[Trantor - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]
Chapter 74
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dozens of carriages entered the peaceful city of Mycenae.
They were all extraordinary carriages bearing n crests.
The citizens of Mycenae murmured as they watched the carriages heading towards Agamemnon Castle.
"Huh, could the rumors be true?"
"Is the curse on the castle really lifted?"
"Otherwise, why would those ns suddenly gather in one ce?"
The citizens recalled the divine golden wave that engulfed Agamemnon Castle a few weeks ago.
The eerie and gloomy hill was now covered in beautiful roses.
Thanks to this, the rumor that the long-standing curse on the Agamemnon n had finally been lifted was spreading among the citizens.
Of course, the rumors Zeke spread through the Syndicate also yed a role in the rapid dissemination.
And with the lords'' carriages flocking to the castle, the rumor gained even more credibility.
***
Agamemnon Castle, having regained its original appearance, was elegant and graceful.
With the return of the servants who had left long ago, as well as their descendants, the castle quickly regained its former glory.
The lords of the Agamemnon blood alliance ns and the surrounding territories were surprised to see Agamemnon Castle restored to its original state.
Some shed tears of emotion, while others, whose generations had changed, showed no particr reaction.
But most of them shared onemon thought.
''Is the n curse really lifted?''
The lords whispered among themselves.
It was hard to believe at first that the Agamemnon n, who had locked themselves in the castle for 50 years and prevented anyone from approaching, suddenly summoned all the blood alliance ns.
Some of the bewildered lords had grim expressions, unsure of what was happening.
Some ns had prospered due to the benefits gained from the Agamemnon n''splete withdrawal from external activities due to the curse, and they were afraid of losing their vested interests.@@novelbin@@
The banquet hall was filled with a strange atmosphere, with those who genuinely weed the return of the Agamemnon n and those who didn''t mingling together.
It was then.
Fanfare!
A lively fanfare sounded, and Rufus Agamemnon, the host of the banquet, appeared.
The lords were surprised to see Rufus Agamemnon, who had regained his original appearance after the curse was lifted.
Rufus, with his sturdy physique and tall stature, looked very impressive in traditional aristocratic attire.
The lords flocked to Rufus.
Through Rufus, everyone realized that the curse on the Agamemnon n had been lifted.
The only thing left was to decide what attitude to take.
"Oh my god, Lord! To see you return so healthy... I can''t believe it!"
Whether they truly felt that way or not, most of the blood alliance ns tried to win Rufus''s favor with exaggerated words and gestures.
It was a glimpse of the potential of the great n that once stood at the center of Mind.
The lords all approached Rufus and kissed the back of his hand.
Rufus naturally epted their kisses with an aristocratic posture and restrained movements.
When everyone had finished kissing his hand, Rufus opened his mouth to address them.
"I express my gratitude to the blood alliance ns who have filled the void left by the Agamemnon n for so long!"
Those who had other thoughts in mind flinched at Rufus''s resounding voice.
''Is the ruler of the Central Continent being resurrected?''
Just as those gathered in the banquet hall were gulping nervously,
Rufus spoke again.
"The reason I invited you all here today is to announce that the curse on the Agamemnon n has ended!"
As soon as he said those words, expressions of emotion and sighs of relief came from the lords.
At the same time, Rufus continued,
"Furthermore! Today, the Agamemnon n will introduce the official sessor of the n to the blood alliances gathered here!"
At the mention of the official sessor of the n, the lords began to murmur amongst themselves again.
The return of the Agamemnon n and the designation of an official sessor were matters ofpletely different levels.
Even if they were once the rulers of the continent, they had been a n practically sealed off for 50 years.
It would inevitably take time for them to regain their power.
But to suddenly have a sessor...
The lords waited nervously for Rufus''s next words.
Then, Rufus pped his hands.
The fanfare sounded again, and someone walked into the banquet hall.
Thump, thump.
