The crowd was packed and noisy.
Nidhogg stood before a fenced enclosure, watching the knights charge ahead.
Two knights stood at opposite ends, separated by a low wooden barrier. At the signal, both knights galloped along the barrier, trying to knock each other off with the special lances in their hands.
When one side fell, servants ran out to help the fallen knight get up. One or two slaves helped the knight retrieve his fallen cavalry weapon and calm the frightened horse.
Vritannis was the most prosperous trading city in the Holy See's circle, and also the most flourishing center for the slave trade. Even some Kushans from the east were captured and sold into slavery here.
After watching a few rounds, Nidhogg yawned with slight boredom. But the people around him watched with delight.
He was thinking about whether to walk around the city when he suddenly heard a familiar call from the side.
"Nidhogg? You're Nidhogg?"
"Huh? And you... the bard?"
Before Nidhogg stood the bard with the pot belly, who had traveled with him to Mist Valley. He hadn't expected to meet him again here.
"Why are you here? It's been almost two years since we parted ways at Mist Valley, right?"
Bard was quite pleased, carrying his lute on his back, using his big belly to push through the crowd, and approached Nidhogg.
"I heard there was a martial arts competition, so I came to watch. Why are you here too?"
"Alas, I'm a bard. Since Vritannis is going to hold a 'Knightly Tournament,' how could I miss it? This is all material for my poetry!"
"I see."
"And you? Why are you watching the games from outside the field? Didn't you participate in the competition?"
"I'm not interested."
Bard simply thought that Nidhogg didn't dare to compete, afraid of losing the vagabond knight armor he wore. He didn't dwell on it, but patted his big belly and happily watched the two knights on the field.
"Then let's watch the games together. There's nothing wrong with that... Look, the two new knights are both people with some background."
Nidhogg glanced at him and only recognized the identity of one of the knights. Slightly surprised, he asked, "What is their background?"
Fat Bard's face reddened as he boasted about this.
"On the left is a knight from the Holy Iron Chain Knights of the Holy See, named Jerome. They say the original leader of these Holy Iron Chain Knights was removed from the post of leader, and it's temporarily under the management of the 'Bloodstained Holy Book.'"
Jerome was the knight Nidhogg had recognized. When he went to capture Farnese, Jerome had been scared and fallen from his horse. Fortunately, he saved himself and didn't die at Nidhogg's hands.
He had a slight impression of this man. Later, when he asked about Farnese, he learned that this timid knight was Jerome, a character who played an important role in the Tower of Conviction arc.
As for the "Bloodstained Holy Book," who had temporarily taken over Farnese's position as leader, Nidhogg didn't know who that was. So he didn't hesitate to ask.
The bard pointed to the VIP seats.
"Well, that's the lord, the priest who came on behalf of His Holiness. You don't even know the name 'Bloodstained Holy Book' Mozgus? He's a famous heresy inquisitor and fanatic in the Holy See."
Mozgus the 'Bloodstained Holy Book'?
Nidhogg turned his head and followed the direction of the bard's finger, looking at the VIP seats. Besides the Vandimion family and the municipal officials of Vritannis, there was indeed a man with a strong aura there.
The man, dressed in priestly robes and a round hat, had a square face and a tall stature. He was smiling and talking with Federigo.
Behind the priest stood six men, each in a black executioner's hood and tight straitjackets, like six silent statues.
It was indeed them.
Mozgus, a fanatic of the Holy See, had a habit of "worshipping" the symbol of the One God a thousand times a day, and had maintained this for at least 10 years.
At first, he bled because he went too far with his "worship." But as he persisted, he became strangely stronger. Later, a thousand times of "worship" a day could no longer cause pain to his body.
He would never allow pagans to exist and would torture anyone he considered an unbeliever, in ways worse than death.
It was said that over five hundred so-called "unbelievers" had fallen into the hands of him and his six disciples.
