At the encampment in Castle Darry, ever since the Lord of Castle Darry ordered his soldiers to listen to accounts of combat experience against the Ironborn, Lucien and Lauslin, Suleiman's two guards, sat by the campfire every day, sharing their knowledge of the Ironborn with the soldiers gathered around them.
Before being conscripted, they were farmers, craftsmen, and townspeople, none of whom had ever witnessed a battlefield firsthand.
Before this, they were full of curiosity, even longing, for war and the battlefield.
But now, listening to Lucien and Lauslin's narratives, they suddenly felt that the battlefield might not be as glorious as they imagined, but rather filled with coldness and death.
Lucien and Lauslin, who shared the same background as them, used the simplest language, understandable to everyone, to describe the ferocity and fearlessness of the Ironborn.
Lucien paused, lowering his voice: "Those Ironborn, they're terrifying! They're simply a bunch of madmen!"
"They're not afraid of death; to them, dying is like going home!"
"I heard they believe that only by drowning in water or dying in battle can they ascend to that palace of the Drowned God, a good place beneath the water!"
"They believe that once they go there, there will be endless wine and meat every day, and whatever they want, those Half-man Half-fish will bring it to them!"
Lauslin nodded: "Exactly!"
"And these people never carry money when they go out; if they see something they want, they'll just kill the person, and the item becomes theirs. This is called 'paying the iron price'!"
"And they don't need to be urged into battle; they don't need orders or encouragement. They see murder and arson as living, saying this is how they, the Ironborn, should live!"
Lucien and Lauslin's narration sent shivers down their spines. The soldiers swallowed hard, as if those terrifying Ironborn might leap out of the shadows at any moment.
However, just as Lucien was exaggerating how an Ironborn used an axe to cut down three Riverlands soldiers, a sharp, distinctly hostile voice cut through the quiet.
"You fools!"
The soldiers looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a stout man in knight's armor standing not far away, his face showing undisguised disgust.
It was Ser Joses Buck of Castle Darry.
He was annoyed by the Lord's procrastination and by seeing the two men here proclaiming the strength of the Ironborn, especially thinking of Lord Suleiman Stinky Fort being the Lord's honored guest.
Ser Joses stepped forward, his gaze cold as he looked at Lucien and Lauslin, his tone full of contempt:
"I heard your master told the Lord that our soldiers of Castle Darry are no match for those pirates?"
Lucien and Lauslin were originally honest farmers. Since coming here, they had been cautious, fearing they might cause trouble for Suleiman.
Facing Ser Joses Buck's status and position, they instinctively wanted to retreat.
"A little brat, who survived the battlefield by a stroke of luck, dares to criticize true warriors? Who does he think he is?"
Ser Joses laughed loudly, seeing the two flinch and want to leave, his laughter filled with disdain: "The fact is, a dog follows its master. Your petty lord family, who became nobles by cleaning the Lord's latrines, knows nothing of honor! Nothing of noble spirit! Nothing of courage!"
Upon hearing this, Lucien and Lauslin's faces instantly lost all color. They could allow others to insult themselves, but they absolutely could not accept anyone insulting Suleiman.
Lauslin and Lucien roared: "How dare you insult our Suleiman!"
"Ha!" Ser Joses seemed to have seen something extremely shocking.
He shrieked even more sharply: "You dare to talk back to a knight?!"
"Marwyn, Tobiah!" Ser Joses shouted to his two squires.
"Go! Give our two battlefield heroes a wake-up call!"
"Let them know their place!"
"Let them know what a real battle looks like!"
The two squires were both in full armor, fully protected.
They advanced with cruel grins.
Lucien and Lauslin were aghast, but their inherent loyalty to Suleiman made them choose not to retreat this time.
They did not back down, but instead swung their arms and fists, constantly fighting back.
However, every time their fists landed on the squires' armor, it was like hitting hard stone!
Their punches were completely blocked by the thick armor, unable to penetrate that layer of protection, let alone injure the person inside.
Instead, the immense recoil left Lucien and Lauslin's fists bloody from repeatedly striking the opponents' armor.
As time passed, their strength waned, and they gradually stopped resisting.
Although they realized that further fighting was futile and had to give up their offense, they tried to protect their heads and bodies with their arms, blocking the rain of blows.
