episode_0028

I stare blankly at the petite knight in front of me.

“Your Grace, today is the final match between the Imperial Knights, who are the pride of the royal family, and the Giant Corps, who are the pride of the Grand Duchy. Who do you think will win?”

Theo’s words shatter my thoughts.

I turn my head to look at Theo sitting beside me.

As she smiles mischievously, as if planning something naughty, like a child, I reply.

“Well… I think the Giant Corps will probably win?”

She shakes her head confidently, as if there’s no way that could happen.

“The Golden Knights are the empire’s top knight order. They will never lose under any circumstances.”

– Hmph.

Yeah, right.

In the world of competition, there is no such thing as ‘absolute’.

That’s why I smile with ease.

“Well, we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

As I look at her and speak, Theo smiles softly.

A dizzying smile that could melt anyone’s heart.

Rumors of many men wanting to attend the royal party just to catch a glimpse of her come to mind.

A smile that captivates the hearts of countless men in the empire, like that of a noble goddess, but why does her dazzlingly beautiful smile seem so… insincere?

“Well then, Your Grace, care to make a bet with me?”

“What kind of bet?”

Curious about Theo’s words, I ask.

“How about granting the winner’s wish to the loser?”

I ponder her proposal.

The organization and skills of the two corps slightly favor the Golden Knights.

The rules of the match also favor the Golden Knights.

In essence, the Giant Corps is a military force raised for slaughter.

Just considering these two factors, we seem to be at a disadvantage.

However, in group battles, leadership plays the most significant role.

And in terms of leadership, no one can match Agrippa.

Moreover, that petite knight… I have a feeling her name is Mary.

With just Agrippa alone, the odds of winning skyrocket. But what if Mary joins in?

My side would have a higher chance of winning.

The odds would converge to 99.9%.

The situation is very favorable for me.

So, granting a wish shouldn’t be a problem.

Instead, I think about what wish to make.

What should I wish for? To not interfere with the engagement of Joy and Johannes’ son?

But… what does Theo wish for from me?

An annulment of marriage? Or to restore her power?

I’m not sure what it is, but it will be difficult for her to win.

“Alright.”

As I agree readily, Theo frowns for the first time.

“Isn’t it too easy to agree? Don’t you know what I might demand?”

I reply as if it doesn’t matter.

“I’ll win, so it doesn’t matter. Shall I tell you my conditions?”

As I speak as if I’m being arrogant, her gaze turns cold.

“No, Your Grace, since you put it that way, I won’t ask what your wish is.”

With that, we both turn our heads roughly towards the arena.

Today, I realize that her expressions are more diverse than I thought.

Is it because she seems haughty and cold?

Even though it may seem insincere, her innocent smile is the most beautiful.

– Roar!

As the signal for the group battle to begin sounds, a man in black and blue tights stands between the Golden Knights and the Giant Corps.

“Alright everyone! The long-awaited final match of the group battle is about to begin!”

– Wow!

“On one side, we have the faithful army of His Majesty the Emperor! The empire’s top knight order! The Golden Knights, who have turned countless enemies of the empire into fertilizer for this land!”

– I secretly put all my emergency funds on you guys, so you have to win!

– Break the noses of those annoying Grand Duchy guys!

– Defeat the traitors!

A man watching the enthusiastic cheers for the Golden Knights shouts out.

“Charge! The mighty beasts that stand against it! The miraculous army that brought countless glory to the empire! The pride of the Grand Duchy of Francesco! The Giant Corps!”

The Giant Corps, meticulously raised from generation to generation in our Grand Duchy.

To be able to join, one must be at least 1.9m tall, as the name suggests ‘Giant’.

Swinging their long and muscular arms, they hurl fireball-infused javelins at enemies from afar, creating explosions with their bare hands. Their appearance is not lacking in being called the messengers of the battlefield.

Well… this is a tournament, so I can’t use javelins or swing the halberd that’s hanging there, but this is the unit that the Grand Duchy boasts of, and it’s another side of me.

I can’t afford to lose here in an embarrassing way.

I even begged Agrippa for a week off to participate, but what if I lose?

That day might be the end of the Giant Corps.

-Whoa!

-Back off! Plunderers!

-The hounds of the Grand Duchy!

-Country bumpkins, hurry and get lost to the Grand Duchy!

Is it because of my image as a plunderer?

The audience’s reception seems less favorable compared to the Golden Knights.

But that’s not important right now.

With the height requirement of 1.9m for enlistment, the knight in front of me, who looks barely 160cm tall, seems relaxed while holding a heavy-looking spear.

It must be Mary, right?

As I have such anxious thoughts,

“Alright! Let the duel begin!”

-Clang!

As the announcer’s voice rings out, signaling the start of the match, the knight contemplates the possibility of it being Mary.

She wasn’t there before, so why did a knight who could be Mary suddenly appear now?

Surely, I didn’t pay attention to the previous matches, but the knight who could be Mary appears for the first time in this final match.

-Thud… Thud!

The Golden Knights form a dense formation, shielding themselves with large shields as they slowly advance.

Seeing this, Agrippa raises his sword. Leaving a small knight alone in the center, he quickly divides the troops into two.

Did he abandon the center?

With this formation, they will only be vulnerable to being surrounded and crushed, won’t they?

Seeing this, the Golden Knights hesitated in their advance, but…

Whether they thought it was disgraceful or not, the Golden Knights marched forward emitting a fierce and ominous aura.

