Taking advantage of a courtesan's favor, clearly, was not without cost.
The more famous bravo, after receiving the Black Pearl's kiss on his wounded cheek, inexplicably bulged his eyes and issued a challenge to Arthur.
"I am not a bravo." Arthur pointed to his ordinary clothes, standing up and taking a step back. He wanted to keep his distance from this hothead. "I am a blacksmith."
"You wear a sword." The bravo was slender and a head shorter than Arthur, but he pressed forward aggressively. "You are a man."
"You aren't wrong. Give me a reason to fight you."
"For honor."
Arthur shook his head. "Your honor holds no appeal for me."
Arthur's words made the bravo's face flush red with anger.
"Blacksmith, you made your sword yourself, didn't you? Hmm... Snow & Peach." The Black Pearl walked over, taking Arthur's hand. She leaned in close, her lips brushing his ear, her tone soothing and full of temptation.
"Isn't this... the perfect opportunity to make a name for yourself? If you win... I might grant you... a not too excessive... request?"
Feeling her warm breath on his ear and hearing her voice, Arthur nodded without thinking.
"I will win this duel. I swear it."
Arthur swore to himself that he hadn't agreed just because he couldn't resist temptation or because the blood rushed to his head.
It was because the Black Pearl's words made him realize something: the skilled but unknown swordsman he was looking for to promote his shop? It was him.
Perhaps his dislike of solving problems with violence had made him overlook his own martial prowess.
Compulsory education really saved a lot of people from becoming thugs.
Standing by the fountain, the blood of the previous loser hadn't even dried yet. Arthur could smell the faint scent of iron in the air.
"Boy, don't fight him! He'll kill you!" The Summer Islander shouted from the stands.
"You'll die for nothing! There's no honor in this!"
"Start already!"
"Let the foreigner taste Braavosi steel!"
The noise from the stands was chaotic, the vibrations almost rippling the water of the Moon Pool.
"Good thing they didn't clean up; saves them doing it twice." The short, thin bravo sneered, his face twisted. He drew the traditional Braavosi weapon: a long, slender rapier.
"Don't blame me, blacksmith. Blame yourself for not knowing your place."
Arthur didn't reply. He simply drew the [Twin-Vipers] from his waist.
The unique shape of the two swords and the complex, dark patterns on their blades looked mysterious and magnificent against the reflection of the Moon Pool's water. They had incredible shelf appeal.
The noise in the stands quieted down as people began to murmur.
"One scabbard, two swords? And two different types of swords at that."
"Look at the blades. How did he get that black pattern? I've never seen a sword like that."
"Those swords are beautiful!"
Up in the private box, the Black Pearl looked surprised as she watched Arthur draw his dual blades and adopt a practiced stance.
The short bravo was focused. Unaffected by the crowd, seeing Arthur draw, he lunged forward instantly, his rapier darting out.
His swordsmanship lived up to his fame. His thrusts were fast, accurate, and ruthless. He stabbed three times in rapid succession, aiming for Arthur's throat, heart, and belly.
He was fast—faster than anyone Arthur had faced before. But... still too slow.
With the double attack speed triggered by dual-wielding via [The Reaver] and the awakening of his 'Sword-sight,' the bravo's strikes looked like they were moving in slow motion. The trajectory of the blade was clearly visible.
Arthur stepped back with his right foot, turning his body sideways. His left wrist flicked, the slender female sword parrying the bravo's rapier with a series of rapid taps.
Cling, cling, cling.
In a flash, the audience heard only three crisp, piercing sounds of metal on metal.
Duels between bravos usually ended quickly.
When the audience recovered, they were shocked to find the broad blade in Arthur's other hand already resting against the bravo's neck.
The razor-sharp edge drew a line of crimson blood from the bravo's skin. The blood sliding down the dark, patterned steel possessed a strange, eerie beauty.
"You lost." Ignoring the gasps from the stands, Arthur said calmly.
"You should be glad my swordsmanship improved recently. Otherwise, even if I wanted to spare you, I wouldn't have been able to."
