Vale grinned mischievously, having overheard the Marquis's whispered words.

'We'll see your reaction later'

He chose not to comment since he was confident that they would soon realize the caliber of their opponent.

Vale had no intention of harming them since they needed to be in their peak condition once they rebelled, but he was determined to showcase his prowess in this battle.

They needed to understand their place in the hierarchy of strength. After all, if the hierarchy was properly established, then the respect and benefits he'd receive would surely satisfy him.

"Oh! I heard that there will be a duel! You're not thinking of fighting before us, right?" Lisa's voice interrupted as Vale was about to invite the Marquis and his subordinates to the training grounds of the castle.

During his conversation with the Marquis, Vale was aware that Faith and the others were eavesdropping.

This was also why he agreed to assist the Marquis. Since they all sought to eliminate the individuals behind the artificial human experiment, Vale readily agreed.

Anyway, he didn't think that Lisa would come out now.

'Did she become this rash because of her bloodline?'

"Yes... Do you want to join us?" Vale offered after a moment of thought.

"Mhmm... You can fight the black guy, and I will fight the white guy... Is that alright?" Lisa proposed.

Before Vale could respond, Pearl interjected, "I want to try my newly recorded spells, Vale. I will fight the black one instead."

'Then, I won't be fighting anyone?' Vale sighed after hearing this since he really wanted to see how his Cursed Flame would fare against the Knights.

Anyway, he could probably ask Faith to summon a creature for him to practice on so he agreed to their requests.

"Alright Lisa will have a duel against the White Knight and Pearl against the Black Knight. Marquis Morgan, is this acceptable?" Vale asked.

"Normally, not anyone could challenge these Knights because of their rank. However, if you believe that your companions deserve to experience a duel against the best Knights of the Kingdom, then I have no objection." Marquis said with a smile.

***

Soon, everyone in the castle made their way to the training grounds, a vast expanse enclosed by towering stone walls and adorned with intricately designed banners depicting the castle's emblem.

According to Magnus, these banners were gifted to him by a nobleman more than two decades ago, and since they have various mystical effects in their surroundings, like refreshing air, cool breeze, dust absorption, and others, he decided to keep them here.

The grounds were also meticulously maintained, with ornate stone pathways crisscrossing the area.

Sparring dummies and training equipment were neatly arranged along the periphery, and a grandstand provided an elevated viewing area for spectators.

It seemed a bit too big for them.

'This is weird'

Marquis Morgan started to notice that there weren't a lot of people in the castle. He couldn't help but feel curious about how they were able to defend this castle.

To be honest, he expected this castle to have hundreds of knights training here and guards all over the place.

However, he didn't even notice a single knight patrolling the surroundings or guarding a post!

'Did Vale order them to hide?' He couldn't help but think of this.

In the meantime, Vale also noticed the Marquis' confusion, but he decided not to tell him that there was no one else in the castle besides them!

Well, excluding the two Mystical Entities that Magnus imprisoned in the castle's basement.

After some quick discussion, they established a set of rules for the duel. The victor would be determined when the opponent lost consciousness, could no longer move, was unable to cast Arcane Arts, or surrendered.

Then, Faith was chosen to act as the referee.

'Whoa~'

Marquis Morgan found himself greatly impressed by Vale at this moment. Lisa, Pearl, and Faith were all remarkably beautiful women, and he couldn't shake the suspicion that they might be otherworldly beings, particularly Faith, with her ethereal pallor.

'They're also incredibly strong women Especially that girl with blue hair. It feels as if I'm looking at an Immortal.' Morgan couldn't help but sigh as he realized how lucky Vale was...

Clank. Clank. Clank.

As the white knight stepped forward and positioned himself in the center of the training grounds, he towered over Lisa, making the impending battle seem unfairly matched.

However, as he drew closer, he was enveloped by a daunting aura emanating from Lisa.

"Mhmm What's with this malevolent aura?"

He whispered to himself, taken aback by the unexpected display of power.

Nevertheless, he didn't show his reaction as he maintained his stance and held his sword, ready to withdraw at a moment's notice.

Faith surveyed each participant.

After ensuring their readiness, she promptly announced the start of the duel!

At the same time, Magnus also activated the stage's formation art to ensure that no spectators would get hurt by stray spells.

Cling~

The White Knight unsheathed his double-edged sword, its blade pulsating with a vibrant purple light. He swiftly used the Morgan Family's sword technique to overcome Lisa's Arcane Defense since he anticipated her casting a defensive spell and creating a gap between them.

Although he didn't know which Arcane Path she was practicing, he was able to guess that with Lisa's slim figure, she was a pure Spellcaster who would rely on incantations or artifacts to attack her opponent.

He wasn't looking down on her, but based on his experience, he knew that his guess was most likely correct.

'I'll end this quickly This is the best way to help the Marquis.' He thought to himself, preparing to enact his strategy.

However, to his surprise, Lisa took an unexpected approach.

Instead of casting a defensive spell and evading to create distance, she advanced toward him unarmed, with only a red glove adorning her right hand.

Then, she made a move as if she intended to catch his sword.

"This crazy" The White Knight was surprised by the move and felt that his opponent had gone insane!