Temple Sword

Chapter 46 In the Name of Knights and God

"You crazy boy!" Carlos walked into the tent with a smile, and said to Antal, who was taking off all the weight on his body, "Champion! No one thought you were a champion at first, but you not only became a champion , also challenged and defeated a knight!"

"My friend!" The boy turned to him, and after thinking for a moment, he threw himself on him and hugged him tightly. "I didn't expect to see you again!"

"Do you think I'm going to miss your race to prove you're good enough to be a knight and a man? Even if I had to deal with ten Williams to get here, I'd make my way to see you without blinking!" he said with a laugh , Out of the corner of my eye fell on the old knight standing in the corner, "It's a good thing, your uncle didn't block my way, and let me sit next to him."

"Don't believe a word he says," William said, with his father's pride clutched in his chest, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "He begged me to forgive, I was afraid he would kneel down in front of me. "

"I never thought of kneeling for you, you old bastard!"

Laszlo, who was arranging weapons and equipment, couldn't help laughing.He bent over with his back to the others, pretending to give all his attention to the tools, but his shoulders trembled every now and then.

"You are going to wear Seiketsu's white robe." The Spanish knight said seriously, he had to be careful with his words, William was watching, he didn't want to be driven away like last time.To be honest, he wanted to talk to Antal alone, but he had to wait now.

"White robe." The boy nodded, "I will swear three oaths to be a true knight."

Carlos de Barcelo looked at him for a moment, and Antal couldn't stand his strange expression.Countless questions came to Carlos' mouth, but he pressed them all back.

"You know, maybe I'm a bad teacher," he said to William, looking at Antal. "What I said should not be said to a 14-year-old kid, you are not mature enough to come to me as a man. And I pampered you, and maybe even encouraged you. I heard it happened later. what, you've traveled the whole kingdom, seen the world, been in real battles, and you almost died in the first battle, it's probably all my fault. I apologize for that, forgive me for being a bad teacher!"

Antal is very embarrassed, are you apologizing to me?What do you have to forgive?He wanted to tell the black knight that if it hadn't been for his advice, if William hadn't let him go to Buda, if he hadn't nearly died fighting those robbers, he wouldn't have met Agnes, he would have Not realizing what the true meaning of life is, nor knowing what is worth fighting for.

"You have nothing to forgive," Antar said softly, all smiles gone from his face for an instant. "I'm so sorry you had to go, for God's sake, I've thought of you a lot over the past five years, but I have no regrets about my life, it's what happened that brought me to this point."

"Words from a wise man," Carlos laughed, "Wait, I brought you something!"

He left the tent and returned a moment later with a large object wrapped in soft leather.

"One of your ancestors saved the life of my ancestors in the Holy Land during the Fourth Crusade. Then my ancestors knighted him, gave him the name 'Bator', which means brave, and gave him Land and a sword. Since then, this sword has been passed down from father to son, and it may be yours one day. I can't give you such a precious gift, but I hope this thing can come in handy in your future battles. "

As he spoke, he handed over the wrapped things and watched Antal excitedly open the package.Hidden under the soft leather is a large and heavy battle ax, simple and unadorned, the handle is an elegantly curved hardwood, the head has no decoration, it is pure steel for killing, and a long leather rope hangs from the handle The lower end, worn on wood.

"If you strap it on your wrist, you don't have to worry about the weapon flying away," Carlos pointed out. "It's also very balanced. It's not an ax for chopping wood. Try it!"

Antar took a step back and swung the weapon a few times in the air. Carlos was telling the truth, and after the second stroke, the ax seemed to move by itself, merging with his arm.

"You can stretch the twine a bit," Carlos explained, "so you can throw it out in the middle of a fight and then pull it back."

"I don't know what to say." The boy stroked the edge of the ax emotionally.

"Then don't say anything," Carlos blinked, just like five years ago, "use it well and let it speak for you!"

"I haven't even been knighted yet."

"At least I can be the first person to give you a gift. When you become a knight, there will probably be a long queue of people who want to congratulate you as a champion."

