The start of the legacy (5)

At noon, the horn sounded.

On the high platform of the castle square, the two main characters of the game had already taken their seats.

On one side was Count Casper, dressed in fancy clothes, holding a glass of wine, and leaning back in his chair with a relaxed expression.

On the other side was Eileen, dressed similarly in fancy clothes, sitting upright with a serious expression.

Below the platform, the left side was divided by a center line, with Eileen's entourage of 25 people including knights and their attendants in formal knight armor, as well as 15 temporarily recruited mercenaries wearing all kinds of outfits. On the right side were the elite knights under Count Caspar, a dark mass estimated to be at least three times the number of Eileen's personnel, which was more than 120 people.

Outside the temporary fence, there was a crowd surging.

The small seaside town, which usually had no entertainment activities, suddenly had such an event, and it was truly crowded. Many people couldn't even squeeze in.

Of course, Gray was relatively lucky, he squeezed in, although his skeletal horse didn't.

"Are those two on the stage the lords?"

"Yes."

"Hey, that short one, I seem to have seen her somewhere."

"Short one? Are you talking about that woman? I don't remember."

"Well... I can't recall. Never mind. By the way, which one should I pledge allegiance to?"

"That depends on who is willing to take you."

"Wait, I've seen that person too."

"Which one do you mean?"

Gray pointed to Pas, the red-haired mercenary standing on Eileen's side.

"Wasn't he the one who invited you to join their mercenary group at the tavern yesterday?"

"Yes, that's him. I remember his aura."

"Is he also from the Bechel family?"

Gray's gaze fell on Pas's chest, where the Bechel family crest was.

After a brief silence, Gray stepped forward and began to squeeze towards Pas.

"What are you doing?" The black cat inside Gray's armor started screaming.

"He invited me to join his mercenary group, didn't he?"

"You want to join now?"

"What's wrong?"

"Oh my god, don't you see that they're about to fight? Without your horse, can you beat them? I'm afraid you'll fall apart from a shield blow! These are all legitimate knights, not thugs!"

"I won't be scattered by the collision!" Gray said decisively.

In the distance, Pas spotted Gray, and Ilyin on stage also noticed Gray's presence. Of course, the main reason was that Gray, wearing faceless plate armor, was exceptionally conspicuous among the crowd.

Pas had already started waving to Gray, and Gray waved back at him.

After giving some instructions to those around him, Pas quickly walked to the fence and put his hand on Gray's shoulder.

"Are you here to find me? We are about to have a competition, we can talk later."

"Can I join you guys?" Gray asked straightforwardly.

Pas was stunned for a moment and took a while to react, "Yes, but you have to wait for a while."

"Can't I do it now?" Gray asked again.

Turning his head, Pas shouted to Eileen, who was standing next to him in the distance, "One more person, is that okay?"

Eileen smiled and nodded.

"It's okay!" Pas quickly said to Gray.

Using his hand to support his helmet, Gray stepped over the low fence and walked onto the sandy field in the center.

"Isn't that the knight we saw when we arrived yesterday? He also blocked our way. Has he come too?" Eileen asked Abe Robert,

"Judging by his armor, it should be him. Maybe he was already a member of the mercenary group. When we went over today, the head of the mercenary group said that they had a few people on other missions and couldn't come. Maybe they just completed the mission."

"What task, did the cat finally wake up?" Eileen whispered teasingly. "Whatever, with that heavy armor, it'll at least make the opponent sweat."

Catching a glimpse of Eileen from the corner of his eye, Count Casper looked at his steward next to him and sneered, "She actually went to find that group of ruffians from the Red Scorpion Mercenary Corps. Ha! No wonder the Bechel family fell. It's fine, let her be. It doesn't matter if she finds more people. She's already accepted defeat in her heart and mouth, which is better than causing trouble later."

The emcee of the tournament, wearing a wide robe, walked towards the center, unrolled the scroll, and loudly announced, "This tournament is jointly held by the Casper and Bechel families..."

The audience was quiet, and the knight mercenaries participating in the tournament, as well as the onlookers, listened quietly.

"The competition is divided into ground combat and horse combat, and follows a round-robin format. Each side sends one person to fight. In horse combat, being knocked off the horse, losing consciousness, dying, leaving the field, or surrendering will result in a loss. In ground combat, losing consciousness, dying, leaving the field, or surrendering will result in a loss. The loser will be eliminated. The winner must accept the challenge of the next challenger sent by the opponent and has the right to decide whether the next match will be horse or ground combat."

Eileen slowly turned her head to look at Count Casper, who was rubbing his chin and laughing happily.

"This goes on repeatedly until all members of one side are eliminated, in which case that side loses! If the Casper family loses, they must swear allegiance to Miss Eileen and promise to obey her, even if they declare war on heaven and shed the last drop of blood. If the Bechel family loses, Eileen Bebella Bechel will accept the proposal of Count Casper's son, Charlie, and the wedding will take place on a chosen day! Both sides are requested to confirm the agreement and the rules of the competition!"

After speaking, the master of ceremonies closed the scroll.

On the square, the crowd erupted in thunderous cheers.

"As for the fighting and bloodshed... well, as long as it's not our own blood being spilled, what does it matter whose blood it is?" Pas sighed helplessly.

The master of ceremonies brought out an identical parchment scroll and presented it to Count Casper and Eileen in turn, asking them to sign their names and stamp their seals.

Turning around, he raised the two parchment scrolls high and shouted, "Let the fighting begin!"

