episode_0101

“Why on earth!”

Until now, there was nothing that could be done because of the huge wall called Maria Arjein.

As for her, yes, she is a huge mountain. She lacks nothing in birth, effort, and talent. It is no exaggeration to say that the power she has solidified as a result is comparable to that of an emperor.

So much so that even Sasha, who is extremely jealous, can feel it. It was natural to avoid it.

However, in the case of Princess Marian, there were many gaps.

‘The second child who is good looking but has a bad personality.’

It is obvious that they are sisters only if their relationship is good.

‘If Maria becomes the head of the family, she is destined to be sold off and married off somewhere.’

Those who praised the princess as a genius were the same as me.

‘A woman with good intelligence but no interest in power.’

That was the Marian that Sasha thought of.

From the beginning, I told Yuri several times to get involved with Princess Marian and to at least make an effort to become friends. But in her case, she didn’t show up for class.

Would it be a lot if it came out once a week? To that extent, it was inevitable that Yuri would not be able to meet the princess, and even Sasha understood that and moved on.

‘But you’re the overall chief.’

Moreover, even the head of the theology department nominated Yuri as the best student of the year, beating out the 4th graders. No matter how stupid the commoners were, many people were already looking up to Yuri as a saint.

I can’t believe she was pushed out by Princess Marian, who has a bad reputation.

‘Why on earth… did she receive preferential treatment because she was a princess?’

Sasha’s mind couldn’t understand it at all.

* * *

Meanwhile, a meeting of the vassals of the Duke of Arjaine.

As soon as he heard the news of Merian’s entire chief, Aden summoned his vassals.

“Congratulations, Maria, this is the position she has occupied for 4 years in a row, but I was honestly amazed that the second girl, who barely even went to class, would take it.”

“Eng. What do you mean by that? I naturally believed that Lady Marian would be the first lady.”

“Why is it strange that a young lady who has been the valedictorian for 3 consecutive years is the overall valedictorian? How condescending to take something so obvious!”

The vassals gave words of congratulations as they ran behind.

Aden, who was looking at this with a satisfied expression, suddenly tilted his head.

“But, why didn’t our Marian tell this good news to her father first?”

It was a very small murmur, but the answer came right away.

“For the young lady, being a senior is nothing, it’s just like a breeze.”

Count Hermann said as if asking why he said such an obvious thing.

Even though it was a statement that an average person would think was bullshit, the vassals nodded as if it was natural, and it was the same for Aden.

“She’s my daughter, but she’s really humble.”

“Yes. In my sixty years of life, I have never met anyone as humble as you.”

“You, I have been as cute and humble as you for 70 years.”

Aden nodded as he watched the vassals greet him.

Not just because she was his daughter, but because she was truly the perfect child.

Who would think that a 15-year-old child is capable of putting the retainers he scouted at the academy and his own limbs from various fields into key positions?

If I had to pick one thing that was disappointing.

Even before I was an adult, I couldn’t remember ever getting angry at my father like a child of that age, asking him to buy me a dress or jewelry, so I just felt regretful.

It was the same for Maria.

Was it because of me that I grew up too quickly?

Thinking like that only made me feel guilty.

‘still.’

Just thinking about my two smart daughters made me smile.

* * *

The day of the swordsmanship competition.

‘The weather is unusually hot today.’

I looked up at the sunny sky and narrowed my eyes. The empire’s temperature control magic must have been perfect, but it was like midsummer, the first time I felt like there was a problem somewhere.

However, since there were so many people, I thought it might be possible and ignored it.

‘If we do this, we’ll sell more.’

In fact, it makes me smile to think that smoothie sales will increase.

I got up from the soft sofa and looked down.

Just looking at the tightly packed stands made me feel the heat, so I sat down again and leaned back.

‘Of course I like money.’

This is a VVIP reserved seat at a high location, and there is even an awning to block the sunlight.

“um~”

I reached out and picked up the cherry on the table. This feeling of peeling off the stem and eating it. The sweetness that explodes in your mouth makes you feel good.

‘Seedless cherries are the best.’

So I lay down half-way and gazed leisurely.

The sword fighting competition was the most popular event in the empire, and since it was held once every four years, it was so large that there were many cases where it was impossible to obtain tickets even after paying money.

Like idol fans who couldn’t get concert tickets, people even wandered around the stadium as if to find out the results.

To that extent, this position was proof that he had both money and power.

Soon, with the opening ceremony of the competition, a large number of knights and mercenaries appeared.

Shiny armor and rough armor. Unlike him, my eyes turned to Cecilia, who was wearing a pure white uniform.

