Chapter 109
lrcRoyal inheritance.cgt4dp
AYR6sQAt those words, Eisen went completely stiff. Even in this era dominated by the Empire, royal houses still existed, though they were rare.f2vgUZc
wbJUfCCountries that had not been fully annexed and remained as vassal states.dSilS
jtPBut if you added the word “inheritance” to that, the story changed completely.nqWxlg
YYy01“You don’t mean it’s something left by the previous Duke Grimaldi?”DrlVI
aMA“To be precise, it’s not a single item, but several.”zyL8bds
Jjv4NNot a single item, but several? Could the fallen Grimaldi really have had the means to leave behind multiple legacies?VcjsmN0
rGqKRgKThough doubtful, Eisen couldn’t contain his curiosity and opened the box.1Ze
tbY27“An armor?”iOM
7YrAn armor of pure white, reminiscent of platinum. More precisely, only the breastplate of the full set was stored inside the box.YEJza
fe8oFLFAs soon as Eisen pulled it out completely, his eyes widened.Tk6
O9wT“In this world…!”WOYH1zd
rlAYysyJust by the touch of his fingers, he knew. Among all existing artisans, there was no one capable of forging something like this. He didn’t even know what metal it was made from, but it was lighter and more durable than any armor he had ever seen.OYuM
KKQQMoreover, the runes engraved between its plates dispersed the surrounding mana, as if blocking all external interference.NglS9F
hLnHO‘It’s not just tough. It clearly also protects against magical attacks.’uqQ
yXUMMWoUnfortunately, Eisen couldn’t fully understand the effects inscribed on the armor. He knew swordsmanship, but when it came to magic, he was completely ignorant.3UN
OjBRmvWhile he examined the breastplate in a daze, Lucian’s voice pulled him back to reality.8xv
9nZF“I’d like to ask you to test its durability, Sir Eisen.”jLI
J0v“Test it? You’re not thinking of the kind of durability test I’m imagining, are you?”Yx4DdjD
8SQeSG“Exactly that. Cut it with all your strength.”tX208c
VL0“Ha!”aFc
OmKEisen swallowed the gasp of astonishment that almost escaped him.FpPdsU
xtTEdHe had seen very few armors as flawless as this in his entire life. And now they were asking him to destroy it with his own hands.pwFQ
v7fIPDo“Your Highness, an armor of this level needs no testing. Just one glance is enough to know it’s among the best ever made.”ac7
aKYiD“Even so, wouldn’t it be good to know the limit of the impact it can withstand?”0UvnSj
r1jEF“…If this were a common item, that would make sense. But destroying something this irreplaceable would be like smashing a treasure with our own hands.”6JXGlp
FhEmWG4“Then cut it, just as I asked.”vzQ18
HNiJRhh“What?”98mjNq
h7Im1x“This armor is a mass-produced item.”V8yMsw
MTwa“…!”zQJ
AIgvUThis time, Eisen couldn’t hide his expression.7MJyeSs
y3k2A mass-produced item? Something this precious?oI8afv2
24QgvI9He was so shocked that he stood up on the spot.p6LT
VHOF2“You’re saying this is really mass-produced?”B4cOl
hyH4“More accurately, a mass-produced item from ancient times. Over a thousand units are still preserved today.”DMbQd
uLDElE3“Hahaha!”RtGJ2f
BFYGoTrA disbelieving laugh escaped Eisen’s mouth. Not a hundred, but over a thousand. If a thousand men marched equipped with this armor, what kind of sight would that be?RdSR
EFCGJust imagining it sent shivers down his spine.GVr3XCI
i4MEIb‘Even a unit of recruits could take a fortress with ease.’66cdOe
PiHG5xThat thought crawled down his back like a chill.dN2
pZRThat alone would be enough to conquer a fortress—but what if those thousand weren’t recruits, but seasoned soldiers hardened by countless battles? Or worse yet, if they were all knights trained in swordsmanship?cjubO8J
AXb“Sir Eisen.”vwGi1
82hy4gAt the sound of his name, Eisen snapped back to reality and looked again at the armor. It was still a treasure, but if more than a thousand remained, breaking one here wouldn’t be a huge loss.y40D7n
B6zcg5BDetermined, he picked up the wooden sword beside him.fPUqc
7m39“You’re going to cut it with a wooden sword, not a real one?”K7w2
kyDXjts“If I use a real sword, this stops being a test.”3wSys
FPHTIt might have sounded arrogant, but it was the plain truth. No matter how durable it was, it was still just a motionless object.anV8kRg
sazEwNWith a real sword, he would slice it in two easily, making the test pointless.NVcCZ
HDBqB7Zuum—Rkt
