“Let the individual knight matches begin! Please welcome the top knights of the Imperial Knights with applause!”
The Imperial attendees packed in the Colosseum stirred up the atmosphere with cheers.
Knights and attendants from the Imperial Palace, along with some outside nobles, were present.
Acella sat in the tiered VIP section with other princes and princesses.
I positioned myself a little further back, like a shadow.
Looking up at the upper tier, I saw the Emperor eagerly watching the arena.
Representatives from the eight factions participated in one-on-one duels across the wide arena.
For the Emperor, it was a delightful spectacle, but for the competitors who were heirs, it was a nerve-wracking battle.
“The first opponent is the prince’s faction from the Sun Palace. He’s a renowned sword expert, a young newcomer.”
The Head Maid explained to me.
With the ringing of the bell, the match commenced. Tanya clashed swords with her opponent, releasing a surge of sword energy.
The audience was entranced, unable to take their eyes off the vivid energy exchanged, audible even from the stands.
No matter how many knights there were, skilled swordsmen were rare.
There were only two Swordmasters in the empire, so a duel between experts was undoubtedly a rare sight.
“Ohhh…!”
The Emperor’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected display of skill.
Swords grazed past their bodies, a perfect synchrony of attack and defense.
—Chaeng!
Tanya’s sword energy sharply subdued her opponent, landing a strike.
The knight, who had anticipated an easy victory over Tanya, found himself at a disadvantage and clicked his tongue in frustration.
It was time to pull out some tricks.
He retrieved something from his pocket and threw it to the ground, causing a burst.
—Kwahng!
A cloud of artificially created black smoke engulfed the two fighters.
It was a smoke bomb.
Items and artifacts that could be used in combat were permitted in the duel.
This was the empire’s style of fighting.
Amidst the smoke, silhouettes moved rapidly.
The opponent intended to sneak around Tanya’s line of sight and strike from behind.
“Tsk…!”
Acella’s clicking tongue reached my ears, indicating she thought Tanya was in trouble.
Chaeng!
The sound of swords clashing echoed, and suddenly the smoke began to dissipate.
“The result!”
“What happened!”
The audience was focused intently.
Tanya stood confidently over her opponent, pressing her sword against his neck.
“Ohhhh! The Moonlight Palace has defeated the Sun Palace!”
“Who is that knight?!”
“How did she respond in the darkness?!”
The crowd gasped in admiration, all eyes on Tanya.
The Emperor stroked his bearded chin, intrigued.
‘The smoke bomb is a basic tactic of the imperial army.’
Of course, I was prepared with countermeasures.
I pulled out a small glass vial filled with orange liquid from my pocket.
―――――――――――
Vision Enhancement Ampoule [Double Enhanced]
Effect upon ingestion: Night vision improves. You can see clearly in the dark!
―――――――――――
A potion born from making various vitamins.
After processing two hundred excellent carrots entering the palace for vitamin A extraction, a bizarrely effective potion was completed.
Acella turned to look at me.
“Hmm.”
I decided to translate her smirk into a compliment in my head.
Tanya easily defeated her opponent in the semifinals, advancing to the finals.
Stamina translates to combat ability. The individual matches run consecutively without breaks.
“The final opponent is from the Togin Palace.”
“Yes. It’s Gunter, the knight from Prince George’s faction. He’s an expert.”
Even among the Imperial Knights, experts often held commanding positions or served directly under the Emperor; so why were all the participants experts?
It was clear how serious the faction representatives were about this martial arts tournament.
“Haha, it’s one of Acella’s knights. Strange, Acella, did you have a sword expert?”
His voice held a light tone.
A man in his mid-twenties, dressed in flashy accessories and with tanned skin.
It was Prince George.
Acella, without taking her eyes off the arena, shot back like she was swatting away a bothersome fly.
“Not your concern, George.”
“Oh dear, don’t be so scary. You should call me ‘older brother.’”
Acella didn’t respond but merely displayed a rotten expression typically reserved for unwanted family members.
Yikes, that looks intimidating.
I couldn’t help but swallow.
George probably didn’t realize how his actions would come back to bite him later.
He seemed to enjoy Acella’s reaction, laughing heartily.
“Enjoy it while you can.”
The second princess, Lau, smacked George on the shoulder, scolding him.
“Brother, why are you picking on Acella?”
“I’m just proud when I see Acella. She’s working hard as a member of the imperial family.”
“Don’t use insulting expressions.”
Acella, who had been quiet, shot back at George.
Being treated not as a succession heir but like a cute little sibling stung her pride.
“Insulting? Oh, Acella.”
George leaned in closer, his demeanor turning serious.
Despite his playful actions, he was still the blood of the Emperor, exuding an aura of dominance.
“It’s most important to know one’s place. It’s said you should know your limits.”
At just twenty, Lau was still older than Acella.
To them, Acella probably seemed like she was playing dress-up.
“Behave like the youngest in this setting. If you don’t do anything foolish, I’ll even pat your head and carry you.”
“George.”
