Chương 96: Interlude: Sir Deren Valis

Sir Deren Valis considered himself an honorable man. A righteous man, even. As he fastened the final straps of his breastplate and adjusted the polished steel pauldron resting upon his shoulder, he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror. The man staring back at him wore the same face he had always known, yet the cold fury burning behind his eyes made him seem like a stranger. He could not understand how he had been so blind. There had been a time when he genuinely admired Sir Salvek.

When Deren had first arrived at the capital as a young squire, eager to prove himself, it had been Salvek who had noticed his potential and guided him down the path of the duelist. The older knight believed instincts could never be learned through predictable training. A swordsman who expected everything would eventually die to the first unexpected attack. Training under him was brutal. Some days Salvek would throw sand into Deren's eyes in the middle of a sparring match.

Other days he would quietly order two squires to attack him at once without warning. More than once, Deren had awakened covered in bruises, barely remembering how the day's training had ended, yet each time he rose stronger than before. Even to this day, he was still grateful for those lessons. Because of that gratitude, Deren had refused to believe the rumors when whispers spread that Sir Salvek had opened a brothel. He dismissed them as malicious gossip.

The Code of Chivalry demanded that a knight respect women, avoid pursuing them outside marriage, and remain chaste until his wedding day. Those were principles Salvek himself had taught him on his first day. A man who had spoken so passionately about discipline and restraint would never visit a brothel, let alone own one. Even when Salvek began spending time with a creep like Thadwick, Deren saw nothing suspicious. If anything, it made sense. Thadwick was reckless, arrogant, and desperately needed a mentor.

Who better to guide him than the man who had once guided Deren? Everything changed when Thadwick was found hanging from the ceiling. Deren had never read the confession himself, but after Salvek's dismissal from the palace, Prince Aric had explained everything in detail. Together they had questioned Dario and eventually uncovered the location of the shallow graves where the three missing maids had been discarded.

With Lady Celene's help, they recovered the bones and gave the women the dignified burial they had been denied. Still, even now, Deren could not rid himself of the image of the unborn child still resting within its mother's rib cage. No battlefield had haunted him as much as that single sight. So, once that was done, he had gone to confront Salvek immediately, only to confirm that the brothel rumors were true. Salvek denied any wrongdoing. He answered every accusation calmly. Thadwick had acted alone.

If anyone was to blame, it would be Kavard. The brothel was legal, and every woman had signed voluntarily. He even had the contracts to prove it. As for the knightly vows, Salvek called them outdated. He told Deren to loosen up and even offered him a woman. Deren couldn't believe it. Salvek had an answer for everything, yet the young knight couldn't trust him. He knew from Salvek's smug face that he was involved in the deaths of the maids. Sadly, he found himself unable to draw his sword.

One did not simply execute another knight based simply on suspicions, and Deren didn't have any actionable proof to act upon, especially when Thadwick was available as a convenient scapegoat. Still, after that, the image of the perfect mentor he had once respected was completely shattered. The training exercises now looked like excuses to bully the poorest kid with impunity. Teaching him the oath felt like hypocrisy when Salvek himself treated women as goods.

So Deren waited for a reason, an opportunity to sever the stain that his association with such a vile man had left upon his own honor, preferably with his blade. Then the letter had arrived. This time, it was undeniable proof of misconduct. His own handwriting, carrying his own seal, addressed to Deren's beloved younger sister. The man who had once taught him the meaning of honor had looked upon Luxia and seen nothing more than another desperate young woman who could be turned into profit.

That filled his rage as much as the dead maids. Now, it had become personal. Luxia was probably targeted as a direct insult to him. As Deren fastened his sword belt around his waist, the last lingering doubt finally vanished. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. At last, he had his opportunity, and this time, honor demanded that he draw his blade. For his sister, and for Mara, Amilia, and Carry.

Deren stepped out of his quarters, only to find Prince Aric already waiting in the corridor. The prince wore a polished breastplate over a blue gambeson, his left hand resting casually on the pommel of his sword.

"Ready?" Aric asked.

"You're coming too?" Deren raised an eyebrow.

"Of course." Aric smiled faintly.

"Someone has to act as your second." Deren nodded.

"Thank you." The two knights left the palace together, neither speaking as they headed toward the noble district of the capital. The streets were rather busy, but Deren scarcely noticed them. His thoughts remained fixed on the letter folded inside his breastplate. By the time they reached Salvek's townhouse, they discovered they were not alone. Two armored men were already standing outside, pounding hard enough on the front door to shake the frame. Deren immediately recognized them.

