Duke Pendragon

“What’s going on here today? Where has everyone gone…?”

“Ah, that is…”

The opportunity to converse with a cavalier of the Valencia Clan was rare, so the passerby eagerly explained the situation.

“…and that is what happened. Hundreds of people flocked to the Herreran family’s manor earlier. I was also thinking of heading there as well.”

“Hmm… I see. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Then.”

The passerby bowed his head with a kind smile and hurried on his way. The cavalier who had called out to the passerby turned his head with a rather serious expression.

“Captain Ortiz, isn’t this a big deal?”

“Hmm…”

The cavalier named Ortiz scrunched his forehead. If the story was true, it wasn’t merely a big deal. A cavalier who fought together with the Pendragon Duchy and the United Southern Army had arrived to persuade the heads of the Seven Clans. It was highly likely that the man was a messenger from the commander of the Southern United Army, and perhaps even a knight of the Pendragon Duchy.

Of course, there was also the possibility of him being a fraud, but a scammer would not have led hundreds of people to the Herreran family’s manor unless he had a death wish.

“We need to check. Let’s head to the Herreran family’s manor.”

As Ortiz moved, the two other cavaliers followed behind him. Soon, the three arrived at Count Herreran’s manor. There was a considerable crowd gathered outside the mansion. They were either young, not born in Valvas, or had missed the chance to enter earlier.

The three men slowly rode their horses through the crowd, and the crowd’s gazes soon turned towards them.

“Huh…!”

“It’s Valencia. They are the cavaliers of Valencia.”

Murmurs began to spread through the crowd. While receiving gazes of admiration and astonishment, the three men arrived in front of the gate of the manor. The swordsmen of the Herreran County also took on surprised expressions when they saw the three men.

In particular, the swordsmen were somewhat nervous about Ortiz’s penetrating gaze.

“Ortiz, elite swordsman of the Valencia Clan. I missed the right timing, but can I get inside?”

“Ortiz…!”

“It’s Ortiz, the Guardian Spear of Valencia!”

The man’s name caused a great commotion among the crowd.

Celso Ortiz.

He was an elite knight of the Valencia Clan, which was one of the two giants of Valvas. Even though he was only in his 20s, he had already established a reputation as one of the ten strongest warriors in Valvas. He was a young genius.

In one-on-one duels, Valvas Cavaliers preferred to dual-wield a rapier and a dagger. However, Ortiz was different. No matter what type of battle he became involved in, he only used his spear.

His eight-foot-long spear, the Dragon Spear, had won him victories against more than ten cavaliers in the past few years. Moreover, ten was just a rough approximation, an official number revealed to the outside world. If one included the blood struggle between the clans and the battles he was hired to fight, it was commonly accepted that more than a hundred cavaliers and warriors had perished under his spear.

A well-renowned warrior such as Celso Ortiz had arrived at the Herreran Manor. To arrive at such a critical moment as well, it was like fate.

“I welcome the visit of a Red Sword Eagle. Please come in.”

The leader of the swordsmen group willingly opened the door. Even though the Herreran family did not have a very good relationship with the Valencia Clan, preventing the visit of someone like Ortiz on a day like this would be akin to openly provoking the Valencia Clan.

“Thanks.”

After nodding lightly, Ortiz passed through the main gate with the other two cavaliers.

“Doesn’t it seem like something will definitely happen today?”

“I also saw a cavalier from the Medien Clan enter earlier. Who knows what’s going to happen?”

The crowd buzzed with excited expressions.

Clearly, today was not an ordinary day.

***

Shiing!

The glowing tip stretched out towards Isla’s heart, narrowing the distance between them in a blink of an eye.

Clang!

A spinning spear deflected the sword, creating a hazy afterimage. In an instant, the sword changed its trajectory several times, attacking the left and right sides of Isla in a strange curve like a snake. However, Isla’s silent spear drew a huge whirlwind around his body and blocked them all.

Chae Chae Chaeng!

As steel and steel clashed, fierce sparks and screams were produced, disturbing the eyes and ears of the people gathered in the hall. Almost all of the men here could easily deal with one or two normal soldiers, but the fight between the two cavaliers was on a different level. It was truly overwhelming.

Their weapons moved at a speed that was almost invisible to the naked eye, continuously aiming for the opponent’s vital spot. The spear and the sword were like the sharp, fierce fangs of predators. Furthermore, due to the spirits contained within the blows, powerful shockwaves were generated with each exchange, giving the onlookers goosebumps.

“Heut!”

Isla swung down his spear in a straight line and Urso hurriedly crossed his rapier and dagger to block the attack.

Boom!

The meeting between the spear and the swords emitted a clash of spirit strong enough to shatter boulders, expending a powerful shockwave. The storm of energy sent dozens of men floundering for balance.

Kagagak!

“Keuk…!”

The spear was directly held over Urso’s head, barely held back by the two swords. Uros groaned under the tremendous pressure. It felt as if a large boulder was hoisted above his head.

Craackk!

The marble on the floor caved in and his knees reeled.

“Heuh! Heuk!”

Urso tried to push back the spear, taking in harsh breaths with a face dyed red. However, his opponent did not budge. Rather, Isla’s eyes glowed even more strongly.

“Ugh!”

In the end, Urso could not push back the overwhelming power. He had no choice but to let one knee fall to the floor. As he lost his balance, the spear fell on his shoulder.

Puck!

With a terrible noise, Urso’s left shoulder caved in. The two swords fell out of their owner’s hands.

“Keugh…”

Even though his scapula had been completely demolished, Urso did not scream. While groaning at the pain of the broken bone, he eventually stood back up.

