192. Lion Queen (2)
After accepting a bet with her.
I stood up proudly from the stands.
And then, we leisurely headed inside Lastium where the sparring knights were waiting.
「Richard Stonefield」
The match scheduled to follow Lord Burke’s dominant performance.
It was Richard and Tina’s second escort captain’s turn.
‘Once you have confirmed the level of Tina’s knights, you cannot be at ease.’
In particular, the level of the knight named Burke was considerable.
The current mana level itself was not strong enough for Misian to easily withstand it.
However, it is the skillful combat experience and wisdom that overwhelms the opponent.
It is especially fatal to the ‘Richards’ who were treated like crazy by me.
“Richard, I’m going in.”
I opened the door and went inside.
Then, I faced a blonde man who was quietly meditating alone in a chair.
“….”
A guy in a white uniform with his eyes closed in silence.
Strong blue mana was firmly formed all over his body.
“Take it easy and open your eyes.”
After hearing what I said, he gently lifted his eyelids.
“Are you here to give me advice?”
“Yeah, you saw it too, right? “The first game earlier.”
The elite of the Imperial Knights nodded quietly.
Because he also belonged to the same organization as Missian.
“Yes, Missian was treated well.”
“Did you have any thoughts after seeing that?”
Richard looked at me intently.
Then, he grinned like an old comrade in arms.
“The day I was beaten by you at the appointment ceremony?”
“Seeing how you speak so calmly, I see that you have become a human being now.”
I said as I sat down on the chair across from him.
“I need to be active this time so that Leah’s position can be further raised.”
Now he seems to be dedicating himself to his master, not to himself.
I was quite satisfied with the motivation for possessing true chivalry.
“So, we have to win somehow.”
“Is there a way?”
I asked, encouraged by that guy’s attitude.
“If your opponent is also from the Northern Front like Berk, he will probably use many of the same techniques.”
“Yes, our bodies are similar.”
I explained to him the characteristics of Burke I had seen in the stands.
“These guys usually have big upper bodies. “With your strong arms, you can freely handle large swords like one-handed swords.”
Burke skillfully parried Misien’s attack with his great sword.
Afterwards, he took away the initiative and shook his mana to create a weakness.
“So you should aim for their lower bodies.”
Bakal knights have slim lower bodies compared to their large upper bodies.
Furthermore, Richard is also big and agile, so it will be enough to attack him by surprise.
“There is no need to force yourself to make effective hits. “We keep targeting the lower body by surprise and making it shake.”
It was as if Berk had shot out sword energy and shook Misien’s mana.
“If the center of gravity is shaken, then you have to force yourself to fight.”
“As expected, the clever side has a good head.”
Richard heard me and got up from his chair.
Then, he followed the instructions of his knights to prepare for battle and wore a long sword at his waist.
“Should you just do it?”
The crowd’s cheers call out to Richard.
The imperial knight was defeated by a knight from a foreign race, so he is hoping for a new hero.
“I’ll go.”
“Yes, make sure to win.”
This guy’s wide back catches my eye.
Unlike his arrogant appointment ceremony, he entered the sparring hall with a very quiet gait.
“Ah.”
Then, Richard stopped for a moment as if he remembered something.
He glanced at me to see if he had something to say to me.
“Veil.”
“Why?”
The guy’s blue eyes stared at me.
“Thank you. “Thanks to you, I finally woke up inside the well.”
Richard expresses his gratitude in an incongruous way.
The guy who betrayed Leah and clung to the crown prince in his past life now sees me as a friend.
“If you are grateful, win and come. “Everyone has high expectations for you.”
The guy walked leisurely.
To the sparring hall where the brilliant sunlight pours down.
There, there was an article by Bakal that appeared first.
He looks younger than Burke, but his eyes are extremely intelligent.
He was similar in size to Richard, and his upper body was even bigger.
Like seeing a wild bear in a snowy field.
「Okay then, let’s start the second game right away!!」
The judge’s loud voice rings out.
He first stretched out his palm towards the Bakal knight disguised as a foreigner.
「Rudrick, a veteran knight who just returned from the Northern Front.」
Next, Richard.
「This is Sir Richard Stonefield, the eldest son of the current Commander of the Knights of Gwangmyeong!!」
Perhaps because he lost to me and his honor was damaged, his shouts became quieter than before.
However, his expression was gentle.
It was as if he had been liberated from the long-standing obsession of being the son of a knight commander that had been eating away at him.
“Cheer up, Richard!!”
“Still, you are my hope!! “Don’t lose to immigrants!”
As if to repay him, a warm voice of support was heard.
“It looks like Richard’s power has been greatly diminished, Leah.”
Prince Leon looked back at Leah with a calm expression.
Then, the first princess of the empire answered calmly.
“Thanks to you, I learned humility.”
“It’s humility…. “As expected, you seem to be very good at what you say.”
Leon chuckled and shook his head.
However, Leah paid no heed to his provocation.
Just….
