Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Grand Master (3)
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The sun blazed down brilliantly over the Lustium Arena.
Rozanna returned to the VIP seats alone, as if nothing had happened.
「...」
The Emperor glanced at his wife, noting the change in her dress color.
Then, his gaze shifted to the two knights entering the arena.
“Waaaaah―――!!”
Next up were Allen and Dark.
The crowd went wild at the appearance of the next captain of the Holy Knight Order, the talk of the town lately.
With his radiant golden hair like royalty and his handsome face, Allen was incredibly popular.
“Hmm―.”
Rozanna looked down at him and smirked.
She glanced at Irina sitting nearby and spoke.
“Exciting, isn’t it? The Empire’s Captain of the 7th Knight Order...”
Irina, dressed in a white gown contrasting Rozanna’s.
Her exposed shoulders in the off-the-shoulder style, she responded coldly to the First Imperial Consort.
“Didn’t expect you to take an interest in my knight.”
Mysterious silver hair framed emerald eyes that sparkled.
Pleased by the sight, Rozanna smiled with her eyes.
“Of course. The daughter of my friend Istina? Naturally, I’m interested.”
Friend.
Irina’s face hardened coldly at the insincere word.
“Friend?”
Because she believed Rozanna was the culprit behind her mother’s death.
She thought her mother had been poisoned just like her father had been.
The Emperor had endured thanks to his Grand Aura, but her mother was just an ordinary woman.
“Yes. When that child entered as the second consort, I guided her around the palace the whole time.”
Rozanna’s eyes grew distant, as if reminiscing.
With that gaze, she closely examined Istina’s masterpiece.
“I even helped fasten her dress hooks for her.”
Soft, pale skin and delicate shoulders.
Yet, hidden within the dress was a remarkably impressive figure.
She eyed Irina with interest—outwardly pure, but inwardly voluptuous and feminine.
“Forgive me, but please stop talking about my mother.”
The already pale Second Imperial Princess’s skin turned icy white.
Yet Rozanna, seeing this, seemed lost in memories.
As if she’d often seen similar expressions on her mother’s face.
“You really do take after Istina—such expressive faces.”
Rozanna picked up a glass of grape wine from the round table.
She took a graceful sip and said,
“Fun to tease.”
Irina calmly picked up her wine glass in response.
She’d come to appreciate the taste of alcohol and brimmed with confidence in her feminine charms.
She naturally took a sip.
“Then, in the spirit of our tournament, shall we discuss each other’s knights?”
Noble ladies often critiqued and observed one another’s knights in discussion.
To gauge the vessel of Istina’s daughter, Irina, Rozanna readily suggested it.
As the Emperor’s blood, she must have something extraordinary.
“From what I see, that Allen boy wields dual swords...”
Two scabbards at his waist.
Topped with his newly tailored white uniform.
He looked like a beautiful, refined noble youth.
“Live long enough, and you see everything—a dual-sword knight.”
As expected, the Grand Witch zeroed in on his dual swords first.
“His mana seems well-honed, and he appears humble too...”
“...”
Irina blinked her beautifully white eyelids.
Indeed, Allen had become humble.
After meeting Veil and realizing his own weakness, he’d trained diligently.
However, one problem arose in the process.
After gaining humility and maturity, he wanted to repay Veil and Irina who believed in him.
Determined to win and bolster her position, he couldn’t abandon his signature dual swords.
“He still carries a heavy burden.”
Dual swords were already his trademark.
To make the Holy Knight Order famous, he needed to shine with them in the duel.
“Must weigh on his shoulders.”
Rozanna had caught Allen’s urgency just from his dual swords.
“...”
Irina indifferently set down her wine glass.
She gracefully swept her long bangs to the side.
“Then I’ll take a look too.”
She blinked her elegant silver eyelids, staring at the Black Knight.
The Black Knight Order’s vice-captain, appearing for the first time.
Younger than expected, and handsome like Allen.
Black hair slightly covering his eyes.
Pale skin and sparkling blue eyes within.
Unlike the other Black Knights so far, his eyes still held vitality.
As if he’d joined recently.
“Looks like he hasn’t been a Black Knight long.”
The 21-year-old princess instantly gauged his experience.
Satisfied, Rozanna narrowed her eyes.
“Right, quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
Ignoring Rozanna’s praise, Irina flatly shared her observations on Dark.
“Men who join the Black Knight Order usually lose the spark in their eyes within months.”
The princess subtly adjusted her low-cut dress.
She indifferently sipped her wine.
“As if they lose their life force inside there.”
