Work Prophet
Chapter 515 - 133: Missed by a Whisker

Chapter 515: Chapter 133: Missed by a Whisker

Ferdinand was having difficulty just holding his weapon, even though he was constantly trying to avoid a direct confrontation with the Earth Bear. However, the Earth Bear’s swordsmanship was also not lacking, and it was impossible for him to dodge all attacks just by footwork.

After only blocking two strikes, the base of his hand cracked open, but Ferdinand was still gritting his teeth and holding on.

He looked like a leaf in the rapid flow, about to be swallowed by the turbulent waters, yet always finding a way to float back up.

The color of admiration in Edward II’s eyes grew thicker, and even Cornelia, who was standing beside him, had a change in the way she looked at Ferdinand.

"It seems the knight spirit hasn’t disappeared as people said, it just all ran off to the west," the Emperor remarked.

He paused and then asked the female priest standing next to him, "Can you tell the Earth Bear to spare this young man’s life? I quite like him."

"It’s too late. The Earth Bear is already enraged, and won’t listen to me at this moment," Cornelia shook her head.

"What a pity," the Emperor lamented.

The oppressive feeling brought by the Earth Bear was something Ferdinand had never encountered before. To cope with this terrifying pressure, he desperately extracted every bit of potential from his body.

This also elevated his sword skills to a whole new level, and at this point, Ferdinand had completely forgotten everything except the fight, including life and death.

He was merely thinking how to block the next attack from the Earth Bear, his River’s Spear was wielded into a blur of silver light.

Even someone like Ireya, who did not understand much about swordsmanship, could see a change in Ferdinand’s demeanor, portraying a sense of fierceness.

But the problem was that this fool was about to die; what use would refining his swordplay serve?

Just like the opponents Ireya had dealt with using the Hand of Judgment, not one of them had inferior swordplay to hers, but in the face of absolute power, all techniques lost their meaning.

In this regard, she and the Earth Bear were of the same path.

Indeed, seeing that his opponent hadn’t been defeated until now, even the Earth Bear’s face was beginning to show difficulty, and he started to get serious.

Ferdinand’s pressure intensified, and with each round of exchange, he felt as if he could hear his bones cry out.

Ferdinand clearly realized he had reached his limit, and thus prepared to admit defeat, but the next moment, something unexpected happened.

His family heirloom, the River’s Spear, broke first, the upper half of the blade fracturing without any warning.

Then Ferdinand saw the Earth Bear’s great sword slashing toward his chest. The Family Head of the Batorri could not even lament over his sword and hurriedly dodged to the side.

However, due to the suddenness of the event, his reactions were half a beat too slow, and the short duration of the fight had greatly exhausted him. His body was tired and no longer as agile as before.

Just as he was about to be struck by the great sword, by a twist of fate, the Earth Bear happened to step on a small stone.

His right foot slipped, and the movement of his arms swerved slightly, the sword nearly grazing past Ferdinand’s body.

As it hit the ground, the watching spectators felt as if the earth itself shuddered.

Ferdinand, having narrowly escaped death, did not hesitate to declare, "I concede defeat!"

However, the Earth Bear clearly became furious with this outcome; just as he was about to kill a friend of his enemy, he missed by so little. He lifted his great sword and proceeded to strike at Ferdinand once more.

The referee exclaimed, "What are you doing? The duel has already ended. If you attack now, you will be disqualified from participating, and the guard brigade will also arrest you on charges of attempting to murder a noble!"

With his warning, the guards responsible for maintaining order also rushed over.

Although the Earth Bear still swung his great sword, his target was no longer Ferdinand. In a fit of rage, he made several forceful strokes.

He mercilessly chopped a horse, already missing a leg on the ground, into several pieces, then bellowed one last time, and stopped.

He shot another glaring look at his opponent and left the duel arena without turning back.

Meanwhile, Ferdinand bent down and began searching the ground for fragments of the River’s Spear.

"An impressive duel," Edward II commented, "Although the outcome was not surprising, the process was quite interesting. I saw the shadow of Essos in him."

"I should recruit him to my Royal Knight Order. The tasks ahead could use his skills, and his talents continue to be wasted in the West."

As Edward II spoke, he had someone fetch Ferdinand.

When the young lord arrived below the stands, the Emperor stood up and without a word, tossed down his new sword.

"I see your sword is broken, so use this one."

Ferdinand caught the great sword, feeling the complex gazes around him, filled with astonishment, jealousy, and envy.

During this time, Edward II had only given out two swords, and both were to lords of the West.

This caused some dissatisfaction among those from other regions.

"But Your Majesty, I have no more duels coming up."

"No matter, you will use it eventually. Take it."

After Ferdinand had finished expressing his thanks, Edward II didn’t beat around the bush and straightforwardly said, "So, are you interested in serving me? Don’t worry about the Marquis of Kuren; I will speak with him personally.

"You can start as my bodyguard, and then I will make you a subcommander in the Royal Knight Order."

These words from the Emperor caused another stir.

Especially among the nobles who were familiar with the Empire’s history, this promotion path sounded oddly familiar.

An ancestor from one of the Twelve Great Nobles of the Empire, the House of Gedeon, seemed to have started out this way. Was Edward II planning to recreate a House of Gedeon?

Even if he could not achieve that, it appeared that this obscure small family was set to rise.

However, Ferdinand said, "I’m sorry, Your Majesty. Thank you for your kindness, but I prefer to return to the West."

"Why?" Edward II seemed surprised by Ferdinand’s refusal and blurted out.

"Are you so loyal to the Figrola family? It doesn’t seem like Kuren holds you in high regard, I heard your domain has only a few thousand inhabitants."

Ferdinand didn’t answer; he simply bowed to the Emperor again.

Edward II realized he had spoken out of turn and, seeing Ferdinand’s firm attitude, could only express his regret, "Well, if you change your mind before you leave the Royal Capital, feel free to come see me."

Ferdinand thanked him once more and then left the duel arena.

On his way back, he remained silent; Ireya thought he was upset about his earlier defeat and was also curious about why Ferdinand had declined such a generous offer from the Emperor.

Reviving the Batorris Family was his wish and his lifelong ambition; now that he was on the verge of achieving it, why give it up?

On the trip back, Miss Rabbit considered many possibilities, even suspecting that Ferdinand had a special someone in the West whom he didn’t want to leave.

And when they returned to the hotel, the answer finally revealed itself.

Ferdinand earnestly said to Li Yu, "Prophet Merlin, I am ready to follow you and become a follower of Saturday."