Chapter 12: Dilun

"Brilliant!" Ma Ke was the first to stand up and applaud.

Those who were on good terms with Piper and the Pinkmaiden faction also stood up to applaud, but few were sincere.

No one who has lost a large sum of money would sincerely cheer for the culprit.

Clearly, Ma Ke was not that kind of common person.

Seeing his own lord applaud the opponent's victory, Yi Ge, who had been helped up, was filled with shame; he said nothing, lowered his head, and limped away.

The others watched Yi Ge's departure in silence.

Quite unusually, neither the victor nor the loser received the cheers or sympathy from the audience that they should have.

Seeing that the atmosphere was off, Hendry, who had profited, felt he should appease the crowd.

He also stood up and said loudly:

"My friends, Arthur won by luck, allowing me to gain such a large sum of wealth; I should share it with you."

He paused, waited for the crowd to quiet down, and continued: "The expenses for lodging, food, and drink for everyone on this hunting trip—I will cover them."

The original plan for this group was to go hunting, but several high-ranking companions had not yet arrived, which was why they were lingering at Stone Hedge.

Of course, they also had the intention of taking the opportunity to practice their martial arts and group coordination.

After all, according to rumors, King Robert had already crossed the Trident with that ridiculously large wheelhouse and would soon return to King's Landing.

At that time, given Robert's temperament, King's Landing would surely hold a grand Tourney for the new Hand of the King, Duke Eddard Stark.

The tens of thousands of Gold Dragons in prize money went without saying; the opportunity to become famous in one battle and the appreciation of the kingdom's top lords were all reasons that lured Free Knights, minor nobles, younger sons of families without inheritance, and other armed men to head to King's Landing.

Not to mention the Arbor gold wine found everywhere, the Dawn Sword from the Westerlands, the rare treasures shipped from the various Free Cities, the bards singing incessantly in the taverns, and the romantic female workers.

Making some preparations for such a Tourney was only right.

The group was stunned for a moment, then cheered.

Although they had lost their bets, being able to participate in a hunt without spending money was a way to make up for it.

"Now we proceed to the second match," Hendry announced, seizing the momentum. "Sir Karel, please designate your knight."

By rights, Arthur should have rested for a while, but Hendry clearly had his own ideas.

The others had been swindled out of a large sum of money by Arthur, so they would not speak up for Arthur just for a short rest.

Karyl Vance scanned his own men several times, his gaze finally resting on a young man of medium build.

This man was named Dilun Weishui, a master of swordsmanship with great Agility, the perfect counter to a berserker like Arthur who relied on brute force rather than flexibility.

If this man could defeat Arthur, Hendry would likely owe him a favor, Karyl thought vaguely.

"Dilun, are you willing..."

"I am willing, I am willing." Before Karyl had finished speaking, Dilun had already squeezed out of the crowd and answered repeatedly.

It appeared this was a Free Knight eager to prove himself.

When Dilun appeared before the crowd and they saw his physique, some began to boo.

After all, Yi Ge, who was as tall as Arthur and much stronger, had been defeated; Dilun, who was half a head shorter and did not look particularly strong, had even less chance of winning.

Someone who enjoyed trouble heard the disdainful boos and sneered: "What do you know? This kind of person is the real opponent for Arthur. Once Arthur can't catch him and gets exhausted, one sword stroke will decide the outcome."

Some nodded in agreement, while others watched coldly without saying a word.

Arthur saw his opponent and also felt much more relaxed.

This time, more people favored Arthur, though some also favored Dilun.

Compared to the previous match, opinions were sharply divided.

"Gentlemen, do we need to open another betting pool?" Hendry asked.

He tried his best to suppress the tone of his joy, so as not to invite others' disgust.

"Open it!"

"Let's go again."

Most of these people knew a bit of martial arts and had their own opinions on who would win between Arthur and Dilun, and neither side could convince the other.

Moreover, the losses from betting on Yi Ge were a bit heavy, and they wanted to recoup whatever they could.

Hendry nodded. "Then for Arthur's victory, the odds are one to two; for Dilun, two to one. How about that?"

After the Free Knights and the nobles' attendants whispered to each other, they nodded to indicate their approval of the odds.

The Landed Knights and nobles were much more composed and did not feel strongly about the odds.

Just like last time, after the bettors handed their money to the bookmaker Hendry, the two men officially began the match.

Of course, it was not Hendry himself collecting these Gold Dragons and Silver Stags, but three or four servants doing the work.

Arthur was able to sit at the edge of the field to rest for a while.

After all, fighting a middle-aged strongman was very exhausting.

"Your ninety Gold Dragons—do you want to cash them out now, or continue to bet?" Hendry asked Arthur from across two rows of people.

"Of course, keep betting on me," Arthur said as he stood up, confident.

If he didn't even have the courage to bet on himself to win, there was no point in fighting this match.

Then he walked to the center of the field, ready to begin.

Just like last time, the officer acting as the referee gave the introduction first.

"Sir Arthur, I believe everyone is familiar with him—the man who defeated Yi Ge."

This time, there were some scattered cheers.

Arthur also brandished his Greatsword in response to them.

"Dilun Weishui, a knight from King's Landing, currently serving Sir Karyl Vance."

"As for notable achievements, none yet, but that doesn't matter; perhaps he will have some in a moment." The officer hinted at his own preference.

Arthur smiled, unconcerned.

Dilun also raised both hands to show off his physique.

Then the officer stepped aside, and Arthur and Dilun began to face off.

"Be careful, Arthur, although his sword is not as big as yours, it is much more agile," someone outside the arena reminded.

It seemed they were the ones who had bet on Arthur to win.

Arthur nodded, signaling that he had heard.

"If reminders were useful, what would we need a Maester's Poppy Milk for?" Dilun sneered.

This should be his first time fighting in such a tournament for Karel, and he had been unusually active from his entrance to the current standoff.

As expected, Dilun attacked first.

He stepped forward, leaned his body into a lunge, and then suddenly thrust his sword.

It looked exactly like a fencer from his past life making a sudden strike.

Since Dilun was half a head shorter than Arthur, this low stance made the angle of his attack quite tricky.

It was aimed roughly at Arthur's chest and abdominal cavity.

Arthur could not use both hands to parry this sword, so he had to retreat sharply, attempting to dodge.

Who would have thought that Dilun would lean his body forward, shift his center of gravity to his front leg, swing his back leg to the front, and actually maintain this height to continue his attack.

Whether thrusting or slashing, he was exceptionally agile.

And he remained close to Arthur, preventing Arthur's Greatsword from being brought into the fray.

Arthur continued to retreat, but he could not create any distance.

He understood now that this person's fighting style was to stick close and fight.

Due to Dilun's aggressive offense and Arthur's flustered state, a burst of cheers suddenly erupted from the arena.

Just by listening to the sound, one could tell that there were still more people who had bet on Dilun to win.

After all, Arthur had already fought one match, and his stamina was significantly depleted.

Within a few breaths, the two had already fought to the edge of the arena.

It looked like Arthur would have to take a hit to change the situation.

It was unclear whether this Plate Armor could withstand it.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets, thanks to Xianhao for the two monthly tickets.