Chapter 10: Are You Perhaps Afraid of Blackwood?

A provocation.

It is an ancient method; though simple, it is very effective.

There are three heirs to great houses present, and the rest—lesser nobles, second sons, Free Knights, Sworn Knights, and so on—add up to about forty people.

Adding their attendants and the guard detachment sent by the host, Stone Hedge, the entire group reaches a scale of three to four hundred.

There is no need to even summon the soldiers of the main Bracken branch; it would be more than enough to deal with the one hundred and fifty soldiers of Blackwood House.

And the conflict between the two houses is something even the noble dogs in the Riverlands have heard a thing or two about.

Since everyone present is a Riverlands noble, Hendry will not lose face for his own house in front of them.

"Judging by your proposal, are you perhaps afraid of Blackwood?" Arthur asked in return.

Hendry's expression shifted slightly; he glared at Arthur before saying, "As the nephew of the noble Janos, would I be afraid of a petty Blackwood?"

Upon hearing Hendry's stance, the surrounding nobles immediately began to berate Arthur in a clamor:

"Afraid? When have we Brackens ever been afraid of Blackwood?"

"You, a knight with a territory the size of a fart, dare to speculate on Hendry's thoughts?"

"Go from Riverrun to Harrenhal and see who is afraid of whom!"

Even though they were outsiders and Arthur was of House Bracken, the tone of these nobles made it seem as if Arthur were the outsider.

But this was a good thing; as long as they kept outputting, they would eventually stir up Hendry's competitive spirit.

But this nephew of Count Janos had a way of thinking that was not quite what Arthur had imagined.

After the sycophants behind him stopped speaking, Hendry said again, "Although we are not afraid of Blackwood, do not expect me to send troops. We are civilized people; there is no point in letting soldiers from poor backgrounds fight each other."

Arthur was slightly surprised; Hendry's thinking was actually so advanced that he was willing to consider the common soldiers.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "But Blackwood is robbing my smallfolk, and they might be harming them at this very moment; is that supposed to be meaningful?"

"Those commoners, if they die, they die."

"Exactly, they only lost their miserable lives, but we have had our mood for hunting disturbed."

"Get lost, this is no place for you to speak."

These sycophants started chirping again, annoying Arthur.

Hendry turned back and glared, and the training ground immediately fell silent.

Then he turned to Arthur and said, "Do you know how much it costs to train a peasant into a qualified soldier and equip them with weapons and armor? I will not let them die in vain."

He rested his chin on his right hand and added, "But your smallfolk... hmm, that is also a problem. They are also Bracken people, and I cannot let them die miserably either."

Hendry pondered in silence, his index finger tapping incessantly on the armrest of his chair.

Karel Vance on the left suddenly laughed, "Since your demands are all about not wanting Arthur's smallfolk to be plundered by Blackwood House, why don't we go and make it clear to Count Tytos? The face of people like us is enough to make Tytos not hold a grudge over Arthur kidnapping his son."

"Tytos is not a man who is easy to talk to; at the very least, we must show force to make him behave," Marq Piper added.

"Show force? Sending troops will definitely cause conflict, and conflict will definitely lead to deaths, and deaths cost money; it's not worth it." Hendry's tone shifted again; he seemed unwilling to send troops.

Arthur was a bit angry; this Hendry was dawdling like a woman.

"Are you going to send troops or not?" Marq Piper was perhaps losing patience with Hendry's indecision.

Arthur was also unsure of Hendry's intentions, so he asked straight out, "Under what circumstances would you agree to send troops?"

"Naturally, a situation without bloodshed."

Hendry replied quickly, "How about this, I will give you a chance."

"What chance?"

"If you can defeat three knights I designate, I will agree to send troops to negotiate peace with Blackwood House."

Hendry's original intention was simply not to deal with this matter.

But with so many people present today, he would not lose face for Arthur, a fellow Bracken.

And so, he gave it a high-sounding name: giving a chance.

Based on Arthur's physique and the rumors that he was not skilled in combat, he could defeat him by designating any three people.

This way, he would not have to send troops, yet he would still have an answer for Arthur.

I gave you a chance, didn't I? It's just that you didn't seize it!

"A fight? I like it." Marq Piper excitedly slapped the armrest of his chair.

Arthur was amused; he hadn't expected Hendry to refuse in such a way.

But what this nephew of Count Janos did not anticipate was that the current Arthur loved duels most of all.

"Then it's settled; as long as I win against three knights you designate, you will send five hundred troops to expel the Blackwood soldiers from my territory?" He suppressed the ecstasy in his heart and carefully finalized the plan.

Hendry nodded with a smile.

Marq Piper was clearly a combat enthusiast; after Hendry confirmed the rules, he actually stood up and directed the attendants to start setting up the venue.

One moment he had servants move more chairs, the next he scolded a knight to make him move.

Finally, after a chaotic commotion, the forty or fifty noble knights were seated, fruit and wine were prepared, and everything was ready.

"Hmm, Marq, Karel, how about this: we each designate one knight, how about that?" Sitting in the main seat outside the arena, Hendry asked.

"Excellent, I agree."

"I have no objections either."

Both agreed.

After some polite deferring, Marq Piper was the one to designate Arthur's first opponent.

Yi Ge Mallister, a Free Knight from the Mallister family of Seagard, was physically strong and highly skilled in martial arts.

After being designated by Marq, Yi Ge was clearly very excited: "I will not fail the mission—I will not fail the mission."

The people around burst into laughter, and someone shouted, "Wrong, you only say that after you win."

Yi Ge took the helmet handed to him by a servant of Stone Hedge and turned to find the person who shouted, "It means the same thing; winning will only take a few moves."

Arthur was amused too; why were these people so confident?

"Hey, any bets? One Gold Dragon, I bet on this Mr. Arthur winning," someone shrieked.

Another burst of laughter followed.

But clearly, some were tempted; it looked like a sure win for Yi Ge, so why not earn some money?

The Free Knights were not exactly well-off, so every little bit helped.

Watching the people whispering around him, Hendry suggested, "How about this? To add some fun, I, as the host, will open a betting pool. What does everyone think?"

"That's a great idea."

"Agreed."

"Then Hendry is bound to lose money, because no one is going to bet on that Arthur at all."

The atmosphere was very lively, and after some thought, Hendry announced the odds:

Yi Ge Mallister, ten to one.

Arthur, one to ten.

That is to say, if Yi Ge wins, betting ten Gold Dragons earns one.

If Arthur wins, betting one Gold Dragon earns ten.

Watching the people around him betting fervently, Arthur felt very annoyed.

Because he had no money on him to place a bet.

Why did such an opportunity to make money just slip away?

And Hendry, the host, thoughtfully noticed Arthur looking like he wanted to bet but couldn't act.

So he shouted, "Hey, cousin, how about I lend you some money so you can bet on yourself to win?"

PS: New author, new book, seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.