The wooden stool smashed into the side of the Bolton knight who was walking toward the drunken hunter.
"...Fck."
The Bolton knight stumbled half a step, and his sword swing went wide.
The drunken hunter narrowly blocked the cleaving iron sword with his inferior knife.
But the Bolton knight followed up with a kick.
Thud!
This time, the drunken hunter couldn't react. He took the kick straight to the gut and fell backward.
He knocked over the tables and chairs around him, along with several cups and plates.
Unfinished food scattered all over the floor.
The Bolton knight ignored the hunter, who had collapsed after a single blow.
Instead, he turned to find his attacker. His gaze quickly locked onto Don Quixote, who was confronting his companion, and he cursed darkly:
"You reckless fool! You dare interfere in House Bolton's business!"
Don Quixote's gaze calmly swept over the two Bolton knights as he said coldly:
"This is House Cerwyn's territory. Now, either sheathe your swords and get out, or don't blame me for not being polite."
"Not polite? I'd like to see what a wild knight like you is capable of!"
The Bolton knight closest to Don Quixote suddenly lunged, thrusting his sword directly at Don Quixote's vitals.
Don Quixote was unhurried, effortlessly neutralizing the attack.
With his constitution significantly improved, his strength was no less than that of an average knight—perhaps even superior.
During his days wandering with Old Valentine, Don Quixote hadn't wasted his time.
He had practiced his knightly skills seriously and diligently.
And his talent for spiritual focus wasn't bad.
Therefore, his swordsmanship and combat skills had long been up to par.
The only thing that had limited his direct combat power was his physique.
Now that his weakness had been patched up, Don Quixote's strength was fully qualified!
Let alone these two Bolton knights, whose fighting style resembled soldiers more than knights...
Even if he faced two formally trained knights, he wouldn't be afraid.
Don Quixote's footwork was as steady as a rock.
Parry, thrust, horizontal slash.
Every move precisely neutralized the opponent's offense.
Occasionally, he would counterattack with a strike that forced the Bolton knight to retreat repeatedly.
Seeing this, the other Bolton knight also raised his sword and joined the fray to flank him. Two blades, one left and one right, wove a net of cold light.
Yet Don Quixote remained calm and composed.
The sword in his hand seemed to have a life of its own, dismantling the incoming attacks one by one.
The customers in the tavern cowered in the corners, afraid to breathe too loudly.
But their eyes were glued to the fight.
Such a back-and-forth duel between knights was a rare sight for these low-born smallfolk.
Elise gripped the short knife at her waist tightly, her knuckles turning white. Her grey-blue eyes were full of tension, but also a trace of burning excitement.
She wished she could rush up to help Don Quixote, but she was afraid of getting in the way.
The fight continued for a while.
Suddenly.
The tavern door was slammed open.
A knight in plate armor strode in first, a black battle-axe sigil engraved on his breastplate.
After scanning the room, the knight fixed his cold gaze on the three men fighting and roared:
"Bolton bastards, stay your hands! This is House Cerwyn's territory!"
The two Bolton knights ignored him.
Consumed by bloodlust, they only wanted to tear Don Quixote apart.
Don Quixote, however, took advantage of a gap to nod at the newcomer.
"Take down those two Bolton scraps! Don't be gentle!"
The knight ordered coldly.
"Yes, Captain!"
At his command, four soldiers in mail armor behind him rushed forward.
Aside from them, Cole's small figure also appeared at the door.
He looked nervously at the three men fighting.
He couldn't make out the specifics of the fight, only that two knights were ganging up on Don Quixote.
Cole was worried something bad would happen to Don Quixote.
The four Cerwyn soldiers moved efficiently, flanking from two sides.
One soldier saw an opening and delivered a fierce kick to one of the Bolton knights.
The Bolton knight grunted and stumbled back two steps. Just as he regained his balance, two soldiers pinned his arms.
Seeing his companion subdued, the other Bolton knight was even more agitated, swinging his sword recklessly at Don Quixote.
...It should end now.
Seeing the Cerwyn men arrive, Don Quixote knew this farce was over.
He didn't want to completely provoke House Bolton openly yet, so he hadn't used his full strength during the fight.
He suddenly exerted force.
While dodging the incoming sword, he kicked the Bolton knight squarely in the crotch.
"...Argh!"
The Bolton knight let out a miserable shriek and dropped to his knees.
Two Cerwyn soldiers quickly stepped forward and bound the Bolton knight's wrists.
Don Quixote sheathed his sword with a crisp motion, looked up at the approaching captain, and nodded slightly:
"Thank you for arriving in time, Ser Colin."
Colin Sutton, Lady Wylla's eldest son and a sworn knight of House Cerwyn.
Colin waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the two Bolton knights slumped on the floor, his tone as cold as the Northern wind:
"Bolton trash daring to run wild in House Cerwyn's territory? Do you think we're just decorations?"
He jerked his chin at the soldiers:
"Drag these two scraps out and throw them in the dungeon. Let the Lord decide their fate!"
The soldiers acknowledged the order and dragged the two Bolton knights out.
The Bolton knight who was in slightly better shape struggled and cursed:
"You dare touch me! Lord Roose won't let you get away with this! House Cerwyn will be flattened by House Bolton sooner or later!"
The cursing gradually faded into the distance, and the tavern returned to silence.
Cole trotted up, his face full of adoration:
"Lord Don Quixote, you were amazing!"
Elise wasn't slow either.
She walked quickly to Don Quixote's side, looked him up and down for a moment, and asked:
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Don Quixote shook his head and smiled:
"I'm fine."
Then he looked at Cole and nodded:
"Cole, your reaction was very fast. Good job."
The fact that the Cerwyn men arrived so quickly was clearly because Cole saw the situation going south and called for help in time.
"Hehe."
Hearing this, Cole beamed with excitement, as if he had done something monumental.
Colin nodded and smiled at Elise:
"Elise, are you alright?"
"Brother, I'm fine," Elise shook her head.
"Knight Don Quixote acted decisively and didn't let me get involved."
"Thank you, sir. Let's have a drink sometime." Colin looked at Don Quixote and smiled.
"I have to report this to the Earl now, so I'll be going."
"Let's have a drink sometime," Don Quixote smiled.
Colin turned and left.
Don Quixote turned his head to look at Elise and reminded her:
"Miss Elise, you should deal with this mess in the tavern."
"Ah..."
Elise snapped out of her daze, looked around at the shambles, and said blankly:
"What should I do?"
Don Quixote suggested:
"Treat these guests to a small horn of ale, that should do it."
"Oh, right." Elise reacted and immediately shouted:
"Sorry for the scare, everyone! The house will treat everyone to a free small horn of ale!"
"Thank you, Miss Elise!"
The few remaining customers instantly smiled and hurriedly expressed their thanks.
Their adrenaline was still pumping, and they had planned to drink a few cups to calm their nerves anyway.
Although a small horn of ale wasn't much, it was free, which made them happy.
At this moment, the drunken hunter, now mostly sober, walked shakily up to Don Quixote and said respectfully:
"Thank you, Lord Don Quixote. Thank you for stepping in."
"Don't be so impulsive next time," Don Quixote said calmly.
"However, you did start this. Help the tavern tidy up these fallen tables and chairs.
"Cole, let this man help you clean up. You performed well today; I'll treat you to a meal later!"
Cole said excitedly: "Yes, Lord Don Quixote!"
"Yes," the hunter also responded respectfully.
...