He also never allowed people outside the Holy See to preach in the name of the One God, and did not permit interpretations of scripture other than the orthodoxy of the Holy See. Such people were also considered pagans.
The scriptures Mozgus carried with him year-round were often stained with blood due to his brutal acts, hence his nickname "Bloodstained Holy Book."
Thus, Mozgus had arrived in Vritannis to participate in this knightly duel on behalf of the Holy King, and was temporarily leading the Holy Iron Chain Knights.
No wonder Jerome was here.
Nidhogg watched Mozgus for a while. Suddenly, he saw a man in a luxurious suit stand up from a corner of the VIP seats. The man with curly hair was staring intently at the competition venue below.
"Who is that man?" Nidhogg asked.
Bard only glanced at him and recognized the other man. "Ah, that's the third son of the Vandimion family, Manifico. They say he manages the family bank's branch in Vraks in the north."
"By the way, he's acquainted with the other man who's about to compete. I heard they were friends in college... Ah, the competition has started!"
Nidhogg looked at the field.
Two armored knights rode along the wooden barrier, lances in hand, and charged at each other.
However, Jerome was clearly a little unsteady, swaying on his horse.
The other was much more confident. He effortlessly guided his horse forward and, with one thrust, pierced Jerome, knocking him from his horse!
An explosion of applause erupted around them!
The man stopped his horse, removed his helmet, revealing a head with slanted bangs and a ponytail. He smiled and blew a kiss to the ladies in the audience.
Magnifico in the VIP seats also didn't care about his image. He raised his hands high and cheered for his friend.
"This is the 'Navigation Prince' Nordic, a member of the royal family of the Kingdom of Nice, third in line for the throne, and captain of the Ys fleet. Under his command is the invincible warship—the 'Sea Horse.'"
The bard's words finally dispelled Nidhogg's doubts. Last night, Federigo had mentioned that Magnifico was having fun with a friend in Vritannis. This friend was clearly Nordic.
"Haha, in today's knightly competition, he's the favorite to win the championship."
Nidhogg listened for a while. Then he saw Jerome slink away in shame, not even daring to look at Mozgus in the VIP seats.
Mozgus was calm, still smiling the same way. He didn't get angry so easily, because the members of the Holy Iron Chain Knights under his command had been defeated, and he had the manner of a priest.
After watching a few more games, Nidhogg also admitted that the bard was right. Nordic was indeed the most likely champion among them.
Only in the next match did Nidhogg change his mind.
When a tall, strong knight rode onto the field, Nidhogg immediately sensed something was wrong. He silently looked in that direction.
This man had an inhuman aura.
Nidhogg frowned.
At the gong, the competition began. The man rode halfway, then stopped, holding his lance across his horse's back. This caused everyone to whisper, not understanding what had happened.
Seeing this, the other knight didn't pay any attention to the three-seven-twenty-one and used the momentum of his charge to strike with his lance.
This should have been a sure hit. But the power of the thrusting weapon and the charging horse was simply incomparable.
This man swung his lance in a flash, precisely piercing the other knight, sending him flying backward off his horse, as if he had taken the initiative to run into a battering ram!
THUD—!
The knight who flew out crashed to the ground. His lance had already been thrown away. His whole body was twisted. His neck was horribly contorted. Blood seeped from his helmet and armor.
The crowd watching the battle exclaimed simultaneously. Many women and girls fainted from the shock.
Since the competition required signing a life-and-death waiver, those killed bore no responsibility. But this was the first such tragic death today, and naturally, everyone's hearts were shaken.
The man waited for the referee to declare him the winner. Then he turned and left, not caring whether the spectators praised him or not.
Everyone was talking. An atmosphere of panic spread.
Bard also nodded repeatedly.
"Indeed, those who dare to use the name 'Grumblebundo' must possess a certain strength."
"'Grumblebundo'? You mean the legendary 'Fire Dragon Knight'?"
"Of course, not the real 'Fire Dragon Knight.' Since that heroic legend appeared, there have been countless children in the north named 'Grumblebundo.' This man is probably one of those who admire that hero, right?"
