209. Noble Competition (1)
“What on earth is this medicine…?” .”
Black Knight leader Rin.
She glanced down at the elixir in the vial placed in her palm.
“They say it’s a panacea.”
Her one black eye looked up at me.
The cloudy pupils seemed to be looking at comrades who died fighting together on the northern front.
“Is it okay for me to receive this precious thing?” ? I am the leader of the knights you are angry with….”
Under the brilliant sunlight.
I smiled brightly as I looked at the female knight in black.
“People who need it should use it. “I’m so healthy.”
A tattered dress shirt.
Red blood flowed out little by little.
Lynn seemed to realize something when she saw me smiling despite my facial features.
She quietly closed her eyes.
“Okay…. “Now I understand.”
Lin bowed her head in front of me.
I did not bow my head to anyone except the imperial family.
“The weight of your sword. “I felt it clearly.”
The Black Knight leader realized my intention in seeing even him as part of the empire.
And, he was ashamed of her own beliefs, thinking only of the leader of a country or of her younger brother.
“Maybe…. “I don’t know if the knight commander would be a better fit for you than me.”
“I will refuse. I want to stop being in such a responsible position….”
I stuck my tongue out and waved my hand.
Lin laughed along with the exaggerated gesture.
That moment.
「I think it’s over.」
The emperor himself stood up from the throne to conclude the competition.
「By any chance, are there any other knights who would challenge Veil here?」
Leonhard looked at the vast Lastium Stadium with relaxed eyes.
However, among so many people gathered, there was no one who dared challenge me.
“….”
Lord Burke in the waiting room.
Camilla and Echinado.
None of them could attack.
I just stare blankly at the sunlight pouring down from the cracked sky.
“The sky in Leon is so warm.”
Bacal’s princess, Christina, was in the audience.
She sighed at the sight of me facing her fate instead of escaping with her.
“Father. This time, I am preparing to study abroad in Leon to explore geography….”
And then, I scribbled down a note to post to Jeon Seo-gu.
「It looks like no one is there.」
The Emperor smiled with satisfaction as he looked at the quiet Lastium Stadium.
Afterwards, he spread out his huge hands with all his might and spoke.
「80Th anniversary. The winner of the Imperial First Sword Selection Contest is….」
Everyone focused on the magnificent voice of the Conqueror.
Finally, the moment when he announces today’s protagonist.
「I am Bale Mikhail of the Capital Defense Knights.」
The servants who had been waiting on the top floor of the amphitheater appeared.
They waved the white flower petals they had prepared in the basket all over the world.
―――――――.
One day at the end of summer.
White snow began to fall from the sky.
The applause of the audience could be heard through the falling flower petals.
However, I did not enjoy the applause they gave me.
I just focused on the sound of small footsteps amidst the applause.
The sound is getting closer and closer.
Soon.
I caught my eye between the falling white petals of a woman.
Irina, the second princess of the empire.
Like those days when we faced death together.
However, the princess’s steps were not at all precarious.
Brilliantly fluttering silver hair and tears falling from the corners of the eyes.
In fact, she was more cheerful and beautiful than anyone else.
‘This is what it felt like to stand up and watch.’
In the past, I saw her collapsed and dying.
Never in her wildest dreams did she know that the sight of Irina running would be so beautiful.
Thanks to everyone, I did not regret this moment of coming forward.
“Veil… !!”
Irina was in my arms.
“Why did you have to jump into the sword…. How worried she was….”
I embraced Irina.
And, she said.
“You’re covered in blood.”
“It doesn’t matter….”
The princess pulled her platinum dress as close to me as possible.
The princesses saw that.
“Look at that… ?”
“How dare you put your nose on Bale’s shirt first…” .”
They also immediately got up from the VIP table.
And then, I hurried down to the stadium.
――――――.
What happened afterwards was spectacular.
A ruined sparring hall.
Because so many people flocked there.
Not everyone had a good first meeting, but these people became connected beyond a single regression.
Allen, Batsch, Richard.
Plus, Ekinawa Camilla.
General Balderian of the Subangsa and even senior Miya.
Everyone filled the sparring hall.
