Chapter 78: Have You Heard of Azure Longsword?
In the center of the Spartan Royal Court, which also served as the Elder Council Hall, was a large, circular, sunken plaza. It was used for speeches by the kings and elders, and, on occasion, for duels. Such as when the two kings had a serious disagreement.
The blond mercenary Hermann drew his sword with his left hand and took the axe from his back with his right, holding his weapons pointed towards the ground, his gaze fixed indifferently on the Spartan warrior opposite him.
Left sword, right axe, a two-handed fighting style popular in northern Holstein. The stronger right hand wielded the axe for chopping, while the more dexterous left hand wielded the sword for thrusting.
Agesilaus was equipped as a Spartan heavy infantryman: sword in his right hand, shield in his left.
The two faced each other on the field. With the signal to begin, their weapons clashed.
Parrying the attack, Agesilaus exerted force with his right arm, but felt the opponent’s strength also increasing rapidly. For a moment, the two were evenly matched.
Agesilaus roared, pressed his weapon down, disengaged, and retreated, feeling a slight numbness in his tiger’s mouth and a chill where his hand gripped the sword hilt.
He lunged forward again, swinging his shield. Hermann hopped back, dodging the shield bash, and swung his axe down.
Agesilaus raised his shield with his left hand, blocking several chops, then thrust his sword swiftly with his right. Hermann parried the thrust with his sword.
The two exchanged dozens of blows, neither gaining a clear advantage.
“That’s…” A sharp-eyed Spartan warrior suddenly noticed Agesilaus’s right arm trembling.
His fingers were slightly curled, as if he was trying to tighten his grip on the hilt.
Hermann opposite him still had a gloomy expression, his face as if covered in frost.
No, wait! It was frost!
The observing Spartans suddenly realized that Hermann’s hands were soaked, not with sweat from exertion, but with water dripping from his weapons.
A faint white mist emanated from around his sword and axe—water vapor in the air rapidly condensing upon contact with the cold steel.
Their weapons clashed again. Agesilaus’s shield trembled noticeably, his hand numb and turning purple from the frigid metal grip.
Hermann swung his axe with his right hand, chopping down several times with force. Agesilaus held up his shield, enduring the blows, but the shield was finally knocked from his grasp.
He hurriedly knelt on one knee, raising his sword to block, but the next blow never came.
Hermann simply stared at him grimly, then sheathed his weapons.
The victor was clear.
The surrounding Spartans erupted in commotion as they saw Agesilaus’s hands completely purple, covered in water droplets and tiny ice particles.
“That’s witchcraft!” Someone shouted.
“It’s not witchcraft,” Andrea said calmly. “It’s a Transcendental ability, a Frost ability of the same Sequence as the Snow Monster on Mount Taygetus.”
The Spartans fell silent. Even if they could accuse their opponent of using a supernatural ability in a duel, could they force the Snow Monster on the mountain not to use its abilities?
They were simply outmatched, there was no arguing with that.
“Doesn’t the Iron Cross mercenary group follow the Western Catholic faith?” Lysander, the other Spartan king, asked. “Are you now allowed to be Transcendents?”
“His Majesty Emperor Otto has issued the Walpurgis Decree, declaring that as long as they are formally registered with the local lord, the existence of Transcendents is reasonable and legal,” Andrea replied cleverly.
According to the Walpurgis Decree, Transcendents were legal as long as they were registered. But what about before the decree was issued?
Did the 20 Transcendents in your group only start collecting potion formulas and materials and drinking potions after the decree? Were you all ordinary people before the decree was issued?
The two Spartan kings weren’t fools. They naturally understood that the Iron Cross mercenary group had been hiding Transcendental members, and now, because of the Walpurgis Decree, they were allowed to come out into the open.
Following this line of reasoning, their offer to “help” clear the Snow Monsters on Mount Taygetus might also have the purpose of collecting “Frost” Sequence materials. As for negotiating terms and signing a contract with the Spartans, that was just to extort more money.
The Spartans, of course, wouldn’t accept such terms.
Even if they asked the mages of Olympia for help, they could use transcendental materials instead of mercenary fees, and incidentally deepen the diplomatic relationship between the two sides! This group of mercenaries came to Spartan territory, wanting to kill Spartan monsters, and also wanted the Spartans to pay?
What a joke!
The two Spartan kings’ faces were dark as water, and they were about to refuse more forcefully when they saw Rudashius push through the crowd and enter.
Rudashius, this mercenary was originally from Cyprus, but later joined the Spartan city-state.
Because he wasn’t a local and didn’t have much of a relationship with the elder nobles in the Elder Council, and his strength and character were both decent, he naturally became a confidant of Cleomenes, one of the two kings.
So Cleomenes gestured for him to come over.
Rudashius whispered a few words in the king’s ear, and Cleomenes’ expression changed subtly.
King Lysander, standing a little further away, couldn’t hear clearly, only vaguely catching three words.
Dragon Kingdom.
Achilles.
Weapon Master.
Achilles, as the hero who bathed in the River Styx in legends, wasn’t an uncommon surname in Siris.
In the Second Age Spartan city-state, there was a royal clan also surnamed Achilles.
But when it came to “Achilles of the Dragon Kingdom,” of course, it could only refer to that Eastern bloodline Weapon Master family.
“Andrea of the Iron Cross mercenary group.” Cleomenes said in a deep voice. “The Spartans can solve their own problems, we don’t need your mercenary group to bother.”
“Hehe.” Andrea chuckled.
Before coming here, the Iron Cross mercenary group had already investigated the Transcendents in Sparta and knew that they didn’t have any Sequences to deal with the Snow Monster.
Therefore, Andrea regarded Cleomenes’ statement as a polite refusal, a counter-offer to his “sky-high price.”
“Your Majesty, you don’t have to refuse so quickly.” Andrea continued to offer his next bargaining chip. “As the most prestigious mercenary group on the continent, our Iron Cross’s experience in dealing with anomalies is incomparable to those Olympia mages.”
“The terms of the contract can be further negotiated. Of course, the most important thing now is to contain the Snow Monster within Mount Taygetus. Otherwise, even if you go to Olympia for help, it will take four days to go back and forth. During this time, the Snow Monster will continue to wreak havoc on the Laconian plain, causing countless casualties among the Spartans.”
“Commander Andrea.” Cleomenes interrupted his eloquent speech. “Have you heard of the name ‘Azure Longsword’?”
Azure Longsword? Andrea was taken aback.
The name sounded familiar. Was it the name of some legendary weapon?
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