[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 75
The champion of the Achilles clan announced his na as he stepped into the dueling grounds.
"Farel Achilles."
Zeke also stated his na in response.
"Zeke Draker."
Stating one's na before a duel was an act of respect and courtesy towards the opponent.
Zeke felt a different aura from the Achilles champion compared to the previous two.
'His spirit is unwavering.'
It ant he had deep ntal discipline.
Zeke slowly approached Farel with his shield and sword raised.
Then, Farel charged forward first.
Whoosh!
The giant shield slamd into Zeke's front.
The heavy shield attack shook Zeke's body.
Bang!
Zeke angled his shield to deflect Farel's attack and lessen the impact.
Nevertheless, a considerable shock penetrated through.
As he had sensed earlier, Zeke realized that Farel was a formidable opponent.
Farel didn't miss the opening.
He circled to the side and swung his sword towards Zeke's waist.
Whoosh!
The sword cut through the air and flew towards him.
Clang!
Zeke parried Farel's sword with Bahamut.
Farel frowned as his sword was deflected by Zeke's strike.
The trendous rebounding force made his wrist ache.
Farel admired Zeke's swordsmanship.
'His basics are solid. And he has a wealth of practical experience.'
Zeke maintained his balance against any attack, defending firmly, and when an opening appeared, he counterattacked with the most appropriate sword path.
Zeke and Farel engaged in close-quarters combat, their bodies almost touching.
Clang!
Clank!
Whoosh!
Their shields clashed, they dodged, and their swords t in a tense back-and-forth exchange.
The lords and heads of clans, witnessing the unexpectedly high level of the knightly duel, gaped in awe.
"Oh my god, there's actually a knight who can fight Farel Achilles on equal footing!"
"The undefeated Farel Achilles has finally t his match!"
Farel Achilles was the champion of the Central Region Knightly Duel League, holding an undefeated record.
As a direct descendant of the Achilles clan and a champion representing the clan, he had greatly contributed to raising the clan's honor and achievents.
Whoosh!
As people were expressing their admiration, Farel's sword narrowly grazed Zeke.
Zeke stepped back half a step, then accelerated forward, deflecting Farel's sword with his shield, and spun around, swinging his sword.
KwaKwaBang!
A sound like an explosion ca from Farel's shield.
At the sa ti, Farel's body shook violently.
"Huff... Huff..."
Rough breathing could be heard from inside his helt.
On the other hand, Zeke's movents were no different from the beginning.
Farel couldn't deny that Zeke was physically superior to him.
'What a monster.'
He decided to stake everything on one final blow.
Whoosh!
Farel stepped forward with his left foot.
All his strength was concentrated in his foot.
Bang!
With trendous jumping power, Farel's body shot forward like a projectile.
A ultimate move that pierces the enemy with a firmly held sword while using the shield to cover the body.
Achilles-style Shield Spear Technique
Ultimate Charge Skill
Black Spear's Fury
It was as if Farel's body itself had transford into a giant black spear.
Zeke, aiming his sword at Farel, who had transford into a spear that could pierce anything, also used his ultimate move.
Agamnon Golden Swordsmanship
Ultimate Counter Skill
Golden Sword's Majesty
Zeke thrust his shield forward and raised his sword above his head.
At the sa ti, he t Farel's ultimate move with his shield.
Crack!
Black Spear's Fury completely shattered Zeke's shield.
Zeke spun around and brought down the sword he had raised above his head towards Farel.
Farel also raised the shield he had been holding close to his body to block Zeke's Golden Sword.
Crack!
Farel's shield was also completely shattered by Zeke's sword strike.
KwaKwaBang!
With a trendous roar, both of them were thrown back simultaneously.
Thud!
The two of them stood facing each other in the middle of the arena, their swords pointed at each other.
Their shields were both shattered.
It was then.
"Stop!"
Rufus stood up and stopped the match.
He said to the lords and heads of clans,
"I declare this match a draw! It seems aningless to decide a winner and loser in such a magnificent match!"
Those who had been watching the match stood up at Rufus's words.
And they sent a trendous wave of cheers and applause.
"Farel! Farel!"
"Zeke! Zeke!"
They chanted the nas of the two, praising the excellent skills shown in the match.
Zeke and Farel took off their helts and approached each other.
"That was a great match, Sir Farel."
Farel took Zeke's hand and said,
"...I admit defeat, Sir Zeke. Thank you for your consideration."
Farel had sensed that Zeke had pulled back his strength at the last clash, destroying only his shield while dodging his attack and counterattacking.
And that was the truth.
Zeke felt that there was no need to inflict defeat on an excellent knight like Farel in a setting that was closer to a friendly match than an official one.
Farel was greatly impressed to see that Zeke, despite his young age, possessed such generosity and broad-mindedness.
At the sa ti, the heads of the three clans sitting in the audience stood up.
"The Aegis clan acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications as successor."
"The Hector clan also acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications."
Finally, the head of the Achilles clan spoke.
"The Achilles clan also acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications as successor."
The three clans unanimously acknowledged Zeke's qualifications.
Zeke had now officially qualified as the successor of the Agamnon clan.
"Blessings to the new successor of the Agamnon clan!"
The arena was filled with excitent and cheers.
***
"Whew, I'm tired."
After the match, Zeke was finally able to take off his armor and rest.
Felix brought him a cold drink.
He was also incredibly excited.
"Master, that was an amazing match! I didn't know you had learned traditional duels. Oh my god, a draw with the league champion!"
