Chapter 364: Old Acquaintance
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A few days after the arrival of the initial group of Knights of Light, another group of s.h.i.+eld of Light legion’s forces arrived at Moramatch. In addition to the Knights of Light, there were around four hundred priests.
For most people, knowledge and patience would grow with age. Apparently, Marquis Djoser was not in the majority. He had changed drastically since the last time Anfey saw him. This was caused by the murder of his son and Yolanthe’s unjust treatment. He was driven by anger and hatred. As soon as he arrived, he immediately took his people and went into Moramatch to look for Anfey. He did not know what he would do or how he would react when he saw Anfey, but he knew that he had to find and confront him.
Anfey, meanwhile, was hanging out with the mercenaries. He was originally planning on welcoming the new arrivals with Alice after he received the news of the new soldiers’ approach, but changed his mind at the last minute. The conflict between the mercenaries and the knights had not disappeared. Instead, the tension only grew. He could welcome the new arrivals with a smile, but he knew they might not greet him in a similar fas.h.i.+on. He didn’t want things to spiral out of his control again. He saw Ozzic and his men arm wrestling and thought it’d be fun to join them.
Combat power was not allowed in arm wrestling matches. The mercenaries wanted to see who was the strongest with the a.s.sistance of other powers. Tiger was the champion and the others were challenging him.
Alice appeared around the corner. She hurried over when she saw Anfey, looking at their game curiously.
"Let me join," Anfey said, as the last match came to an end. The mercenaries all laughed and moved aside to let Anfey sit down across from Tiger.
As they were getting ready, the mercenaries began betting on the match. Unfortunately, the only person betting in favor of Anfey was Alice. His reputation could only carry him so far.
"Really?" Anfey asked, hurt. He only had one gold coin from Alice, a meager amount compared to the coins on Tiger.
Next to him, Ozzic chuckled but did not say anything.
"Don’t blame us, my lord," Orsie said. "Prove us wrong."
Khufu turned to Alice and said, "Why don’t you bet more, my lady?"
"Fine," Alice said, smiling. She found a handful of gold and put it down next to Anfey. The mercenaries laughed and clapped at her generosity. She glanced at Tiger and squeezed her eyes. She wanted Tiger to let Anfey win so he wouldn’t be embarra.s.sed in front of his men.
"Let’s do it," Anfey said, holding out his hand. Tiger gripped his hand with a smirk.
Anfey’s hand appeared very small in Tiger’s large one, but when the match began, he did not immediately lose. Tiger had gotten Alice’s signal and wasn’t using all of his power. He also did not want to embarra.s.s Anfey. After almost a minute, Tiger gave a low growl and began fighting back. He began slowly pus.h.i.+ng Anfey’s hand towards the stump of the tree. Before they could finish the game, they were interrupted by a newcomer.
"Why, if it isn’t Count Anfey?" Marquis Djoser said. His voice was quiet but carried far.
Anfey and Tiger jumped up, turning to the marquis. The old marquis stopped in front of Anfey with a grin on his face. He had brought only a few guards. Next to him was a wizened man with a small smile on his face. Anfey recognized Jacob, who looked very different from the last time he saw the old alchemist.
Anfey rolled his wrist and held out his hand. It seems like he made the right choice not to join the welcome party. The marquis shook his hand stiffly.
"How have you been, Count Anfey?" Djoser asked.
"Good, good," Anfey said, narrowing his eyes. "I didn’t expect to see you here, marquis. This is a place for soldiers. A very dangerous place. What business does an old marquis have here?"
"The necromancers threaten us all," Djoser said with a smile. "I am obligated to contribute to the cause." Djoser chuckled and continued, "You should be more worried, shouldn’t you, my lord? You so young. Surely your young wife will be sad should anything happen to you."
"Like you’ve said, my lord, it is my responsibility to fight the necromancers," Anfey said. "Plus, I am proud to die for my country and His Majesty Yolanthe. I owe him almost everything."
Marquis Djoser narrowed his eyes at the mention of Yolanthe. In any other country, the murder of a n.o.bleman was punishable by death. Yolanthe had not punished Anfey and instead rewarded him. Djoser was very angry about Yolanthe’s decision and knew that it had angered quite a few n.o.bles.
Djoser smiled and took a few steps back. His smile was very fake, but he had to maintain it to avoid outright conflicts. He turned to whisper something to Jacob, who nodded and muttered something back. Then Jacob turned and marched over to Anfey and the mercenaries. Djoser watched without any emotion on his face.
Anfey sighed. He had just given Martin a wake-up call a few days ago. It seems like he had become Martin in this situation.
The mercenaries, uncertain about what was about to happen, jumped from where they sat and drew their weapons. Even though Jacob’s steps were confident and relaxed, they were not sure what this strange old man was capable of. Clearly, Jacob was with Marquis Djoser. The mercenaries did not know the history between Anfey and Djoser, but they could deduce that it must be unpleasant from their short exchange.
Jacob was not hindered by the sight of the swords and axes. He kept walking towards Anfey confidently, his expression very calm and betraying nothing of his thoughts. The line between overconfidence and self-a.s.surance was very blurry. Judging from Jacob’s age, the mercenaries thought it wouldn’t be the former. Obviously, Jacob was very powerful: more powerful than a few mercenaries could take on. Ozzic waved his hand and his men took a few steps back. They looked at Anfey, waiting for his instructions.
Anfey sighed. He wasn’t sure if he should be immediately defeated or if he should try and hold out for a few minutes. Luckily, Suzanna wasn’t present, or else she would surely be very embarra.s.sed that her husband was easily humiliated by a man she respected.
Jacob stopped. He looked past the mercenaries and down the street. Ernest and Entos appeared around the corner and were heading toward them. Jacob lifted a brow and glanced at Anfey with a small grin. Djoser appeared very confused. He wasn’t sure why Jacob stopped. Jacob turned and walked back to Djoser, whispering something to the marquis. Djoser’s eyes widened.
"Really?" he asked quietly. Jacob nodded. Djoser sighed and shook his head.
"Long time no see, Lord Ernest," Jacob said, walking over to greet the two newcomers.
"Lord Jacob," Ernest said, surprised. "What are you doing here?" He saw Djoser behind Jacob and narrowed his eyes. The marquis shuffled uncomfortably. He knew that he could command Jacob to humiliate Anfey, but he was not foolish enough to pit Jacob against Ernest.
"Well, my lord," Djoser said, choosing a strategical retreat. "I will be going back to my place now. I hope to see you there sometime?"
"Of course," Anfey said coolly. "You must be exhausted from your travels, Marquis Djoser. My men will take you there." He waved his hand at Ozzic.
"No need," Djoser said, shaking his head. He waved at Jacob and left without looking back.