“dare!”
Ragnar gnashed his teeth and glared at Bjorn. Those eyes were the same as those of someone I had just met.
-Times have changed, Ragnar. This is not the era when a good warrior was a good king.
Luke Bernstein. A man who is stronger than himself and has an unknown mystery. His words were humiliating, but Ragnar accepted them without understanding.
Because he was strong Maybe you saw something you didn’t see. But not Bjorn.
‘Does that bastard look at me with those eyes?’
He is weaker than himself, younger, and lacks experience. There is no exceptional presence, and there is not even a talent that cannot be acknowledged.
But that guy is looking down on himself. As if Ragnar was seeing something he couldn’t see.
“cheeky… … !”
cooong.
Enraged, Ragnar took a big step. That alone made the floor vibrate and reverberate everywhere. Bjorn bent over, trying not to lose his posture.
“Come.”
“Come on, if you want to die that much!”
Puhwaak.
Like the wind, Ragnar rushed in and struck the ax. A blow with such power that it would rip apart even if it was defended.
“Oh, stop… … !”
Viscount Thorburn opened his mouth at the blow with obvious murderous intent. But it was too late. The ax fell right on the top of Bjorn’s head.
Bjorn gritted his teeth and swung his two axes at the falling axe.
Wow.
“… … !”
Ragnar’s face was stained with surprise. Bjorn’s two axes twisted the trajectory, and as a result, the attack split the air.
“her.”
Unknowingly, Ragnar burst into admiration. Although this was a blow that even Logain could not stop.
“What kind of magic did you use?”
“Whoa, well.”
A smile lingered on Bjorn’s lips even though he was dead. Everywhere I looked, it was as if I had been forcibly squeezed out.
“You’ll know when you fight.”
“Tsk.”
At that bluff, Ragnar clicked his tongue. Do you still want to show leeway on a subject that can’t go far?
“Okay, let’s see you somewhere.”
Contrary to his cocky eyes, he seems to have a very good attitude as a warrior. The eyes that were covered with anger seemed to open a little.
‘But I should let them know about the subject.’
It is not a duel to the death. Guidelines for those who lose their senses and overestimate themselves. Ragnar imagined the current battle that way.
Again, Ragnar’s ax was swung. Unlike before, there is no survival, but it is still a powerful blow. Bjorn bit his lip as he watched the attack.
* * *
10 minutes after that. Ragnar’s composure was gone.
“Such a rat… … !”
Huong, with a noise, Ragnar’s ax was swung again. Each time, Bjorn narrowly avoided the ax, slashed it, or rolled on the ground to avoid it.
Quang.
“Big!”
Despite being hit by shrapnel on the floor, Bjorn managed to avoid the axe. Ragnar saw that and gnashed his teeth.
‘Damn it, I’ll really die if I swing it with all my might, so I can’t do that.’
Ragnar’s power control was perfect. If you block it from the front, you will be unable to overcome the force and fly away or break it.
The problem was that Bjorn didn’t block it from the front and knocked it out somehow.
“How long are you going to be fooled! Try attacking!”
“Big! I can afford it, hehehe! I don’t have it!”
He was gasping for breath, avoiding attacks and even replying. how disgusting is that I was annoyed and had to put up with the effort.
“this guy!”
Turong.
“Ugh!”
Bjorn again awkwardly dodged the blow. This time, he even committed an indecent act of rolling backwards on the floor several times.
I felt that the good feelings I had just before had cooled.
“Are you still a warrior? Isn’t it the warrior’s mindset to avoid death in such an ugly way and only try to save his life?”
“Whoop, whoop!”
Bjorn caught his breath at the sincere reprimand. Even if I wanted to answer, I was out of breath and couldn’t afford it. Ragnar waited.
I wanted to hear what ugly excuses would come out of that mouth. Bjorn, breathing steady, said while wiping his sweat.
“Not all northerners are warriors.”
“What?”
“I said that not all Northerners are warriors. It is different now than in the past.”
“gibberish! All Northerners are warriors!”
“That’s an old story.”
All northerners are warriors. To be precise, it could not be a warrior. Because the only way to survive in this harsh north was plunder and hunting.
However, the North changed after getting to know the Empire.
“Mines were dug up, trade routes were created, and civilization came in. Farming has become possible in only a few areas. At one time it prospered because of it.”
The time when the imperial family was still fine. Around the time when future generations after the first emperor remembered the friendship with the North.
Abundant food and dazzling jewels were traded on trade routes. A golden age that no one remembers now. But there were definitely those days.
“People have let go of their weapons. Rather than fighting nature, I spent a long time pioneering it, and rather than accepting the law of the jungle, I decided to dedicate my body to support a weak family.”
“… … .”
“The old tradition is alive. Honor is still important. All warriors and knights who shed blood deserve respect. But not all are warriors.”
“What do you want to say?”
Ragnar glared at Bjorn. Bjorn sighed deeply and said.
“Warchief, let me ask you one thing. What would you do if a warrior said he would drop out of battle to support his old mother?”
“Do you think that excuse makes sense?”
“What would you do if you had a real old mother?”
