Chapter 77

Time passed quickly.

The semifinals of the jousting tournament unfolded just as everyone had anticipated.

Luina Bercheff defeated Kuntz Bair, and Rob Kaelin beat Valoshi Bienderk.

After a short day of rest, the day of the final arrived, also the last day of the festival.

The jousting tournament final and the magic tournament final.

The entrance to the stadium where both would take place was packed with people who had come to witness the matches.

“Welcome, Lord Fernan. Allow me to guide you.”

Without waiting, Fernan went straight into the VVIP seats, but he stopped when he saw someone occupying his place.

“What are you doing? Come and sit.”

“That’s my seat.”

“There are plenty of seats.”

The VVIP seats were arranged like small private rooms, separated by panels to maintain privacy.

“When exactly did you arrive, Father? You’re a busy man.”

“No matter how busy I am, not so much that I can’t come to see my son at least once. Though I didn’t come just for you.”

“So, as an extra.”

Someone like Duke Pellenberg didn’t move lightly.

Of course, this time there was a greater matter—the demons—which had made him act in person; but it made no sense to handle just one matter when he could attend to several.

“Man is a cunning animal. Even if he receives a fair reward, if he doesn’t hear a word of gratitude, he may end up holding a grudge.”

“Are you talking about the rector?”

“The rector is not that type. But simple words of gratitude, which cost nothing, can sometimes be worth more than a fortune.”

“I understand.”

But Fernan knew that wasn’t all. He was certain his father and the rector had discussed the demons.

Probably about the path forward.

“Did the other prince-electors also come?”

“I’m the only one who moved personally.”

The title of prince-elector wasn’t a light one. And since they believed what had appeared were corrupted ones, not demons, they wouldn’t move so easily.

Even so, it meant the emissaries of the prince-electors were scattered across the VVIP seats.

“How much of it is true?”

Though his father asked the question loosely, Fernan understood without difficulty.

“All of it.”

“Then, which parts were left unrecorded from the start?”

Just as the rector had noticed, the duke had also realized the recording was full of cuts.

“From the moment Luina Bercheff stood before Aint Armian.”

“The necklace.”

The duke’s gaze fell on the necklace Fernan wore around his neck.

“So you trimmed down what you did with my artisans and facilities, and that’s what you ended up with.”

“Correct. It’s a golem.”

The small Wooden raised its hand. The duke, knowing it was an ego golem, wasn’t surprised.

“Seems it was quite effective against Andromalius.”

“I drove him to a state close to death.”

“You hid it well.”

An ego golem was an artifact capable of shaking the whole continent.

“But you were careless.”

He hadn’t been. In the recording, no trace of Wooden remained. What the duke pointed out wasn’t the golem.

“The judges who received the rector’s letter have already begun moving.”

“…The problem isn’t the golem, but that I myself appeared in that place.”

“Stay quiet. If a rabid dog bites you, there’s no cure. Above all, never say that you knew beforehand that a demon was going to be summoned.”

The sudden blow nearly made him lose control of his expression, but Fernan held back.

“I didn’t know.”

“I’ll leave it at that.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Curious that right at that moment, you were in the place where the demon appeared.”

“Pure coincidence. If I had known, I would’ve avoided it. I’m not stupid enough to walk straight into it alone.”

“The branch of the World Tree.”

“It’s already repaired.”

“And yet, a demon emerged.”

He had nothing to say.

“I didn’t know.”

But there was no need to insist further. The duke didn’t seem intent on pressing on, and looked away.

“You’re right.”

By then, the finalists were already stepping onto the stage.

Upon seeing Luina Bercheff, the duke’s eyes shone with interest.

“At that age, with such an achievement… the Bercheff family is not finished yet.”

“Did you really think of letting them fall?”

“A family that collapses just because a secret sword art is taken from them doesn’t deserve the title of prince-elector.”

“In any case, right now they no longer hold that title.”

And it was the duke himself who had driven them to sell their golden decree, the symbol of their rank.

“A secret sword art is not the original, but a copy. And it’s not as if we would have spread it to the world, so the Bercheff family wouldn’t have suffered much.”

Still, between the two options, they chose to sell the golden decree instead of handing over the secret art.

“But against us, they wouldn’t have been able to use their strength properly.”

Possessing a swordsmanship manual wasn’t only for learning it. Analyzing it thoroughly to create a method of countering it was its true value.

“Do you already feel attached to her because you partnered with her?”

“Luina will become a Royal Knight.”

“And you intend to flatter her from now?”

