Chapter 78: Live To Sienna Pt.78
“Then what’s the order of the match? The first person to go may have an advantage, and the person to go on the third or fourth may have an advantage… If Lord Waters were to go against us alone, then the order would be important.”
“You don’t have to worry. Whether Lord Waters wins or loses, he has plenty of chances to covet the position. Anyone can try for a single job for three months from today. If you challenge the leader and win at any time other than training, the leader will be the winner from then on. In case too many people try for it, we’ll limit the number to five a day. If the leader allows it, more people can be challenged.”
The knight, Patricia, asked,
“Then who’s going to judge the match today?”
“That’s right. Honestly, even if the skills are even, the one that lifts up their hand for the match is the one who will be named the victor.”
“It can’t be judged one-sidedly.”
“I won’t be the one judging. If I’ll be the judge, you may misunderstand that I am on Lord Waters’ side. So, it doesn’t matter if any of you do it.”
“Then what would you do if we were to weave and side together against you?”
“If you want to, go ahead and try it. For your information, today’s match will also accompany the Second Prince and the Second Princess.”
Just in time, she could see two figures coming from far away under the escort of the knights. They were also accompanied by the Giant Knights and the Falcon Knights.
“What is this. You want us to spar in front of all those people?”
“I think we’ll be humiliated even if we win.”
“Well, what’s the matter? It’s not like I’m asking you to spar with all of them. Why don’t you all just embarrass him?”
“That’s right. There’s no way no one out of us twenty-three can’t beat him.”
“Is it important to win or lose? What matters is who wins.”
“I’ll go first!”
“That’s funny. I’m first!”
The knights fought like they were going to eat at a table before their eyes. When the Prince and the other knights arrived, they were busy deciding the order rather than setting examples.
Sienna was going to sort out about half of them. Especially, she was going to cut off the character of Queen Arya, who was led by Clorel Simon. But now that she looked at them, she thought it would be better to replace them without leaving a single person out.
“I give my greetings to Your Majesty the Prince and Her Highness the Princess.”
Jamie, who was standing behind Sienna, also followed suit.
“Thank you for inviting us like this. But it was only after you left the palace that I learned that it was not polite to observe other knights’ training. May I observe the Phoenix Knights and Lord Waters’s regiments?”
The old knight, who was standing next to him on foot, stepped up.
“Asen Trint, the Knights of Falcon, gives his greeting to his Highness the Crown Princess. I didn’t give my greetings to milady until late. If you don’t want it, I’ll leave the grounds with a minimum number of people before the battle begins.”
“No, that’s fine. I’d like you all to observe. The same goes for the Giant Knights. You may also observe, Lord Panacio.”
Sienna said to Deli, who was standing next to Marie. He looked at Sienna and thanked her for her permission.
Asen said to her,
“On my way, I heard what Your Highness the Crown Princess said to the Phoenix Knights. You must be doing something very interesting.”
“Did you hear it from that far of a distance? If you were able to hear it from that distance, it means you should be at an expert level.”
“This old man has a very good ear. I’m quite familiar with Waters, the spear of the North. I happened to see Duke Waters’ swordsmanship fifteen years ago, and it was great. It’s so much more than just looking.”
Valore, who was listening to their conversation, stepped in.
“As far as I know, Lord Trint is the most skilled in the city. I’d like to meet the Duke of Waters, whom he admires so much.”
Sienna led Valore and Marie to the pre-arranged stands. The knights rounded up the training grounds. The referee was decided to be Asen. Asen was a respected article by many imperial knights, so no one complained about his judgment.
“I’m very excited.”
Marie said.
“I’m rather afraid if you’ll end up being disappointed.”
“What disappointment are you talking about? I’m already nervous just from waiting. It’s been a long time since my heart started beating like this.”
Mary was clasping her hands as if she were praying because she was really nervous. At the center of the training camp, Asen had settled down. On his left was Jamie, and on the other side stood Clorel, the leader of the Phoenix Knights. She said loudly so that Asen could hear her clearly as well as the audience.
“The rules of the contest are simple. Exclude the face and neck for the area of attacks. And I will not tolerate fatal injuries or amputation of body parts to the point of death. Please note that this is a sparring match, which is the purpose. I will accept dropping the sword during the game as an act of abstention. If you don’t think you can proceed with the game, you can throw away your sword.”
Since the contestants would not be using a wooden sword but a real sword, strict rules of competition were applied to reduce injuries as much as possible.
“The game will start after I count to three.”
Everyone looked at the training camp where Jamie and Clorel stood opposite each other. The Knights of the Giant and Falcon, as well as the Knights of the Phoenix, kept their eyes wide open because they have a chance to watch other knights.
“One, two, three!”
Two billion!
“…”
As soon as Ashen’s count of “Three!” was over, with a dull sound, the area around the training camp was quiet. Because Jamie’s foot struck him in the chest before he could even take out the sword. Whether his force was strong, the knight was stuck onto the ground, unable to breathe properly. The sword he had dropped and rolled over the floor.
“Sir Waters!”
Asen shouted Jamie’s victory.
Since then, the second and the third games have ended in such vain. All fell on Jamie’s feet without being able to get the sword out of her checklist. It was a simple attack in the same way, but no one could avoid his kicks.
One of the Phoenix Knights protested when the fourth game ended in the same way.
“Isn’t it against the right of chivalry to attack someone who hasn’t even brought out a sword yet?”
“That’s right. This is a sword fight, and attacking while the other person hasn’t taken his sword out is an insult to him.”
Everyone echoed at the knights. Similar words poured out not only from the Phoenix Knights but also from the Giant Knights and Falcon Knights. It was because the sparring match, which had been expected, ended in a bland way, and there was nothing to see.
“Oh my, I don’t know who’s putting blame on who for their slow burst of footwork. It’s not like the sparring match is children’s play.”
Jamie muttered. When Asen heard him, he burst out of laughter. But he also stepped up to mediate because he had no intention of continuing to see the bland sparring match.
“Lord Waters, there’s nothing you have done wrong, but there are people who’d like to watch some more, so would you be kind enough to show a little consideration?”
“If Lord Trint says so, I will. After the sword is drawn, I shall receive just ten attacks from the sword.”
“Thanks for listening to the favor of this old man.”
Jamie’s words enraged the Phoenix knights.
“Huh! How dare you be proud of yourself for winning a few games! So far, there has been no time for your flimsy tactics. I’m going to take your colleagues’ place and show them what the real sword is.”
A big man stepped up. Jamie had quite the size, but the man standing in front of him made him feel like a child.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been looking forward to working with expert’s powers.”
“What a piece of shit! I’ll teach you a lesson.”
This time the man drew his sword first and ran toward Jamie. It was a quick move compared to a large size.
Some of the Falcon Knights, who were watching the scene, were talking gibberish.
“That article, didn’t you say Equal Spencer?”
“Yes, I think I did. Why? You know him?”