“The one who insulted my family, step forward and accept an honorable duel at once!”
Sir Tolle of the Lombard family had a broad, flat face and a perpetually angry expression.
Keldric looked at Sir Tolle with an unimpressed gaze. Watching him yell at the top of his lungs in front of the inn’s entrance wasn’t exactly a pleasant sight.
Keldric’s hand, gripping his mace, twitched slightly.
A duel—such a grand term. If Keldric smashed Tolle’s skull right now, it might cause some trouble. But if it was under the guise of a duel, that might mitigate things a bit.
Still, Keldric decided to settle the matter with words first. Getting tangled up in an annoying situation like this before the tournament was not ideal.
“Sir Tolle of the Lombard family, correct?”
“And who might you be….oh… oh…”
And, of course, nothing resolved conflicts quite like a show of overwhelming strength.
With the weighty steel weapon resting on his shoulder, Keldric quietly loomed over Sir Tolle. His deep blue eyes glinted with a cold light.
Sir Tolle had an impressive physique befitting a knight. But compared to Keldric, who had just stood up, there was plenty to criticize.
Keldric’s gaze deliberately examined the flab clinging to various parts of Tolle’s body.
He couldn’t decide if it was fat deliberately gained to increase his weight class or just the result of overeating.
“If it’s me you’re looking for, I believe you’ve found him.”
“Uh, um…”
“Keldric of the Bellaf family. Surely, a noble family like the Lombards has heard the name.”
In truth, Keldric knew nothing about the Lombards or any nonsense related to them, but he smoothly spouted words that would defuse the situation.
If he agreed to the duel immediately, it wouldn’t be a loss, but risking injury before the tournament over something like this was unwise.
Most of all, Keldric wasn’t the type to enjoy beating people up.
Instead of resorting to fists every time conflict arose, resolving things amicably was often the better path.
Tap. Tap.
The cold, metallic surface of his mace gently tapped against Keldric’s shoulder. Watching this, Sir Tolle’s lips pressed into a tight line.
“Sir Tolle. Rather than causing a commotion in front of the inn, wouldn’t it be better to step outside and talk?”
“O-oh… Yes, let’s do that.”
With stiff, nervous movements, Sir Tolle was the first to leave the inn, followed by Keldric, who trailed behind him.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
The reason Sir Tolle had stormed out in search of Keldric was simple.
His squires had returned to him, beaten and complaining, and it wouldn’t do for him to sit idly by, ignoring the affront to his honor.
“I see… So that’s how it was. It seems I didn’t fully understand the situation. My apologies, Sir Keldric.”
“It’s nothing. Mistakes happen in life.”
Despite the apology, a fleeting expression of humiliation crossed Sir Tolle’s face.
No matter how at fault he was, a knight with as much pride as Tolle would find it a bitter pill to swallow to offer a sincere apology to another knight.
It was fortunate that they were in a quiet, secluded place. If Sir Tolle had continued his rampage at the inn, he might have been forced to bow his head in front of prying eyes—a much greater blow to his dignity.
“So your squires didn’t tell you the whole story, did they?”
“They did not. I thought you had attacked them without cause.”
The misunderstanding was straightforward, the squires had conveniently left out their own wrongdoings and only reported that they had been beaten by Keldric.
What’s more, Sir Tolle was unaware of the trouble they had caused Kurt. Realizing this, the already embarrassed knight’s face turned beet red with shame.
If his squires had been at fault, it reflected poorly not only on them but on him as their master, as it implied a failure of oversight on his part.
Worse still, the offense in question had been directed at another knight—a grievous misstep in their world.
Given the circumstances, it wasn’t unreasonable for Sir Tolle to take Keldric’s words at face value.
Between his squires, whom he had served alongside for years, and the towering knight with a mace slung over his shoulder, it was obvious whom to trust.
“You didn’t leave any weapons in Kurt’s care?”
“I commissioned him to make me a sword. I told my squires to collect it.”
