The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 72 - Knight of Ascension (7)

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to attack?”

Viktor chuckled as he lightly loosened his wrists.

Since he couldn’t take the knights’ lives, he hadn’t drawn his weapon, but he felt no tension at all.

‘I’m certainly strange myself.’

It was already foolish to face knights who had devoted their entire lives to training to kill people with bare hands, and on top of that, he had provoked them to attack him all at once.

It wasn’t a rational decision, but Viktor soon let out a slight laugh.

It was a different emotion from carelessness.

It was simply overwhelming confidence that allowed him to indulge his instincts running wild!

The knights glaring at him with murderous expressions didn’t pose any threat at all.

The knight who had been glaring at Viktor with bloodshot eyes as if to kill him spat out his words like he was chewing them.

“Arrogant beyond measure… don’t regret it!”

“You say that, but seeing how you’re all attacking together, you must be quite grateful for my suggestion?”

“Shut up!”

Though he couldn’t bring himself to say it, the knight who had been trembling with fear at the prospect of fighting Viktor was now trembling with shame while being grateful for his opponent’s arrogance.

‘I’ll make you regret this… I’ll make you pay for this humiliation!’

Clang! Clang!

The young knights each drew their weapons and slowly began approaching Viktor.

The spectators watching from around sent cheers and jeers.

“Aren’t you ashamed! What kind of disgrace is this against a fellow knight!”

“If you’re men, act with dignity! Are you even knights?”

The onlookers who had been making signs of the cross and singing hymns when the trial began were now shouting encouragement or jeers as if watching a market brawl.

Anton, who had become the witness and judge of the trial, looked at the Count with a troubled expression, but he seemed unconcerned.

Originally, trial by combat was bound to proceed this way.

Fighting was entertaining to watch anywhere, anytime, whether for commoners or nobles.

No matter how formal and solemn a trial by combat began in a dignified space, it often ended up becoming a circus thanks to the spectators.

‘If it turns into a duel between great warriors, it’s no different from the gladiators of the old empire…’

Recalling the results of several trial by combats he had experienced while living in the capital, the Count cautiously crossed his arms and looked at the simply arranged trial ground.

‘I can be at ease with Sir Viktor, but… wouldn’t it still be better to use weapons?’

Since his request to spare their lives seemed to have greatly influenced the situation, the Count secretly felt anxious and broke into a sweat.

If Viktor were to be seriously injured, it would be completely putting the cart before the horse.

He found his own knights, who had obediently responded to the provocation and begun attacking all at once, even more distasteful and frowned for no reason, then opened his eyes wide.

One knight had rushed forward and swung a massive iron hammer down at Viktor.

It was the true beginning of the duel.

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Bang!

Viktor looked at the knight who had flown through the air and crashed to the ground, clicking his tongue slightly.

‘It’s been so long since I took a proper stance that I’m not getting the feel… well, at least he won’t die.’

One knight cried out with a horrified face.

“Be careful! The opponent is definitely a master of combat wrestling!”

“He seems to have learned quite well… but he’s still bare-handed! If we surround him all at once, that’s it!”

Of course, Viktor had never learned about combat wrestling of this era.

He was merely applying sports he had learned as a hobby in his previous life.

As Viktor began taking a strange stance, the knights broke into a cold sweat but couldn’t easily rush at him.

They had just seen him lightly dodge the iron hammer and then lift up a large knight wearing full armor and slam him into the ground.

‘Crazy… he just slammed the heaviest guy among us down like that?’

Seeing him lift up a muscular, large man as if handling a child made their hearts feel cold.

As the young knights hesitated, Viktor spoke calmly.

“Won’t you come? Then I’ll go to you.”

Thud!

The square floor, which had definitely been solidly finished with gravel, showed deep footprints, and Viktor shot out like a cannonball.

When one knight panicked and wildly swung down his sword, Viktor demonstrated the technique of catching and stopping the sword with both hands.

“Waaah, did you see that?!”

“Good heavens… even if he’s a brave knight, is that really possible?”

People sent enthusiastic cheers, and the face of the knight whose sword was caught turned deathly pale.

‘Wow, this actually works?’

The person himself was also amazed that something he had tried because it seemed like it might work had succeeded, but no one noticed this.

“Eeek!”

The knight struggled desperately to pull out his trapped sword, but it wouldn’t budge as if it were stuck in rock.

