The news of Lind being knighted spread throughout all of King's Landing the very next day. Countless people felt an overwhelming mix of envy and jealousy toward his good fortune.
After all, there were many warriors who had spent years wandering everywhere, desperately seeking even the slightest chance to be knighted, yet still saw no hope at all. And now a boy who was only fifteen years old had been formally knighted just a few months after becoming a squire—and not only that, he had been knighted personally by the king. This made people inevitably suspect that Lind might be the illegitimate son of some great noble house, rather than merely a hunter's son as described in The Song of the Bear Hunter.
It wasn't only ordinary warriors who were jealous of Lind's sudden change in status. Even the free knights and sellsword knights participating in the tourney were deeply envious of him. Once Lind became a knight, he gained a liege lord to whom he owed fealty, becoming a sworn retainer knight of House Tyrell. This meant that Lind not only had a stable income, but also that he had a future chance of becoming a landed knight—or even a minor lord.
However, when they learned that Lind had actually refused King Robert's invitation to join the Kingsguard, all of that envy and jealousy instantly vanished, replaced by ridicule at Lind's "stupidity." In their eyes, this country-born boy clearly didn't understand what the Kingsguard represented and had missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance to rise to the heavens in a single step.
Even so, Lind remained the object of envy for countless people. One could even say he had become an idol among the lower-class commoners. His experiences could be called legendary. Minstrels everywhere reworked The Song of the Bear Hunter, extending the story all the way to the knighting ceremony in the Red Keep, and sang it over and over again in taverns, earning themselves overflowing purses.
The name of Lind the Bear Hunter, along with the legendary tale within the song, began spreading outward from King's Landing through traveling merchants, reaching other parts of the Seven Kingdoms, and even showing signs of crossing the Narrow Sea to the continent of Essos.
Yet Lind himself, as the person at the center of all this, remained remarkably calm. The change in status did not alter his daily habits in the slightest. On the second day, he still led his cavalry to train in the outskirts of King's Landing, continuing to hone Glory's hunting instincts and obedience. After returning to camp, he still studied various fields of knowledge under the new maester arranged by Duke Tyrell. His schedule remained completely packed.
In the afternoon, a heraldic officer from King's Landing arrived at House Tyrell's camp and sought out Lind, asking about his family sigil and family name.
Lind had long since thought these matters through, so once the heraldic officer asked, he immediately gave his answers.
His sigil was very simple: a red field, with the main emblem being a sword planted into the ground. The only unusual detail was that the pommel of the sword bore the Chinese character "李," his surname from his previous life. As for his knightly family name, he chose "Taira."
The heraldic officer hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Based on past experience, newly knighted men usually took several days to decide on their sigil and surname. Moreover, most knights didn't choose their surnames themselves, instead adopting the name of some long-extinct noble house, hoping to make their own lineage seem ancient and prestigious.
After recording the sigil and surname, the heraldic officer prepared to leave. But Lind stopped him and asked, "Don't you need to record a family motto as well?"
The heraldic officer glanced at Lind, said nothing, and left. The look in his eyes was as if he were staring at an idiot.
Although the heraldic officer didn't answer, Lind realized he had probably made a fool of himself. He also understood that there would likely be many such embarrassing moments in the future, until he truly became accustomed to the speech and conduct of nobles in this world.
The jousting events continued that day as well. Compared to yesterday's relative emptiness, today's crowd had grown much larger, almost returning to normal levels. Not only were the open slopes around the lists packed with spectators, but some people even climbed trees just to get a clearer view of the matches.
The reason for this surge in attendance was that the excitement from the melee events had settled after a day, and people needed a new source of stimulation. Jousting was the perfect replacement.
Additionally, compared to yesterday's jousts, today's matches were clearly of much higher quality and far more intense. The average knights had already been eliminated yesterday. Any knight still standing in the lists today could be considered elite, making the jousts all the more thrilling.
For example, the Kingslayer, Jaime Lannister, fought a joust in the morning against a mysterious knight from across the Narrow Sea. The two clashed back and forth seven times, breaking three lances before the match finally ended with Jaime narrowly victorious.
The bout was so spectacular that the surrounding spectators completely forgot the Kingslayer's infamous reputation and erupted into cheers when he won.
Fotimo also fought a joust in the morning. His opponent was a knight from House Marbrand of the Westerlands. The fight was nowhere near as intense or exciting as the Kingslayer's, as the difference in strength was too great. In a single pass, Fotimo unhorsed his opponent.
However, in the afternoon's matches, Fotimo's luck ran out when he faced Barristan the Bold. After just two passes, he was struck in the chest by a lance and thrown from his horse. Fortunately, he didn't suffer any serious injuries.
As for House Tyrell, only one of their knights advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinals. This was Jon Bulwer of House Bulwer from Blackcrown, the third son of Earl Bulwer, who currently served as Roger Redwyne's third affairs officer in Highgarden.
Jon Bulwer's advancement into the top eight wasn't due to outstanding strength, but rather absurdly good luck.
Jon Bulwer was only slightly stronger than an average knight. Without any accidents, he should have been eliminated yesterday. But amusingly enough, every opponent he encountered along the way either lost due to equipment failures or withdrew because of previous injuries. As a result, Jon Bulwer advanced without danger or effort, becoming one of the top eight in the joust, and earning himself the nickname "Lucky Bulwer."
Even so, from House Tyrell's perspective, having only one knight advance—and by such a dubious method—was somewhat embarrassing. In particular, Mace Tyrell's expression had remained dark ever since Fotimo's defeat, casting a heavy atmosphere over those around him.
Fortunately, this oppressive mood didn't last long. After Duke Tyrell was invited by Duke Jon Arryn to the Red Keep for a meeting, he returned with his gloomy expression completely gone, a smile constantly hanging on his face.