According to Sir Tolle, he had indeed tasked Kurt with crafting a weapon. The problem was, that’s where the truth ended.
“The sword was supposed to be in my hands a week ago, but every time I sent my squires to fetch it, they returned empty-handed. I thought Kurt had pocketed my money.”
In reality, the greedy squires had hidden the weapon they received and returned to Kurt demanding, “Where is it?”
When a frustrated Kurt suggested verifying with Sir Tolle, the knight—who genuinely hadn’t received the weapon—naturally sided with his squires.
Kurt, who had done everything right, was left in a bind.
“Sir, I’m not in any position to say this, but… it seems your squires could use a bit more supervision.”
“Grr… They’ll face proper punishment when I return.”
From Keldric’s perspective, Sir Tolle wasn’t a particularly pleasant knight.
In fact, he fit the description of the “unbearable knights” Keldric had dreaded encountering.
For now, their conversation was flowing smoothly enough because it was between fellow knights. But it wasn’t hard to imagine how Sir Tolle would deal with his squires once he got back.
His explosive entrance at the inn proved that. Had anyone other than Keldric been there to confront him, the situation might have spiraled out of control.
“This incident is entirely my fault. My sincerest apologies, Sir Keldric.”
“Not at all. It wasn’t your mistake; it was your squires’.”
“Still, if it weren’t for you, I might have made a grave error and completely disgraced myself.”
Sir Tolle’s tone was genuinely deferential.
Even for an ill-tempered knight, charging recklessly at another knight in the face of clear wrongdoing was out of bounds.
Just as mongrel dogs have their own rules, knights too operated by an unwritten code.
Keldric patted Sir Tolle’s shoulder a couple of times.
It didn’t matter how unpleasant someone’s personality was; as long as they didn’t trouble Keldric, it was fine.
“Sir Keldric, as a token of my apology, I’d like to make amends. Do you have any plans the day after tomorrow?”
“Hmm?”
“My squires have wronged you, and I must make it right. Besides, I need to ensure they’re properly disciplined.”
When squires committed offenses that insulted another knight, their master’s temperament was irrelevant. As a knight himself, Sir Tolle couldn’t ignore such an insult.
Here, it might have been prudent to accept Sir Tolle’s offer out of courtesy, but Keldric had a very important commitment in two days.
“The day after tomorrow… Well, I’m participating in the tournament.”
“Ah! You’re one of the tournament participants?”
“That’s right… but what about you, Kyung?”
“I’d like to participate too, but there’s something I need to resolve on behalf of my family. That’s the reason I’ve been staying in Bogenberg for nearly a month.”
Keldric didn’t bother prying into the affairs of the Lombard family.
He hated getting involved in other noble families’ issues, as they often turned into tangled problems between aristocrats.
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“Unfortunate?”
“I wanted to test my skills against you, Kyung. Wouldn’t it be great to meet in a prestigious tournament arena?”
“Ah, well… yes, that’s true.”
“Anyway, I don’t think I’ll be available starting the day after tomorrow.”
Although Keldric was curious about what Lord Tolle meant by ‘repayment,’ the tournament naturally took precedence.
He also didn’t want to witness any more of the squires getting whipped—a sight he found distasteful.
“It’s a shame, but… we’ll have to leave it for another time.”
“If you ever find the time, come find me at Bogenberg Castle. I’ll make sure to repay you then.”
“Will do.”
“…And please, put that mace away. It’s quite unsettling.”
With that, Lord Tolle departed. For someone who had stormed into the inn with such vigor, his departure felt rather anticlimactic.
Keldric watched Lord Tolle’s figure disappear into the alleyway on horseback, reflecting on his words and coming to a realization.
“…Staying at the castle?”
When a knight visits a noble’s domain, it’s customary for the lord to invite them to the castle or their estate as a gesture of hospitality.
However, there were countless knights participating in the tournament, and it was impossible for all of them to stay at Bogenberg Castle.
