duke and writer

"Please go back if you have nothing else to do, Mr. Palos." The young writer raised his chin in the direction of the door, "I know what I'm doing."

"What are you going crazy, An Mixiu, you don't even know..."

"I know." The sound of porcelain touching the table interrupted the man's words.

"I already... know everything."

"..."

Three days later, on the duel arena, the sun was dazzling and the audience was full of voices.

After paying ceremonial greetings, the knight fighting for the investigator smiled and said, "This armor is very suitable for you, Mr. An Mixiu. Is this sword also given by the king?" He looked at the two-handed sword on his opponent's waist, slightly Shaking his head, "Sometimes having an extra weapon doesn't mean you have a better chance of winning. I don't want to offend you, sir. For a novice like you, choosing a two-handed sword at this time is tantamount to committing suicide."

"Thank you for reminding me, but the exquisite rapiers should be reserved for the ladies." Putting the helmet back on, An Mixiu frowned, "I heard that you are a civil servant."

"It is the herald, sir, and the Templars have served in battle. I must confess that few of my colleagues would take part in such a humiliating duel."

"But you're still here, aren't you?"

"I can't help it. I'm the only civil servant accompanying me." Straightening his helmet, the young herald shrugged, "I can only serve you."

"Woo—" the first horn blew.

The two stopped talking, and each stood still, with their swords out of their sheaths.

Amidst the excited cheers of the audience, the orderer on the high platform blew the horn in his hand again——

"Clang!" As soon as the trumpet sounded, the young man with two swords dashed forward at a dizzying speed. The sound of the swords colliding suddenly sounded in the field, and the knight who was in a hurry to block retreated almost lost his footing.

The exclamation and screams exploded in the auditorium in an instant.

"..." The young king looked in shock at the writer who was wielding his double swords with ease and slashed the opponent to the point of being powerless. "Is this guy really a book writer?"

"Two-handed sword, flame-shaped blade," the tall head guard smiled playfully, and whispered, "The skill of a mercenary—Your Majesty, as I said earlier, there is something wrong with the calluses on his palm."

"Ding——" The long sword with its blade curled made an overwhelmed hum under the heavy blow, and there was only a clang, and the weapon that was taken off its hand hit the ground, kicking up a lot of dust in the wind.

An Mixiu raised his wrist slightly, and the heavy sword hilt flexibly turned in the palm of his hand, and then a slanting stab pierced the wind, and the opponent's helmet was lifted off at a tricky angle.

The panic-stricken herald dodges subconsciously, but only feels a chill on the side of his neck, and the pain of being cut across his skin by the sharp blade instantly makes him stiff - it really is a two-handed sword that leaves no way out...

"—In this way," the head wearing the helmet tilted dully, and there was a faint light in the eyes under the shadow, "does it count as a win?"

"Of course," said the empty-handed knight, his tongue knotted uncontrollably, "you, you can, you can, you can..."

"Well," putting the sword back into its sheath graciously, the young writer couldn't wait to take off his helmet, his slightly sweaty brown hair stuck to his cheeks, and his bright eyes were like gems shining in the sun.

"Accepted." He put his hand on his chest and bowed in a standard manner.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the young man in silver armor looked like a real knight.

"——What crooked way is this?!" Finally recovering from his shock, the inspector protested angrily, "This is a foul! How can this kind of swordsmanship without a sense of honor appear in a duel?! It's just right. Divine insult!"

"As you said, Lord Investigator, this is a divine match." The man with short white hair neatly combed stood up and said, "Then no matter what the process or result is, it can only be handed over to the great God of Creation." Judgment, isn't it? We ordinary beings, how can we have the right to intervene?"

"Palos, what do you mean by that?!"

"What are you arguing about!" The young king impatiently punched his fist on the table, waited for the surroundings to be quiet, then looked at the chief seat and said, "Judge, during the duel, did the Creator God issue any oracle?"

"It never happened before." The judge's voice was still loud and majestic, "Chuangshi God has no objection to this ruling."

"Your Excellency the Judge! That heresy..."

"It's God's will, sir." The presiding judge coldly interrupted the other party's unrelenting appeal, "As the investigator of the tribunal, you should know what it means to question the judgment of God."

"..."

The Papal States in the distance—

The small holy city was surrounded by black soldiers and horses, and the white city walls were stained scarlet by the scorching fire and clouds in the sky. The lonely migratory birds fell from the branches and let out their final wailing, the sound of horns, and another scream of fighting... …

"Brother, you also know it's a feint." Camille frowned and looked at the arrow that was just taken out by the military doctor. It was still stained with blood and pieces of meat, and there was little anger on the ground. "It's just pretending, you really want to charge? If there is an accident, if you really die here, everything will be destroyed, you know?!"

"Okay, okay, I will be more careful." The man calmly responded, avoiding the shoulder injury and putting on his coat.

