Temple Sword

Chapter 204 Knights
"All... merciless?" The attendant asked in a suppressed choked voice, "I admit, I also want to take revenge, but... kill everyone?"

"Everyone, Simon," the knight looked at him sternly, "because they spared no one, they must die, understand? There is nothing else to do!"

"What if the general has different orders?" Simon asked. "What if we win, but Miklos Gutkleder declares that these people should be kept alive?"

"It's not going to happen," Antal said. "Janos Babonik has put them on the left flank. That is, they will be our first targets.

After the first charge of our heavy cavalry, Lakfey and his Cumans would join the melee, and then only half of our cavalry would continue to charge forward.

At that time, you can also move freely. I have already talked with my captains. After the charge, the 500 cavalry will continue to attack and join the frontal army, but the remaining [-] people will surround the mercenaries. Send these bastards to hell, there will be none left.

I've staked everything on this one chance, Simon, and since I got back, I've worked hard to wait for this moment to come.

At this moment, Simon understood everything.His master's strange behavior, extreme mood swings, sometimes blurted out inadvertently, and he has never been able to understand the strange words...

In the Slavonian forest, the night before the battle, he understood it all at once.He realized that Antal's unprecedented loyalty and obedience to the king over the past year was only part of his revenge plan.

He also clearly understood that no matter what the Lily Knight said, his lonely wandering alone looking for his wife and children did not make him realize the importance of being loyal to the monarch, no, on the contrary.

After months of fighting alone, Antar found neither his family nor his enemies, and he realized then that he would not be able to achieve his goals on his own.

He needs the authority of the king and a strong army, without which he can do nothing.He needs to gain Charlie's trust again so he can use that to complete his revenge.

"Miklos can't stop all of this," Antal continued to explain before Simon overcomes the shock, "He will devote himself to the battle, and I have already told my captains that these All from the direct will of the king.

Anyone who dares to mobilize his troops while the Black Flag is still alive is guilty of treason. "

"What did you say?" A voice came from nearby, "Are you such a leader?"

The two turned their heads to look at the source of the sound at the same time, only to see the burly figure of Esteban Lakfey slowly approaching from the dark curtain, and the short knight Sekai looked at them in disbelief.

"Are you crazy, you son of a bitch?" He stared coldly at Antal, "They entrusted you with a thousand heavy cavalry, and you use the position of commander to seek personal revenge? Of course, Your captains don't know anything about it, do they?"

"How did I forget you, you sneaky murderer," Antal stood up, snorting like a bull, "why do you meddle in everything? I was just talking about using half the The heavy cavalry wiped out the enemy's left flank."

"I know what you're talking about," Lakfee looked up at him, "I heard everything."

"I almost forgot how sharp your hearing is, Isstvan," Lily Knight squeezed out a sentence from his tightly shut mouth, "you always hear things you shouldn't hear, this one It's none of your business.

I'll give you thirty denari, keep your mouth shut, that's what you want, isn't it?You are even willing to gut your own brother for money and fame..."

Lakfei's hands began to tremble, and his fist hit Antar's face like a stone bullet fired from a trebuchet. The lily knight staggered, and immediately fought back. Now it was the turn of the Sekai people to stare at the eyes up.

"Damn bastard!" Lakfee cursed through gritted teeth, then leaned forward and slammed into Antal like a ram.

Soon, they were all on the ground, hitting each other wherever they could.Fist blows to the stomach, ribs, and torso had little effect, for although the two men had stripped off their mail and other armor, the overstuffed soft armor was still on them.

So they started banging each other's heads and rolling around in each other's arms in a savage fight that even Simon didn't know which of the two of them punched more and who took more beatings .

The attendant still couldn't help watching the whole battle. In the end, Lakfey managed to pin Antal under him. At this moment, Lily Knight suddenly laughed.

He was lying on the grass, bleeding from his head, with Knight Sekai lying on his chest, he couldn't breathe from laughing.

"You damn guy!" Lakfee, who was also covered in blood and stains, got off Antar's body, panting heavily. "I tell you, you're crazy!"

After finishing speaking, he also lay down on the grass next to the Lily Knight, and Antar soon stopped laughing, and broke out a rare sobbing sound.Finally his crying stopped, and he just lay on the grass, motionless.

They had been lying there, lost in their own thoughts, but they hadn't fallen asleep, listening to the night wind blowing through the trees and bushes.

Simon, who was swept away by sleepiness, wrapped himself in a blanket, curled up and turned sideways.Though he was worried about his master, and had increasingly dire thoughts at Antal's confession, the weariness of traveling all day and night overwhelmed him.Not so for the two commanders, who continued to lie side by side without any sleepiness.

