Chapter 139: Jousting Competition [2]
There was a fence in the center of the long stadium.
This is to prevent horses and riders from colliding with each other and dying. If you get hit by a spear and fall off your horse, you can survive, but if your horse collides with you and you fall over, you are at great risk of dying even if you have armor.
"You win if you knock your opponent off his horse. You get points if you hit the head, torso, or shield to break the spear. If both sides are on the horse after three charges, the score determines the winner. If the score is tied, the three charges are repeated until the winner is decided.
Please be careful not to attack the horse, the opponent's lower body, or the right arm, as this will result in disqualification,"
Hansval's attendant explains the rules at Carl's side.
Of course, Carl already knows this, but people who are too excited or flustered often make mistakes, so the rules are explained again before the start.
"Are you ready?"
"Of course, of course," Carl speaks leisurely as he lowers his visor in response to Harmon's words, who was waiting with his window open.
Jousting is extremely dangerous. If a piece of wood gets lodged in your eye, you could be permanently blinded, even if you can cure it with magic.
As Carl holds out his hand, Harmon hands him the spear. It is long, ornate, and made of hollow wood that breaks easily. Even the tip of the spear is shaped like a blunt crown so that it cannot penetrate armor, but also does not slip on it.
The attendant waves the flag vigorously, and the opposing team waves their flag as well.
Carl rolled his eyes and looked at the audience.
Milione is looking at him.
Carl looked at his opponent, listening to the breathing noise inside the visor. Bigger than that, but not as big as Billford.
Of course, he won't be able to handle mana, and in terms of physical ability, he might be inferior to Carl. Carl realized that his opponent was tense from afar, holding his spear. The horse, having read its owner's tension, is seen stamping its feet anxiously.
On the other hand, Carl had been in several life-threatening battles and had experience in slaughtering enemies through cavalry charges.
He felt neither excitement nor nervousness, and his white horse just looked around calmly.
"Please respect your opponents and compete fairly!" A powerful voice is heard. Carl raised his spear in response, and his opponent raised his spear a beat later.
Phew!
The moment the trumpet sounded, Carl charged on horseback. It was the same for the other person, but there was one problem.
Unlike Carl, who started at a moderate pace and gradually increased his speed, his opponent was so nervous that he pushed hard and ran at full speed from the start.
The horse runs so excitedly that its body rocks up and down violently, and the spear of an opponent who lacks horsemanship shakes violently as if it were going to fall.
Because their opponents were running too fast, they ended up meeting on the left side of the pitch instead of in the center.
Because their opponents were running too fast, they ended up meeting on the left side of the pitch instead of in the center. Of course, by then Carl had reached top speed steadily.
"Ugh! Ugh!"
Carl heard his opponent's heavy breathing.
He don't know, but Carl looks out the window, his face expressionless beneath his visor.
Yeah, I 'kicked' the window. It takes considerable skill to precisely aim at an opponent while a horse is running, and it is also difficult to convey the power at the moment of impact.
So, you just hang the spear on the hook on your side and aim it.
Even that is quite difficult. But Carl skillfully swings his spear, and at the perfect angle and timing, his spear reaches the opponent before his swinging spear.
Bam!
Carl's spear avoided the shield and struck his opponent's left chest accurately. The window shatters in an instant, sending shards flying everywhere.
Even if he controlled the spear, Carl withstood the impact perfectly by transmitting the horse's charge with his thin arms.
"Ugh!"
The opponent's body twisted in shock. As the tip of the spear suddenly turned, he hurriedly thrust his spear.
But Carl had already passed, and as a punishment for his clumsy spear thrust, he fell from his horse and rolled to the ground.
"Wow!"
The audience was overwhelmed with admiration. Carl proved his mettle with just one charge. It wasn't exactly outstanding, but it was a huge surprise since no one was expecting it.
Carl threw down his broken spear and rode leisurely towards his fallen opponent.
"Are you okay?"
"Huk! Huk! Gah, it's okay… it's okay… ."
Contrary to what he said, the condition didn't look very good. Despite his uncomfortable armor, Carl leapt from his horse, climbed over the fence, and held out his empty right hand to his opponent.
The opponent, who seemed to still be a boy, struggled with his hands and barely managed to grab Carl's hand. He was surprised by the incredible strength beyond his expectations and jumped up.
"It was truly courageous."
"Go, thank you… ."
Since the match was fought fairly, the boy's response should have been praise for Carl's dancing, not gratitude.
But he said this as a subordinate who was unilaterally praised by Carl's skills, power, personality, and charisma. Carl smiled, patted him on the shoulder, then leapt back onto his horse, which was waiting quietly for him as he stepped over the fence again, and headed back to the left side of the field.
Clap clap clap clap!
The audience applauds. Although the match itself ended in vain, Carl's performance as the winner deserves respect.
Regardless of his status as a prince.
The boy who was defeated by Carl refused to be supported and left the arena on his own feet, leaning on the horse.
He also received a round of applause, and thanks to him, the atmosphere of the jousting competition, which was expected to be dull due to poor performance, was heated up from the start.
"Wow, that's amazing. Rather than suppressing things with power, I'm going to climb up the ranks with my skills."
"Watch what you say."
"Ahem… … ."
Some people were so excited that they made mistakes in their speech. Anyway, Carl left a strong impression.
And in the game that followed shortly afterwards, Billford also made himself known to everyone.
He knocked the young officer off his horse with one blow, and as his opponent was no novice, he struck Billford's shield with his spear.
But his spear did not break. Because Billford moved so flexibly and smoothly, he completely absorbed the shock. The window, which was made to break easily, was as clean as new.
This means that a young squire who was only 15 years old had mastered not only spearmanship but also horsemanship and armor skills.
In the original, Billford, a genius who became a master before he turned 20, had a decent debut that made him known.
Everyone knew about it through the assassination of Carl, but this is the first time that the dance has actually been shown.
With this alone, Carl had achieved most of his initial goals. Now all that remains is to wait for Milione's reaction and the results of Catherine's swordsmanship duel. It would be nice to be able to accumulate as many victories as possible in jousting competitions.
Of course, Carl's victory is set before he meets Billford, but as Billford continues to win, Carl's name will also rise.
Carl's prestige rests on the shoulders of Catherine and Billford.
And they will not betray Carl's expectations as they have done so far.
"I'm serious. Don't ignore me."
"Yes, Carl."
After continuing their victories, Carl and Billford met again and said that before heading to the opposite side.
Now that Billford knows his victory will strengthen Carl, he will work even harder.
'Let's try not to fall off the horse in one blow.'
That was Carl's pledge to himself and Billford, who had been evaluating themselves coolly...No, really. Even if I use mana, I have no confidence in winning.
'That guy, even though he's a genius, isn't it unfair for him to fight so well at only 15 years old?
' … grumbled Carl, who had come up here after two months. It's a good thing no one heard.