Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 81: Crow Vs Minz Feud

Chapter 81 - Crow Vs Minz Feud

Everybody closed their mouths. Then a knight shouted, "Are you jesting?! You want the succession right to the throne?!"

Weapons were unsheathed. Knights glared at me with killing intent. Squires stared in disbelief, with their eyes full of hatred.

My, my. Very loyal, aren’t you?

Joss exhaled. "Child. Succession rights are out of your league. The wager rules don’t cover that."

I argued. "By the rules, we keep what we kill. If I accidentally killed your prince, wouldn’t that fit?"

"...It does, but no one would accept you. Not even the emperor."

"Then have him adopt me."

"Your greed will be your downfall."

"Then control your spoiled prince. He tried to kill me earlier. Should I just roll over and die?"

"..."

Joss glanced at Minz, who smirked. "That’s right. If I order it, you must obey. Even if I tell you to die, you must die for me!"

I pointed at Minz while looking at Joss. "Is that piece of shit worth protecting? What happens if he sits on the throne? Disaster. Let me nip the bud and install a proper system for this country."

"...You."

"Who will you wager, instructor? A spoiled prince who is guaranteed to ruin the nation, or someone Lord Louis Zen personally enlisted in front of his vice generals? Pick one."

Lia panicked, pulling her horse beside mine. "Are you crazy?! Stop pushing your luck!"

I exhaled, calming myself. "Alright. Fine. Forget the throne. I want his life."

Minz’s expression didn’t change. "Sure. You bet yours too, then."

"Of course. I’ll be wanted after killing you anyway. Why not bet it now?"

Lia warned again. "You’re impulsive. Control yourself!"

"ENOUGH!"

Joss’s shout stunned us. Horses neighed and faltered.

The lieutenant drove his spear into the ground.

"Both sides are too impulsive and unreasonable. All wagers are off! I declare the duel invalid! But you will compete in another form."

His problem-solving deserved praise. Why wasn’t his name known in the game? His physique and demeanor were unique.

Minz clicked his tongue. "Consider yourself lucky, brat."

I scoffed and glanced at the woman who blocked my strike earlier. Unlike Minz’s assassins, she had proper form, muscle, scars, and age. She was a seasoned veteran.

Lia caught my gaze and explained. "That’s a level-six knight. Don’t try your luck."

"...Tsk."

I shook my head, forcing down anger and adrenaline. Turning to Joss, I asked, "What’s the competition?"

Joss sighed. "Your assignment and points."

"Points?"

"They determine your grade for Navigation. You start with 100. Every time you make a mistake, I deduct points from your current score. Earlier, I could have expelled you for that outburst and arrested you for treason. But..."

He leaned closer and whispered, "I understand your sentiment. But challenging him head-on is suicide. If you want him gone, humiliate him. Beat him in competitions, not murder. The ministers and the emperor will surely remove him if he sinks low enough."

I raised an eyebrow. This man... I liked him.

Joss stressed, "Complete the mission. Be the first to return here with the items."

"Alright."

He gave me a meaningful look and nodded, then turned to the crowd.

"During this training, all bodyguards are prohibited from interfering or joining the navigation course!"

Every knight flinched, eyes shifting between Minz and me. The message was clear.

Minz’s expression darkened. He glared at Joss. "Is that your confession of treason?"

Joss rebuked calmly. "I merely state that you must work on your own skills, not rely on helpers... Your Highness."

"My father will hear of this."

"Good. I’ll inform him that your vanity has led you to neglect your riding abilities. I’m sure the prime minister will enjoy hearing about your failures, especially the Duke and Lord Louis Zen."

Minz exuded murderous intent at both Joss and me. After a scoff, he maneuvered his horse and waved at his followers.

"Give me the artifacts. I’ll play his game. And you," he sneered at me, "I’ll be enjoying your women."

Heh. Corny bastard.

I turned my horse and received a map from a squire, who frowned at me like I had insulted his family and slapped his granddad. Boy, your loyalty was wasted on the wrong lord. You would have no future serving him.

Oh well. No point arguing with a brainwashed kid.

The map was hand-drawn. I compared it with Lia’s and Lenitia’s to check for tampering in favor of the spoiled prince.

Lenitia scanned the maps, and her expression darkened. Even I noticed differences. Lia, however, shrugged like this was normal.

Each map was different, but all pointed in the same general direction. Each had three landmark clues. Combined, we had nine clues total, but we needed to retrieve five objects.

"Treasure hunting game," Lenitia sighed. "I played this as a child. Pay attention to details. Don’t just look for landmarks. Apply your tracking skills."

"On horseback?" I asked.

"In real troop maneuvers, we don’t have the luxury of inspecting every branch or footprint. Use your eyes, nose, and ears to spot anomalies. Horses are sensitive to danger too."

For once, Lenitia showed off her intelligence. I thought she had gotten dumber after I rescued her.

"What?" She covered her visor and looked away.

"Nothing. Just thinking you’re very smart."

"Of course I am!"

I pocketed the maps and coal, tapped my horse with the stirrups, and galloped into the woods.

As I entered the forest, Minz’s voice boomed behind me,

"Get rid of him."

Two students spurred their horses, spears leveled at me.

Idiots. You were serving the wrong lord.

Testing my new abilities, I gathered saliva, infused it with water musou energy, and sparked it with my molars. Gasoline ignited. Turning my head, I spat.

A fireball shot toward a pursuer.

"W-What?!"

It hit his chest, setting his leather armor ablaze. Panicked, he toppled from his horse.

One down!

Should I call that dragon breath? No, respect the original.

Cow-Cow Spit!

That would be my new move’s name... No cancel that. It was lame.

Man, I missed the birb. I wondered where he was.

"Bastard!"

The other rider caught up, his horse snorting as if mocking the old nag beneath me.

Ah, I see. Borrowed horses had low specs. Couldn’t blame Joss as good mounts were already claimed by the troops or seasoned cavalrymen.

Anyway, an orange circle indicator glowed around the tip of his spear. I rose on the stirrups, halberd in hand.

Time to practice the real thing.