CHAPTER 551: KNIGHT’S CHALLENGE

TL: Rui88

Since joining the rebellion conspiracy initiated by the Warren family, Fergus had always believed he was fighting to restore Alda’s ancient and traditional order.

Yes, Paul Grayman had treated the gentry so harshly…disrespecting them, humiliating them, suppressing them, and doing everything he could to exploit them, even seeking to reclaim the authority they held. The once tranquil and beautiful pastoral scene was being ruthlessly torn apart, step by step. Moreover, the lord was surrounded by a circle of cunning merchants who knew only how to flatter and bootlick. They had corrupted Alda’s simple social customs with their money, making the farmers restless and unwilling to tend their fields, leaving their homes to flock to the cities. If this continued, all of Alda would fall into an irreversible abyss.

And he…Knight Fergus…as a son of this land, had to stand up and save it all. Before Alda became incurable, he had to eliminate the root of all this chaos, Paul Grayman. Although he was the lord he had sworn allegiance to, he had fallen and thrown himself into the arms of the devil.

Yet now, facing this former knight’s squire, now a battalion commander, this Carter Holly who once had to look up to him, Fergus finally understood his truest thoughts. The long-buried resentment in his heart erupted.

He raised his sword, its sharp point aimed distantly at the squire who, in the past, was not even worthy of him drawing his blade, and roared hoarsely:

“Holly, you lowly squire! You only climbed to your current position by fawning over Bryce. What right do you have to lecture me? Come! If you think you deserve your current position, then draw your weapon and follow the ancient tradition. Fight me in a one-on-one knight’s duel.”

The mount beneath Fergus pawed at the ground, snorting at Holly and his men, its nostrils flaring with white mist as if in provocation.

But Holly paid no heed to Fergus’s challenge. Instead, he said, “Knight Fergus, you were, after all, knighted by Lord Grayman himself. I do not wish to make this ugly. Will you not consider surrendering?”

“Surrender? Hahahahaha!” Fergus laughed as if mocking them.

“To whom do I surrender? To a dead man? Or perhaps to a pile of ash? It is utterly ridiculous.”

He seemed crazed, addressing not just Carter Holly, but everyone around who could hear him. He yelled louder than before, “Your beloved Lord Paul Grayman was burned to ash in that great fire long ago. Not even his bones can be found. At a time like this, you ask me to surrender? It’s laughable. On the contrary, as the army of Alda, you should have long since changed sides, long since abandoned that false lord whose body and soul have both fallen into hell, and pledge allegiance to the new lord. So long as you make the right choice, I am willing to overlook your discourtesy and put in a good word for you with the new lord, so that you will not be driven from Alda like a pack of stray dogs.”

Although he had guessed that Count Grayman’s fate was grim, hearing it from Fergus’s mouth, Lieutenant Colonel Holly’s heart still felt as though it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

After Fergus had finished his tirade, Lieutenant Colonel Holly looked at him as if he were a patient suffering from delusions. His gaze, a mixture of disgust and hatred, was tinged with a hint of pity. “What nonsense are you spouting, Fergus? Even if a new lord takes the throne, his first act will be to punish rebels like you to appease Lord Grayman’s spirit. How could he possibly allow you to speak before him…”

“No! You know nothing!” Before Lieutenant Colonel Holly could finish, Fergus interrupted him.

“You pitiful fools! I might as well tell you, at this very moment, Lakeheart Town is under our control. The newly enthroned lord will be one recognized by us, his loyal subjects. He will right the wrongs and return Grayman’s various perverse policies to their proper course.”

“Hahahahaha!” After speaking, Fergus once again threw his head back and laughed uncontrollably.

“What did you say?” Major Cobb, the instructor, was stunned by Fergus’s words. “Lakeheart Town is already…”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly raised his riding crop in front of him, stopping the major from speaking further.

He said in a mocking tone, “Hmph, it is merely the ravings of a traitor in a desperate situation, trying to sow chaos among us to save his own skin. We cannot believe him.”

“You dare to imagine me so base?” Holly’s words instantly enraged Fergus, who had just been laughing heartily.

Although Lieutenant Colonel Holly said this, his heart was already in turmoil. So the traitors were making their move on two fronts?

Success in either place would cause immense chaos in Alda. Here in Babor Village, if they assassinated the lord, the consequences were obvious. In Lakeheart Town, if they successfully installed a new lord, it would mean that the key departments of the Administration Council were under their control, and a portion of the army might pledge allegiance to the new lord, which would also lead to a major split in Alda.

The most terrifying possibility was that they succeeded in both places, which would create a completely irreversible situation.

And here in Babor Village, it seemed, for now at least, that the lord’s chances were slim.

Damn it!

After cursing silently, Lieutenant Colonel Holly still felt he had to eliminate Fergus first. On one hand, it was out of loyalty to Count Grayman, and Fergus was directly responsible for the count’s demise; he had to avenge him. On the other hand, even if the traitors did gain power and their new lord took the throne, he could claim he was unaware of what was happening in Lakeheart Town. Avenging his former lord under such circumstances was logical and reasonable. Loyalty had always been praised; it was the greatest political correctness of the era.

Of course, Lieutenant Colonel Holly’s greatest hope, or rather his assumption, was that the administrative and military systems Count Grayman had built up over the years could absolutely not be overthrown by a group like Fergus’s. Lakeheart Town was most likely still in the hands of the loyalists.

In front of Holly, Fergus was still taunting, “Come on, Carter Holly! Since you don’t believe my words, then accept my challenge! Even if a lowly person like you doesn’t have the status of a knight, at least fight me like a man!”

He brandished his sword, his face a mask of utter mockery.

Holly held up three fingers with his left hand. “Fergus, I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender now! Three… two…”

“Ah…!”

Holly’s repeated refusal of his challenge ignited an endless rage in Fergus’s heart. This clown before him! For him, a knight, to issue an invitation to a duel was already a great honour to him, how dared he refuse!

He let out a great cry, spurred his horse hard, and charged towards Holly, brandishing his sword.

Resentment, jealousy, hatred, and anger…all these negative emotions caused Fergus to lose his reason, forgetting the cold muzzles pointed at him.

“Bang!”

A gunshot rang out, and the knight tumbled from his horse.

Lieutenant Colonel Holly blew the smoke from the muzzle of his gun and said with a look of contempt, “An old fossil like you should have faded from the times long ago.”

Fergus was not dead. The lieutenant colonel had aimed at his horse, but when he fell, his head happened to strike a rock.

‘If only I hadn’t left Lakeheart Town back then!’

This was his last thought before he lost consciousness.