Chapter 67
At first glance, Karl's appearance, clad in a surcoat bearing the black diagonal cross gifted by the Pope over chainmail made of an unusually lustrous metal, with his black hair fluttering and Léctĭo worn at his side, was the very epitome of a knight.
The members of the Meyer family, facing Karl within the Lord's castle, could not easily open their mouths.
Before seeing him, they had spoken recklessly, but the aura Karl exuded upon actually facing him was on a different dimension from what they had expected.
“It’s been… a long time. Have you been well?”
Breaking the silence, Lord Den Meyer spoke first. Despite having heard about Karl from Hans the previous day, he couldn't easily recover from the shock of seeing him in person.
“I survived without dying, so I suppose I’ve been well.”
Karl inwardly scoffed, feeling himself unnecessarily becoming surly.
‘Am I still thinking of these people as family?’
Another brief silence followed the very short exchange.
“I heard of your deeds through rumors. You’ve achieved great things. It is a great fortune for our family.”
“These are results forged from nothing, so they have nothing to do with the family.”
At Karl’s clear drawing of the line, the faces of everyone present hardened.
“You! Is that all you have to say after returning after so long! I heard you sought out servants without even visiting the parents who bore and raised you first, and now the words you speak are truly absurd.”
Despite the numerous warnings Lord Den Meyer had given beforehand, venom eventually spilled from Serna’s lips.
“You haven’t changed. That filthy mouth of yours.”
“…! What! What did you just babble! Filthy mouth! How dare you! Dare!”
“In the past, I may have lacked power, but things are different now, Lady Serna. Be mindful that if you misuse that mouth, I can punish you for insulting my honor. I am a Baron, bestowed the surname of Reitz by the Elector Duke Ellenhower.”
As Karl spoke, he directed his formless aura, tinged with a slight killing intent, towards her.
Unable to withstand the killing intent Karl emitted, her legs trembled violently, and she collapsed right there on the spot.
“I endure it once because you gave birth to me. There will not be a second time.”
She nodded her head up and down vigorously, as if she truly felt she could suffocate and die from his aura alone.
“I came here for one reason. Not because I wanted to get involved with you all, but because I was born into this family, I intended to fulfill that final duty. I came thinking I might help with the representative knight duel, only to be met with the mistress’ nonsense. I shall take my leave now. I won’t wish you luck.”
Having said his piece, Karl left without even waiting for a response.
After the situation, like a typhoon had swept through, ended, the four members of the Meyer family remained stunned in their seats for a long while, unable to rise.
***
“Do you think I was too harsh?”
“No, sir.”
“Still, isn’t she the mother of this body?”
“Well…”
Hans saw Karl off as he exited the castle.
“Will you stay for a meal?”
“I would be delighted.”
Hans smiled and moved along with Karl.
Arriving at the purchased mansion, Karl paired alcohol with the food prepared by Emma, who had regained her health.
Joseph and Molly were also present.
“Who would have thought the young master would appear having become such a great knight?”
“Did you think I would be ruined or die?”
“How could that be possible!”
The three laughed, talked, and drank late into the night.
“Once this matter is finished, all of you shall go to the Collo domain. I hope you will each do the work you do best in the domain.”
“…The grace you’ve shown us is already immense, is it alright to receive even more?”
“The grace I received from you all is far greater. Besides, it’s not like I intend to work you for free; I’ll pay you for your work, so how is it grace?”
They knew well that the terms Karl proposed were an enormous benefit. Karl even said he would provide them with houses within the County of Collo.
“Emma, I would like you to be the head maid of my mansion.”
“How could I possibly dare to take on such an important position?”
“Have you forgotten that you were the one who taught me letters? I know well that you were one of the few wise people in the Meyer household. So, accept it without complaint.”
Karl didn't want to neglect these long-standing connections he had met after such a long time. In the end, the important people to him were not the Meyer family, but these individuals.
“I heard the representative knight duel is in three days.”
“So they say.”
Hans and Karl laughed at the words of Joseph, who still didn't quite grasp how formidable a knight Karl was.
“How do you think it will go?”
