Chapter 45: The Wind of Knighthood
"This sword is…"
When the light of the Temerian silver blade reflected on his face, the Maribor knight's expression changed. He knew he was in trouble this time.
To have the lily insignia carved on the sword spine, this young man's identity must be extremely noble!
He suddenly recalled the recent rumors:
[A border resident from Pentalia saves the Princess from a curse, awarded the title of Knight of the Throne]
A Knight of the Throne has arrived in Maribor, and is interfering in this matter fully aware of the knight's own identity...
Coupled with the Princess Consort's determined effort to protect Dandelion, sweat rolled down the knight's forehead: Has His Majesty the King finally decided to abolish the Prince's authority?
He stuttered, sheathing his sword, and said: "There must be some misunderstanding. His Excellency the Prince only wanted to teach him a lesson…"
Originally, the Prince's mission for him was to intercept and kill Dandelion, which is why he was wearing light armor suitable for quick movement. This armor would perform well against short swords and daggers, but in front of a man-sized two-handed greatsword, it was little different from a folded piece of parchment.
"Misunderstanding? Is sending a man to the gallows over a piece of bread also a misunderstanding?"
Arthur had no intention of letting the knight off. This fellow was a trusted aide of the Prince, certainly well-trained—the proficiency gained from cutting him down would surely be far greater than from cutting down a Foglet!
"Ah, this…" The knight hadn't expected Arthur to suddenly bring up the Dwarf's plight. His prepared defense instantly became useless.
He was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly knelt on one knee before Arthur with a look of fervor, shouting loudly:
"Your Excellency the Prince! Why have you come?"
His tone was sincere and passionate, causing not just Arthur, but even Triss to look back.
The chance only lasted for an instant! A glint flashed in the knight's eyes. His kneeling posture was the perfect starting position for a run.
The knight didn't waste effort drawing his sword. He used all his strength in his legs, leaving shallow divots in the ground as he kicked off.
As long as I can thrust the tip of my sword into the opponent's heart first, it doesn't matter if the opponent is holding a greatsword!
Five meters, three meters, two meters!
Seeing Arthur's back growing nearer, the knight couldn't help but fantasize. He heard that the Knights of the Throne were the King's confidantes. If one died by his sword, surely His Highness the Prince would gain more autonomy!
But why is this fellow moving further away from me?
The knight extended his arm in confusion, trying to stab the rapidly receding Arthur. His arm stretched endlessly, yet he could never reach Arthur, who was only half a foot away.
What in the world is going on…
The knight thought this, and then was swallowed by the darkness that swept in from all sides.
"[Dwarf Obscenity], what a beautiful strike!" Zoltan frantically clapped his hands, which were like fans, his eyes shining as he looked at Arthur: "You are like a hero stepped out of a poem. It's the first time I've seen someone cut an enemy in half."
Kolgrim walked over and squeezed Arthur's arm, sighing:
"In human swordsmanship, you have far surpassed me."
Before, Arthur's ability to bisect an enemy could be attributed to the advantage of his weapon. But this feat, cutting a man through both flesh and armor, required the technique gained from thousands of sword swings.
Dandelion plucked a melodious chord on his lute, speaking with a distant, detached expression:
"Legend says a master swordsman can sense killing intent. I never thought I'd witness it in person today! The Goddess of Destiny is truly kind to me!"
"Ah! My inspiration is surging…"
"I don't care how you brag in your poems, but I didn't sense any killing intent," Arthur said, flicking his wrist to shake the blood droplets from the Temerian silver blade onto the ground: "I was just waiting for him to run into my sword himself."
The knight's acting was truly convincing, and his conviction was strong. If this had happened when Arthur first arrived in this world, he might well have fallen for the trick.
But over the past few days, he had become increasingly familiar with the habits of the nobility and instinctively saw through the knight's ruse:
A noble with the swagger of a Prince would travel with a huge retinue of guards, servants, and carriages, and someone would be shouting "Lord XXX is arriving!" from a mile away. How could he have reached his back without a sound?
Therefore, Arthur's turn was merely a feint to gather power for a diagonal slash. When he heard the footsteps, he activated the strike suddenly, dispatching the dishonorable knight with ease.
Blood seeped into the ground's crevices, and a few lines of text quietly appeared:
[Incentive Event: Overreaching Ambition Bites Back]
[Compatibility has increased to 100/100]
[Reward Specialty: Alertness]
[Your attack speed and reaction ability are greatly enhanced]
[Acquired Talent: Cold Resistance]
[Even the harshest winter blizzard feels like a harmless breeze to you]
Arthur felt a warmth wash over his body, as if the cold of early spring had passed and the gentle warmth of late spring had arrived.
At the same time, his mind felt cool and refreshed, like the state after a deep, satisfying sleep.
The only disappointment was that despite reaching one hundred percent compatibility, he had not gained a promotion.
Fortunately, Arthur's gains were not limited to his combat prowess.
"A Knight of the Throne from Pentalia, defeating a Prince's knight who attacked by ambush—this story will surely spread far and wide."
Dandelion nodded enthusiastically at Arthur, then, hugging his lute, fell into a self-absorption over rhymes and melodies.
"You sorted out a big problem for me."
The Dwarf, Zoltan, took Arthur's hand, saying sincerely:
"You avenged Cabra, which makes you a friend of the Chivay clan. In the future, no matter what trouble you run into, we'll help you out, just like you did today."
Initially, Arthur didn't know the weight of the Dwarf's promise, but Kolgrim quietly nudged him:
"The Chivay clan is a very big dwarven family. Runeswords come from their forges, and they have close ties with the gnomes. If you ever want the best sword in the world, they're the ones to talk to!"
Light instantly sparked in Arthur's eyes as he looked at Zoltan: "You know how to forge?"
Zoltan self-consciously nodded:
"My work in Mahakam was mostly mining, but I do understand a thing or two about the temperaments of iron and carbon…"
"You absolutely must teach me how to forge!" Arthur grabbed Zoltan's hand, saying with passion.
"Right, I'll just contact some folk... huh?" Zoltan tugged at his beard in distress, mumbling to himself:
"Learning to forge, eh…"
Seeing the Dwarf's hesitation, Arthur quickly added:
"I know forging is a very precious craft. I can pay you, and I promise I won't use the skills I learn from you to steal business from the Dwarves." Arthur had no pressure making this promise. He never intended to earn money through forging—wasn't it easier to just brew some potions for coin during his downtime?
His reasons for learning forging were, firstly, to eventually craft the best weapon in the world for himself, and secondly... perhaps because of his aggressive swordsmanship style, this Temerian silver blade had developed nicks and rolled edges after barely a month's use. When he cut the knight, the smooth feel he was used to was completely gone.
"It's not the money, it's just…"
But Zoltan still vigorously shook his head, a faint, unnatural blush spreading across his rough cheeks, as he stammered:
"Actually, I don't... I don't really know that much about forging."
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