Honorable Duel (1)
Vlad was walking along the wall with his hand.
Vlad quietly closed his eyes as he felt the rough brick against his fingertips.
Then he pricked up his ears as if trying to hear something.
“······.”
Sensitive hearing.
Vlad was looking for something using his sense of hearing, which Jorge also acknowledged.
Window – car window –
Where are the opposing knights?
And how they warm up.
“It was here.”
Just as Alicia Haynal gathered three knights to honor her, Endre, who accused her of adultery, also used his connections to gather knights.
A prelude to a duel of honor using connections and influence.
And on the other side of the wall, out of reach, there were they who would decide everything.
“Sigh!”
Vlad quickly jumped upward, holding onto the corner of the wall that he could grasp with his hand.
3m was the height of a wall that seemed like he could easily jump over it, but for Vlad, it was as if there was no wall this high.
Be discreet and make sure no one hears.
Like that feeling when I was stealing from others.
Vlad jumped over the wall like a stray cat, shook off his clothes, and walked around the garden with a nonchalant expression.
He looked so calm that if anyone saw him, they would have thought he was someone who had been here from the beginning.
Chae-chaeng-
‘There you are.’
Vlad followed the sound of weapons clashing.
Josef had instructed Vlad to keep an eye on the knights here.
Although Vlad followed the voice’s request first, he had no intention of ignoring Josef’s orders.
Because I actually wanted to see it.
The number of articles Vlad had seen so far could only be counted on one finger.
Jorge, the knight of the whores.
Godin, the Knight of Blue Moonlight.
One-eyed Xayar.
‘Lord Bordan is also a knight.’
And even Bordan, a knight who doesn’t look like a knight.
Vlad, who had a deep connection with the knights in many ways, was filled with the desire to get a glimpse of the world he admired.
Because moving in search of shiny things was like a boy’s old habit.
‘hmm.’
Since he was not confident enough to fool the knights’ senses, Vlad decided not to get too close.
I was just peeping from afar through my innate eyesight.
Like Josef said, that would be enough to see and feel something.
In front of me, two knights were crossing swords.
It may not be strenuous, but at least you can move your body sufficiently to warm up.
He seemed to be busy preparing for tomorrow’s duel.
‘Great sword.’
The first knight that Vlad saw was a knight with a huge stature, wielding a great sword that rivaled his stature.
Although he was not as strong as Otar, he had black skin and looked at least like a mixed-race knight.
Even though I was watching from a distance, I could feel the force of the great sword.
‘Sword and shield.’
And the knight who deals with him.
Unlike the dark-skinned knight who was swinging his sword with all his might, the knight who had solidified his defensive stance was steadily moving forward with his great sword.
Even to the inexperienced Vlad, he seemed like a knight with an advantage in shield skills.
“Doesn’t it seem difficult to break through?”
“······!”
Vlad was startled by someone’s voice next to him.
“who······!”
“Shh!”
Someone quickly covers Vlad’s mouth.
Vlad, who was caught with his mouth shut in an instant without any time to resist, looked at the man who had caught him with wide eyes.
“Are you planning on coming all the way here and getting caught?”
It was a man with a comical Kaiser mustache.
Although he was a man with a friendly smile, Vlad was actually breaking out in a cold sweat.
‘How can you be so fast!’
This was because he could not avoid his hand that had just covered his mouth.
I was literally subdued in an instant.
“Seeing as he found a special seat, he seems to have some sense, so let’s just quietly look at him.”
The man with the Kaiser mustache said, squinting his eyes playfully.
“Lord Xayar’s squire.”
“······who are you.”
Without answering Vlad’s question, the man took out a small piece of dried fruit from his pocket and handed it to him.
“Let’s see while we eat.” “Any good attraction needs food.”
“······.”
Vlad had no choice but to accept the dried fruit the man gave him.
Because I couldn’t see any way.
There is a way to escape from interest.
Looking at the man who had cleverly blocked all escape routes, Vlad realized that he would not be able to escape from this situation easily.
At least you won’t be able to move without his permission.
[I can hardly feel any momentum. It means that you are a person who is accustomed to handling energy. Don’t act rashly.]
The voice said that it was difficult to judge the level, so Vlad decided to wait and see the situation for now.
“······Eat something expensive.”
“Hehe. “Money is what you spend it on.”
Seeing Vlad boldly making fun of him even though he was being suppressed, the man with the Kaiser mustache seemed to like it and handed him another dried fruit.
“Just like I heard, your strength is good.”
“You mean Sir Colin?”
Although this was my first time seeing him in person, I had already found out the basic details of Vlad through Josef.
“It’s not called a mud boar for nothing. If you get caught there, your bones will crack, right?”
“I agree.”
It was Vlad who decided to hit him since he couldn’t run away anyway.
If he had been thinking about doing something to himself, he would have done it a long time ago.
“I think the knight I’m dealing with is more powerful.”
“ah. “You mean Pablo?”
The man with the Kaiser mustache answered while munching on dried fruit.
“An article about Arnstein, a promising family in the central region. “Personally, this is the type of article I don’t like.”
“why?”
The man smiled as he looked at Vlad who had suddenly lost his composure.
“It’s not fun. “It’s all about defense.”
“iced coffee.”
As the Arnstein family was characterized by forming walls with their knights in tight formations, the knight Pablo clearly possessed those characteristics.
