Chapter 85
What did you say!?
I apologize, master! I have defiled the honor of the holy knights I have defiled the noble faith! Keugh! Llorente bowed his head while shedding tears.
This The holy knight Daymos gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. The most shameful thing for a knight was to have their weapon taken away by the enemy. The sword of a holy knight represented not only an individual knights honor but the status and the faith of the church as well.
But even though they knew of this fact, the opponent still took Llorentes weapon away.
Ugh! That sphemous man truly harbors hatred for the church. The letter we received from Marens royalists was really true. I wont let him off! Daymos shouted before banging on the table and standing up.
Sir Daymos. I will being with you. Another holy knight, Iod, stepped up in a flurry. Daymos had already lost his reasoning after witnessing his favorite aide returning on a stretcher with head injuries.
Wait a minute, sirs. We must maintain our cool, especially at times like these, Dircht interrupted.
What are you talking about, Dircht?!
My aide was humiliated like this, but you expect us to stay still?! The two holy knights shouted in anger.
Dircht responded in a low, cold voice, Then what will you do once you get there? Are you going to ask him for a duel? And what next? Are you going to cut him down? Do you think the free knights of the campground will praise you for your actions?
...! The two knights flinched, and Dircht spoke in a slightly softer voice.
I understand that you are furious, sirs. If I could, I would send that heretic back into the arms of the Lord right now. But we must endure it for now.
Hmm!
We will be participating in thepetition soon, right? We will have our chance to condemn that man during thepetition. Nothing good wille out of confronting him right now, Dircht continued.
That may be true, but what about the honor of the church?
They are simple and ignorant, no different from thugs who roam the back alleys. Would they truly know of honor? Dircht responded.
...
Sirs, honor is a responsibility given to those who are noble and possess pure blood. Right now, only those who are in the main castle possess the purest of blood. They are the judges of honor. What about those knights staying at the annex or the vige inns? Moreover, what about those who couldnt even afford to enter the vige and have made their residence in shabby tents outside the castle? Is it necessary to pay attention to the mumblings of those weak, simple creatures? Dircht continued.
Hmm The two holy knights nodded with somber expressions. All of them were direct descendants of high-ranking noble families. They were born different from those shabby, unknown knights without names. The purest and most noble blood flowed through their veins.
And honor was a right they possessed.
Sirs. Let us not fall for the provocations of those who are beneath us. Our honor isnt so cheap, is it? Dircht said.
Phew! I would have made a huge mistake today if it werent for Sir Dircht.
Hmm! I also realized that I am stillcking in training. I have put on a shameful appearance today in front of the Lord.
The two knights were quite religious and deep in their faith. As such, they quickly calmed down and expressed their gratitude.
Llorente, Daymos called out.
Yes, master, Llorente answered. His face was full of tear marks.
You will have your sword returned to you in three days, at the joustingpetition, Daymos said solemnly.
M-master.
Shing!
Daymos unsheathed his longsword and straightened it right in front of his chest. The weapon was Evil Destroyer, a de only bequeathed to official holy knights.
Wait until then. I swear on my honor and my faith. On that day, the blood of the wicked unbeliever will spill under my de, Daymos dered.
***
More people gathered in Winslon in these two days, including various lords, nobles, merchants, knights, mercenaries, musical bands, minstrels, bards, and jesters. Winslon overflowed with vitality and energy as it eagerly awaited the beginning of thepetition.
Fights weremonce, and more than ten knights had already perished in duels even though thepetition had yet to begin. Winslons atmosphere was fiery and was engulfed in a strange madness.
During the next couple of days, Eugene continued to stay in the campground and focused all his efforts on building up a rtionship with the free knights. He was equally polite to all knights, and he did not spare any money and effort in treating everyone as if they were a guest in his territory.
Eugenes incredible generosity even caused some knights who were staying in the inns at the vige to move their residence to the campground. They heard that a feast happened every day in the campground.
Dammit. Ive already spent more than 200 silver coins.
Of course, he still had plenty of money left, but Eugene could not help but feel regret at wasting so much money.
But I will gain so much more.
He was certain that he would benefit if he won thepetition. The prize money was enormous in itself, and Eugene would be satisfied if the equipment bestowed to the winner was simr to Wolfughter in value.
And if I annihte the opposing troops in the mock battle, he would surely allow me to participate in a subjugation, right?
He would surelye across a red mana stone among the three evilnds located in the county. If he was lucky, he might evene across two or more red mana stones.
Sir Eugene! Lets get going! The free knights shouted while flocking towards him.
Let us go, Eugene responded. They had decided to travel together to the venue of the knightpetition. As such, Eugene climbed onto Silions back before moving with the other knights.
Will Sir Eugene be participating in the joustingpetition?
Naturally. What about all of you? Eugene responded.
Ive given up. I only have one set of armor, and if I lose, I do not have enough money to pay my ransom.
Same with me.
Tsk! It seems everyones in the same boat.
The joustingpetition was the most popr event in the knightpetition, and it attracted the most spectators. The charm of the joustingpetitiony in the fact that two heavily armed knights would sh head-first while galloping on their horses. The excitement of jousting was unparalleled.
It was said that knights battled each other with maces and longswords in the past. But only woodennces were allowed inpetitions, due to the dangers of using real weapons. Still, the joustingpetition was dangerous, and quite a few knights had been injured and killed during eachpetition.
But this wasnt the only problem either.
The loser of each of the events had to pay ransom to the victors. However, the losers of the swordsmanshippetition only had to pay about fifty silver coins, while the losers of the joustingpetition had to bear the costs rted to their horses as well as the victors horses. As such, it was incredibly rare for poor free knights to participate in joustingpetitions.
Many nobles would be willing to hire those who disy their skills at the swordsmanshippetition.