This time, the cheers were even louder, and people even started throwing flowers from the top of the city walls. What was the purpose of this competition? Who cared? They were just waiting to see an exciting fight to add a bit of color to their otherwise dull lives.

"How good are you at fighting on horseback?" Pas asked, turning to Gray.

"I've never tried it," Gray replied truthfully.

"You've never tried fighting on horseback?" Pas was surprised.

"No."

"Well, that's actually good news. I hope whoever fights you later chooses to fight on horseback. If they do, I even believe you can take them all down if your stamina holds up. By the way, where's your horse?"

"Outside, I didn't bring him in."

Pas called over one of Eileen's attendants and asked him to accompany Gray to bring the skeletal horse inside.

......

The match has started.

In the first round, they began the competition with on-horse battle. Eileen sent out a young knight with a crew cut, while Caspar's side sent out a middle-aged, long-haired and overweight knight.

The two horses crossed paths, and Eileen's knight was directly thrown and fell into a coma.

In the first round, the Caspar family won.

In the second round, it was still on-horse battle and Eileen sent out a handsome knight with a ponytail to replace the crew cut knight.

The two horses crossed paths, and both long spears almost simultaneously stabbed each other's shields, breaking them directly. They drew their long swords, and after about five rounds, the ponytail knight knocked the overweight knight off his horse.

In the second round, Eileen won.

In the third round, the ponytail knight looked at Horsche from a distance and changed the competition to a foot battle. He easily defeated the sword and shield warrior sent by the other side with his dual swords.

In the fourth round, it was still a foot battle, and the ponytail knight easily defeated the other side's spear warrior.

Gray quietly watched as they led their horses back to the arena and began to think about what to do if they encountered a ground battle. This was a headache.

In the fifth round, they continued their winning streak, and after a fierce battle, the ponytail knight defeated the other side's two-handed sword warrior with his agile swordsmanship.

The cheers on the square rose higher and higher.

"Who is this person?" The young girls began to inquire about the name of this brave knight.

"Mike Barak. I heard he's a baron! Unmarried! You'll have to pay for more information!" The black-hearted merchant selling rumors timely delivered the news.

"Wow!"

Amid the cheers, they welcomed the sixth round. The opponent sent out a "giant" who was two meters tall, muscular, and wielded two giant hammers.

Sitting on the high platform, Eileen's face couldn't help but change, while Count Caspar beside her still had the same smile.

In the face of absolute power, skill is often pale. Unexpectedly, Mike still chose to fight on ground.

With his giant hammer and heavy armor, Mike attacked with over a dozen stabs. Although he managed to land a few hits, they only grazed his opponent's skin without hitting any vital spots, and couldn't even slow down his movements. In return, his opponent swung his hammer heavily, sending Mike flying out, crashing through the fence. If it weren't for the onlookers pushing him back in, he probably would have been out of bounds.

Struggling to get up from the ground and looking at Eileen from afar, Mike gritted his teeth and charged forward again.

The battle was intense, and Eileen's knight was brave, but this was already Mike's fifth match. Even when he was full of energy, he might not be able to beat this "giant," let alone now.

After a few more exchanges, Mike could no longer stand steadily.

"This weapon is so powerful, and it looks much simpler than a sword," Gray exclaimed.

"Of course it's powerful. The heavier the weapon, the more powerful it is, as long as you can handle it," Pas casually said.

Finally, Mike was knocked down to the ground, and the giant hammer was pointed at his head.

The people who were cheering for Mike in the square were all silent, and the girls covered their lips.

"Do you surrender?! " the giant asked loudly.

"No!" Already covered in blood and gasping for breath, Mike responded with his last bit of strength.

The giant hammer was raised high up.

"Surrender!" Suddenly, Eileen stood up on the high platform.

At this moment all eyes were drawn to her.

Mike lying in the center of the field stared at Eileen blankly.

Two attendants quickly approached and carried him away.

Elin hurriedly walked down from the high platform, holding her skirt, and went to Mike's side, who was already close to dying. She gently held his hand.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Miss Eileen... I couldn't follow my oath and protect you until the end."

"No, you have done your duty. Even at this point, you are willing to follow me. You all live up to your vows."

Mike pursed his lips, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Looking around, Eileen whispered, "You are all my most loyal knights. This battle today is crucial to me. However, I do not want any of you to lose your life in the competition. Do you all understand?"

"Yes!"

In the crowd, Eileen saw Gray timidly raising his hand.

"Do you have any questions?"

"I want to ask if we win, can we get a formal knighthood?"

A knight next to her whispered to Eileen, "He is a mercenary we hired."

"I know." Elin looked at Gray and said softly, "Didn't I already give you a knighthood?"

"I mean a formal knighthood." Gray pointed to Pas not far away and said, "He said our titles are temporary."

"Do you want a formal knighthood?"

"Yes."

"Okay, if you can defeat fifty people for me in the competition and ensure that I ultimately win this match, I will give you a formal knighthood. Baron, you will also be granted a fief."

"Deal."

As soon as the word "deal" was spoken, Pas stared at Gray with widened eyes, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

The knights around them burst into laughter.

"What did he just say? Deal?"

"Does he mean he can really defeat fifty people? Is he kidding?"

"Is he crazy from raising his sleeping cat?"

Amid the laughter, Gray continued to negotiate seriously, "But I need a suitable weapon. Can you provide one for me?"

Eileen clearly lost interest in listening to Gray's further demands. The seventh match was about to begin, and she turned around and walked towards the high platform, holding up her skirt.

Gray wanted to catch up with her, but was stopped by Horsche, who reached out and held him back. "Just focus on what you need to do, and don't think too much about anything else, understand?"