“Truthfully, I heard the Pascal Viscount family, who requested the representative knight duel, has many skilled knights. Won’t our domain lose? Young master, can you really face all of them?”
Everyone seated burst into loud laughter at the simple-hearted Joseph's mumbling words.
“Joseph, there are few in this entire continent who can stand against Young Master Karl.”
The three drank late into the night. Three days passed like that, and the day of the representative knight duel dawned.
***
The representative knight duel between the Pascal Viscount family and the Meyer family was the biggest topic of conversation in the surrounding area, where new happenings were rare.
The two neighboring families had been rivals for quite a long time, and recently, a clash had occurred in a village situated on the border between their two domains.
Issues ranging from the village's taxes to the precise demarcation of the land boundary ultimately became the point of contention, leading to the representative knight duel between the two families.
Since it was a region where the Meyer family had traditionally collected taxes for generations, the Pascal Viscount family's claim could be considered close to insistence.
“The Pascal family likely saw this as an opportunity now that the Meyer family’s power has waned significantly.”
Karl nodded at Hans’ explanation. Back when the previous lord was alive, the Meyer family's influence was greater than that of the Pascal Viscount family, but now, that influence had not just diminished but was on a declining trend.
“Are you really thinking of not helping?”
“Well, I suppose I should watch for a bit first. See how they handle things too.”
The duel took place in the dueling arena set up in front of the Meyer Lord's castle. Count Raphael, the Margrave ruling the area, attended as the presiding official, and nobles from nearby domains also gathered to observe.
Ordinary citizens eager to watch the representative knight duel also crowded the surroundings, and above the dueling grounds, the referee was finishing the inspection of the arena.
Since there hadn't been a duel in this area for several years, the nobles from neighboring domains, whose own affairs were not involved, watched the dueling ground with expectant eyes, as if watching an interesting spectacle.
“We shall now commence the representative knight duel between the Pascal domain and the Meyer domain. Will the first representative knights from both sides please enter the dueling grounds.”
Amidst the peculiar anticipation of the crowd, the first contestants from both sides ascended to the dueling grounds.
From the Meyer family, the eldest son, Hellip, stepped forward, and from the Pascal domain, a knight named Haphael, half again as large as a robust man, appeared.
“I wonder who will win.”
“Where did you place your bet, Count?”
For those not directly involved in this contest, such an event was a form of entertainment. Thanks to this, they were even conducting private wagers.
Just as the nobles were chattering amongst themselves, the referee's declaration signaling the start of the duel between the two men fell.
Paang!
The moment the referee's declaration ended, the two dashed towards each other. Normally, the first contestants would usually take some time to probe each other, but the inexperienced Hellip, unable to overcome his nervousness, shot forward, creating a strange turn of events.
Kwaang!
A single clash sounded, and Hellip, who had charged forward with vigor, collapsed on the spot like a frog. Hellip's sword was broken, and his armor was severely dented.
“Aaaargh! Hellip!”
Serna screamed upon seeing the fallen Hellip, and the first match ended anticlimactically.
“Hmm…”
Lord Den Meyer recognized that the opponent was at least an Advanced Expert.
Since there was no other knight within the domain capable of facing that man besides himself, Lord Den stepped forward as the next contestant.
Karl watched their duel like a spectator, not a participant.
People were unaware that Karl was even participating in this duel.
A short while later, Lord Den and Haphael stood facing each other. Even after the start signal was given, the two approached cautiously, seeking an opening in their opponent.
Both possessing skills equivalent to Advanced Expert, they instinctively knew that a single moment of carelessness could lead to defeat.
“Hap!”
It was Lord Den who moved first.
Den lunged forward with a large step, thrusting rapidly towards Haphael.
Seeing the incoming sword, Haphael retreated a step back with speed unbefitting his massive frame, bringing the huge mace he held down hard onto Lord Den's sword from above.
“Kuk…!”
Seeing the mace descending to break his sword, he hastily withdrew his blade, but the tip of the sword caught on the mace, sending a strong shock through both his arms.
However, the experienced Den gritted his teeth against the impact, closed the distance further by another step, and swung his sword again, aiming for Haphael’s torso.
Kakakakak!
Sparks flew as his sturdy plate mail and Den's sword collided.
