blkkgt

Chilly Knight is still shaking the snow off his body as he turns to the source of the voice—the Degenbrecher he was hoping to find, with weapons in hand.

The Black Knight!

I knew you'd return. Now this is the real you!

Degenbrecher looks at her own weapons and realizes something.

Don't get the wrong idea now...

I, Chilly Knight, with—Kjeragandr as my witness, accept your challenge!

May your blade be swift!

Where's that greatsword of yours?

Why the two sticks?

I'm in no mood for your attempt at comedy.

Was that avalanche your doing?

Pretty good! Yes, that was me!

An outsider and troublemaker starting an avalanche is perhaps reason enough to wield my degenbrechers.

We may be surrounded by snow, but falling all the way down from such a height will leave you injured.

A flesh wound won't stop me.

I waited over a decade for this moment, and any flaws in my plan can be patched afterward. The whole of Kazimierz will know of my valiant victory over the Black Knight!

You have a death wish, then.

As Chilly Knight presses record on his camera, the Black Knight leaps forward, swinging her weapons as she did years ago.

Their weapons clash repeatedly as Degenbrecher forces her challenger down to the foot of the small mountain. Chilly Knight grits his teeth, and leaps up from the dead end he was forced into—

His opponent's slightly late swing smashes into the mountain, sending rock flying everywhere.

She follows up with a kick, sending a small stone flying at Chilly Knight, as she had many years ago on the outskirts of Kazimierz. He flicks his blade, slicing it into two.

The knight walks back up the mountain as Degenbrecher returns to a fighting stance as they face each other once more.

I knew it.

I'm not the only one who remembers that fateful day.

Our first meeting. On the outskirts of Kazimierz, you kicked some rubble in my direction and struck me in the head.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Haha. Even if your actions have just betrayed your thoughts?

Unfortunately, in the days since we last met, I've become more than an easy target for you to manipulate at will.

I'll send this next strike straight through your heart!

You won't.

You turned an avalanche into a farce.

Immersing yourself in delusion for too long will only dull your mind.

Hahahaha. The Black Knight dares to boast of force! This is truly—

A faint rumble interrupts his sentence. The knight looks up, and realizes their fight has triggered a new avalanche. A waterfall of snow crashes down with boulders in tow.

Stones collide with metal, and a few momentary muffled screams follow, leaving Chilly Knight collapsed on the ground and submerged in snow.

*cough* *cough*... I expected no less of a three-time champion.

Could the tournaments be easier now than they once were...?

Becoming a victim of the Black Knight's blade—rods, I mean, is my honor.

You don't deserve death.

But Kjerag will no longer welcome you after deliberately causing an avalanche. You'll be exiled.

No, wait.

You're still so powerful, even now, Black Knight. If you return to Kazimierz, you can claim back your championship title at will.

You might not know it, but the competition scene has been declining ever since the Radiant Knight retired. There are many looking forward to your return. The General Chamber of Commerce has even issued a statement that they're willing to make some concessions for you.

I already told you, I'm retired. No matter what Kazimierz offers me, I'm not going back.

But... alright, say Kazimierz's out of the question. There are many more places that could use your might.

So why here? There's nothing but snow and mountains!

Even a man as foolish as I knows a warrior's life only sees value from fighting for as long as we can.

Are you so content to waste your life in Kjerag? Could it be, you actually believe the nonsense written in those scriptures? *cough* *cough*

...That's enough. Save your energy.

What is the value of a Leithanian who cannot use Arts?

Degenbrecher had no answer for this, and so she took her scrappy equipment all the way to Kazimierz. There and then, she thought the 'Glorious Land of the Knights' could give her an answer.

It was rare for her to experience failure, even in her younger days, and her successive victories only solidified her belief that the answer lay in a future arena.

Until she reached the peak with no one left to fight, and no meaningful answers either.

Some Kazimierzians told her, enjoying opulence is what drives them. Her desires would outgrow what she could gain.

Trying to understand this took more energy than her actual fights. All her experiences only made her certain that in the end the so-called 'excellent life' was absolutely boring.

Any grand pretense was only born from the desire to continue living, striving to spice up a boring life.

...No, the most important thing I gained in Kazimierz was the refusal to believe in any lofty ideals.

When I realized Kazimierz only gave me egregiously packaged vanity, I chose to leave.

As for the 'pure duel' you lot love to talk about... I only found it when I first faced off against an avalanche here.

When I rescued avalanche victims off the mountains, I knew that is where I'd stay.

So if you can't get this into your head—

The competition knight is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a mysterious, crude 'snowman'.

Degenbrecher softly sighs, and knocks away the snowman's head, revealing a familiar metal helmet.

There is no response, but warm steam escaping from the helmet vents indicates the presence of life within.

As usual, the locals wait for Degenbrecher to return from the mountain where the avalanche occurred, but today she comes back with a man on her shoulder.

Glad you're late, Madam. I bet my friends you wouldn't be on time today.

It's best not to mess with an avalanche at all. Kjeragandr's wrath is not so easy to forecast.

Degenbrecher nods. Perhaps she has not noticed it, but she has long since grown used to responding to the locals' concern for her wellbeing.

Madam Degenbrecher!

Thank you for finding Hans. Now we're back to business.

Perfect, I just so happen to need this man sent to the station. Get him back to Kazimierz.

That's where he belongs.