Chapter 192
Chapter 192
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Princess's Scheme (2)
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"I'm giving you another choice right now."
She knew I was reluctant to step out in front of the public.
She knew I was claiming to be their teacher instead of the empire's greatest swordsman.
The princess of the north had figured out all of it.
"And that choice can fulfill every single one of your wishes."
Tina pinched the tight white shirt she wore under her robe.
She shook it lightly, fanning away Leon's heat.
"Freedom, equal treatment, and..."
A warm, fragrant scent rose from her body.
My nose twitched in response.
"My love...?"
Tina said with a giggle.
She playfully tapped my shoulder and turned her head away.
――――――.
With the stands filling up with people, street vendors appeared too.
Tina's eyes went to a kid wearing a bread-shaped hat, selling cream pies.
"Can I get one pie?"
The kid turned toward the bright woman's voice.
But thanks to her robe, he couldn't spot Tina.
"Sorry, over here."
Tina pulled down her hood and smiled brightly.
"Sorry! I see you now!"
"No worries."
A robe with perception-lowering magic.
Maybe that's why the kid felt awkward.
"Here, keep the change."
Tina handed the kid a whole gold coin for the bread.
The kid's eyes went wide.
"S-Such a big sum...?"
"I like seeing you work hard. Oh, and hide the money in your sock, okay?"
She even warned him not to get robbed.
I couldn't help but be exasperated.
"Mmm, smells good."
Tina put on the round glasses she'd tucked in her bosom.
She took in the sight of the freshly baked pie, steam rising golden-brown.
"Do you really need glasses for that...?"
"Of course! You know how much I love food! Look at that golden crust."
The bespectacled northern princess chomped into the bread with a big "nom."
She had a big mouth, taking half the pie in one bite.
"Mmm."
A crisp crunch sounded.
With the hood and glasses, she looked like an adorable witch.
"Leon might be lacking in combat and tactics, but damn, his bread is good."
Of course, her figure was the opposite.
As a true northerner, her development was impressive.
Crumbs piled up on the princess's chest like snow.
"Why are you staring like that?"
Tina wiped her lips with her thumb and asked.
I changed the subject in my reply.
"You're saying Bakal's knight is stronger than our Leon in raw power?"
"Yeah, you'll see."
Tina licked the sugar off her finger.
She swallowed hard, then looked down at the arena.
「Now, we begin the first match of this tournament—and the opening bout!!」
Prime Minister Mosian, handling the proceedings, shouted from the VIP seats.
Magic amplified his voice to booming, majestic levels.
「First, allow me to introduce Sir Burke of the Northern Border Knights!」
Northern border.
Far from the capital, no one recognized knights from there.
They even recruited locals to fill shortages.
――――――.
No one recognized the massive knight stomping into the arena—not even the imperial family.
「A stranger. He looks pretty old, too.」
Emperor Leonhardt asked from his throne.
His eldest son, Leon, sitting beside him, answered.
"The northern front recruits knights locally when short on manpower, Father."
「...」
The emperor fell silent at the idea of knights picked without proper procedure.
Leon smirked and continued.
"Locals know the terrain and adapt fast. But..."
As he spoke, Burke's opponent entered.
"They won't match knights trained at the capital's finest academies."
An imperial knight in pristine white uniform.
「His opponent is the Imperial Knights' champion, Sir Mishiang!!」
The personal knight of the Northern Duke.
Sponsored by him and the crown prince, he was marked as Richard's rival.
"Woooaaahhh―――!!"
"Mishiang!! Mishiang!!"
A total opposite to Burke's unremarkable entrance.
The crowd cheered like he was a popular theater star.
"He's one I back, Father."
The crown prince elegantly pointed to the golden-haired man.
Piercing blue eyes gleamed through his long bangs.
He looked sharp as a young hawk.
「Good eyes on him.」
Even the emperor praised his spirit.
He took a sip of his grape wine.
￣￣￣￣￣￣.