Even though the two had given up struggling and were passively taking the blows, Ser Joses's squires showed no mercy.
The two squires wore cruel sneers on their faces, clearly not just intending to subdue them!
Every move was vicious, without mercy.
They aimed to cripple them, constantly striking Lucien and Lauslin's heads with kicks and punches, showing no intention of stopping!
The commotion and screams alarmed the soldiers throughout the camp. They were all startled by this sudden violence and rushed to watch, but no one dared to intervene.
Ser Joses Buck was, after all, the Lord's knight.
But some soldiers, who had a good impression of Suleiman and his two guards, quickly went to Suleiman to report the news.
Suleiman, who was practicing swordplay in an unpopulated area of the camp, heard the news, his face stern, and hurried over.
Only when Ser Joses's two squires saw their master arrive did they sneer and withdraw the fists they were about to continue raining down.
"Stop!" Ser Ronald roared, his face grim, clearly displeased with Ser Joses's behavior.
Seeing Ser Ronald arrive due to the commotion, Ser Joses's squires immediately retreated and stood behind Ser Joses.
Ser Ronald turned to Suleiman, his tone apologetic and helpless:
"Lord Suleiman, I am truly sorry. Ser Joses acted too rashly."
"Castle Darry apologizes to you, and we will offer you compensation."
However, Suleiman did not even look at Ser Ronald. His gaze calmly fixed on Ser Joses.
Then he quickly walked to Lucien and Lauslin, knelt down to check their injuries. Fortunately, the two were tough and suffered no serious harm.
This was the first time he had felt such anger since coming to this world.
Upon Suleiman's arrival, despite their intense pain and lack of strength, the two could only weakly move their lips, whispering: "We did not shame you, Suleiman."
Suleiman did not reply, gently patted their arms, stood up, his gaze sweeping over the gradually gathering soldiers, and faced Ser Joses, taking a deep breath and raising his voice:
"I am Suleiman Stinky Fort, a hereditary lord sanctioned by the Seven Kingdoms!"
"And you, you are merely a knight who cannot inherit!"
"You arbitrarily assaulted my guards and insulted my family!"
"Such conduct is a trampling of noble honor! It is a contempt for the laws of the Seven Kingdoms!"
Ser Joses Buck's face turned somewhat ugly. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but nothing came out.
"Given this, this matter is a dispute between nobles that cannot be resolved peacefully!"
"According to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, disputes between nobles can be resolved through trial by combat!"
"Since you sent your squires to attack my guards while wearing armor, then let's make things completely fair!"
He pointed at Ser Joses and then at his squires: "You, and your two vicious dogs in turtle shells! Get those turtle shells off!"
Then he pointed at himself, Lucien, and Lauslin: "I! My guards, Lucien and Lauslin! Tomorrow at this hour, right here, in this open space!"
He spoke each word distinctly, his voice full of chilling intent: "Six people, a three-on-three trial by combat!"
Suleiman's gaze was calm and cold. He said in the calmest voice: "I will sentence you to death!"
"By the Seven Gods!"
The surrounding soldiers were silent, stunned into speechlessness by this sudden trial by combat to the death.
Ser Ronald's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Things had actually come to this point, and it was initiated by Suleiman, this young lord, in such a strong and resolute manner—three-on-three. He was too young; why was he so foolish!
Even without armor, Ser Joses's martial prowess was enough to overshadow many knights, and his squires were also rigorously trained warriors.
They were even among the top thousand in kingdom-level tournaments, which was why he was not afraid of offending Lord Raymon Dayne.
He could easily be recruited by other families.
And Suleiman, a sixteen-year-old lord, with his two farmer guards.
Ser Ronald could not imagine a single hope of victory for this young man!
Ser Joses burst into laughter. He had genuinely feared that Suleiman would use the noble hierarchy of Westeros to oppress him, but he never expected his opponent to choose the very method he was most skilled at—force.
Ser Joses pointed at Suleiman and his guards: "Good! Very good, Lord Suleiman Stinky Fort!"
He held his head high, looked arrogantly at Suleiman, and loudly responded: "I! Known as the White Boar Knight! Ser Joses Buck of Castle Darry! Accept your judgment!"
"Tomorrow at this hour, here! Let everyone see how you and your farmers sentence me to death in a trial by combat!"