13 (18)

Her interest in Louis was so obvious that anyone could tell Blanda was interested in him. By this point, of course, even Louis knew that Blanda was interested in him.

‘She would not keep looking at me like that out of fear, so is it because she is interested in me?’

He did not dislike her unusual gaze. She was, at least, a woman who eased some of the awkwardness of this place. Atila poured more mare’s milk liquor and then offered it to Louis. He was inviting him to have a drink. It could have contained poison. But at the same time, it was also a matter of pride. In any case, since Louis was a Sword Expert, ordinary poison would not affect him, and even if he were poisoned, he could expel it.

When Louis accepted the cup without hesitation, exclamations rose around them. The people on Louis’s side looked tense, while those on Atila’s side seemed pleased by Louis’s boldness. Atila seemed the same. Atila and Louis emptied their cups at the same time. It tasted bitter. That was Louis’s honest impression of the mare’s milk liquor. It even had a fishy taste mixed into it, making it the strangest-tasting alcohol Louis had ever drunk.

The alcohol content was strong, so once it went down his throat, it heated his body like fire. At this, another burst of exclamations came from Atila’s side. If one drank mare’s milk liquor like that in a single gulp, one was supposed to cough at least once. All the more so for someone who did not normally enjoy it and was tasting it for the first time. Yet Louis’s expression did not change in the slightest. The chieftains and key figures, who had outwardly agreed with Atila’s opinion but inwardly had not, were finding Louis more and more to their liking. In their eyes, Louis was a strong warrior. He could drink mare’s milk liquor, and he had courage.

Since there had been no poison in the mare’s milk liquor, the atmosphere improved because of Louis’s action. Not only did Louis and Atila talk more, but the subordinates of Louis and Atila were also busily expanding their conversations. As the atmosphere grew more festive, entertaining sparring matches began here and there. One exhibition was taking place right in front of Louis.

The exhibitions and sparring matches were like part of the event schedule, put on so Louis would not become bored, but at the same time they were matters of pride for both camps.

What was currently underway was an archery exhibition. One officer from Louis’s side and one great warrior from Atila’s side had stepped forward to display their archery. Whether their tense expressions showed it or not, the distance had increased yet again to make the contest even tighter, and now it was Louis’s side’s turn. The one Louis had sent out for this contest was Mihoff. She had just loosed her arrow.

Bang.

A clean sound followed, and the moment the arrow struck, exclamations burst from the great warriors under Atila, largely because they had judged Mihoff by her appearance and underestimated her. Mihoff was a Sword Expert, but she was small in build, and in this exhibition she was not even using mana, which made that all the more natural.

“Wooah!”

‘She hit that?’

‘She matched it again?’

‘She is this good even without using mana… if she used mana…’

‘If the distance is increased any further here, Yak will not be able to keep up. This is Yak’s maximum range.’

Yak was the most skilled archer among Atila’s great warriors, and he was sweating coldly now. If the distance increased any more, the probability that he would miss would most likely rise sharply. If mana were allowed, it would be a different matter, but the Sword Expert beside him would only become stronger if that restriction were lifted. Atila merely looked intrigued, but his great warriors were desperate to earn Louis’s acknowledgment, so inwardly they were cheering Yak on with all their might.

Of course, these circumstances did not apply only to the participants. The slave being used to heighten the excitement had broken out in such a cold sweat that he had just collapsed. His body, which had already become the target four times in a row with an apple balanced on his head, could no longer withstand the tension. That was a serious matter in itself, because if Louis won, there was a high chance this slave would be killed later as an outlet for frustration.

‘Damn it… the performance of that unusual bow is obvious.’

Yak was beginning to notice, glancing sideways at the Horn Bow in Mihoff’s hands, and a few of the great warriors had also noticed. In any case, if this continued, only humiliation awaited, so just as the slave was replaced and the apple was being set on his head again at an even greater distance, Yak put on an ashen expression and confessed as if surrendering.

“Atila. The bow I carry has been strained, so I cannot compete fairly. As you know, my bow is a special one made in great secrecy. It cannot be replaced with another bow. If you command it, I will force myself to continue, but from this point on, I must state in advance that it can no longer be a fair contest.”

What he meant was that he wanted this to be stopped here. A powerless mood spread like an epidemic among the great warriors. They all more or less understood what his words meant. It was no different from admitting defeat, and furthermore, it was an act that diminished his honor, but his intention was clear that it would be better than misfiring the bow and showing the blood of a lowly slave before the two lords.

In contrast, the officers on Louis’s side wore faint smiles. Mihoff, whom they had thought only excelled at swordsmanship, had unexpectedly proven outstanding in archery as well. Of course, Louis knew Mihoff’s talent and skill more objectively than anyone, so he knew exactly that the rumor saying she could not handle a bow well was false. In any case, rather than decide for himself, Atila asked Louis for his opinion.

“Duke Louis, I would prefer to continue, but what do you think?”

