Temple Sword

Chapter 163
The king assumes the plow pose, with the hilt close to his hip and the weapon slightly upwards, towards his opponent.Charlie's left foot was firmly nailed to the ground, while his right foot was constantly moving.

His opponent was a burly Sekaii warrior in only trousers, his bare feet covered with mud, and his whole body glistening with wetness. He must have just emerged from the Timis River.

The Sekai fighter also started in the plow pose, but quickly changed to the roof pose, where he raised his sword above his head to strike as hard as possible at the right time.

Seeing this, Charlie smiled slightly, lowered the tip of his sword, and assumed a foolish pose (Alber) that could quickly counterattack.

The two swordsmen began probing each other, staring at each other, half-circling the fence to the right, looking for their opponent's weak spots and perfect timing.

Sekaiyi warrior felt that the king's previous opponents had reservations about facing the king, and none of them dared to fight with all their strength.

But he was determined to defeat Charlie, for who knew what bright future there would be for a champion who could defeat the King himself in a duel?

He attacked.

The Sekai's wooden sword pierced the air, and with merciless force, it rushed towards Charlie with a slightly inclined slash.The king remained foolish and waited until the moment when the wooden sword was about to hit his shoulder.

Charlie raised the wooden sword with lightning speed, easily deflected the opponent's attack, jumped like a cricket, and slashed the opponent's face with his sword.

The smooth wooden blade made a crisp impact on the bearded face, and the man let out a rough cry, and staggered to the edge of the fence.

All this happened in the blink of an eye, and when everyone realized what they saw just now, the Sekays were already covering their faces with tears in their eyes.

"How are you, child?" the king asked, relaxing his posture. "Forgive me, I don't want to put too much water in."

"I'm all right, Your Majesty," replied the Sekay, "I've lost two teeth at most..."

"If that's the case, just come to me," said the king, walking out of the arena, "and I will make up for your loss."

The Sekay warrior did not doubt at all, for he had heard that Charles used to pay three villages for a knight, because the king had knocked him off his horse in a jousting match, and lost three teeth.

He felt that he might have a tooth or two loose, but whether there was a village or not, he left the ring with some regrets.

How many times in a man's life can he compete with the king?But he failed, and may never get a chance to prove himself again.

Not long after, a big purple bump grew on his face, reminding himself of the fact that he was defeated by one move.

However, Charlie no longer enjoyed his victory just now. He saw the haggard figure of Antar Bator among the cheering crowd, and his face suddenly became gloomy.

The joy of days was gone in an instant, his face was taut, and he began to walk towards his tent with angry steps, waving his first court knight to follow him.

The lily knight followed the king at a distance of five steps. The tent palace was divided into many parts, basically rooms the size of a hall. They walked through two dyed linen corridors to reach the throne room.

Charlie threw away his sweat-soaked shirt carelessly in the first hallway, catching it with one hand before it touched the ground.

Four servants waited for the king in the second corridor, one of whom handed him a white shirt and a knee-length black brocade robe with wide sleeves over it, the second tied him a gilded sash, the third One helped him put on his signet ring and gold necklace, and the fourth put his usual lily crown on him.

When they reached the throne room of the Tent Palace, Charles Anjou was back to his old self.He took a glass of wine from the tray that was handed him, stepped onto the platform, sat down on the velvet-cushioned throne, and handed the half-empty glass to another servant.

He looked around silently, then waved everyone out of the room, even the two guards and the court scribe, to be alone with the knight before him.

"Look who God has brought," Charlie said sullenly after the crowd left. "You're back."

"I'm back, Your Majesty." Antal lowered his head.

"Have you found the person you were looking for?"

"No." The knight replied briefly.

"You know, I took immediate action when I learned what happened to your family. I sent people all over the country, and unfortunately, they found nothing."

Antar was speechless, staring at the toe of his shoe silently.

"It's a terrible thing, but you have to accept God's will," Charlie said softly, "and you have to accept that the people you love, the people you fight and live for . . . The world is waiting for you."

Antar remained silent, he could feel a bitter lump growing in his throat, so he couldn't say anything, what else could he say?