XctWhen Eisen gripped the wooden sword with both hands, condensed mana began to ripple around him.Xs077
qlxWqUCompared to a real sword, the strike would be duller, but with that amount of mana, it was practically equivalent to a siege ram.cKH8v
K5L8After steadying his breathing, Eisen swung the sword like a flash of lightning.GxOSB
9tzCrash!In20TpH
JyBTXkA deafening roar, like thunder crashing from the sky, rang in Lucian’s ears.ajyr3
TczThe runes engraved on the armor clashed with the Swordmaster’s strike and tore apart one after another. They glowed continuously as they broke, trying to absorb the impact.WxB
y961MFinally, when the last rune lost its glow and all defensive effects dissipated—gVJdE
u1VAA“…Haa.”umm3n
XtNVavSA murmur escaped Eisen’s lips—unclear whether it was admiration or shock.mTDN
S9OnThrough the cloud of dust, Lucian saw the wooden sword embedded in the armor. It had pierced and torn roughly a third of the breastplate but had not gone all the way through.mCP
Fd2If someone had been wearing it, they would have undoubtedly died, but the fact that it had withstood a Swordmaster’s blow without splitting in two said a lot about its durability.nPT8KG
gev“Your Highness… what exactly did the previous duke leave behind?”s3mhlpI
5NWYqoIn Eisen’s eyes, there remained only pure doubt. How had the fallen Grimaldi preserved more than a thousand items like this?3g3vlpM
R9znLucian held his gaze and smiled slightly.srV7p
sr7“I’ll tell you after we wipe out Calix.”zRh
Dqoo***sA7b
QDLX1Norvek murmured, stunned, at the unexpected report.3PGx
KEd3“You’re saying they accepted my proposal for a duel?”2mo
ta4“Yes, my lord.”yR3yy
gPX“And why?”Row
gaoQIlL“…”v9O
HaA87Palmir, a knight of Count Calix’s house, shut his mouth at his lord’s question.buRI
5iQDHow was he supposed to know what those people were thinking? Norvek knew that too, yet he couldn’t help asking.moVtD
IvpAfter all, he had never imagined they would accept the proposal.ZT2uI
GaRf‘Are they so confident they’ve gone mad? Are they going to abandon that wall and come out?’tm6B
vDlwwThe wall of Asagrim was, without exaggeration, impossible to breach without the help of an internal traitor or some special method like magic.V3UFNrk
73DWz5It was so solid that it would barely even require guards to be stationed there. Norvek’s proposal of a duel had been more of a desperate attempt, born of impatience at finding no way to overcome the wall.IihFJzw
r3d70EMAnd yet now they were saying they would come out voluntarily.9Iz9P
CZRyg“Don’t tell me they really believe it will be just a duel?”fzh
eawXZ“I don’t think so.”yf1qpz4
5xkOzwAfter having even attempted an assassination, there was no reason at all to trust Norvek.SjLw
AngtiFMost likely, they had accepted knowing perfectly well it was a trap, because they had their own plans as well.rbWjyR
aAIiRJ“Perhaps they’ve decided to abandon even the fight over legitimacy. They might pretend to accept the duel and, once close, strike us all at once.”rXI3EH
X03z“If that were the case, they would have stayed behind the wall and waited for our supplies to run out. Giving up legitimacy and attacking right when the enemy is strongest makes no sense.”0cfC1
NkfFBpu“There’s a chance that the Swordmaster we’ve only heard rumors about has joined them. With his help, instead of mind games, they might try to lure us out first.”fiyt
KgipSY“If he begged victory from a Swordmaster who isn’t even his vassal, but his father’s, who would recognize it? Unless he’s an idiot, he’ll try to finish it with his own hands.”J2hYGbl
9jt“My apologies. That’s the limit of the strategies I can imagine.”DC4
V6BvAfaSeeing Palmir frankly admit his inadequacy, Norvek let out a sigh. In the past, he would have tried to wring his mind dry, but since deciding to abandon his life, he had become excessively honest.UXTPzc
tFzhYtNorvek knew the reason, yet it still made him uncomfortable.OL7
CFys“If we could always see through the enemy’s intentions, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”vI1
3q4“What do you wish to do? If you’re worried about a stratagem, you can always cancel.”QKu3C9h
JThYTfS“No. We’ll accept. The benefit is too great to discard just because it’s suspicious.”cWZmMe
kLbtuoKNo matter what the enemy was plotting, the fact was they would come out of the wall of their own accord. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, worthy of risking everything.P9fWD