It seemed like the host was giving guidance to the players.

From the looks of it, several knights, including Cecilia, moved to the waiting room, and the remaining mercenaries appeared to be competing in the preliminary round in the order in which their names were called.

Soon, the preliminary round began with a loud trumpet sound.

Rather than a large stage in the center, several matches were held simultaneously in separate blocks.

A mercenary in iron armor and a mercenary in leather armor clash their swords.

I was also a little interested as it was my first time seeing a sword fighting competition.

‘What’s funny about that?’

Most of the remaining blocks were similar.

A loud roar rings out. As I turned my head to see what was going on, I saw a man kneeling and bleeding, and a woman standing and pointing a sword.

It was a matter of victory and defeat.

I frowned without realizing it.

‘I’m not sure either.’

“Marianne doesn’t need to see things like that.”

Maria, who was watching quietly, covered my eyes.

“That’s right. There is no need to force yourself to see it.”

Dad also spoke kindly.

It seems that neither the Emperor nor the Crown Prince were in attendance, and when I asked Ceria if she wanted to go watch the swordsmanship competition, I remembered the disgusted expression on Seria’s face and finally understood.

Shouting is heard again.

“It’s noisy.”

Dad let out a cold sigh and waved his hand, and thin mana surrounded only the space where we were. Then the noise decreased significantly. It wasn’t so much that I couldn’t understand it, but it was just the right sound.

‘It feels like the speakers have been adjusted.’

Well, maybe it’s because it’s still the preliminaries, but every movement is noisy and shouts are heard every time the sword is swung. It was so loud that I was confused as to whether it was the audience or myself.

After putting off the preliminaries, Maria and I ate dessert together and chatted.

“It’s just the beginning.”

I turned my head again when I heard my dad’s voice.

The host announced the end of the preliminaries.

Several people were being carried out on stretchers.

It looks like the finals will proceed immediately after a short break.

‘You’re doing great.’

Taking advantage of that gap, you can see people moving across the audience seats.

“Wait there.”

“Yes, how can I help you?”

A middle-aged nobleman who was eating a sandwich raised his hand, and a young man approached him.

“What is the meat in this sandwich? It’s moist on the inside and crispy on the outside, a texture I’ve never experienced before.”

“Ah, that is a pork cutlet. You can taste a better pork cutlet if you go to the restaurant in the amusement park in front of you or on Libya Street.”

“Hoo. I’ve heard rumors, this is it, indeed, it’s delicious even though it’s a bit cold.”

The nobleman was constantly wiping his sweat with a handkerchief while talking.

“Excuse me, how about this drink? Made with lemon and good for relieving fatigue.”

“Hoo. Then give me one, no, just three, including those for my daughters here.”

“Thank you for using us.”

Lemonade is also selling well.

After watching the audience for a while, the host appeared and the doors to the east and west opened.

First, a man wearing faded armor appeared from the west. Even from a distance, it was a knight of enormous stature and carrying a large sword.

‘It feels like the Colosseum.’

What was unusual was that the man was sucking on a straw. Laughter was heard from all over the place as the person looked puzzled and didn’t know what to do with the cup after they had finished eating it, and a staff member quickly approached and retrieved the cup.

‘I don’t know who it is, but it’s nice.’

I secretly supported the article that advertised our drink. The result was decided in an instant.

Contrary to the naive appearance of the large large sword, the knight’s skills were unrivaled even to me, who did not know much about swords.

Several similar matches followed.

And then the next game.

The crowd, which had been quiet when the contestants appeared from the west, began to go wild when the east gate opened.

“It’s Ian Rippleton!”

“Ian!”

“Kya! Ian oppa!!”

At first glance, he appears to be an academy student.

“Knight!”

Perhaps due to the fact that he often volunteered with Yuri, Ian had a reputation as a just knight.

The place where he suddenly stopped as he mercilessly passed by the noble ladies waving their handkerchiefs anxiously, begging for him to please accept them.

‘and… . He was there.’

Even a baron could have been assigned a middle seat since he was a noble.

I thought I couldn’t see it for some reason, but it turned out to be a simple tent to take care of the injured.

The person who came out was Yuri West, with pink hair.

Naturally, people’s attention was focused.

On one side of the stage, a beautiful girl came out of the tent, her pink hair blowing in the wind, and she stood out even more.

The slightly splattered blood stains on the pure white priest’s uniform, as if he had just taken care of a patient, stand out even more.

To Yuri, Ian reverently knelt down on one knee as if he were swearing a knight’s oath.