“Isn’t this usually sothing the eastern knights handle?”
The one who asked was Rei.
Instead of answering, Kysis lifted one eyebrow. Most of the western corps knights would have started trembling in fear the mont they saw that reaction.
But Rei didn’t tremble.
He probably didn’t realize it himself, but even in monts like this, his solid status quietly shone through.
The way he didn’t worry about being dragged off for lèse-majesté even in front of imperial blood.
Rei still regarded Kysis as an idol, but he didn’t fear for his life in front of him.
That difference showed, subtly.
Kysis took a bite out of the apple.
“We’re short on hands.”
Juice burst into the air.
“They asked for the most useful ones from the western corps. An honor, isn’t it?”
Such boundless grace.
I muttered it to myself.
I didn’t say it out loud. I’d heard people say my nerve was bigger than most knights’, but I wasn’t an idiot.
Still, it seed everything was written plainly on my face.
Kysis extended two fingers from the hand holding the apple and pointed at Kyle and .
“Looks like you’re dissatisfied.”
“No, sir. Knight Kysis.”
Kyle smiled lightly.
Everyone could see the vein bulging at his temple.
“It’s an honor that you think so highly of us.”
“Thank you, Knight Kysis.”
I couldn’t stay silent either, so I added calmly,
“I’ll continue to devote myself.”
Kysis crunched into the apple.
Crunch, crunch. Juice ran between his fingers. A disgraceful sight, hard to believe imperial blood flowed through him.
The Empire’s Swordmaster lounged lazily in his chair, staring straight at us.
Then he pointed at Rei.
“This one doesn’t seem to be thinking too deeply.”
The finger slid sideways and pointed at Kyle.
“This one at least has a perfectly valid reason to hate the entire imperial family, so I’ll give him that.”
The finger moved again.
Why is it coming to ?
I’m managing my expression just fine....
“So what’s wrong with this one?”
“What exactly do you an by that?”
I asked before I could stop myself.
From Kyle’s and Rei’s side ca a strange sound, like they were suppressing laughter.
I ignored it.
Kysis pretended not to hear it and asked,
“Your side still hurting?”
A provocation....
For a mont, irritation flared, but I tried not to show it.
It probably didn’t show on my face.
Probably.
“I’m fine.”
I smiled.
“You must be very busy, yet it was an honor to spar with you yesterday as well.”
“You seem hung up on the fact that you couldn’t cut even a single strand of my hair.”
That’s not it.
“You’ve got a surprisingly long grudge for a fledgling.”
I shot him a look of protest, but it was ignored.
Kysis flicked the apple core he’d finished eating out of the tent.
It landed with a soft thud in the grass. There was a reason nobles were always aghast whenever they saw Kysis. This platinum-blond knight usually behaved like this unless sothing truly important was happening. He was bored by everything and acted nothing like a noble.
Strangely enough, that attitude seed to appeal to certain noblewon.
I didn’t want to know anything about that.
Kysis stood up from the chair.
“I hear a truly remarkable rookie is entering the familiar tournant this ti.”
At the casually tossed remark, we all flinched.
But no one answered.
I felt those violet eyes sweep over us one by one.
Kysis picked up his sword, which had been leaning against a wooden side table.
“I’ve heard the familiars registered to be taken into the match are no joke either. I’m thinking of visiting the familiar arena ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ myself for the first ti in a while. Feels like it’ll be entertaining.”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
Kyle spoke in a cold voice.
At so point, he’d lifted his head fully and was staring straight into Kysis’s violet eyes.
“Knight Kysis.”
Kysis didn’t change his expression.
After eting those blazing yellow eyes, he simply resecured the sword he’d loosened, fastening it back at his waist.
Light, but without hesitation.
The mont the scabbard was firmly set, wind stirred—and Cecil appeared.
Woooong!
The magician quietly took position several steps behind Kysis.
So the conversation was over.
Before stepping into the teleportation circle Cecil created, Kysis let a remark fall casually,
“Just saying—there’ll be more grotesque nobles crowding in than usual, so keep your wits about you.”
For soone who normally paid no attention to nobles at all, he sure talked like that.
I suppressed a sigh.
For Kyle’s sake.
Both Kyle and Kysis knew perfectly well that neither of them could openly acknowledge that consideration.
So we pretended not to notice.
And answered diligently.
“Yes.”
“We’ll be careful.”
“...Understood.”
The mont Kyle’s belated reply ended, Kysis and Cecil vanished from sight.
As if they had no more interest to spare for us.
***
“Kyle.”
That night, Rei and I entered Kyle’s tent.
It was my tent too, actually.
We’d been sharing one for a while. At so point, tents had started being assigned in pairs, and the western corps always paired with Kyle. Neither of us had any complaints. If anything, we were grateful.
Every ti, we were assigned the most wretched tent imaginable, yet we went in cheerfully and unpacked our ager belongings.
Rei, on the other hand, used a single-person tent thanks to the Count’s insistence, and that alone had caused no end of trouble.
Absolute chaos.
But I didn’t bother recalling past stories.
That wasn’t what mattered now.
What mattered was the familiar tournant, fast approaching.
“What is it.”
Kyle, his jet-black hair reaching his waist twisted into a loose knot, was wiping his neck with a damp cloth when he raised an eyebrow.
“What.”
“If sothing unfair happens at this familiar tournant.”
The one who spoke was Rei.
It was sothing the two of us had decided together. Rei would explain, and I’d just nod along.
We thought that would be more convincing.
