The Forgotten Field - Chapter 85

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 85
A thunderous roar shook the Training Grounds.
Lucas exhaled the breath he had been holding.
Barcas withdrew the halberd from the man’s chest and turned his horse’s head.
As the flickering firelight illuminated his sharp, refined features with clarity, the crowd’s cheers grew even more intense. Lucas surveyed the faces of the warriors flushed with excitement, then turned his gaze back to Barcas.
Amid all that commotion, the man appeared infinitely serene.
With an expressionless face that even hinted at ennui, Barcas crossed the Training Grounds and leaped down from the saddle in one fluid motion.
“Find out if there are any other capable men in the Gutban Family.”
Barcas handed his weapon to the Elderly Attendant who came rushing over and issued instructions to Darian.
“If there is no suitable heir, you may also search among the retainers for another qualified candidate to entrust with the Southeastern Region.”
“There is… among his half-brothers, there is quite a capable warrior.”
Darian answered in a trembling voice.
“He was originally scheduled to join the Wolfram Spear Knights, but I hear he also attended the Academy in the Capital, so he should be fully capable of fulfilling the role of lord.”
Barcas removed his steel gauntlets and handed them to the Elderly Attendant, then gently stroked his lips with a contemplative expression.
“Bring him before me within a short time. If he seems like a suitable person, I will conduct his appointment ceremony immediately.”
Just then, two attendants removed the heavy iron armor from his chest. Feeling lighter, Barcas strode directly through the crowd toward her.
Lucas unconsciously took a step backward. As the woman he was holding stumbled, he instinctively grasped her waist.
In that instant, heat rushed to his head.
The woman’s waist was so slender that even his hands, still growing, could easily encircle it. Moreover, her skin, which gleamed white even in the darkness, emanated a sweet fragrance he had never encountered before.
What on earth was this scent?
Without thinking, he leaned his face toward her nape and sniffed, when a sharp sound cracked across his cheek like a whip.
Lucas clutched his face with a dazed expression.
The woman who had pushed him away glared at him with eyes full of fury and shouted.
“What are you doing! You perverted little brat!”
“P-perverted?”
He opened his mouth in shock.
“I was only trying to catch you from falling!”
“If you were catching me from falling, why were you smelling me?”
Lucas’s face flushed crimson. As she wore an expression of contempt, an intense shame he had never felt before washed over him.
With an aggrieved expression, he raised his voice indignantly.
“I just thought your body smelled strange!”
This time, a burning sensation spread across his other cheek. Lucas stumbled backward.
What kind of woman was this?
While he had often been bruised all over from harsh training, he had never in his life been struck across the face like this by anyone.
He glowered at the woman with indignation. Just as he was about to snap something at her, Raina came rushing over and shoved the woman away roughly.
“How dare you lay a hand on his face! You witch!”
The woman’s body flew backward like a sheet of paper under the force of Raina’s equestrian-trained arms. Lucas, who had been fuming, reflexively reached out.
Just as he was about to catch her, a long arm snatched her away. Lucas’s head jerked up.
Barcas, who had drawn near without warning, held her in his arms while looking down at him with cold eyes.
“…It seems everyone needs to relearn basic discipline.”
Barcas muttered coldly, turning to regard Raina, whose face had drained of all color, and added his words.
“Both of you are forbidden from riding horses for the time being.”
“But, that’s not… how could you…!”
Barcas turned his back dismissively on Raina’s protests and issued instructions to Darian.
“Assign them a strict tutor. They are not to set foot outside the castle walls until they have acquired proper decorum and etiquette.”
Without waiting for Darian’s response, he turned toward the Main Castle and began walking.
Behind his retreating figure, the warriors erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Most of the Eastern people, who revered strength, appeared utterly captivated by him.
Meanwhile, the servants seemed gripped by fear at the extraordinary martial prowess he had displayed, murmuring prayers and making the sign of the cross over their chests. The nobles, too, were engaged in heated debate regarding the next leader’s radical actions.
Leaving all that commotion behind, the man departed the Training Grounds with unhurried grace.
Raina, who had been watching his departing silhouette with bated breath, finally released a belated protest.
“This is utterly unfair!”
She looked around as if seeking agreement.
“That woman is the one who caused all this chaos! So why should we be punished!”
Lucas abandoned his younger sister, who was on the verge of tears, and approached the center of the ruined Training Grounds.
The soldiers who had been removing Alec Gutban’s corpse naturally stepped aside. Kneeling beside the blackened body, Lucas carefully examined his brother’s handiwork.
The man appeared to have been pierced through the heart in a single blow. Dark blood seeped from within his crumpled breastplate, and from his head, which seemed crushed when it struck the ground, brain matter slowly leaked out.
When the soldiers completely removed his dented helmet, his wide-open, glassy eyes and thick lips flecked with blood foam were revealed.
The final fate of the man who, until this very morning, had been revered as the Eastern Territories’ greatest spear-swordsman was truly pitiful beyond measure.
“All brawn and no skill, it seems.”
“That couldn’t be further from the truth.”
Tyron, who had approached his side, let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
“In his teens, he beat trolls to death with his bare fists, unarmed. He was a warrior blessed not only with that monstrous strength but also with exceptional technique. No one could have imagined this man would meet such an anticlimactic end.”
Lucas looked up at Tyron with worried eyes.
“Won’t this become a problem?”
“It was a duel accepted by both parties. If anyone contests it, the Gutban Family will become the laughingstock of everyone.”
He replied indifferently.
“Moreover, while the Young Lord proposed the duel, it was this man who first challenged his authority. No one will be able to criticize House Sierkan for this outcome.”
The man, speaking with conviction, gazed with contemplative eyes toward where the nobles had gathered.
“However, there may be some discord among the regional lords.”
Lucas shifted his gaze to the Upper Dais, following Tyron’s line of sight. The provincial nobles appeared bewildered by the fact that the administrator of the Southeastern Region had been replaced overnight.
Tyron, observing the murmuring nobles, added as if sighing.
“The succession ceremony may be accelerated. To resolve all this chaos, a powerful Grand Duke will be necessary.”
* * *
“Why are you angry?”
Talia, who had been huddled on one side of the bed with a sullen expression, finally demanded an explanation.
Barcas made no reply, instead walking toward the shelf and rummaging through the display case. His demeanor was as composed as always. Yet Talia could easily discern that his mood had plummeted to its depths. Since returning to the chamber, he had maintained his silence and had not spared her a single glance.
It was absurd. She was the one who should be angry. It was this man who had gone off to fight without even pretending to listen to her words.
Talia glared at him with indignation.
The image of that monstrous man rushing toward Barcas flashed through her mind, and her entire body trembled with a chill while her stomach twisted in agony.
The spectacle that unfolded afterward brought her no shock whatsoever. She simply felt grateful to the heavens that he had emerged unscathed.
At the same time, I wanted nothing more than to beat this man who had made my heart race so wildly. Had my legs not been trembling so violently that I feared I might collapse, I would have rushed at him and acted on that impulse without hesitation.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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