Sparkle and the Gluttonous Duel
A sparkling, faintly glowing crystal ring. Should she say something now? Karina pondered, but Ivan Hellenger's next words pierced her ears, shattering her focus.
"Remember us?"
"Huh?"
"Back when we were at the academy. That pervert instructor who taught weird continental history—we smashed him together in the training grounds."
"How could I forget?"
Karina suddenly wore a warm smile. She shared those memories with her childhood friend, Ivan Hellenger. Running through wide gardens full of grass as kids, sneaking to the coast to check out wrecked ships away from adults' eyes, and even attending the same academy. The eerie stone walls overgrown with rapeseed flowers, the tavern they'd sneak to with friends, exploring the Witch's Forest and ghost ships to practice what they'd learned. Excluding the other cadets she no longer saw, Ivan was the only one left who could bring back that time.
Yeah, we did.
His words summoned those days, and a faint smile rose on Karina's face. During the boring, tedious path of magic, they'd bucked each other up countless times. Just as she was about to reminisce and bloom stories from their shared past—
"And—"
"Just like back then, we're doing it together, Karina."
"Huh?"
"With your magic and my skills, there's nothing to worry about. Even the stuff they said was too much for us—we smashed it all as a duo."
"What are you talking about?"
"That monster."
Ivan nodded vigorously, opening his mouth with a matter-of-fact expression.
"No need for long-ass large-scale casting like last time. Simple: you slap on some restraint or stiffen spell, and I'll stomp it. That monster bastard, no matter how tricky, it's different this time. From the start, if you and I team up, we can wash away the humiliation we suffered back then right away."
"…."
"Karina? You listening?"
"…Spit it out."
Karina felt a slight chill. So it came back to this after all. Truth be told, she'd never even thought of it as humiliation.
"Right. Karina, wanna grab dinner?"
"…Why?"
Even so, she opened her mouth with a hint of expectation. Are you buying? The words nearly jumped out.
Come to think of it, last time he'd promised food or booze in exchange for her magic.
"…You buying?"
"What? Nah, let's sync up on how to spin this Monster Island scenario. Tomorrow's the main event, not today. Before the dance tomorrow, act like we bumped into each other by chance and casually drop the hint. Like I subjugated it— you read the letter, right?"
"Oh."
"And—"
Ivan's words continued. Roughly, he was asking her to play along in building the vibe that he was the star of the Monster Island subjugation—
Ah.
Suddenly, Karina felt tired. Tired enough that—
Sparkle.
She didn't even feel like telling Ivan about the true nature of this crystal ring that had started subtly glowing a while ago.
And—
For now… let's just see his face once…
She decided to hunt down the identity of that monster somewhere in this vast palace on her own first.
I'm beat.
I let out a small sigh. Simona Kuhn had suddenly glued herself right next to me. My sharp hearing caught the sound of her smacking her lips. The thick perfume she'd doused herself in stabbed my nose, so I gently pushed her away and tossed out an answer to her question.
"Oh my, such strength—"
"Hansu."
"Hansu. A fine name. If it's not too rude, might I ask which noble house you're from? Or what you do these days—"
"Bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?"
"I'm here as bodyguard for the young lady you see over there—no, the miss. If you're asking about her house, it's the Luminis Ducal family."
"Ah."
Simona's mouth parted slightly as she repeated my words.
"The Luminis house… ah, I see."
But unlike her words, a flicker of disappointment crossed her face. Simona was a woman who specialized in breaking strong men. And "strong" here wasn't just physical—it included skill, honor, position, all the standards a man could wear. She sized them up comprehensively.
A bodyguard from a fallen house won't light her fire.
As expected, her next response carried a subtle chill.
"An honor to meet you."
"Likewise."
Of course, if she saw the muscles hidden under this thick robe, her attitude would flip in an instant—but I had no intention of showing them. The more a guy acted tough in front of her, the more she wanted to break him. I didn't want to tangle with this annoying perv who made her marked men fight her summons and savored their terrified faces.
Well, if she crosses the line, I can just smash her—but
Her house was the Kuhn Count family, well-treated in the kingdom—not to mention the even more annoying head butler here was worse. With everything else on my plate, why bother? That was my mindset as I gave a half-assed reply.
"The honor is mine."
"Hehe. Nice meeting you. Say hi tomorrow if we cross paths again, yeah?"
She glanced at me briefly, then—still leaving some room—traced her fingertips lightly over my thick robe and turned away. Watching her sway her hips as she vanished into the crowd, I recalled passages from the original Empire's Glory describing her, held back a long-held sigh, and shook my head.
"Ooooooh!"
A massive cheer erupted from the pastry station. I whipped my head around at the sudden roar. A huge tent swarmed with people like clouds. The noise came from where tables overflowed with breads and desserts stacked high.
Beyond the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, I spotted Nadia seriously devouring desserts amid all the attention.
Tilting my senses, I caught the onlookers' murmurs.
"What a lady."
"She can really pack it away."
