[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 74
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dozens of carriages entered the peaceful city of Mycenae.
They were all extraordinary carriages bearing clan crests.
The citizens of Mycenae murmured as they watched the carriages heading towards Agamemnon Castle.
"Huh, could the rumors be true?"
"Is the curse on the castle really lifted?"
"Otherwise, why would those clans suddenly gather in one place?"
The citizens recalled the divine golden wave that engulfed Agamemnon Castle a few weeks ago.
The eerie and gloomy hill was now covered in beautiful roses.
Thanks to this, the rumor that the long-standing curse on the Agamemnon clan had finally been lifted was spreading among the citizens.
Of course, the rumors Zeke spread through the Syndicate also played a role in the rapid dissemination.
And with the lords' carriages flocking to the castle, the rumor gained even more credibility.
***
Agamemnon Castle, having regained its original appearance, was elegant and graceful.
With the return of the servants who had left long ago, as well as their descendants, the castle quickly regained its former glory.
The lords of the Agamemnon blood alliance clans and the surrounding territories were surprised to see Agamemnon Castle restored to its original state.
Some shed tears of emotion, while others, whose generations had changed, showed no particular reaction.
But most of them shared one common thought.
'Is the clan curse really lifted?'
The lords whispered among themselves.
It was hard to believe at first that the Agamemnon clan, who had locked themselves in the castle for 50 years and prevented anyone from approaching, suddenly summoned all the blood alliance clans.
Some of the bewildered lords had grim expressions, unsure of what was happening.
Some clans had prospered due to the benefits gained from the Agamemnon clan's complete withdrawal from external activities due to the curse, and they were afraid of losing their vested interests.
The banquet hall was filled with a strange atmosphere, with those who genuinely welcomed the return of the Agamemnon clan and those who didn't mingling together.
It was then.
Fanfare!
A lively fanfare sounded, and Rufus Agamemnon, the host of the banquet, appeared.
The lords were surprised to see Rufus Agamemnon, who had regained his original appearance after the curse was lifted.
Rufus, with his sturdy physique and tall stature, looked very impressive in traditional aristocratic attire.
The lords flocked to Rufus.
Through Rufus, everyone realized that the curse on the Agamemnon clan had been lifted.
The only thing left was to decide what attitude to take.
"Oh my god, Lord! To see you return so healthy... I can't believe it!"
Whether they truly felt that way or not, most of the blood alliance clans tried to win Rufus's favor with exaggerated words and gestures.
It was a glimpse of the potential of the great clan that once stood at the center of Midland.
The lords all approached Rufus and kissed the back of his hand.
Rufus naturally accepted their kisses with an aristocratic posture and restrained movements.
When everyone had finished kissing his hand, Rufus opened his mouth to address them.
"I express my gratitude to the blood alliance clans who have filled the void left by the Agamemnon clan for so long!"
Those who had other thoughts in mind flinched at Rufus's resounding voice.
'Is the ruler of the Central Continent being resurrected?'
Just as those gathered in the banquet hall were gulping nervously,
Rufus spoke again.
"The reason I invited you all here today is to announce that the curse on the Agamemnon clan has ended!"
As soon as he said those words, expressions of emotion and sighs of relief came from the lords.
At the same time, Rufus continued,
"Furthermore! Today, the Agamemnon clan will introduce the official successor of the clan to the blood alliances gathered here!"
At the mention of the official successor of the clan, the lords began to murmur amongst themselves again.
The return of the Agamemnon clan and the designation of an official successor were matters of completely different levels.
Even if they were once the rulers of the continent, they had been a clan practically sealed off for 50 years.
It would inevitably take time for them to regain their power.
But to suddenly have a successor...
The lords waited nervously for Rufus's next words.
Then, Rufus clapped his hands.
The fanfare sounded again, and someone walked into the banquet hall.
Thump, thump.
Zeke, dressed in the official Agamemnon clan attire, appeared.
Zeke, who had grown considerably since turning seventeen, looked no different from an adult on the outside.
Just then, one of the lords shouted at the sight of Zeke, "Z-Zeke Draker!"
It was the noble who had attended Zeke's promotion party.
As Zeke Draker's name was mentioned, the lords murmured.
"Zeke Draker? Is he the youngest blue-rank knight on the continent?"
"Is he the genius who recently graduated from Valhalla at the youngest age?"
As the banquet hall became noisy, Rufus raised his hand to calm everyone down.
After everyone fell silent, they looked at Zeke standing on the platform.
Zeke opened his mouth.
"My name is Zeke Draker. As a direct descendant of the Agamemnon clan, I am qualified to be the official successor."
Sighs of admiration were heard once again at Zeke's words.
A direct descendant of the Agamemnon clan and a pure-blooded awakened of the Draker clan.
On top of that, he held the titles of the youngest blue-rank knight on the continent and the youngest Valhalla graduate.
If Zeke Draker was the successor of the Agamemnon clan, which had lost its power, it would only be a matter of time before they regained their lost power and status.
Just then, someone raised their hand.
Rufus's eyes flashed.
It was the Achilles clan, one of the oldest vassal clans of the Agamemnon clan.
They were his most reliable friends, and sometimes his most formidable enemies.
The head of the Achilles clan said to Rufus,
"Respected Rufus Agamemnon, as your longtime friend and loyal vassal, may I have a word?"
"My oldest friend, Arnold Achilles. Your advice always brightens my ears. Speak."
Arnold Achilles stepped forward in front of the others.
He pointed at Zeke and said,
"It is a joyous occasion that the official successor of the Agamemnon clan has been decided. However, according to the Law of Representatives, the Achilles clan has a duty to verify the qualifications of the Agamemnon clan's successor."
