Chapter 102
“Who do you think will win?”
“I saw them, the Lighthouse Knights were amazing! Winning didn’t seem impossible for them!”
“I hope so too, but those Nautilus Knights bastards are just so strong.”
“That’s true….”
People were heatedly debating who would become the champion between the two knight orders that had reached the finals.
“What do you think, miss? Will Sir Karl win?”
“Didn’t we have a drink together yesterday too? Karl didn’t say much though?”
“Really?”
Sancho looked at Anne, who was downing her cup, with surprised eyes.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never imagined Sir Karl losing until now.”
He was truly a monster itself, a man who grew every day yet still strived hard every day; that was Karl, so the picture of him losing was utterly unimaginable.
“Still, I somehow feel like he’s going to win.”
“Well, maybe this time will be different.”
Anne’s expression was peculiar.
A look like she knew something.
Sancho looked at her with a sullen face, then shot up as if remembering something.
“I bet on the Lighthouse Knights, you see. I’ll go change it.”
Just like those two, as everyone in the Somerset Domain placed bets on the victory of the two knight orders, the day of the finals dawned.
Puuuuuuuuu!
The sound of horns filled the air, and people flocked from all over, packing the streets like a sea of humanity.
For the final match, Duke Ellenhower of Somerset himself specially declared the start of the game.
Thanks to this, the surroundings were filled with soldiers from the Somerset Duchy.
“Jennings, it truly is a series of upsets, just as you said.”
“Indeed, Your Grace. I never dreamed the Lighthouse Knights would make it to the finals.”
“I heard you met Sir Karl briefly last night?”
“Have you already heard the rumor, Your Grace?”
“Why didn’t you bring me along?”
“That wouldn’t have been fun, would it?”
Jennings, making a playful expression, recalled his conversation with Karl the previous night.
-How do you think you’ll win?
-I will lose.
-Why? Given what you’ve shown so far, winning seems entirely possible?
-That’s why I plan to lose.
-…?
Karl had said he would lose.
Viscount Jennings had no idea what that meant and was still pondering his words.
“What on earth did you two talk about that has the great Jennings making such a face all day?”
“He said he would lose.”
“What?”
“He was certain he would lose this match.”
“…Why on earth? A knight among knights discusses defeat without even fighting?”
“I too have been thinking all day because I have no idea why.”
This enigmatic story heard from Jennings complicated even Ellenhower’s thoughts.
“Your Grace the Duke, it is time for the opening declaration.”
While the two were each racking their brains, an attendant knight informed them of the time for the opening declaration.
Ellenhower, who had seemed lost in thought moments ago, returned to his dignified demeanor and ascended to the highest point of the tournament venue.
“What more needs to be said! It is time to witness clearly the skill and passion of great knights! Begin!”
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Following Ellenhower’s characteristically brief opening declaration, the sound of horns filled the stadium, and the Nautilus Knights and the Lighthouse Knights began their charge towards each other.
***
Tobias Santlman, Vice-Commander of the Nautilus Knights and participating as the leader in the Knight Grand Tournament, felt his heart pounding as he looked at the Knight of the Lighthouse appearing before him.
‘I will strike that man down and take the honor of the Continent's Top 10 for myself.’
Karl, the subject of all sorts of heroic tales, was an uncomfortable thorn in the side for him, the Vice-Commander of Nautilus.
Since they espoused the banner of doing anything for money and profit, listening to the stories of justice that followed Karl always twisted his insides.
‘I shall strip off your mask today.’
Vice-Commander Tobias had intended to target only Karl from the very beginning.
“Axel!”
“Yes, Vice-Commander!”
“Take the rest of the knights and make short work of those Lighthouse Knights fellows. Aside from Karl Meyer, the rest are nothing special anyway.”
“I will obey your command!”
“I will aim only for Karl Meyer!”
Tobias handed over command to Senior Team Leader Axel and spurred his horse forward, shouting towards Karl.
“Karl Meyer! I am Tobias, the Red Axe, Vice-Commander of Nautilus! How about it!? Let’s set aside our subordinates and settle things between us!”