“If soone’s going to rush into the arena, let it be Hilde. Not you or .”
Kyle’s movents stopped dead.
The man perched on the worn-out cot narrowed his golden eyes.
Rei t that sharp gaze head-on.
“That’s the best option.”
“In what sense.”
A short reply ca back.
He knew the answer and was asking anyway.
Of course, Rei noticed—and explained patiently.
“From other people’s perspective. If you rush out, there’ll definitely be nobles protesting that a fellow conquered person is overstepping. If I rush out, they’ll say the Renyr family is interfering with the fairness of the match.”
“Before all that, we’re Imperial Knights. We were formally ordered to perform an escort duty, and we’re there to respond to unreasonable situations. What does your status or mine have to do with that?”
“In principle, you’re right.”
Rei answered after listening to Kyle’s rebuttal, spoken with effort to keep his anger from spilling over.
Perched on the edge of my cot, there was none of his usual innocence to be found.
Rei looked at Kyle with the calm composure of soone born and raised in a noble house.
A mont that made you forget he was the youngest among us.
“But you also know very well that things won’t actually play out that way.”
After delivering those firm words, he lowered his brows.
“With Hilde, it’ll still be acceptable. It’s not like Hilde is particularly close with that red-haired handler.... And once people hear he’s from the Temple, they’ll definitely react more leniently.”
Kyle didn’t get angry.
He didn’t deny it either. He just furrowed his brow and raked his fingers through his hair.
Our friend sat in silence for a while.
Only after so ti passed did he let out a heavy sigh.
“Fine.”
Kyle straightened his bent back and looked at us.
“Let’s do that. Thank you.”
Thank goodness.
The mont I heard his answer, a smile ford from sheer relief and pride.
Rei, sitting beside , let out a sigh of relief as well.
Kyle snorted as he looked at us.
“You two put in the effort.”
“Good. I was worried you wouldn’t appreciate our hard work.”
“Worry about Hilde’s side instead.”
“What?”
I froze at the sudden turn in the conversation.
“Why did it suddenly jump to my side?”
“Maybe because, once again, you ca back with Knight Kysis stabbing you in the side?”
Rei replied with a sweet smile.
Caught off guard, I pressed my lips into a thin line, while Kyle tossed the damp cloth into the basket of laundry.
Thud! The cloth landed squarely inside. Kyle turned to look at .
“You’re doing it again, aren’t you? Leaving the wound untreated out of sheer stubbornness.”
“...It’ll heal if I leave it alone.”
“You can absorb energy—so why are you being this stubborn?”
Kyle’s eyebrow twitched.
It was a question my peers had thrown at dozens of tis.
And every ti, I avoided answering. Whether they got angry, tried to coax gently, or snapped in irritation, I never gave an honest response.
I didn’t know why.
I just couldn’t answer honestly.
It felt like they wouldn’t understand making such a fuss over sothing already past....
Even thinking about an answer made my stomach feel off. In any case, I had no intention of replying this ti either.
When I clamped my mouth shut and lowered my gaze diagonally, sighs escaped from both the front and my side.
Rei spoke in a resigned voice.
“I’ll transfer energy to you, so at least accept that.”
“I’m really fine. The wound isn’t that deep. Even Kysis has his own line he doesn’t cross.”
“If you’re going to say you’ll rush into the arena in my place if sothing happens, then get treated properly.”
Kyle snapped firmly.
“You brought it up—so you should take responsibility for it, Hildebert.”
It was a sharp point, and it left speechless.
Biting my lip, darting my gaze around, I eventually had no choice but to accept my friends’ words.
I wish I could beco indifferent to absorption already....
***
I received the transfer from Rei, and the day of the tournant arrived quickly.
The familiar tournant.
The Emperor always attended the finals. Even the earlier matches drew large crowds of nobles. The security personnel and attendants they privately hired sward the place.
Commoners funneled toward other entrances, carefully avoiding them.
The sun beat down harshly.
People selling water were making a tidy profit. The sll of boiled eggs, grilled chicken-and-mushroom skewers, and all kinds of infused liquors tickled my nose.
The air simred with anticipation and heat.
A deeply rooted traditional entertainnt of the Empire.
In principle, a stage where superiority was decided solely by handling skill, regardless of status.
Every year, the final victor claid trendous wealth and honor.
I surveyed the arena with my senses sharpened.
“Grand Duke Jacques is here too.”
Rei spoke in surprise.
“I thought he didn’t attend things like this.”
Kyle snorted.
Rei and I turned our heads, but he just stood there with arms crossed, looking down at the arena, and said nothing more.
The black-haired knight held a particular dislike for the Empire’s Minister of Finance.
He’d never given a clear reason. It felt like a sore spot, so I hadn’t pressed him.
None of us had any particular connection with Grand Duke Jacques, so we let it pass.
There were too many famous faces appearing one after another to even process it all.
“Are you kidding . That’s ierbold?”
Rei gaped at the bizarre figure with eyes wrapped in cloth.
“He actually leaves the mage tower?”
There were many others. The High Priest. A Swordmaster said to challenge Kysis to a duel every ti they t. A famous Saint. A baronial family. An imperial-exclusive handler....
Once they finished taking their seats, transparent defensive magic enveloped the VIP section.
At the sa ti, a bell rang out loudly, announcing the start of the match.
Deng— Deng—
Already scattered to our positions, we watched the opening of the tournant with our senses fully alert.
The arena gates opened, and Creatures and humans entered side by side.
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