TFM 84

Chapter 84

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"Get up right now!"

Lucas, who had been burying his face in his pillow, jerked his head up in surprise at the shrill shout.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes and turning around, he saw his annoying little sister standing right there beside his bed.

He clutched his throbbing forehead and grumbled.

"Come on! How many times do I have to tell you not to barge into my bedroom?"

"This isn’t the time to be worrying about manners! Get up now! It’s an emergency!"

Raina shook his shoulders mercilessly and shouted at the top of her lungs. Lucas pushed his sister away and pressed hard on his throbbing temples.

He’d been out all day since early morning, roaming the hunting grounds with fellow riders from the Wolfram clan, and had just come back after getting completely drunk on ale at a tavern.

His head was already killing him, so why was she making such a fuss?

He glared at his sister through half-closed eyes.

“What on earth is going on? Did the Zram people invade Raedgo Castle or something?”

“Cut the crap and get up right now?!”

Raina yanked his arm roughly and stamped her feet.

“It’s a real disaster! The ‘Black Bear of the South’ is going to duel with our big brother!”

Lucas felt his drowsiness vanish in an instant as he bolted upright. He stared at his sister with a bewildered look.

“Who’s fighting whom?”

“Ugh, seriously!”

As if her limited patience had run out in an instant, Raina shoved his arm away and strode purposefully toward the door.

Lucas, who had been staring blankly at her retreating figure, scrambled out of bed and grabbed the tunic he’d carelessly tossed onto a chair. He threw it over his bare torso and hurriedly ran outside after his younger sister.

Just then, he spotted the servants rushing down the hallway, lanterns in hand.

He looked around in confusion, then caught up to his younger sister, who was already descending the stairs, with long strides.

“Is our brother really going to duel?”

“I told you so!”

Raina snapped irritably as she skipped down the stairs two at a time. Lucas frowned. He, too, knew that guests had arrived at Raedgo Castle.

However, he had no idea how the lord representing the southeastern region and the heir to the Shiokan family had ended up in a duel.

Clutching his head, which throbbed from a hangover, he asked,

“Why are they suddenly having a duel in the middle of the night?”

“Why else? The embodiment of discord finally caused trouble!”

Raina gritted her teeth.

“That woman—can you believe it?—stormed into the banquet hall, poured wine all over Lord Gutvan, and even slapped him!”

Lucas’s mouth dropped open.

“That woman… you don’t mean… the Second Princess, do you?”

“Who else could it be?”

Raina pounded her chest as if she were frustrated.

“It was because of that woman that ‘Black Bear’ and our brother got into an argument—and even ended up dueling!”

Raina crossed the hall in a single bound, burst out of the building, and shouted defiantly.

“See! I told you over and over that woman would be a disaster, didn’t I? I was right after all!”

Lucas rolled his eyes as he buttoned up the wide-open front of his coat.

To be precise, what his younger sister had predicted was a cunning villainess who pretended to be weak in front of her older brother while plotting behind his back—not a crazy woman who would slap the Eastern Region’s strongest spear knight in front of everyone.

‘Regardless, I can’t deny that this has become a major issue.’

He brushed his tousled hair back and quickly crossed the spacious courtyard.

Hundreds of people were already swarming the stairs leading to the training ground, each holding torches and lamps.

Pushing through the crowd, Lucas made his way to the inner part of the vast training ground. There, nobles who had come to witness the duel and Wolfram’s elite knights were gathered. Spotting a familiar face among them, Lucas headed straight for him.

“Tyron!”

The spearman, who had been talking with his men, turned his head toward him. He, too, seemed to have rushed out while taking a break. The man, bare-chested and wearing only a loose coat, looked back and forth between Lucas and Raina and let out a deep sigh.

“How can you be out and about at a time like this without an escort?”

“Cut the lecturing. What on earth happened?”

“I just got here myself, so I don’t know the exact details.”

Tyron shrugged and replied nonchalantly.

“One thing is clear: our future leader possesses a far more aggressive temperament than he appears to have.”

He then gestured with his chin toward one side of the vast equestrian training ground.

There, a massive gray stallion and Varkas, heavily armored in black iron, stood waiting.

Lucas stared at him blankly. Amidst the burly men, he looked like a finely crafted, delicate statue.

His lean physique, encased in armor, was by no means small or frail, yet it was neither as burly nor as massive as that of the other spearmen; the way he tightened the fastenings of his armor made him seem more like a dancer than a warrior.

In contrast, his opponent was nothing short of a beast in human form.

Lucas shifted his gaze to the opposite side of the training ground and swallowed hard. The man appeared to be nearly 7 kvet (about 210 cm) tall, and his weight seemed to far exceed 5 lant (about 175 kg), approaching 6 lant (about 210 kg). Add the weight of the steel armor encasing his body, and he would likely weigh even more than that.

The man led a massive, muscular steed befitting his own stature and walked into the center of the training ground.

