Arthur revealed a strange smile, toying with the massive crank crossbow in his hand; this weapon was never meant for ordinary soldiers to fight alone.
It didn't need too many; for long-range suppression, it wasn't very effective, no match for a longbow.
Its value lay in ambushes, in positional warfare, and when smeared with the poison used by the Red Viper....
Dozens, or even hundreds, of such crank crossbows, in a narrow valley or on a city wall, firing a volley at charging Knight Lords...
Shoot the man, then the horse—that sight would be enough to utterly cripple those arrogant, heavily armored war machines in an instant.
"My Lord, would you like... for me to demonstrate its power for you?" Brin asked tentatively, watching the expression on Arthur's face.
Arthur's gaze went over Brin's shoulder, looking at Evelyn, who had just walked in from the side hall.
She seemed to have just finished supervising the excavation work within the Lions Den, and hearing the commotion here, her face held a questioning look.
Arthur said nothing, merely waved to Evelyn, then raised the crank crossbow in his hand.
Evelyn immediately understood.
Arthur called for two strong maids, who set up a special target at the far end of the great hall.
It was a straw dummy wearing a complete black chainmail, which gleamed black, reflecting the light under the candlelight.
What was unusual was that Arthur had someone gut a freshly slaughtered pig and stuff the entire pig's body, complete with bones and thick fat, inside the chainmail.
The atmosphere in the entire hall instantly became solemn.
Evelyn walked to the crossbow, and without the slightest hesitation, she bent down, firmly stepping on the front end of the crank crossbow with her foot, then leaned over, gripping the crank handle with both hands, and began to turn it with force.
The grinding sound of gears turning was particularly harsh in the empty hall, like some immense power was accumulating.
The steel string connected to the crossbow arm was slowly pulled backward, emitting a creaking, teeth-grindingly taut sound; each sound represented a powerful force being stored, awaiting release.
Brin watched from the side, unable to help but swallow.
Truly...
...a "strong" woman.
Turning the crank required continuous and steady strength, and Evelyn's movements were fluid and smooth, even easier than some of his strong young men.
He had originally thought this woman was only exceptionally intelligent, but he hadn't expected her strength to be astonishingly great, and her figure impressive, though it was a pity about the birthmark on her face.
Finally, with a soft click, the crossbow string was firmly locked onto the mechanism.
Evelyn stood up, holding the heavy, deadly weapon.
Arthur walked to her side, gently correcting her posture; her body scent filled his nostrils, yet his mind remained focused.
She used no support, simply holding the crossbow level with a composure that was almost cold, aiming under Arthur's touch and adjustment.
Evelyn took a deep breath, then held it, ignoring Arthur's wandering hand, feeling Arthur's breath on her neck.
The hall was deathly silent, even breathing sounds disappeared; even the maids stopped what they were doing and looked at Evelyn.
Brin's mouth hung open, his eyes wide; Lord Arthur's hobbies...
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the heavy crossbow bolt resting on the crossbow, twice as thick as a regular arrow, with a four-sided pyramidal arrowhead.
Evelyn held her breath for a moment, then calmly pulled the trigger.
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull, short thud!
Immediately following was a hair-raising shriek as it cut through the air.
The black crossbow bolt seemed to break free from the constraints of time, transforming into an elusive afterimage that crossed half the hall in an instant.
A dull thud indicated the sharp weapon hitting armor, followed by a tearing sound as it pierced flesh.
Under everyone's breathless gaze, the heavy crossbow bolt struck the center of the chainmail dummy's chest without any hesitation.
The thick chainmail, which was enough to withstand sword slashes, was instantly pierced through, leaving a hideous gaping hole, as if it were made of paper.
The impact of the crossbow bolt was immense; the entire dummy, along with its unsecured wooden frame, jerked backward and fell heavily to the ground.
Dead silence; a deathly silence permeated the entire hall.
Brin, as if waking from a dream, was the first to run over.
He knelt down and, with the utility knife he carried, laboriously cut the leather straps securing the chainmail. When the sight inside was exposed to everyone, gasps of cold air rose and fell.
The crossbow bolt, most of it, was embedded in the pig's body, with only a small portion left exposed.
Centered around the breach, the crossbow bolt was deeply embedded, bloody and mangled, forming a shocking wound.
This was no longer penetration, but destruction.
Brin reached in, trying to pull out the crossbow bolt, but found it firmly stuck by broken bones and taut muscle, unmoving.
Arthur slowly walked over. He looked at the pig meat remains, then at the calm-faced Evelyn.
He took the crank crossbow from her hand, which still held Evelyn's warmth; it was heavy in his grip. He ran his fingers over the cold steel crossbow arm, as if he could feel the power lurking within it.
"Very good, very good." Arthur's voice was soft, yet it clearly reached Brin and Evelyn's ears. "Riverrun has not responded to the envoy of the Legge Family we sent."
He knew this was an attitude of hoping to downplay the big issues and resolve the small ones, after all, one was a direct vassal of Riverrun, and the other was a vassal of a vassal; even Daedings Family had no response, merely saying to handle it as they saw fit.
Arthur raised the unloaded crossbow, assumed a firing stance, and aimed: "Since that's the case, we'll just have to go get one ourselves."
The Legge Family was no longer an ordinary enemy; they had to be met with a head-on blow.
Arthur felt the cold touch of this big fellow. No wonder Emperor Joe liked crossbows; this was truly amazing. He wanted Brin to make another type of small hand crossbow that could be hidden, and if loaded with the scorpion venom the Red Viper smeared on weapons, it would be a perfect assassination tool!
The road back to the Lions Den was long, the wheels making dull sounds as they churned through the muddy dirt road.
Barna tightened the cloak around himself and glanced sideways at the man sitting beside him in the packhorse cart.
Lean build, black hair, black eyes, messy stubble, the man called himself Bronn.
"So, you almost lost your life for this pile of scrap metal?" Bronn pointed his finger at the several fully loaded wagons behind them, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"This is a task Lord Arthur assigned me." Barna's voice was soft but clear. He looked at the muddy mountain road ahead, his thoughts drifting back to Seaguard a few days ago.
It was a castle filled with the salty sea breeze and the smell of fish, and also the largest military outpost on the frontline of the Ironborn war. The long-term large garrison had even formed a medium-sized urban system within the camp, with everything one could need.
Barna found his target here.
A lord's quartermaster rubbed his hands, looking troubled as he faced Barna: "Sir, these... these were all dragged off the battlefield. Some armor plates are pierced and rotted, and many helmets are dented. And they're all covered in unremovable blood and gore; no one wants them. Are you sure?"
"I'll take these." Barna's eyes shone. He acquired mountains of damaged armor and broken weapons from various lords at a price far below Lord Arthur's budget, almost for free.
Watching his subordinates load these 'junk' items onto the wagons one by one, Barna felt an unprecedented sense of pride.
He was no longer the beggar who huddled in various villages, living off scraps; he was Lord Arthur's financial officer, and he had successfully completed his mission.
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