“I accept the shield technique. “I know how to let go of everything that bothers me.”
“hmm.”
I don’t know who he is, but his knowledge is wide.
Maybe it’s luck.
“Then what do you think of the rest of the article? “There is one more person.”
Deep down, Vlad was trying to find out information about the other person through him.
“······.”
Before I knew it, the man with the Kaiser mustache had disappeared.
[It seems like someone is coming.]
“shit.”
Just like before, it flew away like the wind without making any sign.
Although it was not as bad as the man who disappeared without any trace, Vlad sensed danger and was able to quickly escape from the spot.
Vlad went back the way he came, jumped over the high wall, and succeeded in returning to the area designated by Alicia.
“Why are there so many monsters in the world?”
Vlad, who barely managed to come back, leaned against the wall and sighed.
It was a sigh of relief that I didn’t get caught, but it was also a sigh of relief at the huge wall I had to face again.
“It must have been a knight, right?”
[I guess so. Because he wasn’t a wizard.]
It was probably a knight.
Otherwise, it’s a skill that can’t be explained.
“Do you have to do that to become a knight?”
[Lord Bordan is also a knight.]
“no······.”
For some reason, Vlad, who had lost all strength, simply leaned the back of his head against the wall rather than answering the absurd words the voice uttered.
“Not all articles are the same.”
It wasn’t that he was ignoring Bordan, but the boy had a clear goal.
Knight of Blue Moonlight.
When he was a frog in a well who had just jumped out of Shoara, it was a goal he was determined to overcome, but from the moment he entered the wide world, Vlad became aware of his position.
Vlad could only kick his feet on the ground, thinking about a goal that was difficult to say out loud because he knew where he was.
The sweet taste of the dried fruit still remaining in my mouth was uncomfortable for no reason.
※※※※
Noon the next day.
Although the size itself was small, the hall in the center was comparable to that of other noble mansions.
People were flocking there.
A knight holding a sword, a squire serving a knight, and a priest serving a god.
And two Hainal.
Alicia Heinal and Ender Heinal.
The two were once uncle and nephew, but now there was a huge, irreparable gap between them.
There was a neat but fierce atmosphere going around among the group, which was split in half with the two Hainals at the center.
A duel that is honorable but requires everything to be on the line.
It was the momentum created by the great warriors of that duel.
“Tighten it tighter.”
“yes.”
Even Vlad, who was busy serving Xayar as his squire, felt a tingling tension that he felt for the first time in his life, and his eyes became fierce without realizing it.
“Take a good look. “It’s not an easy opportunity to watch a sincere duel between knights.”
“yes.”
“and······.”
Although Zayar would soon have to engage in a duel in the name of Josef and Alicia, his only one eye was filled with peace.
“I don’t know what happened yesterday, but don’t forget that you are a kid.”
“······.”
“A child starts by walking. “I don’t deserve to run.”
The world is big and you are small.
Vlad, who had seen, felt, and experienced powerful people that he could not control, was getting nervous without knowing it.
The talent is there, but it hasn’t been refined yet.
As Vlad had a high goal and a long way to go, what Xayar had just said could not help but sink deep into his heart.
“All right.”
“Nothing is easy in this world.”
Xayar, who, although brief, said the most necessary words to Vlad right now, adjusted his eye patch one last time and stood up.
“Go.”
“yes.”
The moment when Vlad, who had finished all his duties as a squire, was about to stand behind Xayar and wait.
“Alicia Hainal is entering!”
The door to the hall began to open, accompanied by the voice of an old man, unknown whether it was a servant or a butler.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen it before.’
Although he was with Josef, a high-ranking nobleman, Vlad was only a squire.
Since he had not yet met Peter, the head of the Bayezid family, for which he was a member, it was only natural that he had not seen Deermar’s owner, Alicia Haynal.
‘They say you’re young.’
A person who is young, beautiful, a woman, and a baron.
Everything that described her was enough to stimulate Vlad, who was at an age when he was already very curious.
“Everyone please be polite!”
This time, a woman dressed in gorgeous robes was entering the hall, guided by Duncan, an old knight who was to engage in an honorable duel with Xayar.
The people on the side where Ender was standing simply bowed their heads or did not bow at all, but those standing for her should show respect to her as the owner of this land.
Vlad also tried to bow his head to do so.
“······this.”
Our eyes met.
With her with water-colored hair.
A woman with light blue hair following behind Duncan.
Her hard and cold expression seemed too unfamiliar to believe it was the person I had seen that day.
[Now, the crime of insulting a noble has been added.]
“······.”
Alicia Heinal’s gaze lingered for a moment and then passed towards Vlad, who was awkwardly stiff and unable to even lower his head.
For a moment, the image of a blond boy appeared in those big eyes, and then passed by as if nothing had happened.
Toward the chair placed in the hall.
Towards the head of the house, located at the highest point here, where only one person can sit.
Vlad’s puzzled gaze.
Ender’s fierce eyes.
The aqua-haired woman was calmly receiving the attention of everyone here and rising to her rightful place.
“All parties to the duel have arrived, so we will proceed with the proceedings now!”
Starting with the words of a priest specially invited by the central government for this duel.
“God who looks upon this place proves it, and today’s rising sun will be the proof!”
The door to the hall closes.
A duel with everything on the line was about to begin.
An honorable but cruel duel.
