Chapter 156: The Knight Tournament
“The army is about to depart; Jima, you should fulfill your duty now.”
Jima still remembered George saying this in her ear, his words clear and correct, like a news spokesperson.
So, early that morning, she used the sleeping Liansi as an anchor point and jumped through dreams to Quinas Castle. However, she did not report to George but instead took her chestnut mare from the stable, with Liansi, now in human form, following behind her as she exited.
Considering the current reputation of the beastmen hybrids in the Duchy of Casson, Liansi wore a wide-brimmed white sun hat to conceal her red cat ears.
Dressed in luxurious imperial attire, with a plush shawl draped over her shoulders and Liansi trailing behind her, Jima looked like an imperial noblewoman, which is why she encountered little trouble.
The reason the succubus did not dutifully report to George was that today, at the time of the army’s departure, Duke Casson was holding a grand and formal knight tournament, attended by many esteemed ladies.
Jima wanted to join the excitement in “disguise,” hoping to see if she could have a bit of romantic luck and possibly develop improper relationships with a few ladies.
The tournament was held in the outskirts, where there was ample grassy flatland. The venue appeared quite simple, with a wooden fence enclosing the fighting area, and behind it, a mass of commoners gathered. Inside the fence was a group of knights engaged in a chaotic battle on horseback.
On the other side, there was a wooden audience stand with a canopy to shield the noble dignitaries from the winter sun, and Duke Casson himself sat at the highest and most prominent position, in a chair that was broad and sturdy to withstand his armor.
But a slender girl wearing a white dress with wide sleeves, which dragged on the ground and had to be held up by servants, was even more eye-catching than him.
She was the nominated “most beautiful girl,” and the knight who won the tournament today would earn her favor—limited to the public acknowledgment of backing and personally awarding encouragement.
Moreover, more than half of the audience seats were occupied by noblewomen, who dressed quite differently from the imperial ladies. Their attire seemed rather strange in Jima’s eyes.
Barton noblewomen liked to style their hair in artistic ways, twisting it into two distinct horns. After pinning their hair up, they draped a piece of gauze over it, which, from a distance, resembled a small “mosquito net” on their heads. The rows of “mosquito nets” swayed back and forth as they conversed.
Women like Jima, with their black hair hanging naturally, were few and far between.
Jima walked directly to the audience stand, where only nobles could sit securely, no matter how wealthy they were. At the entrance, someone checked, and Jima casually claimed to be a noble from the Ceris family visiting from the Far East.
As expected, she was respectfully ushered in, but Liansi, as a maid, did not enjoy the same privilege.
Jima climbed the wooden steps to the audience stand, crossing her arms behind her back as she walked and surveyed the ladies.
Although she found the female attire popular in the knightly nation of Barton unappealing, if a woman had a bit of beauty, even this married woman might consider putting aside her prejudices and trying to develop “friendship among women.”
The noblewomen also noticed the black-haired girl pacing back and forth in the aisle, drawing close to share information between their “mosquito nets.”
Many guessed from Jima’s hair color that she was the legendary succubus Jima—men who were jealous of George had already spread the word. They whispered among themselves, many making exorcism gestures towards Jima.
Jima wasn’t concerned about others’ thoughts of her; her gaze quickly landed on a young woman sitting in an inconspicuous corner.
Her attire was incongruous with the rest; she stood out even more than Jima. Her slightly curled golden hair resembled golden fleece, falling messily around her beautiful cheeks, and she wore a garland of wild grasses atop her head, dressed in a form-fitting dress with a golden belt accentuating her slim waist.
The golden belt sparkled brilliantly but paled somewhat in comparison to her golden hair.
The Golden Beauty was right there!
Jima’s tail perked up as she took a few steps to sit beside the “Golden Beauty,” smiling as she said, “Good morning, young lady.”
“Good morning, stranger,” the Golden Beauty replied expressionlessly. “There are three empty seats to your left.”
Perhaps due to collective exclusion, there were no people within a radius of four seats around the Golden Beauty.
“Oh dear,” Jima winked at her and secretly cast a charm. “I’d rather be closer to you than to that group of mosquito nets.”
“Your way of starting a conversation always reminds me of some knights,” the Golden Beauty remarked, her azure eyes reflecting Jima’s visage, a hint of jealousy creeping into her heart. “Fine, I allow you to sit here.”
At this moment, the trumpeters raised their long bronze horns and blew a resonant call.
The chaotic knight battle finally concluded, and as people carried knights who were injured, bleeding, or unconscious off the field, the main event of the knight tournament was about to begin.
The jousting competition.
This was a one-on-one event, with a wooden barrier separating the knights. Each knight held a shield emblazoned with their family crest in their left hand—a shield large enough to protect half of their body—while wielding a lance in their right, charging toward the opponent.