zsn6mp‘Raven Hill as the dueling site? How ridiculous.’yESCz
EVl9xA midpoint between five territories, including Asagrim. The hill bore that name because its summit, always muddy, resembled a raven’s head.GtI
bjkj2voWith insufficient cover to hide troops, any ambush would be discovered immediately. That made the enemy’s intention clear.3JI
QIFit‘Are they so confident of victory that they think, without ambushes, it doesn’t matter how I come out?’OAZq
QNA0Crrk.GtnPQ
GSUlThe surge of fury made Norvek grit his teeth without realizing it. That the House of Calix, a great family that had dominated the north for centuries, was being looked down on like this by a newly arrived brat.uH4
Pkg‘Enjoy your imaginary victory while you can.’VvNr5ZM
0pbIt was humiliating, but still nothing more than a fleeting illusion.nQpeq
4K7oZRWhen death truly came close, that brat would regret every single one of his actions.KXKjB9
6umOgJ9Just being able to see his face dyed with terror at that moment was enough for Norvek to endure humiliations like this as many times as necessary.BOD
BZoi***gqDTfbk
pFIThree days later, Lucian set out at the head of his army and met Norvek at Raven Hill.VI63
xmGSeeing the approaching forces in the distance, Lucian rubbed his chin.upi
Gn7‘Just as the report said, they have twice as many troops as we do.’gev
ZzqJLucian commanded the Blue Rose Knights loaned by the Empire and two thousand elite soldiers. Norvek, for his part, led the White Bear Knights of Calix and four thousand soldiers.M8lz
CNiIkIn numbers, Calix had an absolute advantage, but in training and equipment quality, Lucian far surpassed them.bifcX2
yBHHvyIf they clashed head-on, the outcome would be difficult to predict.2BDsk2
LbSU2XO“Lucian! Brat, brat—if you’re not scared to death, take up your sword and stand before me right now! You’re the one who asked for the duel—are you planning to back out?!”YhfK
yBoxAs both armies watched each other from opposite sides of the hill, Norvek stepped forward and shouted. At the provocation, Lucian replied with a mocking smile.JbzA2R
Peb0A“Not a chance! How could I turn my back on a decrepit old man like you? Since we’re meeting again after so long, I’ll take care of you personally.”nqn
SFS“…!?”glwOV
YpyGqNot only Norvek, but even the soldiers on both sides were stunned.zWM2Rk9
NnPq86He was really going to step out for a duel as the commander-in-chief? It was nothing more than a provocation, not even a formal proposal, and yet he accepted without hesitation.LDk
F7FM8FAs murmurs spread, Lucian raised his voice again.X99
PKvpb“But it doesn’t look good for the commander-in-chief to come out from the start! If you want me to appear, first bring down one of my knights!”6RHeASE
Xiihf“What…?”rSh
gIQt“If my knight falls, then I myself will come out to face you! What do you say?”TMNl4T
X0hPiPalmir, beside Norvek, frowned.HUW
45bId5Defeat just one knight and the commander-in-chief would accept the duel?DV9WzM
uHGIt was becoming harder and harder to understand what he was plotting.XDrb
9i2“My lord, this is strange. We should observe a bit more—”swnZe
JVjsRdE“Are you serious?!”8XDuL
hc5ABefore Palmir could finish, Norvek shouted. Turning his head, Palmir saw Lucian smiling as he raised a banner.7UtE
rHe9mVy“I swear by the names of Valdeck and Grimaldi, and by the eight gods of the heavens! The moment my knight falls, I will come out alone for a duel!”XpIm
HpKI4He had sworn not only by Valdeck, but also by Grimaldi. Mentioning Grimaldi before the northerners gave that oath a weight impossible to ignore.MCI
NDrMZGYUnless Calix broke the form of the duel first, Lucian could not retract his oath.yDBEOwk
BlqNorvek clenched his fist tightly.ivN
4Muq8SS“Sir Palmir.”VI8
Z4I5AM“Yes, my lord.”WV1
TcvGK“No matter how many must be sacrificed, send them one after another. Until we draw that brat out, do not act rashly.”K0cs
YZm0wgPalmir shuddered at the order. They were abandoning all prepared plans and stepping straight into the ground the enemy had set.mtL9j2
VEWF9He wanted to stop him at all costs, but Norvek’s eyes, completely unhinged, made it clear he wouldn’t listen to anyone.xDILh
xZwbC‘They’ve laid a trap for us.’g9jNPjs
kSE8sfwFinally realizing the enemy’s intention, Palmir shut his eyes tightly.MAdht
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