"Earl Duval Sollaris? Lord Sollaris Junior?" he asked in surprise. The younger of the two turned around.

"Don't try to stop me, Prince Aric. This is a matter of honor."

"Stop you from what?" Aric asked.

"From challenging Sir Salvek, of course." Aric exchanged a glance with Deren.

"You too, huh?" The older lord frowned.

"What do you mean, 'you too'?"

"We're here for the same reason." Lord Sollaris blinked.

"You came to defend my daughter Paige's honor?"

"Paige?" Deren frowned.

"We're here because of Luxia." The father and son looked at one another.

"Luxia?"

"Did Salvek also send your family an insulting letter?" Aric asked. Lord Sollaris' expression darkened immediately.

"He had the audacity to suggest that the daughter of an earl should earn her living as a doxy." His hand trembled with restrained anger.

"Can you believe such insolence?"

"May I see the letter?" Aric asked. The older noble hesitated before handing it over. Aric examined it carefully before closing his eyes.

"Pika. Cipos. Syneth. Cognar. Velar." For several moments, he silently studied the page before nodding.

"It's also genuine." He traced one finger along the uneven handwriting.

"And judging by the increasingly erratic strokes and missed letters..." He looked toward Deren.

"This one was written after Luxia's. He was considerably drunker by this point." Before anyone could respond, the front door creaked open. A frightened maid cautiously peeked outside.

"We're looking for Sir Salvek," Deren said.

"I'm sorry, my lords." She bowed nervously.

"He never came home last night."

"What?"

"He remained at his establishment."

"What establishment?" Lord Sollaris asked. The maid hesitated.

"The... brothel, my lords."

"I know where it is," Deren said quietly.

"Follow me." As the group turned to leave, two more armored men hurried down the street.

"How dare he write such filth to my niece!" the taller of the two thundered. Deren recognized them immediately.

"Count Maxwell... Sir Maxwell." The newcomers slowed.

"Were you also coming to challenge Salvek?" Aric asked after examining the older knight's posture.

"What do you mean, 'also'?" asked the count. By the time the six men reached Salvek's establishment, the situation had become surreal. Four more nobles were already gathered outside the entrance, hammering on the door with fists and sword pommels alike. Aric stopped walking.

"... Baron Evergreen. And Lord James Evergreen."

"... Count Corvana, and Mister Geroud." Deren thought Count Corvana was smart enough to have come with a former gladiator rather than his own son. His eyes flickered toward young Sollaris, who would probably get slaughtered by Salvek. Maybe Sir Maxwell had a chance as well, but not James Evergreen.

"There's a pattern," Aric said, interrupting Deren's combat assessment. Everyone turned toward him.

"If we include Tristana Cooper..." He looked around once more.

"That would make every young lady debuting this month." The realization spread through the crowd.

"He sent a letter to every debutante?" Lord Evergreen asked, some of the personal outrage leaving his voice as confusion replaced it.

"I believe so," Aric answered.

"There are at least five letters right here." Everyone pulled out their letter.

"The handwriting is steadier here." Aric pointed to Luxia's letter.

"He was only beginning to get drunk." Lord Corvana snorted before shaking his paper.

"Mine was barely legible."

"Yeah, yours was written last," Aric nodded. Sir Maxwell rested one hand upon the hilt of his sword.

"I don't care about the order or whether he wrote one or a hundred." He shouted, "He does not get to write to my niece that way." Without another word, he struck the door with the pommel of his sword, and the pounding resumed. A few moments later, the door finally opened. Salvek stood in the entrance wearing yesterday's clothes. His hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and the smell of sweet wine mixed with stronger spirits clung to him. He looked from one furious noble to another.

For the first time since Deren had known him, Sir Salvek looked genuinely confused.

"What in the world..." The shouting began all at once.

"Explain yourself!"

"You've gone too far!"

"How dare you!"

"My daughter is not for sale!"

"My niece deserves better than this!" The accusations overlapped until they became an unintelligible roar. Salvek raised both hands.

"Please, everyone, if you'll simply allow me to..." Deren didn't wait. Instead, he removed his right gauntlet. The steel glove struck the stone at Salvek's feet with a sharp metallic clang. Silence fell instantly. Deren met the eyes of the man he had once called his mentor.

"For the honor of Lady Luxia Valis, Lady Paige Sollaris, Lady Ruby Maxwell, Lady Darcia Corvana, Lady Kiressa Evergreen, and Lady Tristana Cooper..." His hand settled upon the hilt of his sword.

"I, Sir Deren Valis, challenge you to a duel to the death."