Acella picked up a golden goblet placed in front of her.
“Flame.”
Whoosh!
In an instant, a magic circle lit up, engulfing the golden drink in flames.
Drip, drip.
The ornate golden figure melted and transformed, flowing to the floor.
Seeing George’s expression go serious, Acella calmly warned him.
“If you touch my head, this will happen to you.”
“Tsk, a magical weapon that’s just pride without substance.”
George shook his head and leaned back into his chair, putting on a relaxed smile again.
“It seems our Acella has been preparing diligently. Haha, I can’t let my guard down. That knight seems to be quite skilled. Isn’t that right, brother?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah, I suppose.”
At George’s beckoning, a small-framed man quietly responded.
It was Gunter, the first prince who had been swiftly defeated in the first round by Tanya, looking rather timid for a direct successor.
“No matter how you put it, there are weight classes even among sword experts. How embarrassing would it be to lose to a knight of Acella’s caliber?”
George raised his voice as if mocking him.
Seeing Acella respond with no reaction, he shifted his target to take jabs at the first prince.
“Haha, our Huke is considered a knight set to become the next Swordmaster. So watch closely, brother. If you’re a child of the Emperor, you should at least be able to manage this level of knight.”
George puffed out his chest, smiling confidently.
That shoulder was abruptly tapped—Lau reproached George.
“Brother, one of your knights just fell.”
“What?!”
George sprang up from his seat in shock.
In the arena, a sandstorm had already whipped up, signaling the end of the finals.
In the midst of it, George’s knight lay flat with his rear in the air, while only Tanya stood proudly.
“What on earth is happening?!”
George gaped, incredulous, yet the result was already clear.
Whether he underestimated Tanya or overestimated his own knight.
“Huke would never lose so easily. What trick did you pull, Acella?”
Acella didn’t bother answering George’s query, merely rolling her eyes with a smile.
Oh, how annoying.
“So, this is the level of knight you manage, huh? Great show.”
Lau guffawed, stoking George’s anger further.
“What a blunder in front of the Emperor! Falkenhayn! Was there an issue with the knight’s condition?”
Falkenhayn, the attending physician to the prince, stepped closer to respond.
“Your Highness, I report that Knight Huke’s health was perfectly fine. The contagion has been healed in the Inner Palace…”
“Then what on earth happened?!”
George looked upward.
The Emperor, pleased with the finals, leaned back in his chair and laughed heartily.
The announcer approached Tanya to speak with her.
—Let’s hear a word from the victorious knight. Please introduce yourself.
With amplification magic, his voice resonated throughout the Colosseum.
Tanya cleared her throat a few times and lowered her tone to respond.
—I am Tanya, a knight from the Moonlight Palace.
What’s with that tone?
Did Tanya have stage fright or something?
—It seems you were not particularly prominent as a knight before, but when did you join the Imperial Knights?
—A month ago. I serve as the attending physician Gothberg’s escort, who is Acella’s physician.
—Ah, you were the escort of the attending physician. Gothberg is newly appointed, right?
—Indeed. I came from the North with Attending Physician Gothberg.
—So it was with the swordsmanship trained in the North that you could achieve victory?
Tanya shook her head.
—While my swordsmanship is straight, without the support of my teacher, it would have been impossible. The physician prepared strategies and medicine for the knights.
—He’s the one who made those trendy masks in the Imperial Palace, right? I know him well. So, have you originally served the attending physician?
That was a slightly tricky question.
What kind of question is that?
That announcer must be from another faction.
However, Tanya, who was clueless about politics, answered calmly instead of catching the intent.
—It’s true that I am loyal to the attending physician, but it was Acella, the princess, who chose Gothberg as her attending physician. I have received favors from both. I am the knight representing the Moonlight Palace.
—I see! Let’s give a big round of applause for the winner, Sword Expert Tanya from the Moonlight Palace!
Cheers and applause echoed against the walls of the Colosseum.
That was a perfect response.
“Haha, Acella’s knight has won.”
The Emperor burst into laughter, clearly pleased.
It was like a good appetizer for the competition between his children.
“Ugh…!”
George slammed his hand down on the armrest, gritting his teeth.
“Once was just luck. The final victory will be decided by overall scores, so second place isn’t so bad. There won’t be a misfortune this time.”
George shot a glance at Acella.
Ignoring his gaze, Acella turned to me.
“Attending Physician Gothberg.”
Out of the blue?
With my name called, the eyes of the other princes and princesses focused on me.
“Gothberg, hello!”
Lau greeted me casually, and I returned the courtesy.
“Is that man, the attending physician Gothberg?”
George raised his eyebrows in curiosity.
I stepped away from the attendants and stood before Acella.
“What brings you to call for me, Your Highness?”
“Tell me what the next match is.”
Acella, of all people, would know the martial arts tournament schedule best.
Perhaps she wanted to show me off in front of the other heirs?
“It’ll be followed by a team mock battle among the knights.”
Acella seemed pleased as she allowed a hint of a smile to show on her face.
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