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Chapter 50

Chapter 50: Jousting(3)

***

As Damien’s blade sliced through the troll’s tough skin like a hot knife through butter, Abel found himself clenching his fists involuntarily.

The scene was so exhilarating that even Abel, known for his calm demeanor, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement coursing through him.

The troll, though categorized as a low-class monster, proved to be a formidable opponent with its relentless ferocity, rapid regeneration, and impressive strength.

Despite its classification, facing it was no easy feat, as its sheer power and tenacity could easily overwhelm even the most of the knights.

But to be able to defeat such a monster in one stroke.

“Abel, your brother… He’s truly remarkable.”

Even Olivia was staring at the arena in astonishment.

Seeing his brother being acknowledged, Abel couldn’t help but smile.

“Wow! I’ve never seen such a technique in my life!”

Earl Copperhead exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat.

“Sir Abel! What breed is that horse? How can it move so lightly?”

Earl Copperhead turned to Abel and asked. Abel felt tongue-tied.

‘Come to think of it, isn’t that a draft horse?’

If Abel’s memory served him right, it was undoubtedly a draft horse raised by his father.

Originally used for plowing fields or carrying heavy loads.

‘But how can it move like that?’

Abel couldn’t continue his thoughts due to confusion. At that moment, Earl Copperhead took Abel’s hand and said.

“It seems difficult to answer! But please, do convey this message to Sir Damien! Tell him to sell me that horse! I’ll even pay a thousand gold for it!”

“No… that’s…”

“Or can’t you lend it to me as a stallion? I beg of you!”

[PR note – stallion refers to a horse that is used for breeding.]

At Earl Copperhead’s request, Abel’s eyes rolled around.

Meanwhile, Damien succeeded in hunting down the remaining two trolls.

Thus, he finished first event of jousting with an overwhelming score.

***

“Brother! You were absolutely astounding today!” Abel exclaimed with genuine admiration as they made their way back to Damien’s quarters.

Abel’s demeanor was unlike his usual calm self.

“I knew your swordsmanship was excellent, but I didn’t expect you to handle the horse so well!”

“Oh, calling it well-handled is an understatement. Jumping onto the troll’s arm and slashing it in one go! I guarantee even the centaurs, who are half-man-half-horse, wouldn’t be able to pull off such a feat.”

Not only Abel but even Victor was excited, speaking up.

Damien chuckled at the two.

“By the way, have you become close with Olivia?”

Abel blushed suddenly at the mention of Olivia.

Due to Damien’s remarkable performance, Abel hadn’t been able to chat much with Olivia.

To change the subject, Abel mentioned what happened during the day.

“Moreover, Brother, the Earl wishes to purchase the horse you were riding. If not, he requests to borrow it as a stallion.”

“What? Why would he want to buy such a draft horse?”

“What? Was it really a draft horse?”

Abel said with a surprised expression.

“But how could it move so agilely? Everyone thought it was such a high-quality breed.”

“It’s because my skills are exceptional.”

Damien pointed at himself.

Abel stared at Damien in disbelief.

The horse’s movements displayed in the arena were not achievable by mere horsemanship skills.

No draft horse in the world could run on a monster’s arm like that.

“…Alright, I understand.”

However, Abel didn’t press further.

He thought that if it were Damien, it might be possible.

“Should I explain it to the Earl like that?”

“No, that would be awkward.”

From Abel’s words, it seemed like the Earl really wanted that horse.

He was on good terms with the Earl, and it would do him no good to turn down such an urgent request.

“Tell him that I can’t sell the horse, but I’m willing to lend it as a stallion.”

The horse’s exceptional movements were purely thanks to Damien.

Selling the horse recklessly would surely lead to trouble. But lending it as a stallion was no issue.

If a mediocre horse was born, it wouldn’t be Damien’s fault, it would be the Earl’s fault for not raising the horse properly.

“Make sure to mention he needs to pay a suitable amount.”

It was also a way to fill the family’s accounts while they were at it.

***

The second event took place the next day.

– Grroar!

– Grroarr.

The monsters prepared for today were orcs.