Afterward, Duke Tyrell summoned his bannermen and held a meeting in the camp, seemingly to discuss some important matter.
Although Lind was quite curious about what Duke Tyrell and the others were discussing, the area around the tent was guarded by the duke's guards, preventing him from getting close. Moreover, he had something even more important to do.
Lind sent Raul into King's Landing to inquire about the best smithy in the city. By evening, Raul had gathered the information and led Lind into the city.
The two went straight to Steel Street beneath Visenya's Hill. Because the tourney had damaged the weapons and armor of many warriors and knights, the smithies along Steel Street were booming with business. Their blazing forges had burned without rest for days, and the deafening clang of hammering filled the area. Even long-time residents couldn't stand the noise and temporarily moved to nearby towns, waiting for things to quiet down before returning.
Raul led Lind to a smithy that was much larger than the others. The building was made of timber and stone, its exterior coated in white lime. The doors, crafted from ebony and ironwood, looked thick and sturdy. At three stories tall, the building could overlook all of Steel Street.
However, upon entering the smithy, Lind frowned. Compared to the bustling scenes in other shops, this place was cold and deserted. Even the forge fires were unlit.
"This is the best smithy in King's Landing?" Lind asked doubtfully.
Raul showed an awkward expression, then shouted into the shop with some irritation, "Is anyone here? Anyone in the shop? You've got customers!"
Lind glanced around, his attention quickly drawn to a row of knightly greatswords hanging on the wall.
After shouting a few times, Raul finally saw an old man emerge from the back of the shop, supported by a servant.
The old man looked at Lind and Raul and said irritably, "We're not open anymore. If you want something forged, go to another shop."
"You're the best smith in King's Landing, Tobho Mott?" Raul asked suspiciously.
"The best smith—once," the old man said with a self-mocking smile. "As for now… do you think I can still lift a hammer?"
Raul's face immediately darkened, and he muttered curses under his breath at the person who had given him this information.
"May I try those?" Lind suddenly asked, pointing at a few knightly greatswords on the wall.
The old man froze for a moment, then nodded. "Go ahead. If you want them, I can give you a discount. These weapons are going to be cleared out soon anyway."
Lind reached out and took down the two knightly greatswords he had his eye on, then walked to the open space set aside for testing weapons. He began to swing them, using the swordsmanship of the Exiled Knight.
Just as he had expected, the memories he had fused were not limited to the spiritual level—his body had absorbed them into instinct. Wielding the two knightly greatswords felt completely natural, with no sense of unfamiliarity. His sword movements flowed like clouds and water, as if he had used them for countless years.
As Lind tested his Exiled Knight swordsmanship with the greatswords, everyone in the shop was left staring in shock.
Raul had previously served as Lind's sparring partner and had seen him perform dual-wielding countless times. Back then, Lind used hand-and-a-half swords, and the dual-sword techniques were still within a comprehensible range. Even Raul could tell that what truly made the swordplay lethal was Lind's footwork and his grasp of enemy weaknesses.
But now, Lind's dual-sword technique had transcended the limits of ordinary humans. The two knightly greatswords moved as lightly as daggers in his hands. When the sword arcs danced, they generated visible pressure in the air, carrying a sharp, cutting edge. Even standing outside the swords' reach, Raul felt as though blades were slicing across his face. His exposed skin prickled with pain, and a few strands of hair on his head were actually severed by the wind pressure formed by the sword swings.
Without exaggeration, Raul felt that Lind's current dual-sword technique was at least ten times stronger than before. He even believed that if Lind had used this style in the tourney days earlier, he could have directly crushed every participant head-on, cutting them all down on the spot.
If even Raul, who knew Lind well, was this shocked, then the smithy owner and his servant were utterly dumbfounded, unable to utter a single word.
As the forger of knightly greatswords, Tobho Mott knew exactly how heavy such weapons were. Even the strongest knights couldn't wield one single-handedly. Yet here was Lind, holding one in each hand, swinging them as easily as if they were straw. He executed sword techniques the smith had never seen before, and even leapt into the air with those massive blades, performing various slashing motions. This level of physical strength and swordsmanship completely shattered everything Tobho Mott had believed for decades. He even had the illusion that some monstrous being of boundless strength was living inside Lind's body.
After briefly displaying the basic sword techniques of the Exiled Knight, Lind stopped. It wasn't that he didn't want to use other techniques—rather, those required the extraordinary power granted by dragon runes and the Dragon Feasting Ritual. Without that power, they would merely be extensions of the basic forms.
Stopping, Lind looked at the greatswords in his hands with satisfaction. Although they weren't Valyrian steel blades, their materials and weight were quite good, making them suitable as temporary replacement weapons.
At the same time, he reassessed the changes the Dragon Feasting Ritual had brought to him.
Before, his stamina and physical condition would never have allowed him to wield knightly greatswords so easily. Yet now, after completing an entire set of basic sword techniques, he felt no fatigue at all—not even short of breath.
It was clear that his physical state was already transforming toward something non-human, and that this change hadn't stopped yet. Until the effects of the Dragon Feasting Ritual completely faded, his body would continue to slowly strengthen. As for how far it would ultimately go, even he didn't know. Perhaps, like some of the Exiled Knights in his memories, he might one day possess the power to slay dragons.
"Who are you?" Tobho Mott finally asked after recovering from his shock.
Before Lind could answer, Raul stepped forward like a proper squire and introduced him proudly. "This is the champion of the melee, personally knighted by His Grace the King—Lord Lind Taira, the Bear Hunter."
At Raul's introduction, Tobho Mott and his servant both sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Lind in utter astonishment. Alongside the shock in their eyes was a deep sense of awe.
...
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(End Chapter)