The day after Eluria challenged Blofeld to a duel, she found a spot for their battle in the plains outside the imperial capital. “Mm, good. This should be far enough from any people or structures.”
Alma walked up beside her looking exasperated. “Eluria, are you seriously doing this? I mean, it’s nice of you to find an isolated spot for the battle...but is this even necessary?”
“It is,” she replied firmly. “You see, when mercenaries and bandits are without their leader and cannot come to a consensus, they make a decision via a duel. Where they come from, the strong rule over the weak.” Bandits were lawless and selfish by nature—they were most likely to submit to the strong, as opposing someone you couldn’t beat was the most foolish way to die.
However, the most important detail was the fact that Blofeld had called Eluria the “Silver Witch.” That had been her nickname among the Altanian soldiers before she’d come to be known as the Sage, at a time when she and Raid were only starting to hear about one another and—if her memory served her right—when Blofeld was still active as a bandit. This had led her to believe that Blofeld was proposing a duel.
Alma waved her hand with a groan. “That’s not what I mean. Why don’t you just ask His Excellency himself? You can’t tell me that’d be harder than going through all this, right?”
“Mm-hmm... Raid would probably tell me if I asked.”
“Then—”
“But,” Eluria cut in, her gaze sharp and unreadable, “I don’t think...I should make him talk about this.”
Alma narrowed her eyes. Sensing something more behind Eluria’s words, she let out a sigh and decided to back down. “Fine. I’ll summon Blofeld and leave.”
“Okay. Blofeld and I will be beating each other up, so get ready to chug like your life depends on it.”
“And that’s why I really didn’t want this to go through...” Alma grumbled. “I’m sure Lady Tiana’s gonna force it down my throat no matter what... I might as well find somewhere to get comfy.” She spun on her heel and walked away while waving her hand.
Finally, once Alma’s figure disappeared into the distance, particles of light converged into a much larger figure that loomed over Eluria. “Bah ha ha! What a great day for a fight!” Blofeld’s voice boomed raucously across the plains. He hefted an axe—much larger than a house—over his shoulder and looked down at Eluria with a fearless grin. “Come at me, silver kiddo! I’ve been waiting far too long now!”
Eluria quietly looked up at the large man for a moment. “Blofeld.”
“What?! You’re not backing out this late into the game, are you?!”
“We’re the only ones here,” she said, smiling. “You can drop the act now.”
Blofeld’s smile froze, twitching once, before it swiftly fell from his face. “Are you sure?” he quietly asked.
“Mm-hmm. I told everyone else not to come.”
“Oh yeah? Guess I can put this away, then.” With a grin, Blofeld swung his axe into the ground and plopped down beside it with a heavy thud. Legs crossed and cheek resting on his fist, he slightly hunched his back to be on eye level with Eluria. “Whew... Been a while since I got to be myself.”
“You haven’t told the truth even to your squadmates?”
“I mean, I’ve been acting this way since my bandit days because everyone always expects ‘great things’ from a descendant of the giants... I’m kinda embarrassed to stop after all this time.” Blofeld let out a yawn as he lazily scratched his stomach.
Nobody would have thought this was the same man who was constantly rampaging through every battlefield he could find. Regardless, these were the true colors of the human named Blofeld.
“Ugh... Seriously, what a pain. People used to mock me for being too tame despite my size, and some even called me a monster and threw rocks at me... Then, when I started acting more like a giant—well, whatever they thought a giant was like, anyway—bandits and ruffians started hanging around me until I somehow ended up their leader...” Blofeld sighed. “I just wanted to live in the countryside among the cattle and livestock...”
“You’ve tried to live in isolation before, haven’t you? But then you were mistaken for a large-sized manabeast.”
“Oh, you remember that story? I told you that back when I first challenged you to a ‘duel’ during my time as a prisoner of war in Vegalta, didn’t I? The Sage’s memory sure is impressive.”
“Mm-hmm. By the way, don’t you want to have your herbal drink?”
“Oh, can I? I thought it might be bad manners, since we’re talking and all, but if you say so...” Blofeld took what appeared to be a large alcohol bottle by his waist and began chugging it. Nobody would think that it contained an herbal drink to soothe his throat. “Man, it’s so tough shouting all the time. My poor throat. Ha ha!”
Blofeld had always been a pacifist. Alas, born as an atavist, he had manifested the large build of his distant ancestral giant bloodline and was thus driven from his hometown. From there, he’d lived a life of persecution until he began to abide by people’s expectations. Bold, crass, loud, violent—by playing the role of a “giant” as the people around him expected, he was finally able to protect himself.
Ultimately, it led to him attracting the unsavory crowd, becoming their leader, and even launching an invasion on Altane—only because he couldn’t bear to let his followers starve to death when they all looked to him for guidance. The misdeeds they’d conducted—theft and plunder, for instance—were undeniable, but Blofeld had forbidden his followers from taking human lives unless their own lives were threatened. He’d even promised them that he would personally deal with any officials who’d come after them.