Chapter 96: Eleventh Episode: Chapter 5 (2/2)

Paul turned around and said to Oscar, ”If so… you will fight with this guy.”

”Why?” Oscar’s face fell.

”You promised him,” Paul answered and took a few steps backward tentatively.

”Damn it!” Oscar mumbled. He hadn’t engaged in fights for quite some time now. Hopefully, this commander of Sea Emperor Knights was only some inexperienced foreigner.

Paladin Edeis pulled out his wide blade sword while Oscar encircled his machete around his chest. A fierce battle was about to begin.

Suddenly, a couple of loud neighs came from the distance. Just when the crowd was about to turn their head to the direction of the chaos, a ferocious wind gushed accompanied by a dazzling blade and swept up the fallen leaves from the ground.

The knight warded off the attacking sword accurately! Every viewer was visibly moved as the clashes of the sword and machete blade sent sparks flying into all direction. The deafening noises thundered and tore at people’s eardrums.

Oscar finally slowed down in his twelfth strike. From the few milliseconds, the knight managed to pick at the machete with his sword and circled an offense strike.

The sword was waved into a steady rhythm that resembled a sharp gear motion. Immediately, Oscar turned and ran away before even looking at it. As people were baffled at his move, the knight sword began to charge even further. Oscar jumped and stepped on a stout trunk, followed by a forceful somersault. The knight sword brushed pass the young man’s back by an inch. When Oscar landed on the ground he stormed to attack the unprotected back of the paladin. It was as though the paladin had eyes grown on his back, he managed to ward off yet another strike.

Oscar began to gasp for air. By now, there was a safe distance between himself and paladin, and the two fell into a circling movement like the wrestlers. All at once, the silver knight sword drew a large arc in the air. This time it was Edeis who made the attack. Oscar abruptly bent down and sprung to his feet like a flexible spring. Oscar's instinctive move was within the paladin’s expectation, and so he pulled another strike in the air when His Royal The Highness was still in mid-air. Oscar footsteps were unsteady when he landed and staggered while trying to avoid the blow. Oscar knew he could not be so passive anymore! At that thought, he fiercely dragged out his machete and threw it in the opposite direction.

”Knife Throwing skill?” the paladin screamed and pulled out his sword in the attempt to block a rotating machete, but Oscar kicked his leg fiercely. Paladin fell to the ground, and the machete also landed on the patch of dried grass beside him.

Oscar pulled out a dagger out of nowhere and pinned it down near the paladin’s face, ”You lose!”

”You’re a Persian?” Paladin Edeis thought the fight ended with unfairness.

”No!” Oscar answered with a straight refusal.

”But you know how to perform Black Belt Warrior’s Knife Throwing skill?” Edeis was still full of doubt.

”I learned it in secret! But… how do you know about this skill?” It was Oscar’s turn to be confused.

”I’ve been to West Percy by sea and took up a challenge with a Black Belt Warrior.”

”What happened in the end?” Oscar was getting interested.

Paladin did not answer. He slowly got to his feet and walked toward his companions.

”Sorry my lady, I’ve disappointed you.”

The girl did not blame her knight, instead, she just shrugged nonchalantly. ”It’s alright, I’ve never been robbed before. It was definitely an experience to be remembered!”

”There are all sorts of peculiar people in the world!” Paul whispered in Oscar’s ear. However, he seemed to have forgotten that they just robbed someone because their horse wanted to mate another one. How ridiculous was that!

Soon, golds and silver accessories were cast all over the ground. The beautiful girl in the fiery red deerskin hunting jacket and wore a high ponytail called out happily, ”Hey! Can we go now?”

Both Oscar and Paul instinctively turned their head around. Damn it! Raytheon was not finished with his business yet? What a beast!

”What should we do now?” Oscar scratched at the cloth which covered his head.

Paul suddenly snapped at his fingers, ”Honourable lady, what do you think of a game of cards right now?”

Oscar had to lean his weight against the tree in order to not fall to the ground. ”Um…yes! Cards game! Do you know how to play cards?”

Three men and one girl looked at each other in surprise, and the girl finally opened her mouth after a while. ”Edeis, you should be ashamed that you were defeated by a lunatic!” She stomped toward the horse right after, she had had enough of these ridiculous bandits.

”Hey! Come back!” Oscar scrambled to stop the girl, but it was already too late. From the distant, she noticed a black monster riding on Esmeralda!

”Let me go! Let me go!” The fiery girl jumped up and down anxiously, ”My Father King would definitely put you to death! He would kill you into pieces! Let go of me!”

”Father King?” Oscar seemed to have understood something. Was she a princess of West Percy Kingdom? At the thought of this, his grip loosened, and the girl took the chance and stepped hard on his foot.