Dozens of orcs were grinding their teeth while trapped behind bars.

The knights looked at the orcs with tense faces.

Compared to trolls, orcs weren’t particularly formidable monsters.

But the terrifying aspect of orcs was revealed in group battles.

The heat of battle, the death of their kin, the life of their enemies.

When these factors converged, orcs unleashed their savagery and went berserk.

Berserk orcs didn’t care if their limbs were severed; they killed their enemies regardless.

It was to the extent that they were nicknamed berserkers.

“Then, let it begin!”

With the Earl’s shout, the bars opened, and the orcs rushed towards the knights.

The knights also attempted to charge towards the orcs. But someone ran out ahead of them.

“It’s Sir Damien!”

“DAMIEN! DAMIEN!”

Nobles who recognized Damien cheered.

He dashed into the group of orcs, leaving the knights behind.

As he passed through the orcs, several orcs had their throats slit in the blink of an eye.

– Grroarr!

The orcs swung their clubs towards Damien, attempting to grab him.

As if anticipated, He pulled the reins.

Surprisingly, the horse moved sideways, evading the orc’s attacks.

“Th-the horse can move like that?”

Usually, horses could only move forward.

Moving sideways by crossing their legs was a skill only horses of special breed could perform. It couldn’t even be taught through training.

The horse moved here and there according to Damien’s commands, dodging the clubs.

Damien swung his sword in time with the horse’s movements. With each swing, an orc was killed.

– Grroar!

An orc leaped from behind Damien. It was determined to kill Damien even at the cost of its own life.

Without looking back, Damien commanded the horse.

The horse bent its body and stretched its hind legs. Its hooves struck the orc’s jaw.

The orc’s jawbone shattered, and its body flew far away.

– Grroar!

– Grroarr…

In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty orcs were slain, causing the orcs to hesitate in rushing towards Damien.

They only retreated with cautious expressions.

“Let’s go! Let’s annihilate these orc bastards!”

At that moment, knights who arrived late attacked the orcs.

The orcs, already demoralized, lost their lives too easily.

Damien sheathed his sword again. He had already killed enough orcs.

Thus, the second match also ended with Damien’s overwhelming victory.

***

“Damien! Damien!”

When the second match ended, the nobles all cheered for Damien’s name.

The remaining knights withdrew from the arena with frustrated expressions.

‘Damn it.’

Among them was Jackson.

‘To think I’d be ignored by everyone after being humiliated by that asshole…’

Jackson Cutter came here to make a name for himself.

But instead of achieving his goal, he was being ignored by everyone.

He was angry. He couldn’t bear it.

But what anger Jackson more than anything was the sense of defeat brewing within him.

The skills Damien displayed yesterday and today were incredible.

Even Jackson couldn’t help but admire.

He couldn’t even imagine keeping up with Damien.

‘It’s ridiculous. That bastard is stronger than me?’

He didn’t want to admit it.

But deep down, he was already acknowledging that fact.

That’s why his anger surged even more.

‘Where’s Sofia?’

Jackson expressed his anger by mentioning Sofia.

Yesterday, she came to meet him as soon as the match ended. But today, she was nowhere to be seen.

Jackson headed to the audience seats to find Sofia.

“Wow! Damien! Damien Haksen!”

And there she was. Sofia Russell, cheering and shouting Damien’s name.

“…”

At that moment, something broke in Jackson Cutter’s heart. His mind had struggled to comprehend the sight, his chest tightening with a mixture of disbelief and anguish.

Every cheer she uttered had felt like a dagger plunging deeper into his wounded heart.

Jackson had felt a surge of conflicting emotions coursing through him – betrayal, jealousy, and a profound sense of loss.

How could she, he had wondered, how could she so easily forget the love they shared? In that moment, the world around him had seemed to fade away, leaving only the painful realization that the woman once loved was slipping away from him.

***

Sofia couldn’t take her eyes off Damien.

He was impressive even when he defeated the trolls with a single stroke on the first day, but today, he was even more remarkable.

Massacring a horde of orcs numbering over dozens alone was an extraordinary feat.