Isnt it the same with the mock battles? The lords pay more attention to mock battles than the joustingpetition.
Thats right. The losers have to pay their ransom for all the events, but theres still a possibility that an ally wille to your rescue in the mock battle.
The free knights stemmed from shabby, lesser families, and they had traveled from ce to ce while living frugally. They were practically betting their entire lives on the swordsmanshippetition and the mock battle.
Am I the only one who will participate in the joustingpetition here? Eugene said.
The knights responded with enthusiastic expressions.
Dont lose to those rich, snobby people, Sir Eugene!
Dont lose heart, even if they may be from a barony or a viscounty. Technically, you also have your own territory in the Carls Baggins Penins, right?
Show them the spirit of the campground, Sir Eugene!
Over the past few days, the free knights came to regard Eugene as an object of admiration. But they also felt a strange sense of kinship towards him as well. He was their role model a knight who had carved his path with a single de! In addition, he was also a generous person who knew the difficulties of being a wanderer and took care of free knights like themselves.
Therefore, the free knight sincerely hoped for Eugene to defeat the rich knights who came from high-ranking noble families and win thepetition. Since they could not participate anyways, they wanted to feel vicarious satisfaction through Eugenes victory.
Well, since all of you are cheering me on, I must perform well. And if Eugene paused before looking around at the dozens of free knights around him, then raised his voice. If I do not suffer any major injuries and have a chance to participate in the mock battle, I would like to fight honorably by all of your sides. All of us here have practiced true chivalry while wandering in the wilderness, so wouldnt you agree that we are peers to shareradeship with?
Wooaahhhh!
The free knights responded with a fierce cheer. Although Eugenes ability to be a leader was still developing, his generosity had drawn enthusiastic responses from the knights.
Kyah~ Youre even good at speaking now, sir. Where did you learn such cool words? Mirian asked.
Where else could he have learned apart from Galfredik? But Eugene remained silent as he continued on his journey. Soon, arge, oval-shaped stadium came into view.
Ohhh!
The knights are here!
The spectators shouted excitedly when they saw Eugene and the free knights. They had been sitting around since early in the morning, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the knights. The other knights from the vige and the castle hadnt arrived just yet, so the appearance of these shabby free knights was enough to arouse the crowd.
Wow! Look at that ck knight!
Its te armor! He couldnt be a free knight, right?
Ah! Hes taking off his helmet!
Woaaaaaah!
A timely gust of wind gently scattered Eugenes ck hair. His pale skin and perfectly proportioned features were more than enough to garner the peoples attention.
Moreover
Kiehehehe! Its time for me to work my magic! Mirian shouted with an evilugh before taking her ce near Eugenes face. Once she shook her body, Eugenes skin became moist and his beauty became even more noticeable.
Kiehehehe! This is the glow-up effect of water! Mirians shouted. But her arrogant voice was buried by the shouts of the spectators.
Isnt he too handsome!?
Is he a half-elf by chance!?
Kiyaaaahk! Sir! Over here! Please look over here!
Most of the cheers were for Eugene. The other free knights had consumed nutritious meals for the past few days thanks to Eugene, and perhaps due to the glow-up, they received some attention as well.
Ehem!
Now, now! Move aside! The knights areing through!
The knights and aides walked proudly with their heads held high.
Someone called out from afar with a brilliant smile whileing towards Eugene.
Sir Eugene!
It was Lanslo Drak.
You arrived early, Eugene said.
Haha! Youre early as well, Sir Eugene, Lanslo responded.
Did youe alone? What about the other knights? Eugene asked.
They will be escorting the count. Anyways Lanslo said before looking around. Then, he inched closer to Eugene before whispering. I heard. You taught a harsh lesson to the aides of the holy knights?
That wasnt me. It was my ve, Eugene replied.
Hooh. Lanslo turned his eyes to Luke with an inquisitive expression. Luke was well-armed in a high-end te coat crafted by inserting a thin iron te inside monster leather. He bowed towards Lanslo, Sir Drak. Its nice to see you again.
Yes. So you were responsible for pummeling Sir Daymos aide? Lanslo asked.
Yes. I only fulfilled my responsibility as a ve after he insulted my master, Luke responded.
Hahaha! Thats right. A ve should not stand still and let their master be insulted, Lanslo said in agreement.
In principle, it was true. ves were properties of their owners, and they were required to move ording to their owners will. There were even cases when ves would die to maintain their masters dignity when thetter lost an unexpected duel. But ves would seldomly start a fight against the aide of other knights. Of course, there were very few ves who were skilled enough to do so in the first ce.
You must have been trained as a knight, Lanslo said.
Yes, sir.
It has not been very long since you learned ournguage, has it? Judging from your ent Brantia? Lanslo said.
Ah, thats correct, Luke responded. Both Luke and Eugene were surprised by Lanslos perceptiveness. Although Lanslo appeared quite young and seemed to be in his mid-20s, he seemed to possess a plethora of experience.
It makes sense that you were able to pummel the aide of a holy knight. You must have participated in the crusade, right? Lanslo asked.
Crusade? Luke responded while tilting his head.
Lanslo answered with a smile. Well, you would have responded to your lords call without knowing the details. Anyways, Sir Eugene.
...?
The master of the aide whom your ve pummeled, Sir Daymos, will participate in the joustingpetition. Im sure hell target you, so be careful, Lanslo warned.
That will be beneficial for me, Eugene responded.
What? Lanslo asked.
The holy knights will organize an army in the mock battle, right? Wouldnt it be beneficial if I can reduce their numbers before the mock battle? Eugene answered.
...!
Lanslo could not hide his surprise. Eugene had casually dered that he would defeat one of the holy knights, those who were known as the sword of the church and the constetions of blood.