Time flew by, and the morning of the martial arts conference opening ceremony had arrived.
“Only 20 minutes left until departure!”
“Your Highness, only 5 minutes until you’re ready!”
“Head Maid, Count Palgram has requested an audience.”
“We don’t have time for that. Tell him the Empress is busy and send him away.”
“Your Highness is looking for the magic attire!”
The attendants and knights were running around in chaos.
Having finished my morning duties, I’m waiting until Acella departs.
‘Day 1 is the opening ceremony. From Day 2, the actual martial arts conference begins.’
The events were spread out evenly across the days with swordsmanship, archery, spear techniques, magic, healing spells, and various team competitions.
Healing spells, which I needed to pay attention to, were scheduled for Day 5, so until then, I could just quietly stay by Acella’s side.
“Let’s head out.”
Stepping out of the room, Acella wore a stunning red dress more splendid than ever.
I formed a procession behind her alongside the escort knight and the head maid.
As we boarded the carriage, the flag of the Moonlight Palace waved majestically.
The martial arts arena was of tremendous scale.
Audiences from across the continent had already filled thousands of seats.
Every time the carriage carrying today’s main characters entered the arena and headed to the waiting seats, cheers and applause erupted.
I definitely feel like I’ve seen this before.
Ah, it reminded me of the Olympics.
“It’s so chaotic. Looks like the kingdom enjoys a bustling marketplace.”
Amidst all the noise, Acella expressed her dissatisfaction.
In an environment like this, it wasn’t easy to take any political action, so it made sense she felt that way. Acella didn’t seem to realize she was here for fun.
She could at least enjoy the opening ceremony.
Everyone was in a festive mood for a change.
Even Lau and George were piling snacks in front of the guest seats, ready to watch the opening ceremony.
However, the Empress seemed a bit worried.
Entering the guests’ seats with a slow gait, she was constantly receiving Ambrosia’s blessings.
Once seated, she nodded painstakingly to her children’s greetings and stared blankly at the arena.
The guest seats were divided by country. Right next to us were the guests of the kingdom.
I also saw Persiya and the king of the kingdom.
When the time arrived, thump thump, a great drumbeat echoed, and the main gate opened to signal the entrance of the delegations.
The cheers grew louder than ever. Fireworks shot up as knights, soldiers, wizards, healers—those showcasing their specialties—marched in unison.
Their figures were displayed live on the large screen through recording crystals, even visible when looking up at the sky.
It was just like the Olympics.
Once the entrance concluded and flags from all countries waved, the king stood up.
“Welcome to all who have come to the continental allied military conference!”
His voice echoed vividly in the ears of tens of thousands through sound amplification magic.
He was young for someone in the position of a leader managing forty-plus territories, the king.
“The human realm faces yet another unprecedented crisis! A declaration of war from the Demon Realm! But as history has shown, we shall overcome it once more.”
He clenched his fist tightly.
“We have great warriors! Here and now, the pinnacle of human martial arts will be proven! All nations declare their union as allies here today!”
Following the king’s declaration, one by one, the heads from other nations stood up to declare.
“The Dwarf Kingdom promises to assist the allied forces!”
“The Kingdom of Law declares that we shall fight for humanity’s peace.”
The order continued.
Finally, the Empress, who had been sitting among us, rose.
The energy-less old man, who seemed like he could fall asleep at any moment, was nowhere to be found, replaced by a gaze filled with spirit that overwhelmed the tens of thousands gathered here.
“The Empire will!”
His booming voice shattered through the dust-accumulated ears and rang through our heads in an instant.
“We shall achieve victory!!”
The Empress raised her fist.
At the same time, knights entered through the main gate, waving the Empire’s flag.
Leading the charge was Swordmaster Sigmund.
As he stepped aside, she boldly revealed her face.
Lishe stood before everyone.
“Oh! Is that the Hero?!”
“That must be the one I heard rumors about!”
The audience’s mood soared. Responding to the chants of ‘Hero’, Lishe flashed a relaxed smile.
The delegation exited.
The drumbeat quickened, and excitement began to dominate the atmosphere.
Crack!
The iron gate installed in the outer wall of the arena opened.
Thud, thud. With a huge rumble, a massive silhouette appeared from within.
“What, that’s…!”
“A, a demon!”
What emerged was a giant demon of the giant race.
It was legendary; just below catastrophic level, requiring an A-rank adventurer party to take it down. Two of them came charging out from both sides.
It’s no surprise a kingdom that effectively controls such colossal demons can handle adventurers expertly.
“Hey, is this okay?”
“No matter how heroic, two legendary beasts…!”
The audience stirred.
A giant over ten meters tall charged at Lishe, completely lost to reason.
While everyone else was in a tizzy, Lishe remained calm in the center of the arena until the demon approached.
Her eyes sparkled as her small form danced through the air.
It felt like the white trajectory of the holy sword passed by several times, and then thud!
In an instant, the giant’s bulk toppled to the ground.
“Whoooa!!”
“Is this the power of the Hero?!”
Lishe, seemingly shy under the crowd’s roaring cheers, scratched the back of her head.
