Chapter 283: Chapter 3. Break
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King Bartra of the Kingdom of Liones is undoubtedly a wise ruler. His character always earns people's deep respect... and headaches.
It's almost as if he used up all his limited abilities on being an excellent king, leaving him inept in other areas.
Although Bartra looks imposing in his heavy armor while riding a warhorse, Dreyfus and the surrounding Holy Knights know the truth. The armor he wears is hollow, almost paper-thin. His muscular build serves no real purpose, having no strength behind it. Yet, because of his stubborn belief that "a king cannot hide behind his knights," he insists on going to the battlefield. In the end, the Holy Knights have no choice but to prepare decorative armor and undergo grueling training to protect him.
While they can make up for Bartra's lack of combat skills with their own rigorous discipline, his oblivious nature is a different problem altogether.
He has a tendency to bring people back with him without any investigation, like someone who enjoys picking up stray cats. Dreyfus could ignore this, but bringing back someone to be the Great Holy Knight? That's a different story.
He holds deep respect for his older brother Zaratras, who is hailed as the "Central Pillar of the Capital's Defense" and a "God of War-like figure." In his eyes, the position of Great Holy Knight is a revered one. How could he allow an unknown person to take that glory?
"Your Majesty, please allow me to challenge this man!"
Dreyfus's words carried much meaning, but Bartra only understood the literal sense.
"Mm~ You're right. Having someone unknown become the Great Holy Knight isn't good. Why don't you two use your fists to get to know each other?"
Dreyfus and the Holy Knights behind him twitched at the corners of their mouths. Your Majesty, you only just met this man today, right? Why are you acting like you've been best friends for years? Even he seems troubled by it.
Despite Bartra's strong magical ability, known as "Vision", his foresight often leaves those around him bewildered, as he tends to express his predictions through bizarre words or actions.
"I don't mind, but I don't need the position of Great Holy Knight. It seems like a position of great honor, and I, who haven't put in any effort, am not qualified to sit in it."
Bartra's attitude left Cyd with no way to refuse. Although he had intended to use Bartra to seek information about the gods, he couldn't turn down Bartra's pure goodwill.
Dreyfus's impression of Cyd improved slightly. At least, this straightforward demeanor suggested that Cyd wasn't an evil person, but that didn't mean he was willing to compromise his principles.
"Then let's have a battle between men to understand each other. Both sides must go all out!"
This oblivious king had no idea what "all out" meant for a Holy Knight. At the very least, his seemingly sturdy frame would be blown away in an instant.
Dreyfus sighed deeply with his back turned to Bartra. He didn't care if the white-haired man in front of him saw his exasperation at the king's decisions because the white-haired man seemed equally distressed by Bartra's words. Cyd and Dreyfus both silently agreed to pretend they hadn't heard.
Dreyfus noticed that Cyd wasn't equipped with any weapon, so he sheathed his sword, his pride not allowing him to draw a weapon against an unarmed opponent.
"Dreyfus, Holy Knight of Liones."
"Cyd, an ordinary person."
The two stood face to face, both unarmed. Neither made the first move. Cyd simply didn't want to escalate things, while Dreyfus felt quite the opposite. Standing before Cyd, the man seemed to have openings all over. But whenever Dreyfus tried to target one, his instincts screamed at him to stop.
This white-haired youth named Cyd was definitely no ordinary person. His casual stance, from which he could launch attacks from any angle, indicated mastery of a destructive martial art.
It's not that he didn't have a weapon—he simply didn't need one.
Regardless of magic, Dreyfus had already lost in this hand-to-hand battle, realizing too late that Cyd was far stronger than he appeared.
"I was wrong. I judged you based on your appearance. It seems I haven't trained enough. If we fight barehanded, I might lose," Dreyfus admitted, relaxing his previously tense body beneath his armor.
"Oh~ Are you going to give up?" Cyd's eyes lit up. Although he wasn't afraid of battle, he preferred avoiding unnecessary fights, especially since the sun was setting—he might not be able to hold back.
"No, I plan to fight with everything I've got!"
Dreyfus swiftly drew the sword at his waist and pointed it at Cyd, his face serious, which made Cyd inwardly sigh.
This over-imagined scenario was exhausting, but at least it was better than dragging things out until dusk.
Cyd gestured for Dreyfus to come at him. Honestly, this would be his first time fighting a Holy Knight, and he was curious about their strength.
Given Dreyfus's muscular body, even beneath his armor, he clearly had a swordsmanship honed through countless battles. Unfortunately for him, Cyd had fought in so many battles that he was confident he could neutralize Dreyfus's attacks without much effort.
So, come on! Let me show you my… ordinary moves…
"[Break: Pierce]!"
A concentrated beam of magic shot from Dreyfus's sword tip, slamming into Cyd. The ferocious energy made Cyd reflexively raise his hand to grab it.
"Foolish! My magic [Pierce] can penetrate anything! What are you…" Dreyfus paused, realizing that this wasn't a life-or-death battle but more of a friendly spar. The nonchalant expression on Cyd's face as he casually blocked the beam made Dreyfus subconsciously use his magic.
"Your Majesty, I…" Dreyfus began to apologize to Bartra, only to see him resting his chin on his hand, watching intently.
"Why are you looking at me, Dreyfus? Your opponent is still standing there, isn't he?"
"What?!"
Dreyfus turned around abruptly. Cyd, who had taken the full brunt of his usually devastating attack, was completely unharmed. The only sign of damage was the white smoke rising from Cyd's right hand.
"Hey, this is different from what I imagined."
Cyd's eye twitched. It was like watching a wizard enchanting his fists with magic before throwing punches. A knight using his strong physique to cast magic? And it seemed like blocking that attack was a big deal, as the Holy Knights behind Dreyfus were all looking at him with admiration.
It looks like keeping a low profile won't work anymore.
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