Heart of the Castle

Chapter 485

This letter from Queen Regent Lilaya is not very short, but there is not much actually useful content.The letter used a large chapter to praise the great achievements of the Griffin Lord Levi Stone since the first disaster came to the North, from the Griffin Air Raiders flying down the Old Lord Volcano, destroying the altar of demons, and writing all the way to the construction of the North The Great Wall of Ice, the murder of the famous demon lord General Kleinus, the rhetoric piled up on the letter is so gorgeous and beautiful, people can't help but think of the astonishing beauty of Her Majesty the Queen.However, near the end, the queen regent changed her style of writing and expressed the real intention of writing this letter lightly, which is to forgive Leonor in the duel before the gods for the sake of the overall situation of the Kingdom of Arthur's fight against the evil disaster. Lord Dolce Stilwell dies.

This request is simply too much.

The duel before the gods is the last resort for knights to save their reputation and wash away their shame with strength and life. Since the founding of the Kingdom of Arthur for more than 200 years, there have been more than 500 duels before the gods. There are also dozens of cases in which the two parties survived at the same time, only three times, and one party easily suppressed the other party with a huge gap, and then spared the other party's life with a gesture of grace.

Earl Leonardo was, after all, a dignified sword-wielding earl, and his strength ranked among the top ten among the thousands of knights in the entire Kingdom of Arthur.In addition, he is also holding the legendary weapon Blood Spear, even if the opponent is replaced by the Sky Knight Marquis Osiris, he must be careful to deal with it.The strength that Sir Rodriguez can show is only the earl with the sword. The Queen Regent's letter actually ignores this and asks for mercy from his subordinates. It is no wonder that Li Wei will show an expression of indignation.

But after reading the letter, neither Mr. Dish nor Sir Rodriguez showed any unusual changes in their expressions. "I'm afraid this is... Her Majesty the Queen's attempt to test you, Master Li Wei?" Mr. Dish then said with a deliberate tone, "If you can still win with the mercy of your subordinates, then I am afraid that many people will have to re-evaluate Sir Rodriguez's strength."

"I don't think it's a big problem. My undead physique just restrains the two special effects of the blood-dripping spear. I won't stop bleeding, and I won't have difficulty breathing because of the poison that kills me." Sir Rodriguez used Looking at the legendary spear on the parchment with calm eyes, "Except for those two special effects, the bleeding spear is nothing more than a sharper spear. How many times can he block the star iron giant sword?" What about the attack?"

Li Wei just showed a relaxed expression on his face, and then he frowned tightly, "No, it's not that simple, Sir Rodriguez, your undead physique will cause more trouble in the duel instead." Young Serious thinking flashed in the eyes of the Griffin Lord. "You can't be stabbed, you can't even be scratched, because once you get hurt, the effect of strangling me can be used...Kaisailu...is that the name?" He turned to Mr. Dish and got The old magician nodded affirmatively with a weird smile.

"That's right, Master Li Wei, that's the name."

"Okay, Kaiseru, what a weird name." Li Wei muttered, and then continued, "The ineffectiveness of strangling me can be explained by Kaiseru, but the magic that tears the wound is ineffective, how should it be explained? If the spear did not cause Sir Rodriguez to bleed profusely after stabbing him, it may arouse some people's suspicions, after all, Cardinal Enoch Sebasta is at the scene."

Levi's words made Sir Rodriguez and Mr. Dish think about it, and it was indeed more troublesome than they imagined.Of course, Sir Rodriguez is sure of defeating Earl Leonardo, but it will be more difficult if he can't even get a scratch, especially if there are star mentor Sats Enhell and the cardinal among the crowd watching the battle. An experienced person like Bishop Enoch Sebasta couldn't even show any abnormalities.

As long as this problem is solved, there will be no surprises in the result of the duel in front of the gods.

Even in the heyday when the Thunder Knight had no setbacks, it was still difficult to compete with the strongest among the death knights - the Scourge Knight.But now, the sword-wielding earl of the Stilwell family has experienced repeated heavy losses, important members of the family were killed, and the Lightning Knights were destroyed. I swear, and it was exposed tragically.This series of mental blows is reflected in his body, that is, the strength of fighting spirit has been seriously shaken. I am afraid that it will not take long before he will slide all the way down from the position of the earl with the sword, and he will be able to keep his status as the nobleman with the sword. That's pretty good.

Regarding this point, Earl Leonardo was also well aware that this was the reason why he decided to launch a desperate counterattack.If you miss this time, the Stilwell family, which lost its status as the Nine Pillars family, will never have the chance to avenge the Griffin Lord Levi Ston.

As for the reason for the initial hatred, Earl Leonardo no longer wants to think about it. Regardless of the outcome of this duel, the Stilwell family must fall into a long recovery period.When he held the bleeding spear in his hand and led the four high-ranking knights of the family out of the gate of the mansion, several figures also hurried away from the back of the mansion, and soon merged into the flow of people who were about to leave the city.

