Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 103

 

Killian responded nonchalantly. In response, Ian’s lips twitched, but his composure was surprisingly calm.

 

He doesn’t react impulsively to provocations; he knows how to restrain himself with reason. Indeed, he wasn’t just the star of Ruchtainer without reason.

 

As the large drum sounded, signalling the beginning of the match, the echoes reverberated through the air.

 

And when the drumming ceased, an eerie silence engulfed the arena, almost suffocating.

 

The two men moved simultaneously, without the need for a signal to begin.

 

Sophia bit her lip as she watched Killian’s movements, which seemed to defy logic.

 

‘He’s not in his right mind…!’

 

Knowing the state of his legs so well, how could he move like that? Does he plan to let his legs rest for a lifetime?

 

However, no one seemed to notice the significant injury to Killian’s legs.

 

Sophia kept her eyes fixed on Killian’s legs, focusing solely on the two men’s confrontation.

 

But not long after the two clashed swords, blood splattered across the arena.

 

Ian’s sword had bent Killian’s thigh.

 

“No!”

 

Sophia involuntarily exclaimed. However, she wasn’t the only one to scream, so her voice was drowned out by the cheers of the crowd.

 

Ian withdrew his bloodied sword, his brow furrowed.

‘Just now…’

 

Ian’s expression contorted.

 

‘It was clearly intentional.’

 

The reason Killian suffered from him was because Killian allowed it.

 

It seemed like a move where the sword path was deliberately directed towards his thigh.

 

While the audience might be oblivious, Ian’s eyes, gripping the sword, couldn’t be deceived.

 

“What are you doing? Do you see me as such an easy opponent?”

 

Did it appear as if such tricks couldn’t be detected?

 

Or did he think giving up one leg as a penalty would be enough?

 

Ian, with tightly clenched lips, questioned through the narrowed gap.

 

“If you don’t do it properly, I won’t stand by…!”

 

Killian, glancing at Ian’s eyes filled with anger, momentarily set aside his injury.

 

Killian was doing it properly.

 

He had come into the match originally for that purpose—to get injured. To lose to Ian Fraus.

 

Although sorry for the passionate knight Ian, Killian had no intention of competing with Ian on skill.

 

There was only one thing he desired.

‘I offer Ian the wounds that were inflicted on me as the Black Moon.’

 

There are two wounds from the Black Moon that the military police are aware of.

 

The waist injury received from a military police officer during Percel’s incident. And the recent thigh injury from Nicholas.

 

If, someday, Killian’s body is searched and wounds are found, they will suspect him of being the Black Moon.

 

So, he needed an alibi for the injuries.

 

In that aspect, Ian Fraus was an excellent witness with a good alibi.

 

Creating deep injuries on his own would be too unnatural. Asking someone else to deliberately cause injuries would be suspicious as well.

 

Everyone knows that his skills are the best, even in the military, so pretending to get injured during training with military police officers would raise suspicions.

 

But if the opponent is Ian Fraus, In a match where the entire empire is curious about who would win?

 

Even if Killian gets injured, no one would suspect anything.

 

‘I considered prolonging the match a bit more, but…’

 

Unfortunately, due to his recent injuries while saving Sophia from the magical beast, his physical condition wasn’t great.

 

Before blood started flowing from the previous wounds, he needed to be slashed once again by Ian’s sword.

 

Therefore, he intentionally created an opening for Ian, guiding his thigh from bottom to top at a slant.

 

And aligning it with the trajectory, he precisely brought Ian’s sword to his own wound.

 

It was a gamble that could easily go wrong.

 

If the wounds were even slightly mismatched, it could lead to doctors discovering the previous injuries beneath, or Ian’s sharp sword might completely sever the leg.

 

Therefore, more than ever, precise and meticulous movements were necessary.

 

‘Fortunately, it seems to have gone as planned.’

 

He thought as he pressed the blood flowing from the wound to stop the bleeding.

 

He had long abandoned worrying about things like pain.

 

‘Indeed, Ian Fraus.

 

The sword was as intricate and perfect as he had hoped.

 

As if performing delicate surgery, it perfectly cut where he intended.

 

Unlike Killian’s deep gratitude, Ian Fraus seemed more filled with anger than ever.

 

Choosing to give in rather than being toyed with by the opponent’s hands, Ian was filled with rage.

 

The thick veins swelled on the back of Ian’s hand as he gripped the sword.

Anyone who had witnessed how much effort he had put into this moment would understand.

 

However, all the sincere preparations he had made for this day had become nothing in an instant.

 

“You are insulting the match…!”

 

“It seems like everyone is enjoying it.”

 

Ian and Killian’s swords clashed again.

 

Stepping back and detaching their swords, Killian gestured towards the audience.

 

The crowd was now cheering even more passionately for Killian, despite his injury.

 

“Besides, who doesn’t like a victory?”

 

“Do you call this a victory for the military police?”

