Despite the tense progression of events, the duel’s outcome was not easily decided.
“Huff! Huff…!”
“Ugh…”
Keldric looked at the two knights, utterly exhausted, with a perplexed expression.
Moments ago, they had lunged at each other as if intent on killing, but now, after rolling around in the mud in their heavy armor, they seemed completely spent.
“Come on, both of you, get up.”
“I-I can still fight.”
“Fight? You can barely stand.”
Keldric hauled the two knights up from the muddy ground.
Lifting both knights clad in metal armor with one hand each was a tall order, so he had to carefully help them up one at a time using both hands.
“What a sorry sight.”
“Ahem! Combat wrestling is meant to be messy. Don’t think too poorly of it.”
“Oh, sure.”
They called it combat wrestling, but to Keldric, it looked more like a brawl.
Mud sloshed off Sir Henri and Sir Alan as they barely managed to stand.
“The smell… Ahem.”
It seemed the mud had covered a spot where the innkeeper had buried manure, as an unbearable stench began wafting up from their armor.
When Keldric covered his nose and turned his head slightly, Sir Henri and Sir Alan coughed awkwardly.
Their armor was beyond filthy. Like Keldric, both knights were wearing chain mail, but the small metal rings were completely clogged with mud.
The squires attending Sir Henri looked on with dismay, while Sir Alan’s squire turned pale, trembling as he stared at his master.
“And the result is…”
Neither Sir Henri nor Sir Alan had serious injuries when they removed their helmets.
They had exchanged wild punches, so their faces were merely swollen and bruised in several places.
Keldric alternated his gaze between their swollen faces, bruised and bleeding lips. It wasn’t clear who deserved to be declared the winner.
“…How about calling it a draw?”
“Sir Keldric! What do you mean by that? I pounded this Brittas pig into a pulp!”
“Sir! Strip this foolish Frank knight’s armor right now! You’ll see he’s likely wet himself down below!”
“Even if you did, it wouldn’t make much difference…”
The two knights, spitting as they argued, refused to accept Keldric’s suggestion.
Sir Henri was displeased that he couldn’t secure a victory to uphold his family’s honor, and Sir Alan, having been insulted first, was just as determined to avoid defeat.
Reluctantly, Keldric gave in to their insistence and ordered their armor removed.
The squires and Sir Alan’s servant hurried over to help them out of their gear.
Before long, the knights were left wearing only their braies—simple undergarments.
“Hmm…”
“………”
“Is there any difference?.”
Of course, that didn’t change the result. Sir Henri and Sir Alan simply ended up feeling more awkward.
Bruises covered their thighs, calves, shins, chest, shoulders—every inch of them from head to toe bore signs of their scuffle. Though the bruises varied in placement, overall, it was a case of “a tie is a tie.”
“Let’s call it a draw. Any objections now?”
“Still.”
“Of course, I’ve only rendered judgment as a witness. If you cannot accept it… I might feel my honor has been slighted.”
As Keldric quietly fiddled with his mace, Sir Henri and Sir Alan averted their eyes, looking slightly intimidated.
Though today’s fight had been somewhat embarrassing, the two knights, both born for combat, knew well enough that Keldric’s imposing physique was no match for them.
“Well, if Sir Keldric insists…”
“We’ll abide by your decision.”
Watching the two subdued knights awkwardly put their clothes back on, Keldric let out a soft sigh.
‘It was amusing, though…’
Initially, the duel began with weapons in hand, but as it went on, both knights ended up slipping, tumbling, and rolling in the mud.
It was far too undignified to be called a knightly fight. Thankfully, restricting spectators to only the involved parties had been a brilliant move.
Had everyone at the inn witnessed the duel, Sir Henri and Sir Alan, if not Keldric himself, would surely have become laughingstocks.
Keldric poked at the ground, now a mixture of straw and mud, with his finger.
The soft mud yielded without resistance under his touch.
The choice of arena had been a mistake. It would have been better to fight on solid ground, but unlike the perpetually frozen north, Bogenberg’s soil turned soggy this time of year as the snow melted.
As a result, what should have been a perfectly suitable spot had become a swampy mess.
“Ahem! Sir Keldric.”
Sir Henri, now dressed in his doublet and hose, approached Keldric.
With his armor thoroughly caked in mud and unwearable, it was a natural change. Keldric looked at him with mild disinterest.
“You all right?”
“Perfectly fine! No need to worry!”
Though his swollen cheek, clearly bruised, suggested otherwise.
Even with a helmet, there was no way tender flesh could escape unscathed from being struck repeatedly with steel gauntlets.
“Why do you go stirring up trouble? Just to get beaten like this.”
“Stirring up trouble? Sir, this was a grave matter for the honor of House Candeillon!”
“Oh, yes. Over bread and wine, wasn’t it?”
It started when someone insulted the bread and wine served at the banquet, deeming them tasteless. Henri felt deeply offended by this.
A quintessentially medieval reason. Keldric gave the knight, now sulking slightly, a few hearty pats on the shoulder.