Zeke, dressed in the official Agamemnon n attire, appeared.
Zeke, who had grown considerably since turning seventeen, looked no different from an adult on the outside.
Just then, one of the lords shouted at the sight of Zeke, "Z-Zeke Draker!"
It was the noble who had attended Zeke''s promotion party.
As Zeke Draker''s name was mentioned, the lords murmured.
"Zeke Draker? Is he the youngest blue-rank knight on the continent?"
"Is he the genius who recently graduated from Valha at the youngest age?"
As the banquet hall became noisy, Rufus raised his hand to calm everyone down.
After everyone fell silent, they looked at Zeke standing on the tform.
Zeke opened his mouth.
"My name is Zeke Draker. As a direct descendant of the Agamemnon n, I am qualified to be the official sessor."
Sighs of admiration were heard once again at Zeke''s words.
A direct descendant of the Agamemnon n and a pure-blooded awakened of the Draker n.
On top of that, he held the titles of the youngest blue-rank knight on the continent and the youngest Valha graduate.
If Zeke Draker was the sessor of the Agamemnon n, which had lost its power, it would only be a matter of time before they regained their lost power and status.
Just then, someone raised their hand.
Rufus''s eyes shed.
It was the Achilles n, one of the oldest vassal ns of the Agamemnon n.
They were his most reliable friends, and sometimes his most formidable enemies.
The head of the Achilles n said to Rufus,
"Respected Rufus Agamemnon, as your longtime friend and loyal vassal, may I have a word?"
"My oldest friend, Arnold Achilles. Your advice always brightens my ears. Speak."
Arnold Achilles stepped forward in front of the others.
He pointed at Zeke and said,
"It is a joyous asion that the official sessor of the Agamemnon n has been decided. However, ording to the Law of Representatives, the Achilles n has a duty to verify the qualifications of the Agamemnon n''s sessor."
Then, the heads of the other two ns stepped forward and stood beside him, saying,
"The Hector n is of the same mind."
"The Aegis n also wishes to fulfill its duty."
Rufus nodded after hearing the words of the three ns.
"I fully understand your duty and right as my longtime friends and loyal vassals. Very well. How will you verify the sessor''s qualifications?"
Arnold Achilles stepped forward as their representative and said,
"We will follow the old tradition."
The old tradition they were referring to meant a knightly duel.
A knightly duel was a duel passed down from the Holy Empire era, where the participants wore full te armor and fought with shields and swords to determine the victor.
Rufus then said to Arnold,
"Very well. ording to your will, we shall verify the sessor''s qualifications through a knightly duel."
At the mention of a knightly duel, the faces of the other lords were filled with anticipation and excitement.
Rufus dered,
"The champions of the three ns participating in the knightly duel shall prepare themselves and gather at the dueling grounds in one hour!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire banquet hall was filled with cheers.
***
Exactly one hourter, people flocked to the dueling grounds prepared in Agamemnon Castle.
The champions prepared by the Achilles, Hector, and Aegis ns entered the dueling grounds, wearing full te armor and equipped with kite shields.
Rufus had informed the three ns about the sessor beforehand, so they had prepared for the knightly duel in advance.
Those who appeared in the dueling grounds were official knights of each n, familiar with knightly duel-stylebat.
Each of the three ns brought champions who were skilled in knightly duels and could represent their ns.
This was to break the spirit of the young sessor, Zeke, from the start.
Finally, Zeke appeared in the dueling grounds.
Thump, thump.
Zeke arrived, equipped with full te armor and a kite shield prepared by the Agamemnon n, not the Hercyon.
Seeing Zeke, the champion of the Hector n said,
"Will that sword be alright?"
He was giving Zeke a piece of advice, seeing the ymore-shaped Bahamut, which was longer than ordinary swords.
Instead of answering verbally, Zeke responded by closing his helmet visor.
The first duel began immediately.
The first to face Zeke was the champion of the Hector n.
