Episode 81

If the morning’s events centered around the orphanage children, featuring a foot race and a mock cavalry battle

The highlight was the duel in the “Boys’ Division” of apprentice knights, with Noir emerging as the victor.

Then, after lunch,

The afternoon’s main event and the festival’s pinnacle competition was the “Knights’ Ranking Adjustment.”

“Isn’t Sir Robert participating?”

“I am here in an escort capacity.”

Astasia inquired of Robert, who shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unbothered by the situation.

“Miss Eli, the Ranking Adjustment isn’t about reorganizing the entire hierarchy of the Gibraltar knights.”

“Then what is it for?”

“It’s essentially a method to identify the strongest among the knights, kind of a ‘selecting the leader,’ if you will.”

Robert succinctly recapped what I had previously explained.

“How about we make it a quiz? So, the winner of this competition eventually becomes…”

“The leader of the knights when Gibraltar establishes its own order?”

“…Precisely.”

Robert scratched his head and gave me a sly look.

‘Astasia isn’t the same type as Noir.’

He thought he was offering an answer after thoughtful consideration, yet Astasia immediately arrived at the correct conclusion, which he hadn’t expected.

“Ahem. Since you’ve guessed correctly, I’ll reveal the rest. It’s about…”

“Demonstrating an overwhelming victory to everyone, to leave no doubt ‘why he’s the leader’!”

“…Moreover, there were several unfavorable opinions regarding a likely winner.”

The superficial goal was what Astasia surmised, but the true intent was as Robert elucidated.

“The likely winner is Dame Mente.”

“Really? Why?”

“Because Lord Grey placed a bet on Dame Mente in your name at the gambling house.”

Robert gestured towards one side of the arena, where Director Merrily and White #36 were stationed.

“As you can observe.”

Behind them, a wooden board was erected.

Displayed on it were the names of several knights participating in the competition, alongside various numbers.

“Place your bets on your knight!”

“Bet Somnus Gold on the likely winner! Ah, there! Real gold isn’t allowed! Only Somnus Gold!”

“You only have to guess the winner! Just the winner!”

The betting was really simple.

If it had been a tournament, they would have had to submit the entire bracket, but the local citizens aren’t quite used to that yet.

“The people who bet on Dame Mente are either the lord himself or those close to him. It seems…”

Robert lowered his voice and pointed at a few merchants who were watching.

“Who are you going to bet on?”

“Obviously, Sir Carlos. Does a senior knight who entered the academy and assisted the Margrave seem like a vassal to you?”

“What about the other candidates? Dame Mente is said to be strong, isn’t he?”

“What? That kid? Ha. My son would be stronger.”

Dame Mente was typically not trusted because of her appearance.

“She’s from Morgania. The Margrave may have recruited her, but I’m skeptical.”

“The Margarve was trying to bring her to the gorge, but Morgania had her for three years, didn’t they?”

“They gave up on her. Otherwise, why would they come all this way from a place close to the capital?”

“Well, that’s true but…”

The biggest influence on the distrust towards Dame Mente was-

“And what Dame Mente has been doing since arriving is acting as Grey’s teacher.”

If her cursed body accounts for 40%, the role she has taken on here accounts for 60%, to say the least.

“I thought he was going to be teaching Lord Noir, but Grey?”

“…Did she help you out in romance with the Margravine as if she owed you a favor?”

“If not, there would be no reason to recruit Dame Mente. Nor to waste that money on her as a teacher for Grey Gibraltar.”

It’s quite ironic.

‘How long do I have to prove myself?’

Especially when my income was several times more than the net profits of the merchants here.

“Come, come! Who will indeed win? As everyone expects, will it be Sir Carlos?”

In Morgania, she had already proven her skills as the strongest knight next to the Grand Duke.

“Or will it be the rising star, Sir Merlang? Now, there’s not much time left!”

Even the knights of Gibraltar dare not underestimate her.

“If you hesitate, time will have passed! The hourglass is almost empty! Once this sand falls, the market will close!”

Most importantly, she was personally recruited by ‘Crimson Gibraltar,’ known for being the most stringent in evaluating knights.

“Did you see that lady’s wrist? My word, even thinner than my, no, our daughter’s. And her height too. A dwarf like that beating all Gibraltar knights and winning? Ha, might as well say the empire beats the kingdom.”

Listening quietly, I couldn’t help but internally laugh at their disbelief and suspicion.

This festival may seem like Noir was the protagonist, but it served various purposes.

And one of them was:

“Then I’ll bet all my Somnus on Dame Mente!”

“Miss Eli…?”

