Ch.164Victory Commemoration #5

“Um, am I really allowed to wear these clothes?”

“It’s not a matter of being allowed, but rather required. While we might be fine with whatever clothes the regular domain residents wear, you are not one of them. Since you’re meeting His Majesty formally, you need to dress appropriately.”

Upon arriving at the palace, we immediately went to the guest room to wash up and change into the clothes we had prepared.

Despite having spent a somewhat busy and hectic time, Liam still wore a dumbfounded expression.

Probably because this was his first time entering the royal palace.

“Y-yes. I understand…”

“When you leave the guest room, a servant will guide you, so don’t worry too much. Although the palace is large, there are many people around, so there’s no need to worry about getting lost. And regarding etiquette…”

Helena taught him a few points to observe before the king, then handed Liam over to the servant waiting outside.

This was necessary because the king had requested to see only the representatives from each domain.

Moreover, since he wasn’t a child, following him around and taking care of everything would be excessive and would ultimately make Liam uncomfortable.

Of course, I should help if Liam finds himself in trouble, but otherwise, it seemed best to leave him be.

Besides, due to the king’s orders, I couldn’t even help him hone his skills, and after the audience, the knights would take over.

“You’re back early? Was everything alright?”

“Yes. I just helped him change clothes. Everything was fine. His Majesty will handle the rest.”

Ellen greeted us as soon as we entered the room, sitting at the table, and Helena nodded in response as she took a seat across from her.

I stared at them for a moment before belatedly taking the seat between the two women.

“By the way, did you see the representatives from the other domains?”

“I did. Though it was brief, perhaps because they’ve fought a lot… they had quite impressive gazes.”

I nodded silently as I listened to Helena’s assessment.

Since I was with Helena, I had also seen the people who came as representatives from each domain, and I couldn’t help but agree with her thoughts.

Even though the battles were brief, there’s an undeniable difference between those who have fought firsthand and those who haven’t.

“I suppose they all became representatives through similar experiences. How far do you think they’ll be able to advance?”

“Well, I think they’ll go as far as they can. It would be nice if they do well, but someone has to be eliminated from the first match. After all, someone always has to lose.”

Helena responded indifferently to Ellen’s eagerly asked question, slumping onto the table.

Seeing her stretched-out form, it seemed she had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue, whether she realized it or not.

So, to help alleviate her fatigue a little, I stroked her back, and she closed her eyes gently, looking completely relaxed.

Like a cat stretching out in the sunlight.

“Hmm… then what do you think, Grand Duke? Would you be okay if our representative lost from the first match?”

“I, well… I think it’s fine as long as they try their best. As Helena said, someone has to lose in this situation.”

“They say couples grow to resemble each other…”

Ellen’s eyes, which followed my hand whether it moved up or down, were quite telling.

They were clearly filled with envy.

Despite her trailing off as if half-resigned, her gaze was very vivid.

Can’t be helped.

I beckoned to Ellen with my empty hand, gesturing for her to come closer.

.

When one thinks of a royal palace, it’s easy to imagine a fairly large castle surrounded by well-maintained gardens, but the land on which the palace stood was much more extensive.

This was because the Central Knights, who served as both the strength and face of the royal family, as well as the servants who handled various tasks, also resided within the grounds.

Therefore, there was no problem accommodating nobles who had gathered from various regions or setting up space in the knights’ training grounds.

However, I never expected them to open even a part of the palace to ordinary people.

I heard it was because the more spectators there were, the more exciting it would be, which struck me as an extraordinarily bold decision.

“Indeed, the final festival should be like this. Isn’t it wonderful to see such vibrant energy?”

The king, seated at the highest position among the spaces specially prepared for nobles, asked with a hearty laugh.

It was quite fascinating to see that they had thought to create something like a VIP section, similar to what you might find in a baseball stadium, in the training grounds.

“Yes. At first, I was quite surprised to hear that the palace would be opened, but I think it’s good—truly befitting a festival.”

“Hahaha! Even the Duke says so, which makes me feel all the more that I made the right decision!”

The king laughed heartily, apparently pleased with Helena’s quiet flattery from right beside him.

