Chapter 547: Act 295 – The Star of War
It was a group of cavalry. Beneath their black half-body armor, deep blue jackets were visible, the lower part of the collar stained white, revealing copper-colored double buttons. They wore tall helmets—somewhat reminiscent of the Spanish helmets Brendel had seen in his previous life. This was the standard uniform of Erluin’s cavalry, and they were regular troops, not the garrison or patrol cavalry he had seen at Buche, nor private soldiers of the nobility. Although these light cavalrymen did not carry long weapons, each wore a long sword at their waist, with cavalry crossbows and quivers hanging from their saddles, as if preparing for battle. More than twenty of them domineeringly occupied the entire street, leaving those around them too afraid to speak out, even the carriages on the road had to stop to let them pass.
Brendel understood immediately what was happening; his carriage had no noble emblem, and the coachman must have stopped a bit too late and got taught a lesson by these arrogant thugs. He couldn’t help but feel both angry and amused at the same time. He had never dared to be disrespectful towards figures like Anlek and Siphai at the noble assembly, yet here he was, at the mercy of these soldier bullies.
“They are the cavalry of the Black Blade Legion,” a nearby aide finally came to her senses and said, grabbing his arm.
Brendel recognized these rogues immediately. The Black Blade Legion was originally loyal to the royal family; Earl Victorkin had even received favors from Princess Grifian’s mother. Yet, these ungrateful soldiers had sided with the heir apparent from the very beginning. Even that alone would have been tolerable, but the most infuriating part was that the Black Blade Legion had always been favored by King Obergo VII, receiving generous treatment from the Corvado royal family. However, after Victorkin’s betrayal, these soldiers behaved as if they were born to follow their master, unfeeling and shameless. One couldn’t help but think that Obergo VII, this old fool, had actually raised a pack of ungrateful wolves.
In fact, Brendel also noticed the purple feathers dyed on their helmets, indicating that they were skirmishers, the elite among the Black Blade cavalry. The earth drakes they rode also confirmed this, as the Black Blade Legion could not afford to equip all their cavalry with such mounts; these skirmishers must be the personal guards of Earl Victorkin. Brendel narrowed his eyes, looking around to see if the ungrateful bastard was nearby.
“You are going too far!” Margadale exclaimed as she helped the bloodied coachman up, turning to glare at the brazen soldiers.
“Too far?” The group showed no concern for Margadale and Brendel, instead bursting into laughter. Some of them gazed at Margadale and Antinna with glinting eyes, clearly harboring ulterior motives. However, they dared not abduct anyone on the sacred grounds of the Temple; they would definitely use underhanded means. “Miss, we are just teaching him some manners,” one of the seemingly cultured men replied.
“You, very well…” Margadale’s face reddened with anger, and she was about to reveal her identity. But at that moment, Brendel had already averted his gaze—failing to spot Earl Victorkin—he wasn’t interested in wasting words with these small fry. He simply tapped the Ground Sword lightly against the ground, causing rippling waves to spread outward in all directions; the earth seemed to come alive, forming a surface of water, with waves extending out for about thirty to fifty feet, sweeping across the ground beneath the cavalry.
The skirmishers of the Black Blade Legion had not yet reacted when their earth drakes became unsteady and began collapsing with wails. The cavalry naturally could only shout in anger as they fell, many injured by the massive mounts, while others were filled with surprise and fury—surprised by the sudden earthquake and furious that their mounts had broken legs before they even reached the battlefield.
Earth drakes were immensely valuable in Erluin’s army; the entire Black Blade Legion had only about three hundred of them. For the skirmishers—also known as the wandering knights—it was undoubtedly their closest companion and most cherished personal property. It was unexpected that they would be crippled in a dispute before even entering the battlefield, especially against someone who was neither a noble nor a figure of note. In an instant, the cavalry’s eyes burned with red fury, shouting to surround Brendel and teach him a lesson.
Brendel coldly watched as they unsheathed their swords. He did not want to kill lightly, but he was determined to give them an unforgettable lesson if they dared to approach. Just then, a furious voice rang out from the crowd: “Stop right there!”
The command had an immediate effect; the cavalry, blinded by their anger and already drawing their swords, halted at once. Brendel was momentarily taken aback, recognizing that the voice was quite young—it definitely wasn’t Earl Victorkin. A person so young could wield such authority in the military was impressive; even the offspring of Victorkin might not have such power.
