Chapter 42: A Dream Apart (3)

Three days later, the carriage carrying Demian arrived at the Copperhead Viscountcy.

The venue for the jousting tournament was a vast plain near the Copperhead Viscount's castle.

Temporary arenas and tents for guests to stay in had been set up there.

'They must have spent quite a bit of money.'

The temporary arena, built with wooden fences, was enormous.

There were over a dozen tents set up for the guests to stay in.

"Please stop."

As the carriage reached the entrance, a middle-aged man blocked its path.

"Where are you from?"

"We are from the Hassen Viscountcy."

Victor answered promptly.

The middle-aged man began to check the list in his hand.

Suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Could it be that Sir Demian Hassen is in the carriage?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I apologize for the rudeness. I am Connor, the butler of the Copperhead Viscountcy."

The middle-aged man quickly straightened his posture.

"We will take care of the carriage. Please come this way."

A servant led the three of them to a tent inside.

"You can use this tent."

The tent the servant led them to was quite spacious.

The floor was covered with a soft carpet, and there were two beds.

"The tent next to this one is for the servants."

Even a tent for the servants was provided.

This could be considered a great luxury.

"There will be a banquet prepared for this evening. You can rest until then. If you need anything, please call me."

The servant bowed and left.

"What a wonderful place. To provide such a place, Lord Copperhead must be a generous person."

Abel looked around the tent in amazement.

In contrast, Demian showed a rather indifferent reaction.

In his previous life, Lord Copperhead had insulted Abel and mocked the Hassen Viscountcy.

'He's just treating me well because I'm famous.'

The reason Lord Copperhead provided such a good place to stay was solely due to Demian's reputation.

Something similar had happened in his previous life.

The mercenary group Demian was part of was originally a small, unknown group, and they never received good treatment wherever they went.

Sometimes, they wouldn't even get paid after completing a mission and would be chased away.

However, after Demian's fame grew, everything changed completely.

At that time, Demian realized the immense power of reputation.

"Victor, go and check out the tent. Let me know if there are any problems."

"Yes, I understand."

Victor answered loudly and left the tent.

Abel flopped onto the bed, looking tired from the long carriage ride.

"Rest. I'll go take a look around."

"Yes, I understand......"

Suddenly, Abel jumped up from the bed.

"I'll go with you."

"What? Why? Just rest."

"No, I can't. Father made me promise."

"Promise?"

"Father said that if you seem like you're going to cause trouble, I must stop you."

Demian laughed loudly at Abel's words.

"Trouble? I'm not a child to cause trouble. Don't worry, just rest."

"No, I will go with you."

Seeing that Abel wouldn't back down, Demian inwardly sighed.

'Father must have already noticed.'

The reason Demian wanted to go outside was to check out the tournament grounds and the knights.

If he encountered Sophia Russell and her lover on the way, he planned to take care of them immediately.

"Brother, let's go."

"...Alright."

Demian replied with a lackluster voice.

* * *

Demian and Abel walked around, observing the knights.

'Most of them are squires.'

Lord Copperhead had limited the participants of this jousting tournament to young adults.

As a result, most of the participants were at the squire level.

'Occasionally, there are low-class knights as well.'

One in five participants was a low-class knight.

Reaching such a level at such a young age indicated exceptional talent.

"Brother, look. There's the tournament ground."

Abel pointed ahead. There was a makeshift arena constructed by the Copperhead Viscountcy.

Although it was a makeshift arena, it was quite large, and the ground was evenly compacted.

"Is this a team event for the jousting tournament?"

There were various events in jousting tournaments.

There were one-on-one matches and team battles to determine the winner.

As long as the knights were mounted on horses, it would be recognized as a jousting tournament.

"It might be a monster hunt."

While Demian was looking at the arena and having a conversation, a group of about five or six people approached him.

Their sturdy builds and swords at their waists clearly indicated they were knights participating in the jousting tournament.

"Demian Hassen, right?"

One of the knights asked Demian. He was the only low-class knight among them.

"If so, what's the matter?"

The knights looked at each other and laughed, their smiles filled with ulterior motives.

"It's an honor to meet the famous Demian Hassen in person."

"You defeated a black mage and won against the heir of the Ryanbloom Viscountcy, right?"

"Those are quite astonishing rumors. It's hard to believe, really."

The knights began to surround Demian.

"But I heard about your past... weren't you a notorious troublemaker just a few months ago?"

"You were kicked out of taverns for causing trouble and borrowed a large sum of money using your family's assets as collateral."

"Those are really unbelievable rumors, aren't they? The great Sir Demian couldn't possibly be such a scoundrel."

The knights' tones and expressions were filled with mockery.

"But I've heard so many of these rumors. I want to confirm them this time."

The knight who spoke first placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

As the only low-class knight, he seemed ready to step forward for any task that required force.

