The silence in the training hall was so sharp that it could have been cut with a knife. Two court knights stood facing each other.
Klein stared at the lizard with a piercing, emotionless gaze, which was especially obvious to a Lizardfolk, as lizards perceived everything through their eyes.
The silence was broken by Klein.
"Now explain yourself... I don’t have to tell you what will happen if you don’t" the young knight said coldly.
The lizard was sweating profusely, which was rare, as lizards naturally perspired very little.
"That boy... Edo... He’s dangerous" Toru said almost in a whisper.
Klein nodded slightly before asking:
"Why do you think that"
He said it shortly and bluntly, with almost no questioning intonation. It sounded more like an order.
The lizard swallowed hard before speaking.
"We... Lizardfolk see through our eyes. We don’t recognize faces the way you do... And that boy’s eyes... I saw him before, three days ago, and... Now he’s... like a completely different person."
Without even taking much time to think, Klein quickly replied coldly:
"What are you getting at"
It sounded almost like a command.
"It was my instinct... My head was screaming at me, telling me to kill him, that he was a threat, tha"
He didn’t get to finish.
"GET A GRIP, TORU!" Klein shouted.
"You’re a court knight, for fuck’s sake! Killing someone in their sleep?! Have you lost your mind?!"
The lizard swallowed hard, saying nothing as Klein continued.
"Toru... What you did was disgraceful. Truly pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself. I should kill you right now, but I won’t. I’ll give you a chance, Toru."
The lizard looked at the young knight and said:
"A chance?... What are you talking about?"
Klein spoke with dignity.
"As a knight, you have the right to challenge anyone you choose to a duel, and if they agree, you may fight under whatever conditions you want, with any stake you choose. A title, wealth, love... Anything. But there’s one thing you need to know. Edo may refuse, which is what will most likely happen. And the moment I find out that something has happened to that boy, or that someone has killed him, I’ll know it was you. So don’t try anything. I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Eighth Court Knight Toru."
With that, Klein turned toward the exit of the training hall, leaving Toru alone.
***
"A challenge? Idiot... What an idiot! This makes no sense! That coward Edo will definitely refuse! And I... No... I have to hold back. That bastard Klein already has his eyes on me. Whatever happens to Edo I will pay for it with my life. Yes... That’s definitely what will happen. Fucking brat! Of all people, why did it have to be him who got in my way?!"
Toru remained in the training hall for a long time, cursing Klein and his own instincts.
***
"Toru... I need to keep an eye on him. If I hadn’t been there, he would have killed that boy. I can’t allow that. As much as Edo’s closeness with Leni irritates me, I can’t let anything happen to him."
Klein thought as he walked through the castle toward the third floor, where the chambers of the court mages, their apprentices, and the court knights were located. Klein’s own chamber was among them.
"Edo... I’ll have to warn him about that lizard tomorrow and tell him that he should expect a challenge. I assume that boy has no experience whatsoever. If he accepted the duel, he’d definitely die."
As he thought about it, Klein gradually calmed down after his previous murderous outburst, slowly returning to his usual teenage personality.
"As much as I dislike the idea, I suppose I’ll have to help Edo. I’ll teach him the way of the sword, but..."
Klein suddenly stopped, beginning to panic.
"If I do that, he’ll definitely become stronger, more masculine, and more muscular, and then... He’ll have an even better chance with Leni!! I really, really don’t like this!"
Klein began thinking about how this could bring Edo even closer to Leni.
"Or maybe... By getting closer to Edo and teaching him the sword, I’ll have more opportunities to interact with Leni myself?..."
"YES! THAT’S IT!"
"Edo spends a lot of time with Leni, and if he spends time with me too, I’ll be closer to her! Yes! I’m a genius!"
Thinking about his brilliant plan, the cheerful knight entered his chamber, pleased with himself and his own cleverness.