”Ouch!” Oscar held his leg to his chest and hopped away in pain. He watched in exasperation as the girl darted to the direction of the horses.

Soon enough, the girl’s unrestrained cry broke out across the forest!

”Waaa… rascal! Rapist! You cheap hooligan, you should die a thousand times! Waaa waa waa… let go of my Esmeralda! Waa waa… get off her immediately!”

The girl wept as if someone has turned on the waterworks. She tugged at the Raytheon’s tail like a mad woman, but the latter didn’t acknowledge her at all. If it wasn’t for the fiery scent that lingered on her, he would have kicked her off miles away for sure!

”Waa Waa… You disgusting rascal!”

The Raytheon was busy thrusting with all his might.

”Your Excellency!” Paladin Edeis came closer to Oscar, ”Are you really… so that your house…”

”That’s right! Anything wrong with that?” Oscar wasn’t intending to hide what he did anymore, he couldn’t have gotten any more embarrassed than it already was anyway!

”Um… it’s really unethical of you for doing so without getting permission from the owner. Besides, that horse is the treasure of our Kingdom’s Royal Family, it’s the most valuable red-blood horse in the whole Westland! The Royal Family of my Kingdom would definitely hold you responsible.”

Oscar rolled his eyes, ”What a joke! I’ve never heard of that before! Hold a person responsible for something his horse has done? Also, are you indicating that my Raytheon doesn’t deserve your red blood horse?”

”Raytheon?” Paladin Edeis opened his eyes widely, ”You’re a direct descendant of the Andrew House?”

The paladin took another look at the machete held in Oscar’s hand. A son of Andrew that used a machete?

”Your Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette!”

In one swift move Oscar removed the cloth which he used to cover his head, ”You’re right! That’s me! Why did you shout so loudly? Want to fight once more?”

”No! Your Highness, that was not what I meant. What I’m trying to say is… should you go forward and comfort our princess? Since it was your Raytheon who…”

Oscar glanced over to the direction of his horse, ”Oh? They’ve finished now?”

The girl was sitting on the ground, crying her heart out. She called out to Esmeralda several times but her closest companion which she treated like her own sister didn’t acknowledge her owner, as she was indulging in the attention of the Raytheon. That tall black hooligan looked immensely satisfied, he would have thought himself had just arrived in heaven!

”Um… beautiful princess! Please stop crying, there’s no point crying over spilled milk. I… I will take responsibility for this!” Oscar had no idea what he was saying, he had always been hopeless when dealing with a weeping girl.

”Waa waa…”

”Um... I have an idea. You could have the foal when it’s delivered!”

The girl was wailing even louder now! All the men presented shook their heads at the shoddy mediator.

”Um…” Oscar scratched at the nape of his neck helplessly, he honestly had no idea how to solve the catastrophe.

”You have to compensate it to me! My Esmeralda doesn’t even listen to me now!” The girl raised her head abruptly, her tear washed face was unbelievably lovable. Oscar was immediately dumbfounded!

As if she sensed the man was distracted, she began pulling at Oscar’s hair, ”I want my compensation! Give me back my Esmeralda!”

The moment Oscar couldn’t take in any more dizziness, he hit at the fiery girl’s neck and sent her into a deep and quiet sleep.

”Edeis!” Between his fingers, Oscar rubbed at the hair pulled out by the girl, ”Are you sure she’s a princess?”

Paladin nodded in embarrassment, ”She’s extremely bright and adorable. Of course, that is when you’ve not provoked her.”

With no other choice, Oscar invited both the massive black and red horses, a foreign princess and her three knights back to Marshal Robin’s residence.

The jubilant old man ordered his man to prepare lunch for the guests and even set up the dining table at a spot near the racecourse which had now been enclosed by a wooden fence. The shining black Raytheon and fiery red Esmeralda stood closely next to each other. They were enjoying lunch too. Their menu included fresh green grass, kidney beans, and ripe red apples from late fall. The newlyweds would occasionally touch their mouth with each other’s and appeared to be deeply infatuated with love.

”Highland stallion of Andrew House and red blood treasure of West Percy Royal Family, I’m so looking forward to their future foal!” The old marshal smiled while observing the two beasts.

”Your Excellency Marshal!” Paladin Edeis rose from his seat, ”I’m immensely grateful for the invitation to lunch at your place, my knights and I are extremely overwhelmed by the flattery! We…”

Oscar waved his hand at the paladin, ”Please take your seat, Edeis. I know that the hierarchy system in your kingdom is very strict, and I assume you probably have never sat next to a marshal and a prince in such a close proximity before. Although some people in Titan also adhere to the hierarchy specification, you know what? They are some tremendously boring guys. Relax, myself and Marshal Robin treat you and your knights simply as our friends from a foreign country! Sit down! Relax!”