As if familiar with knightly duels, the Hector champion showed off, turning his sword this way and that for the spectators.
The lords and heads of ns in the audience cheered.
On the other hand, Zeke simply held his shield forward, minimizing his exposed area, and calmly prepared for the duel with his sword at the ready.
The champion of the Hector n gestured towards Zeke.
"Sessor of Agamemnon! Show me everything you''ve got!"
He spread his arms wide, provoking Zeke.
It was then.
KwaKwaKwaKwa!
Zeke quickly charged towards the Hector champion.
And with his heavy shield carrying momentum, he struck the Hector champion''s full te armor head-on.
Bang!
With a tremendous sound, the Hector champion was sent flying with a single blow.
The nobles, who had been cheering, couldn''t grasp what had just happened.
They stared nkly at the Hector champion, crumpled against a wall.
The Hector champion, seemingly unconscious from the shield charge, showed no signs of getting up.
The referee, who had also been gaping, finally came to his senses.
"Z-Zeke Draker wins!"
Despite the victory being dered, there were no cheers or apuse from the audience, still in shock.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
The head of the Hector n, embarrassed by thepletely unexpected result, just coughed awkwardly.
Amidst the shock, the second duel began immediately.
This time, it was the champion of the Aegis n who stepped forward.
He was determined not to be careless like the Hector champion and to take the duel seriously.
He slowly approached Zeke with his shield and sword.
It was then.
Whoosh!
Zeke''s sword struck the champion''s shield.
Bang!
Despite raising his shield, the Aegis champion couldn''t withstand the tremendous force and lost his bnce.
"Ugh!"
He hurriedly regained his bnce and stood firm.
But Zeke didn''t give him a chance.
Bang!
The heavy kite shield struck the champion''s side.
The Aegis champion was sent flying.
Crash!
Wearing heavy full te armor that was difficult to put on and take off, it wasn''t easy to maintainposure once bnce was lost.
The Aegis champion, however, was a veteran knight with a lot of experience in knightly duels, so he immediately got up.
"Whew. Whew."
He was gradually being overwhelmed by the pressure emanating from Zeke.
''Is this really the spirit of a seventeen-year-old?''
He had heard that Zeke was the youngest to be promoted to blue-rank knight, but he thought Zeke would be a young and inexperienced boy.
But facing him in person, Zeke showed no openings, like a seasoned veteran.
Zeke moved again, stepping with the Illusion Step.
Despite wearing heavy armor and carrying a kite shield, his movements were agile, as if he was wearing light armor.
"Ugh!"
The Aegis champion couldn''t keep up with Zeke''s swift movements.
Zeke engaged in a back-and-forth exchange with the Aegis champion using the Golden Swordsmanship, the Agamemnon''s shield swordsmanship.
''I''m finally getting used to the armor.''
He had intended to engage in a proper exchange in the first duel as well, but he hadn''t been able to control his strength properly due to the unfamiliar armor and shield, so he ended up sending his opponent flying with a single blow.
Zeke moderately controlled his strength, parrying the Aegis champion''s attacks and exploiting his openings.
His excellent senses from the Heavenly Body and Bones physique were disyed to their fullest, showing agile movements even in close-quartersbat.
"Oooooh!"
The spectators cheered at Zeke''s almost magical movements.
Zeke felt the time to end the duel approaching.
Wheeik!
Zeke took the stance of the Agamemnon Golden Swordsmanship, shifting his center of gravity backward.
Then, he swung his shield to break his opponent''s bnce.
"Ugh!"
The Aegis champion''s center was wide open.
Zeke thrust his sword.
<em>KwaKwaBang!</em>
Just like the Hector champion, the Aegis champion was also sent flying.
This time, unlike before, cheers and apuse erupted.
And the champion of the Achilles n, thest in line, entered the dueling grounds.
[Trantor - Peptobismal]
[Proofreader - Max]