"I know you hate me," Lakfe said slowly, "but you have to know that what I did in that barn in Zagreb was definitely not for me.

The king still believes you have fulfilled his orders, proving your loyalty.Maybe you'll never understand, maybe you'll never say a word to me again, but anyway you must know why I did it. "

"I know, Istvan." Antal replied in a low voice.

"As for what you plan to do tomorrow, I don't know anything." Knight Sekai continued, "I haven't heard from you, nor have I ever doubted your intentions. Do you understand what I mean?"

After a surprised silence, came a barely audible voice.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me!" Lakfee growled, "I don't know anything, that's all!"

"You don't know anything, I get it," Antar said, "but whatever you think, that doesn't mean we can be friends again..."

"Who wants to be friends with you, a wayward guy?" Lakfee stood up, moaned, touched his swollen face, and walked towards his sleeping place, "You bastard is so cruel!" He complained in pain , "If my head can't be stuffed into the helmet in the morning, I will definitely not let you go..."

"Istevan!" Antal stopped Lakfei, sat up, and looked at the burly bearded warrior with a serious face, "I wish you good luck in the battle."

"You too," Lakfee nodded to him, then turned his back to the knight who was seeking revenge, "I wish you to find peace of mind as soon as possible," he whispered to himself, "A person like you Stubborn fool, they'll find you sooner or later."

-

Simon was woken up by someone shaking his shoulders. From the continuous driving of the previous day to the nap on the stiff grass, he felt as if he had been injected with lead and could not move.

The lead must have splashed on his face too, because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his eyes open.He muttered to himself, half of his feet were still stuck in the swamp of sleep, but the shaking of his shoulders did not weaken, on the contrary, it became stronger and more irritable.

Then, the attendant regained consciousness as if struck by lightning, realized where he was, and the leaden coma disappeared without a trace.

He opened his eyes and saw Antar Bator leaning against him, shaking his shoulders all the time.

Simon sat up, feeling that the surroundings were colder than when he fell asleep, the sky did not brighten, and the silver light of the moon was still shining through the forest trees.

"Lord Barto," Simon moaned sleepily, "are we going to leave?"

"Not yet," whispered the knight, "I'll wake the others in two hours."

"Then," asked the squire, yawning, "what's the matter, my lord?"

"Nothing happened," Antar said, "come with me!"

Peter took off the blanket which was wrapping him around him, rose up, moved his weary limbs, and as he lay down with his boots and clothes on, he immediately overtook his master, who was hurrying through the woods.

Not long after, they came to a small open space. The ground was illuminated by the faint moonlight, exuding a refined and magical atmosphere, completely different from the dense bushes.

In the glowing silver mist, two heavy cavalry captains in armor were quietly waiting for their arrival.

"What's the matter, my lord?" The attendant paused, frowning and asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Kneel, Simon!" Antar said, slowly drawing his Templar Sword engraved with Latin inscriptions in grand fashion. "You are no longer a squire."

Simon was too shocked to speak or move, as if everything was still a dream.

"Listen," Antar leaned closer to him, "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, and maybe this is my last chance to properly thank you for your years of service and your unwavering loyalty...

If the Knights Templar hadn't been persecuted, you would have been a Templar.In peace and war, prosperity and adversity, you have always served me.

Our journey ends here, and no matter what I do after that, no one will be able to hold you accountable.You've proven yourself enough, now it's time for you to be a knight like me.

Now," he pointed his sword at the center of the moonlit clearing, "kneel down! "

Simon never thought that he would get such a favor, and he, who was quite satisfied with his status as a servant, walked to the place pointed by the knight with heavy steps.

There, instead of kneeling like an expectant and proud follower, he fell like one defeated by grief.

Antar let the two witnesses stand beside him, cleared his throat, and when he spoke again, his tone was no longer the usual gloomy.

"Never be afraid of your enemies!" he cried solemnly. "Be brave, be kind, and God will love you, and always be honest, even at the cost of your life! Protect the weak, and bring about justice! By thy oath, Don't forget it!"

Then the knight raised his sword, point up, before his face, and the moonlight danced on the blade.

"Simon, son of Bella!" he said to his squire, "in the name of Charles I, king of Anjou, and by the authority he has given me, before these two witnesses, I knight you.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," Antar touched the left shoulder, then the right shoulder, of the man kneeling in front of him, "Arise, Sir Simon!From now on, you don't owe me any obligations. "

That's what I'm most afraid of, thought the former squire.

As he stood up, it occurred to Simon that he might be the only person in the entire world who felt pain, shame, sadness instead of joy or pride at being knighted.

(End of this chapter)