"So unsophisticated. Starved for days?"
"Nah, looks fun."
"Makes me happy just watching."
"Who knew spectating someone eat could be this entertaining."
"How many plates is that now?"
A sudden unease washed over me. Just from the attention? No. Through the gaps in the crowd, I saw Nadia—cheeks puffed like a squirrel, shoveling desserts in. And across from her, one man.
Even sitting, he towered a full head above the other onlookers. A long knife scar across his face.
So.
Nadia, how the hell did you…
Cron?
…end up in an eating contest with the continent's top mercenary captain.
.
.
.
It started like this.
Nadia, eyes sparkling with 100% genuine awe at breads, cakes, and desserts she'd never tasted before, letting out delighted gasps at each one. Her reactions so heartwarming that the head pastry chef bowed politely.
Bow.
"Hehe, this is soooo good!"
"Thank you."
"First time in my life tasting something like this! So sweet, nutty, soft. It's so moving I'm tearing up."
"Sniff."
"Hey, what's in this roll?"
"Cinnamon, minced sardines, chestnuts, and apples."
"Really?! How do you get this flavor from that? Never imagined something like this existed! Came to the right place!"
"An honor."
"Excuse me, can I take some leftovers? Of course, not so much others go short—"
"No worries, lady."
The chef wiped his teary eyes, nodded determinedly to his team—
"We've got plenty to spare, never short. Just wait a bit, and we'll pack desserts to your taste—"
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, a broad-shouldered brute appeared.
"There's a contradiction in your words!"
"Gasp."
"If it's truly moving enough to tear up, shouldn't you devour every bite without a thought of leftovers? That's only proper! Yet what do those plates before you prove?"
The giant with the long facial scar. The pastry chef had flinched like he'd seen a madman at the sight of him—but his name was Cron. Leader of the Black Horse Knights, dubbed the continent's top mercenary band.
"Captain, you're embarrassing us."
"Hahaha! That's a real man for ya."
Ignoring his vice-captain's plea, Cron laughed heartily and addressed Nadia.
"Delicious, eh?"
"Yes! Incredibly so!"
"Hm. But not enough to finish every bite right here, I take it?"
"What do you mean!"
"Me? When food truly moves me, I polish it off no matter how full—don't even think of taking leftovers. Why? That's the respect you owe a dish that made you weep."
"I-I can do that too!"
The pastry chef clutched his waist, one hand to his forehead, looking utterly exasperated at running into this nutcase here—but it almost looked like disappointment at a glance.
"These desserts moved me every single one, no exceptions!"
"Those words—are they true?"
"True!"
"Is that so? Then—"
This damned eating contest started just like that.
And so, Nadia and Cron sat facing each other.
"Mmm!"
"Mmph!"
"Gulp!"
"Chomp!"
"Munch munch munch!"
"Smack smack smack!"
"Urk urp glurk!"
"Om nom! Ooom nom!"
The two glared at each other, then began inhaling the mountain of meat buns piled on their tables.
"……What're you doing, Nadia?"
Hansu intervened.
Knight Captain Fabian and Mercenary Captain Cron. Readers of the original Empire's Glory had a nickname for them, packed with affectionate derision.
Dumbass Duo.
Alone, they were fine—but together, they brewed typhoon-level chaos. They were fierce rivals. Even the normally unflappable Fabian lost his cool around Cron and went berserk.
It was common knowledge that storms swirled around whatever caught both their competitive eyes.
The crowd stirred slightly at my sudden appearance, but I ignored it.
"Mmph?"
"Who're you?"
"Nadia's bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?"
Cron eyed my massive frame. At least for a guy like Cron, drawing his focus to my stamina and build over Nadia worked in my favor.
Keep those two apart.
Fabian liked pure, kind women. Cron liked ones honest with their feelings. And above all—
He likes big eaters too.
I glanced at Nadia's table. She'd eaten more than expected, but still manageable to redirect if quick.
Cron couldn't get interested in her. Otherwise, during tomorrow's dance, getting caught between Fabian and Cron would be a hassle.
The kingdom's top knight captain and continent's top merc captain fighting over Nadia? Then those 'idiots' who'd only been foreshadowed so far jump in, escalating to riot levels? And Nadia caught in the crossfire?
That would summon Drakan.
Popping out like he'd been waiting, laughing maniacally as he turns the ball into a wasteland.
Then the princess's ascension intel? All gone to hell.
Gulp.
Cron continued toward me, who'd envisioned that mess. He wiped bread crumbs from his mouth, eyes gleaming with faint killing intent.
"So, why's the bodyguard butting in? Interfering in this serious match?"
"A serious match, huh."
"Got no manners?"
"Is it proper manners for a guy three times her size to stack the same amount of bread as this innocent lady and call it a match?"
"Captain? He's spot on."
"Guh."
To the idiot Cron making an 'oh shit' face at his whispering vice-captain, I spat the line to nullify his interest in Nadia.
"Therefore—man to man. Player swap."