Chapter 1011 – Not Wanting to Win
“It’s a relief no one died!?” he exclaimed. Did that mean the accidental deaths of previous equestrian contestants were considered normal? This time, no one dying was a blessing from the ancestors.
“Heh, a dark horse this time. When did the Dawn Church produce such a formidable knight? Everyone lost a fortune,” a spectator beside me said.
“Did anyone bet on him to win? If so, they’ve hit the jackpot. If not, the bookies have made a killing,” another spectator replied. From their conversation, it seemed they had set up betting boards.
“Tch, what’s so formidable about him? It’s his horse that’s fast. Even if he encountered a monster, he’d disappear into the dust, and no monster could catch him,” one of the contestants said indignantly.
In an equestrian competition, they also had to deal with cross-country terrain and monsters. If they encountered monsters blocking the way, it would indeed be troublesome. This particular contestant was quite disheveled, with minor injuries. He had likely lost a considerable amount of time due to the monsters.
“The problem is, look at his horse. Does it really look like a purebred? Let alone a purebred, does it even look like a decent breed?” someone who seemed to know horses said. The group immediately frowned, looking at the packhorse.
Older Brother Jayad had already dismounted, and many people crowded around to congratulate him. However, quite a few people still frowned as they looked at the packhorse. Among them were knights, professional horse judges, and long-time horse racing enthusiasts, all with professional knowledge of horses.
They examined it from all angles, but they couldn’t find any advantages in the horse before them. Its muscles weren’t well-developed or firm, its coat wasn’t beautiful or pure in color, its stance was neither good nor bad, and its bone structure didn’t resemble one suited for running.
They exchanged glances, and their conclusion was that, let alone a decent or purebred horse, it wasn’t even as good as a general racehorse. If they had to give an evaluation before seeing it run, they would have dismissively called it a mongrel or a mixed breed.
If they were forced to mention one positive trait, it would probably be that the horse had thick bones and might be capable of carrying a lot of weight and enduring long distances. However, these were not characteristics of a racehorse at all.
If they hadn’t seen the horse run so fast with their own eyes, they would have almost mistaken it for a packhorse. Many farms were located in the outer districts, and they had quite a few horses. If this champion horse were to be mixed with those packhorses or draft horses in the farm, they wouldn’t be confident in identifying it.
Some people suspected that perhaps the champion rider was too strong, and his magic power had influenced the packhorse, making it incredibly fast.
However, after dismounting, Jayad patted the packhorse and let it move freely. The packhorse joyfully ran out of the city and circled the plains three times, seeming still not satisfied. Its speed was even faster than when Jayad was riding it just now, which caught those who were suspicious completely off guard.
However, they did not know that their guess was infinitely close to the truth.
“Parul, you’re here. Is the spear you mentioned ready?” Older Brother Jayad pushed through the crowd and came to my side.
“Yes, it’s ready. I’ll show it to you when we get back,” I said, patting the spear wrapped in oilcloth on my back. Now was not the place to display it. I then asked, “Speaking of which, Older Brother Jayad, you were amazing just now! How many gold medals have you won?”
“Uh, actually, this is just the first one. I didn’t win any before, and there’s only one event left,” Older Brother Jayad said humbly.
“Eh?! I thought Older Brother Jayad would definitely win a few good places,” I said in surprise. I wasn’t kidding. I felt that with his physical condition, track and field, wrestling, and javelin throwing wouldn’t be difficult for Older Brother Jayad. Could it be that there were masters in the Dawn Church?
Seeing me look at the other contestants from the Dawn Church, Older Brother Jayad immediately understood what I was thinking. He smiled and said, “I deliberately lost. For someone like me, who appeared out of nowhere with no traceable origin, winning so many championships would be too conspicuous. Besides, it would take away opportunities from those who were genuinely trying to win. That wouldn’t be good, would it?”
So that was it. He had deliberately gone easy on them. Indeed, Older Brother Jayad wasn’t the type of person who liked to be in the spotlight. But I had a question: “Then why did you compete for first place in the equestrian competition?”
“Ah, it wasn’t that I wanted to win. I was originally just thinking of taking the packhorse out for a stroll, letting it run a bit. But after I summoned it, it just bolted. When I tried to slow it down, the other horses couldn’t catch up. Perhaps it had its pride and didn’t want to lose to other horses,” Jayad said.
I see. Older Brother Jayad wanted to go easy, but the packhorse didn’t want to, or perhaps even if it went easy, others still couldn’t catch up.
“Then what’s the last event?” I asked again. Since I had come, I really wanted to see Older Brother Jayad’s performance in the sports meet.
“It seems to be… fencing?” Jayad recalled. Just then, the leading Dawn Priest loudly announced, “The last event, the fencing competition, is about to begin! All participants, please come forward to draw lots and determine your opponents!”
“The competition will be elimination-style. The winner will duel with another winner from their group until the final champion is decided. The fencing champion will receive a rapier made of Valyrian Steel!” the Dawn Priest loudly announced the rules.
“Older Brother Jayad, go for it! Fight!” I cheered him on, clenching my fists. Jayad gave a wry smile, and then his eyes changed.
If it were just a moment ago, he really had no desire to win. After all, he hadn’t originally planned to participate in any sports meet. He was unexpectedly recognized and forced to participate. His original intention was to blend in and leave.
But now that Parul was here to watch and cheering him on, he couldn’t afford to lose too badly. At the very least, he had to give his all.
Unlike the equestrian competition earlier, the fencing competition would not use their own horses. Instead, the fencing competition would use standard estocs provided by the organizers.
These estocs were the standard weaponry used by the Dawn Church’s Guardian Army. They were slender, single-edged swords with elegant crescent-shaped guards, suitable for combat as well as serving as sabers or ceremonial swords.
Simultaneously, fencing was the only competition without commoners participating. Even in the equestrian competition, commoners could ride their packhorses and run a lap within the outer city; they didn’t have to go cross-country.
Fencing was a quintessential noble sport, serving as both entertainment and often the ultimate means for nobles to resolve disputes. A disagreement could easily lead to a duel.
This competition replicated the style of court duels, where participants wore no protective gear and settled the outcome with sharp, real swords. Victory was not determined by points but by who could wound the opponent first. If both struck simultaneously, the one with the more severe wound would win.
This competition was too hardcore, I thought, as Older Brother Jayad had already entered the arena and stood before his drawn opponent.
