Chapter 82
Chapter 82
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Eye of the Typhoon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
While the warden and the young lady enjoyed their secret rendezvous,
an ominous silhouette watched them from the opposite corridor.
"……."
The woman in a black dress with radiant golden hair—Camillia.
She stood side by side with the captain of the White Horse Knights.
"Your Highness, I'll investigate that young lady thoroughly."
In truth, he couldn't care less about who a lowly border prison warden met with.
The man was far beneath him in rank, and though he didn't show it, the warden's notoriety grated on him just a bit.
However, the look in the princess's eyes as she gazed at their beautiful clandestine meeting.
Sensing the chilling undercurrent in that gaze, he had no choice but to say,
"If she's harboring any seditious thoughts, I'll handle it myself."
"……."
Camillia gently closed her eyes.
"No, that's not necessary."
In the princess's mind, images flashed repeatedly of Derek dancing with the young lady.
A masterpiece painting, so natural and harmonious—unlike anything she could match.
"The fact that Derek asked her to dance first means she's a woman worthy of respect."
"Still, we should at least find out who she is…"
Camillia crossed her arms alone.
Then, narrowing her mature eyes, she shook her head.
"That wouldn't befit a ruler. Would the mother of the empire stoop to jealousy over her people?"
"As expected of Your Highness…"
She said that, but the princess's eyes were still fixed on the pink-haired figure.
On that mesmerizing figure and graceful poise from behind, every bit as captivating as her own.
If that woman had stepped into the ballroom, every man there would have lined up for her.
No mask could hide such allure.
'Jealous of another woman? Me?'
Camillia furrowed her delicate brow slightly.
She had never felt jealousy toward any man before.
To let her emotions waver just because the woman could dance better—it was childish.
Reprimanding herself for such unbecoming behavior, she focused solely on her top aide.
"So, what time is Derek's match tomorrow? His opponent is from the Eastern Continent, right?"
"Yes, but there's a slight problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"Well… the tournament rules changed right before the event."
The gray-haired man in his white uniform stroked his chin.
Even he, a long-time knight, made the gesture out of sheer bewilderment.
"Actually, I came to see Your Highness to report this."
"How did they change?"
"The Northern Duke switched it from one-on-one duels to two-on-two team battles. For the sake of harmony between the Eastern Continent and the empire, or so they claim."
"The Tutton Grand Duke's knights will set the rules, so this must be Ivan's order."
Team battles, huh.
It was a common format in martial tournaments since ancient times.
Fighting two-on-two allowed for flashy combo techniques, which the crowds always loved.
But combos required prior coordination.
You couldn't expect great results pairing up with a total stranger on the spot.
Yet they changed it right before the event…
"There's definitely some scheme at play. Did Derek's opponent change too?"
"Yes, his first-round matchup is now the Holy See's top fighter paired with the Eastern Continent's."
"The Holy See's top fighter is Knight Commander Stilman, right?"
"Correct. Referee Stilman."
Stilman Daybreak.
The Holy See's one and only Swordmaster, a lotus blooming from the mud.
The pope's personal guard and a man prophesied as a saint in the scriptures.
With his platinum long hair and striking good looks, no knight his age could match him.
Aside from the empire's foremost spear, the princess herself, and Tutton Grand Duke's eldest daughter, Celestia.
"Not the most welcome news. Facing him in the first round."
"They want to knock Warden Derek out early by pitting him against a tough opponent."
"Stilman's partner must be no slouch either, right?"
"Yes, one of the Eastern Continent Federation's top ten experts. Apparently skilled in poisons and traps."
"A powerhouse in brute force paired with a tactician. Ivan's put together quite the duo."
"Even if Warden Derek is a promising talent, Stilman alone at his peak would be overwhelming."
Camillia nodded calmly in agreement.
"Then who is Derek teamed up with?"
"That's…"
The White Horse captain, who had been answering smoothly, hesitated for the first time.
"It was supposed to be someone named Dang Mujin, but we can't reach him today."
"Gone radio silent?"
"Yes. All we know is he's a veteran warrior from the Federation. He didn't attend tonight's party either, so no further info."
"We don't even know the gender… Still, sounds weaker than Stilman's partner."
Camillia clicked her tongue at the term "veteran warrior."
No prestigious title like "top ten expert"—just a generic veteran.
It screamed intentional mismatch.
"How petty, Ivan."
"It's a tricky situation."
The corridor fell silent amid the impasse.
The middle-aged subordinate cautiously brought up the matter to the woman young enough to be his daughter.
"Your Highness… May I speak frankly?"
"What is it."
"Prince Ivan has already laid a meticulous plan to crush Derek. It's hard for us to force our way in here."
The prince would have prepared justifications for changing the rules.
The princess, meanwhile, had no leeway to fix everything right now.
"If Your Highness intervenes forcefully, it could be seen as overstepping your bounds."
Her aide was concerned solely for her well-being.
"……."
The princess quietly watched the corridor where the warden had departed.
Then she reached out a hand and clenched it as if grasping the spot where he had stood.
"And so?"
"Pardon…?"
"So you're saying I should just abandon my top aide like this?"
"Th-that's not what I meant…"
The princess shot a cold glare at her father-figure subordinate.
