Warhammer in a box

Chapter 342 The Dragon Grows

The day of the selection was set for five days later. The knights and nobles knew what the selection was for, but the common people only received the news that the knight duel, which had been suspended for a long time, was about to begin again.

In order to once again inspire the people's martial enthusiasm, Laun decided to make the duel public to the entire kingdom.

Soon people began to spread the word that serfs no longer existed in Bretonnia. Originally, the serfs had been thinking about how to survive every day, but now that they no longer had to worry about survival, they began to think about other things.

That was a duel between knights! They had never had the chance to see it before, and with curiosity and anticipation, almost all the people in Cologne were particularly interested in this competition.

When the competition to select the ten best young people in Bretonnia began, it was like an explosion that ignited everyone's emotions.

The number of people who signed up to watch was far more than expected, so Laun had to have the engineering team start expanding the venue immediately. Those who could not enter the arena could only stay outside and watch the broadcast on the screen.

"Leo! You must win this duel. This is our family's chance to rise again!"

Adalbert said to Leo.

Leo was able to ride on the bandwagon of the Jaeger Chamber of Commerce, and Adalbert also stood on the right side when Lawn was cleaning up the country.

The whole family is also developing at a very fast pace.

But most of the benefits were economic. Adalbert's family successfully acquired many shops and caravans, making his family one of the richest families in Bretonnia.

But money was never what Adalbert pursued. What he pursued was an improvement in status and title!
He thought that after helping Laun, his title could be upgraded to a higher level, but Laun was already abolishing the great nobles. Bretonnia was originally divided into various kingdoms, and it was not easy to unify them. How could he allow new great nobles to emerge?
This also meant that the rewards that Lawn gave to his own people were all money. Only the minor nobles had their titles promoted, while all those who reached the rank of earl did not even move.

Adalbert did not blame Lawn. He also saw clearly that the best result of going against the trend was to be marginalized. The worst case scenario was that they would be completely wiped out like those families that had resisted in the past. At least now the family's wealth was several times more than before.

But now he saw another opportunity, the Dragon Knight... Even if the title remained unchanged, if the family had such a Dragon Knight, they would become the most powerful person in all of Bretonnia.

"Yes, father! I will definitely not let you and our family down! I will definitely grab a spot!"

"And you brothers, you must also work hard. If you are lucky enough to make it to the finals, when you meet your younger brother... let Leo win. He has the closest relationship with Terra, and this is in the best interest of the family."

Obviously, the people who heard this were not very happy, but the interests of the family are above all else.

"We know that Father..."

The day of the competition soon arrived, and Lawen announced the start of the competition on the podium in front of everyone!
Half of the Holy Blood Knights who were also selected as Dragon Knights were also present to watch.

Leo adjusted his armor and checked his sword.

He and a group of candidates were waiting in the preparation area. When the door in front of them opened, Leo followed the other candidates into the center of the arena.

He looked at his companions, and even saw many descendants of the kings of various principalities.

"It seems to be just as advertised... almost all the young people who can come are here..."

Leo also felt the pressure. The competition was much more intense than he had imagined.

More than 500 outstanding young knights gathered together, and the surrounding stands were filled with spectators, both nobles and commoners, all cheering for the contestants they supported.

"The most outstanding young people of Bretonnia, please show your bravery and virtue to the whole kingdom!
Now I declare that the competition officially begins!"

With a wave of his hand, the competition officially began.

There are many events in the whole competition, including sword fighting, boxing, horse fighting, and even shooting that no one can imagine.

After all, Terra's dragons are not like traditional dragon riders, who almost all require melee and close combat.

In Zhang Heng's conception, long-range strikes will be a very important part. The poor will fight with the bayonets, while the rich will definitely use firepower coverage!
Don’t delay until close combat if something can be solved remotely.

In addition to maintaining the gate, Ferrus was also responsible for the production of these dragon-specific weapons. Ferrus said that this was not very difficult. Laun wanted to select a group of talents with comprehensive abilities. Personal bravery alone had become less and less important in the current battlefield.

A serf with Terra's weapons can kill a knight who has undergone hard training since childhood!
When the shooting event appeared, many people were already dejected.

The nobles still have their own pride, which often makes them unwilling to touch these new weapons themselves.

Leo is just the opposite!
To be honest, he is definitely not among the best among all the contestants in terms of personal martial arts and riding skills.

Otherwise, he would not have been a marginal member of the family.

That is why he is willing to accept new things.

When it comes to shooting, he is definitely one of the best. As the first Bretonnian noble to come into contact with Terra, he developed a strong interest in these weapons after seeing the power of those weapons with his own eyes.

In order to win over Albertat, Otto provided a lot of weapons, and Albertat was not rigid, so he also required his descendants to become familiar with these weapons.

The competition and selection lasted for two days in full swing.

In the end, only one hundred people were left, and Leo was among them. His results in other competitions were ordinary, but his shooting result reached the first place for the first time!
That's what makes him stand out.

Among the one hundred people, only ten will remain after the final competition, and the final competition has been postponed to the day after tomorrow.

"Your Majesty, is it really necessary to set up the last day of the competition like this? Isn't it too dangerous?"

An official in charge of the competition asked while holding the competition documents submitted by Lawn.

In order to prevent cheating, Lawn did not tell anyone about the final test subject.

"It doesn't matter. Danger is inevitable. Only those who have experienced life and death are qualified to become the people the Emperor needs! Moreover... the spirit of chivalry is indeed getting weaker and weaker in Bretonnia. A comfortable and stable life will make people lose their sense of crisis. I will let the Holy Blood Knights protect us in secret. Let's do it!"

And the content of the competition on the document even had the mark of the Tribunal!

The document clearly states that a Chaos Cult that had long been pursued by the Inquisition had escaped into Bretonnia and settled there.

The Inquisition originally wanted to ask Lawn to send troops to eliminate them together, but this cult was now used as an assessment item by him.

Leo and the other candidates didn't know what was going to happen. They got on the troop transports one by one and left Coloni.

They looked at each other, each with a puzzled look on their face.

"Why does it feel like this competition is different from what I originally thought..."

Above their heads, 30 Holy Blood Knights sat on Pegasus and served as examiners and bodyguards for this test.

The convoy headed south and stopped at the outskirts of the forest.

The car door was opened and everyone received the equipment assigned to them.

A long sword, a set of bulletproof armor, a shield, a laser rifle and 3 magazines, as well as emergency rations that can last for 3 days.

"What? The final test is actual combat?"

Listening to the confused and surprised voices of a group of young people.

The leader of the team, Lawen's personal guard, directly reprimanded him.

"Why are you so surprised? Wasn't the Holy Grail Path less difficult than this mission? If you are afraid, then you are not qualified to be a great dragon knight!"

(End of this chapter)