The servant did not dare to object, nodded obediently, and moved aside with the rest of the equipment.
Immediately, Karl stepped forward, his armor plates rubbing against each other, and walked past Adric.
He slowly approached the herald, then removed his helmet.
The herald couldn't help but be stunned upon seeing his young face, which was particularly striking.
Fortunately, he wasn't a woman; he was a bit surprised by Karl's appearance but quickly regained his composure.
"Sir, you are the youngest participant I have ever met. You look like you've only just come of age?"
"Also, your name, family, and..."
"Hey, kid, you'd better compete in a few sessions. You'll probably be flat on the ground after taking a few steps in that armor, haha!"
However, before the herald could finish speaking, Adric, lacking any etiquette, interrupted.
Karl ignored Adric's sarcasm and picked his ear with his pinky.
He turned his head to Dalton beside him and sneered: "Dalton, do I have tinnitus? How is it that I hear a dog barking?"
"Also, there's a sharp smell. Did the dog eat feces and not rinse its mouth?"
Dalton was startled, his cheeks puffing slightly, clearly wanting to laugh but holding back.
But the corners of his mouth still couldn't stop twitching, and he repeated: "I think so, Lord Karl."
BWAHAHA!
At that moment, even the herald couldn't help himself, the corners of his eyes twitching as he let out a quiet laugh.
To be honest, he was also very displeased with the knight beside him who didn't understand etiquette.
It's just that with so many onlookers around, he didn't want to embarrass the other party.
He hadn't expected what he wouldn't do—the young man before him did it without any qualms.
After Karl spent some time mocking Adric, also insulting him without using profanity, Adric's face began to redden at a visible speed.
He took half a step forward, trying to teach the boy a profound lesson.
But suddenly he remembered there were so many onlookers, including the herald.
If he actually did it, it would be tantamount to lacking aristocratic character.
So he stopped and shouted angrily: "Ill-mannered boy, how dare you insult a knight? I challenge you to a knight's duel. Do you dare to accept?"
Hearing the other party call him ill-mannered and challenge him to a so-called knight's duel,
Karl raised an eyebrow, his eyes turning a bit cold, and was about to refuse what the other party had said.
"Wait, Lord Karl, don't refuse him hastily. This could be an opportunity..."
"To qualify for the competition, besides identity verification, you also need a reputation that isn't tarnished."
"There are very few like you who have just been knighted and immediately participate in the competition. If there are many applicants, you might not be selected."
Dalton, beside him, leaned close to Karl and whispered a few words in his ear.
When Karl heard this, his eyes flickered, he tilted his head slightly, and replied quietly: "Is it really that difficult to qualify?"
"Yes, Lord Karl. This was formulated by His Majesty the King together with many nobles."
Karl curled his lip, his heart truly growing a bit weary of these so-called bureaucratic obstacles.
If it weren't for Raymond's wish, he wouldn't care one bit about this so-called noble title.
He never had the idea of being subordinate to anyone; his aim was to be a king, above hundreds of millions of people.
However, with his current strength, it was clearly insufficient to achieve that goal, so he had to follow the rules step by step.
Karl thought for a moment, and a brief pause occurred, which made Adric assume he was cowardly.
Adric crossed his arms with a mocking look on his face and said insolently: "What? Ill-mannered boy, are you afraid?"
But Karl, having come to his senses, glanced coldly at him, didn't even look at him, and first turned his head to speak to the herald.
"Forgive me, Your Excellency, for allowing this fool to delay your precious time."
"My name is Karl El. I have no family name yet, and my liege lord is the El family of Baron's Meadow. This is the coat of arms."
"Oh? You were a commoner?"
The herald took the coat of arms, clearly surprised that Karl had said he had no family name.
It was common for commoners to be knighted, so he wasn't surprised.
He was surprised that Karl was so young to have received this title and had come to participate without yet establishing a family.
Usually, a knight who has been made requires decades of painstaking management of his territory before gradually establishing a family.
Furthermore, there shouldn't be too many surprises in between for the family to develop smoothly.
The competition wasn't 100% safe, and the danger wasn't low.
Every time the competition was held, someone was injured or died.
In his opinion, this young man clearly possessed the qualities of courage and honor.
And excellent people are often valued or admired by others, and he was no exception.
The herald smiled after a long moment and returned the verified document to Karl.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Karl. I admire your courage and honor."
"Mr. Herald, there is something I would like to trouble you with." Karl glanced at him, then looked towards Adric, who was approaching.
"You want me to preside over this duel for you and act as a temporary judge?" The herald glanced and smiled gently.
Adric snorted quietly and said in a deep voice: "Oh, I thought you were a coward who didn't dare accept the challenge, but you have some courage. But courage isn't enough to make me forget you!"
"Slow down. I haven't agreed yet. There are two conditions if you want me to accept your challenge."
"First, let's add a wager. If you lose, you will sincerely apologize to me in front of everyone present and shout three times that I am a coward."
Then, waiting for Adric's positive response, Karl pointed at Dalton.
Dalton immediately untied the money pouch and placed all the Orens on the table.
This included the cost of the inn stay that they both would have to pay during this period.
"There are sixty Orens in this money pouch, as one of the wagers for this trial. Do you dare to accept it?" Karl said indifferently, a contemptuous smile on the corner of his mouth.
Suddenly, Adric's expression changed. He couldn't hide the longing in his eyes for the money pouch on the table, but he was very conflicted.
Sixty Orens was no small amount, not to mention the wager on reputation.
He would have to apologize to this hateful child in front of all the onlookers and admit he was a coward.
"If you're afraid of losing the duel, you need to sincerely apologize to me now. I can pretend this never happened."
Karl saw that Adric was still hesitating and provoked him again, unhurriedly.
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