CHAPTER 36: SERAPHINA VALORHEART

The next morning, I woke to urgent knocking.

"Young Master!" Damian’s voice was stressed. "There’s someone here to see you."

I checked the time. 6 AM. "Who comes calling at six in the morning?"

"Seraphina Valorheart."

I sat up immediately.

What the...!!

"She says..." Damian paused. "She says she wants to challenge you to a duel."

Of course she did.

```

[QUEST ALERT: NEW ENCOUNTER]

[SERAPHINA VALORHEART: HONORABLE CHALLENGE]

[DIFFICULTY: A-RANK]

[REWARD: Respect, Potential Recruitment, Reputation Boost]

[FAILURE: Humiliation, Injury, Reputation Damage]

[RECOMMENDATION: ACCEPT]

[SHE’S GENUINELY CURIOUS ABOUT YOUR SKILLS]

[THIS IS A RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITY]

[LOSE WELL = GAIN RESPECT]

```

"Tell her I accept," I said, getting out of bed. "Give me ten minutes to prepare."

"Young Master, she’s S-rank. Are you....."

"I’m not trying to win, Damian." I grabbed my sword. "There’s a difference."

Ten minutes later, I stood at the entrance to the underground headquarters. Seraphina Valorheart waited, looking every inch the legendary holy knight that was described in the book.

"Hadeon Ravana," she said formally. "I’ve watched you fight twice now against Adrian Celestius. I want to see your skills for myself."

"Good morning to you too." I checked my equipment. "When and where?"

There was no time for small talks.

"Now. Helena’s private training ground. No audience except seconds."

"You already arranged the venue?"

"I was confident you’d accept." Small smile. "Was I wrong?"

"No," I admitted. "You weren’t. Lead the way."

As we walked toward the training grounds, I felt the weight of what was coming.

S-rank duelist. Legendary holy knight that never lost a duel.

And I was going to fight her. In the book, she turned out to be one of the strongest.

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

Helena’s private training ground was isolated, it is a deliberate choice for a woman who valued privacy and serious training over spectacle. The arena was fifty meters in diameter, surrounded by high stone walls that blocked outside view. Various obstacles dotted the space from stone pillars to practice dummies and uneven terrain designed to simulate real combat conditions.

Perfect for what was about to happen.

Seraphina Valorheart stood at one end, checking her equipment with the methodical precision of a veteran warrior. Platinum blonde hair cut short for combat. Golden eyes that seemed to evaluate everything they saw.

Everything about her shouted warrior.

I activated Analytical Eye as I approached.

```

[ANALYTICAL EYE: SERAPHINA VALORHEART]

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BASIC INFORMATION

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Age: 17

Rank: S-rank (Peak)

Class: Holy Knight / Duel Champion

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COMBAT ASSESSMENT

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Physical Combat: S-rank

Holy Magic: A-rank

Swordsmanship: S-rank

Tactics: A-rank

Experience: Extensive (100+ duels, 0 losses)

THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME

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PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE

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Emotional State: Curious, Respectful, Evaluative

Motivation: Test worthy opponent, assess character

Honor Code: Absolute (will fight fair)

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RELATIONSHIPS

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Adrian Celestius: 50% (Ally but questioning)

Trust in Adrian: 60% (Lower than expected)

Interest in MC: 15% (Curious about skills)

Recruitment Potential: 15%

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RECOMMENDATION

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SURVIVE. IMPRESS AND EARN RESPECT.

Victory chance: 2%

Survival chance: 91%

Earning respect chance: 73%

She’s not here to humiliate you. She’s here to understand you.

Show her what makes you dangerous despite the power gap.

```

Two percent victory chance. Honestly, I was surprised it was that high.

Damian stood beside me as my second. Across the arena, Sir Cedric Valorheart, Seraphina’s cousin, served as hers. Helena stood in the center as referee, looking vaguely amused by the whole situation.

"You know she’s never lost a duel," Damian said quietly. "Ever."

"I’m aware."

"And you’re still doing this?"

"Would refusing make me look strong or weak?"

He sighed. "Point taken."

"Besides," I checked my sword one final time, "I don’t need to win. I just need to not embarrass myself."

"The bar for success keeps getting lower," Damian muttered.

Helena’s voice rang out across the arena. "Rules are simple. First blood, incapacitation, or surrender ends the match. No killing strikes. No outside interference. Both fighters understand?"

"Understood," Seraphina and I said simultaneously.

"Weapons ready." Helena raised her hand. "Begin!"

Seraphina didn’t charge immediately. She drew her sword, a beautiful blade that practically hummed with holy power, and settled into a combat stance to start evaluating me.

I drew my family sword, shadow magic coiling around the steel like living darkness.

Light versus Shadow. How poetic.

"I’ve watched you fight Adrian twice now," Seraphina said, slowly circling. "Both times you survived longer than you should have. I want to understand how."

"Maybe I’m just lucky."

"Luck doesn’t get a blade to an SSS-rank’s throat." She shifted her stance slightly. "Show me your tactics, Hadeon Ravana. Fight me like you fought him."

Then she moved.

Like the wind.

S-rank speed turned the distance between us into nothing. One moment she was ten meters away, the next her blade was coming at my head.

I Shadow Stepped left.

Her sword cut through empty air where I’d been standing a heartbeat before.

I counter-attacked immediately, shadow blade aimed at her exposed side.

She blocked without even looking, her blade intercepting mine with casual precision. The impact sent shockwaves through my arms.

Right. S-rank strength too.

"Good reflexes," she noted, pressing her advantage. "But defense won’t be enough."

She attacked again. Three strikes, four, five, each one faster and harder than the last.

I blocked what I could, dodged what I couldn’t, retreated to buy time and space for myself, every blocked strike made my arms ache. Every miss reminded me how outclassed I was.

This wasn’t like fighting Adrian, who played with his opponents. Seraphina was testing me, yes, but seriously. Every strike was potentially lethal if it landed clean.

"You’re thinking too much," she observed, her blade work never slowing. "Stop analyzing and react!"

Easy for her to say. She had S-rank instincts. I had A-rank everything and a working brain.

But she had a point.

I stopped trying to predict her next move and focused on the moment. Shadow Step when she overextended. Block when necessary. Create distance when overwhelmed.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t elegant.

But I was surviving.

Thirty seconds in, I was still standing, and that’s a small victory.

Then her blade found an opening to cut across my left shoulder in a shallow dip, but enough to draw blood.

First blood. By the rules, the match was over.

"That’s the match," Helena started to call out.

"No," Seraphina said, lowering her sword slightly. "First blood, but we will continue.....If he wants to."

I pressed my hand to the bleeding shoulder. The cut wasn’t deep, as she’d controlled it perfectly. I pulled a minor healing potion from my belt and drank it, and the bleeding slowed.

"Why continue?" I asked. "You won by the rules."

"Because I didn’t come here to win on a technicality." Those golden eyes studied me intently. "I came to see how you actually fight. Not just survive. Show me your tactics."

Was this a test? Definitely.

Was I going to pass it? Let’s find out.

"You want tactics?" I asked. "Fine."