“I trusted Veil. “You will win!!”
Miya approached me with a wide smile.
“When I bet with my seniors, I was the only one who went all in on you.”
A senior with short black hair wrapped his arms around us.
For now, everyone was happy to be together as one.
“Veil! “Are you making me worry about other people like that again?”
The same goes for Lydia, who came back with a nyana tone of voice.
She was also held in Miyauri’s arms.
“Thank you for your hard work, Mikhail.”
Leah didn’t bother to be hugged.
Instead, she faced me, who was surrounded by me.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Leah stared at my shallow eye smile.
Then, she cleared her throat, covering her lips with her fist.
“But from now on, please cherish your body more.”
The noble Leah also gradually approached me.
Eventually, she hugged me from behind and nuzzled her nose into the back of my neck.
“Whoa…” .”
She pretended to be noble and secretly whispered to me her hidden feelings.
After that, she savored my body scent like a lioness.
「….」
The emperor silently watched the crowds filling the sparring hall.
Then, without realizing it, his expression relaxed and he smiled.
「It looks like Lord Veil is alive and well despite his appearance.」
Leonhardt chuckled as he stroked his chin.
Mosi An, who was standing next to her, nodded along with her.
“He was very active within the empire, knowingly or unknowingly.”
「Okay… ?」
The emperor gazed comfortably at a man surrounded by a crowd of people.
Then, among the people she hugged, her eyes widened when she saw a beautiful woman with silver hair that she was familiar with.
「Hmm?!」
For some reason, Leonhard had an uneasy premonition.
He turned his head and looked at the golden round table where the princesses were sitting.
“….”
However, there was no one there.
Only the cooled teacup remains.
「Well, wait a minute…. Where did it all go… ?!
Is it because of the unique instinct to show off?
Anxiety crept up his spine.
The emperor went straight to the banister of the VIP room.
And, among the crowd surrounding his man, he found familiar beautiful women.
「Mosian. Were my daughters ‘very’ close to Lord Bale? ?」
He was an emperor who had been reported to have met several times for operational reasons.
However, it was something I had never dreamed of that these arrogant women even hugged her with their bodies pressed against each other.
“That…” .”
Mosian scratched her own sideburns.
Because I knew the inner thoughts of the emperor who always thought very highly of his daughters.
“In fact, each of the princesses received great help from Lord Veil.”
Rosanna and Leon, who were sitting with stiff faces, also looked at Mosian.
Thanks to this, the Prime Minister suddenly found himself in a situation where he was questioned by three high-ranking beings.
However, Nobu was not afraid and started talking confidently.
He described the activities of a man whom he had established as the mainstay of the Princess Association.
“Do you remember the civil war between Prince Hakim and Princess Lydia?”
Hakim.
Leon’s eyes sparkled at that name.
He promised support and gave orders to take over the eastern part of the capital after overthrowing Lydia.
「I remember. That kid… He tried to usurp Lydia’s power. “Even though he was deprived of his throne because of his own tyranny.”
Leonhard closed his eyes tightly, thinking of his poor son.
I seem to regret not having been able to educate him with care.
“Prince Hakim was preparing a rebellion in the underground city with General Hammus. “If a civil war broke out in the city, the people would have suffered greatly.”
「….」
The Emperor took a deep breath.
Its appearance was like a huge lion that was letting go of its anger.
“However, it was Lord Bale who attacked that underground city ‘alone’.”
Mosi An rummaged through his back pocket.
Afterwards, she took out the ‘fox mask’ that she had been keeping to report to the emperor one day.
“He used this to kill Commander Hammus alone and then pretended to be sent in as reinforcements.”
「Are you saying he hid his achievements?」
The emperor frowned, saying he couldn’t understand.
The same goes for Leon.
If he had known that Bale was the mastermind, he had a murderous look in his eyes as if he would have gotten rid of it right away.
“Yes. “Only the princesses who witnessed it in person noticed it.”
「I see…. “What other news is there?”
The emperor looked happy, as if he had heard the news that a country he had conquered had surrendered.
However, his smile soon turned cold.
“Yes, next comes news from Her Highness Irina.”
