Chapter 234 – Festival For Festival (5)

Sanchez’s eyes trembled. Morales’s defeat was unexpected. He couldn’t accept the reality that his master, who was like heaven, had been defeated by Roman Dmitry, who was younger than his master.

But he saw it with his own eyes. Roman Dmitry consistently had the upper hand, and Morales struggled until the end and accepted the price of defeat as a warrior.

Blood smeared on the ground. The fact that Morales was really dead reminded Sanchez of the words he said to Roman Dmitry.

“You don’t know the value of that position. There are many warriors in Valhalla who will give anything to stand on that stage. Please tell me something. Do you think you are qualified to deal with Barbossa on behalf of Morales?”

At that time, he believed in those thoughts. He didn’t deny the fact that Roman Dmitry had accomplished a lot of things, but he didn’t think he was up to par with the top Rankers yet.

What did Roman Dmitry feel upon hearing those words? With the ability to overwhelm Morales with this much, Sanchez’s words must have been nothing more than presumptuous remarks.

‘… Teacher.’

He looked at Morales and cried. He wanted to vent his anger over his death, but Morales showed genuine joy in his last moments.

Recently, Morales has been saying something. He said that Valhalla was going in the wrong direction, and at some point, the people had lost their worth as warriors. Those who pursued pure confrontation had lost their place in the empire.

Those who clung to power and played the role of head prospered, while those who risked their lives on the battlefield died alone, giving up all their achievements.

It was a country that lost its mark. The values that Valhalla pursued had changed, and Morales hoped for a fight with Barbossa.

“Sanchez. I might die in the fight with Barbossa. No, the odds of me winning are slim. Still, there is a reason to fight him. The people of Valhalla are the warriors of Valhalla. I hope you see my struggle and realize the essence of the past, even a little bit. What kind of nation was Valhalla? At least, it wasn’t a nation that persecuted the weak while asserting power.”

Risking his life, he said he would die in a meaningful manner, and he showed the same eyes in the fight with Roman Dmitry. So, in the middle of the fight, he knew Morales would die. In order for Roman Dmitry to truly gain recognition and head to the stage, he needed a scapegoat for his fame, and that was Morales.

At that moment, he was determined to die. In the first place, he used his body, which he was having trouble with due to his rough life, as a flame to shine on Roman Dmitry.

So Sanchez gritted his teeth and held his tears back, knowing Morales’s intentions. Roman Dmitry was a talented person who deserved respect.

‘I understand Teacher’s intentions, but this is too irresponsible. If you go away like that for the sake of some great cause, what am I going to do after I have lived all my life looking at Teacher alone? Even knowing the value that comes first as a warrior, I hate Teacher. It is hard for me to accept an honorable death as a warrior, but I will not let your death be in vain.’

Before the confrontation, Morales left a comment. If he truly died, he had to check the ‘will’ he left behind. It was then….

“Ro… man, Ro… man!”

“Roman, Roman!”

“Roman, Roman, Roman!”

The people of Valhalla, like a heatwave spreading, began to chant Roman Dmitry’s name.

Morales’s defeat shocked the general public, and they couldn’t get the words that Morales had spoken out of their heads.

“…Were Morales’s words true?”

“If the Valhalla imperial family did summon Roman Dmitry for their personal revenge, it is so wrong. The festival of warriors is a place for the souls of the dead warriors, and it shouldn’t be polluted like this.”

“Even if they died with honor, if one of them looked down from heaven and saw such a situation happening, they wouldn’t be able to close their eyes in peace.”

It was a disaster—the truth about Valhalla. Roman Dmitry, on the contrary, looked more suited to Valhalla than the people of Valhalla.

Without avoiding anything, he proudly set foot in Valhalla. When people looked at him with prejudice, he accepted their challenge, knowing that he might be injured before the match.

What kind of warrior was like that? Roman killed many people, but people thought of that as a moment to prove the meaning of Valhalla’s existence.

Morales was dead. He was an existence that showed what a real warrior should be like in a world that was losing its essence. The people were not sad. They were happy.

A warrior dying as a warrior and returning to a handful of dirt in the hands of a worthy opponent. Knowing that it was an honorable death that everyone wanted, they weren’t going to stain the warrior’s death with tears.

It was then that….

“Ro… man, Ro… man!”

Each one of them just unknowingly shouted Roman’s name. Standing tall as a victor, he truly deserved the respect of the people of Valhalla.

“Roman! Roman! Roman!”

“Roman! Roman!”

Their voices spread like a fever. The people recognized Roman Dmitry. Roman Dmitry, who defeated Morales, was an outsider, but he was more suitable for the festival’s stage.

Abandoning prejudice, if one was strong and knew the worth of a warrior, his origins didn’t matter at all.

The current Valhalla was a nation where racial discrimination was pointed out as a problem, but at one time, they were a nation that introduced the ‘Ranking System’ to the continent in pursuit of a pure fight between warriors.

The fight between Morales and Roman ignited their forgotten values, and the voices calling for Roman Dmitry grew louder and louder in their desire.

As Morales said, they would open their eyes and not turn a blind eye to reality. The souls of the warriors of Valhalla were watching. They would watch the showdown between Barbossa and Roman until the end so that they wouldn’t embarrass them even a little.

