mousepad-d2 Chapter 22 Requirements for Cavalry Commanders
Chapter 22 Requirements for Cavalry Commanders
The early spring sun hung high but was not scorching, radiating a warm glow that shone on Roger, allowing him to relax slightly.
The cavalry commander approached the two villagers, Yar, his expression serious:
"I can make a fair judgment for you, but I have one condition: you must agree to it, otherwise I will not get involved in this matter."
"Please speak, Commander," Old Yar replied in a deep voice, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Okay, then I won't beat around the bush!"
"In this duel at Holmganga, the victor must not execute the loser! Furthermore, no one is allowed to die!"
"My lord, this will not do!"
"It's a tradition that's been going on for over a hundred years; deaths and injuries in Holmganga duels are very common... Besides, whether or not to execute the loser is the victor's right!"
Olsen was utterly astonished; he never expected the commander to make such an unconventional request.
"Alright, stop talking to me about those unnecessary rules!"
If you want me to make a fair judgment, you must follow my rules!
"Since the victor has the right to decide whether or not to execute, then the victor should stop using that right!"
When fighting, the goal is simply to determine the winner. As long as you don't go all out and break the rules, what can even a god say if the opponent simply admits defeat?
Besides, you all know in your hearts that no one wants the men of their village to die in this kind of private fight for no reason…”
The cavalry commander stopped Olsen from speaking and continued:
"That duel at Holmganga was not without heavy casualties..."
"You who participated in the fight were all men of some skill. It's a pity that you died in a village brawl!"
"Those who dare to stand in the dueling arena are all respectable men; there is no shame in being a loser!"
"I want everyone who loses today!"
"They'll be counted directly into the militia conscription quota. They'll all come with me to the front lines to fight off the pirates. As soldiers, even if they have to die, the battlefield is their destiny!"
The cavalry commander's words were reasonable and persuasive, and his request resonated deeply with the two Yar men.
Ultimately, his request was simply to allow the two of them to "leave a way out," even though it broke with tradition...
As members of their respective villages, they were even more unwilling to see their own people die in a duel...
The two exchanged a glance and immediately looked away, agreeing to the cavalry commander's request.
"My lord, I agree!"
……
"Very well! In that case, I will be the arbiter of this duel!"
"With so many villagers watching from both villages, there's no need for additional neutral witnesses. If we fail and refuse to fulfill the terms, we are unworthy of being called Fieldsway people!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the cavalry commander faced the two men directly. He drew his sword, held it before him, pointed the tip at the azure sky, and solemnly swore an oath:
"I swear by the spirit of my father!"
I am willing to act as the mediator and arbitrator in this duel in Holmganga, and I will make a fair judgment without any personal bias.
"Anyone present here today, whoever loses and fails to abide by the terms of the duel's oath, will be my enemy! I will fight them to the death, until the very end!"
With the oath made, the cavalry commander gave both sides a warning glance.
Old Jarrolf was also very experienced; he immediately drew his sword and briefly made a vow:
I swear in the holy name of the goddess of spring!
In this duel at Holmgang, our village is willing to strictly abide by all agreed-upon rules, uphold the bottom line and honor of warriors, and absolutely obey the fair judgment of the adjudicator.
Whatever the final outcome, we will accept it with equanimity and will certainly fulfill all the terms of the oath we have made.
If I break this oath, may the goddess withdraw all her blessings, leaving my village with barren grains and empty fishing nets!
……
In the name of Haf Sigra…!
As soon as Olsen opened his mouth, his oath was interrupted by the cavalry commander:
"etc!"
"Chief of Olsen!"
We Fieldsway do not have a Lord of Storms!
He is the faith of those mad dogs in the Western Sea! The Alliance and the Lord have already issued a prohibition; do you intend to disobey the Lord's orders?
Olsen's face turned pale and then red. He gritted his teeth and had no choice but to reluctantly change his words:
I swear by the spirit of my father, Dwayne Johnson!
In this duel at Holmganga, I am willing to abide by all agreed rules, uphold the honor and bottom line of a warrior, and submit to the fair judgment of the adjudicator.
Whatever the final outcome, I will accept it with equanimity and fulfill all the terms of the oath I made!