“Of course you should cut your throat.”
not even worth thinking about Whether it’s sincere or an excuse, a warrior who runs away from battle is no longer a warrior. Bjorn nodded.
As if it was a judgment that I fully understand and sympathize with. But the real question came after this.
“Then what about the rest of the old mother? I have no family to support, so I will no longer starve to death.”
Ragnar was speechless. What about the rest of the old lady? If it’s a young son or daughter, they’ll become warriors or brides, so you can take care of them.
If you’re a young widow, you can reassign it to someone else. But what to do with an old woman who is close to dying?
Not to mention the woman who gave birth to a disgraced warrior.
“… What do you need to do?”
“ha ha ha.”
Bjorn laughed. Unlike before, it was a dry smile.
“That’s why you shouldn’t be king.”
“… … .”
Ragnar’s face hardened. gibberish. I wanted to shout like that. It was just chatter that I couldn’t quite understand what he was talking about.
But for some reason, there was no response. Ragnar’s face flushed red and then returned to normal.
Eventually, Ragnar managed to utter a few words.
“go away.”
“… … ?”
“Before I kill you, get out of sight.”
A voice that seems to be suppressing something rising up with all its might. Bjorn nodded, turned his back and left.
There was no fuss even in the abstention. The people who heard the conversation between the two just kept their mouths shut and chewed on what Bjorn had just said.
Even Viscount Thorburn seemed lost in thought for a moment. However, it is the referee’s job to declare victory or defeat. The Viscount, awakened from his thoughts, shouted.
“A warchief’s victory.”
“… The next candidate should come out.”
Ragnar answered briefly. It was a voice that seemed angry or a little tired. The last remaining Carol stood in front of Ragnar with a nervous expression.
“You better not belittle it. After all, it was the sword that caught the Lesser Dragon. No matter how strong you are, the vision of the Leiningen family… … .”
Turong.
“Kek!”
Carol passed out in one hit. Thus ended Ragnar’s duel.
* * *
Even after Ragnar’s duel was over, the subdued atmosphere continued. The conversation between Ragnar and Bjorn seemed to have raised a topic for the audience.
“Let’s continue the duel tomorrow.”
“Is there any need for that? It’s only been a few hours.”
“But it’s a bit like following this atmosphere.”
“What’s more, Sir Carol still hasn’t come to his senses.”
The Marquis’ face turned red at the last voice of someone. The aristocrat who spoke out coughed and looked away as if he had made a mistake.
Still, the nobility nodded their heads because it was perfect as a justification.
“Certainly, physical condition is important.”
“Let’s take a day off.”
“It’s something you might have suffered an injury that you didn’t know about.”
“Oh, it’s a big deal!”
At that time, one of the knights of the Marquis family hurriedly rushed in. Marquis Serge frowned at the knight’s rude behavior in front of the guests.
“What’s the matter?”
“An inspector from the imperial family has arrived.”
“… … !”
The faces of the nobles turned pale. I was expecting it, but I never thought it would happen when the third test had just begun.
The crowd is like a mountain, so it is impossible to escape.
‘Damn it, I dragged on too much.’
‘The king who will be in charge has not yet been elected… … .’
The nobles each looked at each other with anxious expressions. The Marquis also had a headache. As usual, he would have given his opinion and others would have followed.
The problem was that Carol’s dignity fell because she couldn’t get a proper major.
‘Damn it, if you go out to collect opinions and get refuted, even the authority you had will disappear.’
The Marquis chose a safety measure. Rather than taking the risk and going first, I would add authority by pointing out when someone makes an inappropriate remark.
The problem was that everyone was confused and couldn’t come to a consensus. When the nervousness is getting worse as time goes by.
“What are you doing?”
“Rain, Lord Bjorn.”
His eyes widened at the bewildered look of the nobles. It’s like putting off the person in charge in a situation like this. Bjorn shouted as the lord of the North, not as a candidate.
“The inspector has come. What are you doing without going to meet him?”
“But what can I say… … .”
“I can tell you honestly. Things about the warchief, and things about the king.”
“Don’t take it lightly! You may be accused of being a traitor!”
Bjorn glared at the angry nobleman. It was a look of clear contempt.
“If that scares you, why are you at the Platinum Conference? Why did you agree to the election of the king?”
“… … .”
The nobles shut their mouths at Bjorn’s actions. Only then did I know that the king would be elected before the inspector came. Bjorn guessed the back story and sighed.
“Calm down a little. The situation is not bad for us now.”
“What do you mean?”
“Aside from the election of the king, from the point of view of the imperial family, the north has already been integrated and it can be seen as a situation where only the king is elected. The warchief is still there.”
“… … !”
Only then did the nobles wake up. If you think about it, yes. In this day and age, the delivery of information is slower than you think, and it takes a lot of effort to figure out the details.
Even if the inspector came, he wouldn’t know that he was living with a savage in a strange way.
From noble mtl dot com
‘If the northern part is fully integrated, it will be difficult for the imperial family to touch the northern part.’
‘If we drive them out as traitors, we may face the united forces of the North.’
As a result, he will somehow try to conclude that he is not a traitor. The nobles, blinded by anxiety, seemed to come to their senses.