But Charlie was surprised to see that Antar was nodding his head weakly, and the gesture touched him, and he got up and stepped off the platform, walking quite close to Antar so that he could speak frankly with him. spoke.

"Where have you been all this time?" Charlie asked. "Where have you been looking for them?"

"I've traveled through most of the kingdom," Antar said dryly, "and I figured that if they escaped from the mercenaries attacking the manor, they'd go to Timisoara.

So I set out east from the estate, visiting every town, village, farm, and even a cabin in the forest.

Then I headed north, and of course I had already asked in Dubica, hoping to find something about the mercenary regiment, but no one saw the black flag with the red line.

Then I went farther and farther north, spending the winter near Buda, and reaching Cepes in the spring.A party of Saxons questioned me and nearly killed me, because they thought I was some fugitive or bandit.

That's when I realized how far I had come and must have been looking in the wrong direction.So I headed back further south, wandering around Page, sometimes without much sleep or food for days...

I escaped the wolves three times and was robbed by bandits four times, but I always had enough strength to take them out, and then the money, booze, food, and other things I got from them kept me going even longer.

"No wonder the northerners think you are suspicious, I'm not surprised," Charlie shook his head, "You look terrible."

"I know, Your Majesty, I feel the same way." Antal said with annoyance, "Finally, when I began to believe that there was no hope, I returned to the manor, but there was only ruins, and the farm was full of weeds , as if no one had lived there in ten years..."

"What about the nobles nearby?" the king asked, but Antal just shrugged.

"Our relationship has not been very good, maybe they are afraid of me as a former Templar, so they don't go much with me.

I don't think they even visited the manor after the attack, maybe they thought it was a cursed heretic land and they didn't want anything to do with it.But for those who have no place to live, it doesn't matter..."

"What?" The king raised his eyebrows to the middle of his forehead. "Is there anyone in your family?"

"Beggars, scavengers," said the knight in an almost bored voice, "they're hiding in the remaining buildings."

"If you like, I'll send the cavalry at once—"

"It's not necessary," Antal waved his hands sadly, "Those poor people won't hurt anyone. Maybe one day the Lord will forgive my sins and let me live a peaceful life again.

If so, maybe I'll move back to the estate and let it prosper again.But until then, let the homeless live there...”

The king kept shaking his head, and although he favored and respected Antal Bartor, he had to admit that he had never known the knight in his life.

His strange principles, his way of looking at the world, his equal treatment of serfs, commoners and servants, all of it was very different from Charlie or anyone he knew.

This time, not knowing what he should say to his friend's strange request, he walked back to his throne, and sat down with a long sigh like a man who bears all the world's troubles on his shoulders.

"You know that my grandmother Marie was the sister of Laszlo IV, who claimed and took the Hungarian throne after Laszlo was assassinated by her own men," he said suddenly, "and she gave it to my father , Carlo Matro."

Antal didn't say anything, and he didn't know what to say, the king thought for a while, staring up into the air dreamily.

"Martel (Old Frankish)," he whispered softly, savoring his father's common name, "means hammer.

My father was not named at random; he was of the blood of kings, like me, of the holy kings of Capet.From the moment he was born, he had God-given powers.

He might as well have been a mighty king here if he hadn't died.But he died...and Andrei came to the throne, and after my father's funeral, many people whispered that Andrei wouldn't live long, indeed, he didn't..."

For a moment, the temporary throne room fell silent again, only the sound of carnival coming from outside could be heard.

"I wasn't eleven years old when my relatives in Naples made fun of me." Charlie's voice grew harsher. "Castel Nuovo, the roar of the sea, the salty smell of the sea, the smell of fish at dinner...

These are all of my life.When they told me that in Naples I would just be a nobody with no land and no title, I didn't even understand what they were talking about.

I am only a young child, how can I understand that my grandfather deprived me of the right to inherit the Kingdom of Naples because he favored my uncle?

I did not have the protection and care of my father and mother, and I can honestly tell you that I would not be where I am today without the kind Drooger family.

I boarded a ship with all my possessions, defending the claims of my grandmother and late father in a foreign land, when the Droogers were the only ones standing by me, when I couldn't even speak Hungarian.

But I knew it was God's will, so I boarded that ship without hesitation.