Lord Den’s sword must have been quite a fine blade, as it left some scratches on the plate mail, and Haphael grimaced as he saw blood trickling from his side.
As Haphael tried to step back briefly to regroup, Lord Den pressed his attack as if to overwhelm him.
Parrying the sword several times with his mace, Haphael began to lag in speed, compounded by his injury.
After a few more exchanges, Lord Den’s sword was suddenly touching the underside of his neck.
“The winner is Lord Den Meyer!”
The crowd applauded and cheered for Lord Den’s performance.
However, Lord Den’s expression was not particularly bright.
While the opponents still had four knights remaining, the Meyer domain had no strong knights other than Lord Den himself.
‘I must defeat all of them.’
The next knight to come up was an average Intermediate Expert.
Lord Den easily defeated the next opponent, and the one after that was also an Intermediate Expert knight.
Though the fights were manageable, the drain on stamina was unavoidable.
“…!”
Lord Den’s eyes widened as he saw the next knight ascending.
“Isn’t that the Butcher of Girol Forest!?”
A few nobles who recognized him shouted.
He was notorious in the area, but as his moniker suggested, he couldn't be called a knight.
His given epithet was ‘Butcher of Girol Forest,’ after all.
“Hmm… this is going a bit too far. Presenting someone akin to a bandit as a representative knight in a place like this.”
Representative knight duels weren't strictly limited to vassal knights of the domain.
Employing external figures or mercenaries, or temporarily inviting skilled knights was permissible, but generally, sending someone practically a criminal into a representative knight duel was not done.
It was a matter of prestige.
“However, there was no clause prohibiting this in the agreement.”
As one noble mentioned, it was a matter of prestige, not procedurally wrong. Thus, the duel between Lord Den and Pove, the Butcher of Girol Forest, began.
Pove, true to his nickname, wielded a double-bladed battleaxe. He approached Lord Den slowly with a relaxed smile.
Like a forest beast hunting its prey, he closed in unhurriedly, slowly eroding Den’s stamina and concentration with his presence.
By the time he got close, Lord Den was already half exhausted.
At that moment, the battleaxe instantly descended from above, aiming to split Den’s head.
Instead of blocking with his sword, which was light and thin compared to the axe, Den pulled his body back to dodge the attack.
The instant he did, the descending battleaxe was retrieved, and this time, it rotated once, coming in to strike his waist.
Forced by the continuous attacks, Den had no choice but to hold his sword vertically to block the battleaxe.
Kwaang!
With a crash hard to believe came from the collision of a sword and an axe, Lord Den tumbled several times.
Pove, finding even more amusement in this, leaped high and then brought his axe straight down towards Lord Den, who had fallen to the ground.
Kwaang!
A sound like the dueling ground floor cracking erupted, and people thought Den might have been split in two, but fortunately, the Lord rolled sideways once to evade the axe.
As Lord Den sprang back up, the battleaxe flew relentlessly towards him once again.
Kwaang!
The Lord’s sword was not weak in strength, but the Lord wielding it lacked the power to withstand the battleaxe.
Trying to receive the battleaxe, the Lord's sword flew straight up into the air as his hands became battered. Simultaneously, Pove’s foot kicked fiercely into the Lord’s abdomen.
The Lord flew backward, spitting blood, and collapsed onto the ground.
He wasn't dead, but continuing the duel was clearly impossible, so the Meyer domain personnel dragged the Lord out of the dueling arena.
“The winner… is Pove…!”
The people did not cheer. It was as if they didn't recognize him as the victor of an honorable duel.
The problem was that, even if he wasn't a knight, there were no more knights in the Meyer family capable of defeating him, an undisputed Superior-level brawler.
People thought the duel would end just like this for Meyer.
“….”
Everyone believed there was no hope left for the Meyer family. Just then.
Step. Step.
Footsteps echoed from somewhere. The murmuring crowd initially didn't hear the footsteps, but at some point, they noticed someone walking towards the dueling arena.
And those who heard his footsteps fell silent amidst the sudden situation, watching the man walking into the dueling grounds.
“Karl Reitz Meyer. I am the next contestant.”