In contrast, the lips of the other two dukes seated alongside remained firmly closed, showing no signs of opening.

Since the king’s fondness for Helena was nothing new, there was no reason for them to feel uncomfortable, yet their expressions were quite rigid.

As I pondered what might be the reason, I soon realized that their eyes were fixed unmoving on the center of the training grounds.

Perhaps they, like the other nobles, were secretly tense.

“Oh… it seems to be starting.”

The tournament bracket is unknown to everyone, including the king, and only the knights who control and conduct the festival know it.

They say not knowing enhances immersion and tension, and indeed, there was a certain thrill to it.

As the king closed his mouth and turned his gaze to the training grounds, indicating his focus, I also shifted my attention there.

Two men were walking onto the grounds—one with a build common in this continent and another who was shorter.

However, I hadn’t expected that man with the average build, Liam, to appear from the very beginning, so I couldn’t help but slightly part my lips in surprise.

“I’m surprised Liam is appearing so early.”

“I know. I never thought he’d be up first.”

Helena also responded in a small voice to match my whisper.

True to her word about not caring much whether he won or lost, she still seemed indifferent, but she was clearly surprised that he was fighting from the start.

“Hyaah!!”

As soon as the referee’s starting signal rang out, Liam swung the wooden sword in his hand with all his might.

It was a straightforward downward slash that seemed fairly easy to block or dodge.

The short man facing Liam, Ben, chose to dodge rather than block.

Perhaps due to his height, which barely reached Liam’s chest, his movements were quite swift.

If Liam had undergone professional training, he might have reacted quickly, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

While his efforts so far were commendable, they weren’t enough to close the gap created by the difference in physique.

As a result, when Ben quickly dodged the sword and struck Liam’s shin with his wooden sword, Liam couldn’t respond.

“Argh…!”

Though it must have been quite painful to be hit squarely by the swinging wooden sword, his cry of pain wasn’t particularly loud.

Instead, Liam’s eyes gleamed with fierce determination, and he steadied his wobbling legs, putting strength back into them.

So much so that I worried he might get a cramp.

“Hyaah!”

Liam shouted again as he swung his sword, but this time, instead of from top to bottom, he swung it from right to left.

While the cutting power might have been slightly lacking, the wide range of the swing made it good for landing a hit.

Moreover, the diagonal swing rather than a straight line looked impressive. It seemed much better than awkwardly lowering his stance and cutting in a straight line.

Thwack! As the wooden swords collided, making a dull yet crisp sound, Ben, who had blocked Liam’s sword, grimaced.

Being shorter, it seemed somewhat difficult for him to block an attack that felt like it was bearing down from above.

To exaggerate, it was similar to an elephant trampling a smaller animal.

“Ugh, uuugh…!” “Fall down!!”

Liam, seemingly encouraged by Ben’s struggling and groaning, shouted and gripped the handle of his wooden sword as if to crush it.

With both of them gripping their wooden swords with both hands, the two swords seemed to tremble unusually, as if engaged in a wrestling match.

It was a crude fight with no technique whatsoever, which made it all the more entertaining to watch.

Being simple, it was easy for anyone to understand, and the tension and thrill unique to a test of strength was as captivating as any gambling game.

The evidence was the king and dukes sitting beside me, clenching their fists in tension.

“Damn it!”

Realizing that continuing the test of strength would be disadvantageous, Ben clicked his tongue and moved his body to the side.

This caused Liam, who had been exerting all his strength, to stagger due to his own momentum, and Ben seized the opportunity to mercilessly strike Liam’s left leg.

From the side of the thigh to the shin and knee, he was quite thorough.

As a result, Liam began to howl and writhe in extreme pain.

He let his left leg go limp, his face contorted with agony.

It was admirable that even in the midst of this, he stood firm on his uninjured leg, still gripping his sword with unwavering strength.

“Wow… I think he just said ‘stubborn bastard.'”

Due to the cheers of the spectators, it was hard to hear what was being said, but Helena kindly explained by reading the movement of his lips.