The people were passionate.

At the center of this, Roman Dmitry showed respect for the dead by accepting their cheers.

The world was shaken. At the moment when Morales’s death struck Marin, a discussion was happening among the power holders in Marin.

“…The rumor seems to be true. Morales lost against Roman Dmitry.”

It was Viscount Jonathan.

Hearing his report, the Marquis of Belfir, the leader of one of Valhalla’s powers, smiled.

“Things are becoming funny. Even when he accepted the invitation, I didn’t think his goal of winning against Barbossa would work. But to think he was strong enough to defeat Morales. I tried not to underestimate his skills, but this is beyond what I thought.”

Roman Dmitry was an absurdly strong man. He didn’t know that his dispute with Valhalla would end like this. And Viscount Jonathan said,

“If you give me an order, I will use my hands to make Roman Dmitry go on stage with an ’unnatural body.”

“No, there is no need for that.”

Morales—the man was a nuisance. He was always on the other side of the power forces and raised his voice against them.

“Why do you think Morales died? He had the option to see the reality. But he accepted the sacrifice, challenged Roman Dmitry, and accepted his death too. It is a trick to prevent anyone from intervening in the fight between Roman and Barbossa. People clearly witnessed Roman Dmitry’s power, and if he shows a weakened form on the day of the fight, they will have doubts.”

They didn’t normally care about the opinions of the public. But in a situation where the public’s opinion was on the verge of exploding, they knew doing the wrong thing would be a problem.

Valhalla—the nation of warriors was different from before. Now, they consider political issues when making decisions.

Marquis Belfir, who was looking out of the window with a calm face, recalled the past he had buried.

“Viscount Jonathan. How much do you know about Barbossa?”

“Well, isn’t he a member of the Twelve Swords that represent the continent and our Valhalla?”

“Right, most people know that. However, the true weapon he wields isn’t a sword.”

“… What do you mean?”

Barbossa and Morales. The clash between the two of them. In their first fight, it was because of Barbossa himself, not his background.

“Barbossa is a clever person. While being confident in his win, he does everything possible to eliminate even a 1% chance of being defeated. So, let’s leave the confrontation with Roman Dmitry entirely to Barbossa. He knows how to increase his chances in the right way.”

In the fight against Barbossa, Morales was defeated. He didn’t evade the responsibility, but he thought that the outcome of the fight would have been different if his physical condition had been normal.

However, was that really how it was? In the past and even now, Barbossa would overpower Morales. Even if he were confident of winning against Barbossa, the guy would gnaw at his opponent.

In the fast-changing Valhalla, Barbossa was the representative of today’s world.

Marquis Belfir laughed.

Roman Dmitry.

No matter how desperately he tried, he wouldn’t return home with a living body.

It was a long day. The fight, which had been happening since early morning, ended with Morales’s death.

No one expressed their intention to challenge Roman anymore. If he had defeated Morales, who was originally supposed to be on the festival’s stage, they didn’t need to test Roman Dmitry.

On that evening, Sanchez found Dmitry. His face contorted, and he bowed his head right away.

“… Mr. Roman Dmitry, I am sorry for insulting you all the way. Knowing how bad prejudice can be, I couldn’t tolerate an outsider being on our stage. Regardless of who wins or loses in the match, I respect your choice of going onto the stage despite knowing what the intentions of Valhalla are.”

There was no hostility. Morales’s death, and Roman Dmitry were two different things. The people of Valhalla didn’t turn their backs on the opponents who died in fights.

Roman Dmitry said,

“Let’s forget about the past. After the fight with Morales, I have no hard feelings for you.”

“Thank you.”

When the fight was over, the emotions of the past were engraved into his body. And the way he respected Valhalla, Sanchez showed a determined look in his eyes.

“The reason I came for Roman Dmitry like this is because of my teacher’s will. Teacher recognized your true warrior spirit. That is why he accepted death from you, and when he went on the stage, he revealed the ugly truth of Valhalla to the people so they would know the spirit of Valhalla.”

After the fight was over, he went back to his place. After reading Morales’s will, which he had left in case something happened, Sanchez could not hide his embarrassed feelings.

It was not just a will. It had shocking content. Morales wanted Roman Dmitry to know the truth, even if his own death would be meaningless.

“Teacher left this will, saying that Roman Dmitry should be fully aware of the dangers of the fight. Roman Dmitry. Valhalla’s plan doesn’t just end with the fight against Barbossa. Even if you defeat him in the battle, the life of Roman Dmitry cannot be guaranteed.”

After he read the will, Sanchez let out a sigh.

Valhalla was down. Even if an individual raised his voice, a rotten nation wouldn’t care about it. The foundation of the nation had become rotten. Despite knowing that, Morales risked his life to bring forth an alternative.

“Inviting Mr. Roman Dmitry to this festival. It is part of the Kronos Empire’s plan. Teacher told me in his will that some powerful people in Valhalla had colluded with Kronos. So, if you want to survive, leave Valhalla right now. I will help you with that part. If you take on the stage of the match, a wounded Mr. Roman Dmitry will never be able to return to Dmitry alive.”

With a voice suppressing his anger, he spoke of the ugly truth.