Chapter 84
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84
“Get up this instant!”
Lucas, who had been burying his face in his pillow, jerked his head up at the shrill scream.
Rubbing his crusty eyes, he looked back to see his nuisance of a sister standing tall beside his bed. He clutched his throbbing forehead and let out a low grumble.
“For the love of—! How many times do I have to tell you not to just barge into my bedroom?”
“This is no time to worry about manners! Get up! It’s an emergency!”
Laina shook his shoulders mercilessly, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Lucas pushed her away and pressed his palms against his stinging temples.
He had spent all day yesterday scouring the hunting grounds with fellow riders from the Wolfram unit, then headed to a tavern to drown himself in ale until the early hours of the morning. His head felt like it was about to split open; he didn’t need her making such a fuss.
He glared at his sister through bleary eyes.
“What is it now? Did the Zram people invade Raedgo Castle or something?”
“Stop talking nonsense and get out of bed right now!”
Laina stomped her feet, grabbing his arm and pulling with brute force.
“Something terrible has happened! The ‘Black Bear of the South’ is going to duel our brother!”
Lucas felt his drowsiness vanish in an instant. He bolted upright, staring at his sister with wide, bewildered eyes.
“Who’s fighting who?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!”
Her meager patience finally snapped. Laina threw his arm down as if discarding trash and marched toward the door.
Lucas watched her back in a daze before scrambling out of bed. He grabbed a tunka he had tossed carelessly onto a chair, threw it over his bare torso, and rushed out after her.
He caught sight of servants scurrying through the hallway, clutching lanterns. Looking around in confusion, he used his long stride to catch up to his sister, who was already halfway down the stairs.
“Is Brother really going to duel?”
“I told you he is!” Laina snapped, skipping two steps at a time.
Lucas frowned. He knew guests had arrived at Raedgo Castle, but he had no idea how a duel had broken out between the heir of House Sieorkan and a lord representing the southeastern region.
He clutched his hungover head and asked, “Why a duel all of a sudden in the middle of the night?”
“Why else? That Incarnation of Discord finally caused trouble!” Laina ground her teeth. “That woman barged into the banquet hall, poured wine all over Lord Gutvan, and then slapped him!”
Lucas’s jaw dropped. “That woman… you don’t mean the Second Imperial Princess?”
“Who else could it be!” Laina pounded her chest in frustration. “Because of her, an argument broke out between the ‘Black Bear’ and Brother, and now it’s turned into a duel!”
Laina sprinted across the hall and burst out of the building, fuming loudly.
“See! Didn’t I tell you over and over that she would be a disaster? I was right!”
Lucas adjusted the front of his open coat and rolled his eyes.
To be precise, his sister had predicted a cunning villainess who would act fragile in front of their brother while plotting schemes behind his back—not a madwoman who would strike the strongest lancer in the East in front of everyone.
Regardless, there’s no denying she’s become a problem.
He ran a hand through his messy hair and quickly crossed the wide courtyard.
Hundreds of people had already gathered on the steps leading to the training ground, carrying torches and lamps. Lucas pushed through the crowd toward the inner circle of the field. There, the nobles and the elite knights of Wolfram had gathered to witness the duel. Spotting a familiar face, Lucas headed straight for him.
“Tyron!”
The spear knight, who had been talking to his subordinates, turned toward him. He, too, looked like he had rushed out from his rest; the man wore only a loose coat over his bare chest. He looked back and forth between Lucas and Laina and let out a deep sigh.
“What are you doing out at this hour without any guards?”
“Save the nagging. What on earth is going on?”
“I just arrived myself, so I don’t know the exact details,” Tyron replied with a nonchalant shrug. “But one thing is certain: our future leader possesses a far more bellicose temperament than his appearance suggests.”
He gestured with his chin toward one side of the vast mounted training ground.
There stood Barkas, fully armed in black iron armor, waiting beside a sturdy gray stallion.
Lucas scanned him with a dazed expression. Amidst the mountain-like men surrounding him, Barkas looked like a finely crafted, delicate statue. His lithe body, encased in armor, was by no means small or frail, yet he lacked the hulking mass of the other spearmen. His movements as he tightened the joints of his armor seemed more like those of a dancer than a warrior.
His opponent, on the other hand, was nothing short of a beast in human skin.
Lucas swallowed hard as he shifted his gaze to the opposite side of the arena. The man looked to be nearly 7 kvets tall, and his weight easily exceeded 5 lants, bordering on 6 lants. If one added the weight of the steel armor covering his body, he likely weighed even more.