Viktor grinned and bared his teeth.

“What are you doing? Is that all you can do?”

“Hiiik… this monster!”

The knight, terrified by that smile, finally let go of his weapon and swung his fist at Viktor’s face.

Thud!

When the punch landed squarely, the knight rejoiced.

“You bastard! Acting so cocky, serves you right! Now let’s see… huh!”

He turned pale like someone who had witnessed something unbelievable.

Even though his gauntleted fist had landed properly, Viktor’s face hadn’t moved even slightly.

Twitching his reddened cheek, Viktor spoke calmly.

“Are you done?”

“You monster… waaaaah!”

The knight swung his fists frantically again, but once was enough for Viktor.

Viktor put aside the sword he was holding and simply grabbed the knight’s wrist and applied pressure.

Crack!

With a vicious sound, the knight’s arm bent in a direction it shouldn’t bend, and he screamed.

“Aaaaah! Aaaaaah!”

“Noisy.”

Viktor’s other arm swung leaving an afterimage, and the knight who took two hits to the face sprayed blood and fainted on the spot.

Thump.

Viktor slowly turned around.

The remaining knights gripped their weapons tighter with an eerie feeling.

Cold sweat formed on their faces as they felt like that inhuman knight would rush at them and send them flying at any moment.

Finally, someone who couldn’t endure it shouted.

“Everyone attack at once! Don’t give him an opening!”

“Kill him!”

“Kill that bastard! Don’t let him stand on two feet!”

The knights began charging at Viktor all at once, screaming savagely to overcome their fear.

“You certainly don’t lack for words.”

Viktor looked at the knights rushing at him foaming at the mouth with an incredulous expression.

The spectators’ jeers grew fierce, and the Count wiped his face with a shameful expression, but they no longer had the luxury to look around.

One knight twisted his face like a demon and swung his sword horizontally.

Almost simultaneously, two knights from the sides brought down a mace and axe respectively with a time difference.

As if they had practiced together for a long time, it was perfect coordination and simultaneously a coordinated attack that conveyed the will to kill their opponent.

Viktor’s face became slightly more composed.

It was a somewhat burdensome attack to face bare-handed without weapons.

If he carelessly tried to counter it, even he might suffer serious injury.

Viktor began to concentrate, putting strength into his entire body.

His vision narrowed, and the speed of the sword swinging at high speed seemed to slow down.

One-tenth of a second, no, one-hundredth of a second.

In a very brief gap, Viktor’s eyes suddenly flashed.

‘Now!’

He threw his body with all his might and shoulder-charged the knight who was swinging his sword right in front of him.

It was a strike that precisely targeted the very slight gap that appeared before the sword could finish its swing.

Crash!

With a sound hard to believe came from two people colliding, the struck knight flew through the air.

It was such a powerful charge that the breastplate of his armor was dented.

“Gasp!”

Viktor moved quickly without even looking at that sight.

By the time he turned and ran again, the two knights who had swung the mace and axe were still in the process of recovering their weapons.

“What, how is he so fast…!”

“Damn it!”

They tried to take defensive stances but it was too late.

Viktor, who had quickly approached, grabbed one knight’s hair and pressed him down to the ground without giving him a chance to resist.

Crack!

The knight collapsed without even being able to scream, and the floor became soaked with blood.

“Uh… uaaaah!”

The knight beside him swung his axe with a battle cry.

Viktor crossed his hands to block the opponent’s wrists defensively, then brought his own face close to the opponent’s face.

Tears welled up in the terrified knight’s eyes.

“Cra-crazy, crazy…”

“You seem to lack faith.”

When Viktor smiled with blood splattered all over his face, the knight, who had definitely been trained not to be surprised by ordinary things, wet himself on the spot.

Viktor frowned slightly and kicked the knight in the stomach.

“Uwaaack!”

The knight who was kicked so hard he flew away couldn’t even hold his stomach and kept retching.

Viktor looked around.

Before he knew it, only he and the knight who had been acting as the representative remained standing.

The knight looked at Viktor with wildly shaking eyes.

“How… with bare hands, against us? This doesn’t make sense…”

“What are you muttering about?”

Viktor slowly walked forward, cracking his wrists.

The cheering from the people gathered around was so loud he couldn’t hear what his opponent was saying clearly.

“This is the savior of Radovitz!”

“Is he really human…? The words about him being a knight sent by God must be true!”

