Absolutely Do Not Touch Eldmia Egga – Chapter 74

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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In the end, because Siegfried didn’t wait for me to finish my meal, my short break was invaded by the sparring parrots.

They say even dogs aren’t bothered when eating, but these guys clearly regarded me as less than a dog.

When I complained about this to Lagnis, who had returned after finishing her business, she laughed as if she found it ridiculous.

“To think the hero would say such things. You must have really taken a liking to him, huh? It’s not exactly wrong, though.”

Lagnis seemed more surprised by the fact that Siegfried had such a normal perspective to observe the surrounding situation, rather than the fact that he had approached me directly to give such advice.

Still, before we met, my evaluation wasn’t this harsh.

Even Lagnis, who had suffered this type of life since childhood, viewed Siegfried’s actions negatively.

The thought suddenly crossed my mind that he might really be treated like a good-for-nothing in the Empire.

“By the way, to even know about the visit from a foreign country, it seems the 4th Princess has been steadily providing information. According to Marquis Vender, this was something only a few among the Emperor’s faction knew about.”

“Hm? Was that what you met about today?”

“That’s right. I couldn’t show my face all day yesterday.”

“Hmm. I see.”

“…Just to be clear, we only had a normal conversation?”

“Well, of course you did.”

“Really?”

For some reason, Lagnis emphatically insisted that they only exchanged light greetings and casual conversation about recent events, even reporting the trivial details as if making a report.

The rest of the classes passed in this fashion, and the day went by.

It was a fairly uneventful day, except for the intense reactions from those around me.

However, the problem came the next day.

“Hmm. So you’re the commoner who defeated the hero?”

A nobleman, dressed in a way that clearly flaunted his foreign origin, approached us as we got out of the carriage and suddenly addressed me.

With curly blonde hair, a jewel-decorated scabbard, a sword fixed to a belt embroidered with gold thread, and rings with gems large enough to be used as knuckles on each finger, this impressive nobleman surveyed me condescendingly, accompanied by three servants, with an extremely arrogant attitude.

The fact that he recognized me meant he should also know who Lagnis beside me was, yet this was his reaction?

Openly scrutinizing me like he was evaluating a servant in front of their master?

“…Who…”

Lagnis was about to open her mouth, maintaining her composure as much as possible despite being dumbfounded by this sight.

The man, who looked most similar to the medieval nobles in my memory but with an extremely crude opulence added, continued speaking while stroking the pommel of the sword at his waist.

Completely ignoring Lagnis, he said:

“I want to see your skills. Follow me.”

And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he started walking towards the sparring grounds without even checking my intention?

Under my neatly ironed wine-colored half-cloak, which the servants had diligently prepared as always, I felt as if the bad Eldmia and the worse Eldmia were crawling out for the first time in a while.

Sharing this incredulous feeling with the Eldmias in my mind, I stared at the man, taking a step.

Sensing something amiss, he turned his head and suddenly frowned, raising his voice slightly.

“What are you doing? I’m a busy man.”

Whoa, whoa.

Let’s calm down, little Eldmias.

Even if it’s an astronomical probability, isn’t it the duty of a true modern person to at least check?

I discreetly held back Lagnis, who was about to rush forward with her face turning red with indignation, and then I asked the only possibility that could justify such behavior:

“Are you the Emperor?”

Honestly, it would be rude even if he were the Emperor, but it could be excusable.

Conversely, if he wasn’t the Emperor, treating me like his subordinate in this way while Lagnis, my nominal master, was standing right there with her eyes wide open, was not just an unimaginable discourtesy but an atrocity on par with spitting in our faces.

That’s why the numerous students who happened to witness this absurd scene as they passed by stopped in their tracks, aghast.

The more noble-minded students turned pale with shock, even though it wasn’t their business.

That’s how fucking ridiculous this was.

Of course, I knew he wasn’t the Emperor, but wasn’t this a situation where I had no choice but to ask if he was?

The man’s gaze at me was quite different from the others.

“Ahem. Although I have the bearing of nobility ingrained in me, to be mistaken for His Majesty the Emperor. It feels good…”

Huh?

Is this idiot taking this as a compliment?

Not wanting to see his face contorting into a smirk any longer, I cut him off mid-sentence.

“If you’re not even the Emperor, with what confidence are you publicly tarnishing the honor and insulting my master, Lagnis Lien da Levien, the Margrave of Itiesle’s borderlands?”

“…What?”

No, Why are you making a face like you can’t believe this?

The man openly frowned, clearly displeased and irritated.

“How dare you mention the paltry honor of some Itiesle noble and…”

“Draw your sword.”

“Huh?”

“I have no words to exchange with you. Draw your sword.”

To prevent any other nonsense, I drew my sword first and held it upright for the duel oath. Just with that, the surroundings that had been frozen like ice began to stir, and busy movements started.

The nobleman’s three servants stepped forward with grim expressions, shielding their master.