The man led a muscular, giant horse—befitting his size—into the center of the training ground. The light from the roaring bonfires fully revealed his terrifying majesty. At the sight, the crowd erupted in a chorus of admiration, excitement, and awe.
Lucas let out a low groan. “This is madness.”
Soon after, four soldiers, presumably the man’s subordinates, came struggling under the weight of a massive halberd that looked more like a hunk of raw iron. When the man gripped the shaft with one hand and hoisted the monstrous axe blade high, the cheers from the crowd grew even more thunderous.
Watching the scene with a pale face, Laina grabbed Tyron by the collar.
“Why aren’t you stopping this right now?!”
“That person over there has been trying her best to stop him for a while now, but he isn’t even pretending to listen,” Tyron sighed, pointing his thumb at a figure standing beside Barkas.
Following his gesture, Lucas’s eyes widened as he spotted a small figure shrieking at his brother. The woman was shaking her fists as if she were absolutely livid.
Unable to contain his curiosity, Lucas approached them, only to wince at the sharp, high-pitched voice ringing out. The woman was shouting fearlessly at the man who stood a full head taller than her.
“Are you an idiot? A moron? You could just crush a guy like that with your authority! Why are you being so stupid and trying to have a contest of strength?!”
Lucas let out a hollow laugh. He hadn’t known a woman other than Laina existed who could talk like that. And to sass his brother in such a way…
Lucas stole a glance at Barkas’s expression. He was calmly checking the condition of his horse.
The woman struck his back with her fist.
“Did you sleep through math class? That man looks three times heavier than you! Don’t you know that weight and power are proportional?!”
“Bring me my helmet,” Barkas ordered his squire, ignoring her presence entirely.
Incensed, the woman rolled up her sleeves. She looked ready to deliver a slap, prompting Daren to hurriedly grab her shoulders.
“Your Highness, you needn’t worry so much. This is a common occurrence among warriors. Neither of them will cross the line…”
“Who said I was worried about him?!” she shrieked, violently shaking off his hand. “I’m worried about myself! If I become a widow the moment I get married, my future is at stake!”
Daren stepped back, looking exhausted by the woman’s venomous tongue. However, his brother showed no reaction to her curses. He pulled his helmet over his head and vaulted onto his saddle.
“Give me my weapon.”
The squire immediately handed him a halberd with a silver, crescent-shaped axe blade. Taking it, Barkas spurred his horse toward the center of the arena before anyone could stop him.
The woman chased after him in a panic. Lucas, who had been watching from a distance, instinctively ran forward and caught her. A cold gaze flew toward him like a dagger.
Lucas stopped breathing. For a moment, his mind went blank.
As he stared down at her strangely beautiful face in a daze, a thunderous trumpet blast signaled the start of the duel.
Lucas snapped his head up. He groaned as he saw Alec Gutvan slowly circling the arena, spinning his massive halberd with one hand. As the axe blade—which was more like a mace—carved a great circle through the air, a sound like a cracking whip echoed through the space.
He felt the woman trembling as if she might collapse at any moment. But he had no capacity to check on her.
The beast, who had been slowly riding along the spectator stands to flaunt his power, suddenly spurred his horse.
The heavy thud of hooves shook the earth. Amidst a thick cloud of dust, the man mounted on the giant horse charged at Barkas at a terrifying speed, spinning his halberd. Screams erupted from the crowd.
It was only natural. It looked like a rabid buffalo charging a deer. Lucas clenched his fists. It felt as though the giant made of iron would crush his brother in a single blow.
However, what Lucas witnessed was a sight he could hardly believe. The axe blade, nearly the size of a human torso, was deflected helplessly by a spear tip that flew in as gracefully as a bird’s wing.
Lucas’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The miraculous sight didn’t end there. As Barkas spurred his horse, the man’s massive frame tilted backward as if he had collided with a solid fortress wall.
Barkas did not miss the opening.
Kicking the stallion’s flanks, Barkas thrust his spear forward. A flash of light—the sharp spear tip plunged through the thick breastplate, skewering the man’s chest.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
With the spear still embedded in the man’s chest, Barkas spurred his horse forward. As he hoisted the spear shaft upward, the giant’s body was lifted high into the air. Screams broke out everywhere at the grotesque sight.
Galloping across the wide field, Barkas swung the spear shaft in a great arc before slamming the halberd down into the ground. The giant’s massive body crashed onto the dirt, sending a heavy vibration echoing in all directions.
A suffocating silence descended.
While everyone stood stunned by the duel that had ended in an instant, Barkas rode up to the mangled corpse and threw his helmet to the ground. Then, with a cold face that showed not a hint of disarray, he gave an order toward the waiting area.
“Bring a priest and see to the funeral.”