Seeing this, a glimmer of hope flashes through my mind.

Of course! It must be Mary.

Agrippa is no fool, and he wouldn’t split the army into two by abandoning the center.

If it’s Mary, who possesses superhuman strength, she can withstand it.

After all, she is from the Lion family.

At that moment, the knight who could be Mary rushes towards the Golden Knights, leaping high with a spear in hand.

-Thud!

As the knights hurriedly raised their shields, the small knight calmly shattered them and landed in the enemy’s camp.

Then, wielding a short sword, she indiscriminately strikes the knights who cannot move due to their surrounding comrades.

No matter how light and flexible their chainmail armor is, when struck with iron…

-Ahh!

Moreover, she doesn’t just strike the chainmail armor, but targets the exposed areas like the neck and face that are hard to cover with a helmet.

The knights who were hit in the unprotected areas bleed.

No matter how light their armor is, when struck with a sword filled with overwhelming force, even the weak flesh of a human can be pierced.

So, she deliberately brought a short sword with her?

It’s easier to swing around indiscriminately and stab vital points in a crowded space.

A cunning fellow.

It’s obvious where such an idea came from.

As she starts to create chaos with her short sword…

The Giant Corps begins to attack the confused enemy formation.

-Ahh!

-Oof!

The knights in the front row quickly regain their composure, raising their shields and attacking the enemy with their spears.

Shallow.

The greatest advantage of the dense large formation is that the infantry from the 1st to the 4th rows completely block the enemy’s approach with long spears, making it intimidating.

However, the knights in the 2nd to 4th rows seemed to be in a hurry to block the attacks of the small knights, and as a result, they couldn’t properly pressure the enemies in front of them.

And as a result…

The giant battalion shattered the formation with the axe part of the halberd, closing the distance.

-First row!, The first row is crumbling! Block the front!

In an attempt to forcibly stop the giant battalion that had come close to the first row, they raised a large shield, but the long arms swung the axe to break the wooden shield.

-Thud!, Thud!

And…

-Swish!

The shield broke.

Taking advantage of this, the giant battalion began to attack the first row.

The collapse of the first row was significant.

The second row has not been reorganized yet! Good! Mary, keep it up like that.

As the formation crumbled, the enemies began to scatter.

-Yes, this is it!

Some of the stronger-looking knights, unable to bear losing due to the small knights, began to pressure them, but…

The formation had already collapsed.

The giant battalion broke through the collapsed formation and launched an attack.

The victory was already assured, so they watched the small knights fight with a beastly appearance.

It’s Mary, after all.

There is no one else in the Empire who fights like a beast like that.

But soon, the giant battalion, in order to save Mary who was being cornered, began to attack the knights surrounding her fiercely.

And thus… the battle was over.

It ended quickly.

“Hmph…”

Teodora didn’t seem pleased with the sight.

Well, she probably didn’t expect the Empire to plan the strategy so boldly…

I couldn’t have done it either.

I never thought they would hide Mary until the end.

I mean, it would have been better to introduce her from the beginning if she was a knight like Mary.

To bring her in at the end.

Was it confidence that even without Mary, they could easily make it to the finals?

And not preparing for Mary until the end was also a clever move.

After the group battle ended, the swordsmanship and spear fighting competitions began…

Mary won both parts.

With her dynamic movements that didn’t match her small stature, unbelievable strength, and incredible control of her weight distribution, she emerged victorious.

-Maryang!, Maryang!

Watching the audience cheer for Maryang, I absentmindedly rested my chin on my hand, lost in thought.

I knew she was a monster.

But I didn’t know she was that much of a monster…

I admire her skills that could bone-chillingly reveal why they pushed Mary, a woman from Balloran, to the next Grand Duchess.

But… what will happen when she has to take off her helmet at the awards ceremony?!

Participating in a tournament under a pseudonym is a serious violation that could lead to charges of disrespecting the royal family.

The Empire reveres the tournament competition.

It’s a noble knights’ competition.

To participate incognito there?

And on top of that, the winners of two sections are the unpopular archery champions who are the Grand Duke’s sisters, whom the Empire’s people abhor?

It’s a relief if there’s no riot.

Looking at Teodora next to me… I can see her furrowed brow.

It must be annoying… to have the winner be an unpopular archery champion when she had hoped for a Golden Knight.

It’s such a waste of a wish.

It’s a shame to write like this, but it can’t be helped.

I don’t want to bring unnecessary chaos upon myself.

“Phew…”

Taking care of my sister is causing me so much trouble.

To be honest, I’m happy that Mary won.

The aftermath is the problem.

I call her Theodora.

“Theodora.”

Is it because of Mary’s victory? It feels like I call her quite brightly.

As she turns her head to look at me, I whisper softly into her ear.

“Wish… I’ll write it now.”

“Ugh!”

Did I startle her by suddenly approaching?

She flinches, pulling away slightly and speaking with a slightly flushed face.

“S-so sudden! If you come so close like that, it’s surprising, you know?!”

As she mutters in displeasure, I continue speaking to her.

“Can you lend me your ear for a moment?”

As there are many people around us, I ask for her help.

“Ha… What is it?”

With a reluctant expression, she lends me her ear as if she has no choice.

“I’m going to write a wish… about that knight named Maryanne… she’s probably my sister Mary, right?”

With that, I told her my wish.