episode_0015

The moment I finished speaking, Kristia hugged me tightly.

“Where did you learn to make such cute sounds?”

“Really? Maybe it’s just natural for me?”

As I felt Kristia’s coldness, someone suddenly knocked on the study’s door.

– Knock, knock

“…Someone’s interrupting. Come in for now.”

Kristia let out a sigh full of disappointment as if she was really regretful, and then she briefly set me aside.

“Welcome. Sir Kristia.”

The person who opened the door and came in was a man who seemed to have a rather sturdy physique.

At this point, it was already clear that he wasn’t one of Kristia’s subordinates, as she generally didn’t keep any male subordinates other than me.

It was because there were no women other than me who could utilize the morale mana technique she had developed.

“Are you the Aten known as the Guardian Sword of the Armenian Kingdom?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Aten.

To be honest, he wasn’t a meticulously crafted character.

I just set him up as a reasonably powerful knight under Sophin.

Even though he was just a reasonably strong knight, it shouldn’t be underestimated. He possessed the strength of a 10th rank and was currently in his prime physically, so he truly wielded formidable power.

“What’s the reason for seeking me out?”

“I’ve heard that there are many strong individuals in the Kristia Kingdom. I would be grateful if you could arrange duels with them.”

Even if it’s the same words, depending on the tone and the look in one’s eyes, their meaning can vary greatly.

His expression was far too passionate and desperate to simply be the face of someone seeking a duel.

“It seems like he wants to establish his reputation.”

That their kingdom didn’t crumble without any resistance.

The Armenian Kingdom was a nation with sufficient power.

It seemed like he proposed the duels to let the citizens know about it.

“But you have to win for it to mean something.”

“Very well. Since the gap between us is too large, how about you try your luck against Highfrey? If you win in a duel against Highfrey, I will also consider releasing your king.”

Christia’s words caused Aten’s expression to change dramatically.

It was rather surprising that the muscular man’s face could transform so intensely.

“Very well. Let’s settle this with a match right away!”

Did Aten believe he could defeat Haifri?

“To be honest, I don’t really know how strong the current Haifri is.”

The Haifri here and the one I created were almost similar individuals, but clearly different characters.

However, not long ago, there were stories of Haifri defeating the strongest person outside the Kingdom of Christia in just 15 moves. It made me think that there was no reason why the current Haifri couldn’t defeat Aten.

“But… what will you wager? If you win, as much as releasing your king, you too must pay an equivalent price.”

Christia’s eyes narrowed.

Honestly, I wanted to say, “Sir, there’s absolutely no chance of winning this fight, so it’s better to just give up.” But if I actually said that, the atmosphere would really, really sour.

“In my opinion, I think that if you lose, becoming Haifri’s captive would be a very appropriate price.”

“… Very well. If I lose, I will become Haifri’s captive.”

Does he believe he can defeat Haifri, or is he willing to risk becoming a captive to save the king?

Honestly, I don’t know what his true intentions are in making this decision.

“Alright. Let’s have Haifri deliver the message directly. The duel will take place on a grand scale, and I will inform you of the deadline later.”

In each of Christia’s words, her strong determination to completely crush the Armenian Kingdom was felt.

Aten has no chance of defeating Haifri.

The mana manipulation techniques created by Christia were simply swindled by the two creators of this world.

If Aten, the kingdom’s guardian sword and the so-called best swordsman, were to easily be defeated and become a captive of Haifri, then who should the citizens of the Armenian Kingdom rely on?

“Truly… despicable.”

The violent nature might have disappeared, but the mischievous nature may still remain.

Christia’s plan to completely devour the Arminian Kingdom was thwarted by Hyeopri.

“Are you my end? I don’t like that very much.”

When Christia asked why, her answer was simple.

“It’s not my taste~”

Well, if she doesn’t like it, what can you do…

Instead, Atten exchanged all the wealth he had accumulated for Hyeopri’s presence.

It may not have the same effect as Atten becoming Hyeopri’s servant, but it would still have a significant impact.

“Hold a festival, and on the last day of the festival, there will be a duel between Atten and Hyeopri.”

Under Christia’s orders, her administrative staff worked tirelessly to quickly organize the festival.

This festival, unlike typical ones, had a level of difficulty that was hard to compare.

Of course.

It was a festival opened by the one who invaded their country.

Who could enjoy such a festival?

That’s why Christia made efforts.

To allow others to enjoy the festival, she began spreading absurd rumors that it wasn’t a festival held in Christia’s name, but a festival opened by Atten and Sophine.

Furthermore, they subtly spread word about the duel that would take place on the last day, so the atmosphere among the citizens became highly charged.

Hyeopri was undoubtedly a very powerful swordsman, but his reputation hadn’t spread widely.

Since the nation inherently held strong pride, the fact that Hyeopri subdued a Swordmaster in 15 moves didn’t spread widely.

Therefore, the citizens hoped that Atten would save Sophine, looking forward to the duel.

Thanks to this, the festival had a fairly enjoyable atmosphere.

“Does the disguise have any meaning?”

“This isn’t Iceland, you know.”

Although Christia did disguise herself, no matter how much she tried, she couldn’t hide her stature, so she attracted attention wherever she went.

She should have at least done something about her hair, like covering it up with a hat or something, to draw less attention. But she wasn’t even wearing a hat, so it was no wonder people mistook her for someone else.

Of course, most people just took her word for being a tourist.

“It’s surprising they believe this.”

It couldn’t be helped.

The Kingdom of Arminia was truly a chivalrous kingdom. It was so extraordinary that people made efforts to believe even the most unbelievable lies.

“Hey, looks delicious.”

Having to completely disguise herself, the chill emanating from Cristia’s body was also entirely blocked.

However, it didn’t mean warmth returned to her body.

Although the bone-chilling cold didn’t seep into her body just by being around her, there was still a frosty coolness surrounding her.

Was she drawn to warm food because of this?

She stared intently at the pastry-like item.

“Why are you staring at me?”

Surprisingly, we were acting as siblings.

Having siblings with different hair colors wasn’t that unusual, so it wasn’t too strange.

It would have been odd if I played the role of the younger sibling and Cristia the older one.

It was nice to be able to speak informally to Cristia after a while, but no matter how I thought about it, the setup was a bit strange.

“Get this for me.”

“Buy it with your own money.”

“Where does ‘your money, my money’ come in between family?”

This is ridiculous!

Before Cristia went off to wander the festival, she handed me a wallet. She said I could spend as much as I wanted, but when the festival ended, I’d have to work extra to cover the expenses. I never expected her to ask me to buy food with my own money.

“You have more money than me. Just go ahead and buy it.”

Upon hearing my words, Cristia quietly raised her fist.

“…Tia, you’re not thinking of hitting your dear brother with that fist, are you?”

“Siblings often get into fistfights.”

True…

It was a given.

‘Can’t be helped.’

In my opinion, it wasn’t that long ago, but I thought it had been a while since we exuded such a lover-like atmosphere, so I bought her something that resembled hotteok.

Other than saying that the creator of this world is Korean when asked why there is Korean food in a fantasy world, there isn’t really an appropriate answer.

“Is it tasty?”

“Yeah, it’s tasty.”

Christia, who was playing the role of my younger sister, spoke in a manner similar to one I was familiar with.

“Sure, eat a lot.”

If I can see that kind of appearance, then I suppose it wouldn’t matter how much overtime I have to do. That thought crossed my mind.