Chapter 212: Intrigue
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 212: Intrigue
“Indeed. They’re the cowards who avoided a match with you.”
The four champions who had sneered at me had been dodging my challenges for the past three months.
With their participation in the Duel Tournament all but confirmed, and seeing that Pamel—who was considered a cut above them—had been killed, they must have decided the risk outweighed the reward.
Their patrons, who saw the tournament as a chance to bring it under the central authority’s influence, likely felt the same, so no matter how hard Baron Allanton tried, a duel never materialized.
On the other hand, there were plenty of challengers who sought to steal the fame Pamel once held by defeating me. If not for them, I probably wouldn’t have even been invited to the tournament.
Baron Allanton’s hand trembled as he suddenly grabbed my arm, the memory of his past struggles seemingly flooding back.
I gently removed his hand and glanced at the eyes fixed on me. Then, I spoke clearly, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“What threat could they possibly be, glaring at me now? They’re just dogs who tucked their tails before we even fought. If anything, they’re only making fools of themselves.”
The champions’ faces instantly hardened. One of them even reached for the sword at his hip.
However, surrounded by high-ranking nobles at a banquet, he couldn’t bring himself to draw it. Instead, though it was a poor substitute, he glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.
Of course, to someone like me who had been through hell and back, it was utterly pathetic. I straightened my back, met their gazes head-on, and returned their sneers with one of my own.
Perhaps my confident demeanor helped. Baron Allanton, who had been trembling, quickly calmed down. Realizing his own unseemly behavior, he gave an awkward smile.
“Ahem. I got a bit ahead of myself. After you took down the infamous Butcher in a single blow, why would these lesser champions even register in your eyes…”
Hit by another verbal jab, the champions’ faces contorted. It looked like if I pushed them any further, they might actually draw their swords.
Since I couldn’t start a fight as a guest at a feast, I shot Baron Allanton a look that said, that’s enough.
After a final, regretful glance at the champions, he nodded and led me inside the mansion.
The champions’ gazes on my back were as sharp as spearheads. After introducing me to the party’s host, Baron Allanton resumed our interrupted conversation.
“It’s not that I don’t understand how they feel. Haven’t they spent years groveling under nobles to build their reputations? But you, in just three months, have built a reputation equal to—or perhaps even greater than—theirs. Of course they’d be jealous.”
“The fact that they are champions of knightly origin, while I am a commoner, must also fuel that tendency.”
All four of the other Southern champions were former knights of some renown.
The knightly class, positioned between the nobility and the common folk, often distanced themselves from commoners more so than even the most ancient of noble families, as if to deny their own origins.
“Frogs forget they were once tadpoles.”
With that, Baron Allanton got busy, seeming intent on using this opportunity to build connections that would benefit his business.
However, due to the vast differences in status and power, his conversation partners often showed signs of discomfort.
Baron Allanton surely sensed this, yet he put on a brave face and shamelessly feigned ignorance. For him, an opportunity like this was not guaranteed to come again.
He’s become a true businessman.
It was hard to see the man he used to be—a noble who valued appearances above all—in this figure who now set aside his pride to chase profit.
While Baron Allanton was busy, I quickly slipped away into the garden in front of the mansion.
A moment too late, the four Southern champions met where I had just been standing, creating an awkward scene. It seemed they had been planning to provoke me with one excuse or another.
I could have humiliated them if I’d wanted to, but honestly, it felt like too much trouble.
What would I gain from shaming them? Besides, am I really at a level where I should be bothering with mere knights? It’s not like we’re fated to see each other again anyway.
After some time spent in leisurely peace, when it seemed all the guests had arrived, the host, Count Ohohena, stepped onto the center of the stage.
“As you all know, the South has long been dismissed as a backward region. Nobles from other regions have accused us of being behind the times, of being old relics with no strength left to move. That is an undeniable fact.”
The music that had enriched the banquet had fallen silent. The diverse chatter of voices also gradually faded until only Count Ohohena’s remained.
Smiling with satisfaction, he continued.
“However, I do not believe our complacency was wrong. We were simply upholding tradition! It is they who should be condemned—those who mingle with lowly merchants without a thought for their dignity and honor as nobles, who take artisans under their wing, and who collude with commoners by abusing their autonomy.”
“Hear, hear!”