Majestic orchestral music swelled.
Energized by it, the two knights looked up at the throne.
「Before the great one, give your all in this match!!」
Mosian's words unleashed a roar from the crowd.
I watched silently, then glanced at the northern princess beside me.
'Christina's something else.'
Opening match knights were usually from prestigious houses or bought with bribes.
She must've lobbied hard to show me her strength.
"Expect a show, Veil."
Tina felt my gaze and replied flatly.
"Men always fall for capable women."
The northern princess focused solely on the match after that.
Bread crumbs still clung to her lips.
"..."
For now, I watched the knights with her.
"Looks like you've spent some coin settling into the empire."
Mishiang, the Northern Duke's knight and crown prince's direct subordinate.
He drew his rapier leisurely in his white uniform.
"To climb this far as an immigrant."
"..."
Burke's knight gave no reply.
He just adjusted his awkward black uniform collar.
"Leon's clothes feel nice and soft."
The knight more focused on his gear than his foe.
Once comfortable, he drew the greatsword from his back.
"Ours restrict movement several times more."
"Hah, really?"
The imperial knight scoffed.
He tossed back his long bangs with his chin gracefully.
"Mishiang―!! Look this way just once!!"
Front-row women fixated on him.
Hardcore fans, honey dripping from their eyes.
"Time to face an authentic imperial knight's blade for the first time."
He drew his rapier.
And then...
"Shall we test the immigrants' mettle?"
Boosted by the women's adoring gazes, he charged at Burke's knight.
――――――!!
He drew and swung the thin, sharp rapier in one motion.
The elegant, razor edge aimed for Burke's throat.
"Hoo..."
Burke's knight drew his massive greatsword.
A weapon too heavy for most to wield two-handed.
Yet veteran Burke parried the swift rapier strike one-handed.
As if he'd predicted the attack's path.
"When sizes differ, you lot always target thin spots like the neck."
Burke's face loomed between clashing blades.
His eyes were shadowed black from years of war.
"But that's only for your Leon dueling games."
In that darkness, jade eyes gleamed fierce as a snowfield beast.
"In real battle, you have no time to aim."
Predicted attacks were easy to block and counter.
Christina's guard knight, Burke, deflected Mishiang's strike and...
"Hup...!!"
Shoved his massive frame forward, smashing into Mishiang's face.
――――――!!
"Grk...!!"
The imperial knight staggered from the facial blow.
In that stunned moment.
Burke raised his greatsword high.
One hand on the hilt, the other gripping the blade for speed.
"My liege commanded me to show the vast gap in our nations' might."
The greatsword eclipsed the sun.
"So I'll end this quick."
Burke slammed it down like cleaving a glacier.
Kwaaaang―――――!!
Vast sword aura raged like Bakal's crumbling ice.
Mishiang's blue eyes flashed at the sight.
"This is...!"
He'd expected brute force from the immigrant border knight.
But overwhelming mana poured out.
――――――.
The arena filled with northern winds; spectators clutched hats, squinting.
Even the royals nearby grimaced.
They silently watched Mishiang take the massive sword aura head-on.
"Urgh...!!"
The imperial knight poured mana into his body.
The moment he blocked raw.
His uniform tore to shreds despite the defense.
"..."
Luckily, as an elite, he didn't fall.
He spat blood from his mouth to assert his resilience.
"Hoo... I underestimated you..."
Burke stared blankly at the glaring duke's knight.
He just held his raised greatsword, fully serious.
"Here I go again!"
Mishiang rushed Burke.
To settle it before another sword aura.
He pressed with summer-wind-fast swordplay.
Chaeng―!!
"Push hard, and you can't do a thing!!"
Under the relentless pressure, Burke couldn't counter once.
Yet his expression never changed.
He focused solely on defense, like waiting for something.
"Impressive technique, but that's all!"
With breathing room, he glanced up at the emperor and crown prince.
The crown prince's grave face from the glacier strike had eased.
