Chapter 261 – 26. Only the Strong Survive (1)
Drums, trumpets, and clamor.
It was the time of those who cried out for glory. As tens of thousands of spectators watched with bated breath, the first article from each camp came forward. Since the spearhead of a duel in a grand battle usually sends out the weakest, he must not have been superior in skill to the other players.
Even so, the eyes of the two men, full of blood, were truly shapely.
“Let’s come Guillaume Giroy from the frozen land.”
“This is Max from Somerset.”
The first line duel has begun. On the northern side, Guillaume, who was good at technique, advanced with a curved sword. He stepped on the sand on the playing field, picked up speed, and charged like a snake.
Hiss!
The blade curved like a crescent moon cut through the cracks in Max’s heavily armored armor. He aimed exactly at the nape of his neck as if he was going to hit it with a hook.
‘Guillaume Giraud is an outstanding knight. Thanks to his innate skill, he is good at delicate movements. If you evaluate it purely in terms of technology, it’s at the level of being in the ranks of the strongest in the continent. But he has a fatal weakness.’
‘I see, that friend’s body is fast and soft. But this is a duel, not a dance. No matter how good you are at catching players, it doesn’t mean much if you can’t deliver effective hits. In the same vein, even if you gain the upper hand with an unexpected attack, it will be quickly reversed by a fairly strong player.’
‘Judging by the look on his face, it seems that Arnaud LeBlanc has already noticed. I wonder if the rumor that I was a competent person before me was true. We need to assume that he is at least something of an Aragorn maniac. So far, there’s no confirmation that he’ll go to a duel himself, but…’
‘In real combat, he probably preferred to fight with a comrade whom he could trust and entrust his back to. It’s terrifying to think that that movement must have gotten the enemy’s nerves off. Besides, it won’t be easy to keep up with the speed because he’s wearing a military uniform instead of armor.’
Visor! Max’s sword cut through the curved sword. Even so, he was in a hurry to block the offensive, but the expression hidden by the helmet was only spleen, not dangerous. The trajectory of his graceful swords was obviously something he could not follow, but he still had many left to decide the outcome.
“You use strange swordsmanship, Gaul.”
“How can you compare it to your way of speaking, perhaps a Britannian.”
“If I made a mistake, I would have been hit.”
“For something like that, you seem to be blocking it quite leisurely.”
Max laughed and stepped back. He calmed down his troubled breathing and asked Guillaume, who was looking for another opportunity, to buy time. There is no particular reason for the other party to answer, but originally this kind of attempt is meaningful in itself.
“I don’t have any knowledge, but may I ask what your name is?”
“It is a desert dance sword. What is your swordsmanship?”
“I don’t know.”
“You bastard… !”
Pod! Guillaume kicked off the ground and soared. He floated into the air without stalling, so his provocation must have worked. As if Max had been waiting, he took one step forward and swung his sword diagonally.
“You idiot, you got caught!”
A weak, but powerful sword wind that could be used in actual combat flew towards Guillaume. And before it could touch him, he turned around and threw his curved sword like a disc. Even though his military uniform was ripped open and the skin on his torso was slightly cut, revealing the underside of the epidermis.
‘Wait a minute, the angle of rotation… !’
‘If I don’t stop it, I’ll die.’
‘But if I put away the sword to stop it flying, my front will be empty!’
‘Of course, it would be difficult to stop it.’
‘No, you don’t have any other armaments! Scratching my nerves, I’m just rushing at it without hesitation!’
The curved sword, which turned like a disk, was aiming sharply at the back of Max’s head. Gently biting his lip, I turned the recoil of the knife he wielded behind me and entered a defensive posture. Although, naturally, the front, where his arms were vacated, was defenseless.
‘How can I shoot through this plate without a sword!’
Gallia’s duel trial basically had no foul play. It is the player’s freedom to wear any equipment in the match against no rules. The eastern side knights, who wore heavy armor, were a bit sluggish because of that, but instead gained solid defense.
In other words, Max had a place to believe. He swung the curved sword away, confident that it wouldn’t hurt me without the blade. While hesitating at the recoil, he even prepared a linkage to poke Guillaume, who landed just in time.
Kang!
Then the bone pain rang. Max, who rolled his eyes for a moment at the dizzy vibration of the helmet, fell backwards. Fortunately, as a result of the hard training, I didn’t see any rudeness to let go of the sword, but it took me a few more seconds to understand the situation I was in.
‘Hey, how did this happen…’
Exactly, until the word concussion passed through my head.
“Aaah… !”
When he came back, he saw Guillaume with his eyes tightly closed, holding his bare fist and feeling pain. Only then did Max come to the conclusion that the opponent hit the sharp pitch with his weight-bearing fist after a long flight.
“Dirty bastard… !”
His right hand stained with fresh blood was not a wound that could heal quickly.
“Be a bit of an idiot, your eyes turned around in an instant and you overdo it.”
But Guillaume didn’t care. I went to the place where my sword was and fixed myself until Max, who was rolling on the floor, got up. When the opponent who lost his face with an unsightly appearance was angry and tried to show off his power, he showed a willingness to face it.
“In your country, isn’t it a virtue to attack without sparing one’s own body?”
