BXBX NOVEL Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 42: Floral Joust; The Duel(3)
***
Three days later, the carriage carrying Damien arrived at the Earldom of Copperhead.
The location for the Jousting tournament was a vast plain near the Copperhead’s mansion.
Temporary arenas for the Jousting tournament and tents for the guests were set up there.
“They must have spent quite a sum,” Victor remarked.
The temporary arena, constructed with wooden fences, was impressively large.
Tents, numbering more than a few dozen, were erected for the guests’ accommodations.
“Stop right there.”
As the carriage reached the entrance, a middle-aged man blocked its way.
“May I ask where you all are coming from?”
“We’re from the Viscounty of Haksen.”
Victor replied nonchalantly.
The middle-aged man began to inspect the list he held in his hand.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
“Could it be that Damien Haksen is on board?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I apologize for the oversight. I am Corner, the steward of Copperhead’s Earldom.”
The middle-aged man quickly corrected his posture.
“We’ll take care of the carriage. Please come this way.”
A steward guided the three individuals inside a tent.
“You can use this tent.”
The tent indicated by the steward turned out to be surprisingly spacious.
Soft carpets adorned the floor, and there were even two beds.
“That tent adjacent is designated for the staff.”
Even the accommodation for the servants was adjacent.
It was indeed generous hospitality.
“A banquet is prepared for tonight. Rest until then. If you have any discomfort, don’t hesitate to call for us.”
After bowing respectfully, the steward exited.
“Quite a splendid accommodation. To think they would offer such a place. Earl of Copperhead must be a generous person,” Abel exclaimed while inspecting the tent.
In contrast, Damien showed a rather indifferent reaction.
In his past life, the Earl of Copperhead had insulted Abel and mocked Viscount Haksen.
“Just treating me well because I’m famous.”
The reason the Earl provided such excellent accommodation was solely due to Damien’s reputation.
A similar situation had occurred in his past life.
The mercenary group Damien led had originally been an obscure and insignificant band, receiving poor treatment wherever they went. There were times when they didn’t receive a single penny after completing a job and were chased away.
But after Damien gained fame through his exploits, everything changed drastically.
At that moment, Damien realized the immense power that fame held.
“Victor, take a look around the accommodation too. Let me know if there’s any issue.”
“Yes, understood.”
After a firm response, Victor left the tent.
Abel slumped onto the bed. It seemed the long carriage ride had taken its toll, and fatigue had accumulated.
“You rest here. I’ll explore the surroundings and be back.”
“Yes, I unders…”
Suddenly, Abel sprang up from the bed.
“I’ll accompany you.”
“What? Why? I told you to rest.”
“I can’t. I make a promise with Father.”
“A promise?”
“He specifically told me to stop you if I thought you were going to cause trouble.”
Upon Abel’s words, Damien burst into laughter.
“Trouble? Am I some child who would cause trouble? Don’t worry, just rest.”
“No, I will accompany you.”
As Abel didn’t back down, Damien inwardly clicked his tongue.
“Ugh, Father must have already caught on.”
The reason Damien went outside was to inspect the arena and the knights. If he happened to encounter Sofia and her lover during the process, he planned to crush them without hesitation.
“Brother, Let’s go.”
“… Fine.”
Damien replied with a lackluster voice.
***
Damien and Abel wandered around, observing the knights.
“Most of them seem to be junior-level knights.”
Earl of Copperhead had limited the participants in this Jousting tournament to young men, mostly in the junior-class.
“Occasionally, there are even low-class knights as participants.”
Roughly there was one low class in every five. Achieving such a status at a young age indicated exceptional talent.
“Brother, look. That’s the arena.”
Abel pointed ahead, where a makeshift arena was built by the Earl of Copperhead.
Although temporary, the arena was spacious, and the ground was even and well-prepared.
“Is this tournament for team competitions?”
Jousting tournaments had various events, including one-on-one duels and group battles to determine the winner collectively.
“Maybe it’s a monster hunt.”
Damien speculated while discussing various topics, examining the arena.
“Wait, isn’t that the man over there? Could it be Damien Haksen?”
“Hmm? He looks similar to the portrait we saw last time.”
A group of about six individuals approached Damien Haksen.
Robust physiques and swords at their waists identified them as knights who had come to participate in the Jousting tournament.
“Are you Damien Haksen?”
One of the knights asked Damien, the only low-class among them.
“What if that’s me?”
The knights chuckled, exchanging amused glances.
“It’s an honor to see the famous Damien Haksen in person.”
“You’re the one who defeated the dark mages and triumphed over the eldest son of the Marquis Ryanbloom, right?”
“Those are some incredible rumors, almost too good to be true.”
The knights started surrounding Damien.
“But, I heard something about your past… Until a few months ago, you were just a notorious troublemaker, right?”
“Causing disturbances in taverns, using family property as collateral for loans and then defaulting… Is that true?”
“Really, isn’t that rumor? The mighty Damien Haksen involved in such trash?”
The knights’ tone and expressions were filled with mockery.
“However, these rumors have spread so widely that I wanted to check for myself during this opportunity.”