‘One just fell to Lishe, and the other was handled by Charles.’
For that brief moment, I caught a glimpse of the two working in tandem, exchanging places.
“Indeed, the Hero is unbeatable.”
“The future of the allied forces is bright.”
“I heard she was a regular commoner just a few months ago.”
“Incredible. She’s already risen to that level?”
“Truly the Empire….”
Opinions bounced back and forth among the distinguished guests.
The attendants were busy moving around, as officials from various countries were sending love calls to George, currently working with Lishe.
Knowing Acella would likely feel uneasy watching that, I checked her expression and met her gaze.
She beckoned me closer.
“It seems you have something to say. You want to indicate it was a mistake to let George handle the Hero?”
“Not so bluntly.”
“It doesn’t matter. I judged the cons outweighed the pros. After all, I have my own weapon.”
“Magic, you mean?”
Acella nodded.
She pointed in the direction of the mages’ country.
“The types of troops each country possesses are fairly similar. Knights, soldiers, warriors, archers, spear-wielders, cavalry. But the number of skilled mages isn’t small.”
“That’s true.”
“The authority to command a mage unit in the allied forces is utterly irreplaceable.”
“So it implies a country that forges a friendly relationship with the mages’ nation will lead the allied forces in the future.”
Acella laughed lightly.
“Friendly is a bit understated. Just watch. Once this martial arts event concludes, the mages’ nation will come to me on their own to offer mages.”
She’s always brimming with confidence at times like these.
The opening ceremony continued in the arena.
After the demonstration by Lishe, who could be considered the face of the allied forces, each country showcased their specialties one by one.
The Dwarf Kingdom paraded luxurious weapons and armor crafted by elite artisans, while the Kingdom of Water displayed agile military movements.
The Kingdom of Law sent out a bunch of priests to sprinkle blessings everywhere, yet their singing felt oddly cult-like.
“It’s almost time to prepare.”
As it neared the Empire’s turn, Acella stood up.
The Empire merely showcased the knights’ parade from each palace.
However, I was a bit flustered, having not been informed that Acella would be stepping out.
I accompanied her attendants to the waiting room.
“I’ll be watching, Lars.”
Changing into her magic attire and tying her hair up, she confidently addressed me while holding her wand.
After the march of the Mokhwi Palace and the Togin Palace, the Moonlight Palace’s knights’ parade was concluding.
At the end of their precise showcase, the knights knelt in readiness, clearing the way.
Acella walked toward the arena, her golden hair swaying like a horse’s tail.
The crowd, caught off-guard by the imperial princess’s sudden appearance, turned their attention to her with intrigue.
“Hoo.”
Acella slowly calmed her breath, just like she practiced in the palace courtyard when no one was around.
She raised her wand and began to draw mysterious golden symbols.
“Magic…?”
“A royal like her is demonstrating magic herself?”
“She must have learned a bit. Using a third-tier spell wouldn’t be shabby.”
Many adventurer-born mages were mingled among the audience, half-excited, half-mocking, watching Acella’s incantation.
One, two, three.
…Four.
“How many magic circles are there right now?”
“My goodness.”
As the number of circles increased, the buzz started to grow.
Even the mages from the mages’ nation, who had initially watched with interest, began to focus intently, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
The unique magic circles drawn by Acella.
The high-dimensional, then ultra-high-dimensional metaphysical shapes she created were beyond any human comprehension.
Five, no.
It could have been six.
Acella finally poked.
With her wand, she tapped her chest, completing the incantation.
―Whooosh!
Her golden mana spread across the vast arena as if covering it all.
Simultaneously, the bright, clear sun above the sky became strangely dark.
A rift opened in space like a crack.
―Woosh!
Suddenly, black clouds poured in through the rift, snowstorms swirling, obscuring vision in white haze.
“Oh my gosh! There’s a hole in the sky!”
“Is this weather manipulation?!”
“Wha-What kind of absurd magic is this?!”
“A great sorceress! A great sorceress has appeared!!”
The crowd’s attitude flipped in an instant.
Awe.
Respect towards someone who had reached such a peak began to spread.
Yet, whether their shoulders trembled due to the cold of the snowstorm or the strange fear from facing something inhuman was unclear.
“…Hahaha.”
Acella burst into a radiant laugh as she wielded the black clouds, right there among the kneeling knights pledging their loyalty.
She elegantly extended her hand toward the sky, clenched her fist.
Then, as if the blizzard that had rushed in was all a lie, in an instant, whoosh!
The black clouds parted, revealing a clear sky again.
The snowflakes landing on my nose confirmed that her magic was neither an illusion nor a fake.
“Whoa, woah!!”
“That’s utterly insane!!”
“Is this the Empire’s magic?!”
In the spotlight of applause, Acella reveled in the attention.
She turned her body towards the waiting room and locked eyes with me.
Her gaze seemed to ask how I thought she did, with a playful smile.
I lightly gave her a thumbs up.
…Well.
No matter how I looked at it, just now, she was the Empress Acella I had known.
But perhaps the glimmer of silver in her hair was just an illusion caused by the sun being too bright.
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