“If you lack the skill to fight directly, appoint a champion. Having failed to prevent the insult to my master’s honor before my very eyes, the only options left to me now are to die in a duel here or to kill you or your champion to belatedly restore my master’s honor.”

I might look like I’m always playing the butler, but I’ve been eating the food of the Ogatorf family, one of the top knight families in the kingdom, for over a year and even studying to become a wandering knight.

To become a wandering knight, there was an unimaginable prerequisite of having to memorize the chivalric codes of other countries as well.

Whether it was to avoid clashing with knights from other countries due to ideological differences while wandering here and there, or for whatever reason, I had to know it all.

So I memorized it, and thus I could be certain.

This treatment warranted a legal duel anywhere on the continent.

Even if I had immediately split his skull in extreme anger, and it turned out he was some duke of a country, it would still be legally justifiable as extenuating circumstances.

And Eldmia Egga, hired as an attendant and personal butler for a week, as a true intellectual who knows how to be faithful to his duties, cannot just let such a shitty situation pass.

“Now…”

“I am Eldmia Ehga. Son of Radan Egga and Ebisher Luina, an apprentice walking the path of knighthood learning the sword of Ogatorf, and a single blade who has sworn to wander for the peace of the kingdom and the tranquility of its people in the future. I have come here pledging to serve and protect my master, but having failed to prevent the insult to my master’s honor, I swear by all the gods that I will surely right this wrong.”

I never imagined there would come a day when I would recite a duel declaration, but that day was today.

Everywhere I go, there’s no end to incidents and accidents.

I really can’t predict what will happen in my life, from one day to the next.

But anyway, I had to finish the declaration.

“I lost my master’s honor in this place, so I will regain it in this place. Until then, I will neither sheathe my sword nor open my mouth.”

A chaotic riot began, with spectating students scattering in all directions to find professors.

“Do you know who I am…”

“Young master. It’s already too late.”

Seeing the three men I thought were servants interrupt their master with bitter expressions, I suspected they might be knights or apprentices themselves.

Given their clear reactions, they were probably knights.

But the nobleman himself still spoke to them with an expression and tone that mixed irritation and disbelief.

“What do you mean it’s too late?”

“That young man has already declared a duel and sworn silence. If we try to leave, he will pursue us and cut us down… Even if the Emperor were to come, he won’t open his mouth until the duel is over.”

“This is absurd. I heard he had matched the hero, so I thought I’d see his skills, but he doesn’t know his place and insults me like this?”

He was truly a miraculous man who made me doubt my ears every time he opened his mouth.

Rather, it was his servants who seemed to have some sense, as they at least understood the situation.

“There’s no helping it.”

“Kill him. He’s worthless.”

“…Then I will.”

Not being able to sense aura is more inconvenient than one might think.

Since I really had no clue how skilled this guy was, I couldn’t tell whether I should moderate my strength or go all out in most situations.

But if I had to kill him no matter what, none of that mattered.

As the two men escorting the nobleman retreated to a suitable distance, the brown-haired man with the most impressive build among the three drew his sword and spoke.

“I am Rag Wenstera, the champion. I draw my sword for the honor of Gwillo Vus Belluin, the firstborn son and rightful heir of my master, Baron Zagnella Vus Belluin. I… apologize to you.”

What was this?

Self-aggrandizement?

Was he implying that he would win?

If nothing else, I could sense complacency dripping from his words.

Finding that sight extremely vexing, I drew up my magical power while he made a simple bow and took his stance.

“Let’s be…”

And just as he was about to take a step forward while muttering quietly, I dove in and sliced through his neck as I passed by.

It was as expected, and nothing remarkable.

In my experience, most people whose aura I couldn’t sense well failed to block my surprise attack when I deliberately exploited an opening.

I was just inwardly impressed by how much better the sword cut than I had expected, I was now familiar with the acceleration.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had cut anything with this sword.

Should I say it lived up to being a sword handed over directly by a dwarven master craftsman?

Compared to the one I used before, it cut so cleanly that I couldn’t even feel any resistance.

I understood why people kept talking about dwarves.

“Huh…?”

I looked at the nobleman and the two remaining servants who still couldn’t grasp the situation even as the cleanly severed head fell to the ground.

“Rag… with one strike…?”

And seeing them unable to close their mouths, I raised my sword again and resumed the stance I had taken at the beginning.

The servants’ faces turned pale upon seeing this.

Regardless, since one duel had ended, I spoke the words I could now utter:

“The champion’s skill was poor, not even worth weighing against the lost honor.”

Duels in this other world had a terrible aspect.

It didn’t matter when it was between the parties directly involved, but when a champion was put forward, this terribleness came to the fore.

The duel wasn’t over until I sheathed my sword.

It wouldn’t end unless they put forward a new champion or apologized and begged for forgiveness.

Even then, the latter required appropriate compensation.

And the fact that they had turned pale meant that this bastard was the type of person who would never apologize.

Did they think I had beaten the hero in a game of flicking tiles?

Well, let’s see how far this goes.

[T/N: I always love seeing eldmia go mad, it’s a shame the other guy was fucking terrible]

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