St. Joseph's Catholic Church, located northwest of Richmond Castle and less than half a mile away, had celebrated Sunday Mass at 9:30 a.m. this morning, and the male commoners who attended the Mass gathered in groups to practice archery on the school grounds outside a grove on the west side of the church near the River Swell.

This is a legal requirement and a uniform implementation of physical education for all men of school age. When the brutal sport of kicking the enemy's head was banned by law, the daily pastime of male civilians was only the practice of archery. Of course, with the arrival of the harvest season and the feast of St. Michael and St. Michael, there are many fewer men who come to the school to train in archery.

After harvesting a large amount of crops and selling the surplus, the men had more money to spare. When they had money, they wanted to have fun, and two private taverns, located in the house south of St. Joseph's Church, became their new gathering place. It should be mentioned that two private taverns called "Cooper's Ale House" are run by a family, and their proprietress is named Sally Cooper.

A few years ago, Isabel Walton used to come to the tavern every now and then for a bite to eat, drink some ale, and chat with the tavern's lady and maid Sally. Now, a small tavern has been turned into two spacious taverns thanks to the "bailout" of Isabelle's frequent overtips. Sally, the maid, has also become a wife, a mother, and a hostess, and her husband is the eldest son of the former hostess Delia.

"Hey, brother, where are you going?" A man who looked like a hired man turned to look at his companion who had left his seat.

"When I went to pee just now, I heard someone say that there seems to be a duel going on in the clearing to the west." The companion stopped and said something to the hireling.

"Duel? Who duels with whom? Wait for me, I'm going to see it too. The hired man immediately got up from his seat, pulled his legs, and walked towards the door of the tavern.

"Hey, don't you two want to pay?" Sally, the proprietress crossed her hands on her hips, stood behind the two of them and yelled in a shrill voice.

The hired man and his companion immediately turned their faces and looked at her with a playful smile, "Sally, we're just going to watch a duel, and we'll be back soon to continue drinking." ”

Sally snorted lightly, slowly walked up to the two and pointed at their noses, "Watch the duel, don't you want to bet on who wins and who loses?" If you both lose money, who do I ask for money for drink? ”

The hired man's companion immediately became a little excited, "Sally, we will definitely not lose this time, and we will win a lot of money." ”

"Oh, why?"

"I've heard a couple of people talking about the duel between the daughter of the magistrate of the county and a retainer of the Duke of Richmond."

The hired man glanced at his excited companion and shouted with wide eyes, "Brother, what you said is true?" I have heard that this noble lady is very good at bowing and swordsmanship. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to become a retainer of the lord by virtue of her status as a young lady. ”

"Isabel Walton?" Sally glanced at the two hired men who were speaking loudly, and subconsciously said the names of those who participated in the duel. Then, he raised his eyelids and looked at the two hired men, "Are you telling the truth?" ”

"Yes, it's certainly true. Sally, as soon as the duel is over we will come back to pay for the drink, and we swear to God. The two hired men said as they ran towards the door of the tavern.

In the past few years, Isabel has spent less time at the tavern, but Sally has never forgotten this female partner who is too different from her identity and status. More importantly, if it weren't for the help of this good partner, the Cooper family would not have become so rich.

Sally stood there and thought for a moment, then turned to the three maids and said, "You stay here, I'll go out." ”

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By this time, a number of idle tenant farmers, bookkeepers, cottage farmers, hired hands, artisans, small traders, shepherds, and craftsmen had gathered in a clearing southwest of the tavern facing the river Swell. A vigilante patrol patrolling the vicinity of the Duke of Richmond's castle also ran out of the clearing to join in the fun after hearing the news of the duel. In addition, there are several strange men who are also quietly standing in the middle of a group of civilians.

By the time Isabel led a dozen or so duke's palace guards to the appointment, the onlookers had automatically and consciously divided into two groups according to their status and status: commoners and squires. Not only did the commoners quietly agree on gambling bets with each other, but even the self-proclaimed gentlemen, yomans, and officials reserved even bigger bets.

When Isabel, dressed in the leotard of aristocratic women and men's clothing with the stiff cloth removed, jumped off her horse, a sergeant from the security patrol stepped forward to hold her horse. As the vigilantes, sergeants, squires, and officials gathered around her saluted, Isabel smiled and nodded in return. While returning the salute, he also scolded in his heart, "Hell, are these people here to see the circus performance?" ”

Shaking his head, he drew his sword from the saddle bridge, turned and walked towards Carl Fox, who was standing with his back to the Swell River. Baldwin and the others came, and hurriedly made way for her. Isabel glanced at the guards and whispered, "Alright, you all stand on the sidelines." ”

In a few moments, only young Carl and Isabel were left in the center of the clearing. Isabel, who had two short swords tied to her waist and a stabbing sword in her hand, glanced at several middle-aged men and horses grazing on the nearby grass not far behind Carl, "Carl, are you here alone?" ”

Karl slowly drew his half-sword from his waist and looked at her with his eyes firmly on him, "No, Your Excellency, they are my father's companions, and I asked them to come to witness my duel with you. ”

Isabel pouted, "Uh-huh." So far, you still think that I killed your father? ”

Karl didn't take an offensive stance with the sword in his right hand, but just pointed the tip of the sword down at the grass, "Although it wasn't you who killed my father directly, but the decision you made to duel caused my father to die under Arthurs's sword." ”

"So, you'd rather see 60 villagers fight each other as if they were fighting the Highlanders until one kills the other, rather than trade just one person's life for the peace of Quekpat?"

"Well, I'm willing to do that. This man shouldn't be my father, though. ”

If the leaders of the two sides of the private fight had been willing to accept justice, she believed that her father, Sir Augustine, would not have made a judgment that would have killed a man. However, a long time has passed since this incident, and it is not effective to make hypothetical opinions now.