The Knight from the Fairytales-Chapter 45: Misunderstanding

"Forget it, if there isn't one, then there isn't. Sigh, I can't explain it clearly to you brutes."
Beihai conceded. His tone was like a parent helplessly giving in after two children threw a tantrum and spouted nonsense.
Cú Chulainn and Ferdiad's faces darkened. Even though this brother had admitted it, they still felt incredibly annoyed!
Cú Chulainn couldn't help but stand up: "What kind of swordsman fights purely with brute force?
And you, halfway through a fight, just start using your fists. Plus, your own physical toughness—your body itself is a weapon. Having a sword on top of that is just redundant, isn't it?"
"Sigh, you don't understand."
"Cú Chulainn isn't wrong either. To be honest, little brother, if you really want to learn something, you should learn spear techniques. On the battlefield or in a duel, an extra inch of reach is always an extra inch of advantage.
Frankly, when a fight breaks out, every single spear-wielder wishes their weapon was longer than anyone else's."
"Ferdiad, you're wrong too. I don't care about a spear's length. Besides, am I lacking in that department?
Learning that kind of stuff is because it looks cool. I can ignore everything else, but being cool is a lifelong pursuit."
Beihai tilted his head back slightly. He had originally thought that learning a move or two would let him roam the world unchallenged. But in front of true masters, the so-called 'strongest swordsmen' of some kingdoms were really quite pathetic.
It seemed that in the future, if he were to learn, he'd have to learn from those with heroic titles.
Cú Chulainn slumped back to the ground. "Hah, you're talking about looking cool? Just waving a weapon around makes you cool?
If you ask me, with strength like yours, if you just used one move in every fight, I doubt many could withstand it. That would be cool too."
"Easy for you to say. That requires a blessing. What if I run into someone I can't cut through?"
"I think you have nothing to fear. Others rely on a sword's sharpness, speed, and tricky attack angles.
You rely purely on your brute force. They can block the blade's edge, but they can't block your raw power.
I know quite a few swordsmen. They say they'd love to slice an enemy in half with one strike, but if the sword isn't sharp enough, the blow gets parried.
So they have to compensate with tricky techniques and speed, all while blocking the enemy's attacks.
It's not that they want their swordplay to be all flashy and complicated. It's that the limitations of the sword itself and their own strength force them to."
Hearing this, Beihai felt it made perfect sense. In the future, he could maintain his cool factor by just using one sword strike.
Even if the opponent blocked it, they could take it up with his monstrous strength.
"Sigh, boring. This dump has no tea, no snacks.
I'd better help you guys end this stupid war sooner rather than later."
After talking for so long, his mouth was dry. As Beihai stood up, *plop*, a small golden dragon fell from his person.
The Golden Scale Dragon was a bit panicked. It had tried its best to conceal its aura.
If it were any other soldier, or even a king, it wouldn't be afraid. The key was that none of these three were easy to mess with.
But there was no helping it. The recent battle had really messed up Beihai's armor. His body was fine, but the armor was full of holes.
It had originally been safely tucked in Beihai's arms, acting as a wallet. But after the fight, there were even weapon scratches on the dragon's back.
"This is..."
Cú Chulainn stared at the little dragon. The dragon shivered, then quickly scrambled onto Beihai's leg, slowly climbing up.
"It's nothing. This is my partner."
Ferdiad watched as Beihai casually found a rope and tied the little dragon to his waist.
"That's quite a distinctive partner."
"Of course. I treasure it very much, always afraid I might lose it."
After chatting a bit more, Beihai headed back to the kingdom.
The kingdom was still in a state of panic. When Beihai arrived and the people heard he wanted to end this fight,
the citizens were overjoyed. This meant there was a turning point.
"Wonderful! The kingdom has gained another powerful warrior!"
"If we can hold on a little longer, the Wizard will lift the curse from His Majesty."
Everyone chattered excitedly. Some brought food and tokens of respect to Beihai's side, while others wanted to kneel in gratitude.
"Don't do that. I'm not a warrior of your land. First, take me to see your king."
Beihai hoped the king wouldn't be senile. After all, sometimes a king's pride was more important than anything.
But this time, he had to act as a mediator to stop the war between both sides. Such a role was actually the hardest.
Upon entering the palace, he found the king inside.
The king was on his throne, hunched over, unable to straighten up from the pain. There was not a shred of royal dignity left—the pain was simply too much to bear.
Even though the king was a valiant warrior, under this agony he couldn't even wear his armor properly, let alone walk. His expression was twisted and ugly.
Even the simple act of sitting up straight, his face deathly pale, made maintaining the most basic composure impossible.
The Wizard beside the king supported His Majesty. After a couple of attempts to help him sit properly, they gave up.
The Wizard could only stand by the king's side, then bowed to Beihai. "My deepest apologies, Sir Knight. His Majesty is truly indisposed."
The Wizard was still a bit afraid Beihai might turn and leave, citing disrespect.
After all, the man came here with good intentions to help, yet they couldn't even offer basic courtesy. So what if you're in pain? As a king, shouldn't you endure it?
Or, you're in this state, yet you still force yourself to see me—doesn't that put me in an awkward position? Do you think I'll thank you for that?
After all, this world wasn't without such absurd occurrences. There really were cases where someone, over such a matter, laid down a vicious curse.
"I can understand. For His Majesty to come out in this state is already remarkable."
Beihai was still impressed. He knew about this kind of pain—it was like childbirth-level pain, though he wasn't sure what grade.
Recalling news from his previous life, he had to admit the king and his warriors were truly tough.
"I can end this war. But I need my payment in advance. I want one of His Majesty's cows."
The king, hunched over, grabbed the Wizard's robe with his hand. The Wizard understood implicitly.
"His Majesty's meaning is: as long as you can resolve this crisis, you may have wealth, status, anything you desire. After it's resolved, the Princess will also marry you."
"I just want one cow."
The story had progressed smoothly up to this point. After all, there were only two paths.
The first: after resolving things, the king reneges on the deal. This happens often. Once the matter is settled, the king starts thinking this person isn't worthy of the princess and begins scheming.
Many fairy tales have kings like that. Others are the type who honestly keep their promises.
Still, it felt a bit weird. This princess was being treated like a common cabbage.