“Words of gratitude cost nothing.”

“And from someone in position, they’re worth gold.”

The duke took a sip of cold tea that had already been prepared.

“Begin the match!”

The final began.

Luina Bercheff and Rob Kaelin. Two knights mounted on their steeds galloped toward each other.

────!

A thunderous crash tore through the air.

The shockwave spread in all directions, though it couldn’t pierce the magic barriers protecting the stands.

“Albinos Bercheff is already a Royal Knight.”

It was an unexpected remark.

“I know.”

“If Luina Bercheff becomes a Royal Knight, the Bercheff family will have two.”

“Yes.”

“Not a bad deal. Royal Knights can’t be bought with money.”

────!

Second clash. Still no victor.

Amid the noise, Fernan responded without changing his expression.

“I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken.”

“Are you saying you bake bread to give it to beggars?”

“I haven’t even baked bread.”

“You used mandrake as firewood.”

He was talking about the mandrake root Fernan had given Luina.

─────!

Third clash. Both dismounted and drew their swords.

“Flour isn’t just for bread.”

“An investment only ends when you sell and receive payment.”

“I will receive it.”

And he had already recovered the initial capital.

The simple fact that at that moment he was speaking with the duke, without being repudiated, was worth more than the capital invested.

─!

──!

Clashing swords.

Silver traces and an energy blue as the sky bit into each other.

“A beautiful and rare sight.”

It wasn’t easy to witness a duel between descendants of Royal Knights.

“Father.”

The duke barely turned his head in silence.

“I want to make a deal.”

─!

“Speak.”

─!

“What kind of man is the Mercenary King?”

“Is that a deal?”

“It’s just a question.”

“He’s a Royal Knight. A man who, without being a knight, received the title of greatest knight of all.”

Anyone knew that.

“You gave him the obsidian vein, didn’t you?”

“I never said I would develop it.”

“So you won’t?”

“I didn’t say that either. It’ll go as your report stated.”

“Nothing more?”

“He’s a mercenary to the core.”

─!

The duel between the two knights grew fiercer. Fragments of shattered aura tore through the surroundings.

Even so, neither Luina nor Rob gave an inch.

It was like a dance.

A spectacle in itself.

A duet of man and woman tracing a sword dance that filled the arena entirely.

The audience, mesmerized, fell silent before the grandeur of the scene.

Only one, Fernan, paid more attention to the duke’s voice than to the battle.

“He completes any assignment he accepts. No matter what, he prioritizes the client’s orders. He’s someone you enjoy hiring with money.”

Though that didn’t mean the client was the absolute master.

“Garrett Schreiner has his limits. If you cross them, he pays the penalty and abandons the mission immediately.”

“That’s all?”

“No matter how strong he is, do you think he could’ve earned the title of king by doing as he pleased?”

That was good intel. Once he accepted a job, he almost always followed the client’s decisions.

“Then, even in an emergency, if the client orders him not to act, would he stay put?”

“Do you see Garrett as a dog?”

On the duke’s usually impassive face, an expression appeared—rarely. A dry laugh.

“Never.”

“If it poses no issue for Garrett or his mercenaries, then yes.”

That was it. Fernan discreetly clenched his fist.

“But Garrett doesn’t take just any job. If the requester isn’t up to par or he’s not interested, he declines.”

“I know he only accepts one or two jobs a year at most.”

But it didn’t matter. Fernan had the perfect bait to lure the King of Mercenaries.

“Thanks.”

“Forget about clumsy approaches. Garrett isn’t someone easy.”

“How could someone who is a Royal Knight be easy?”

He wasn’t planning anything special. Mercenary and client. When they met, all he’d do was hire him.

‘A mercenary. His king.’

To hire him to fight against the demons. A Royal Knight. That was Fernan’s last resort.

Truthfully, he didn’t know if it was the right thing, or if it would only hinder Aint’s growth.

But it was also true that relying solely on Aint felt unsettling.

That’s why he’d considered the King of Mercenaries. A man who put the client’s will above all else.

‘Because he could hold back until he decides Aint can’t win.’

The simplest thing would be to rely on the family’s strength. But that wasn’t right.

A fight against demons could bring irreparable losses to the family, and there was no way to justify knowing in advance they’d be summoned.

Seeing the future was Fernan’s greatest secret—and his greatest weapon. A truth he couldn’t share with anyone.

───!

─!

──!

While Fernan and the duke talked, the duel had reached its climax.

The aura blades forming on their swords were harder and sharper than ever. At any moment, the attacks could trigger defensive artifacts.

