Work Prophet
Chapter 506 - 124 The Empire Needs Some Blood

Chapter 506: Chapter 124 The Empire Needs Some Blood

Edward II was also paying attention to this tournament. When Ireya made her appearance, he even stood up from his seat with a wine glass in hand, excitedly waving his fist and roared.

"Come on, show that lad some colors! You’ve hunted a giant dragon after all!"

Queen Heloise frowned upon hearing this.

She hadn’t expected her small gesture to catch Edward II’s attention. The Emperor glanced at her, "What, do you have a different opinion?"

"No."

"Then why the sour face?"

"It’s not about Ireya. I just find such duels too cruel. Just yesterday and this morning, thirty people died, including seven nobles, and many more were injured," she replied.

"What kind of duel would it be if no one died?" Edward II dismissed.

"This is a game for the brave. Each contestant has gambled their honor and life. Those who talk about art and literature all day would never understand."

"The duel tournament was banned over four hundred years ago by your ancestors," the Elf Queen reminded him.

"And I have revived this ancient tradition," Edward II said proudly. "The Empire has been too peaceful for too long. The people have lost the boldness and sharpness they had when the nation was founded.

"Look at the Weiting family. They can’t even mount a rebellion properly. Hilda’s handling was like a joke. A palace coup? What was he thinking?

"If he had chosen to attack straight from Crab’s Corner, I might have had a higher opinion of him. Maybe even spare his descendants after defeating him. God, we damn well need some blood and guts now! That’s why I reinstated the tournament.

"If you can’t accept these casualties, how will you manage on a battlefield later?"

Queen Heloise asked, "Isn’t peace better? Everyone has gotten used to this peaceful life by now."

"Peace will not last forever," Edward II waved dismissively.

A peculiar expression flashed in the Elf Queen’s eyes but quickly vanished.

By then, Edward II’s attention had already shifted.

Below the stands, Jose had already launched his charge.

Ireya’s choice to meet the enemy on foot also caused many to show surprised expressions.

Edward II was also pondering the deep meanings behind the girl’s move when suddenly a loud bang resounded next to his ear.

Then he saw Jose’s horse, which had been galloping furiously, suddenly plummet to the ground, dragging the knight down with it, and, to make matters worse, the horse then landed on him.

Like most of the spectators present, Edward II’s first reaction was to freeze, completely baffled by what had happened.

He had thought that the loud sound and the sudden appearance of flames had spooked the horse. However, though the horse struggled to stand, it never managed to get up.

Instead, its movements gradually diminished, and a pool of blood formed underneath it.

Was it... injured? When had that happened?

Ireya, as Edward II’s most favored contestant, had caught the Emperor’s attention the moment she entered the arena. The Emperor had widened his eyes, making sure he hadn’t missed anything, yet he still didn’t understand how the horse had fallen.

Subsequently, a herbalist came forward to examine Jose’s injuries and also checked his warhorse. In the end, they found a finger-thick blood hole in the horse’s chest but found no arrows.

Miss Rabbit was indeed lucky today.

Normally, a creature like a horse is really hard to kill with one shot, as it has two fatal weak spots.

One is the brain, and the other is the heart.

However, hitting the brain is very difficult because a horse’s brain isn’t very big, and the cross section of its head is rather narrow. Small-caliber firearms lack the power to penetrate the skull.

In comparison, the heart is more reliable, but it’s also not that easy to aim at while moving.

Miss Rabbit’s initial plan was actually to shoot the horse’s leg, but she had eaten a little too much at lunch and couldn’t help belching right before firing. A slight tremor of her hand disrupted the process, and she ended up killing Jose’s warhorse outright.

Although the Emperor did not understand how the young girl had won, it didn’t stop him from cheering once he regained his composure.

With Edward II taking the lead, the nearby audience, as if waking from a dream, started cheering in a confused chorus.

As for exactly why it was good, no one could say clearly because it had all happened too quickly.

After the referee announced the victor, Ireya hung her dueling pistol back on her belt and returned in front of the stands, bowing to the Emperor and Empress in turn.

Edward II seemed to be in a good mood and spoke. "It’s a pity, your opponent in the first round was too weak to allow you to demonstrate your full strength, but I still congratulate you on your victory."

Seizing the moment, Miss Rabbit said, "Then maybe you can arrange a more formidable opponent for me, like the Earth Bear — I could fight him right now, immediately."

"Hahaha, excellent, that’s the spirit I’m looking for! But the opponents in the tournament are chosen by drawing lots, and even I can’t interfere. If we start making exceptions, there will no longer be fairness."

Edward II continued, "But don’t worry. The more you win, the greater your chance of encountering each other. Compete well, and as long as you win the final championship, in addition to the original rewards, I’ll give you a big gift."

Ireya’s ears perked up at the mention of a big gift. "What is it? Money or land?"

"Those will of course be included, but as for the big gift, let’s keep it a secret for now," Edward II winked at the young girl.

Miss Rabbit’s curiosity was piqued, but seeing the Emperor playfully withholding information, she couldn’t ask further and only scratched her head before taking her leave.

No sooner had she left the Duel Arena than she was surrounded by a crowd.

Aside from Ferdinand, Greymane, and Orwell were also there to watch the young girl’s duel.

Everyone had been worrying about the Lady, but they never expected Ireya to win so easily, so decisively.

The young girl modestly said, "It’s all thanks to the help of my Lord Saturday, um, and also Prophet Merlin and Watt the Servant; I couldn’t have defeated that guy named Jose without them."

"Saturday really is powerful!" Wild once again expressed his sincere admiration, "He can both save and hurt people."

"That’s right, there are many benefits to being a follower," Ireya concurred with considerable experience, and in her excitement even said, "If I truly win the championship, I’ll ask Merlin for... um, a Hand of Judgment to keep with me at all times."