“Well, compared to anyone I know, I guess I still have a long way to go.”
He just stares at me from the first floor.
“Okay, try hard.”
Leon smiled brightly, perhaps thinking that he was speaking to himself.
Then, she immediately stopped smiling and made eye contact with someone approaching from behind Leah.
“Mother.”
Leon’s mother.
Leah, who was looking at me intently at those words, frowned.
“Leah, can I sit next to you?”
A gentle, yet sensual voice that somehow gives me goosebumps.
Following the voice, the princess 1 turned her head.
Soon.
“Oh my, maybe I couldn’t hear you because I kept staring at someone?”
I faced the first empress, Rosanna, wearing a beautiful and noble white dress.
“Mother.”
Leia gave her a light bow in her cold voice.
Then Rosanna sat side by side with her daughter, covering her lips with her fan.
“Richard has grown quite a bit.”
As soon as I saw him from afar, I immediately noticed his growth.
Leah responded with cold eyes that resembled her mother.
With frosty blue eyes like a witch.
“There is still a long way to go. “Compared to the Black Knights.”
“Really? “Didn’t you think it would be worth it if the Black Knights didn’t use black mana?”
Rosanna asked in a relaxed voice.
“Well, imagination is free.”
Leah flipped her brilliant golden hair to the side.
The scent of elegant perfume wafts from her hair.
“If Richard wins this time, his standing will rise considerably.”
“So, are you anxious? “I’m afraid Leon will be pushed out.”
Rosanna looked at her own daughter.
She is beautiful and looks exactly like Leah.
She maintained her youth so much that it was believable that she was her older sister.
Her nickname, a witch, is quite fitting.
The difference was that she had a small mole at the corner of her mouth.
The moment the dot moves.
“As a mother, how can you discriminate against your child? “If you’re doing well, I’m doing well too.”
“….”
The princess, who resembled an empress, laughed.
She responded to her mother’s words with a calm smile.
“You’re still so shameless, let’s watch the game.”
Leah leisurely took out her small telescope from her arms.
And then, she looked down at the sparring hall.
Seeing her daughter like that, Rosanna tilted her head for a moment.
Because….
Because her daughter’s telescope gaze seemed to be looking in a subtly different direction.
To ‘someone’, not Richard.
“Hmm-. “I guess so.”
Rosanna picked up the teacup in front of her.
Afterwards, she leisurely enjoyed the food and watched the game together.
「If both sides are ready, the game will begin!!」
Magnificent orchestral music rang out.
After this, only two knights remained in the sparring hall.
“Did you say Richard?”
Berk’s successor, Ludric, faced an imperial knight of similar height as himself.
He grinned, as if he was glad that there was such a big man in Leon.
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“As rumored, you look arrogant.”
“….”
Richard just listened in silence to the provocations that were stabbing him.
Thanks to someone, I seem to have become quite accustomed to this kind of pun.
“Let’s start quickly. “I’m not good at arguing.”
The knight of Leah pulled out his long sword.
Then, she focused her mind while holding it with one hand.
――――――.
Mana, as dark blue and hard as a glacier, surrounds Richard’s body.
I watched this in silence near the referee’s seat on the first floor.
‘As expected, I’m envious of how talented he is.’
A talented person like me should have gone to the front line like me.
He was indeed the son of the Imperial Knight Commander.
“It looks like your fundamentals are stronger than the guy a little while ago.”
Burke’s successor also noticed.
Like an experienced warrior in the battlefield, his eyes are fierce.
“I hope you will satisfy us this time.”
Bakal’s warriors feel alive through battle.
He rushed at Richard, throwing up dust.
“Unlike Burke, I fight a little hotly.”
Richard held the long sword with both hands.
In the past, he used to swing with one hand to show off his power.
Kaaang!!
From the beginning, he countered the northern warrior’s blade as if he was sincere.
―――――!!
The two immediately started fighting.
They tried to push the blades away, spewing out each other’s blue mana generously.
Red sparks flutter around.
However, neither Rudrick nor Richard backed down.
“Huh… !!”
The blonde knight pressed the warrior’s sword downward with all his strength.
Then, the situation is such that each person’s center of gravity is pointing downward.
“… !”
Ludrik’s huge upper body began to gradually lose its strength.
Then, the guy quickly backed away.
A warrior who asks to be satisfied, but then retreats first.
As if responding to this, Richard immediately chased after the guy.
Kaaang!!
However, like an experienced warrior, he is in full force.
With his overwhelming upper body strength, he struck down the sword of the knight who was less powerful as he chased after him.
“Ugh… !”
Richard’s wrist goes numb due to the strong impact.
Nevertheless, he did not back down.
In order to maintain the victory they had gained, they held on tenaciously and put pressure on Rudrik.
“You’re quite brave… !!”
The warrior reflexively defended himself against the onslaught of blades.
As skillfully as Burke.
“However, you can’t stop me with an attack with less power like this….”
But.
“Really?”