Many future champions of Erluin emerged during this era, but the figure stepping up certainly belonged to the opposing camp, instantly capturing Brendel’s attention. His instincts were still influenced by Sue, making him pursue practical benefits as a player; if this person became too famous, he had no qualms about resolving a potentially threatening rival early on.
Resolute, Brendel raised his head and squinted. By now, the rest of the cavalry had parted, revealing a young boy approaching them. As he had guessed, it was indeed a young lad—moreover, a beautiful one with red lips and white teeth. Brendel felt a bit overwhelmed and pondered how the genes of people from this era could be so outstanding. The legendary Instalung was also a handsome man; while Brendel himself was not bad looking, he could only be deemed as presentable. Compared to this boy, he felt a bit shameful.
The boy glared at his subordinates and then approached Margadale, slightly bowing as he said, “Princess Margadale, please forgive my subordinates’ rashness; it is because both of you lacked a noble emblem on your carriage that led them to mistakenly assume you are commoners. Please allow me to apologize on their behalf.”
Brendel found this reasoning quite peculiar, thinking: did commoners have to be treated poorly? However, to his surprise, Margadale accepted this explanation, responding somewhat indignantly, “You should manage your soldiers properly; that is your duty, Lord Von Dogen. Do not bring shame to Erluin on my account.”
Margadale’s words were heavy, turning Lord Von Dogen’s face pale. He couldn’t help but glare at Brendel with resentment: “Then how do you account for this gentleman injuring over a dozen of my Legion’s earth drakes? Your Highness should understand that openly striking at the elite troops is akin to treason; I need an explanation.”
Margadale frowned slightly, her earlier favorable impression of the young lord evaporating; she had thought he was a reasonable person, but he was just as stubborn and unreasonable. Brendel was her guest; there was no way she would hand him over—besides, even if he were a passerby, based on the prior situation, the pure-hearted heroine could not betray Brendel.
Just as she was about to speak, Brendel smiled faintly and replied, “Then, my lord, it appears you do not intend to let this matter go. Would you prefer it handled privately or publicly?” He recognized the young lord now; Von Dogen was likely an heir from one of Victorkin’s vassals and historically had been regarded as a genius, earning significant merit in the war against Toquinin. He became well-known earlier than Brendel, and the royalists once held great hopes for his future. Princess Grifian herself had inquired about his achievements, but later, as Victorkin sided with the heir apparent along with the Black Blade Legion, Von Dogen joined the Siphai side, becoming a troublesome factor for the royalist faction.
Freya had once told him that among the best young talents at the Royal Knights Academy under Princess Grifian’s command was Brensen, Locka, and Enroch. Brendel knew all three, and with Freya, they formed the famous Erluin Trio in history—Freya was known as the Valkyrie; Locka became the God of War of Erluin and was a favored disciple of the cunning fox and the lone wolf; Enroch had once been Grifian’s captain of the guards, a renowned sword saint—though now, he was still far from that.
However, Brendel had not anticipated that Brensen was among them as well. His tactical course grades ranked just below Locka’s, while his swordsmanship scores were only behind Enroch’s, but he had the highest overall ranking, indicating he would achieve great things as well. Brendel thought about how he had altered history, considering that the historical Brensen had likely died at Buche, feeling a sense of pity for such untapped talent being extinguished prematurely.
What he lamented even more was his relationship with Brensen; he knew Brensen loved Freya, and even a fool could see that Freya harbored feelings for him—therefore, it was likely that Brensen was determined to oppose him entirely. With this thought, Brendel couldn’t help but feel a bit of a headache.
Among the future champions serving the princess, none compared to Lord Von Dogen at this moment. After all, the latter had several years of military experience, whereas Brensen and the others were entirely products of the academy. Freya had once heard Nemeses say that in actual combat situations, among the new generation of commanders under the princess, only she could barely contend with this rising star.
Yet Brendel suppressed his killing intent. The reason was simple; he happened to know of a more famous historical account where an obscure countryside girl defeated the kingdom’s acknowledged genius, which led to Erluin having a Valkyrie. This young man was the first stepping stone for Freya, who could be said to rise to prominence at the expense of this unfortunate fellow during the upcoming civil war.
Seeing this unfortunate young man, Brendel decided not to eliminate him.
“Hm?” Lord Von Dogen was momentarily stunned. “What does public mean, and what does private mean?”
“Public means handling it officially. You just said I attacked the royal military. But I’d like to ask who the royal military is; we can discuss this. If you can prove your identity, I’m willing to compensate for your losses,” Brendel replied with a smile.
