[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 75
The champion of the Achilles clan announced his name as he stepped into the dueling grounds.
"Farel Achilles."
Zeke also stated his name in response.
"Zeke Draker."
Stating one's name before a duel was an act of respect and courtesy towards the opponent.
Zeke felt a different aura from the Achilles champion compared to the previous two.
'His spirit is unwavering.'
It meant he had deep mental discipline.
Zeke slowly approached Farel with his shield and sword raised.
Then, Farel charged forward first.
Whoosh!
The giant shield slammed into Zeke's front.
The heavy shield attack shook Zeke's body.
Bang!
Zeke angled his shield to deflect Farel's attack and lessen the impact.
Nevertheless, a considerable shock penetrated through.
As he had sensed earlier, Zeke realized that Farel was a formidable opponent.
Farel didn't miss the opening.
He circled to the side and swung his sword towards Zeke's waist.
Whoosh!
The sword cut through the air and flew towards him.
Clang!
Zeke parried Farel's sword with Bahamut.
Farel frowned as his sword was deflected by Zeke's strike.
The tremendous rebounding force made his wrist ache.
Farel admired Zeke's swordsmanship.
'His basics are solid. And he has a wealth of practical experience.'
Zeke maintained his balance against any attack, defending firmly, and when an opening appeared, he counterattacked with the most appropriate sword path.
Zeke and Farel engaged in close-quarters combat, their bodies almost touching.
Clang!
Clank!
Whoosh!
Their shields clashed, they dodged, and their swords met in a tense back-and-forth exchange.
The lords and heads of clans, witnessing the unexpectedly high level of the knightly duel, gaped in awe.
"Oh my god, there's actually a knight who can fight Farel Achilles on equal footing!"
"The undefeated Farel Achilles has finally met his match!"
Farel Achilles was the champion of the Central Region Knightly Duel League, holding an undefeated record.
As a direct descendant of the Achilles clan and a champion representing the clan, he had greatly contributed to raising the clan's honor and achievements.
Whoosh!
As people were expressing their admiration, Farel's sword narrowly grazed Zeke.
Zeke stepped back half a step, then accelerated forward, deflecting Farel's sword with his shield, and spun around, swinging his sword.
KwaKwaBang!
A sound like an explosion came from Farel's shield.
At the same time, Farel's body shook violently.
"Huff... Huff..."
Rough breathing could be heard from inside his helmet.
On the other hand, Zeke's movements were no different from the beginning.
Farel couldn't deny that Zeke was physically superior to him.
'What a monster.'
He decided to stake everything on one final blow.
Whoosh!
Farel stepped forward with his left foot.
All his strength was concentrated in his foot.
Bang!
With tremendous jumping power, Farel's body shot forward like a projectile.
A ultimate move that pierces the enemy with a firmly held sword while using the shield to cover the body.
Achilles-style Shield Spear Technique
Ultimate Charge Skill
Black Spear's Fury
It was as if Farel's body itself had transformed into a giant black spear.
Zeke, aiming his sword at Farel, who had transformed into a spear that could pierce anything, also used his ultimate move.
Agamemnon Golden Swordsmanship
Ultimate Counter Skill
Golden Sword's Majesty
Zeke thrust his shield forward and raised his sword above his head.
At the same time, he met Farel's ultimate move with his shield.
Crack!
Black Spear's Fury completely shattered Zeke's shield.
Zeke spun around and brought down the sword he had raised above his head towards Farel.
Farel also raised the shield he had been holding close to his body to block Zeke's Golden Sword.
Crack!
Farel's shield was also completely shattered by Zeke's sword strike.
KwaKwaBang!
With a tremendous roar, both of them were thrown back simultaneously.
Thud!
The two of them stood facing each other in the middle of the arena, their swords pointed at each other.
Their shields were both shattered.
It was then.
"Stop!"
Rufus stood up and stopped the match.
He said to the lords and heads of clans,
"I declare this match a draw! It seems meaningless to decide a winner and loser in such a magnificent match!"
Those who had been watching the match stood up at Rufus's words.
And they sent a tremendous wave of cheers and applause.
"Farel! Farel!"
"Zeke! Zeke!"
They chanted the names of the two, praising the excellent skills shown in the match.
Zeke and Farel took off their helmets and approached each other.
"That was a great match, Sir Farel."
Farel took Zeke's hand and said,
"...I admit defeat, Sir Zeke. Thank you for your consideration."
Farel had sensed that Zeke had pulled back his strength at the last clash, destroying only his shield while dodging his attack and counterattacking.
And that was the truth.
Zeke felt that there was no need to inflict defeat on an excellent knight like Farel in a setting that was closer to a friendly match than an official one.
Farel was greatly impressed to see that Zeke, despite his young age, possessed such generosity and broad-mindedness.
At the same time, the heads of the three clans sitting in the audience stood up.
"The Aegis clan acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications as successor."
"The Hector clan also acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications."
Finally, the head of the Achilles clan spoke.
"The Achilles clan also acknowledges Sir Zeke Draker's qualifications as successor."
The three clans unanimously acknowledged Zeke's qualifications.
Zeke had now officially qualified as the successor of the Agamemnon clan.
"Blessings to the new successor of the Agamemnon clan!"
The arena was filled with excitement and cheers.
***
"Whew, I'm tired."
After the match, Zeke was finally able to take off his armor and rest.
Felix brought him a cold drink.
He was also incredibly excited.
"Master, that was an amazing match! I didn't know you had learned traditional duels. Oh my god, a draw with the league champion!"