"I lost," the bravo repeated, his sword arm dropping involuntarily. His rapier clattered to the ground. His moves had been seen through completely. He knew his defeat was total.
"You should have killed me just now."
"You're useful to me alive." Arthur sheathed the rapier but kept the broadsword in both hands.
"If you want to live, pick up your sword. Hold it flat."
Survival instinct made the bravo obey Arthur's command subconsciously.
"Hold it with both hands!" Arthur ordered. "Hold it steady!"
The bravo gripped his rapier tightly with both hands, asking in confusion, "What are you...?"
[Strike]: Used to unleash a burst of attack power.
Before the bravo could finish, Arthur activated the [Strike] card. He felt a surge of explosive power flood his body.
Concentrating this strength in his arms, Arthur stepped forward and swung the broadsword in a full arc, bringing it down directly onto the bravo's blade.
With a screech of metal, the bravo's rapier snapped in two. The break was clean and neat, without even a stray metal filing.
The entire arena fell silent.
"This..."
The bravo stared blankly at the broken pieces of his sword, then at the beautiful patterned broadsword in Arthur's hand. He widened his eyes but couldn't find even a scratch on Arthur's blade.
What did I say to him earlier? Not knowing my place? The bravo swallowed hard. The blood had truly rushed to his head; why else would he have said such things?
"Do you want a sword as beautiful, sharp, and strong as this?" Arthur ignored the bravo's internal crisis and shouted to the stunned crowd in the stands.
"Look for the 'Snow & Peach' Smithy, opening soon near the Ragman's Harbor!"
"Snow & Peach!" The crowd finally reacted, rising to their feet and cheering. After seeing that display, the quality of Arthur's sword was blindingly obvious.
"This name was given to me by the Lady Black Pearl!" Arthur continued.
"Please help me thank her. I love this theatrical name!"
"Snow & Peach!!!" The cheers grew even louder. Some singers even began improvising songs on the spot.
Bellegere, the Black Pearl, stepped out of her private box at the perfect moment, wearing a perfectly practiced smile, nodding frequently to Arthur.
When the cheers died down slightly, Arthur drew his rapier from his waist, displaying it as he announced loudly:
"I will forge swords like the ones in my hand for excellent bravos and swordsmen who duel me.
"Win or lose, as long as your swordsmanship is excellent, I will forge it personally. Of course, if you lose, you must pay me. If you win, I take not a penny!"
Arthur struck while the iron was hot, continuing his pitch.
"This black-patterned rapier is named 'Black Mamba.' The Black Mamba is a type of venomous snake from my homeland.
"The Black Mamba itself isn't black; on the contrary, its colors are quite vivid. But when it opens its mouth, you will find the inside is pitch black.
"When you see the black, be careful. One bite can kill a mammoth." Arthur mimicked the singers and poets, weaving a tale for the audience.
"In my homeland, anyone who can forge a Black Mamba sword is indisputably the Number One Blacksmith!"
"Black Mamba!" The story, full of emotional value, made the crowd cheer again.
"What is the price for such a fine sword?" The Summer Islander Arthur had met earlier shouted from the stands.
"That is a good question. Let my opponent..." Arthur was in the middle of his sales pitch and realized he hadn't actually asked the famous bravo's name.
"What's your name again?"
"Syrio Forel." The bravo whispered.
"Angela Wolf," the thin bravo whispered.
"Let my opponent, the famous Braavosi bravo, Mr. Angela Wolf, tell everyone the value of this sword." Arthur announced.
"He has a more direct feeling for this sword. He is an excellent bravo acknowledged by me, and he will be the first customer of 'Snow & Peach.'
"I give this honor to him!"
Angela Wolf swallowed hard again, making the fresh cut on his neck throb with pain.
"Think clearly before you speak," Arthur reminded him in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Angela Wolf wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looking at Arthur, who was waving the sword around him in display, he announced with a trembling voice:
"I am willing... to pay its weight in gold... to buy a Black Mamba sword!"