"It's not that easy to fool those old foxes in the city. Only by convincing them that I'm putting everything on the line can we ensure the smooth completion of the plan. Camille, you just came back, and you don't have enough understanding of the current emergency situation."

"No, as far as I know, they are convinced," he handed the crumpled letter to the other party, anxiety and depression climbed up the young face, "but because of this, your situation It's more dangerous."

"Hmph, do you want help?" After reading the letter at a glance, the young duke crumpled the paper into a ball in his hand and threw it away, "I had expected this kind of situation a long time ago. After all, we are only besieging the city, and we can't force it The grown-ups in the city sit and wait to die."

"You see clearly, big brother, the letter is using the sacrament to coerce the vassals from all over the world to encircle and suppress them!"

"Those lords are not fools. Even if their hearts are devoted to the Holy See, they will not send troops immediately after receiving the letter. The fastest reinforcements will not arrive until the next mass day at least."

"But we still have a chance, take advantage of the present to go to Wangcheng..."

"No but, my brother," Lei Shi looked into those eyes that were somewhat similar to his own, "We have no retreat." He said in a deep voice.

……

"Your name is An Mixiu, right?" The young monarch sat on a high throne with one arm in his hand, "You are very skilled, are you really a book writer?"

"..." Palos slightly bent his arm and touched the dazed young man, "Yes, Your Majesty." An Mixiu replied.

""Pirate" is really well written." Garderos curled his lips in a good mood, "Unfortunately, that guy didn't like it very much. Later, the secret letter he asked me for was used to send you to the fortress prison Yes, is it?"

"It's an honor to be so loved."

"...Don't talk about those twists and turns, you used to be a mercenary in the west?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. After all, before becoming famous, it is really difficult for me to support myself by writing."

——Ten years ago, he was expelled from school, and his aunt's family was under an expulsion order. Even though they were far away from Wangji, they still had difficulty gaining a foothold, and his uncle's business plummeted because of this.

Half a year later, when he heard that the situation in the new colony was very good, my uncle made up his mind, sold all his properties, and took the family aboard an ocean-going ship.His aunt also wanted to take him away with him, but at that time he had decided not to drag anyone down, and his cousins ​​had already held grudges against him, so he insisted on staying and guarding his former home, waiting for his delayed arrival. Gui's father.

A year later, news of a fever outbreak in the new colony began to spread, and since then he has received no reply from there.

Overnight, Guangsha collapsed.

In just a few days, he spent all his savings in the underground tavern.After being kicked out of the house again for not being able to pay for the drink, he wandered unsteadily in the streets and alleys, like a wandering soul in a state of embarrassment.Vaguely, it seemed that he had hit a wall. He was groping around in a daze, but was hit hard in the abdomen by a fist.He fell on the ground, spitting out the bloody smell mixed with alcohol, but he became much clearer.

He narrowed his eyes and looked at the strong man in front of him who was yelling and cursing, and all the hostility that had been suppressed for a long time broke out at that moment - he rushed forward fiercely, easily overturning the man who was much bigger than himself.The feeling of the fist smashing into the flesh fascinated his chaotic brain, but the painful scream seemed to come from far away.

It was another punch, and it seemed that some dark liquid splashed on his eyelashes. He raised his hand to wipe it off, but suddenly saw a large amount of blood.In horror, a soreness in his neck made him completely lose consciousness.

When he was woken up by the cold water, he found himself tied to a wooden chair, surrounded by various people sitting or standing, but none of them seemed kind.

"What's your name?" The bronze-skinned man sat in the middle and asked casually.

"...An Mixiu." His voice became hoarse after a hangover.

"Then An Mixiu, how do you think this account should be settled for beating up my subordinates like that?"

"What do you want?" He frowned, only to feel a splitting headache, "—a tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye?"

"No, it's a pity. That guy has a broken nose and a blind eye."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Young man, it's not good to be so impatient." The man walked up to him, and patted the other person's cheek with the back of his hand, "I've always been more tolerant to children with potential, because of your good skills Now, I can give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"..."

"Until we find a suitable replacement, I'll trouble you to take that guy's place first, okay?"

"Can I say no?"

"What do you think?"

"...Okay, I promise you."

"Very good," the man with silver-gray pupils raised the corners of his mouth slightly, pulled out the dagger at his waist and cut the rope that bound the young man two or three times, "I am Silver Lord, welcome to join our mercenary army."

An Mixiu looked at the palm stretched out in front of him, and the word "mercenary" exploded in his mind, but he still failed to really touch those already numb nerves.He blinked his eyes a little unresponsively, and then slowly took the hand with the sharp bones.

He hummed, which was considered a response.

——Mercenary, this word that ran counter to his previous ideals, it turned out that there was no difficulty in accepting it.

There's nothing wrong with working your life for money, it's better than holding on to some illusory things forever like straws, and in the end, there's nothing to do but end up in a messy and ugly posture - what kind of faith, sense of honor , chivalry, etc., I think they shouldn't exist in this reality.