episode_0076

The morning of the Mutu festival was noisier than expected. Naturally, since it was a day when all the security forces were moving and controlling, the accommodation was noisy from dawn. Accordingly, we had breakfast with the security guards and walked around Araelia until the time of the martial arts festival, so we walked around Araelia, which was normally busy and noisy. The capital city was ridiculously noisy and filled with so many people.

I heard that Xernia was going to guard the main gate of the capital, and Shurn was moving to judge Mutuze. What should I do then? I moved slowly and arrived at the stadium where the Mutu Festival was to be held. Many street stalls were already open selling various foods, and next to them were selling souvenirs symbolizing Araelia.

I didn’t know if people from other countries would come, but as I was looking at the souvenirs, someone came up to me and started talking to me.

“Are you Astan?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“His Highness asked me to tell it to Astan.”

Araelia’s guard handed me a letter, and I carefully opened the envelope and read the letter inside. There was no particular content. After reading the letter, which simply told me to do my best for martial arts, and putting it back in the envelope and putting it in my uniform pocket, I slowly walked towards the stadium.

There were already people in the stadium waiting in line to get a good seat, so I was curious about what to do, and as I was about to approach the guide, someone grabbed my shoulder. I was startled by the touch, and when I turned around, Sir Shurn smiled at me. was building

“I guess I was nervous, I couldn’t even hear the sound approaching. If I were an assassin, I might be dead.”

“What kind of great assassin would attempt an assassination in Araelia in broad daylight like this?”

“That’s true, but you still don’t know. There will be plenty of people wondering how strong the rumored wizard is.”

“Those people would challenge you to a duel, not assassination.”

“That’s also true, so are you going to enter the stadium right away? There’s quite a bit of time left before the game starts.”

“There’s nothing to do anyway, so shouldn’t you at least go practice?”

“You probably don’t have a space to practice, and your seat isn’t the same as everyone else’s.”

Saying that, Shurn called the stadium guide who was walking around and said something, then turned to me and opened his mouth.

“Follow me, maybe he will show you a place where you can rest.”

“Thank you for your help.”

As I spoke, I covered my left breast with my right hand, and Shurn smiled at me, bowed in the same posture as me, and then spoke.

“I have to check on the contestants, so see you later, maybe I will be your judge.”

“I will remember.”

I slowly walked towards the stadium, following the stadium guide. As I was walking along the large stone hallway, many people were already moving their feet somewhere at once. I wondered if that was the audience area, how many people would show up, and whether those people would be satisfied with the non-fighting system.

At least if seniors like Erica came, everyone would show off amazing magic, but I wasn’t at that level.

“Princess Ceresria said that it would be better for Astan to stay alone.”

“I’m not the type of person who really cares about such things, but just give the same participant the same seat.”

“But Astan is not an ordinary participant. Oh, I forgot to tell you first. Astan will compete against the winner of the last match. Until then, you can enjoy the match comfortably.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Will there be many participants?”

“I counted over 30 people as of last night, so the game may continue until the afternoon.”

While we were talking, unlike other people, I went through the passage on the right and went up the stairs. There were guards standing in front of me. The guide greeted them lightly and then passed them, and I also bowed lightly to them. I slowly walked down the hallway again, climbed the stairs again, and when I got to the third floor, I turned to the left and saw small doors. Does this mean that these are separate places?

“Please go in.”

As I followed the guide’s instructions and opened the small door and went inside, the entire stadium came into view. In the large stadium, many people were already sitting in their seats or leaving signs indicating their seats and heading somewhere, so I carefully took my seat.

It was probably a seat used by nobles, and the glasses placed next to it were quite spacious for a single person to use, and there was enough room for a family to use it. When I looked to one side, I saw a small fountain and cup that seemed to have been made by magic, and when I carefully put on my glasses, I wondered if these were also magic, and the stadium looked bigger.

As I was fiddling around with all the strange objects, someone knocked on the door, and I slowly opened my mouth.

“You may come in.”

And at the sound of the voice, the door opened, and a familiar face entered the room.

“I didn’t know you would come this early in the morning.”

“There was nothing to do even though I was staying at the hotel, so I just came to see the stadium.”

“The game shouldn’t be tense, right?”

“I am more worried than nervous. I don’t know if I will be able to win. If I win, there will be rumors, and if I lose, there will be rumors about that too. No matter which side you choose, it is a dangerous and ambiguous situation. Did the King and Lady Celestria aim for this?”

Celestria smiled slightly at my words and carefully sat down, holding the cup in front of the fountain with her right hand.

“This fountain is one of the items requested by the nobles. They might get thirsty while watching the game, so they asked to make a fountain that would naturally dispense drinks, and my father accepted the request.”

Celestria brought the cup closer to the fountain, poured a drink, took a light sip, and looked at me with a smile.

“Please sit down first, it would be uncomfortable to stand.”

“There is nothing to talk about at length, is there?”

“As Astan said, and as I said at the banquet, from the moment the rumor spread that you would go to the game, whether you won or lost, Astan and Araelia became inseparable. You used Astan. You might think, because that’s true. Araelia is not a very strong country. Even if the power of the Knights Templar is strong, in today’s world the Knights Templar are nothing more than expendable items.”

And she looked at me.

“But can wizards be replaced? That’s a difficult task, because a good wizard can stop the knights alone.”

“So you want me to stay in Araelia.”

“That’s right, so personally, I don’t think much of my friendship with Sharon. The Academy doesn’t care about that, but this is Araelia right now. Me at the academy and me here are different.”

She spoke slowly as she took another cup and placed it in front of me.

“I will reward Astan’s family. Astan wants that, and I want that too. Before being a friend, I was the princess of Araelia.”

“May I ask what kind of award you will give?”

“This time, when I went to Galan Village, I felt that what Astan’s family wanted was not a house or land, but just peace. So, I asked my father to build a portal connecting Galan Village and Eltaor, and to organize a guard unit for Galan Village.”

And Ceresria slowly smiled at me. Even though I couldn’t see his eyes because he was smiling, I felt like I could read the emotions inside them.

“This should be enough, right?”

I cautiously opened my mouth as the fear slowly crept up on me, as if I couldn’t refuse.

“You’re a meticulous person, I’ve always thought about it.”

“So you’re here, right? Have you ever thought of that? What if that thing we met at the back of the bar wasn’t a coincidence?”

“If that were true, I would probably be even more afraid of Ceresria.”

“Surprisingly, it was a coincidence. Is it really possible for me to think that much? But that’s what I think, that when I met Astan at the bar, it was an opportunity given by God, and the goddess of fate gave me the right answer.”

Then she slowly stood up and put down her glass.

“Let’s come visit again later, because this is not the place for royalty. I hope you enjoy the fight, I’m curious about who Astan’s opponent will be, and if I get the chance, I’d like to go out, but I don’t know, will my father allow it?”

“If Ceresria appears, I will abstain.”

“Well, you just have to overrule the abstention. Do you think it won’t have that much power?”

Celestria smiled at me and left the room, and I sighed deeply.

I already knew that he was a meticulous person.