“Because I think Dame Mente will win!”

Proving Dame Mente’s skills by winning and defeating all other knights.

“I’ll bet on Dame Mente!”

“Ah, over there…”

The orphanage director and betting manager, Merrily, glanced at me and then turned away.

“That’s…”

“Why? Can’t I? Oh, um, because of my status…”

“No, actually.”

Merrily, still not looking at me, clutched her thighs tightly and continued.

“We decided to close three minutes ago…”

“Ah.”

The hourglass in front of us had run out of sand.

“I couldn’t just interrupt you and say something, but I did tell you to come as quickly as possible…”

“So, can’t we do it anymore because it’s past the time…?”

“Ah, that, well… it’s about fairness…”

I stepped forward to help Merrily, grabbing the hourglass.

“Uh…?”

And lightly flipped it over.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

“……Right! The final isn’t even over yet, haha! So, we’ll take bets for just 5 more minutes!!”

Merrily raised her hand and clapped, shouting towards the people.

“Your last chance to bet on your knight! Miss this, and the opportunity is gone forever!”

“On Dame Mente, all the Somnus Gold! In Eli’s name!!”

“Wowㅡㅡ! Thank you!!”

Merrily, with trembling hands, received the pouch of Somnus Gold that Eli handed over.

Click.

‘As expected, capable.’

I gave Merrily a thumbs-up from below.

“Pfft?!”

Merrily spat out the Somnus tea she was drinking as if choked.

“Cough, cough!”

It seemed like she got water in her windpipe.

4 PM.

“Woahhhhhhh!”

Cheers from the crowd filled the air.

Below the circular stands, two knights in the center of the stage quickly swung their swords.

“She’s really strong!”

A burly knight yelled as he swung his greatsword.

“But I, Carlos, the first knight of Gibraltar, cannot be bested by a newcomer!”

The greatsword cut through the air, and below it, a girl with short green hair dodged with nimble movement, clutching her sword and slicing upwards.

“Ugh!”

The burly knight barely managed to pull his head back, but his golden beard fluttered in the empty air.

“Huh?!”

Was her vision blocked by the floating hair?

“Damn it!”

“Hahaha! You were careless!”

The girl with short green hair, unable to swing her sword, immediately stepped on the knight’s midsection and leaped back greatly.

Whoosh!

“What!?”

The knight’s hand cut through empty air.

“You’re like a flying squirrel!”

“You’re just slow!”

Had she been a moment later, or had her legs been a bit longer, she might have been caught by the knight and thrown to the ground.

“Wowwwww!”

The audience cheered.

“This is a battle of senior knights!”

For some, the exchange was too fast to follow with the eyes.

Carlos, as big as Robert but boasting incredible speed as a senior knight.

And the girl, faster than Carlos, in fact, the quickest in our domain after my father -

“But it won’t be easy! The Green Lightning of the Black Rose!”

“Call me by that name!”

The Green Lightning of the Black Rose, as some called Dame Mente.

“Hahaha! Unfortunately, how can you do anything to me with a sword, not a blade!”

Carlos lifted his greatsword again, his face radiating confidence.

“Have you forgotten why blades are not used in the kingdom!”

“Shut up, really! Fighting with words?!”

“You’re shaken! Uahaha!”

Carlos’s greatsword began to be imbued with golden mana.

Not quite a full aura, but a strong enough golden light swirled around it that those unaware might mistake it for an aura at a glance.

“Saint Gio Nostrum and the first Margrave of Gibraltar used swords! Swords are, in the language of that foreign land, the ‘King of All Weapons’!!”

Though the phrase doesn’t actually mean that, the people of the kingdom have taken a liking to it.

The sword, a weapon used by countless heroes.

Therefore, the blade, specialized only in slashing, was not very popular in the kingdom.

“A sword cannot be defeated by a blade!”

Carlos shouted, fiercely raising his momentum.

“It’s over!”

Whoosh!

A horizontal strike was swung widely.

The force of the sword created a wind that startled even some of the spectators far away, so sharp was the swordsmanship.

“What…!”

Dame Mente was cut by the trajectory of the greatsword that was swung widely.

“Kyaaak!”

Some of the audience screamed.

But the scream wasn’t because someone’s head was lopped off by the greatsword-

“Where are you looking?”

What scattered was the aftereffect of magic, and the actual person was elsewhere.

“Is this the end?”

Swish.

A blade imbued with a green glow aimed at the back of Sir Carlos.

Above the greatsword swung back by Sir Carlos, Dame Mente lightly stepped on it and aimed her sword at him.

“……Hmm!”