Mosian’s next activity.
Because the culprit in that activity was here.
“You may remember the ‘arson incident’ that occurred at Her Majesty Irina’s residence a few months ago.”
「Okay. It was a place of memories where Istina stayed…. “The damage was severe.”
The emperor sighed deeply at the news that his precious place with his second wife had been damaged.
Leon, who was listening from the side, also lamented inwardly.
“In fact, Lord Bale was serving as an instructor for the Verdant Knights at the time, and in the process, he witnessed an arson incident.”
Mosian remembered my request to keep the story about Echina a secret.
Thanks to this, I naturally left out her story and only reported the news about the wizard who was her accomplice.
“He tracked down and arrested the culprit of the incident, and had Her Majesty Leah interrogate him.”
「So. “Who was the culprit?”
The emperor’s voice became cold.
His wife and son, who felt this, instinctively felt a sense of crisis.
“It…” .”
Mosian looked at her princess, Rosanna, who had come with her from Epina.
She seemed a little worried because of her affection, but her old man soon won over her heart.
“They say it was Prince Leon….”
「….」
The emperor humbly closed his eyes, as if he had expected it.
Then, he took a moment to gather his thoughts before looking at his son.
「Leon.」
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The crown prince tightly closed his eyes.
「Are what Mosian said true?」
“….”
Leon didn’t respond at all.
Even if you lie around here, if you get the confession spell, everything will be revealed.
「What was the reason for setting fire to Irina’s mansion?」
The emperor asked briefly.
However, that short question contained numerous meanings.
「Did it feel so threatening that her sister created the knights?」
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“….”
Leonhard shook his head, saying he couldn’t understand.
This is an order of knights created by a child with no power to protect his own body.
I can’t believe I couldn’t bear it and tried to take a picture.
He had a sad look on his face, wondering if this was all his son had.
「I will deal with this matter at the Imperial Council. So, let’s just leave now.”
“Father….”
Leon called the emperor his father in official settings without realizing it.
However, he soon realized that he had made a mistake.
「Didn’t I tell you to get out!」
He was a male lion who tried to bite his family while he was asleep.
It seemed like the head lion could not forgive his son like that.
“Okay….”
A brilliant stadium where everyone smiles and celebrates.
Leon was the only one there with a miserable expression.
Before leaving, he silently greeted his father.
Afterwards, he turned into the darkness with the sound of cold shoes.
“Let’s go together.”
「No, Rosanna, you too, stop for a moment.」
The emperor stopped the first empress.
Then, he ordered Mosian to continue reciting.
「Prime Minister, did something similar happen to Leah?」
In response to the conqueror’s question, Nobu nodded his head.
And, he recited the material he had heard and organized.
“Finally, I will tell you the news about Her Highness Leah.”
This time Rosanna took a deep breath.
She seemed to be thirsty and took a sip of the wine in front of her.
“In fact, while Her Majesty was asleep, Lady Leah’s health was not good.”
「Yes, I heard about it.」
The emperor had a solemn look in his eyes when he heard that his precious first daughter was sick.
“In fact, the reason Her Highness Leia was sick was the work of her group of warlocks who were secretly cursing her.”
Warlock.
Hearing those words, the emperor instinctively looked towards Rosanna.
“….”
The Empress avoided his gaze and just drank wine calmly.
She acted as if nothing was wrong with her.
“Lord Veil met Lady Leia in the process of catching the culprit of the arson incident mentioned earlier, and personally executed the group that had placed a curse on her bedroom.”
「Curse….」
The emperor looked at Rosanna while repeating the word curse.
She in front of her.
Because she was the greatest master of curses and hexes in the empire.
「Rosanna.」
“I have nothing to say.”
The 20-year-old young empress spoke lonelyly.
“I also had no intention of killing Leah. “I was just trying to scare you.”
「Ha…. She was upset because her child was sick, so how could it be that she only scared him? .」
The emperor covered his forehead.
And I became angry at the two people’s evil deeds that began to be revealed in detail.
「Please stay at the imperial palace for the time being. “I will question you separately later.”
“Are you going to pretend to be a good father now?”