Then, the heads of the other two clans stepped forward and stood beside him, saying,
"The Hector clan is of the same mind."
"The Aegis clan also wishes to fulfill its duty."
Rufus nodded after hearing the words of the three clans.
"I fully understand your duty and right as my longtime friends and loyal vassals. Very well. How will you verify the successor's qualifications?"
Arnold Achilles stepped forward as their representative and said,
"We will follow the old tradition."
The old tradition they were referring to meant a knightly duel.
A knightly duel was a duel passed down from the Holy Empire era, where the participants wore full plate armor and fought with shields and swords to determine the victor.
Rufus then said to Arnold,
"Very well. According to your will, we shall verify the successor's qualifications through a knightly duel."
At the mention of a knightly duel, the faces of the other lords were filled with anticipation and excitement.
Rufus declared,
"The champions of the three clans participating in the knightly duel shall prepare themselves and gather at the dueling grounds in one hour!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire banquet hall was filled with cheers.
***
Exactly one hour later, people flocked to the dueling grounds prepared in Agamemnon Castle.
The champions prepared by the Achilles, Hector, and Aegis clans entered the dueling grounds, wearing full plate armor and equipped with kite shields.
Rufus had informed the three clans about the successor beforehand, so they had prepared for the knightly duel in advance.
Those who appeared in the dueling grounds were official knights of each clan, familiar with knightly duel-style combat.
Each of the three clans brought champions who were skilled in knightly duels and could represent their clans.
This was to break the spirit of the young successor, Zeke, from the start.
Finally, Zeke appeared in the dueling grounds.
Thump, thump.
Zeke arrived, equipped with full plate armor and a kite shield prepared by the Agamemnon clan, not the Hercyon.
Seeing Zeke, the champion of the Hector clan said,
"Will that sword be alright?"
He was giving Zeke a piece of advice, seeing the claymore-shaped Bahamut, which was longer than ordinary swords.
Instead of answering verbally, Zeke responded by closing his helmet visor.
The first duel began immediately.
The first to face Zeke was the champion of the Hector clan.
As if familiar with knightly duels, the Hector champion showed off, turning his sword this way and that for the spectators.
The lords and heads of clans in the audience cheered.
On the other hand, Zeke simply held his shield forward, minimizing his exposed area, and calmly prepared for the duel with his sword at the ready.
The champion of the Hector clan gestured towards Zeke.
"Successor of Agamemnon! Show me everything you've got!"
He spread his arms wide, provoking Zeke.
It was then.
KwaKwaKwaKwa!
Zeke quickly charged towards the Hector champion.
And with his heavy shield carrying momentum, he struck the Hector champion's full plate armor head-on.
Bang!
With a tremendous sound, the Hector champion was sent flying with a single blow.
The nobles, who had been cheering, couldn't grasp what had just happened.
They stared blankly at the Hector champion, crumpled against a wall.
The Hector champion, seemingly unconscious from the shield charge, showed no signs of getting up.
The referee, who had also been gaping, finally came to his senses.
"Z-Zeke Draker wins!"
Despite the victory being declared, there were no cheers or applause from the audience, still in shock.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
The head of the Hector clan, embarrassed by the completely unexpected result, just coughed awkwardly.
Amidst the shock, the second duel began immediately.
This time, it was the champion of the Aegis clan who stepped forward.
He was determined not to be careless like the Hector champion and to take the duel seriously.
He slowly approached Zeke with his shield and sword.
It was then.
Whoosh!
Zeke's sword struck the champion's shield.
Bang!
Despite raising his shield, the Aegis champion couldn't withstand the tremendous force and lost his balance.
"Ugh!"
He hurriedly regained his balance and stood firm.
But Zeke didn't give him a chance.
Bang!
The heavy kite shield struck the champion's side.
The Aegis champion was sent flying.
Crash!
Wearing heavy full plate armor that was difficult to put on and take off, it wasn't easy to maintain composure once balance was lost.
The Aegis champion, however, was a veteran knight with a lot of experience in knightly duels, so he immediately got up.
"Whew. Whew."
He was gradually being overwhelmed by the pressure emanating from Zeke.
'Is this really the spirit of a seventeen-year-old?'
He had heard that Zeke was the youngest to be promoted to blue-rank knight, but he thought Zeke would be a young and inexperienced boy.
But facing him in person, Zeke showed no openings, like a seasoned veteran.
Zeke moved again, stepping with the Illusion Step.
Despite wearing heavy armor and carrying a kite shield, his movements were agile, as if he was wearing light armor.
"Ugh!"
The Aegis champion couldn't keep up with Zeke's swift movements.
Zeke engaged in a back-and-forth exchange with the Aegis champion using the Golden Swordsmanship, the Agamemnon's shield swordsmanship.
'I'm finally getting used to the armor.'
He had intended to engage in a proper exchange in the first duel as well, but he hadn't been able to control his strength properly due to the unfamiliar armor and shield, so he ended up sending his opponent flying with a single blow.
Zeke moderately controlled his strength, parrying the Aegis champion's attacks and exploiting his openings.
His excellent senses from the Heavenly Body and Bones physique were displayed to their fullest, showing agile movements even in close-quarters combat.
"Oooooh!"
The spectators cheered at Zeke's almost magical movements.
Zeke felt the time to end the duel approaching.
Wheeik!
Zeke took the stance of the Agamemnon Golden Swordsmanship, shifting his center of gravity backward.
Then, he swung his shield to break his opponent's balance.
"Ugh!"
The Aegis champion's center was wide open.
Zeke thrust his sword.
KwaKwaBang!
Just like the Hector champion, the Aegis champion was also sent flying.
This time, unlike before, cheers and applause erupted.
And the champion of the Achilles clan, the last in line, entered the dueling grounds.
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]