Chapter 52 (2/2)

(It’s kinda different to what we think of as a knight…)

Heath simply continued to eat, rejecting Doug in-between bites.

As these knights-in-the-making watched this unfold, they couldn’t help but hold their heads.

“M-, Merits…”

Since she told him she wouldn’t fight if it held no merits, Doug was frantically working his mind.

“Then… the dessert for tomorrow’s dinner…”

“Are you actually an idiot?”

“The saber my family keeps as an heirloom―――”

“Don’t need.”

“L-, Land…?”

“What am I supposed to do with that?”

Doug suggested the merits that he had frantically come up with, but Heath wouldn’t budge even a single centimetre.

Doug’s eyes were starting to get a little moist.

But Heath’s reaction was cold nonetheless.

“E-Even if there’s no merits, when a knight is challenged, his pride should―――!”

“Hey. Listen. You say knight this, and knight that, but if I lose to you I’ll lose all chances of becoming one to begin with, you know? The only people who need me are the members of the 18th Division. If I lose that, then forget pride, I won’t even be able to eat. You really think I can afford to accept everyone’s duels? If you get it, then get lost already, because I can’t eat with you annoying me. Geez.”

With that, Heath cruelly waved her hands, as though shooing away a dog.

After that, she paid him no more heed and turned back to her food.

Although there had been no physical battle, it was Heath’s overwhelming victory in this battle of words. Speechless, Doug just stood there silently for a while, completely ignored by her.

That day, Doug left dejectedly. And yes, his eyes were a little teary.

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