"Beautiful Seruni, don't worry too much. Trust that God will help us who want to uphold the truth and destroy all that causes destruction on this earth." Dezo's hand reflexively stroked the girl's shoulder, making her blood rush, her face flushing red. She lowered her head in shame as her eyes met the warrior's.
For Dezo, this reflex action was simply because he felt close to the family, and his caress on the girl's shoulder was an expression of his affection for his own sister.
"All Seruni needs to do is pray that God will give me strength and that I can defeat that Duke and his men later." Seruni simply nodded with a sweet smile, and they became engrossed in conversation, occasionally punctuated by jokes. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't realize that evening was approaching and the time for the promised battle had finally arrived.
Dozens of village youths were ready to accompany the warrior to the open field. Before leaving, those who hadn't accompanied Dezo approached and offered him encouragement. Seruni didn't miss a step. Before Dezo could take a step, she took his hand and turned to him.
"Be careful, Brother! I'll always be here to pray for you," the beautiful girl said. Dezo nodded and smiled.
****
Let's move on to the seven youths who had been asked to report to the Pagaruyung Kingdom. The seven youths arrived in the late afternoon. The seven youths were greeted warmly by the royal guards at the palace gate. After learning their purpose, the palace gatekeeper immediately took them to meet the commander. The commander then led them to meet the king.
In a large, magnificent room, dozens of pillars and various carvings adorned the walls. On the right and left were rows of dozens of wooden chairs with equally beautiful carvings. These chairs were filled with trusted figures of the Pagaruyung Kingdom. At the end of the room was a stage with low steps connected to each other, above which sat the throne where the King of the Pagaruyung Kingdom sat.
The commander and seven young men from the Agam region entered the room and knelt down.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty. I have brought these seven young men from the Agam region to meet with Your Majesty. They wish to report something important that has occurred in their region," the commander said, kneeling.
"Please, my people! What do you have to report?" the king of the Pagaruyung Kingdom said.
One of the seven young men knelt forward.
"First, please forgive me, Your Majesty. We come from the Agam region to report to Your Majesty what we and all the people of the Agam region have been experiencing since the reign of Adipati Gopal. First, we would like to report that Adipati Gopal has forced the entire population to pay tribute three times what Your Majesty has ordered. Second, Adipati Gopal frequently coerces village girls into becoming his wives. Finally, during his reign in our region, many villagers have died at his hands simply because they were late in paying tribute or refused to enforce His Majesty's will."
Hearing the young man's story, the King of Pagaruyung Kingdom was furious. Standing from his throne, he ordered his commander and several skilled palace soldiers to arrest and punish Adipati Gopal.
Returning to the field where the battle between the powerful swordsman, the Andalas Tiger, and Adipati Gopal and his men was taking place, a horse-drawn carriage sat on the west side of the field, a plump, dark-skinned man with a thick mustache that partially covered his lips. On the right and left of the carriage, several warriors were seen who, from the way they stood, showed an arrogant attitude, especially the man sitting in the carriage who was none other than Adipati Gopal Kaliang.
"I don't think that snotty kid dares to come," he muttered with a condescending smile.
"Sawung... where's the young man you said dared to accept my challenge? He still hasn't arrived. Is he suffering from diarrhea or is he drying his pants after he's peed himself? Ha... ha... ha...!" Gopal exclaimed, laughing mockingly, as his men and hired warriors also burst into laughter.
"I don't think he dares to come, sir, because he probably feels like he's going to die!" added one of the hired warriors on the right side of the horse-drawn carriage, laughing again.
"They're coming, sir!" exclaimed his man, Sawung, who was a few spears ahead, having been tasked with monitoring the situation. Sure enough, from the east, directly in front of them, dozens of young men appeared, including Dezo, the tiger warrior. Adipati Gopal and his entourage, who were still laughing, immediately fell silent.
"That kid has some guts to come here!" Gopal exclaimed inwardly, while the Adipati's hired warriors smiled scornfully.
When Dezo and his entourage were about ten spears' distance from the clearing, Dezo halted and signaled the young men accompanying him to retreat about five spears' distance. The young men understood and did as Dezo indicated.
From the carriage, applause rang out from a burly, dark-skinned man, none other than Adipati Gopal Kaliang.
"I truly admire your courage, young man! I thought you wouldn't come!" he exclaimed, still clapping. Dezo merely responded with a smile.
"I never want to hurt, let alone injure, the people of my region, that's why I chose this path to offer a fair challenge," Gopal continued with a sly smile.
"Come on, Adipati Gopal! No need for sweet talk! The people have suffered for a long time because of you; do you still have the face to say that, Adipati?" Dezo said, holding back his anger.
"One more thing I want to make sure of: can you keep your promise to the challenge you've given us?!" Dezo continued.
"Oh, of course! Whoever among us survives here will have power over this area!" Gopal said with a sly smile.
"Good then! Now what are you waiting for? Let's get started!" Dezo exclaimed.