Contrary to what he said, Rudrik gradually began to feel burdened.
‘This guy has been pointing his legs since a while ago…’ !’
Richard’s blade keeps targeting the leg in an annoying way.
Thanks to this, it became subtly more difficult to defend below.
“I don’t fight out of self-satisfaction like you guys.”
Richard strictly follows my advice.
“Because I focus on my duty as an escort knight.”
Like the madman he is, he only attacked Rudrik’s legs.
“You are definitely Burke’s successor.”
If he attacks your upper body, he counters and aims for his thighs.
“Unlike him who only thinks about victory, he is clumsy.”
If he throws an elbow or a fist at you, dodge it and then cut his calf.
“Ugh… !! This kid… !!”
Burke said that, unlike sparring, it is difficult to target one location on the actual battlefield.
After mocking his words, I defended myself and then attacked only Ludrick’s legs with a counterattack.
“Whoa…” .”
Ludrik barely widened the distance while supporting his shaking legs.
I gritted my molars, feeling angry at being pushed aside by Leon’s smooth knight.
But, at that moment.
“There won’t be any room to breathe.”
Richard caught up with him at lightning speed.
And, maybe it’s because I’ve trained my basic skills so much that my legs are as strong as cast iron.
“Aren’t you going to defend yourself?”
He stepped forward with all his might and swung his sword towards Ludric’s chest.
Enough to just cut through the mana shield.
Suddenly!!
The borrowed Northern Front uniform is cracking.
The northern warrior’s strong abs are slightly visible.
―――――.
In the past, Richard completely destroyed the opponent he defeated so that he could never come back.
However, the sparring ended with just cutting off the clothes.
“Ha….”
Rudrik looked down blankly at his cut clothes.
The same goes for other audiences.
Everyone stared at the torn uniform, symbolizing defeat.
“Are you satisfied now?”
As if responding to his question, the stadium became incredibly quiet.
「Well, the sparring is over… !!」
Then, the judge stepped in and took control of the atmosphere.
「The result is the victory of the Knights of Light, Richard Stonefield!!」
Is it because of his booming voice?
As if responding to this, the audience praised Richard’s overwhelming and persistent skills.
“Waaa—!!”
“Richard!! Richard!!”
Richard looked up blankly at the crowd cheering him.
In the past, the day of the knight appointment ceremony.
The moment when I received praise from all my peers.
In that moment, I was thrown to the ground miserably.
Now he is being celebrated on a much bigger stage.
The guy was moved by that sight and turned his head.
And then, he looked up at Leah, who had chosen him even though he was stuck in such misery.
“Great job, Richard.”
Leah clapped gracefully.
At this point, she also uncrossed her legs and responded politely.
“Indeed. “I have grown a lot both externally and internally.”
The same goes for Rosanna.
She leisurely praised her daughter’s article for turning her back on her.
“As expected, I learned it well.”
Leah lost her expression without realizing it.
The corners of his mouth rose and he looked down at me, Richard’s teacher.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile so sincerely.’
I met her eyes like that of her and her from afar.
Afterwards, he carefully waved his hand so as not to be noticed by the crown prince and left the stadium.
“You’re smiling, Leah.”
After a mere defense engineer left.
Rosanna looked at Leah and asked.
“How can I not be happy that my knight saved the face of the empire?”
The first princess of the empire responded with a relaxed smile like Rosanna.
However, the smile soon stopped.
“No, I don’t think it’s just that.”
Rosanna, a mother who has a hard time hiding her true feelings, even to herself.
She soon noticed a subtle change in her daughter’s expression.
A little while ago, when looking through a telescope towards the referee’s seat on the first floor.
The corners of the mouth that went up without realizing it were not a sign of accomplishment as a monarch.
Does she seem like a woman who is happy to be recognized by a man she wants to impress?
“Hmm-.”
Rosanna, the originator of her greed, caught her daughter’s sinister smile.
After that, she quietly stood up from her seat alone.
「――――――」
‘First of all, one guy saved some face.’
I breathed a sigh of relief at Richard’s performance.
And then, I leisurely walked alone through the quiet corridors of the stadium.
‘Will the next match be Allen and Batsch in order?’
I looked down at the list I had made in advance and was about to head to the driver’s waiting room.
However, the moment when the lights flicker all at once.
“… ?”
I raised my head and looked ahead.
Because I felt a very special and strong magical energy from there.
――――――.
The lights go out one by one from afar.
After that, the moment when all the lights were turned off and the passage became dark.
「It was you.」
Obviously there was no one around me.
I heard a woman’s voice right in my ear.
The strange and enchanting voice of the queen.
「A fox-like man who possessed my daughter.」
Blue eyes sparkle in the dark.
Soon, after adjusting to the dark environment, a woman caught my eye.
“You’ve been hiding under the width of your skirt and mocking me so well.”
The beautiful queen’s dragon eye that looks exactly like Leia.
「With that smooth face.」
A sensual body that seems to hold all things in its arms.