The startled middle-aged man bowed his head hastily.
"I only spoke out of concern for Your Highness's safety."
"No need to worry. If it were just about guarding my life, I wouldn't be in this position."
Camillia unclenched her fist.
Soon, a massive spear materialized along her arm.
One of the empire's pillars, a great spear so heavy even burly men struggled to lift.
Landruin.
"I have a duty to protect those who follow me, Captain."
Her black dress clung to her voluptuous hips and slender waist.
From behind, she might seem just a pitifully beautiful woman.
Yet she wielded the great spear effortlessly in one hand.
The sight evoked the aura of a goddess from myth.
"If you were in Duke Derek's shoes, would you want me to abandon you too?"
"……."
Her bowing subordinate fell silent for a moment.
The princess, gripping her spear beneath the giant full moon, then spoke.
"Captain, watch closely this time."
Her blue eyes shone brilliantly.
"I protect those who trust me until the end."
It was unmistakably the resolute gaze of a true sovereign.
Feeling her sincerity, the middle-aged captain raised his head.
"Understood. Please give your next order."
The princess extended her other hand, and a wallet materialized from thin air.
Camillia pulled out a single check.
A luxurious design with a black background and gold lettering.
On the front, it read:
「Imperial Account」
"Deliver this to Kawit, the imperial swordsmith."
"Isn't this from Your Highness's secret account? The funds you amassed to recruit aides during the battle for the throne."
The White Horse captain, steeped in imperial affairs, asked in surprise.
And rightly so—this check was worth five whole castles.
"Yes. Though who knows, this might be the perfect chance to gather those aides."
The princess handed over such a sum without batting an eye.
Like a senior casually gifting a house to her chosen partner.
"If I shield Derek from the prince, what will the noble ministers think when they see it? At the very least, they'll know I'm a ruler who protects her own to the end."
Her face, the spitting image of her ancestors, flashed with ambition-fueled eyes.
"This is the perfect timing."
"Yes, understood. So, what should I buy with this check?"
The answer was rather bizarre.
"Every single dagger from the imperial forge."
"Pardon…? Just daggers? All of them?"
"Yes. Artifacts, top-grade, ancient relics—buy them all."
"Very well."
As the White Horse captain withdrew, the princess thought of one warden.
More precisely, the time she had fought him within the Confession Magic.
'That power I saw when he taught me how to counter assassination techniques… it was incredible.'
Of course, she knew he couldn't use those skills outside the Confession Magic.
Still, he'd trained diligently since then, even taking her elixirs, and grown considerably.
'So if I equip him with overwhelmingly superior gear, he might pull off something similar.'
Hundreds of daggers lunging at her through dark mist.
If they were all artifact-grade lethal weapons, even Stilman couldn't endure.
"Come to think of it, he was holding back a lot even then."
The princess still vividly remembered that arrogant gaze looking down at her fondly.
「Well done. You're a quick learner, as expected.」
Despite being two years younger, he'd gazed at her so cutely.
"Hmph, this should catch him off guard and make him flustered."
Camillia smirked, confident that this time, his sly eyes would go wide in shock.
Men always ended up in the arms of the woman most beneficial to them.
She was certain he'd realize she far outshone some pretty-faced young lady.
"I can't wait to see it. That cute, flustered face of his."
The great spear Landruin stood tall on its own.
Leaning against its thick shaft, the princess crossed her arms alone.
"Once he gets addicted to my comfort…"
With no one watching, Camillia shyly covered her lips.
For this moment, she wasn't a sovereign but a woman in her early twenties.
"He'll forget all about other women on his own."
Her mind was already filled with images of a silver-haired man, collared and waiting on the bed.
If she tugged the leash, he'd rise and carry her like a princess.
Around the time the princess declared no one else could handle the warden like she could.
At the same hour elsewhere, strange groans echoed.
"Mmph… Mmph!!"
In the lodgings for Eastern Continent tournament participants.
A woman lay there, completely bound, looking up at someone.
"Mmph!! Mmph!!"
"Quiet down, Dang Mujin."
The black-haired woman in a black cat mask.
She struck the neck of the veteran knight from the Eastern Continent hard.
"……."
As Dang Mujin passed out, the attacker removed her mask.
Thus, Sword Sage Myoran revealed herself.
"These clothes are so small. Way too tight."
The 19-year-old girl with a cold expression began donning the cheongsam.
When she put the mask back on to conceal her face,
she had transformed into the veteran warrior Dang Mujin, set to compete tomorrow.
"They're all idiots. Satisfied with just a dance."
Dark malice rose in the eyes behind the mask.
Intense enough to suffocate any man forever.
"True affection blooms when you've crossed life and death together."
The Sword Sage, disguised as Dang Mujin, stepped into the corridor.
It was already filled with the Eastern Continent warriors she had knocked out.
"The tournament prize is worth a whole castle."
She grabbed each by the hair and dragged them along.
Dumping them in the corner like trash.
"That should be enough to go back home and start a 'sect' together."
The woman in the cat mask lightly bit her lip.
Undeniably girlish and beautiful…
"We could even raise kids…"
But the blood dripping from her fists and the pile of warriors in the corner evoked a twisted dread.