Temple Sword

Chapter 16 Becoming a Lion

They reached Pécs four days later, but to Antal's great dismay they simply bypassed the city.He wanted to take a good look at noon, but Umberto, who didn't want to go through the gate anyway, mentioned some stories vaguely, and from his uncharacteristically mumbling, Antal learned that the singer was in Pécs. Used to get into some trouble.

Their next destination is Seksad, which can be reached in less than two days' ride.Here they finally stopped at a hotel, where they had a hearty, hot dinner and slept on a bed of relative comfort.

During their journey, they passed through several small villages, and the villagers were very happy to provide them with food and accommodation, but Umberto always refused.Since Antal was a squire, he had a right to expect the peasants to provide him with food and shelter, but Umberto explained to him so that they would take food away from the mouths of the poor.

"Don't forget that they have to pay heavy taxes," he said to Antar at every opportunity. "They have to pay tithes to the church and give a lot of gifts to the landlords. We have brought enough food and don't need to rely on the villagers. live."

"I want hot food," Antar complained, "my stomach has had enough of cold jerky!"

"Enough!" Umberto looked at him. "Your uncle wants to make you a good knight. He will not allow you to eat the food of the poor, even if you have the right to do so..."

On several occasions, Umberto left Antares waiting alone with three horses, and then disappeared for hours in the town where they stopped, the boy frustrated that he could not go with him to gather information. He really felt forced to travel as punishment while he waited.

It would have been more interesting for him if he could hang out with Umberto and see how the Italians got word of him, yet he was cleaning and grooming the horses now like a normal stable servant.

When they reached Seksard, he invented a new game to pass the lonely time.He stretched his waist, swept his chin up, straightened his chest, revealing the red cross sewn on his chest, put his left hand on the hilt of his sword, and led the horse around the city, as if the whole world was at his side The feet are average.

He liked it when people looked at him well, because peasants didn't see many knights, let alone knights in orders.

In cities, however, the situation is quite different.When Umberto disappeared into the streets of Seksard the next day, and Antal started pacing like a knight to pass the time, a burst of mocking laughter suddenly rang in his ears.Not far from him stood three unshaven men in tattered clothes. They watched Antal's movements with great interest. The boy did not hide behind the horse, but stood in front of the crowd.

"If I'm not mistaken," he said in a deliberately low voice, "the gentlemen are laughing at me."

"You're not mistaken, boy," said the man in the middle, giggling, "you're such a funny little fool, it's good to see you on this sweltering day."

Antal took a closer look at the three men, two of them had swords on their belts, but they were certainly not knights, they looked too dirty, their weapons were as worn out as their clothes, and their swords must have been from Stolen from dead noblemen.

They wore brightly colored clothes, and from their belts hung various weapons for wounding, and the man without a sword had a battered little scabbard on the right side of his belt, and a simple longaxe on the left.One of them was still wearing a cloak, but it was full of holes.

"Anything you don't like, boy?" asked the man on the right, who had a long scar under his left eye that was almost identical to the one on William's face.

Antal suddenly realized that these people were not joking, they didn't look like farmers, and who knew how many people's blood was stained on their weapons.

"I am a member of the Knights Templar," he said calmly, "I have nothing to do with whether you are happy or not, but please don't make me a laughing stock."

"Are you threatening us?" The man in the middle with the cloak took a step forward and smiled sinisterly. He seemed to be the leader of the three.

"It's not," Antal tried hard to hide his trembling voice. He didn't think he was weak or not good at swordsmanship, but these three people gave him an ominous feeling.

"Well," said the man without the sword, "then why have you come to us?"

"I just ask you to respect this red cross!"

The man with the scar on his face also stepped forward, spitting at the cross on Antal's heart.The boy couldn't help but took a few steps back. In addition to fear, he also felt angry and ashamed. He wiped off the disgusting saliva with a tense movement, and stared at the three people with wide eyes.

"Templar? You are a poor little apprentice, get out of here!"

Just when Antal didn't know how to respond, he saw Umberto coming from a distance out of the corner of his eye, so he jumped on Sareche and took Dris and Adso beside him to meet him. The singers meet.

"We'll meet again!" He nodded warningly to the three.

It wasn't until a few hours later that the fear in Antal's heart completely disappeared. He and Umberto rode in silence, getting farther and farther away from Seksard, and he kept thinking about what happened to the three figures just now. The scary thing is, why does my stomach seem like a small hockey puck in front of them?After all, as a knight, he can't be afraid of this kind of scum!
He felt that William was quite right, that this kingdom should be ruled and led by a real king, who would use iron and fire against these troublemakers.

He swore that next time he met such a person, he would never back down.Instead, he draws his sword and becomes a lion.

(End of this chapter)