A Hospital in Another World? C.304

Garrett finally snapped back to reality, stepping back two paces under Aurora’s forceful guidance. Meanwhile, in the center of the crowd, Lady Seraina, with a smile on her face, neither nodded nor shook her head but instead turned to Count Inverness:

"Father, I have the right to choose my own dance partner, don’t I?"

"Of course—of course," the count nodded. He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, in crisp military attire, with deep lines between his thick, dark eyebrows. Facing his daughter’s question, his brows furrowed slightly, but he ultimately gave an affirmative answer:

"My daughter, at any time, you have the right to choose your dance partner. However—the Hopman lad is quite a decent person, a 25-year-old level 7 knight, quite a match for you. Perhaps you should consider it?"

He glanced at his wife as he spoke. The countess immediately added:

"Yes, Seraina. This child is my nephew, and frankly, he’s been raised by our entire family. He’s serious and hardworking, with quite a good character. By the goddess above, you’re already 20. When I was your age, I was already married to your father and had given birth to your brother—"

Seraina maintained her graceful demeanor, her hands clasped in front of her, smiling as she listened. Upon hearing this, her lips curled slightly upwards, and she leaned in towards her stepmother:

"Yes..."

She then whispered something quietly that Garrett couldn’t make out from afar, but it was clearly not meant to be flattering. The countess’s face turned red, then pale, and then back to normal after a moment. Garrett stopped in his tracks, not venturing any closer.

Lady Seraina cast a sidelong glance at Knight Hopman, lifted her head, and walked past him straight forward. Immediately, several young nobles stepped out:

"Miss Seraina, may I have this dance?"

"Lady Viscount, may I have the honor?"

"Beautiful miss..."

Lady Seraina’s gaze briefly swept over Garrett, who stood quietly in the crowd, making no move to come forward, and she smiled gently. Extending her hand, she touched the nearest gentleman who seemed acceptable:

"My pleasure, Mister Pierre~"

Light on her feet, her skirt swirling, she danced through one song and then with another lucky gentleman. Knight Hopman stood by the countess, his face growing darker by the moment, his eyes almost shooting fire as he watched Lady Seraina’s dance partner.

Garrett made it a point to pass by him. Pretending to be nonchalant, he strolled past, two meters away from Hopman, sneakily observing him. After a while, he circled back for another look...

As the third dance ended, Lady Seraina excused herself to change her attire and took a break. The guests paired off to dance, and Garrett was about to sneak past again when Lynn, the mage, grabbed him and pulled him into a corner:

"What are you doing? Didn’t you see that guy is about to explode? Everyone else is avoiding him, and you’re walking right into the lion’s den. Be careful he doesn’t take it out on you!"

"What can he do to me?" Garrett was slightly indignant:

"I haven’t provoked him; I’m just walking past! The banquet hall isn’t his house; what can he possibly do to me?"

The two glared at each other in the corner, neither able to persuade the other. Amidst their standoff, a roar suddenly erupted from the center of the dance floor:

"Pierre, I challenge you to a duel!"

Garrett immediately looked in the direction of the sound. Oh no, Knight Hopman, with a stormy expression, was staring down the young noble who had first danced with the hostess. Between them on the floor lay a white glove, shimmering with silver, seemingly embroidered with numerous patterns.

"See!" Lynn took the opportunity to lecture Garrett:

"If I hadn’t stopped you, you’d be the unlucky one. Ah, I remember this Hopman now. Their family’s Spider Swordsmanship is quite peculiar, known to challenge opponents above their level. His opponent is in for a tough time; I wonder if our lady viscount will intervene..."

In the midst of their conversation, the duel began. Hopman’s swordsmanship was indeed peculiar as Lynn described, often striking from unexpected angles. Garrett watched in amazement:

"Is this the Spider Swordsmanship?"

"Yes! Legend has it that their ancestor ventured deep underground and returned with a special bloodline, allegedly after an in-depth encounter with a demon god," Lynn shared eagerly, his eyes sparkling:

"Their family members all have unusually long arms and fingers, which allows them to execute sword moves others can’t. However, their constitution is relatively weak, so their techniques

focus on being tricky and fast, avoiding direct confrontations. They rarely produce high-level knights, and it’s said that the demon god’s bloodline is cursed, often leading to sudden deaths in their prime..."

"So, the legends are true? Their family has spider blood?" Aurora also leaned in curiously. Garrett, however, was interested in something else:

"You said their family has long arms and fingers? How long? Can their hands reach past their knees? Can their thumb stretch out half a joint across their palm?"

"I’m not sure about that..." Lynn scratched his head. He had only heard gossip and hadn’t verified it himself. They exchanged glances and edged closer to the duel. Aurora called out from behind:

"Hey, didn’t we agree not to get closer?"