Rozanna stared piercingly at her insightful friend’s daughter.
“You know well.”
Then, covering her lips with her hand, she smiled purely like Irina.
“Which makes it even more exciting, doesn’t it?”
“Exciting?”
Irina furrowed her brow in question.
The Empire’s young men gradually corrupting under her skirts—and that was exciting?
Unable to comprehend, the princess instinctively shook her head.
“As you said, he’s short on experience, yet already vice-captain—”
Rozanna placed her hand on her dress hugging her voluptuous flesh.
She declared confidently,
“Don’t you wonder how exceptional his talent must be?”
Irina offered no reply.
Dark didn’t seem overwhelmingly strong at the moment, his presence subdued.
However, she noticed the worn hilt of the longsword at his waist.
As if sweat from excessive use had loosened it.
Plus, his callused palms from obsessively pushing himself.
“Yes, quite exciting.”
Allen and Dark.
Opposite uniform colors, but both embodiments of talent and effort.
“Now, shall we watch comfortably?”
Rozanna gazed down at the arena with an empress-like sensual look.
As representative of the consorts, she continued,
“Vanessa’s daughter managed to win. What about Istina’s?”
“...”
Irina gripped tightly the rosary resting on her beautiful bosom.
Silently watching the tournament begin...
“Eh...?”
She spotted someone running toward Allen from afar.
Her previously cold eyes began softening like a girl’s.
“Veil.”
Her moist lips parted softly.
She murmured the precious name like a spell.
“Already out...?”
Rozanna’s upturned lips froze at the unexpected name.
She silently looked down at the day advising Allen.
“Allen! Hold on a moment!”
“Master...?”
The blond knight, steeling himself before the match.
He stared intently at the day who’d arrived below the arena.
“Be careful—this match will be far tougher than you think.”
“My resolve is firm.”
I shook my head firmly at his determined expression.
The opponent knight was no pushover.
“No, it’s not that. The First Consort cast an evil spell on the Black Knights.”
I pointed to the flow around Dark’s sword and body.
Now that I looked, it wasn’t flames emanating from his body.
“It reinforces both body and weapon through sorcery!”
It felt alien, like hazy smoke enveloping him.
“Certainly gives off a creepy vibe.”
Allen, much improved in training and insight, sensed it too and agreed.
“If it gets tough, forfeit.”
Allen was no longer a lone reckless fool.
As leader of Irina’s knights, he needed to know when to preserve himself.
“...”
But forfeiting didn’t seem an easy choice for him.
Allen bowed his head briefly, lost in thought.
The fresh green Holy Knight Order badge on his chest.
Irina, who’d chosen him despite his thug reputation.
Me, who’d disciplined his bad habits to get him here.
Wanting to repay them, Allen couldn’t bear to forfeit.
He wanted to shed his thug image for the world.
To show their efforts weren’t wasted.
“Thank you for the advice, Master.”
And today.
He saw this as the perfect chance to prove it.
“But... you know I’m no pushover either?”
Had I instilled too much humility and virtue?
The guy who’d once pondered fleeing Irina’s knights anytime had become too good.
‘Well, better reformed than a thug forever.’
“Then fight to the end, and forfeit only if it’s truly hopeless.”
I left him with final advice.
“No one will blame that kind of loss. It won’t harm Irina’s standing either—so prioritize yourself.”
Once, I’d told him as a guard knight to protect his lord at all costs.
This time, think of your own safety.
Hearing my serious advice, Allen looked at Dark.
“Strong enough that I need to value my life...”
Allen headed alone to the arena’s center.
Muttering that, he steeled his resolve.
“...”
Dark approached him too.
Unlike other knights, he offered no taunts.
True to a Black Knight vice-captain, he silently raised his one-handed sword.
Before his face.
Allen, pleased by the quick start, drew his dual swords.
With brief salutes, the duel began.
「Now, let the fourth match begin!!」
―――――.
Majestic music echoed through the circular arena.
Then, as the tens of thousands fell silent...
―――!!
No probing—just a brutal clash from the start.
Allen’s arms wielding dual swords spun at ferocious speed.
Kaaang!!
Skillfully parrying once, the next sword immediately followed.
As if two were attacking at once.
But it wasn’t just double strikes.
“Huat...!”
Each carried heavy power.
Dark was busy defending against the massive impacts.
“...!!”
Then, Allen switched tactics.
Left hand smashing down, right targeting the side.
Dark blocked his head, then twisted to protect his side.
「Hmm.」
The Emperor nodded at the clever, genius technique.