The family language of the Stilwell family is "endless life", not "all-or-nothing". Long before the start of the duel, Earl Leonardo had already made two-handed preparations. If he could rely on the legend left by his ancestors If the blessing of weapons wins, then Levi Ston will have to swallow the bitter pill and lose the opportunity to replace the status of the Stilwell family; shame.

According to the regulations of the duel before the gods, the two parties involved have handed over their sins to God the Father and the gods in the sky for judgment. The winner will certainly gain survival and glory, and although the deceased will have to enter the kingdom of eternal night, it will not cause his family's reputation to be tarnished. shame.These departed family members will establish branch families out of the sight of the royal capital's wealthy family, quietly accumulating strength, until one day they can rebuild the glory of one of the nine pillars of the kingdom of the Stilwell family.

When Count Leonardo re-entered the palace square under the wings of the Ashes Fortress, the place had already undergone some simple arrangements.The royal attendants swept away the thin snow in the middle of the square, and then sprinkled charcoal ash from the fireplace to prevent any accidents that might interfere with the duel in front of the gods.The area around the duel area was already filled with noble children, knights, and servants of lower status, whispering to each other and discussing with great interest.Although they were not allowed to enter the audience hall, obviously no one would deprive them of the right to watch the duel before the gods.

Her Majesty Lilaya, the Queen Regent, was sitting on a high-backed armchair lined with golden silk upholstery. There were five or six such chairs, which was exactly the same number as the crown prince plus the number of important ministers of the kingdom, but there was one vacant right now. , its owner was apparently determined after the duel in front of the gods.Armored knights of ashes stand around these seats, ready to defend the safety of the royal family at any time.

The Griffin Knights under Li Wei lined up in a neat line on the east side of the duel venue. The surface of the blue and white armor glowed with cold light. They neither whispered nor moved their bodies casually. They looked like a group of living creatures. The steel statues in general.

After Count Leonardo saw it, he rode his horse to the west side of the duel venue, then jumped off his horse, and handed the reins to the royal attendants who came up.Behind him were four high-ranking knights with the same surname Stilwell, wearing brand-new knight armor and a purple cloak, but compared with the Griffin Lord's forty knights, they looked extremely thin.

"If the Lightning Knights are still there, the Stilwell family will have a thicker camp..." Earl Leonardo was thinking, while clenching his lips tightly, and there was a creaking sound between his teeth.Then he saw three people coming out from a side door of the palace, the one in the middle was almost a teenager, wearing a gorgeous noble dress, the badge of the blood knight and the golden griffin badge on the chest were shining, which hurt his eyes.Earl Leonardo's eyes quickly passed over Li Wei and the old man who was probably the butler, and fixed his eyes on the opponent who was about to meet in the duel before the gods.

Sir Rodriguez, the swordsmanship teacher of the Griffin Lord Li Weiston, is good at using two-handed giant swords. He once served as Li Wei's personal guard in the bloody battle in the Black River. He was the main force to kill the demon general Kleinus. His strength is about Equivalent to the Earl with a sword.The simple to almost blank narrative flashed through Earl Leonardo's mind, "Rodriguez..." He repeated the name several times in a low voice, doubts flickering in his eyes.

The timing of this person's appearance by Li Wei's side was very sudden, and he had been unknown before. No matter whether it was the investigation of Sleepless Eye or the files of the Adventurer's Guild, there was no clue to be suspicious.

This is almost impossible, because no matter how high aptitude, talent, and inheritance a knight has, he is still just an unpolished rough diamond.If the level of the title knight can be barely reached by relying on the inheritance of fighting spirit and hard training, without having experienced enough battles to sharpen the will and stimulate the potential, it is tantamount to daydreaming to reach the level of the earl with the sword.

But Sir Rodriguez is an exception. There is no similar example of his dark-colored vindictiveness like night. It seems to be a kind of alien species that has not been passed down for hundreds of years and has directly reached the peak of vindictiveness. Fighting...

A high-pitched horn sound interrupted Count Leonardo's thoughts. Cardinal Enoch Sebasta, holding a golden sunburst scepter and wearing a triple crown inlaid with yellow diamonds and prismatic crystals, stood up from his seat. , and then walked to the middle of the duel field with slow and solemn steps.

"Earl Leonard Stilwell, Lord Viscount Levi Stilton's dueling agent, Sir Rodriguez," the cardinal announced in a low, solemn tone, as if singing a hymn, "you two please come forward, Salute to the Father Almighty and the gods of heaven who participated in the witness."

Count Leonardo was very familiar with the procedures of duels before the gods. He stepped forward as he said, knelt on one knee, and stared straight ahead with sharp eyes.Sir Rodriguez then did the same, but hesitated slightly when he knelt down on one knee.The cardinal then held up his scepter, and loudly asked the benevolent Father God, the majestic Lord of Glory, and other heavenly gods to witness this duel, to make a just decision for their dispute, and to give strength and victory to the innocent side. .Immediately, rainbow lights erupted from the top of the golden scepter, and the brilliant colors dazzled the eyes of everyone present.

"This is the response of the gods!" A young nobleman shouted, and then more voices followed. For a while, the palace square was full of voices praising the gods. Some devout believers even burst into tears, looking at the rainbow Light's expression was full of fanaticism.