Garrett turned back and winked at her. Just as he was about to reply, a shout from the second floor of the banquet hall rang out:

"Hopman! You’ve gone too far!"

With a clang of swords, Lady Seraina, furious, dressed in all black, leapt from the second-floor railing. Before landing, she swung her sword, casting a sharp light, and with a single flick, sent Hopman’s long sword flying.

"Lady Seraina, are you protecting this man?"

Hopman’s face contorted with anger. Suddenly, his eyes darted around as if he had thought of something, and he forced a smile:

"That’s fine. Remember, miss, you once said you’d only have feelings for a warrior who defeats you. So, if I can best you in one move, may I have the honor of a date with you?"

"Hopman!" Count Inverness scolded. Hopman turned and smiled at him, bowing slightly:

"Count, I only seek a chance to pursue the miss. Please rest assured, my admiration for her is sincere, and I will not harm her. Let’s say, if the miss suffers even a slight injury, I’ll consider myself the loser and never see her again. How about that?"

Count Inverness pondered for a moment, about to speak, but was pulled back by the countess. Behind Hopman, an old priest with a robe edged in silver quietly stepped forward:

"Rest assured, my lord. My great-nephew will be careful. Even if the lady accidentally gets hurt, with me here, you need not worry about my boy suffering any irreversible damage."

Count Inverness fell silent, and Hopman, with a hint of smugness, turned to Lady Seraina, his long sword twirling lightly in his hand:

"What do you say, Lady Seraina? Shall we try? If you’re unwilling, I won’t force you, but I hope you’ll grant me the honor of a dance..."

"No need for words, come on!"

The swords clashed again. Garrett hastened to the front. But with the two level 7 knights moving at high speed, a tangle of pale gold and silver light rolling from the center of the hall to the doorway, and then from the doorway to the outside square, Garrett could barely make out anything...

Suddenly, a sword rang out, and Lady Seraina exclaimed, "Ah!" Hopman’s triumphant laughter followed:

"Lady, shall we stop? Rather than fighting you, I’d much prefer to dance..."

"Silence! Again!" The lady knight charged once more. They resumed their fierce battle, Lady Seraina’s pale gold sword light occasionally flaring up, then subsiding, but never breaking through Hopman’s defense. After five or six minutes, another "Ah!" echoed, and a piece of black fabric fluttered down from Lady Seraina’s attire, landing on the ground.

"Ah!"

"Be careful!"

"Lady, watch out!"

The onlookers gasped in shock. Even a few hot-headed ones shouted, "Hopman, you’re inhuman! To bully a lady like this! —Lady, step back, let me take your place!"

This comment seemed to ignite a powder keg. Most of the attendees were guests invited by Lady Seraina, along with their companions. Generally younger and less experienced, their tempers flared much more easily than those of the older generation. Relying on Hopman being preoccupied with the duel, a barrage of shouts, curses, and even foul language erupted.

"Silence!" Hopman roared. He leaped backward, swinging his long sword, sending a blood-colored sword light slicing through the air, creating a three-foot-deep, six or seven-foot-long fissure at the feet of the two closest onlookers. He raised his long sword, pointing it at the crowd:

"Whoever curses again, after this duel, I’ll challenge them to a duel!"

The square instantly fell silent. Garrett’s eyes lit up:

He saw it clearly! Hopman was exceptionally tall, probably two meters, tall and thin. The hand holding the sword had unusually long fingers, even pressing

down on the second knuckle of the middle finger while holding the sword hilt!

As for his left hand, hanging by his side, though not absurdly long enough to reach his knees, it almost touched them!

Their family has unusually long arms and fingers... not very capable of taking hard hits... often sudden deaths...

Garrett’s mind raced, the answer almost leaping out. On the square, the duel continued, and moments later, Lady Seraina exclaimed again, presumably struck somewhere. Garrett tensed up, shouting out:

"Seraina, be careful! Either stall him long enough or force him with a powerful move! Clash with him!"

"It’s useless! He’s stronger than me, I can’t overpower him with a powerful move!" Lady Seraina shouted back. Garrett urgently replied:

"It works! His family has a hereditary condition, weaker than average by one level, and can’t withstand intense activity. He wouldn’t dare clash with you! —Clashing too much could lead to his sudden death!"

"Clang!!!"

A sword light aimed straight at him. Reflexively, Garrett stepped back, his mage armor shattering silently half a foot in front of him, as a translucent force field sprang up. Triggered by the 【Endless Ink Pen】, it protected him just in time.

Across the barrier, Hopman’s face twisted in rage. He held his long sword straight, targeting Garrett’s forehead, his eyes full of murderous intent:

"Who are you?! Daring to insult my family, I challenge you to a duel!!!"