time wouldn't throw Hell upon him for doing something exclusive to the second and upper strata.

Though Ignotus was marrying Gaia for land, he wanted her to feel special... he wasn't so cruel. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"Will you please marry me?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

A full three seconds of stunned silence followed.

Theodore's mouth hung open like he'd forgotten how to breathe.

The maids behind Gaia squealed in muffled shock, while one of the guards even dropped his spear.

Gaia herself reacted much the same.

Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes widened.

She was uncertain whether to laugh, cry, or faint.

"W–What?"

After that, Gaia quickly glanced around the room as if anyone here had context for what was happening.

Ignotus calmly waited, not caring about the tension or the fact that Theodore looked two seconds away from throwing a chair, or rather, his entire weapon armory at him.

To Ignotus, this was just another objective.

Another play in his long path.

And if everyone thought he was insane while doing it, that was fine.

So he looked up at her with that unbothered gaze that somehow made every word out of his mouth sound like fact.

"Gaia, marry me."

Theodore finally lost it at those words and jumped between them, his hands flailing.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!"

His voice cracked with disbelief.

"Fine! You want to marry her—fine! But first, you'll have to prove yourself!"

Ignotus nodded at Gaia, who looked like she'd forgotten how to breathe, and slowly stood up while brushing his knees.

"Prove myself how?"

Theodore's lips curled, as if he'd been waiting to say this.

"You will duel in her honor!"

...

Minutes later, they were outside, standing in a training arena built of stone and sand.

The courtyard was wide, open to the sky, and surrounded by guards who clearly didn't want to miss whatever madness was about to happen.

Theodore stood on a raised balcony on the left with a smug face.

"If you lose, you will rescind your request and announce to the realm that you were rejected! Restoring her honor! If you somehow win, you will…"

He hesitated, grinding his teeth.

"Y-You know the rest."

Ignotus looked up at him with his hand on his sword.

"Complete that sentence."

Theodore glared down.

"If you..."

His teeth nearly broke.

"If you win, you will m-marry my daughter."

"Good."

Ignotus smirked and waved lazily toward Gaia, who stood next to her father, still visibly lost in what reality she'd fallen into.

"Now then..."

Ignotus stretched his shoulders and looked around at the gathered guards.

"Who'll be brave enough to stand before me?"

Before even a second could pass, one of them stepped forward.

Surprisingly, it was a woman, tall, dark-skinned, and sharp-honey-eyed.

She carried herself differently than the rest, more confident, lighter on her feet, and most notably, unarmed.

"I'm Acolyte Nora of House Gift, head guard of Lady Gaia."

She bowed slightly, fully acknowledging who was before her.

Unlike the others, her armor was minimal, only padded joints and a simple light cloth.

Having no weapon wasn't all that unusual; many used only their bodies, but barely any armor as well?

That was interesting, as was the faint hum of Divinity around her.

Ignotus was, as expected, impressed.

"It seems not all of you are useless."

He glanced at Theodore.

"You'll have an Acolyte fight a Disciple?"

Theodore didn't reply, which was all Ignotus needed to know.

But that finally awakened Gaia as she burst out with a shaking voice:

"T-That's unfair! I-Ignotus is strong, but fighting against a—"

"It's fine, Gaia."

Ignotus smiled at her, soft but confident.

"It'll be a worthy show of my… want for you."

The crowd murmured, and even Nora blinked, a little caught off guard.

He was already an established Acolyte, but they didn't need to know that.

A Disciple defeating an Acolyte for a woman's hand sounded more poetic, didn't it?

"Hah! That's good."

Nora chuckled while stretching her body.

"I'll see if you hold more worth than just your tongue."

Ignotus materialized his sword and took a stance.

"Phrasing, girl."

She thought of her words and got a little embarrassed, but quickly shook it off.

"Whatever!"

And then, before anyone could blink—

"Let's begin!"

Nora was gone.