Sir Carlos closed his eyes and nodded, and Dame Mente immediately withdrew her sword.

“Hahaha! Indeed! Now it cannot be called the sword of the Black Rose!”

“So, I am-”

“Welcome to becoming the Sword of the Gorge, Dame Mente!”

Carlos quickly lifted his greatsword from below.

“Congratulations to the winner!”

“What? Wait a minute…!”

Suddenly, Dame Mente, who was standing on the greatsword held aloft by the burly knight, attempted to descend hastily but-

“Mente! Mente! Mente!!”

“It’s definitely Dame Mente! I knew it!”

“Damn, there goes my gold!”

Surrounded by the cheers of the crowd, she found herself unable to immediately come down.

“Dame Mente is truly a knight of Gibraltar!!”

Some time had passed since her arrival.

“To the new sword of Gibraltarㅡㅡ!”

“”“To theㅡㅡ!!”““

Never before had she been welcomed as grandly as today.

“…Ha.”

Dame Mente chuckled.

She scanned the audience and, upon our eyes meeting, seemed surprised but quickly jumped down from the greatsword at the sight of a man approaching her.

“Lord Margrave of Gibraltar.”

“Congratulations on your victory, Dame Mente.”

My father, the Crimson Margrave of Gibraltar, himself stepped onto the stage.

“Though we have conducted this ceremony once at the count’s castle, let’s perform it again for the victor.”

My father grasped the sword at his waist with one hand and positioned it vertically in front of his face.

“Dame Mente, assume the proper stance.”

“……Yes!”

Dame Mente knelt on one knee before my father.

“In the name of the current Count of Gibraltar, Crimson Gibraltar, I declare.”

The audience held their breath.

“The protector of the Gorge. The guardian of the nest, as per the ancient pact with the Gold Dragon. The protector of all people.”

Everyone swallowed hard as a red aura emanated from my father’s sword.

“In the name of Gibraltar, I hereby bestow upon you the title ‘Knight of the Whirlwind’.”

Some people cocked their heads.

Was there a title known as the Knight of the Whirlwind?

“To the future of Gibraltar, the first sword of the soon-to-be-established Order of Gibraltar Knights.”

There is.

“To you, the ceremony of the sword.”

Whoosh.

“You are the sword of Gibraltar.”

As my father extended the sword over Dame Mente’s head, an aura began to flutter from the sword as if flames were alight.

“Everything is.”

He lightly touched both shoulders with the sword and then, holding the sword upside down, thrust it into the ground.

“For Gibraltar.”

“For Gibraltar.”

It was not Nostrum.

Originally, everyone here would have said Nostrum, but I wondered if anyone truly felt this subtle difference.

“Dame Mente. Lift your head.”

My father smiled lightly at Dame Mente, who lifted her head.

“It seems there’s not much time left, so I hope that one day we will cross swords ‘in full force.’”

“…For Gibraltar.”

Dame Mente nodded slightly, her face flushed.

After the match.

Dame Mente joined our party.

“I thought I’d become a master after receiving the ceremony.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? More importantly, what happened to the money?”

“It didn’t go up much. It was 2.4 times.”

“What? It was 5 times before the match started?”

“Someone watered it down at the last minute.”

The odds opened up just before the finals, and bets poured in on Dame Mente, who had shown her prowess in a row.

“Young master. Do you think I took down four senior knights just to win 2.4 times?”

“I’m sorry about that.”

There were unavoidable circumstances.

Really unavoidable circumstances.

“After all, this small amount of money, it’s just pocket change when spent, right?”

“Who was it that said they’d save up this small change for a big cause later?”

“You can’t catch a shark with just a handful of bait.”

I handed Dame Mente a gift I had prepared in advance, seeing her sulky.

“If there are hundreds or thousands of minnows, though, the shark will come to eat them directly.”

“A victory gift of a wreath made from Somnus flowers.”

“Do you know how hard I worked not to have it taken by Astasia?”

I made just one, and since last night, she’s been clamoring for it, causing me quite a bit of trouble.

“If it were up to the young master, you would’ve made another one and given it to her, right?”

“…….”

“You’ve had a hard time, really. Even putting on a collar and willingly becoming a dog.”

“This is all an act.”

If a photo were taken and sent to the imperial palace, that’s what the crown prince would say.

-Ah.

-My daughter.

-You’ve finally made Gibraltar kneel to you as a dog.

“The act is over now.”

With the intermittent sounds of camera shutters gone, there’s no longer a need to act.

From now on, it’s time for Grey Gibraltar.

Slowly, on the streets, the sunset and shadows begin to fall.