A rare dual-sword knight, and next captain no less.
He smiled, thinking it would boost Irina’s Holy Knight Order fame.
But he wasn’t the only one smiling.
Rozanna smirked leisurely, despite her side being pushed.
Kaaang!!
Block the right side, then left neck.
Block left neck, then spinning center thrust.
Faced with constant deadly choices, Dark began biting his lip.
“Huat...!!”
Irina glanced at Rozanna while watching the opponent.
Then furrowed her pale, smooth brow.
“...!”
Still smiling soft lips.
But more—she was mouthing something.
As if casting a spell on distant Dark.
‘What’s she doing?’
I noticed it too.
Staring at Dark intently that moment.
“No way...”
I realized the nature of the enhancement sorcery Rozanna had cast.
It wasn’t just maximizing power.
“What in the world is that immense mana...?!”
The crowd marveled at Dark’s surging deep blue mana with each hit.
But I didn’t share their awe.
Because.
That was ‘black mana.’
Rozanna’s sorcery disguised tournament-banned black mana as blue.
“Unbelievable...”
Snorting at the consort’s ploy, I looked up at the Emperor.
I figured he’d notice Rozanna’s sorcery.
「...」
But for some reason, Leonhardt didn’t intervene.
He just watched.
As if testing Allen’s abilities.
Checking if there were talents to counter the Black Knight Order.
Testing if the princesses could handle Rozanna’s madness after his death.
‘You plan to go that far...’
Agreeing, I decided to watch Allen for a bit too.
“Had your fun?”
Overflowing wicked power.
Influenced, the silent Dark finally spoke.
“Planning to get serious now?”
Credit to Allen—he didn’t panic at the surging power.
Instead, more cautious and calm against the strengthened foe.
“Yes, let’s start by making those arrogant dual swords useless.”
―――――!!
Leaving a blue afterimage, he closed in on Allen instantly.
Then, swinging his one-handed sword like a club...
“...!!”
Kaaang!!
A ferocious sound like a giant axe slamming shook the arena.
The shockwave made spectators clutch their ears in pain.
“Ugh...!”
Allen barely blocked with both swords raised.
But this was just the beginning.
Like a seal broken, Dark rampaged at insane speed.
“Why? Don’t swing cockily like before!!”
He pressured with blows so heavy Allen needed both hands.
That brute force prevented immediate counters.
“This is bad...”
Dual swords’ advantage: defend with one, counter with the other.
But both hands occupied with defense...
The merit born of risk began dying.
“What an injustice. Hiding this power to fight.”
Dark vented his frustration at not using their main force, black mana.
Pressing with one hand while...
“Wanted to show off to sun-loving types like you!”
Drawing a dagger with the other.
“...!!”
Irina and Rozanna in the VIP seats noticed simultaneously.
As both watched with opposing feelings...
I saw it.
Allen lowering one hand.
“No way, that bastard...!!”
One hand leaving Dark’s sword, Allen’s remaining arm twisted.
Wrist bending, then snapping.
―――――!!
But Allen’s expression was resolute.
He rotated to minimize the breaking pain.
Simultaneously, his freed hand elegantly slashed Dark’s chest.
Just like the technique I’d used on Richard at the appointment.
“Krgh...!!”
Dark recoiled from the pouring pain.
Richard, watching from afar.
Bad memories resurfaced, body shuddering.
“Eugh...!!”
Not just Dark and Richard were rattled.
Rozanna, who’d cast the spell and sat leisurely.
She dropped her smile, witnessing Allen’s elegant strike directly.
“Oh dear, what now.”
Irina smiled with her eyes at her.
“Dark seems to have let his guard down due to his inexperience.”
The world’s purest, innocent-looking Second Imperial Princess.
This time, she spoke with a sovereign’s sensual gaze.
“But come to think of it...”
Rozanna stared at the fox-like sly smile reminiscent of someone.
Her expression hardened at the provocation from Irina’s lips.
“Actually, our Allen has even less experience than Sir Dark...”
Irina extended her fingers like an innocent young lady.
Pretending to count, she nonchalantly replied.
“Sir Dark about five months? Our Allen around three?”
Showing three and five with her fingers.
Watching from afar, I chuckled.
“Baron Veil...”
Rozanna shot a menacing glare at the princess resembling someone she’d just met.
She realized he’d helped not just Lea, but other princesses too.
“A tempting prey after so long...?”
Rozanna covered her soft, moist lips with her finger.
Smiling sinisterly, pondering whether to recruit him like me or eliminate him.