The attendant dared not refute him, nodding and bowing obediently, then stood aside with the rest of the equipment.
Then, Karl stepped forward, his full plate armor clanking, and brushed past Adris.
He slowly approached the Herald and then removed his helmet.
The Herald was taken aback by his youthful face, especially his strikingly noticeable appearance.
Fortunately, he was not a woman, so while he was surprised by Karl's looks, he didn't lose his composure for too long.
"Sir Karl, you are the youngest contestant I have ever seen. You seem to have only recently come of age?"
"Also, your name, family, liege lord..."
"Hey, kid, you'd best compete a few tournaments later. With your delicate skin and tender flesh, you'll collapse after just a few steps in that armor, hahaha!"
However, the Herald hadn't even finished speaking when Adris, without a shred of etiquette, rudely interrupted.
Karl completely ignored Adris's taunts, using his pinky finger to pick his ear.
He turned his head to Dalton beside him, chuckling, "Dalton, am I having ringing in my ears? Why do I hear a dog barking wildly."
"And there's a pungent stench; did that dog eat shit and not rinse its mouth?"
Dalton was momentarily stunned, his cheeks puffing slightly, clearly wanting to laugh but holding it back.
But his lips still couldn't help but curve upwards, and he immediately chimed in, "I think perhaps so, Lord Karl."
"Pfft! Hahaha."
At this moment, even the Herald couldn't help but twitch at the corners of his eyes, chuckling softly.
To be honest, he also disliked the ill-mannered knight beside him.
He simply didn't want to embarrass the other party in front of so many onlookers.
He hadn't expected that what he hadn't done, this young Sir Karl in front of him had done without any qualms.
Instantly, Adris was mocked by Karl with insults that didn't use dirty words, and his face visibly reddened with anger.
He took half a step forward, attempting to teach this annoying brat a profound lesson.
But suddenly, he remembered the numerous onlookers and even the Herald present.
If he really did that, it would be tantamount to having no noble bearing whatsoever.
So, he stopped, and shouted in exasperation, "You ill-bred brat, how dare you insult a knight! I challenge you to a knight's duel, do you dare accept?"
Hearing the other party call him ill-bred and challenge him to a so-called knight's duel...
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Karl raised an eyebrow, a cold glint in his eyes. He was about to refuse, to say what right did the other party have, when...
"Wait, Lord Karl, don't be so quick to refuse him. This might be an opportunity..."
"The qualifications for the Martial Arts Tournament, besides identity verification, also involve an unspoken reputation."
"People like you, who are newly knighted and immediately participate in the Martial Arts Tournament, are very few. If there are many applicants, it's possible you might not be selected to compete."
Dalton leaned close to Karl, whispering a few words into his ear.
Upon hearing this, Karl's eyes flickered. He tilted his head slightly and replied in a low voice, "Is it that difficult to qualify for the tournament?"
"Yes, Lord Karl, this was set by His Majesty the King and many nobles together."
Karl pouted, feeling truly annoyed by these so-called formalities.
If it weren't to fulfill Raymond's wish, he wouldn't care much for this so-called noble title.
He had never entertained the idea of being a subordinate; if he were to be anyone, he would be a king, above one, below ten thousand.
However, with his current strength, it was clearly not enough to achieve his goal, so he had no choice but to proceed step by step within the rules.
Karl pondered for a moment, his brief silence making Adris mistakenly believe he was intimidated.
Adris crossed his arms, a mocking expression on his face, and provoked, "What? Spineless brat, are you scared?"
However, Karl, having snapped back to reality, gave him a cold glance, completely ignoring him. Instead, he turned his head and spoke to the Herald.
"I apologize, Your Excellency, for letting this fool waste your valuable time."
"My name is Karl El. I have no family, and my liege lord is the Erl Family of Barov. This is my crest."
"Oh? You are of common birth?"
The Herald took the crest, clearly surprised by Karl's statement about having no family.
The knighting of commoners was a frequent occurrence, so he wasn't surprised by that.
What surprised him was how young Karl was to be knighted and to participate before a family had even been established.
Usually, a knight who had been knighted would have to diligently manage his territory for decades before a family would gradually form.
Moreover, there couldn't be too many mishaps along the way for the family to develop smoothly.
And the Martial Arts Tournament was not entirely safe; its danger was not low.
Every time the Martial Arts Tournament was held, people would be injured or even die in the competition.
In his opinion, this young Sir Karl clearly possessed the qualities of courage and honor.
And excellent people are often admired or respected by others, and he was no exception.
The Herald smiled, a rare occurrence, and handed the confirmed crest back to Karl.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Karl. Your courage and honor command my admiration."
"Mr. Herald, there's something I might need to trouble you with." Karl glanced at Adris, who had walked forward again.
"You wish for me to preside over this duel for you, to act as a temporary judge?" The Herald looked intently, smiling gently.
Adris snorted, saying in a deep voice, "Hmph, I thought you were a coward who wouldn't dare accept the challenge, but you do have some courage. But courage isn't enough to defeat me!"
"Hold on, I haven't stated my demands yet. If you want me to accept your challenge, there are two conditions."
"Firstly, add some stakes. Secondly, if you lose, you must sincerely apologize to me in front of everyone present and shout 'I am the coward' three times."
Then, without waiting for Adris's affirmative reply, Karl signaled to Dalton with his eyes.
Dalton immediately unfastened his money pouch and placed all the oren on the table.
This included the hotel accommodation fees and other expenses the two would incur during their journey.
"There are sixty oren in the pouch, as one of the stakes for this challenge. Do you dare accept?" Karl said calmly, a cold smile on his lips.
Immediately, Adris's expression changed. He couldn't hide the desire in his eyes for the money pouch on the table, but he was also very conflicted.
Sixty oren was not a small sum for him either, not to mention having to bet his reputation.
To apologize to that detestable brat in front of all the onlookers, and to call himself a coward...
"If you're afraid of losing the duel, you only need to sincerely apologize to me now, and I can pretend this never happened."
Seeing Adris hesitate, Karl unhurriedly provoked him again.
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