One person’s enthusiastic response quickly filled the hall with excited voices. Raising a hand to quiet them, Count Ohohena spoke again.
“I believe this tournament is our chance to prove that we, who have protected the value of tradition, were right all along. We will show them the power of the South that they so foolishly ignored. And this gathering of unity will be the beginning.”
Count Ohohena stressed that, for this tournament, the South needed to join forces. In short, he was proposing they exchange information that would be useful for the competition.
The proposal was based on the premise that any family with a champion participating in the tournament would have undoubtedly conducted preliminary investigations.
He’s right. No family would miss a chance to get closer to the central nobility.
Was it his speech that moved their hearts? Or was it because Count Ohohena boldly shared his information first?
One by one, the other families, who had been wary of his intentions, began to respond in kind and share what they knew.
The problem, however, was that the champions who should have been utilizing this information seemed more interested in the feast than the ritual itself.
The champions, the stars of the banquet, were surrounded by a crowd of people.
Their laughter, audible even from a distance, suggested they were thoroughly enjoying the situation. No, they were intoxicated by the treatment that was far beyond their station.
The proof was in the way they openly flirted with the daughters and wives of high-ranking nobles—women they wouldn’t dare approach under normal circumstances.
As if sensing my gaze, one of the champions turned his head in my direction. When he saw me standing alone in a corner, the corner of his mouth curled up.
It wasn’t hard to see the base sense of superiority in his greasy eyes.
Tsk. Pearls before swine.
The nobles were trying to break free from their complacency, but it would mean little when the champions meant to represent them were in such a state.
Well, it was no concern of mine. I quietly slipped away. By simply participating in the Duel Tournament, I had already accomplished everything I needed to in the South.
As I left, the champion who had been watching me burst into a wide grin, as if he had already won the tournament.
“Tsk, tsk.”
The place I chose to kill time was the well-maintained garden in front of the mansion. From within the maze-like greenery, sweet moans could often be heard.
I was certain that the shoulder-high hedges and those moans would conceal me.
What I hadn’t considered was that for someone who had never taken their eyes off me, such a screen was useless.
It wasn’t long after I sat down on the edge of a fountain. A shadow fell over me, soon enveloping me completely. I looked up to see a familiar face.
“Is a place like this uncomfortable for you?”
“You seem to be the one who’s uncomfortable, Lady Pompiné.”
Pompiné’s lips twitched as she sat down beside me. Grasping the railing, she leaned her upper body back and crossed her legs.
Her skirt hitched up slightly, revealing a pale ankle. Her shoe dangled precariously from the tip of her foot.
“Hmm, were you watching me?”
“One doesn’t have to see to know.”
“True. It’s a bit much to say it myself, but where else would you find a bride as perfect as me? I’m the sole heir to the Taliang family, my face is pretty enough, and my figure is beyond comparison with other noble daughters. I’m also at the perfect age for marriage. If I were the head of a family, I’d be sending a matchmaker.”
It was a description that seemed to say, I’m this amazing, so you’d better serve me well. Indeed, her shoulders were held quite high.
“And yet you came all the way to Arihan, knowing you’d be bothered like this. Even though you’re not competing in the tournament.”
“Uh, well. As a swordswoman, how could I miss the chance to see a duel between the most renowned swordsmen from each region?”
“Is that so?”
As I stared at her pointedly, Pompiné subtly avoided my gaze. The blush that spread across her face and neck wasn’t just from the flickering torchlight.
Unable to withstand my continued visual assault, she changed the subject.
“So, what do you think will happen? As Count Ohohena said, will the South be able to use this opportunity to imprint its strength upon the nobles of other regions?”
“Do you think the outlook is bright, Lady Pompiné?”
I peered through a gap in the hedges toward the mansion. As the liquor flowed, the atmosphere grew more heated, and the champions grew more arrogant.
“The tournament is only a week away, and they’re carousing like that.”
Seeing the same thing, Pompiné frowned.
“The tournament isn’t their entire life, is it? Who knows? They might catch the eye of a noble lady and achieve a rise in status. This is probably the most brilliant moment of their lives, so it’s only natural they’d want to seize the opportunity to make something happen.”
I hid my true thoughts. The four champions were former knights, quasi-nobles, and it wasn’t my place, disguised as a commoner, to speak carelessly.