“Sir Damien! Please look over here!”

“Sir Damien! Damien Haksen!”

Other nobles sitting nearby also cheered Damien’s name.

Watching such spectators, Sofia felt a sense of pride.

Do they have any idea?

That Damien was so obsessed with her.

“Haah… Sir Damien… Where did such a person come from?” A young noble lady who was sitting beside Sofia said suddenly.

“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll ask Father to arrange a marriage with the Haksen family.”

The voice that suddenly reached her made her mood sour.

‘Arrange a marriage? Ridiculous. Who does that ugly girl think she is, competing with me?’

Since yesterday, more and more women were starting to show interest in Damien Haksen.

Fortunately, among the women here, there was no one as beautiful as Sofia.

But she couldn’t be completely at ease.

Objectively speaking, Sofia and Damien currently had no relationship whatsoever.

There was always the possibility that he would give up on her and choose another woman.

Sofia imagined Damien with another woman.

Just the thought of it made her angry and her body tremble.

‘No… I can’t allow it.’

Unlike Damien’s previous self, the current Damien was too precious to let slip away to another woman..

The only fortunate thing was that Damien still had feelings for her.

‘But I have Jackson…’

She was torn between the two of them.

Suddenly, she felt someone’s gaze and turned around. She saw Jackson standing in the audience seats.

Only then did she remember that she hadn’t gone to meet him because her mind was preoccupied with Damien.

“J-Jackson!”

She hastily got up from her seat.

Jackson turned around and descended below the stands. Sofia hurriedly followed him.

“Jackson, wait! Jackson!”

She reached for Jackson’s hand but he shook her hand off.

“Sofia, what are you doing?”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Cheering for Damien while I’m here? Are you out of your mind?”

Jackson’s criticism made Sofia’s face flush with embarrassment and shame.

“What did I do wrong? Isn’t it natural to support a knight who performed well in the match?”

But Sofia refused to admit her mistake.

“What did you just say?”

“Jackson, don’t be so narrow-minded. You’re just jealous because Damien is getting all the attention right now.”

Jackson Cutter’s face tensed at her words.

“Sofia…!”

“Besides, are you in any position to be jealous of Damien now? You haven’t even performed well in the jousting tournament.”

Sofia thought it was time to stop talking at this point.

However, once the floodgate of words opened, Sofia found herself caught in a torrential downpour of thoughts, each drop a relentless cascade of pent-up expression, impossible to dam back as they surged forth like an unstoppable river, flooding the landscape of her mind.

“Jackson, what have you been saying to me all this time? Saying you’re the best. Saying no one can beat you in your age group. What’s all this about?”

When Jackson told her that he’ll participate in the jousting tournament, Sofia was excited.

She hoped to see Jackson Cutter shine in the jousting.

And to see herself next to him, sharing the attention and cheers.

“Instead of blaming me, think about what you’ll do in tomorrow’s match first.”

Sofia walked past Jackson and disappeared.

Jackson stared Sofia’s back with a blank face.

“This… Thi…”

Soon, anger boiled up and reached its peak in an instant.

Just as anger was about to cloud his judgment, a voice came from behind.

“The match is over.”

Surprisingly, as soon as he heard Jacques Noiré’s voice, his anger subsided instantly.

Jackson turned and lowered his head.

“…Master.”

Jackson couldn’t lift his head.

Jacques Noiré ordered him to win the jousting tournament.

He himself had not only failed to fulfill the order but also failed to make any impact in the arena.

“It was a poor performance. Yesterday and today.”

Jacques Noiré didn’t offer any words of comfort.

“As expected, my judgment was correct. With your skill, you can’t beat Damien Haksen.”

Jackson bit his lip at his teacher’s words. But it was the truth, so he couldn’t argue.

“Thankfully, I prepared for this. Otherwise, it would have ruined the plan.”

Jacques Noiré turned and spoke.

“Follow me.”

“Yes? Where are you going?”

To Jackson Cutter’s question, Jacques Noiré replied casually.

“To finalize the marriage proposal between you and Olivia Copperhead.”

***