This year, I felt that the number of people gathered was unusually large. Both the participants in the tournant and the spectators who ca just to watch seed to have increased substantially from previous years.
Upon closer inspection, many youthful faces could be seen among those attending this year’s hunting tournant. While I couldn’t rember the faces of everyone I’d t before, there were definitely new faces that I hadn’t seen in previous years. It seed that as ti passed, a new generation naturally erged.
Of course, it wasn’t simply a matter of age; the news of Orcus and Noel’s participation likely had a significant influence as well.
Given that the royal family rarely leaves the palace, even for nobles, opportunities to et them were scarce. Considering that most children from noble families attend Estelia Academy, there would be those hoping to catch the eyes of Orcus and Noel, who would be enrolling next year.
With that in mind, the children dressed in such fancy clothes almost seed like peacocks courting their mates. Though, in the world of peacocks, it was the males who were flashy. Well, that was just an analogy.
Sohow, the overall atmosphere felt generally unsettled.
It seed that way probably because the children filling the space were not yet accustod to such events. With the arrival of my father and Orcus, the situation seed to have sowhat cald down, but I could still see children who looked a bit clumsy and awkward.
Experience really did matter in everything.
Though these children were nobles and had received systematic education, if they lacked prior experience in this rigid hierarchical society, they couldn’t help but feel tense in the presence of Orcus and Noel. I had always thought that being able to rember my previous life was a considerable advantage not only in combat but in many other areas too.
If I didn’t have mories of my past life, I might be as nervous as those children were now.
My gaze then moved to Orcus. He was sothing else. Regardless of his experiences in the royal palace, the fact that he could stand so calmly in front of others at the tender age of sixteen was remarkable. As for Noel, she seed too excited to be aware of other people’s gazes.
As I moved, I felt the eyes on increasing. After all, the only people with black hair in this place were my father and . So it was only natural that their eyes would turn to .
However, the emotion mixed in the eyes of those who looked at was different than when they looked at Orcus. Although it wasn’t overwhelming, it wasn’t insignificant either. The gaze was very similar to what I had seen in Noel’s eyes just monts ago.
Though coated with various personal motives, once stripped away, the essence beca clear.
It was a competitive spirit that heated the skin of the receiver; a desire to defeat .
Given their age, full of youthful vigor, it was not sothing I couldn’t understand. Although I might sound a bit like an old man, I preferred those who burned with a desire to win over those who despair at the background and abilities of their opponent. Such individuals would beco sothing no matter where they go.
Then why did they choose as the object they want to surpass? There were many knights here with excellent skills besides .
If breaking down. there were three major reasons to point, the first lies in the na I carry: Kraus. A fact that had been repeated to the point of exhaustion, the Kraus family was the most prestigious martial family in the South. My father, Arthur Kraus, was one of the few Sword Masters on the continent, ranked among the top ten strongest individuals.
And I was the heir to this illustrious family and an extraordinary individual.
This was the reason.
Objectively speaking, the influence of the na ‘Kraus,’ specifically from Damian Kraus, was virtually nonexistent. The indomitable fortress-like reputation that the na ‘Kraus’ carried was all thanks to the accomplishnts of my forebears. While it was a bit exaggerated to say, one could argue that I had sowhat taken it for granted.
In this context, the Kraus na that had been bestowed upon could appear as a sort of trophy to others. Especially if my abilities fell short of their expectations. Had soone else outperford in the tournant, I might have even been labeled as the South’s most overrated martial artist.
There was even a chance that they could capture the interest of Orcus and Noel if luck were on their side.
The boy standing to my left had been eyeing Noel and just monts ago. As soon as I stepped away from her, he unabashedly sent a glare.
Well, the reasons people have could differ significantly.
Anyway, moving on to the second reason: it was my age.
It was not an issue of being too young or anything. The reason simply lay in the fact that my age aligned closely with the ages of the other kids participating here. I had just turned sixteen this year. Given a slight margin, the ages of the other participants would likely not exceed a two-year gap.
While it varies from person to person, this was generally an emotionally sensitive period of life.
It was what people commonly referred to as puberty. In such a ti of exceptionally high emotional ups and downs, children of that age were now gathered in one place. As the children who participated in the competition, everyone must have polished their martial arts, and they would have confidence in their skills based on their efforts so far.
And at such a ti of stormy rage, a guy like appeared in front of their eyes.
It was an opportunity for them to prove that they were superior to others.
If they were to lose to a renowned knight, they wouldn’t be too bothered by it. They’d know that they were rely fledglings compared to a seasoned knight. It was no more demoralizing than losing a casual ga to a friend when you’ve already lost to a pro athlete in a formal match.
Their gaze as they looked at was similar. They would never consider on the sa level as a knight. There was sothing called common sense in the world, and that common sense sets a limit on imagination.
Such thoughts gave rise to the possibility that they could win, which in turn fueled their ambition.
The issue was that I was, from the outset, an enigma that defied common sense. asuring through ordinary logic was tricky.
But common sense could also be an unbreakable barrier if it was not directly challenged. Well, even if it was not , Noel was here. One way or another, their notion of what was possible was destined to shatter.
Lastly, the third reason.
Actually, this final reason was essentially the crux of the matter. The preceding two reasons had unfolded because of it.
The third and final reason lay in my own actions.
I had often found myself in these public situations, following my father’s lead. This started when I was very young, trailing behind my father even when others might have thought it too early for . It might seem akin to what Orcus did, but while he took matters into his own hands, I didn’t. I never had a specific role during those tis; all I did was watch my father and internalize what he was doing. That was all he ever wanted from .