Not that Pompiné seemed to care. She shook her head.
“Hmph, they expect that after showing such a side of themselves? They sorely underestimate those cunning women. Look closely at their eyes.”
Following Pompiné’s advice, I looked closer and saw that while the women surrounding the champions were laughing and chatting, their eyes weren’t smiling at all.
In fact, they grew colder as time passed, as if they had already judged the champions’ worth.
“Even a child who isn’t yet an adult is a noble who coldly calculates what will benefit them. To us, who were born to rule, a mere knight is nothing more than a chess piece.”
“One of them has smiling eyes, though.”
“What? Ah…”
Turning her head to see who I was looking at, her eyes met mine, and a look of bewilderment crossed her face.
It lasted only a moment. With a small cough, she forced her gaze away, uncrossed her legs into a more demure posture, and spoke as if making an excuse.
“That’s because I believe you are the only one with the skill to represent the South. I believe I told you before? As the one who faced you directly, only I can accurately gauge your abilities. Therefore, I have no choice but to acknowledge you as an equal.”
“You flatter me.”
“Always so humble. That’s what I like about you, though. Ah, don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean that as a woman to a man.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Ahem.”
Perhaps I had teased her too much. Pompiné pouted. It was moments like this, when these little quirks emerged, that I was reminded of how young she still was.
Silence fell, broken only by the rustling of leaves and the chirping of insects. The moans had ceased, as if their owners had become aware of our presence.
It could have been an awkward moment, but instead, we both felt a sense of comfort. It was a long while before Pompiné spoke again.
“What will you do after the tournament is over?”
“That seems a long way off…”
The tournament had invited five champions from each of the four regions: East, West, South, and North.
Considering the number of participants and the tournament format, it would take at least a week.
“It would be best to think about it in advance. If my predictions are correct, you’ll climb quite high. Even if you don’t win, a high-ranking noble who recognizes your skill might grant you a title and a fief.”
Pompiné was advising me that thinking about it only then could lead to a poor choice.
I nodded while looking her directly in the eye. I had a feeling she hadn’t sought me out just to say something like this.
Pompiné flinched, hesitated for a moment, then continued.
“Also, once your life is stable, won’t you need to take a wife? A ‘sturdy’ wife who can bear you a son to carry on the family line.”
Emphasizing the word ‘sturdy,’ Pompiné straightened her posture. She pushed her chest out so much that the milky-white swell of her upper chest looked as if it might spill over.
It was a much bolder attack than before. Her face had turned bright red, and the fact that she couldn’t meet my eyes told me it had taken considerable courage.
The unfortunate thing was that I couldn’t accept. She was an attractive woman, but not valuable enough to cancel plans that were already well underway.
“I think you’re in a greater hurry than I am, Lady Pompiné. Don’t you have a duty to continue the Taliang family line?”
What the Taliang family wanted was a husband who would marry into the family. If I were to receive my own title and fief, I would have no reason to marry into her family when I could start my own.
The conditions didn’t match. There was no way Pompiné didn’t know that.
“I know that.”
Pompiné pouted again, looking sulky. It was these occasional glimpses of her personality that reminded me she was still young.
Silence fell once more. This time, it was an uncomfortable silence, different from before.
I was the first to speak.
“Hasty decisions lead to mistakes.”
It was a matter neither Pompiné nor I could decide rashly. Besides, a hasty decision could cast doubt on its sincerity.
I stood up first and extended my hand. Pompiné took it without hesitation. She deliberately changed the subject.
“The banquet is almost over.”
“Shall we go, then?”
Even if we were leaving, it was polite to say goodbye to the host. We naturally began to exit the garden to rejoin the party at the mansion.
It must have been a coincidence that my eyes met those of one of the champions, who was thoroughly intoxicated with his current situation.
A sneer flickered across his face for a moment, but when he saw Pompiné walking beside me, his expression turned to one of disbelief.
After all, wasn’t Pompiné, the sole heir of the Taliang family, the most valuable young noblewoman at the banquet?
Of course, we were merely walking side by side, but the problem was that the place we had just been—a maze-like garden—stimulated a certain kind of clandestine imagination.
Grasping the situation, I gave him a wide, deliberate grin. That alone was enough to make his face crumple like a piece of paper.
And so, time passed, and the day of the tournament dawned.