“Sua…”

Urso bowed to his opponent while slowly collecting his breath, signaling the end of the duel.

“Urso of the Medien Clan admits… defeat.”

He spoke with difficulty while sweating, then fell straight back.

Boom!

He had fainted from the crushing pain. The swordsmen from the Herreran family rushed to help him.

“Wow!!!”

The fight was fierce and cold, but it was also hot and intense. All the men in the hall cheered after witnessing the great battle.

“Amazing!”

“This strong man is a knight of the Pendragon Duchy!”

“A true pride of Valvas!”

The men of Valvas respected the strong. They did not hold back their words. Even though a cavalier of the Medien Clan had suffered defeat, one of the strongest clans, they did not hesitate to praise the winner wholeheartedly.

“Maybe he really is the descendant of the Knight King?”

“I suppose that could be. Mara Valencia was able to handle all types of weapons well, but his proficiency with the spear was said to be out of this world.”

“That’s right. Besides, how could we doubt the words of Count Herreran? No matter what anyone says, he is the only lord of Valvas. Would he lie in front of all these people?”

People began to chat, and the murmurs quickly spread throughout the entire hall. Some still looked a little suspicious, but most men looked at Isla with expectations and admiration. Isla stood still like a stone statue, then started to look around while speaking.

“I am a knight of Pendragon and the legitimate successor of Knight King Mara Valencia. Anyone who wants to dispute this, come forward at any time.”

The hall became quiet.

Himself and Count Herreran both confirmed the validity of his identity. Besides, no one could step forward easily after observing the results of the earlier duel. If they wanted to deny his words, they needed to fight him first.

But then,

“I just need to fight you and win?”

A calm but powerful voice erupted from somewhere.

“Huh?”

Everyone turned towards the voice simultaneously. Then, they were struck with surprise.

“V, Valencia Clan…!”

Someone’s astonished shout.

The men split to the left and right like waves, and the three men standing at the end of the hall became visible. The two men on the sides had their arms folded with arrogant expressions, and the man in the middle was tall and had a long spear strapped to his back in a slant. Isla’s gaze met with the tall man.

A symbol of a red eagle with a sword was embroidered on the man’s left chest. When he noticed the symbol, Isla’s eyes quivered slightly. But soon, it was replaced by a bitter smile.

How could he ever forget?

The struggle on the road of Mount Uelba and Cain’s death was still clear as if it happened yesterday…

“Valencia Clan…”

Paaa…!

Isla’s restrained spirit once again started to flow over his shoulders.

“Hooh…?”

The eyes of Ortiz, elite swordsman of the Valencia Clan, slightly widened. The man in front of him was exuding a spirit that climbed over his shoulders, soaring into the air like a griffon with spread wings. It stimulated the senses of Ortiz.

“This is surprising.”

Ortiz murmured with shock.

Each of the cavaliers in Valvas had their unique spirit according to their clans. However, his opponent was exuding a spirit that Ortiz had never experienced before. Ortiz had battled against cavaliers from all Seven Clans, but the young man’s spirit was distinct from any of them.

“Hmm, I don’t know. What do you think?”

Even though he was facing the intense spirit of Isla, Ortiz appeared relaxed as he looked towards the two cavaliers standing on his sides.

“I have never seen anything like it.”

“Me neither.”

The two cavaliers answered. Unlike Ortiz, the two felt stiff when they faced Isla’s spirit. They could feel cold sweat forming on their bodies.

“Then…”

Ortiz’ gaze turned back towards Isla.

The man in front of them had unleashed a ferocious spirit upon seeing the cavaliers of the Valencia Clan. However, he certainly did not belong to any of the Seven Clans.

That meant…

“Does that mean it might be real?”

The two cavaliers flinched at Ortiz’ words. The words of an elite swordsman from the Valencia Clan carried a powerful presence. It was heavier and held more power than the words of anyone else here, perhaps even more than Count Herreran’s. As such, the two cavaliers could not help but be surprised by Ortiz’s words. He seemed to be recognizing the stranger as the descendant of the Knight King.

“Well, of course, maybe not.”

The two sighed with relief as Ortiz shrugged.

Shhkkk.

“Well, for now…”

Ortiz reached behind his back.

He grabbed the Dragon Spear. It had been quenched in the blood of numerous cavaliers and knights.

Click.

As the belt was loosened,

Shing!

The white spear scattered the light and drew a sharp arc.

Kwaahung!

Even with a small movement from the long, thin spear, a strong wind scattered the dust on the floor.

“I will have to check for myself, right?”

A relaxed smile hung around Ortiz’ mouth, as if he was at a simple outing.

Kuwaaaoo!

However, starting from his spear, a dark, purple spirit engulfed and wound around his entire body. His spirit told a different story from his smile.

***

“Oh my goodness! What are you doing?”

A woman carrying a bucket of water became shocked. She tossed the bucket aside and ran.

“Ah… I couldn’t bear to stay still…”

Lindsay smiled shyly. She had been cutting large pieces of meat and sorting them. The woman quickly took the piece of meat from Lindsay’s hands.

“Whew! We can’t have you doing this! Where have all the maids gone? Why is the baroness doing something like this?”

“Everywhere is a little short-handed. But it’s not that heavy, I can take care of it…”

“Definitely not. You should be moving your body lightly during pregnancy, but not something like this. Above all, if anything were to happen to the baroness’ body…”

“Sister! Ah, sister…!”

A girl with a fairy-like beauty was searching for Lindsay. Upon spotting her, she ran towards her.