I still remember that nauseating feeling when I saw the silhouette of Split in the distance... I thought I was going to throw up, but I tried hard to hide the nervousness on my face.

Then the boat docked, and we walked in the dark, the morning fog hadn't completely dissipated.Those foreign nobles, wrapped in their fur cloaks, did not even get off their horses, waiting for me there.

The Soubis, the Baboniks, Ahmad Abba, and of course Archbishop Bisquet... Oh my God! ’ he smiled softly,
"I thought there would be forty or fifty people! But that's all: some nobles from the south and the archbishop of Esztergom, less than ten people in total.

When I first set foot on Hungarian soil, as a 12-year-old kid, I was told by bearded strangers that I was the king.Holy Mother, this seems like 1000 years ago...

Do you remember what happened to Andrei III? A strange, cruel light flashed into Charlie's eyes. "The following year, he died unexpectedly, and then Archbishop Biscay crowned me, my first coronation. "

"I remember," Lily Knight nodded, "At that time, I also understood that this world is not only my adoptive father's manor, there are more adventures waiting for me.

I never told you, Sire, but I happened to be in Buda when Wenceslas III the Czech marched on Buda.All but the citizens of Buda were on the run, and that was indeed a long time ago. "

"Vaclav..." the king smiled, "I think of him often and sometimes pray for his soul. Poor Vaclav Przemysl, he never wanted to be King of Hungary, nor was he fit to be." king anywhere,

Because not everyone is born to be a ruler, he returned to Bohemia immediately after his father died, and I knew then that his reign there would not last long... Sure enough, a year later he was Was assassinated, and the Premysl family died with his death. "

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," Antal frowned, "but I don't understand why you are telling me this now."

"To give you an idea of ​​how many times I've had to pick myself up in tough situations when most people have given up hope." The smile on Charlie's face faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"To give you an idea of ​​what I've been through after my greedy relatives spurned me and nearly kicked me out of the house, I've never returned to the place I once called home place.

To give you an idea of ​​what it's like to fight for a throne for 21 years...to give you an idea that I could give up anytime, but not even in my most desperate moments.

Do you remember Rozgoni?You were right there with me.People thought we went to a valley to die, but in the end we won a victory that won't be forgotten, and people still talk about it. "

"I think I understand what you want to tell me," the knight lowered his head again, "You are right."

"You can't always follow your instincts and impulses, Antal!" said Charlie, who had been thinking about it from the beginning, "You can't disappear for months in a whim, ignore your king's orders, and destroy God and the laws of man!

Do you think I can't hear people whispering?More and more people say you can easily get away with it, is my favorite! "

"I'm back, Your Majesty, I'm right here," Antar said with a sullen face, "If you want to give me the punishment I deserve, then do so, and I won't have any objections."

"Of course you won't," the king murmured, "but I won't punish you...not this time."

"Then what do you want me to do, Your Majesty?"

Antar thought to himself with some surprise, although he had said "Your Majesty" countless times, Charlie did not object, he remembered that the king had told him a year ago not to call him that when he was alone.

It seemed that as the years went by, the distance between them grew, and Charlie began to see his old friend as a subordinate and, of course, still an object of favoritism.

"I want you to give a clear and serious answer. I will give you the freedom to choose, but I want you to abide by what you are about to tell me for the rest of your life," said the king.

Antal Bator nodded, indicating that he understood.

Charlie stood up again, walked down from the platform, approached the knight, reached out and touched his shoulder, looked into his eyes and asked.

"Do you want to leave here to find the one you love until you grow old and frail and die of a broken heart, or stay with me and fulfill your mission?"

Antal had already thought of the answer before coming, and he replied directly: "I will stay here, Your Majesty." He didn't even bat an eye, "I am your faithful servant."

"Very well," said Charlie Anjou, "I wish you would say that, and now I have something to say."

There was some kind of gloomy sharpness hidden in the king's voice, which immediately made Antal's nerves tense up.

"I'm listening, Your Majesty." He nodded, prepared for the worst, but the king's words still made his heart sink.

"It is about your friend Laszlo," sighed the King, "who has done a terrible thing..."

(End of this chapter)