The light from the blazing bonfire fully revealed the man’s terrifying presence. Seeing this, the crowd erupted in a succession of gasps of admiration, excitement, and awe.

Lucas let out a low groan.

“This is madness.”

Immediately afterward, four soldiers—who appeared to be the man’s subordinates—struggled to carry a halberd of colossal size, nearly as heavy as a lump of iron.

As the man gripped the shaft with one hand and raised the monstrously large axe head high, the roar of the crowd grew even louder.

Raina, who had been watching the scene with a stunned expression, grabbed Tyron by the collar.

“Why aren’t you stopping him right now!”

“Her Highness has been trying to stop him for a while now, but he isn’t even pretending to listen.”

Tyron sighed, pointing with his thumb at a figure standing beside Varkas.

Lucas followed the direction of his finger and his eyes widened when he spotted the small figure shouting at his older brother. The woman seemed extremely angry, shaking her fists wildly.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Lucas approached them and frowned upon hearing a sharp, high-pitched voice ringing out. The woman was fearlessly yelling at his brother who was a head taller than her.

“Are you an idiot? A moron? You just need to crush a guy like that with your power! Why are you trying to have a stupid showdown of strength?”

Lucas let out a hollow laugh. He hadn’t known there were women other than Raina who would hurl such insults. And to be so disrespectful to his own older brother like that…

Lucas glanced at Vakas’s expression. He was calmly checking the horse’s condition.

The woman punched his brother in the back.

“Did you fall asleep in math class? That guy looks three times heavier than you! Don’t you know that weight and strength are proportional?”

“Bring me my helmet.”

Ignoring her presence, Varkas issued an order to his attendant. Seeming to take offense, the woman rolled up her sleeves. As she looked ready to slap him, Daren hurriedly grabbed her shoulder.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry so much. This is a common occurrence among warriors. Neither of them will cross the line……………….”

“Who said I’m worried about that man!”

She roughly shook off Daren’s hand and shouted sharply.

“I’m worried about myself! If I become a widow right after getting married, my future will be in jeopardy!”

Seemingly taken aback by the woman’s sharp words, Daren took a step back. However, Lucas’s older brother showed no particular reaction to her tirade.

He pulled his helmet down over his head and swung himself onto the saddle.

“Hand me my weapon.”

The servant immediately handed him a halberd with a silver crescent-shaped axe blade. Taking it, Varkas rode straight into the center of the training ground before anyone could stop him.

The woman hurried after him. Lucas, who had been watching from a short distance away, found himself running out to grab her. At that moment, a cold glare flew at him like a dagger.

Lucas held his breath. For a moment, his mind went completely blank.

As he stared down at her strangely beautiful face with a dazed expression, the thunderous sound of a trumpet signaling the start of the duel rang out.

Lucas snapped his head up and groaned when he saw Alec Gutvan slowly circling the stands, spinning a massive halberd with one hand.

As the axe blade, nearly as heavy as a mace, sliced through the air in a wide arc, a sound like the crack of a whip echoed through the arena.

He could feel the woman trembling as if she might collapse at any moment. But he had no energy left to check on her.

The beast, which had been riding slowly along the stands as if to flaunt its power, had spurred its horse on.

The heavy thud of hooves shook the ground. Amidst a thick cloud of dust, the man mounted on the giant steed spun his halberd and charged toward Varkas at a terrifying speed. Screams erupted from the mouths of those who witnessed the scene.

And no wonder. It looked just like an enraged water buffalo charging at a deer. Lucas clenched his fists. It seemed as though this giant, forged from solid iron, would crush his brother in a single blow.

However, what Lucas witnessed was a scene so unbelievable it was hard to fathom even with his own eyes. The axe blade, nearly as large as a man, was effortlessly deflected by the spearhead, which flew in with the grace of a bird’s wingbeat.

Lucas’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The miraculous spectacle did not end there. As Varkas spurred his horse, the man’s massive frame lurched backward as if it had collided with a sturdy castle wall.

Varkas did not miss the opportunity.

Kicking the stallion’s flanks, he thrust his spear forward. The sharp tip, flying like a flash of lightning, pierced through the thick breastplate and ran through the giant man’s chest.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

With the spear still lodged in the beast’s chest, he spurred his horse on. As he raised the spearhead, the giant’s massive body was flung high into the air. Screams erupted from all around at the grotesque sight.

Riding his horse across the open field, Varkas swung the spear shaft in a wide arc before driving the halberd into the ground. The man’s massive body crashed into the dirt, sending a heavy thud echoing in all directions.

A suffocating silence settled over the scene.

While everyone stood dumbfounded by the duel that had ended in an instant, Varkas rode his horse up beside the mangled corpse and tossed his helmet to the ground. Then, with a cold, unwavering expression, he issued an order toward the stands.

“Summon a priest to perform the funeral rites.”

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