If I break this oath, may my soul wander forever on the frigid sea after my death!
……
The cavalry commander stood in the center of the meadow, and both sides' Yar submitted to him the complete three-man list for the Holmgang duel, as well as the first choice to fight.
According to the Holmgan duel rules: once the three players and starting lineups submitted by both sides are reported and confirmed, they cannot be changed;
The first player selected to compete must not be changed!
The cavalry commander scanned the starting lineup on the roster, looked at the starting players from both sides, and nodded. The situation was as he had expected...
Soon, the six duelists from both sides arrived at the center of the arena. Rogge observed intently from the sidelines, quickly gathering and analyzing the information of both sides:
Here in Duanpo Village:
"Iron Root" Rolf Jarre
"The Sword" Queen
"Newbie" Gis.
On the other side of Gangde Village:
"Stinky Bear" Ao Senyaer
A muscular man
And a woman!
……
In Fieldsway, and indeed throughout the Vanscare pirates of the West Sea, nicknames are a deeply ingrained cultural tradition. Every warrior has his own nickname, and each one carries profound significance!
Due to the limitations of Rogge's "insight" ability, he was unable to gather information on the names of the other two people from Gondo Village.
Therefore, even now, he still doesn't know their names or nicknames.
And that woman was one of the two who had been following behind Olsen.
She had short, neat, light blonde hair, and her wheat-colored skin had a healthy glow.
Her figure was well-proportioned, exuding the power of a mother leopard hunting. A close-fitting light armor outlined her tight and smooth body lines, and a long sword was slung across her waist.
Roger's gaze lingered on her for a long time, inwardly surprised.
In a world where men generally have the advantage in strength, it's astonishing that the village of Gondo would send a woman to participate in a life-or-death duel!
What left Roger speechless was that even without using his Eye of Insight, he could clearly sense that the woman was definitely stronger than him!
……
The cavalry commander briefly explained the rules of the duel, and after listening, Rogge had some of his own understanding:
The entire Holmgan duel is a best-of-three format, with the core victory condition being "to take two points from the opponent's three players for your team!"
Each side sends out three players for one-on-one duels. The team that scores two points first wins the final victory!
One rule, in Rogge's view, was extremely dangerous: "The winner's right to continue winning!" and "The right to be eliminated!"
Winner's Winning Streak: The winner of the first one-on-one duel earns a point for their team;
At the same time, he has the right to choose: whether to stay on the field and continue fighting, or to leave the field and hand over the next point to his two teammates!
The right to leave the arena, also known as the "right to leave!", means that "as the victor of a duel, if he wishes to leave, even the king has no right to force him to continue the duel!"
If he chooses to continue the duel: he will face the opponent chosen from the remaining two opponents who have not yet entered the arena.
If they win consecutive games and gain another point, the team will win the final victory; if they lose, the enemy will not be able to score any points against them!
In Rogge's view, this rule undoubtedly pushed the danger and bloodshed of duels to the extreme!
The winner of the first match uses their remaining energy and even life to wear down the enemy's second player. Winning is a sure win, and even if they don't win, it lays the foundation for their teammates to win later!
This kind of life-or-death struggle is undoubtedly extremely bloody and dangerous...
Therefore, the "right to leave the arena" granted to the winner in the rules undoubtedly gives this duel victor a chance to survive!
But in Rogge's eyes, this "right to leave" was both significant and somewhat of a liability:
"Is it really true that even powerful figures like kings can't force the first victor to continue fighting to the death?"
If the two sides are evenly matched, the winner of the first round will choose to win consecutively, which means they will have to fight continuously and exhaust themselves. In a life-or-death battle, the risk of death will increase exponentially!
The risks for both sides in the battle will be pushed to the extreme!
Even though the rules contain obvious loopholes, the Fieldsville people have always adhered to this tradition that has been passed down for hundreds of years.
Because the winner of the first match had such great "rights," Rogge could guess the starting lineups for both sides with his heels...
Turning to his companion Gold beside him, he said with a hint of teasing:
"Gold, who are the starting two players for each side?"
Upon hearing this, Gold's face immediately fell, as if his intelligence had been insulted, and he said irritably:
"No...you're testing me with this?"