The knight who initially spoke rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
As the only low-class, it seemed he was ready to take action if force was required.
‘As expected, these kinds of guys.’
While rumors spread quickly, gaining acceptance from people took time, especially for Damien, who gained immense fame in a short period.
Therefore, Damien anticipated that there would be those who came to the Jousting tournament to confirm the truth behind the rumors.
“Well, this works out well. I’ve been sitting in the carriage for too long, and my body is stiff.” Damien said, stretching his arm.
“Brother, you can’t.”
“What’s the matter?”
“You made a promise with father… not to cause trouble.”
“But they started picking a fight over there. Should I just endure it?”
“Well, you should try to finish this quietly…”
“Oh, fine. I won’t kill them.”
“That’s not what I mean…”
The knights couldn’t help but furrow their brows at the conversation between the two.
“What kind of crap are you trying to spout now…….”
“Isn’t that the fucking Damien Haksen?”
At that moment, another voice echoed from a distance.
“I heard all the commotion and came to check, only to discover it was caused by you. Didn’t anticipate running into you so soon.”
A young man was walking towards them from afar, accompanied by a young woman.
“It’s disheartening to witness you in this state.”
The young man grinned fiercely.
***
Damien gazed at the young man’s face. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t recall who it was.
“Why are you pretending to be friendly with me?”
“What are you doing? I’d hate for this behavior to happen after I beat the shit out of you.”
“Beat me?”
Damien chuckled. At that moment, the woman beside the man spoke.
“Heh, feeling embarrassed about what happened back then? Well, there’s no point. Even if you pretend not to know, we remember everything.”
“And who are you, meddling like this?”
Damien furrowed his brow. Already feeling uncomfortable due to the knights ignoring him, now even an unfamiliar woman was looking down on him.
“Brother, why are you suddenly like this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That woman is Sofia Russell. The man next to her is her lover, Jackson Cutter.”
Upon hearing this, Damien’s eyes widened.
Although memories of Sofia Russell were dim, he hadn’t anticipated failing to recognize her right before him.
‘So this person is Jackson Cutter.’
Damien scrutinized Jackson Cutter.
Sharp nose, clear eyes—more handsome than expected.
‘So, this is why Sofia Russell fell for him.’
Good looks combined with low-class knight skills.
It made sense why Sofia broke off their engagement with Damien and chose Jackson Cutter instead.
“What are you staring at? Does thinking about the past make your head itch?”
Jackson Cutter sneered, and Damien laughed along.
What the hell is this guy saying now?
“Hey, why are you bothering us and just standing there?”
At that moment, the knight who arrived first spoke irritably.
The knight glared at Jackson Cutter, saying, “You, I don’t know who you are, but we met Damien Haksen first. So, quietly back off.”
“You’re telling me what to do,” said Jackson Cutter, ” I have business with Damien Haksen, too, so you can go fuck yourself.”
“You’re a fucking idiot.”
The knight, seething with anger, approached Jackson Cutter.
“There are people who only come to their senses when they see blood, just like you.”
“Sure, sure, hurry up and come at me.”
“You motherfucker…”
The knight, enraged, grabbed Jackson Cutter by the collar.
At that moment, Jackson struck the knight’s abdomen with a fist.
“Cough!”
The knight bent forward, staggering backward and even vomiting.
“Sir Berry?”
The other knights behind were bewildered.
Berry was a high-ranking knight in the low-class knights, and seeing him suffer so much from a single punch was shocking.
‘He used mana to hit him.’
Damien accurately saw why Berry was in so much pain.
Upon the impact of the punch to the abdomen, Jackson Cutter released mana, resulting in internal injuries.
‘He can use such advanced technique.’
Most of the knights were only familiar with infusing mana into their weapons, as they were users of Aura. However, there were countless other uses for mana.
‘He’s quite skilled.’
Not only does he know such a technique, but he’s also proficient in using it.
Jackson Cutter’s proficiency demonstrated his remarkable abilities.
“This guy! How dare you touch Sir Berry!”
One of the knights gripped his weapon. At that moment, Jackson Cutter’s gaze turned chilling.
“You can draw it freely, but… if you continue, you might end up dead.”
The knight’s face turned pale at Jackson Cutter’s aura.
The knight’s skills were at most that of a junior knight. It was impossible to withstand Jackson Cutter’s aura with such limited ability.
“I’ll see you later!”
The knights, with Berry in tow, hastily retreated.
“Dealing with those nuisances, and now… let’s settle our own matter. What the…?”
Jackson Cutter turned to Damien and was surprised. Damien was smiling brightly, looking at his younger brother.
“Brother…”
“Hey, I didn’t start this, you know?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Abel sighed deeply.
“Let’s try to resolve this quietly if possible…”
“Will there be a chance for that?”
Damien stepped up to Jackson Cutter and held out his right hand.
“What the fuck is this?”
“Why? Let’s shake hands, shall we?”
Jackson Cutter’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Alright. There’s nothing I can’t do.”
After shaking hands, Jackson Cutter suddenly floated in the air.
“What the…”
Without a chance to comprehend the situation, he was slammed head-first into the ground.