Chapter 986: Chapter 48 Another Hunt (Part 4)_2

Bursts of cheers erupted once again from the crowd of onlookers, and the younger generation of Castilian nobles were particularly vocal in cheering for Little Hernan.

For a moment, hardly anyone paid attention to the life-or-death unknown fate of Earl Harlan.

Taking advantage of Little Hernan’s distraction of the bull and the spectators, Farnan, carrying something wrapped in red silk, rushed through the barrier and sped towards Siegfried.

Another man in a black robe carrying a spear followed Farnan into the arena but was left far behind by Farnan.

Farnan didn’t waste any words; upon reaching Siegfried, he immediately checked his injuries.

“Why are you here?” Siegfried asked with a severe cough, trying to smile.

“I’ve come to bring you weapons.” Farnan gave Siegfried a reproachful look while quickly cutting open his shirt, “Your spear is broken. I’m your assistant, bringing you backup weapons doesn’t violate the accepted rules.”

As they spoke, the man in the black robe carrying the spear caught up.

The man in the black robe looked to be just over thirty, with a round, plump face, and was panting heavily from running a few steps.

Upon arrival, he immediately introduced himself: “Earl Harlan, I am Brother Luke from the Order of Michael.”

“The Order of Michael?” Siegfried sounded somewhat familiar with it.

“No severe external injuries.” Farnan briefly explained Siegfried’s condition: “No fractures found for the time being.”

“No fractures? You’re very lucky, the Lord watches over you, Earl Harlan…” Brother Luke muttered as he untied a delicate silver box from his neck, dipped his finger in the holy oil inside the box, and anointed Siegfried’s forehead, chest, and abdomen.

He placed the sacred emblem on Siegfried’s forehead, his hands pressing on the emblem, his expression solemn and devout as he chanted, “[…May those who take refuge in you be glad; may they ever sing for joy. Shield them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a Shield…]”

Amidst Brother Luke’s chanting, Siegfried clearly felt the pain in his body gradually recede, and some strength returning.

“Little Hernan will take over.” Farnan looked at his friend, “For you, the best strategy now is to leave the field outright.”

Siegfried, without a word, clenched his jaw and used his hands to attempt to rise from the ground.

Farnan sighed and unfolded the red silk, revealing a one-handed rapier in front of Siegfried.

This rapier was even shorter than the ceremonial small sword, completely flat, with no tapering along its blade. The most peculiar feature was that the blade was not straight; the tip of the sword had a slight curve.

“This is from Little Hernan.” Farnan’s tone was calm, “He says this is your only chance.”

…

[The clock rewinds slightly]

“…There are blood vessels and the windpipe in the neck, which is a weakness, that’s correct. But beasts also know the neck is a weak point, and they will desperately protect it.” Little Hernan enthusiastically imparted his insights to Farnan: “So Earl Harlan aiming for the bull’s neck seems right but is actually a grave mistake…”

Farnan spoke politely yet firmly: “Your Excellency Little Hernan, please be concise.”

“Alright, in short, if Earl Harlan wants to take down that big fellow.” Little Hernan produced a specially made one-handed rapier, “You can only use this.”

“This?” Farnan took the rapier–its length wasn’t even a quarter of that of the spear.

“Exactly this.” Little Hernan nodded emphatically.

“How to use it?”

“Eh.” Little Hernan cleared his throat, “Quite simple, when the bull charges at you, you jump up and stab this sword into the bull’s back, the curvature of the blade is sufficient to bypass the ribs and pierce the heart…”

“Your Excellency Little Hernan.” Farnan stared intently at Little Hernan: “You’re saying, Earl Harlan needs to stab this sword into the bull’s back precisely into the heart, in the instant the bull charges at him.”

Little Hernan nodded frantically, and as if worried Farnan wouldn’t believe him, hastily added, “If it’s not accurate, puncturing the lung is also effective. If the lung is pierced, the wild bull won’t last long–though that would be quite a grisly scene. And if it deviates a bit and hits the liver or intestines…”

Farnan interrupted Little Hernan directly: “Have you tried it yourself?”

“Of course! How else would I bring it to Earl Harlan?” Little Hernan protested loudly, then added somewhat sheepishly in a soft voice:

“But the few times I tried… the biggest wild bull was only around three hundred kilograms, a bit smaller than the one Earl Harlan is facing… Uh, slightly. But I assure you, the position of the heart is the same. Ah, I put a lot of thought into this sword. It’s making its debut by giving Earl Harlan a favor; to be honest, I’m a bit reluctant…”

“Let’s not talk about feasibility.” Farnan’s expression was serious: “Earl Harlan has never practiced this technique, do you really expect him to succeed on his first attempt?”

Little Hernan also put away his smile: “It’s not that I expect him to succeed in one go, it’s that if Earl Harlan wishes to fight the wild bull honorably, this is the only way.”

Little Hernan kicked at a lance leaning against the enclosure with the tip of his boot: “This thing, it works against small ones, but it’s useless against big creatures. Earl Harlan isn’t riding a horse to combat the beast; he’s on foot! I respect his courage, but let me tell you, without the help of Warhorse, Earl Harlan’s strength alone won’t be able to inflict a fatal injury on the bull.”

Farnan conceded Little Hernan’s words.