Knights who stayed at the castle during times like this were usually either the offspring of influential nobles or from prestigious knightly families.
Keldric’s gaze shifted back to the corner of the alley where Lord Tolle had vanished.
But the man who could answer his questions was already gone.
Keldric clicked his tongue in mild frustration. Of course, there was no need to act hastily.
If Lord Tolle truly was a guest of the castle, they would inevitably cross paths again at the tournament arena.
☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩ ☩
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
As time went on, Bogenberg became a bustling hub during the daytime whenever the gates opened. Crowds gathered, filling the streets with chaos.
Most of these people were either knights participating in the tournament or nobles and their attendants coming to witness the event.
Even when Keldric arrived, he had to stand in line to get through the gates, and as the tournament approached, the wait became even longer.
Keldric stared at the long queue in front of the gate with a bored expression.
“Why are there so many?”
It was one thing for a crowd to block the road, but this was on an entirely different level compared to the merchant lines he’d seen in Bellam.
Surprisingly, among all these people, actual citizens of the city were relatively few.
This wasn’t surprising, as the tournament was held to commemorate the Count of Bogenberg’s fiftieth birthday, and not just anyone was allowed in as a spectator.
To even enter the audience stands, you had to pay an entry fee.
The price was so high that Keldric clicked his tongue in disbelief, and the best seats with the best views of the arena cost even more.
“Sir Keldric, nervous?”
As Keldric idly stared at the bustling crowd, Sir Henri approached him without him noticing, lightly tapping his arm with a mischievous grin.
Nervous? Of course, he was.
Keldric rarely felt anxious, even in serious battles, but competing against other knights in front of such a massive audience was an entirely different matter.
“My stomach is churning.”
“Ha! That’s only natural. And to think your match was scheduled for today, of all days!”
“It’s an honor, really. Even the Count of Bogenberg will be watching in person.”
“Sir Alan, wouldn’t it be better for you not to participate at all? If a weakling knight gets humiliated, people will mock him.”
“Sir Henri, that kind of worry is only for cowardly knights like yourself who aren’t even participating.”
While Sir Henri teased, Sir Alan, who had been silently standing beside them with a pompous air, added his own comment.
Just as Sir Alan had said, Keldric’s match was scheduled for the very first day of the tournament.
He had only found out the night before when a messenger from the castle delivered the news.
Sir Alan was in the same boat, so there was even a chance that Keldric might face him.
“What’s the event today?”
“The jousting tournament. The Count is really treating us to some excitement on the first day.”
Jousting. Hearing the word made Keldric frown slightly.
‘I don’t have much experience with jousting.’
Though he had obtained a lance as a trophy from Schappendorf, he had barely used it while riding Boreas, his steed.
This was something he had overlooked.
In smaller tournaments, one might only compete in a single event, but this was not the case for larger tournaments.
If knights participated, they would engage in jousting as well as team battles where they fought in groups with their chosen weapons.
Keldric felt more confident in the latter, but jousting? That was another story.
“Don’t worry, Sir Keldric. You’ll smash through everyone and claim glory.”
“Have you even seen Sir Keldric fight?”
“…No, not really.”
At least there was one relief—Keldric wouldn’t need to switch to a different horse for the joust.
With so many participants, each competitor would get just one opportunity in the jousting match.
All Keldric had to do was face whoever was assigned to him, in a single bout.
He patted Boreas’s mane, and the horse shook its head and neighed as if enjoying the gesture.
The tournament weapons strapped behind the saddle clattered with the movement.
Jousting required strength, quick reflexes, and excellent eyesight.
Fortunately, Keldric had all three, even if he lacked much experience with the sport.
“Sir Keldric, I’ll be cheering for you!”
“Thank you, Alisa. Place your bets on me.”
“Yes, of course!”
Like Alisa, Keldric had brought everything he owned, and his heart swelled with anticipation.
Wealth, honor, and fame.
The tournament offered the chance to win it all, and Keldric was confident he would claim them all for himself.