Ch.25484. Luck Has No Place in Weighing

The current king of Dabas.

It was well after sunset when he, known as the Cold King, returned to the royal palace.

Though the crown prince was said to be at the forefront, not showing up for the finals of the Divine Warrior Tournament could cause various problems, so it seemed he had returned just in time.

“Even when I saw you back then, you were special, but now you’re special in a different sense.”

The man with abundant white hair and beard tilts a silver goblet to his lips.

And.

Kariel was still in full armor as he faced the king.

Behind the king stood Dabas’s First Warrior Karzak, the kingdom’s greatest warrior with a firmly established position as the Royal Guard Captain, casting a heavy gaze befitting his massive build.

In Dabas, there are multiple warrior corps like the Empire’s knightly orders.

The title of Royal Guard Captain signifies the most skilled among them.

And he was also the champion of the Divine Warrior Tournament held over a decade ago.

“I thought you would become one who commands warriors and knights, not one of them. How did it come to this?”

“I faced situations that could only be resolved through force.”

“So… you choose to be commanded rather than to command?”

“There’s no need to command, nor reason to be commanded.”

“Easy to say. If all matters in the world could be bent to one’s will through force, your father would have already conquered the continent.”

“I believe that no matter how sharp and strong a sword may be, it cannot represent the wielder’s will and concerns.”

“So, you’ve honed the sword you needed, is that what you’re saying?”

“……”

Kariel bowed his head slightly.

“We have an agreement between us, do we not?”

“……”

“If that becomes unclear, I will have no choice but to change my stance as well.”

“I ask you to set aside your concerns on that matter.”

“…Kariel. No one can provide certainty through words alone. Isn’t that what you yourself told me when you were young?”

“The friendship with Barzento and the union with Istia. Both remain valid.”

“Yet judging by your actions, it seems you have no intention of settling in the Empire. Is that not so?”

“A most astute observation, Your Majesty.”

“Surely you don’t intend to nest here in our Dabas. What do you think I could expect from you, who isn’t even a noble of the Empire?”

“Three times.”

Kariel answered briefly.

“Regarding invasions from foreign countries or external forces—not our own invasions—I will intervene and resolve the situation if you request it.”

“……”

“……”

It might be a rather rude and presumptuous proposal.

It essentially meant that what they couldn’t handle or would suffer extreme damage from, he could manage.

And not just once, but three times.

…What dishonor to borrow someone else’s hand rather than die trying!

The Royal Guard Captain’s tensed brow and bulging arm muscles suggested he was ready to draw his weapon at any moment.

But the king must know.

He couldn’t possibly be unaware of what the Wolf Prince knew.

“Indeed. You speak with confidence because you’re certain you’ve heard about Ardisus.”

“……”

“According to Lord Loroana’s report, you could now be considered equal to the military might of an entire nation. From Argent to Geiron, and even causing havoc in the heart of Pheisran. Even if only half the rumors are true, it’s a proven fact.”

“……”

“I wonder. How did you come to amass such power? What connection did you encounter? No. I have some idea. Your current appearance, the swordsmanship you’re reported to have used, and… your warhorse. Very similar to what someone once wielded and commanded. So then…”

Kariel remained silent for a while at that question.

“Even so, surely you don’t intend to rebel against the Empire. What is your purpose?”

“……”

Kariel neither confirmed nor denied.

Only.

“One of my goals is to defeat my father.”

He conveyed that much clearly.

In other words, this is what he was saying:

I now possess military might similar to or perhaps superior to that of my formidable father.

Kariel communicated this clearly.

Whether the other party believed it or not.

And the king immediately responded to Kariel’s words.

“What? Lueld Brendiar? And you, his son?”

Soon after, hearty laughter echoed vibrantly through one part of the royal palace.

The laughter lasted so long that the next day, strange rumors circulated within the palace that perhaps a warrior’s ghost had visited to bless the finals of the Divine Warrior Tournament.

====

There were 19 finalists in total.

On the first day, 14 were eliminated, leaving only five.

From the beginning, the structure of the tournament was designed to leave just one person standing throughout the main competition, a unique feature of the Divine Warrior Tournament established on the principle that even luck is a component of skill.

While this premise still applies to the five remaining contestants,

the situation changes from the semifinals onward.

If two teams compete in a normal semifinal,

the remaining person faces a warrior personally designated by the king to prove their worth and skill, regardless of the outcome.

“P-Princess?!”

In that sense, was the middle-aged man fortunate or unfortunate?

The knight dispatched from Lutania now found himself crossing swords with his own princess.

To the middle-aged man with light brown long hair and blue eyes, the woman before him had grown magnificently, completely different from how he remembered her as a child, almost dazzling in her development.

“You look like you never expected me to show up?”

Ases tilted her head curiously while twirling her sword with one hand.

Despite her face being emotionless to the point of apathy, the awkwardly placed smile around her lips and the bold words flowing from them were quite audacious.

Yet her eyes and expression remained frozen—what a jarring contrast!

“Did you know? People die in this tournament.”

“…Princess. I came all this way to be of service to you.”

“Then why participate in this tournament if you were being honest about coming here?”

“It’s a foreign combat tournament! How could a knight not be drawn to such a thing!”

“Lord Bailot.”