 

Ian’s teeth made a sharp, grinding sound.

 

He began to relentlessly press the advantage against the injured Killian.

 

Killian was pushed back in retreat, struggling against the assault. Dealing with an opponent wasn’t as easy with his wounded leg.

 

‘But…’

 

It was a fight that Killian had no intention of winning anyway.

 

‘Since he realised that I intentionally created an opening…’

 

Killian changed his strategy.

 

He gave Ian another significant opening.

 

At that moment, Ian, aiming for Killian’s vulnerability, extended his sword but stopped right in front of his nose.

 

“This guy…!”

 

Vulgar words escaped from the lips of the noble knight.

 

As expected, he had noticed that Killian deliberately created an opening. However, due to his strong pride, he couldn’t delve further into the weakness.

 

Because he didn’t want to win unfairly.

 

This match was the fight against Killian that he had desired so much.

 

“Why aren’t you attacking, Sir Ian Fraus?”

 

Killian asked, seemingly casual, as if laying a trap. 

 

Ian’s lips trembled slightly as he realised that Killian intentionally left a gap. 

Due to his strong sense of pride, he couldn’t exploit the weakness to the end.

 

He didn’t want to win unfairly.

 

This was the fight he had longed for against Killian.

 

“Why aren’t you attacking, Sir Ian Fraus?”

 

Luring him like setting a trap, Killian posed the question while moving his body. At that moment, taking advantage of Ian’s unstable state of mind, Killian attempted a counterattack.

 

Despite the agility in Killian’s movements with his injured leg, Ian successfully defended against Killian’s attack.

 

The two engaged in a series of exchanges.

 

The clashing blades acknowledged each other’s skills.

 

What frustrated Ian even more was that Killian perfectly defended his crucial points.

 

Whether it was the neck or the heart, Killian would not willingly expose any area he couldn’t afford to give away.

 

Killian, with one leg slashed, displayed movements that were not inferior to those of regular knights.

 

By the time a faint bead of sweat formed on his forehead, Killian seemed to intentionally open up another significant opening for Ian.

 

‘Again…!’

 

Ian attempted to attack that opening but then withdrew his sword. Killian, in turn, tried to counterattack.

 

The audience cheered as the attacking advantage shifted back and forth.

 

“Indeed, Sir Ian Fraus is pushing forward!”

 

“But Grand Duke Rivelon is never pushed back!”

 

Sophia also watched them with a heavy heart.

 

‘I wish he had surrendered…!’

 

Sophia was concerned about Killian, who was facing Ian with his injured leg.

 

If it were Sophia, how long could she endure with wounds that would have already brought her to the ground?

 

The tightrope-like match was frustrating for her.

 

Even if Killian lost, she hoped that he wouldn’t suffer severe injuries and that the balance of the scales would be disrupted quickly.

 

On the other hand, unlike ordinary people like Sophia, knights with keen eyes had a different reaction.

 

“Ian, why is that guy behaving like that?”

 

“Ian Fraus, why are you retreating instead of attacking?”

 

They noticed that Ian was not properly attacking Killian.

 

“Is he stepping back because the Duke is injured?”

 

“No way. Are you saying Ian Fraus, the hero of the empire, would let himself lose?”

 

The knights shook their heads.

 

However, the expression of Zenon, the commander of the Ruchtainer’s knights who was watching him, was dark.

 

‘What are you thinking, Killian.’

 

His eyes not only caught Ian’s oddity but also sensed something unusual about Killian.

 

With his clever and delicate movements, he was able to fool even the knights of the Ruchtainer Knights, but he could not fool Zeno’s eyes due to his long experience and skill.

 

There are probably only a few people in the empire who notice Killian’s strangeness.

 

‘To intentionally create an opening in such an important match.’

 

Though Killian was still young, Zenon was well aware of his outstanding skills.

Before he was appointed as the commander of the military police, Zenon even expressed to the Emperor his desire to recruit Killian into the Ruchtainer. 

 

‘If the military and police are defeated by Ruchtainer, it will be a blow…’

 

Considering the recent negative public opinion about the military police and today’s match being Liam’s memorial match, Zenon couldn’t understand why Killian would intentionally lose.

 

‘Ian doesn’t seem to want to win like this either…’

 

Ian, with his strong pride, wouldn’t be satisfied with a victory handed to him on a silver platter. If Ian had to, he might even drop his sword and refuse to attack, even if Killian were to openly offer himself.

 

So Killian, deliberately giving an opening and not attacking, was perplexing to Zenon.

 

Zenon, adopting a conservative approach, clenched his fist and watched the match.

 

Was Killian testing Ian?

 

Or did he have another plan in mind?

 

Or was he trying to further excite Ian, who approached the match with a rather balanced attitude, to electrify the audience?

 

The awkward psychological battle between Ian and Killian stirred the people’s enthusiasm.

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TRANSLATOR:

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