Although not frequent, there were occasional instances where leaders engaged in one-on-one duels during group battles.
Tobias' challenge was enough to excite the crowd.
The showdown between Tobias the Red Axe, renowned throughout the continent, and Karl Meyer, the Knight of Salvation who had suddenly risen meteorically and was now eyeing the Continent's Top 10, was a spectacle everyone eagerly desired.
Clip, clop. Clip, clop.
Carrying a massive axe, Tobias, bald and boasting a massive build, watched as the horse carrying Karl slowly walked forward.
Chainmail, surcoat, raised sword, and fluttering black hair—Karl's appearance was strongly imprinted in people's minds in a different way than Tobias.
Gulp.
Just as the arena instantly quieted down and the sound of someone swallowing could be heard from various parts of the stands, Tobias recklessly spurred his horse and began charging towards Karl.
Simultaneously, the two knight orders clashed, centering around the two men.
Tobias, while charging, swung his massive axe relentlessly towards Karl’s neck.
Whoooosh!
The sound of the air being split spoke of the axe's weight and power.
Karl tilted his sword diagonally, avoiding a direct clash with the axe, changed the incoming axe's trajectory, and then thrust his sword straight into the opening created by deflecting the attack.
“Hup!”
Just as a gasp escaped Tobias' lips, who hadn't expected his full-force initial attack to be blocked so easily, his muscles seemed to swell to bursting point, and the axe was instantly retrieved, striking Karl’s sword upwards from below.
Kaaaang!
Despite being bladeless weapons, sparks flew from the intense collision of sword and axe.
Having exchanged one blow, the two slightly increased the distance between them before simultaneously spurring their horses towards each other again.
Upon closing in, Tobias brought his axe down towards Karl’s head.
The speed was incredibly fast, beyond imagination.
From his appearance, seemingly having reached the stage of a seasoned Master, Karl realized once again just how many Masters there were on this continent.
The experiences of a nameless Free Knight wandering the frontiers could not be the same as those gained at the crossroads where the power and wealth of the entire continent gathered.
How many Masters had he encountered already?
Karl gritted his teeth and parried the incoming axe.
Although not sharpened, fortunately, the weapons provided for the Somerset tournament were sturdy enough not to break even in clashes between Master-grade knights.
Karl’s hand, having blocked the attack, trembled.
It was strength and grip likely several times that of an ordinary person.
[Karl Meyer Style. First Form. Vortex]
Although Aura couldn't be used during the duel, Karl's sword formed a vortex through continuous slashes even without the power of Aura.
The strong spiral force flew directly towards Tobias, who had just finished his downward strike.
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
With a rough shout, Tobias' axe swung seemingly haphazardly, creating a storm of axes before him.
As Karl's vortex collided with that barbaric axe-swinging, the sound of air bursting, Jjeong!, momentarily spread in all directions.
The two exchanged blows once each and again increased the distance between them.
Karl sensed that he had met his first proper opponent since reaching the stage of a seasoned Master.
Tobias, too, had to admit that Karl, whom he had dismissed as merely popular with the ignorant masses but actually insignificant, was on a similar level to himself.
While the two faced each other, the stadium was filled with the roar of the crowd.
“Haaaaap!”
“Uryaaaaaaah!”
Furthermore, on one side where the two were facing off, the two knight orders were engaged in a fierce battle.
***
Leading the Lighthouse Knights, Rogério realized at some point that he was moving as one body with the knight order.
However, despite that, the wall called Nautilus was higher than expected.
Each one of them was at least a high-level Expert, and the knights charging from the front were composed of astonishing Superior-grade knights.
In contrast, they consisted of merely 5 Superiors and Experts mixed between high and mid-levels.
It meant they were outmatched in individual skill from the start.
It was hard to believe even while seeing it, but the coordination of the Lighthouse Knights, who had trained together for only six months, was barely bridging that gap.
“Kelvin! To the left! Diego! To the rear!”
