This Dungeon Grew Mushrooms

Honor duel.

It refers to an ultimate method of resolving a dispute when two parties have irreconcilable conflict over a matter.

The loser must make concessions on that matter and may not use it as grounds for causing trouble in the future.

Although, in theory, anyone can initiate an honor duel, in practice it is generally only used by dwarven nobles to resolve disputes.

And even then, it is not used very often.

After all, it is a duel. People dying in the process is nothing unusual.

Even if the noble does not fight personally, the one sent in their place will inevitably be a trusted and capable retainer. If anything were to happen, it would be a heartbreaking loss.

Receiving a sudden duel challenge, young Bardley could not help but be shocked.

Because such duels were rare to begin with, and people living outside the mountains hardly knew of them at all.

The last time an outsider had taken the initiative to provoke an honor duel had been more than twenty years ago.

That outsider, who initiated over a dozen duels in a row and beat the Blacksteel Clan into silence, was named Elvian Slein—the sword saint who was now long dead.

Young Bardley narrowed his eyes.

Back then, the Blacksteel Clan had been the laughingstock of the other three great clans for a very long time. And now, he himself had received an honor duel challenge from an outsider!

Worse still, the challenger had insultingly sent only a single puji?!

Did they think he would not dare accept?

Feeling looked down upon, young Bardley stepped forward and glared up at Inanna.

“Human woman, do you even know what you’re saying?”

Inanna nodded.

“I do. If I win, you let us pass.”

“And if you lose,” young Bardley sneered, “you roll right back to where you came from and are never allowed to set foot in the mountains again. Have your duke father send someone else next time—someone with hair on their mouth!”

Inanna nodded again. She trusted Fourteen’s strength.

In fact, it was Fourteen who had suggested the honor duel in the first place. She was merely conveying it on his behalf.

As for the sword saint, he was simply applying the simplest and most effective solution based on his life experience.

If forced to choose between elves and dwarves, the sword saint would pick dwarves.

Even though elves had treated him more kindly, and dwarves had often disliked him, the honor duel was simply too useful.

What to do when someone gives you trouble?

Honor duel.

What to do when someone mocks you?

Honor duel.

What to do when you dislike someone?

Provoke them on purpose, then honor duel.

Honor duels have an unspoken rule: you may only challenge someone of the same generation or older.

The older generation technically could challenge downward, but doing so would be utterly shameful. Even if the challenged party refused, they would receive nothing but understanding and sympathy.

Back then, in his early twenties, wielding Sword Extremity, though not yet at the level 70 lord tier, within the mountains he had beaten not only his peers but also several famous veterans in their forties and fifties.

Unless the heads of the great clans or the few top experts beside the Dwarf King came after him fully armed, he had nothing to fear.

In the end, the Blacksteel Clan had been so cowed that everyone except the clan head avoided him like turtles hiding in their shells. Only then had the matter come to an end.

An honor duel, when all was said and done, was simply about whose fist was bigger.

The sword saint had always belonged to the group with the biggest fists, so naturally he loved this system.

This time was simply a matter of habit.

As for elders challenging juniors…

He was now No. 14 puji, not even half a year old.

Young Bardley looked to be in his thirties. That hardly counted as bullying the young.

Lin Jun was busy thinking about how to transport talent to the north and did not intervene at all. Nor was he worried in the slightest.

Come on, someone not even at sanctum-level probably didn’t even qualify to give the sword saint a warm-up.

Young Bardley had no idea what he was about to face. He only angrily set the time and place, then left with his men.

Honor duels were not fought on a whim. They had to be publicly announced and witnessed by designated authorities.

And in Ashfurnace City, the only one qualified to witness the honor duel between Inanna and young Bardley was the local lord, Bardley Deepfurnace.

“An honor duel? I told you to go give them some trouble, and you ended up with an honor duel? And against a puji?” old Bardley glared at his eldest son, extremely displeased.

“But Father, she was the one who proposed the duel. If I had refused, that would have truly disgraced our family.”

“She proposed it?” Old Bardley paused, then nodded. “Then you couldn’t refuse. That’s on me.”

He waved his hand, sending his son off to prepare.

Inanna’s actions had somewhat exceeded Bardley’s expectations. He had only planned to hassle the delegation a bit before letting them through. After all, it was still a human delegation—he could not actually block them in the city forever.

He had not expected this human named Inanna to respond so fiercely.

Once she proposed an honor duel, young Bardley had no choice but to demand that she permanently leave the mountains upon losing.

After all, if the loser’s punishment were too light, it would reflect weakness on the victor.

But this became troublesome. Giving the delegation a hard time was one thing; actually driving them away was another.

After some thought, he decided that if young Bardley won the duel, he would still allow the delegation to pass. The punishment of banning Inanna from the mountains would take effect only after the delegation had left. That compromise should be acceptable.

He had reasons for deliberately making things difficult for the delegation. Bardley despised humans and elves, these so-called allies.

Elves hiding from start to finish like cowards was one thing.

But humans—the so-called allies—had secretly summoned a Hero. After many investigations, this had now been almost completely confirmed.

When they summoned the Hero and provoked the demon races into war, they had not even thought to notify the dwarves, their allies, in advance.

After the war began, they were unable to withstand the empire. For the sake of the greater picture, the Dwarf King had been forced to grit his teeth and launch an offensive against the empire, even though the elemental riots in dwarven territory had only been half suppressed.

Several ancient siege war constructs were lost. After finally achieving some results and capturing several cities and mountain passes, the humans had suddenly ceased fighting.

The mountain pass his second son had traded his life for had recently been reclaimed by the demon races, their banners flying once more.

How could he possibly hold humans in any regard?

Within the mountains, many dwarves shared views similar to Bardley’s.

On the matter of clashing with the delegation, they would likely have no objection to speaking in his favor.

Thus, while the honor duel was unexpected, it was hardly a major issue.

He knew his eldest son’s temperament well. He would definitely fight personally.

Though he did not believe a puji could pose much of a threat, with only one son left, to be safe he lent young Bardley his own battle armor.

The next day, near midday, the public forging district fell unusually quiet, with only scattered hammering sounds remaining.

Most of Ashfurnace City’s residents had gathered in the plaza, surrounding the duel platform erected overnight.

The news that the lord’s eldest son was going to duel a puji had spread through the entire city in a single day. Those who arrived late could not even squeeze into the plaza.

Inanna poured mana potion onto her hands and evenly smeared it over the sword saint’s mushroom cap. That counted as preparation.

On the duel platform, young Bardley stood waiting, clad in enchanted heavy armor and gripping a crimson iron great axe.

He was determined to smash that woman’s little pet into a puddle of mycelium right in front of her.