Night came, and it was finally time for the ceremony to start. It kicked off with a party, where the nobles talked and drank as much as they wanted for some time.
Finally, the Duke arrived at the hall, and he was announced.
Silva, who had been in a corner ever since they arrived, looked up to see the Duke, his biological father.
The Duke walked in with two children by his side, his son and his daughter, their heads held high as pride oozed from them.
'So I would have been one of the pompous brats if he had kept me?' Silva thought. After that, he didn't pay heed to them and just got some food to eat.
No one else was eating at that point, so the Duke noticed Silva. He turned his head a little to look at Silva, but the darkness of the corner didn't allow him to see his face properly.
The Duke went up and took the highest seat, his children also sat beside him. He took a glass of wine and held it up.
"I welcome all of you to this occasion. It is to celebrate the discovery of an A-rank labyrinth and to award the man that found it.
This will serve as another opportunity to strengthen the kingdom of Vermilion, and as a town under my jurisdiction, it brings me great honor as well.
Baron Ezra, please step forward," the Duke said and finally dropped his glass.
The baron looked over at Silva, signaling him to follow. Silva let out a sigh and followed the baron closely behind.
When the nobles saw the kid following, they started asking questions as to who Silva was. The baron didn't even come out with his own children, yet he brought this child.
When the Duke saw Silva, he raised his brow. He gazed at Silva as though he was trying to pierce through Silva's soul.
But Silva was not disturbed; he had layers upon layers of mental and soul protection. He knew things would happen, and so he did well to invest in certain skills and spells.
'Seems Dad over there can't recognize me. Well, he didn't even look at me for more than five seconds before declaring me worthless.
Normally, I shouldn't care about this, but my pride as a human and as a dragon is biting at me, and I'll never have peace until I see this man breaking down in tears.
Still, I'm too weak to oppose him. He is a Duke; his strength is extreme. I am very sure that he has evolved as well.'
Silva and the baron knelt before the Duke.
"Baron Ezra, for your contributions to Vermilion, I, Duke Terron, on behalf of King Charles Vermilion II, raise you to the status of Viscount.
You will receive all payments worthy of your status, as well as a three-year tax exemption. You may rise," Duke Terron said.
The baron got up and bowed to the Duke. He was about to turn and leave, but then the Duke spoke.
"Viscount Ezra, I have heard that there is a rising genius from your town. After seeing this young man with you, I feel inclined to ask," the Duke said.
"Your eyesight is indeed great, my Lord. This young man is Silva. He is currently acting as my guard, but he is a B-ranked adventurer," the Viscount said.
What he said caused a slight uproar in the hall; everyone started saying how unbelievable that was.
The Duke raised his hand, and everyone fell silent. He looked at Silva and spoke.
Silva did as he was told and took a step forward.
"How old are you, child?" the Duke asked.
"Twelve," Silva answered, causing another uproar. The Duke silenced them again.
"It seems the Viscount is proud of your strength for him to take you as a guard.
So then, let's gauge a friendly spar: you versus my son Oliver here. He may be older, but I believe you won't find an issue with that," the Duke said.
"No issues, my Lord, but I do pray that whatever the outcome, I will not be held accountable," Silva said.
The Duke frowned when he heard that. Silva was implying a few things: one, he was going to beat the hell out of the Duke's son, and two, he was certain that he would win.
"Alright, I agree to your terms," the Duke said.
The son of the Duke didn't say anything. He simply got up in obedience to his father. As he walked past Silva, the disdain was evident in his eyes.
A space was cleared at the center of the hall for the fight. The Duke ordered that the guards hand them swords in order to ensure that no special swords were used.
The Duke sat on his seat, expressionless, and raised his hand. Once his hand came down, the match would start.
"Why do I have to touch a vermin like yourself, adventurer scum?" Oliver said to Silva. He was obviously pissed that he had to spar with this peasant.
"I hope you use your blade as fast as you run your mouth. It would be a shame if you lose here," Silva said.
His words were targeted to hurt, and they did just that. Oliver's face distorted in rage as soon as he heard that.
The Duke dropped his hand, and Oliver charged immediately. "I'll kill you, commoner scum!" he yelled.
'Show me how strong you are, brother.'
Oliver stabbed at Silva. Silva took one step back, just barely getting out of the reach of the sword. Then he used his sword to tip Oliver's sword aside and stepped in for a clean headbutt.
Oliver's head shot back, and he nearly went unconscious, but he remained awake. No one in the hall had expected Silva to pull off such a move. This was a fight of sword and magic, and so his move was unconventional.
"You see, when you live as an adventurer, you pick up certain things," Silva said, then took a stance.