Thanks to her, the dukes and the king, who had been discreetly observing, nodded as if they understood.

They must have been curious, though they didn’t show it.

“It’s understandable, considering he’s still standing despite repeatedly getting hit in the leg. If it had been a real sword instead of a wooden one, his leg would have been sliced off long ago.”

“Yes, fortunate it’s a wooden sword. But his leg must be throbbing badly, making it difficult to move properly. It seems the bone isn’t broken yet, though…”

“Duke.” While I was nodding along to Helena’s commentary, Luke, who was sitting nearby, called out to Helena.

He must have found it boring to keep quiet, even though the match was quite watchable.

In any case, since it would be rude not to answer when called, Helena shifted her gaze from the training grounds to Luke and spoke.

“Yes. What is it?”

“Well… isn’t that man Liam representing your domain? How can you remain so indifferent, as if watching a stranger?”

Indeed. One would expect a person to show at least some concern when their domain’s representative is in a disadvantageous situation, so it’s understandable to find her lack of reaction curious.

While I thought Luke’s question was reasonable, I didn’t shift my gaze from the training grounds, knowing what Helena’s answer would be.

Just then, Liam was desperately blocking Ben’s sword, which was persistently targeting his leg.

“Well… someone has to lose, after all. And it’s not like they’re losing their lives.”

“No, that’s true, but… isn’t it somewhat awkward to lose from the very beginning?”

“Awkward, you say. I suppose it could be.”

Hearing her response, which was so dry it felt like a cold wind was blowing, Luke tilted his head in bewilderment.

For someone who usually manages his expressions well and is as cunning as a snake, his reaction showed he was genuinely perplexed.

“I’ve thought this before, but… you’re truly a peculiar person, Duke. You’re so different from those who watch the matches with heated enthusiasm.”

“There are all kinds of people in this world. Besides, I don’t feel my pride is hurt if Liam loses. I might feel ashamed if he didn’t give his best effort, but look at him now.”

As Helena turned her gaze toward the training grounds and pointed at Liam, Luke’s eyes naturally followed the direction of her finger.

There, they saw Liam kneeling on his right knee, blocking Ben’s wooden sword in a low stance.

Despite furrowing his brow from the unrelenting pain, one could still glimpse the fierce determination in his expression.

“He’s fighting with every ounce of his strength, so how could there be any shame? Even if he loses, I’ll be proud. Just perhaps a little disappointed.”

“And the Grand Duke… thinks the same way?”

“Of course.”

How could I criticize someone who fought with all their might?

I believed that was something neither Helena nor I should do, so I answered briefly and firmly.

Thanks to that, Luke also seemed to have nothing more to say and nodded, turning his attention back to the fight.

But the dynamics of that fight were unfolding in a rather curious way.

Thanks to Liam’s persistent endurance, Ben, who had to break through that defense, was beginning to show signs of strain.

While both were drenched in sweat, Ben appeared noticeably more exhausted.

“No, why is this…?”

Luke tilted his head at this strange situation, and others showed similar reactions.

It was certainly puzzling to see Ben’s initially dominant momentum mysteriously waning.

And as if by agreement, they all turned their gaze toward Helena to resolve this mystery.

She was, after all, among the most physically adept in this continent.

Helena, recognizing this, took a short breath before speaking.

“He’s running out of steam. Ben used his small stature’s agility to dodge Liam’s attacks and tried to conduct the duel without taking damage. But in the process, the continuous tests of strength and dodging movements have drained his energy. It’s a natural result, given that he moved several times more than Liam.”

“Ah… so that’s it!”

When the king inadvertently clapped his hands and exclaimed, Helena nodded as if confirming that was the correct answer.

“Yes. If this were a real battle, Liam would have died from excessive bleeding, but since it’s a duel with wooden swords, this situation has arisen. That’s why he could continue fighting despite his leg being bruised all over, and now…”

She would have said “the tables have turned.”

Helena ended her explanation there, watching as Liam’s wooden sword struck the back of Ben’s neck with precision, while Ben was panting and dripping with sweat.

It might have been somewhat absurd and unexpected… but it was a victory of sheer tenacity.