Back then, I had a strong tendency to fade into the background, not taking the initiative to act on my own. This inadvertently led to a situation where I wasn’t showcasing any of my abilities to the outside world. Only a handful of individuals, including the knights of our family, knew what I was capable of. As a result, my public image beca that of the most unremarkable heir among the Kraus’ successors—neither flawed nor particularly impressive.
Had I been proactive from the start, people’s perception of would have been quite different. They would have seen as a genius, much like my father. Perhaps the number of those who wanted to challenge would have diminished as well.
But all this was speculative. The things I had said were rely my opinions; they were not absolute truths.
Who was to say whether there might be so incredibly passionate friend of mine that I didn’t even know about?
“The goal is to win...”
Noel had always casually ntioned winning, but achieving victory in such a competition was a daunting task. Apart from the newcors, skilled knights selected from various families participated in the tournant, making the prospect of winning a distant dream for rookies.
Had it been before, I would’ve been the sa.
I had the skills to compete, but I would’ve settled for decent scores, not wanting to stand out. I would’ve competed in the tournant, content with being better than my peers but not the best.
However, things have changed now.
The thought of fading into the background was long gone. I had resolved to stand beside Elena, and to do so, I must act differently than before. The last thing I wanted was to be a burden to her. I must excel in all aspects, be it skill or reputation.
Fortunately, Damian had the environnt to fulfill these criteria; what was crucial now was how I act from here on out. This spring hunting tournant was the first formal stage on which I had set foot with renewed determination. Both Noel and Orcus, my pupils in a way, were full of ambition to win, and as their ntor, I couldn’t afford to fall short.
‘But where is Elena…’
Preparations had long been completed. All that was left was to mount my horse, but I took a mont to scan the surroundings. Elena was usually easy to spot, but it seed I was mistaken. I heard from Hailey this morning that Elena seed to be sleeping deeply, so I ca out without waiting. I should’ve waited a bit longer.
I had hoped to see her before entering the tournant, but today didn’t seem to be going as planned.
I cald down the restless horse that seed eager to sprint off into the distance. Everyone seed to be preparing to leave, and it felt like it was ti for to set off as well. Though I felt reluctant, I guessed I would have to be content staying by Elena’s side when I returned from the tournant, whatever may co.
Just as I half-heartedly placed my foot on the stirrup, I caught sight of a pair of purple eyes in the distance.
Even though Elena wore an unusually wide-brimd hat, there was no difficulty recognizing her.
Elena arrived before , guided by Hailey and another knight. She must have run hard; her usually steady breaths were ragged.
Everyone quickly cleared a path, and I imdiately stepped down from the saddle to stand before her. Elena was hiding her face under the brim of her hat. I approached her to get a better look.
“Wait, hold on..!”
Elena quickly stretched out her arm to stop as I moved closer.
And so, like a statue turned to stone by so spell, I froze at her words. It was a matter of the heart. Despite outward appearances, it seed I had been holding onto sothing emotionally. Seeing Elena’s appearance as if nothing had changed from yesterday, a sense of uncertainty ca over , wondering if it would have been burdenso for her to approach like this.
Had my face betrayed my feelings?
Peering at from under her hidden hat, Elena promptly took my hand. I couldn’t be sure what expression I had worn to make her reach out to so flusteredly, but it didn’t matter. Once again, the distance between Elena and had shortened. I gently pulled her toward , exerting a bit of force on my grip to ensure she couldn’t leave. Elena showed no signs of resistance; she was effortlessly drawn to .
Even as we grew closer, she didn’t remove her hand from the hat.
Wondering if sothing was the matter, I asked. After a mont’s hesitation, Elena moved her trembling lips.
“Um...my face is...a bit weird right now...”
“What? I didn’t catch that. Could you please say it again?”
“Ugh...Seriously!”
As I leaned in closer, as if teasing her, Elena pinched my hand she was holding. Yet, instead of wincing in pain, I stifled a laugh and moved even closer to her.
I bent down to lock eyes with Elena, who was still hiding under her hat.
Her face was a far cry from the usual polished look I was used to, appearing more like soone who’d just woken up from a long sleep. Elena seed to be embarrassed by her disheveled state, but to , she simply looked adorable.
On the other hand, I felt relieved.
Knowing that the reason Elena had asked not to co closer was simply because she didn’t want to show her disheveled appearance put my mind at ease.
I wanted to stay in this mont a little longer, but unfortunately, my ti was running short. Others had already started to depart, and if I were to aim for victory, now was the ti to leave as well. Seeing others set off, Elena quickly placed sothing in my hand that she had been tightly gripping in hers.
It was a white crystal tied with a string.
It looked too crudely tied to be a valuable ornant, more like a handicraft made by soone inexperienced. I asked her with a faint smile, “What’s this?”
“Um, think of it as a kind of amulet?”
“Elena, your lips are trembling. You know using magical items is prohibited in the tournant. Do you have that little faith in ?”
“It’s not a magical item! If you keep saying that, I’m taking it back!”
“Ah, ah, I’m kidding. Just kidding.”
I coaxed the crystal back from Elena and hung it around my neck, tucking it beneath my clothing. It was an unexpected gift, to say the least. I had never seen her give out amulets in the original work. The thought that it might be ant solely for made it more precious than anything else I possessed.
Before mounting my horse, I took Elena’s hand—still pinching mine—and gave it a brief kiss.
Perhaps because it wasn’t her lips I kissed, Elena seed not much more disconcerted than before. Though her eyes quivered slightly as they looked at , she didn’t avoid my gaze.
“Then, I shall be on my way.”
“Yes, take care.”
Today was goal was victory.
And it didn’t seem impossible either.
--- END OF CHAPTER ---
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