Chapter 11 A Warrior's Pride

Thud—a heavy object hit the ground with a resounding crash, echoing through everyone's hearts.

The rising dust on the arena obscured Lancaster's figure.

"Lancaster, Lancaster!" came Daniel's panicked voice.

The entire arena fell into an eerie silence.

Lancaster's hair was disheveled, his clothes scorched black, with multiple wounds across his limbs and a dark mark seared onto his chest.

His eyes remained tightly shut, and a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

His upper body lay limply in Daniel's arms, one hand weakly hanging to the ground, casting a foreboding sense of dread over the scene.

"Lancaster!" Sacre was about to rush onto the stage.

Lancaster slowly opened his eyes, raising a weak yet resolute hand to stop him.

"Don't come closer!"

Sacre took a few steps forward but ultimately halted at the edge of the platform.

His eyes were reddening, filled with a burning hatred that seemed as though it could bore a hole through Daniel.

Lancaster fixed his gaze on Daniel. "Why didn't you use magical defense?"

Magical defense, the ability to automatically mobilize surrounding magical waves to form a protective barrier during a magical attack, varies in strength based on one's power level.

Anyone who's studied magic instinctively triggers this mechanism in response to an attack, as it has become a fundamental reflex.

"Me?" Daniel shrugged. "I don't know magic!"

The crowd erupted in shock. How could that be possible?

An elf, unable to use magic?

Elves, often called the race that lives and breathes magic, weave it into every aspect of their daily lives. And yet this elf claimed he couldn't use magic?

On reflection, the mere existence of an elven knight was peculiar; elves are typically known as mages.

It explained Lancaster's strange expression earlier—he must have sensed that Daniel hadn't emitted any magical waves when the meteor strike was launched, prompting him to shield him from the attack.

For Lancaster, his pride would never allow him to use magic against someone who couldn't fight back with the same.

Though the audience was still coming to terms with this revelation, Sacre, standing at the platform's edge, knew that Daniel was telling the truth.

He had already sent out several waves of magic to probe Daniel, only to find no response.

"Cough, cough, you're quite the oddity!" Lancaster's lips curled into a smile.

Daniel awkwardly scratched his head. "Maybe. That's what they all say!"

"Referee!" Lancaster waved over the official but hadn't even spoken a word before—

"I've lost this match," Daniel openly conceded.

"How can you say that? I don't want to win like this!"

"Listen to me, Lancaster. If you hadn't shielded me from that meteor, I'd probably be ashes right now. Besides, the mage's code doesn't forbid using magic against non-magic users, right? If you claim I won this match, it means you're looking down on me!"

"Cough, cough, but…"

"Enough. If you still consider me a friend, don't argue." Daniel cut him off. "Referee, are you going to announce the result or not?"

The referee raised Lancaster's hand. "I declare Lancaster the winner of this match. The Queen's team advances!"

Thunderous applause reverberated throughout the arena.

"Lancaster, Lancaster, Lancaster!" The crowd chanted his name, not just for his outstanding skill, but for his pride.

He had won far more than a victory that day—he had won respect and admiration.

"My queen, is it enough now?" Sacre had somehow made his way onto the platform, carefully taking Lancaster from Daniel's arms.

"Idiot, I'm not dead. Why are you crying?" Lancaster noticed the dampness on his face.

"I love you too much! Are you alright?"

"Shut up. I'm exhausted. Let me rest for a bit! No wonder my meteor spell was so powerful; even the chant only mitigated thirty percent of the damage."

"Yes, yes!"

"Aren't you impressed by me?"

"I'm utterly in awe!"

"Alright, enough talking. Let me sleep!" Lancaster rested his head against Sacre's chest, finding a comfortable position before falling into a deep slumber.

Sacre, holding Lancaster proudly, made his way off the stage, leaving the echo of applause and cheers in his wake.

The first day of the Knights' Tournament concluded successfully.

According to a survey conducted by the tournament committee afterward, the most exciting match of the day was unanimously voted as the battle between Lancaster and Daniel. Additionally, Lancaster was nearly universally selected as "the knight you most admire."

"Cain, Cain! Have you seen Lancaster?" Sacre was searching for him frantically, sweat pouring down his face. "He hasn't recovered from his injuries, and now he's running around again!"

"Lancaster?" Cain, lazily reclining in a tree, gestured behind him. "I think I saw him with Daniel heading toward the back courtyard."

"Seriously? Damn it, you can never be too careful!" Sacre wasted no time, turning to sprint toward the courtyard.

Meanwhile—

"You've got nowhere else to go, do you?" Lancaster's smile was sly, like that of an old fox, sending a shiver down Daniel's spine.

"Well, I suppose so, but…"

"Oh, trust me, I won't let you suffer any losses!"

"All I need to do is take this rag to the old fox in Xisa, and that's it?" Daniel skeptically examined the tattered cloth in his hand.

"Exactly. Once you find him, I guarantee you'll have fine wine and beautiful women at your beck and call!" Lancaster smiled—after all, that scrap of cloth was from a royal robe.

"But…"

"Oh, right, you're not into that. No worries—he'll find plenty of strong people to spar with you daily until you're satisfied. Of course, they won't be as powerful as me, but they'll definitely be better than some weaklings. How about it?"

"Will that really work?" The elf still hesitated.

"Relax! Remember, when you meet him, don't say a word. Just punch him in the face, then kick him hard in the stomach. That's how we greet each other. Then hand him the cloth and say that the little fox sent you. Got it?"

Daniel nodded, thinking that humans sure had some strange greeting customs.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" Sacre's voice rang out.

"Alright, alright, go quickly before that dragon catches you and starts nagging!" Lancaster waved him off.

Daniel waved back with an even brighter smile than when they first met. "Goodbye then! Take care of yourself and heal quickly!"

It seemed like there were two suns before Lancaster's eyes. He rubbed them. "Just go!"

Daniel leaped away without looking back.

Little did they know, this parting would last many years before their paths crossed again.

"Your Majesty, why are you running around when you haven't healed yet?" Sacre shouted, glancing around in search of his rival.

"Why are you yelling? I just came out to enjoy the sunshine. I'm tired; I'm going to sleep now!"

"Your Majesty, where's Daniel?"

"How should I know? What, have you fallen for him?"

"No, Your Majesty, wait for me! Let me explain! My queen~~"