Paladin Edeis sat down shyly. As a matter of fact, he had not dined at the same table with a prince or a marshal before. He was only a colonel, this would never ever happen in West Percy.

”I’m really thankful for your hospitality.”

”We get it, young paladin!” Marshal Robin waved him off, and suddenly he was reminded of something else. ”Oh! Your Excellency Paladin Edeis, in accordance with my understanding, Sea Emperor Knights mount battleships instead of horses. Since you are the commander of Sea Emperor Knights, have you participated in the Lannia naval battle happened in year 787 between your kingdom and Engels Kingdom? That event shocked the entire western world.”

”Yes, I participated in that battle. However, I was just a captain of knights at that time. I had only been bestowed the Paladin title at the end of the battle.”

”That makes you a battle hero then!” Old marshal’s eyes lit up with excitement. He remembered clearly as recorded in the history of the Lannia naval battle, it was mentioned that those who survived that battle was all one of the mighty warriors.

”No! Your Excellency Marshal!” Paladin Edeis shook his head sadly, ”I am not a hero, the real heroes are sacrificed in the naval battle. I am only honored to have fought alongside them!”

Oscar nudged his elbow at the old marshal’s arm, ”I told you, Paladin Edeis is a respectable soldier.”

Marshal Robin nodded, but this was not what he valued about the young man, ”After the naval battle in Lannia, the arrogant Engels Navy was forced to flee to the coastal ports, which gave your country an opportunity to control the entire heart of the sea and the western oceans. Your victory won your motherland a new era, a whole new era as the dictator of the seas!”

Although he did not understand why the old marshal’s gaze was so overbearing, Edeis nodded his head eventually at the man’s comment, ”It is not wrong to say that the victory of the Lannia naval battle had indeed brought my country an inexhaustible wealth, but…”

”What is it that you want to say?” The old marshal asked while playing with the wine glass.

”Our Royal Family made a huge fortune through maritime trades, but the wealth was not used to make up for the losses the army suffered, instead… instead…” Edeis felt his companion stepped on his feet under the table, ”Forget about it! After all, these are the affairs of my Royal Family, I’m not in a good position to speak about that.”

Marshal Robin nodded, he fully understood what was going on. West Percy’s Royal Family was either baffled by the victory or they were dazzled by the golds that came flooding their way. Ever since the year 787, the year of the Lannia naval battle, the expenditures of the West Percy Royal Family repeatedly exceeded that of the most extravagant Manuel Dynasty of Italia Kingdom. Each year, the King of West Percy would purchase loads of luxury goods for his palace. The same was true of the West Percy nobles, which spent lavishly on hashish and alcohol. The abundance amount of money spent on these two sources could account for almost forty percent of the usage of the entire Westland. If this continued to go on, the Engels Kingdom which had been licking their wounds would soon return as a better and stronger opponent.

All of a sudden, Oscar stood up and everyone turned to look at the same direction the prince’s eyes were locked on. A fiery red silhouette appeared from the residence.

”You… you’re awake,” Oscar’s hand instinctive went up to his nose.

”I’ve decided!” The Princess of West Percy suddenly grabbed Oscar by his arm, ”Your big black fella seduced my Esmeralda, so I would have to seduce you in return! You must propose to me!”

Oscar stared at the princess in disbelief, ”Oh no! Is it possible that I’ve hit her too hard that it caused a concussion in her brain?” Oscar thought in his mind and turned to the paladin that was equally dumbstruck with terror.

”Edeis, are you sure your princess doesn’t sleepwalk?”

”You’re the one who sleepwalk!” Princess reprimanded loudly.

”Alright then! Can you please explain to me the logic of this theory?”

Princess of West Percy lifted Oscar’s ear and screamed into it, ”Your horse seduced my Esmeralda!”

Oscar shook his head from left to right, he couldn’t fathom why West Percy Royal Family had fostered such a monster?

”Alright! Alright! But I’m already engaged, Your Royal Highness Princess! What are you going to do with that?”

”What should I do? Should I do anything at all? You should be the one who’s taking the actions! You should call off the engagement! Simple!”

Oscar let off a long sigh, he was extremely convinced that this princess was not entirely right in her mind, ”Listen to me, you’re suggesting me to call off my engagement with my fiancée and then propose to a girl whose name I don’t even know? It’s completely irrational!”

The fiery girl suddenly pushed her own chest tightly against Oscar’s, ”Remember this! My name is… No! Your wife’s name is Catalina Don Holmes! Your wife is the most beautiful, hottest, and smartest princess ever in the history of West Percy Holmes Dynasty!”

”Ola! I will be sure to remember that!” In fact, Oscar believed he would never forget that name. Princess Catalina was in all seriousness. Oscar couldn’t help but shook his head, as he finally came to realize that he had once again brought upon himself another huge trouble!