'Sure enough, these kinds of guys show up.'

Rumors spread quickly, but it took a long time for people to accept them.

Especially in Demian's case, he had gained an incredible reputation in a short period of time.

Therefore, Demian had expected that there would be people at this jousting tournament who wanted to verify the rumors.

"Good timing. I was feeling stiff from sitting in the carriage for so long."

Demian stretched his arms and said.

"Brother, you can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you promise Father... that you wouldn't cause trouble?"

"But they started it. Should I just let it go?"

"That's... true, but..."

Abel sighed.

"Try to end it as peacefully as possible..."

"I won't kill them."

"That's not what I mean..."

The knight couldn't help but frown at their conversation.

"What arrogant talk are you spouting..."

"Is it really Demian Hassen?"

At that moment, another voice was heard from a distance.

"I came to see what the commotion was about, and it really is him. I didn't expect to meet him so soon."

A young man was walking towards them, accompanied by a young woman.

"It's a pleasure to meet you like this."

The young man said with a fierce smile.

* * *

Demian stared at the young man's face.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember who he was.

"What are you doing, acting so familiar with me?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing'? You hit me and now you act like this? That's disappointing."

"Hit you?"

Demian tilted his head in confusion. Then the woman standing next to the man spoke.

"Hmph, are you embarrassed by what happened back then? It's useless. No matter how much you pretend not to know, we remember everything."

"Who are you to butt in?"

Demian frowned.

He was already annoyed by the knights' disrespect, and now this woman he had never met was looking down on him.

"Brother, why are you suddenly acting like this?"

"What do you mean?"

"That woman is Sophia Russell, and the man next to her is her lover, Jackson Cutter."

Demian's eyes widened at this.

He had a vague memory of Sophia Russell, but he didn't expect to fail to recognize her when she was right in front of him.

'So this is Jackson Cutter, huh.'

Demian examined Jackson Cutter.

He had a sharp nose and clear eyes. He was quite handsome, more so than Demian had expected.

'No wonder Sophia Russell was so infatuated with him.'

With his good looks and the skill of a low-class knight.

It made sense why the Russell Viscountcy had declared the annulment of the engagement with Demian.

"What are you looking at? Are you feeling nostalgic about the past?"

Jackson Cutter said with a sneer. Demian Hassen smiled back at him.

What the hell is this guy saying?

"Hey, what are you doing, ignoring us?"

At that moment, one of the knights who had arrived earlier spoke in an irritated voice.

The knight glared at Jackson Cutter.

"Hey, I don't know who you are, but we found Demian Hassen first. So, scram."

"I was about to say the same thing. I have business with Demian Hassen. Why don't you leave?"

"You're a funny guy."

The knight approached Jackson Cutter, radiating hostility.

"There are some people who only come to their senses after seeing blood."

"Sure, sure, I understand. Just hurry up and attack."

"You bastard!"

The knight, enraged, grabbed Jackson Cutter by the collar.

At that moment, Jackson Cutter punched the knight in the stomach.

"Ugh!"

The knight bent forward, staggering backward. He even started to vomit.

"Sir Berry?"

The other knights were taken aback.

Sir Berry was a knight of the high rank of low-class knight.

For a knight of that caliber to be reduced to such a state by a single punch?

'During the punch, he released magic power.'

Demian understood exactly why Sir Berry was in such pain.

When he punched the stomach, he released magic power, causing internal injuries.

'He knows such advanced techniques.'

Knights were familiar with infusing weapons with magic power, but magic power had countless applications.

'He's a very skilled guy.'

Not only did he know such techniques, but he could use them proficiently.

"Damn you! How dare you to Sir Berry!"

One of the knights grabbed his sword hilt. At that moment, Jackson Cutter's eyes turned cold.

"Drawing your sword is your choice... but you might die."

The knight's face turned pale at Jackson Cutter's killing intent.

The knight's skill was at best that of a squire.

It was impossible for him to withstand Jackson Cutter's killing intent at that level.

"I'll see you later!"

The knights fled, taking Sir Berry with them.

"Now that the annoying ones are gone... let's settle our business... what?"

Jackson Cutter turned to Demian and was taken aback.

Demian Hassen was looking at his brother with a bright smile.

"Brother..."

"Hey, I didn't start it."

"That's... true, but..."

Abel sighed deeply.

"Try to... resolve it quietly."

"Is there a choice?"

Demian approached Jackson Cutter and extended his right hand.

"What the hell is this?"

"Why? I just want to shake hands."

Jackson Cutter's eyes narrowed.

"Fine, I don't mind."

Jackson Cutter shook Demian's hand.

Immediately after, Jackson Cutter's body floated into the air.

"...What?"

Before he could react, he was slammed headfirst into the ground.