Zeke said to Felix,
"Don't make a fuss."
"Sir Farel Achilles is a famous champion that even I know! He has a lot of fans in Atlas too."
"Sir Farel went easy on me to save face. Besides, the Achilles clan is famous for spears, not swords."
"Spears? But Sir Farel only used a sword in every match."
"That's why he's a great knight. Learn from him, Felix. Don't just think about running away every time the elders try to train you."
"R-Run away, what are you talking about!"
"Stop talking nonsense and go make me some tea."
Felix grumbled and brought the tea.
But he was scolded by Zeke again because the water temperature wasn't right.
'At first, I thought he was quite quick-witted, but he's becoming more and more cunning. At least I know that Felix isn't a spy.'
While Zeke was drinking the bad tea that Felix had made, one of the attendants approached him.
"Young Master, Sir Farel of the Achilles clan has requested to see you."
Farel Achilles, who had just had a match with him, had come to see him.
"Sir Farel? Show him to the reception room right away."
Zeke changed back into his formal attire and headed to the reception room.
Farel, dressed in a central region aristocratic outfit instead of his armor, sat with a composed posture.
He was a handsome man with a strong jawline and thick sideburns.
He greeted Zeke with a polite bow.
"Sir Zeke, I apologize for my boldness in requesting a meeting like this."
Zeke looked at Farel and said,
"It is an honor to have such an excellent knight as Sir Farel visit me. Please, have a seat."
A maid soon brought in tea.
Farel spoke first.
"Sir Zeke, I learned a great deal from today's knightly duel."
"As do I."
Farel said in a solemn voice,
"I have a request."
"Please tell me what it is. I will grant you anything I can."
"Although I am lacking, please allow me to assist you."
Zeke was surprised by those words.
"What do you mean, Sir Farel?"
Farel's eyes gleamed as he said,
"I heard that you will be participating in the Draker Martial Arts Tournament soon."
As expected, news traveled fast in Midland.
Zeke nodded.
"That's correct. I thought it was simply a competition of skills, but I heard it's not."
Farel nodded.
"You're right, Sir Zeke. The Draker Martial Arts Tournament is practically a battlefield."
"My master, Duke, also described it that way. He said it would be difficult without a supporting clan, but I didn't hear the details. May I ask why?"
Farel answered Zeke's question.
"The Draker Martial Arts Tournament is quite unique. The events and rules change every time."
"The events and rules change?"
"Yes. It is the Tournament Preparation Committee that decides them, and the committee is made up of preparation members. These members also change every time, and most of them are elders from influential families in the Central Continent."
Zeke's expression changed at those words.
"So you're saying that those elders become members and decide the events and rules?"
"That's correct. It will soon be announced what events will be held for the preliminaries and finals. And from the round of 16, the events and rules will be announced the day before the match."
"Then, if those members support a specific candidate, they could set events and rules that are advantageous to that candidate."
"That's right. For those with similar skills, the more advantageous the event is to them, the higher their chances of winning. In an extreme case, if a rule is set that 'Aura cannot be used in this martial arts tournament,' then it has to proceed that way."
'What kind of tournament is this?'
In his previous life, he was expelled from the Draker clan and didn't even qualify to participate in the tournament, so he didn't know such an absurd competition existed.
Zeke finally understood why Duke had said it would be difficult to win the tournament without a supporting clan.
'If they collude with each other and set the events and rules to check the winning candidates, I could even be eliminated in the preliminaries.'
Farel said to Zeke in an earnest voice,
"Sir Zeke! If you'll allow me, I will assist you in preparing for the tournament by your side!"
Zeke was surprised by those words.
"Are you saying you'll be my assistant, Sir Farel?"
Farel nodded with a determined expression.
'Wait, why is he suddenly acting like this?'
Zeke, who had suffered and been betrayed by others in his past life, was always suspicious when someone showed him kindness.
He looked into Farel's steadfast eyes.
'It's a bit burdensome, but it would certainly be advantageous to have a famous knight like Farel help me.'
Zeke nodded towards Farel.
"It would be an infinite honor to have an honorable knight like Sir Farel assist me."
Farel's face brightened at Zeke's words.
As soon as he received permission, Farel began taking out what he had prepared.
A tremendous amount of documents piled up on the table.
"What is this, Sir Farel?"
"It's the basic manual for the Draker Martial Arts Tournament. The in-depth strategy guide is at my clan home, so I'll have my attendants bring it over soon."
He had never heard of a manual, let alone a strategy guide, for the tournament.
'Maybe I shouldn't have entered the tournament.'
Zeke thought that if he had known about this, it would have been better to refuse even if it meant getting on Arthur Draker's bad side.
Just then, Farel said to Zeke in a serious tone,
"Sir Zeke, to be honest, it's quite late to start preparing for the tournament with only a month left. Usually, preparations begin two years, or at the earliest, three years in advance."
"I-Is that so?"
Farel nodded.
"In this situation, the most necessary thing is a broker."
"A broker? Do you mean a broker in the sense that I know?"
"Yes. Or more elegantly, a lobbyist."
Broker or lobbyist, it was all the same.
Farel took out a file from the pile of manuals and opened it.
On the page was a person's profile.
"It is said that no debutante in the central region makes their debut without going through this person. She has a firm grip on the central social circles."
Zeke checked the photo in the profile and read the name.
'Catherine Graham. The mistress of the Graham Dukedom.'
Farel said to Zeke, "
To prepare for the martial arts tournament, we must bring Duchess Catherine to our side."
[Translator - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]