Antal was about to thank him when the entrance to the tent opened, and a servant dressed in splendid clothes walked in.Except for Carlos, everyone recognized his identity at a glance: his clothes were decorated with the lilies of the Anjou family.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." He bowed his head politely, "Hungarian King Charles Anjou invited the champion of the tournament, William Barto's son, Antal."

"Your Majesty?" William asked in surprise, "What does the king want him for?"

"Your Majesty is overwhelmed by his bravery and martial arts." The servant replied respectfully, "He ordered me to bring the champion before him when he was ready, and he wished to have a private talk with him."
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Antar walks through the corridors of Visegrad Castle with a trembling stomach. Earlier, he thought that King Charles would meet him in the tent, but when the servants mounted their horses, he knew they were going to the mountains. castle.

Instead of his helm and mail, he wore the brown cloak of a squire, and pinned the Saracen sword by his side.He soaked his sweaty hair in a basin of water, dry in the summer heat by the time they reached the castle gates.Then he braided his hair, which was the best he could do, but he was ashamed that he could not present himself more gracefully to the King.

The servants led Antar through a series of corridors, as if walking in some kind of maze, and they stopped before a door guarded by two guards armed with halberds.The servant walked in at their nod, signaled to those inside that Antar was coming, and disappeared into the castle's gloom.

Antal stepped across the high threshold of the room, and the door closed behind him.There were two men in the room, one of whom was very young, with shoulder-length brown hair, whose every demeanor betrayed his aristocratic status.He sat on a beautifully carved, cushioned wooden throne, and his blue velvet gown was covered with golden lilies.Behind him was another man, much older, in a rich cassock and hood.

Antal recognized the two at a glance. He knew that the king was waiting for him here, but he did not expect that the archbishop of Esztergom was also in the room.

Overcoming the shock and coming to himself, he quickly dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty, Antal Bator, at your disposal." He said with his head down.

"Get up, champion!" said Charlie Robert, smiling in a solemn voice. "Congratulations, you won the race today with force and tenacity that no one can match."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" the boy thanked hastily, he had never been so overwhelmed in his life.He even forgot to stand up, and it was only after a short silence that he pulled his sore muscles up.

"Wine?" asked the king, pointing to the table next to the throne, on which were several tin cups and a jug of red wine. "Would you like to drink to me, champion?"

"Hmm..." Antal swallowed heavily, "Of course, Your Majesty! If you allow me..."

He was about to pour the wine himself, but a figure appeared out of nowhere, poured the wine and retreated into the shadows.This startled the boy, who didn't even notice the servant standing by the wall.

The king rose from his throne, picked up two goblets, and with a broad smile handed one of them to the nervous champion, who Antal took it cautiously, fearing it would slip out of his hands.

"Let us drink," said King Charles thoughtfully, "to the future and to the King's Sword, which may split the clouds over our heads!"

"No poet could have said it better," said Archbishop Thomas, standing behind the throne, "but if you will forgive me, I do not want to drink, Sire."

"Ah," Charlie looked up at the roof, "It seems that my faithful archbishop does not support my novel idea, at least you drink with me, Antal!"

Antares toasted the king and couldn't help noticing the distinct Italian accent of Charles Robert, a ruler who was a year younger than him, who spoke good Hungarian but couldn't hide the fact that he was Italian.

The wine was better than anything Antal had ever tasted, even better than the ones he had smuggled out of Dubica's uncle's cellar before.This is wine for kings!Not even a knight can drink this fine wine.

"Son of William Bartow," began the king, "tell me, where did your father get this unusual surname?"

"My father was never called Barto," Antar replied. "My own father squandered everything we had and then beat my mother to death. William fought in the Holy Land for 23 years and returned to Back home, he is my uncle. He adopted me when I was five years old, and gave me all his life skills, but as for the things he didn't know, he sent someone to teach me... Your Majesty."

Charlie Robert glanced back at Archbishop Thomas, who was still standing motionless behind, and raised his eyebrows, but the latter did not respond to him.

(End of this chapter)