Despite the hundreds of exchanges, their swords didn’t slow. Nor did their faces change.

Their strikes were as light as they were heavy, and the stadium floor had cracked as if meteorites had fallen.

“How did that golem perform?”

“……”

“I’ll tell you how to hire Garrett. The rest is up to you.”

“It tore apart and killed Andromalius’s serpent.”

“That little snake?”

“It grew over twenty meters long.”

“A monster, then. Well, I guess it was worth the cost. When you said you’d waste those expensive things on a mere golem, I thought you were crazy.”

If it could destroy a demonic beast, its performance was more than proven.

“It’s the perfect companion for a merchant.”

Thunk!

The little Wooden hanging from his collar cheerfully waved. The duke observed it indifferently.

At that moment—

Waaaaah!

A deafening roar shook the stadium.

“It’s been decided.”

The duke rose from his seat after checking the battlefield.

“Can you trust the ones shown in the sphere?”

Luina, Aria, Verian, and Aint.

“I can trust one completely, negotiate with another, and blackmail a third.”

“And the last?”

“I can persuade them.”

“If you don’t want the judges to discover the truth about the demons, you’ll have to seal their mouths well. If you’ve already been paid in advance, as a merchant, you must deliver.”

He meant the rector.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

As the duke departed first, Fernan called after him.

“Aren’t you going to watch the Magic Tournament final?”

“I just wanted to see who you can trust.”

Fernan smiled as he looked at the stadium.

From the start of the festival until now—

He’d already gathered the funds to hire the King of Mercenaries.

And besides—

“Sir, the first report on Gismond Ert has arrived.”

He’d also received information about that strange man.

***

Strong.

Luina knew it from the first clash of lances.

No, in truth, she knew it even before crossing weapons.

Her opponent was Rob Kaelin.

Grandson and disciple of a Royal Knight.

Last year’s jousting tournament winner.

He’d lived two more years than her. For some, two years meant little, but for a prodigy, two years were an insurmountable wall.

Even so, Luina felt no fear. In the midst of that cold hostility and surge of sinister aura, she stepped forward and swung her sword.

If he was a Royal Knight’s grandson, she was a Royal Knight’s daughter. A knightess who had fought a demon and emerged victorious.

Rob Kaelin was, without doubt, formidable. He was strong.

But he wasn’t as terrifying as a demon. Not as strong as one.

That’s why she knew she wouldn’t lose.

‘I said I would win.’

For a knight, a promise was as valuable as life itself.

That’s why she had to win.

No—even if not for that, she wanted to win.

Not all jousting champions became Royal Knights.

But except for two who never entered the academy, all the others had won the tournament.

That’s why Luina had to win.

The swords clashed. Rob Kaelin was stronger than any student she had ever faced in the academy.

Each clash of blades made her teeth grind.

But she could endure it.

Compared to the battle with Andromalius, where every blow tore her muscles and burst her veins, this was nothing.

Not the pressure, nor the destructive force, nor the speed.

Nothing told her she couldn’t win.

And that conviction became reality.

─!

After hundreds of clashes, their swords met once more.

Clang, screech—

The blades slid against each other.

Luina dropped low and raised her arm. Her opponent’s torso was exposed.

She lifted her knee, but the hard aura shielded his armor. Using the momentum, she shoved him, and both crashed down in a tangle like colliding carriages.

Crash!

Both rose, panting.

Staggering, they lifted their swords. As if by silent agreement, they unleashed the last of their aura.

Both Luina and Rob knew—this would be the final clash. They had barely any strength or aura left.

‘Sharper. Even sharper.’

Like when she gave everything, desperately, to pierce the demon’s heart.

Their swords, deadlier than ever, collided.

A flash of mixed aura engulfed the stadium.

And when the light faded—

“Huff, huff…!”

The one still standing on both feet was Luina.

On the ground, Rob stared at the sky while the bracelet on his wrist glowed faintly.

…Did she win?

“…Ha, I didn’t think I’d lose.”

Yes, she had won.

Luina instinctively looked up toward the box where the high nobles sat, where she assumed Fernan was.

She didn’t know why she looked there first.

She simply wanted to.

Because without Fernan—

That victory wouldn’t have been possible.

She wouldn’t have been top of her class, or even there at all.

Luina raised her sword high.

“Luina Bercheff is the victor!”

The judge proclaimed the tournament champion.

Luina didn’t know, but at that moment, golden drops like tears of gold fell from Fernan’s eyes.