Bard couldn't help but take down his lute and pluck the strings.
"After all, the real 'Fire Dragon Knight' died a hundred years ago. I still have a poem praising him."
A hundred years ago, the Tudor Empire launched a foreign invasion, not only invading the Kingdom of Midland and occupying Doldrey Castle, but also invading many small countries in the north.
The "Fire Dragon Knight" Grumblebundo was a knight from one of those small countries. He led only 3,000 men to resist the Tudor Empire's invasion, holding out for ten years.
But after that, Grumblebundo disappeared. Rumors said he died on the battlefield.
Even if he hadn't died in battle then, in the past hundred years, Grumblebundo must have died. That was considered normal for ordinary people.
Nidhogg knew this wasn't the case.
It seemed there would be quite a terrible massacre here today.
The knightly competition continued until noon. The number of knights grew fewer and fewer.
And what was extremely frightening was that every time Grumblebundo appeared, his opponents were either dead or maimed. It was quite brutal.
Many people were enthusiastic about such bloody and thrilling things, but many only felt deep fear.
Finally, the competition moved to the final match. The two teams competing for the championship were "Grumblebundo" and "Nordic."
Nordic was clearly much more nervous. He already knew the fate of every knight who had lost to Grumblebundo. He was busy with the lance in his hand.
Grumblebundo was too calm. He raised his lance, his eyes under his blazing red hair looking forward indifferently.
The championship match began after the gong was struck, but ended in an instant.
Before everyone could understand what had happened, they saw that as the two horses passed each other, Nordic flew out and crashed to the ground, bleeding heavily.
Everyone gasped.
Nidhogg wasn't surprised by this outcome. Nordic was still human. He still wanted to defeat an Apostle. He was overthinking it.
In any case, Federigo's eldest son, Zulchio, stood up and announced that Grumblebundo had become the champion of the knightly jousting competition and would receive a generous reward for his bravery.
Subsequently, Zulchio announced that the team competition would soon begin. This was also the final competition of this "Pope's Tournament."
All the knights registered for the team competition would gather on one field for close-quarters combat. The knight standing at the end would become the champion of the team competition.
It could be said that the bloodiness of the team competition would be far greater than that of the knightly joust. Originally, it was expected that there would be many casualties in this team competition. But the appearance of Grumblebundo had shattered this impression.
"Bard, I have something to do. I'll make a move first."
"Ah, where are you going? Aren't you going to watch the final team competition?"
"Not interested."
"Oh, alright. Then I won't watch anymore either. Why don't we go for a drink together?"
"Sorry, I have something to discuss next time."
"Well, at least tonight or tomorrow you'll have to go to the tavern with me."
"Alright."
After Nidhogg hastily dismissed the curious bard, he pushed through the crowd and sneaked into the waiting area for the participants of the final team competition using the "Mimic's Veil."
He didn't see Grumblebundo, but he was sure Grumblebundo would participate. Zulchio had said that Grumblebundo would be the main contender for the team title, and Grumblebundo was also the main one.
Grumblebundo wasn't found. Nordic was injured, but fortunately, nothing serious. He was carried off for treatment. Nidhogg looked around and only saw one familiar person—Jerome.
Jerome was cowering in a corner, sitting there, holding his head, looking quite distressed.
"What to do, what to do? I can't participate anymore. It'll kill people... However, if I flee in battle, Master Mozgus won't let me off easily..."
"Oh god, if I'm put in that torture chamber... I must dedicate myself, give everything for His Holiness, for the teachings..."
Jerome trembled again and again, sweating profusely, trying his best to convince himself.
Nidhogg crouched before him, which drew Jerome's attention.
When Jerome looked up and stared at Nidhogg for a while, he recognized him. He couldn't help but be stunned.
"You, you, you..."
"Jerome, you don't want to participate in this team competition either. How about making a little deal?"