Li Wei blinked in confusion, "The gods responded?" He asked the old magician beside him softly, "Why didn't I feel in that ray of light, even a trace of majesty belonging to the gods?"

"It's just a little trick, adding some color catalysts to the flash." Mr. Dish replied in a low voice, and then the old magician saw the surprised expression on Levi's face, couldn't help smiling, stroked his beard and added: " This is not surprising, not to mention that the gods have not responded to the call for a long time, even when the incarnations of the gods are still walking on this land, the so-called duel before the gods will not really disturb these great wills, otherwise if……"

"Otherwise what will happen?" Li Wei asked curiously.

Mr. Dish pouted, "If a talking ant came to you to seek justice for a duel between two other ants, what would you do?"

What will be done?Li Wei couldn't help laughing bitterly. In the eyes of the gods, are human beings so small?He wanted to refute Mr. Dish's statement, but couldn't think of how to say it.

The rainbow light gradually disappeared, and the prayer came to an end. The cardinal finally raised the golden sun light scepter three times, announcing that the duel before the gods had entered the final stage, and then quickly left the duel arena.

Count Leonardo stood up, and a knight accompanying the Stilwell family handed over a spear about two and a half meters in both hands. The handle of the spear was made of high-quality diamond sandalwood, which was heavier and stronger than Stainless steel, the spearhead is covered with a sheath made of leather.Earl Leonardo grasped the spear and made a few quick thrusts into the air, his movements were agile and weird, like a poisonous snake spitting out a snake letter.Another accompanying knight tied a round shield to his left arm. The surface of this round shield was polished as smooth as a mirror, and several circles of tiny magic runes were etched on it, with purple rays of light flickering from time to time.

"Thunder Shield! That's the Thunder Shield!" A noble knight in the crowd saw the origin of the round shield and immediately shouted. "This is the magic shield of Lord Manticore Stilwell among the Twelve Knights of the Round Table!"

"Since it's a Thunder Shield, then that spear must be a Blood Spear!" Another voice said.

"They actually took out these two things. It seems that the Stilwell family has put all their bets on being able to win the duel before the gods!" An elderly nobleman shook his head and said, "According to the duel before the gods, According to the regulations, if Count Leonardo fails, these two things will change owners."

"Does that matter? If Count Leonardo fails to win, the Stilwell family will lose their status as patriarch and one of the nine-pillar families at the same time, and I am afraid they will be removed from Firmeyer's wealthy family. Keep this What about two things? Remembering the glory of the ancestors in pain?"

Earl Leonardo tried his best not to care about the comments of those nobles, "Put on the helmet for me!" He ordered, and then the No.3 entourage knight put a golden high helmet on for him.Since there is no need to fight on horseback, the helmet's visor that may obstruct the view has been removed, and the center of the helmet is decorated with the Stilwell family's emblem-a blood-dripping lance in black and white.

Earl Leonardo has a set of sophisticated magic full-body heavy armor, the defense power is extremely amazing, even under the siege of demons, it can protect him from rushing out.But this time he went into battle lightly, wearing only a black shiny gold chain mail with a soft leather lining inside.For added defense, his chain mail was covered with shimmering sheets of mithril, light as paper and strong as steel.

Originally, Thunder Knight was still wearing metal gauntlets, throat guards, knee pads, and armor skirts, but when he saw Sir Rodriguez playing in ordinary knight casual clothes, he ordered the accompanying knights to help him take off these things.It's not that Count Leonardo is pursuing a fair fight, but that he must agree with the opponent in terms of equipment weight—at least not too far behind.Otherwise, the heavy armor would become his Achilles' heel, and the increased defensive power might not be able to last long under the blade of the star iron giant sword.

Count Leonardo even wanted to take off the fine gold chain mail, because although this armor was far lighter than the full-body heavy armor and its strength was trustworthy, it was still much heavier than Sir Rodriguez's casual clothes.However, after thinking about it for a few seconds, he decided to go to the arena wearing chain mail.

"Rodriguez's two-handed giant sword is much heavier than the bleeding spear, wearing this chain mail... it shouldn't be a big problem." Count Leonardo told himself.He didn't realize that these words were actually comforting his heart, subconsciously refusing to admit the fear hidden in his heart.After the last round of horns sounded, Count Leonardo strode forward, his heavy iron boots stepping on the ashes, making a faint crackling sound.

Sir Rodriguez did not have as much preparation work as Thunder Knight, so he had already waited on the duel field early.With both hands leaning on the hilt of the giant iron star sword wrapped in linen strips, the ugly and rough sword body is inconspicuous at all, and the blade is not sharp, it looks like an iron bar.Seeing Count Leonardo striding forward, he didn't show any expression on his face, but his body was slightly tensed, like a strong bow ready to go.

"When will they start?" Crown Prince Ken Adams asked nervously.

"It's already started." Queen Regent Lilaya answered her son's question softly.As if to prove Her Majesty's judgment, Count Leonardo suddenly shouted, "Live!" Then he rushed towards Sir Rodriguez.

(End of this chapter)