“Your squires will handle cleaning your armor, I presume?”
“Of course. I’ve already instructed them to clean it thoroughly to prevent rust.”
Poor squires. They’d have to painstakingly clean every bit of mud out of the tightly woven chainmail.
Sir Henri, however, showed not a shred of guilt as he handed down this grueling task.
Keldric glanced at Henri’s retreating back with a somewhat exasperated expression.
“Let’s head inside.”
“Yes, let’s.”
Thus, the impromptu duel of honor between the two knights concluded without a clear winner or loser.
The commotion that had unfolded in the backyard of the Windrose Inn came to a somewhat anticlimactic end.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
As soon as the morning sun rose, the first thing Keldric did was none other than exercise.
It was thanks to having scouted out the sturdiest patch of ground beforehand—the very spot where Sir Henri and Sir Alan had engaged in a petty duel the previous day.
“I’ve rested too much lately.”
Exercise was something best done consistently.
Although Keldric’s body possessed extraordinary strength, he firmly believed that relying on that strength without care could lead to trouble.
Sweat poured off him like rain as he wiped it away with a yellow linen cloth he had prepared in advance.
Unlike the northern lands, where bone-chilling winds blew ceaselessly, the moderately cool climate of Bogenberg felt somewhat harsh to him.
It was the fate of a northerner.
Born and raised in a land of unyielding cold where snow never melted year-round, his body had grown resilient to freezing temperatures but vulnerable to heat.
“Sir Keldric.”
“Hah… Hmm?”
As Keldric finished his exercise and wiped away his sweat, he turned to see Alyssa, fully dressed for an outing, standing nearby.
Alyssa’s gaze briefly scanned Keldric’s exposed upper body. He had a towering frame to match his height, and his muscular build was equally massive.
Catching herself staring, Alyssa quickly averted her eyes.
Despite her time spent mingling with coarse mercenaries, her status as a fallen noble and her inexperience left her flustered in moments like this.
Unaware of this, Keldric approached her without hesitation.
“…It’s just that I might be busy for the next few days.”
“Oh, right. You mentioned you had something to look into?”
“Yes. There’s something I need to… um… check on.”
“That’s a bit disappointing, but it’s why we came here in the first place, so… I understand. How long will it take?”
“It shouldn’t take too long. At the very least, I’ll be done before you leave Bogenberg.”
“Hmm? Before I leave?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
Keldric scratched his chin with a puzzled expression, which only surprised Alyssa further.
“Were you planning to travel with me even after finishing your personal business?”
“Well, that is…”
Momentarily at a loss for words, Alyssa closed her mouth.
Wait….why had she assumed she would naturally continue traveling with this knight?
She had more important matters on her mind, yet for some reason, she had taken it for granted that Keldric would accompany her on her journey.
To be honest, it felt a bit shameless.
Wasn’t it as if she intended to rely on Keldric’s formidable strength for an easier trip?
Realizing this, a faint blush crept into Alyssa’s ears.
“Well, we’ll have to see about the circumstances later… Would that be an inconvenience?”
“No, not at all. Having a capable mage like you by my side would be a great help.”
“C-Capable…?”
“In any case, I understand. I’ll take this opportunity to explore the artisan district myself today.”
While Alyssa seemed a bit flustered, Keldric regarded the chance to wander alone as significant.
Though this was a unique situation, the possibility of him traveling solo in the future was always present.
Alyssa, being a mage educated at an academy, was knowledgeable in many areas. But if Keldric were alone, he wouldn’t be able to rely on her insights.
Having spent the past 18 years in the remote village of Carlton, it was time for him to learn more about the world.
In a way, this could be seen as his first step toward independence.
‘I’ll need to adjust to prices and focus on gaining basic knowledge and practical experience.’
While traveling with Alyssa might provide him with various pieces of information, it wouldn’t grant him the wisdom that comes from firsthand experience.
Keldric needed this—especially when thinking about the future.
The one fortunate thing was that Alyssa seemed willing to continue traveling with him even after their time in Bogenberg.
Even though Keldric was trying to become self-reliant, having Alyssa around was reassuring.
It felt like carrying a high-performance electronic dictionary by his side.
“I’m not sure what personal matter you’re dealing with, but I hope it yields good results.”
“Thank you.”
After seeing Alyssa off, Keldric finished getting ready with a simple grooming session. Dressed in light casual wear, he mounted Boreas and left the inn.
The sky was strikingly clear.
Such weather wasn’t unheard of even in the northern regions, but it was rare during the fierce blizzards of summer and winter.
Fully rejuvenated after a night’s rest, Boreas trotted briskly with an energetic gait.
Keldric planned to head straight to the artisan district. If he found a decent weapon, he’d buy it; if not, he could still manage in the upcoming tournament.
‘Not that I’ll need it…’
Even as he guided Boreas at a slow pace, Keldric subconsciously brushed the mace at his hip.
Surely, there wouldn’t be any reason to draw a weapon in a city this large… but then again, one could never be too sure.
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