The young man was dumbfounded upon hearing this. Who could truly represent Erluin’s legitimate royal family? Wasn’t that precisely the topic to be debated at the Ampere Seale Conference? If they could resolve it here, why gather so many dukes and royal members in Ampere Seale? Moreover, by the time the issue was conclusively resolved, it was likely the North and South would have gone to war, and the Black Blade Legion wouldn’t have time to trouble Brendel.
“Uh… I think this is a private matter. We should settle it privately,” he quickly added, recovering slightly.
“Settling it privately?” Brendel’s expression turned cold as he waved his white glove in front of Lord Von Dogen. “Settling it privately is simple. Your subordinates crashed into my carriage, while I injured your earth drake. For the sake of our honor, let us hold a noble and glorious duel.”
“Ah?” Lord Von Dogen’s complexion shifted from pallid to green. He had originally intended to take advantage of the Black Blade Legion’s reputation to catch Brendel off guard, but he never imagined Brendel would outright demand a duel without hesitation!
The nun princess couldn’t help but laugh slightly at this; Brendel’s words were too mischievous. Everyone knew he had the strength of a high-level Gold but had a victory over an Elemental-Enlightened great swordsman. Although no one knew Brendel had utilized a few tricks, his high level of swordsmanship was widely recognized. Lord Von Dogen would undoubtedly recognize him, yet he still made such a statement, which seemed somewhat excessive.
However, Margadale found Brendel’s impertinence amusing rather than bothersome; she saw this highland knight’s unconventional approach as intriguing.
She couldn’t help but watch the reactions of the two with interest.
Antinna also shook her head, thinking how this fool would provoke her lord, as far as she knew, her lord had never suffered a loss.
Lord Von Dogen’s reaction was straightforward; he certainly could not agree. As a mere Silver-Level swordsman, despite being exceptionally gifted among young people, he understood he wouldn’t stand a chance against Brendel even if he had ten or eight like himself. Challenging Brendel to a duel would be tantamount to suicide!
Yet, he could not refuse. To decline a perfectly legitimate duel would humiliate him in the noble circles; this was not merely a question of his face but also implicated the Black Blade Legion, where Brendel had specifically called for him to fight on their behalf. Tears almost formed in his eyes as he lamented, that this guy was too cunning, pushing him into a dead end with a single phrase.
Brendel, holding the Ground Sword, leisurely observed this unfortunate fellow, watching as Lord Von Dogen’s complexion changed, making him realize that humans could possess chameleon-like abilities.
But at that moment, Margadale knew she had to intervene. She certainly could not allow Brendel to kill Lord Von Dogen here; she knew Brendel didn’t want to do that but simply wished to tease the other party. Observing the lord’s face shift from pale to white repeatedly, she couldn’t help but sigh; it was truly a case of bringing calamity upon oneself.
“Let it be; this is Saint Pino Square, and Archbishop Ander proposed this square to commemorate the truce between Erluin and Cruz. Duels are not permitted here,” she gently reminded.
“Precisely!” Lord Von Dogen suddenly found the nun princess’ voice to be a divine sound: “In that case, given the circumstances, I must postpone the duel with the gentleman.”
“Is there such a precedent?” Brendel turned to Margadale, noticing the playful wink she gave him. Unable to resist a smile, he thought that this princess was not as serious as he first assumed. He nodded, “Then, in the spirit of local customs, let’s just pass this time. Instead, why don’t we set a time?”
Lord Von Dogen’s expression changed, and he replied vaguely, “Let’s schedule it for after the noble meeting.” He had wisely predicted that the Ampere Seale Conference would take a long time to conclude, and both sides would require preparation; furthermore, by the time it was over, the North-South civil war would begin. Once he returned to the army, he would have many ways to deal with this guy.
But now, he dared not linger a moment longer, leaving those harsh words behind as he hurriedly led his men away.
Brendel shook his head. “Ah, young people.”
Antinna rolled her eyes at the side. At that point, the manager of the auction house, who had been disturbed all along, finally approached. He had already seen Brendel and Princess Margadale, but with the Black Blade Legion soldiers present, he dared not offend them easily. So, he had simply waited for both sides to resolve their disputes. He understood that while his approach was somewhat unkind, Brendel and Princess Margadale were both his esteemed guests. Hence, he greeted them somewhat apologetically, “Are you both alright? Those fellows have always been so arrogant. The VIP room is ready; do you wish to enter now?”
Margadale recognized his predicament and didn’t plan to hold it against him; she turned back to look at Brendel.
Brendel nodded.
……(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my biggest motivation.)