Atila seemed inclined to continue because his pride had been wounded somewhat, but Louis did not want the obvious purpose of this gathering to be ruined. Now that he had met Atila in person, he wanted even more to strengthen their alliance and use Atila as a mercenary to introduce variables into international affairs.

“I think this is sufficient. I do not much enjoy archery, so I would prefer something else amusing. I think sparring would be better next.”

Atila said nothing, but after thinking for a moment, he laughed heartily and agreed with Louis’s opinion.

The meeting had grown even riper. Louis was discussing agenda items with Atila. He was someone who could think more strategically than expected. He wanted to give Gedria to Louis and secure his rear. He also seemed eager to push farther north. The north. It was an attractive place. In any case, Louis had to settle matters at home first. And though Atila did not know it, Gedria was now valuable land. No, there was no telling how much Black Water lay beneath that entire place they called a half-homeland.

Louis kept thinking. Euclid would soon arrive. Once he came, he would measure the usefulness of Black Water and how the application of Magitech could produce efficiency. If Black Water proved to be a resource even more valuable than expected, then Louis would obtain Pantalist by whatever means necessary. He had enough gold, so buying it from Atila with gold would also be a good method.

Now that Atila had established a kingdom, Louis knew well enough that severe internal problems would begin breaking out one after another. Uprisings, rebellions, arson, famine, starvation, and so on. If Louis offered gold and food, Atila would not be able to refuse. Food in particular was an important card Louis possessed. Louis had a rough idea of what kind of internal-administration crisis would soon descend on Atila’s fate.

Atila was a powerful ruler, but all his special abilities were specialized for war. That meant he received little support for internal administration as opposed to campaigns, and from the state of the great warriors here, Louis could tell that Atila did not have good administrators or people skilled in domestic governance.

‘Well, that makes sense. Until now, the Huns have never formed a grand national unit like a kingdom. They may be devilishly good at war because of their repeated civil wars, but beyond that, they are hopeless. He is probably expecting much from me. Atila does not simply want me to guard his rear. Through exchanges, he likely wants to obtain culture and food as well.’

In any case, the area beside them was noisy. There, one woman was on a long winning streak… her name was probably Blanda? He had only been introduced once, but there was no way he could have forgotten. The way she had stared at him. As someone from a different people, she was an attractive woman. And unexpectedly, she also seemed quite skilled. This was only the second time Louis had seen a woman demonstrate this much swordsmanship, aside from Mihoff. But he did not particularly dislike it.

“Waaah!”

“Blanda’s skill has improved again.”

“Isn’t that woman quite attractive?”

“Heh. This is an opportunity. Maybe I should at least speak to her.”

There was no way his gaze would not go to her. All the more so because after crushing yet another man, she looked at him first with a bright face.

Atila added from beside him, “Haha. That is my niece.” He continued, “An amusing fact is that she is still a virgin even at her age. She refuses to accept proposals from any man weaker than herself, so she has been giving me a quiet headache as well.”

It was only after opening her information that Louis understood. She truly had rather high stats. The particularly noteworthy point was her mana; a Sword Expert was right before his eyes.

“Her skill is considerable. It seems she is on the verge of becoming a Sword Expert.”

When Louis said that, Atila looked as though he wondered how Louis could tell. Then, because Louis himself was also a highly skilled fighter, Atila quickly understood. He was just about to say something when Blanda walked over to Louis.

“Duke, come play with me once.”

At last, unable to endure it any longer, she had spoken to Louis first. The surroundings became noisy again. Atila wore a troubled expression. Mihoff, who had been sipping her drink on one side, looked as though she were asking how dare this woman wag her tail. But Louis gave an unexpected reply.

“Haha. What an interesting woman. Very well.”

Mihoff was startled, then let off killing intent. It annoyed her to see a woman who did not know her place wagging her tail. Her face had grown cold, but the only one who noticed that presence was the taciturn man with a large scar across his face.

“Thank you. If I manage to make you exert yourself, please grant me one request.”

Louis rose from his seat and walked forward. There were about three wrestling matches underway, and Anok had gathered quite a crowd by winning ten in a row, but all their attention instantly shifted to Louis.

The people on Louis’s side did not doubt Louis’s victory, but the real question was whether he could finish the sparring match within roughly fifteen exchanges. The people on Atila’s side naturally hoped it would last longer than that. Even Atila himself was secretly enjoying the thought that at last that lion’s pride would be lowered. He knew his niece’s skill that well. When she became aggressive, even he often found her troublesome.

Thanks to the intense performances of Anok and Mihoff, Atila’s side had won in the smaller contests, but because Louis’s side had overwhelmingly taken both of the major exhibitions and matches, archery and wrestling, Atila’s pride had been badly hurt.

In any case, Louis stepped forward. She, dressed lightly, wore an excited expression. Louis removed the outer garment he had been wearing. A soldier beside him took it and handed him a longsword made specifically for practice. It was longer than an ordinary sword, and Louis had trained in swordsmanship of the longsword category. That had been because of the influence of his elder brother, who had used greatsword techniques, but since Louis did not have the same physical strength as his brother, the longsword had been the next-best choice.