Hitting the shield scores one point, hitting the helmet scores two points, and knocking the opponent off their saddle earns an additional two points, with only broken lances counting as a valid attack.
Compared to other competitive sports, this one was more civilized because it prohibited a dozen attendants from yanking the opposing knight off his horse and beating him with iron clubs. It also disallowed throwing weighted balls at the other knight’s head, making it inherently safer.
Given that this tournament was particularly well-organized, Jima estimated it would be difficult for her to witness the knights turning from one-on-one matches into a chaotic free-for-all.
About twenty minutes later.
Dressed-to-the-nines knights flooded into the tournament arena, adorned in colorful attire. Each knight made every effort to shine, decorating their armor and mounts to stand out and draw attention.
The steeds wore a variety of horse garments in all imaginable materials and colors, creating a spectrum of hues.
Like the noblewomen, the Barton knights also loved to style their heads. Their favorite was the barrel helmet, which could accommodate many decorations.
Some wore helmets topped with silver goddess statues, clenched fists, bird sculptures, or even hammers—absolutely dazzling, akin to the commercial street in Marin City.
In addition to ornamentation, they proudly displayed the antlers of beastmen or other trophies seized during hunting atop their helmets.
Jima noticed one knight, stout as a bear, proudly parading a massive horn atop his barrel helmet, and he triumphantly brandished his sword while waving to the noblewomen in the audience.
However, he had not attached anything to the hilt of his sword, suggesting that this brawny knight was somewhat unsuccessful in romance.
Many knights adorned their sword hilts with a lady’s ribbon, hoisting their knight swords like spring animals as they galloped toward the audience, waving the ribbons in an emotional display toward their beloved.
They shouted, loudly proclaiming, “For you, my lady!” and similar declarations.
This was the chivalry of the Barton knightly nation, where knights traditionally sought a lady’s favor and a ribbon from her before heading into battle, carrying her blessings with them.
Jima sat in a remote spot, focused on the knights waving ribbons below, involuntarily recalling her time in Shalin City.
It seemed that when George was preparing to go chop people, he also asked her for a ribbon and a blessing? At that time, she would have rather seen him dead, indulging in a dark mindset of “the prettier the woman, the worse the knight fares,” and joyfully gave her blessing. Time had passed so much that it felt like a past life.
The golden beauty spoke up, “Have you seen your knight?”
Jima lied, “I have.”
This could imply to the other that she was straight, lowering her guard.
She glanced at Jima’s disheveled black hair and asked, “Who is your knight?”
Jima smiled shyly, her complexion pale but blushing, looking lovely as she said, “Of course, it’s the strongest knight from that group below.”
The golden beauty asserted, “My knight will undoubtedly be the champion.”
“What if something unexpected happens?”
The golden beauty’s laughter was somewhat reckless, “That wouldn’t affect anything.”
Jima seemed to understand the innuendo—she only needed to pursue the champion knight.
Jima stared at her own slender arm, first sighing at her inability to ride and win the championship, then straightening her back and thinking of George.
That guy would definitely win the championship!
She said, “So are you vying for my heartthrob?”
“What if your knight wins the championship, so what?”
“If I’m not mistaken, you are the Holy Grail Maiden.”
The Holy Grail Maiden was an anomaly among the knights of Barton. Children with magical talent were taken away from their parents and presented to the lake goddess; those who returned were all Holy Grail Maidens, endowed with magical powers while being rebellious and disregarding feudal ethics.
According to Jima’s incomplete statistics, almost every Holy Grail Maiden maintains improper relationships with three or more knights at once.
This aligned perfectly with Jima’s experience; she disliked relationships because she couldn’t loosen up.
Jima’s tail couldn’t help but sway side to side, momentarily discarding her warm memories with George.
Well, not entirely discarding.
Jima’s mind cooled, realizing she was George’s wife now; she ought to consider their marital feelings and control her often swaying tail.
If George found out, he probably wouldn’t be pleased.
Jima looked again at the Golden Beauty’s fair neck and swiftly pushed this concern aside.
He already had three women; besides, having two beauties flirting with each other only benefits his eyes, right?
In less than half a minute, Jima firmly resolved to “cheat.”
————
Knight Tournament:
Having read a book detailing the history of knight tournaments, it was written that in the early and middle periods, things were chaotic. Some knights would drag a dozen people to directly strip the king’s armor. Or they would agree to have a tournament the day after tomorrow, only for everyone to start fighting that night, escalating into a free-for-all without any safety measures—much like real combat. People died, and the clergy and king vehemently condemned knight tournaments.
The church also prohibited knights from engaging in tournaments where they would kill each other, but no knight heeded them.
