Unbeknownst to Blanc, his victory traversed part of the Domain faster than he could ever do since the man he defeated was a well-known challenger, one of the most promising.
The difference in physiques and in Raw Vita made Blanc's fight akin to stopping a cat from scratching you, instead of fighting a man. But that did not stop the youth of the Domain from hunting him down as they walked, challenging him at every opportunity.
If he fought, for the sake of saving time, more would come, his reputation growing. If he refused, they would just attack him, resulting in the same fate. So it was no wonder that they were all losing patience as challengers came one after another, keeping them from properly continuing their journey towards Sera.
Luckily, the challengers stopped coming during the night, allowing them to put distance between themselves and the last spot Blanc was seen in.
However, a detail Blanc overlooked was that these challengers were the sons and daughters of the most elite warriors the Empire had. They had the skill, talent, stamina, and strength to track, follow, and catch him.
Their skills were top-tier even before they were full-fledged warriors.
So it was no wonder that, even if they walked the whole night, by noon, the first challenger would appear, managing to track them down.
"Listen," Blanc said to the woman, already at his limit, "I do not care about what you've heard or this challenge. Leave us be."
"I beg of you," the woman bowed deeply, "It would be an honor to exchange fists with you, and if you win, you can… uh, y-you know."
"I am married and uninterested in affairs," Blanc sighed, "Now be on your way."
"That means I just have to win. I will not deny a challenge when I see one," the woman straightened her back, grinning as she took a defensive position, her fists in front of her face.
"A challenge?" Blanc muttered exasperated, "It was a refusal, not a challenge."
"I don't know what that means," the woman dashed forward as she charged up an attack, aimed towards Blanc's jaw.
He caught her hand, twisted it lightly, bringing their faces close to each other.
The woman was grinning, "A kiss, maybe?"
"Sure," Blanc smiled, "Here is your kiss."
He pulled his head backward before kissing the woman's nose with his forehead, sending her crumbling to the ground.
"Oh my," the woman grinned through the pain and the blood that started leaving her now broken nose, "Such brutality."
Blanc shook his head, "Let's go."
And with that, another challenger met the ground at Blanc's feet, watching the man as he walked away, his reputation growing further. By the afternoon, two more challengers approached. One for Blanc, and surprisingly, one for Velakia.
Both challengers were defeated.
Just before the sun dipped below the horizon, five more challengers arrived.
Two came for Blanc, one for Velakia, one for Tahreni, and one for Lendros.
Though Tahreni and Lendros had merely been innocent bystanders to the mistake Blanc and Velakia made earlier that day, they were now pulled into the chaos.
The language barrier made things difficult at first, but the world's oldest, most universal language quickly smoothed everything out: hand-to-hand combat.
All five challengers were swiftly defeated.
Later that night, the curses Tahreni and Lendros hurled at Blanc were something to behold. But even Blanc didn't hold it against them.
He understood too well how frustrating it was to get dragged into this mess they found themselves in. Their reputation, once Blanc's alone, now shared by them all, had grown beyond what they could manage.
There were no enemies in this Domain, but silence was still meant to be their ally. Blood Seraph knew they were coming to negotiate; word had been sent ahead long ago.
No date, no time, no fixed place had been set for the meeting, all by the design of Celine, his wife, and his in-laws. Unpredictability was their shield.
That was one of the reasons why they traveled on foot.
Because if Blood Seraph had fully betrayed the Empire… If they had joined hands with the Iron Line and the Ulveth Kingdom… Then traps would be inevitable, scattered along every obvious path.
Only by remaining unpredictable, moving without pattern, faster or slower than expected, could they hope to reach their destination safely.
But all that effort would mean nothing if things continued as they were.
It would only take one crowd recognizing them outside of this Domain for everything to fall apart.
Velakia, Tahareni, and Lendros's return home depended entirely on this journey's success. And so, anger spread among them like fire.
Even Blanc, in his frustration, was beginning to feel the weight of it all, unsure what more he could do to get rid of these challengers, beyond moving forward.
One would argue to just go talk to the Lords and Ladies of the Domain; surely they would agree to stop these things.
And that would be wrong, as they were the worst of them all, from what Blanc could hear.
Noble Blood Maiores and its Patriarch, with five wives, six sons, and eight daughters; all adults.
With four sons and four daughters still unmarried, the Patriarch himself was hunting for suitors.
Both inside and outside the Domain, with only one requirement needed, regardless of gender.
Strength above all. No Blood, no wealth, or fiefs. Just strength.
They were the embodiment of the Domain, after all.
So, going to ask them for help would not only reveal who the man was under that reputation but also put him into a dangerous situation, one he could not escape from, as Blood Maroux and Blood Maiores were both Crownbound, meaning he would be unable to deny a marriage proposal if it came to it.
But then, as dawn began to break and spill light across the night sky, Blanc found himself deep in thought... until his gaze caught the dark clouds gathering in the distance, and an idea quietly took shape in his mind.