Despite the brief command lacking specific orders, the two men appropriately supported the flank and rear on their own, maintaining the formation that could have easily collapsed.
“Felix! Faster forward! All knights, turn!”
The 30 members of the Lighthouse Knights moved as one body.
The concentration of all the knights participating in the tournament was raised to its peak.
“Tommy! Don’t fall behind! Faster! Damn it!”
Although they had managed to unhorse three enemies by shaking them up with hit-and-run tactics, two of their knights were taken out by a counterattack from the Nautilus Knights who had quickly adapted.
“One-point breakthrough!”
Quickly forming up and executing a one-point breakthrough, Rogério realized that the Lighthouse Knights had actually suffered more losses in the ensuing clash.
Contrary to his expectation of gaining a significant advantage with the one-point breakthrough before the enemy could form their ranks, they ended up taking greater losses because they were inferior in individual skill.
18 versus 20.
That was the number of knights remaining on horseback.
They had fought well considering the skill difference, but as the numbers dwindled, individual skill inevitably stood out more.
It meant their chances of victory were diminishing as well.
‘What should I do… How… Is there a way….’
Rogério’s expression, which had been doing well, rapidly darkened.
He couldn't see any way to overcome this situation.
Tap.
Just then, someone’s hand rested on his shoulder.
“Team Leader, it’s not a life-or-death battle. Just try everything you can, and if it doesn’t work, just brush it off and leave.”
“Unlike the Rogério hyung-nim I know, you’re worrying too much.”
The two men, who never forgot their jokes, smiled broadly and stood beside Rogério.
In that instant, Rogério’s face became much more relaxed than before.
Unlike his days in the Red Knights, he now had many people he could entrust his flank to.
As they said, this wasn't a battlefield where death marked the end.
It meant there was no need to be scared like a puppy that hadn't seen the world.
“Shall we die gloriously once?”
“That sounds good too!”
“Let’s give it a go.”
The three stood at the front, and the remaining knights raised their weapons in the rear.
Their expressions had changed from before.
“There’s no turning back! All troops, charge!”
Rogério let out a roar, and the knights charged straight ahead.
Around that time, Karl and Tobias were also charging towards each other again.
Kwaaaaaang!
With the collision of the horses, a dust cloud rose, temporarily obscuring the view of the stadium.
“What!? What happened? Who won?”
People in the stands strained to see the outcome of the clash between the two knight orders.
The duel between Karl and Tobias. And the battle between the two knight orders.
There wasn't a single uninteresting moment.
When the wind blew and the sand dust slowly cleared, people fell silent for a moment at the revealed situation.
Five members of the Nautilus Knights were barely holding on atop their horses, while all the Lighthouse Knights had been unhorsed.
And Tobias, the Vice-Commander of Nautilus, had fallen from his horse and was unconscious, while Karl looked down on him calmly from horseback.
“What is this, what’s going on here.”
People expected Karl to charge at the remaining Nautilus Knights and unhorse them.
Flutter. Flutter.
But just then, the flag of the Lighthouse Knights, bearing the black symbol of Essus on a white shield, fluttered in the wind and fell to the ground.
“…!”
The arena plunged into silence.
Everyone, anticipating the next clash, widened their eyes at the incomprehensible scene.
“The victory declaration?”
At Karl’s words, the announcer, who had been staring blankly just like the spectators, instantly came to his senses.
“The winner is! The Nautilus Knights!”
People did not cheer.
They merely remained silent.
It was the same for Duke Ellenhower and Viscount Jennings watching the match from the VIP seats.
Whatever expressions they wore, Karl simply gathered his knights and left the stadium.
To anyone watching, it was clear he still had strength left.
Dealing with about 5 Expert or Chevalier-grade knights barely holding onto their horses….
That's why the expressions on people's faces became even more unreadable.
[Quest: Enter within the top 3 overall in the Somerset Knight Grand Tournament - Complete]
[A Beginner's Training Kit is given as a reward.]
Leaving behind the stunned faces of the people, the quest completion window popped up before Karl's eyes as he turned away from the training ground.