Another Stupid Isekai

pan,d a-n0vel The guy had perfectly polished, silver-plated full plate armor, and even a helmet with decorations in form of winds made out of metal. One on each side. His weapon of choice was a two-handed sword. A fancy one, as the handle had some gold and gemstones on it.

The front edge was rather normal, but the back edge was more like a saw. The metal used to make it had to be something fancy, but even with my knowledge, I wasn’t able to tell what it exactly was, as the blade was iridescent. Going from violet where there was less material, to almost black where there was more.

Compared to him, Leonel looked very much like a complete newbie. Not only in plane clothes, but also with my pudao, which wasn’t looking like anything special. The design stayed the same, with the red ribbon attached to the ring at the opposite end.

If you were a layman you would probably put all your money on the asshole, but my keen eyes were able to detect that their physical capabilities were very similar to one another. I noticed it with how they stood there, making only small moves. The difference still was in gear. After all, Leonel didn’t have any armor, and all the fancy shit sleeping in my weapon was inaccessible to him.

I saw him fight plenty of times, but not to the very end of his abilities, so it was hard for me to tell who would win this. I wasn’t even sure if my son understood how close this fight could actually be. He never struck me as somebody overconfident. Still, I was a bit worried, as he seemed very calm. Maybe a little too calm, judging by the knowledge I acquired by just looking at both of them.

They looked at one another nervously, but then their attention switched to Will, as he started going towards the stairs, put between the stands, leading below. The asshole was the first one to do it, and because of him, Leone’s eyes followed.

– Both ready? – Will asked loud and clear.

He received two confident nods in response.

– Good. On my command you start the duel – he informed them.

Meanwhile, he reached the pit, standing directly between them. He scanned one after the other, before moving himself further to the side. Then he turned around.

– Fight! – he commanded.

The words needed a moment to reach their brains, but when they did, both presented their weapons with extended hands. Leonel held his position, but his opponent began slowly closing the distance. In quite a funny way, but more about this later.

He seemed very focused like his whole life depended on the outcome of this battle. Which was weird, because I understood that Will’s words were already set in stone. The guy had no future in Arc.

Maybe he created some weird scenario in his head, where he was able to pull some strings, or maybe sway public opinion in his favor, which would force my friend to change his mind. I guess he failed to recognize that it was me, who made him allow this fight, not the crowd.

You might be wondering why I did what I did, especially when I knew that the skill gap might be marginal. I just wanted Leonel to shine. He went through a lot and worked hard. This made me feel like it was his time to shine, to be recognized by people around him.

Maybe attract a few girls, who would be seeking his favor.

My son’s careful approach was a clear indicator, that he took a cautious approach, which could be due to his understanding that it could be a tough fight.

– Are you gonna stay there, like an idiot? – the asshole asked.

“An insult, to make Leonel lose his cool”, I thought to myself immediately.

– I’m just admiring the way you walk – he responded. – Did you shit your pants?

His observation was spot on. The guy was moving forward slowly, kinda jumping, like he was expecting Leonel to attack at any moment, ad it made him really look like he shit his pants.

I wasn’t the only one who recognized this, because a chuckle spread among the crowd. Even Will’s lips curved slightly into a smirk.

– The only shit on this arena is you – was the asshole’s comeback.

A mediocre one, if you were to ask me, but it is possible that I am slightly biased.

I was expecting him to attack after this, but actually, it was Leonel who moved first. He started slowly circling to the side, which put his opponent on high alert.

At the first moment, I got worried that he allowed himself to get taunted, but it wasn’t the case, as he seemed completely fine, focused even. It was hard to tell if he decided to put himself in a more advantageous position, or perhaps, wanted to observe the enemy from a different angle, fishing for openings.

If it was me, I would do the letter. It’s actually surprising how much you can find out about your opponent just by watching how they walk. It requires high expertise, and keen eyes, though.

– Come on! – the asshole growled.

“Another attempt”, I thought to myself.

Leonel didn’t respond. He didn’t stop either, positioning himself straight in front of Will, which was interesting.

It also annoyed my friend a bit, as he was forced to move to the side, but my son stayed in that position, looking carefully at the asshole.

– I see you are all about standing like an idiot – he said. – Should I verbalize it for you? I’ll let you strike first. Come on!

“A third one. Why the hell does he care so much about being the one to defend?”, I thought to myself. “He has to be some defensive type.”

Just as the last words resonated in my mind, I saw something terrible. Leonel actually rushed forward, charging with the pudao ready to strike.

The clash, after an annoying delay, was about to begin.