“……”

So he means he came here at this exact time with ulterior motives, using orders and justifications as excuses.

…This kind of opponent would be much easier to deal with.

“Fine. Then experience it firsthand.”

“No… why bother here when you’ll get to taste it plenty once you return to Lutania?”

“……”

She had felt it before, but this man was truly peculiar.

He calculates benefits and rationality, yet takes a strange stance of not calculating such things for Ases while still somehow being rational—it’s confusing in many ways.

“Enough. Are you going to fight or not?”

The audience was hurling jeers, shouts, and buckets of insults, drowning out their conversation.

“…I have no choice.”

Finally, Bailot reluctantly drew his sword.

Satisfied, the audience began to pour out expectant cheers.

====

“Hmm?”

Aristetis twirled a strand of her silver hair with her index finger as she watched Ases enter the arena.

They were still observing the matches since their turn was yet to come, but they hadn’t expected to face each other like this.

“Looks like we won’t need to help her? She’s a royal guest after all.”

“…Having an extra hand is always good. More cards mean you can raise the stakes.”

Lyurik answered with a blank face, staring intently at Ases and her opponent.

‘It wouldn’t have been strange if either of us had faced her.’

At this point, should we assume the brackets were manipulated? Or was their luck just that good?

Maier had suggested they come here to give Ases a shoulder massage if she seemed troubled.

And while they were at it, participate in the Divine Warrior Tournament to stock up on relief supplies with the prize money, build their reputation for future advancement… and so on.

“Sister Aseratt seems the same as ever.”

From the start of the match, Ases skillfully pushed her opponent back.

Rather than being fierce or violent, she seemed to be lightly tapping, but to those who knew better, she was delivering critical blows at every moment, making it spine-chilling for the one on the receiving end.

“Hmm.”

Despite his blank face, Lyurik was now focusing with maximum concentration.

In a sense, Ases had already reached and was enjoying a realm that Lyurik himself still needed to attain.

“Yaaawn!”

Aristetis was merely observing in that sense.

“That man is impressive too. He’s blocking everything.”

“……”

Indeed.

His defensive technique was excellent.

Moreover, his energy distribution and response capabilities clearly showed how accustomed he was to such situations.

“He hasn’t wasted his years.”

However, as Ases began to attack more seriously, gaps started to appear.

But…

“His guidance is skillful.”

It was a technique that would be meaningful in group combat.

To avoid wasting even a single movement, to prevent showing premature openings.

The middle-aged man was thoroughly pursuing only attacks and offensives that could harm or damage his opponent.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t attacking.

He was restraining himself from meaningless attacks.

Therefore, his counterattack was so sharp that even Ases had to step back several paces.

“Wow, wasn’t that close just now?”

“……”

On the surface, at least.

The close combat continued in this manner.

But eventually, after allowing several counterattacks, Ases seemed to decide that was enough, and her stance suddenly shifted.

Was it just her stance?

Even her aura changed, with her killing intent and fighting spirit palpable even to those watching from a distance.

In other words, the middle-aged man directly facing that aura must be feeling like death inside.

Finally.

Clang!

With a single strike that completely severed the opponent’s blade.

Clatter!

The match was decided.

Cheers and shouts poured down like a downpour, so vast in size and scale that the sound waves reverberated, making the ground tremble.

“Princess…”

“What? Why?”

“Since it’s come to this, how about overthrowing Lutania with your own hands?”

“Overthrow? What?”

Bailot’s next words were hopelessly drowned out by the cheers, but

one thing was certain.

Ases.

She showed at least some interest in Bailot’s words.

====

“Ah! So it ends up like this after all.”

If they had met before the finals, one of them would surely have been eliminated.

But surprisingly, Lyurik’s thoughtless comment had come true.

That is, the two who had advanced to the finals were none other than Lyurik and Aristetis themselves.

‘I guess we really are quite extraordinary.’

The opponents they faced in the semifinals were by no means pushovers.

Unlike Lyurik, Aristetis wasn’t the type to welcome fighting, so she had no intention of straining herself or struggling hard… but even without that, it was somewhat puzzling that she had come this far.

‘Why?’

Why am I here?

“Have you ever fought a duel with high stakes before?”

Aristetis gave an awkward smile at Lyurik’s question.

That smile quickly turned into a frown.

“Ugh…”

Theirs wasn’t a relationship of just a year or two.

Perhaps that’s why.

Even before words were spoken, it was clear what the other wanted to say, what their intentions were.

“Aris. Think about it—if you win, astronomical wealth and honor will all be yours. Isn’t that reason enough to give it your all?”

“That’s only possible if I win…”

If her opponent had been anyone but Lyurik, she might have held some hope.

But of all people, it had to be Lyurik again.

There was such a gap between them that the idea of seriously facing him seemed almost impossible.

“……”

Of course, in terms of power dynamics, Lyurik was clearly ahead.

However, whether that meant he could one-sidedly push, corner, and neutralize Aristetis—that was absolutely not the case.

“Let’s enjoy this.”

“How can swinging weapons be enjoyable?!”

And with those words, the signal announcing the start of the battle rang out.

Once again, the audience’s cheers and shouts flooded the arena like surging waves, violently shaking the interior of the fighting ground.