“Sir Knight! Judgment! Give judgment to that liar!”

“Kill! Him! Kill! Him!”

-Kill! Him! Kill! Him!

People were intoxicated by Viktor’s martial prowess with all their might.

He had beaten down fully armed knights without any weapons or equipment.

They now truly became convinced that God had indeed supported Viktor in this trial.

The spectators shouted with frenzied voices for judgment to be given to the liar and stomped their feet wildly.

The young knight seemed completely overwhelmed and couldn’t even think of raising his weapon, just staring at Viktor helplessly.

Viktor, who had somehow approached close, spoke in a strange tone even in this situation.

“Come to think of it, what was your name?”

“…You didn’t even know my name… heh heh… heheheh…!”

The knight muttered blankly as if his spirit was broken.

He was shocked by the fierce momentum of the spectators and the sight of his friends who had fallen without being able to resist.

“Iakov… what did I do wrong…? Isn’t he someone of unclear origin… someone who rolled in from who knows where… I couldn’t let such a person get close to our lord… was that wrong…?”

The knight slumped down on the spot as if collapsing.

Viktor, who had been watching him silently, simply turned around.

Not only did beating someone whose fighting spirit was broken not suit his temperament, but in his view, this knight seemed already sufficiently broken even without his intervention.

When the disappointed spectators raised their voices in frustration, Viktor stomped his foot.

Bang!

When the floor cracked deeply with a roar that struck the square, the startled people unconsciously closed their mouths.

Silence fell over the venue.

Viktor spoke in his characteristically low but clear voice.

Even though he wasn’t shouting, strangely, all the people gathered in the venue felt his voice clearly imprinting itself in their ears.

“There seems to be no one left who can fight. Father Anton, please announce the result of the trial.”

“…Understood.”

The priest approached Viktor’s side slowly with a complex expression.

Viktor nodded at him with a slightly apologetic expression.

It wasn’t news that priests didn’t like nobles’ trial by combat.

Anton probably wouldn’t have stepped forward to such an unwelcome occasion if not for his respect for the Count and Viktor.

Anton, who nodded back at Viktor’s eye greeting, cleared his throat and solemnly declared.

“The trial by combat is finished, everyone! As witnessed by the eyes and ears of all of you gathered here, and as witnessed by the eyes and ears of this humble priest who dared to participate as a witness in this sacred trial!”

Anton raised both hands high to the sky.

“Our Lord in heaven has supported the more righteous through the sacred duel between two fair and just parties! The victor is the savior of Radovitz, the hero of Permikoff, Viktor of House Kobarov!”

“Waaaaaah!!”

“Dare I say through my mouth, the suspicions cast upon Viktor of House Kobarov have disappeared as cleanly as water from this moment forward. And!”

Anton’s arm now pointed to the ground.

“The accusers who raised false suspicions against Viktor of House Kobarov and tried to tarnish his integrity—the six knights led by Mitrovich of House Alan—listen!”

Thud!

“Dare I say, the six defeated knights spoke falsehoods before God and thereby have tarnished not only an innocent knight and the many people watching this trial, but even their own names. Therefore, I declare in the name of God!”

Anton’s words seemed to fall heavily to the ground.

“Guilty!”

“Waaaaaah! Kill them! Kill those who are impure before God!!”

“Aren’t you ashamed! Commit suicide! Fall to hell!”

People began throwing stones, spitting, and mocking the fallen knights.

They freely hurled insults and publicly humiliated those of a status they normally wouldn’t dare even look at.

This was the meaning of losing in a trial by combat.

Not only the knights who were still unconscious, but even those who had regained consciousness didn’t dare think of resisting and helplessly accepted the public violence.

Whether they truly thought so themselves or not, the knights were now impure sinners.

They could have resisted if they wanted to, but then everything would truly be over.

All they could do was silently bow their heads and endure the long humiliation.

Viktor looked at the Count who was watching this scene from far away.

The Count was allowing his knights to suffer harsh treatment with a cold expression, without a trace of sympathy.

Seeing a different side of someone who always laughed heartily, Viktor scratched his chin for no reason.

Even if it didn’t seem right, the Count was a noble who was cold when he needed to be cold.

And before long, Count Yakobski turned his gaze to stare at one side.

It was a gaze directed at the fat noble who was trying to smile with an awkward expression—Baron Amur.