Zeke said to Felix,
"Don't make a fuss."
"Sir Farel Achilles is a famous champion that even I know! He has a lot of fans in Atlas too."
"Sir Farel went easy on to save face. Besides, the Achilles clan is famous for spears, not swords."
"Spears? But Sir Farel only used a sword in every match."
"That's why he's a great knight. Learn from him, Felix. Don't just think about running away every ti the elders try to train you."
"R-Run away, what are you talking about!"
"Stop talking nonsense and go make so tea."
Felix grumbled and brought the tea.
But he was scolded by Zeke again because the water temperature wasn't right.
'At first, I thought he was quite quick-witted, but he's becoming more and more cunning. At least I know that Felix isn't a spy.'
While Zeke was drinking the bad tea that Felix had made, one of the attendants approached him.
"Young Master, Sir Farel of the Achilles clan has requested to see you."
Farel Achilles, who had just had a match with him, had co to see him.
"Sir Farel? Show him to the reception room right away."
Zeke changed back into his formal attire and headed to the reception room.
Farel, dressed in a central region aristocratic outfit instead of his armor, sat with a composed posture.
He was a handso man with a strong jawline and thick sideburns.
He greeted Zeke with a polite bow.
"Sir Zeke, I apologize for my boldness in requesting a eting like this."
Zeke looked at Farel and said,
"It is an honor to have such an excellent knight as Sir Farel visit . Please, have a seat."
A maid soon brought in tea.
Farel spoke first.
"Sir Zeke, I learned a great deal from today's knightly duel."
"As do I."
Farel said in a solemn voice,
"I have a request."
"Please tell what it is. I will grant you anything I can."
"Although I am lacking, please allow to assist you."
Zeke was surprised by those words.
"What do you an, Sir Farel?"
Farel's eyes glead as he said,
"I heard that you will be participating in the Draker Martial Arts Tournant soon."
As expected, news traveled fast in Midland.
Zeke nodded.
"That's correct. I thought it was simply a competition of skills, but I heard it's not."
Farel nodded.
"You're right, Sir Zeke. The Draker Martial Arts Tournant is practically a battlefield."
"My master, Duke, also described it that way. He said it would be difficult without a supporting clan, but I didn't hear the details. May I ask why?"
Farel answered Zeke's question.
"The Draker Martial Arts Tournant is quite unique. The events and rules change every ti."
"The events and rules change?"
"Yes. It is the Tournant Preparation Committee that decides them, and the committee is made up of preparation mbers. These mbers also change every ti, and most of them are elders from influential families in the Central Continent."
Zeke's expression changed at those words.
"So you're saying that those elders beco mbers and decide the events and rules?"
"That's correct. It will soon be announced what events will be held for the preliminaries and finals. And from the round of 16, the events and rules will be announced the day before the match."
"Then, if those mbers support a specific candidate, they could set events and rules that are advantageous to that candidate."
"That's right. For those with similar skills, the more advantageous the event is to them, the higher their chances of winning. In an extre case, if a rule is set that 'Aura cannot be used in this martial arts tournant,' then it has to proceed that way."
'What kind of tournant is this?'
In his previous life, he was expelled from the Draker clan and didn't even qualify to participate in the tournant, so he didn't know such an absurd competition existed.
Zeke finally understood why Duke had said it would be difficult to win the tournant without a supporting clan.
'If they collude with each other and set the events and rules to check the winning candidates, I could even be eliminated in the preliminaries.'
Farel said to Zeke in an earnest voice,
"Sir Zeke! If you'll allow , I will assist you in preparing for the tournant by your side!"
Zeke was surprised by those words.
"Are you saying you'll be my assistant, Sir Farel?"
Farel nodded with a determined expression.
'Wait, why is he suddenly acting like this?'
Zeke, who had suffered and been betrayed by others in his past life, was always suspicious when soone showed him kindness.
He looked into Farel's steadfast eyes.
'It's a bit burdenso, but it would certainly be advantageous to have a famous knight like Farel help .'
Zeke nodded towards Farel.
"It would be an infinite honor to have an honorable knight like Sir Farel assist ."
Farel's face brightened at Zeke's words.
As soon as he received permission, Farel began taking out what he had prepared.
A trendous amount of docunts piled up on the table.
"What is this, Sir Farel?"
"It's the basic manual for the Draker Martial Arts Tournant. The in-depth strategy guide is at my clan ho, so I'll have my attendants bring it over soon."
He had never heard of a manual, let alone a strategy guide, for the tournant.
'Maybe I shouldn't have entered the tournant.'
Zeke thought that if he had known about this, it would have been better to refuse even if it ant getting on Arthur Draker's bad side.
Just then, Farel said to Zeke in a serious tone,
"Sir Zeke, to be honest, it's quite late to start preparing for the tournant with only a month left. Usually, preparations begin two years, or at the earliest, three years in advance."
"I-Is that so?"
Farel nodded.
"In this situation, the most necessary thing is a broker."
"A broker? Do you an a broker in the sense that I know?"
"Yes. Or more elegantly, a lobbyist."
Broker or lobbyist, it was all the sa.
Farel took out a file from the pile of manuals and opened it.
On the page was a person's profile.
"It is said that no debutante in the central region makes their debut without going through this person. She has a firm grip on the central social circles."
Zeke checked the photo in the profile and read the na.
'Catherine Graham. The mistress of the Graham Dukedom.'
Farel said to Zeke, "
To prepare for the martial arts tournant, we must bring Duchess Catherine to our side."
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Reviews
All reviews (0)