Now back in control, Mishiang nodded subtly.
That instant.
"...!!"
The more Mishiang clashed with Burke's greatsword, the more his insides churned.
Like motion sickness in a rocking carriage.
"Hup...!"
Only then did Burke speak.
"You've grown soft in long peace, knights of Leon."
He shoved the locked blades forward.
One-handed.
Red sparks danced between mana-reinforced swords.
Overwhelmed, Mishiang started sliding back.
"Trouble..."
"Sir Mishiang's faltering?"
Lydia shook her head, sensing the shift.
Irina looked down worriedly too.
"The blow disrupted Mishiang's mana."
Leah replied regally from nearby, pointing queen-like at his aura.
"It looks fine on the surface, but controlling it internally is hell."
Unlike before, the blue flows raged wildly.
Sloshing like he'd been drinking.
"Calm waters whipped to storm."
Mishiang slowed; attacking grew impossible.
Burke countered in turn.
"Clashing swords in that state makes proper defense impossible."
Leah crossed her ample thighs alone.
No more to see, she sipped her tea.
"..."
The crown prince glanced at her skepticism.
He glared briefly at his impudent sister.
"Oh? Got time to look at me, Leon? Your precious Mishiang's struggling."
"Just one of my backed knights, Leah."
With the emperor beside him, Leon refocused.
He composed himself well—still had faith.
"Grk...!! Why...!!"
Mishiang ground his teeth defending.
But once shaken, his mana wouldn't settle.
He could only...
"..."
Look up at the giant immigrant warrior like a whacked mole.
"Time to end it."
Bakal's elite knight Burke raised his greatsword to the sky.
One-handed.
――――――!!
As he brought it down on Mishiang.
A majestic explosion like Baroness Greta's prime rocked the arena.
Kwaaang!!
Thick smoke filled it.
When northern winds cleared it...
"..."
Mana shield shattered, Mishiang knelt.
「Victory to Sir Burke of the Northern Border Knights!!」
The on-site judges declared.
The arena went library-silent.
Only Christina beside me smirked.
"Leon men are still weaker in pure force."
The northern princess teased men's pride.
I watched her silently.
"Experience gap is huge."
"Heh... Peace makes humans frail."
Christina placed a hand on her hip, sending regal eyes.
Her triumphant snort?
Crumbs fell from her ample chest.
"Well, you excepted. Got skill and smarts. That's why I want Bakal befitting your level."
I crossed my arms alone.
I pondered this giggling polar bear.
'Sir Burke's damn skilled.'
Imperial princess guard with battlefield experience—no way he's weak.
Even Richard, Allen, or Batsu might not win.
'My presence drew stronger foes...'
"Hmm, actually worried this time?"
Reading me, Tina pushed up her round glasses.
She leaned close, leisurely inspecting my face.
"..."
I stared down at her face.
I lifted her robe, meeting eyes.
"So confident? Wanna bet?"
"Bet...?"
The princess's silver eyelids blinked.
"Yes, guess which nation's knight wins this tournament."
Tina smirked, thinking my pride stung.
"Hmm. What's your stake?"
Strategic, calculating Christina.
She made a gold coin shape with her fingers.
Typical money-first princess.
To educate her, I offered perfect terms.
"If our Leon knights win..."
I curled my lip slyly.
Like a scheming eunuch, foxy.
"Pledge eternal alliance with the imperial princesses."
Mentioning only them before her stung her pride hard.
She thought she led, but repeated princess talk drooped her lip.
"And stay at our Leon academy for training awhile."
"Pretty arrogant proposal..."
She got my intent, paused.
Then countered my bold terms.
"Fine, but if our Bakal knights win—"
Tina stood from her seat.
She stretched her hood long and...
"You join Bakal's next diplomatic delegation."
Covered my face saying it.
"...!"
In the dark hood, our faces drew close.
But her radiant white hair and blue eyes still shone.
"Stay as long as I want."