“Well, actually, I’m a northerner, so I don’t particularly represent Gaul.”
“Why? There’s something left, such an ignorant thing!”
Through a fleeting conversation, each of them confirmed their creed. Guillaume, who had a wonderful smile, enjoyed a sense of freedom while being greeted by the cool breeze. He confidently confessed, clenching his bony fists together with the clots of blood.
“My dream was to be a bard.”
“What?”
His chivalry.
“I grew up hearing that I had a poetic sense from a young age. He also sings pretty well. Moreover, I have a knack for dancing, so when I grow up, I go around saying that I will make a living as a dancing musician.”
“What are you talking about?”
“That was the dream of a boy who was born in a decent family and lived in a moderate amount of wealth. However, when he became an orphan who lost his parents in the war, his life immediately became difficult. And around that time, a woman who got married to the frozen land said that she would save the same guy, and she generously donated money I don’t know where it came from.”
It wasn’t because there was a particular reason. The noble woman gave food and shelter to the poor who roamed the streets at the time simply out of noble human love.
“At the time, I didn’t even know who it was. I just vaguely assumed that he was an aristocrat with a high status. I found out later That the anonymous benefactor through the workhouse is Mrs. Lemoyn, Oriane.”
Guillaume once asked the Marquis after becoming a knight. Why is the lord, who loves cinnamon so much, respecting his wife so thoroughly? I didn’t know that a question born of simple curiosity would become an opportunity to learn the identity of the woman who had helped me in the past.
‘Because I deserve respect.’
A wife who is like a model for all nobles!
“I like lamb, so I always ate it for my birthday. After she sat down on the street, she had no such luxury. At one time she thought seriously that it was so miserable that she should go down the wrong path. The nun of the workhouse said that her benefactor had heard of your circumstances, and that if she hadn’t fed the dish…”
“It’s all over the place! What the hell does that have to do with my question?”
“I gave up my dream to make a living and enlisted in the frontier army. Although his parents were in good health, he led a decent life because he was acknowledged to have come from a family of knights. But why did I forget about it? According to the deceased Marquis, it was Madame Lemoint who guided me to the right path at the crossroads of my life… !”
Cheer! A thunderstorm dwelled in Guillaume’s curvature. Utilizing the organs that are good at technical skills, he grafted his own magic. Focusing on the appearance of his superior, Nogisa, using secret techniques, including welcome.
“I was ashamed! Myself, who was swung around when the vice-count’s gang rebelled! Maybe that’s why Dior’s heretic was such a mess! But now I know! We are looking at the same place! What I wish for is the protection of the frozen land!”
“That’s a lot of loyalty.”
“It is not loyalty, but repayment. I fight for our community. I have no doubt that they will do the same for me… !”
Max didn’t lose either. Recalling the teachings he had received from the master who gave strength to the hand holding his sword, he began to wield the quicksword. Although it’s faint, I didn’t know if it would be me who was pushed back when I met that sword with static electricity and sparks.
“I will face the reality that I have been denying right here.”
“This energy, is it?”
“I will no longer turn a blind eye to the fact that Romuald, Baron of Ardennes, is a knight devoted to the North.”
“It’s a resolution that even the enemy can’t help but admire… !”
Guillaume ran forward. Max seemed to be checking his posture as well, and he followed suit. The unhesitating footsteps predicted a clash between the two knights. And at that moment, Rom and Arno, who were looking at the whereabouts of the duel, intuitively sensed victory or defeat.
‘The ability to combine magic with swordsmanship without having received formal education.’
‘I didn’t evaluate him as a master of technique for nothing. It’s not easy for a man who doesn’t even know how to use an intangible sword to put attributes into a sword while thinking of a practical sense.’
‘Looks like the match has been decided.’
A fierce battle ensued. The clashing knives cried out loud and tried to protect each other’s masters. And after a fight that lasted for about 10 minutes, the duel tilted as one sword bounced off first.
‘It’s a demonic sword that feels hot every time it collides with it.’
‘It was wonderful, Guillaume Giraud.’
‘It’s not as good as the quick sword that was perfected under Kenneth’s teaching.’
‘It is not so. You must have felt it too The only thing lacking was strength and experience. Although those two factors are huge, they are not insurmountable. You will be able to grow more in the future. Today’s duel is a step toward that.’
Visor! The curved sword, the blade of which had been dislodged, fell to the sandy floor. Struggling with one hand and breathing heavily, Guillaume clicked his tongue, closed his eyes, and opened his arms wide.
‘Hmm?’
‘No way!’
And spit it out
“End.”
“Her.”
“Even if I die, I don’t want to put the word defeat in my mouth.”
“You give up a noble life for nothing but recklessness.”
“It is only limited to you. I think it would have been the same even if our positions had changed.”
Max nodded. If it wasn’t for the superiority through heavy armor and quick sword, he would have been the one who would have admitted defeat. The swordsman, who felt respect for his opponent in a subtle sympathy, hissed with his sword.
“It’s cool, but I don’t see it that way.”
Took, while cutting off Guillaume’s right arm.
“However, I respect you. I’ll look at you with one arm.”
“Ahhh… !”
“I will never be able to lift a sword again… !”
It brought Zen monks to the East.