Rosanna silently stood up from her seat.
And then, she quietly disappeared into the darkness.
“That doesn’t change anything. We’re both the worst parents for our children.”
「….」
After this, only the emperor and prime minister remained in the VIP room.
The two people looked at Lastium Stadium in silence, without saying anything to each other.
“Veil-!! Veil-!!”
“Please give everyone a big round of applause for this honorable person!!”
A man among his beautiful daughters.
The emperor looked at the man and remembered Rosanna’s words.
‘You didn’t have any interest in your children.’
Perhaps he knows her daughters better than she knows herself.
At this, the emperor pursed his lips and was alone in his thoughts.
No matter how long he thought about it, white flower petals ended up piled up on his shoulders.
「――――――」
Dark stadium hallway.
Lin and Leon, who had finished the game, were waiting next to the pillar.
“Mother.”
“Meet Her Majesty the Empress.”
Leon’s blue eyes sparkle in the shadows.
The blonde man clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
“I would like to discuss the future before you are imprisoned in the imperial palace.”
As expected, the crown prince was not a man to be intimidated and eliminated.
As the first child of the Conqueror, he struggled to maintain his composure when he was cornered.
“Do you have any other plan in mind?”
Rosanna took off the white gloves she was wearing.
The heat of sweat rose up from inside.
“I guess I can’t avoid responsibility for setting fire to Irina’s mansion.”
“What about the black mana of this match that will soon be questioned?”
The Empress knew that Leah could also reveal the black magic she had given.
That’s why she bit her lip with sharp eyes.
“Didn’t she put Harristo and Darc in the lead for this time?”
Even in the midst of his anxiety, Leon had a smile on his face.
“We plan to treat them as having acted arbitrarily to raise the position of the Dark Knights.”
“… !”
Rin, who had been listening silently next to her, heard those words and her one-sided eye flashed.
“His Royal Highness the Crown Prince… ? What is that….”
“It’s all for the greater good, Lin. Or are you going to turn it all over yourself?”
Leon stared coldly at his defeated knight.
“Now that I think about it, you…. She received something from Veil earlier….”
“Yes… ?”
The leader of the Black Knights in a torn uniform.
Her lips parted at the cold gaze of her lord.
“I guess you also received some kind of promise from Veil and didn’t fight as hard as you could until the end?”
“Absolutely not. How dare I….”
Rin shook her head with a serious look in her eyes, befitting a true knight.
However, the crown prince still did not give up his doubts.
“Then what did you receive?”
“It was just one pill.”
The leader spoke honestly and showed the glass bottle.
Inside the bottle was an ugly, black, round pill.
“….”
The crown prince looked down at the medicine.
Then, she inadvertently turned her head.
“You should not carry out any operations for the time being.”
“Then what should we, the Dark Knights, do…? ?”
Leon clicked his tongue as if he didn’t want to hear any more questions from the leader.
“Don’t worry about that, just focus on your recovery.”
As if she excluded Rin from her own plans.
“….”
Lin pursed her lips tightly as she saw her master’s cold expression.
“Okay….”
The Crown Prince turned his head and looked at her mother.
And, I only had honest conversations with her.
“For now, I will send a subordinate to inform you of the detailed situation separately.”
“Let it be so.”
Leon silently left the hallway.
Rosanna also glanced at the leader and quietly comforted him.
“Don’t worry too much, Commander. “It’s just that Leon is so excited right now that his words and actions have become harsh.”
“I understand, Your Majesty.”
Rin quietly lowered her head.
“I will have Leon sing again soon, so you should get treatment first.”
The First Empress said that and gradually moved further away.
Lin waited silently until the noble voices of the royal family completely disappeared.
Afterwards, when the hallway became quiet.
She realized the meaning of the pill placed in her palm.
“Veil…. He was a scary man….”
A gift that that fox-like man gave to himself.
She thought that it was a trap sent by her to her prince, who was suspicious of her and at the same time, made her think of her.
“Still, I guess I’ll just have to use what they gave me.”
Lin held the glass bottle tightly.
And, for now, he decided to focus on his younger brother.