Capítulo 1566: Chapter 1566: The Final Day of the Tournant
The opening ti for today’s final event was originally still at nine, but at eight-thirty, people were inford that the competition would be delayed by an hour, giving Shard, who had been preparing his armor, so extra rest ti.
During the wait, Dorothy speculated that the delay was due to new arrangents made by the Church. Tifa, on the other hand, believed it was because of nearby dangers, and the Royal Family needed to coordinate the final audience mbers to prevent any danger to the Cavendish heirs.
And by around nine-thirty, a new visitor entered the tent; Iluna surprisingly ca to see Shard that morning.
“Good morning, Shard.”
The seventeen-year-old girl had her brown long hair tied into a simple ponytail and was wearing a brown fitted ladies’ coat. This outfit clearly indicated she was working, and her appearance at the Edward III Stadium at this ti was probably related to the humanoid relic that had already killed four people nearby.
“Good morning, Iluna.”
“Good morning, Miss Beyas.”
Besides Shard, Tifa and Dorothy also greeted Iluna. Miss Writer, though not very familiar with Iluna, at least knew her.
“Are you here for the person searching for their brother?”
Shard raised an eyebrow, Iluna nodded, standing behind Shard as she watched him adjust his armor in the mirror:
“Our team received a mission to be on alert and conduct searches on the southeast side of the stadium. The captain just allowed us to take individual actions to check the surrounding areas, so I ca here directly.”
She slightly lowered her voice:
“Have you discovered anything?”
“Not yet.”
Shard shook his head:
“If this humanoid relic wants to hide itself, it’s very difficult for us to actively find it. However, I have other information sources, and if we do encounter that relic, there’s no need to worry; the people of the Fifth Era actually have ways to handle them.”
He shared the information he obtained from the Red Butterfly Maidens in the morning with Iluna, Dorothy, and the maids, and Iluna shared her news as well:
“The ‘Iron Right Hand’ Sari Pilot from the Draleon thirteen rings has been dispatched here by the Church of Creation.”
Iluna then slipped a tal talisman into Shard’s hand from behind:
“A detection talisman created by the Church of Creation for this relic. Keep it on you; the talisman will heat up if the relic is within two ters. But it’s one-ti use; once it leaves the range, the talisman is useless.”
This sounded very similar to Shard’s “Witch Detection Badge.”
“I’ll wear it. But since the Church people are around the stadium, I shouldn’t win too effortlessly.”
Iluna smiled and patted Shard on the shoulder:
“Even without those supernatural powers, I believe you can win. Plus, knowing you, Shard, even if you want to win the competition, you would never voluntarily use Circle Sorcerer’s powers against ordinary people.”
“Shard is indeed that kind of person.”
Miss Writer chid in, then brought up an interesting question:
“What if Shard encounters that humanoid relic in the arena? Fighting back would expose his identity as a Circle Sorcerer, and not retaliating would certainly hurt him.”
“Oh, Dorothy, I shouldn’t be that unlucky.”
Shard pretended to complain, but Iluna appeared a bit worried:
“It’s important to have a contingency plan for such possibilities. The information Shard just provided is only one possible way to deal with the situation. Preliminary investigations by the Church suggest that the Faceless Man relic’s appearance in Tobesk is no coincidence and was brought here by soone. This isn’t a random guess; it’s based on the Prophet’s Society’s divination and the summary of this relic’s traits.”
“Bringing an angel-level humanoid relic into the city? Oh, if the Church discovers who is doing this, no matter how talented they are, they’re in big trouble.”
Shard remarked casually, handing the pierced tal talisman to Tifa, who threaded it with silk and gave it back to Shard to hang around his neck.
“However, apart from the intelligence I just ntioned, I’m not without other preparations either.”
After putting on the heavy armor, Shard approached the table by the mirror and opened the slender wooden box beside Mia. Inside lay a silver longsword. The inscription on the blade, “My heart is clear, the sword cuts through demons,” was not activated, and the sword emitted a faint, peculiar amber glow. Even though it had not yet displayed its full power, rely looking at the ancient silver sword provided a sense of security.
“You actually brought this out?”
Iluna expressed surprise.
“Knowing that there might be danger, I can’t assu I’ll always be lucky. However, I can’t take the ‘Night Watchman’ into the arena. I’ll leave this sword here in the tent; if anything dangerous happens, Tifa and Dorothy can protect themselves.”
Shard paused:
“Assuming, of course, that the Angel-Level Relic truly appears.”
“If Miss Beyas’s information is accurate, and the relic was deliberately lured here, then it will most likely appear. After all, today is the final day of the Spring Equestrian Grand Prix.”
Tifa said softly from the side. Shard nodded, his expression sowhat grim as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.
At 9:50, Shard bid farewell to the ladies in the tent, mounted his horse, and first t up with Mr. Eric Furen. Together, they rode to the arena entrance.
With only two rounds remaining, today’s morning session would determine the winner, followed by an armored lee duel in the afternoon. The four “knights” gathered at the arena entrance and waited. They could hear the sounds of horns from inside the arena and, via simple amplification equipnt, the loud recitation by royal guards of the bard’s poetry praising the knightly tradition of the contest.
Finally, the nas of the four people were called individually. When a “knight” was nad, they would ride into the arena, circumnavigate it, and have their background and accomplishnts announced. Shard was the third to enter, and when introducing him, they emphasized his role as a famous detective from Tobesk, solving nurous cases, and his heroic deeds in saving Queen Diana from an assassination attempt last sumr.
After all four entered, they dismounted and climbed to the highest point of the stands. There, under the witness of Queen Diana and Princess Jasmine Cavendish, Prince Austin Cavendish, and Prince Christopher Cavendish, they drew lots.
Shard’s opponent was the 25-year-old son of Marquis Durahan, who, according to Angelina, was a possible candidate for a royal marriage proposal. Mr. Eric Furen’s opponent was last year’s champion, Sir Hers from Coldwater Port.
This 37-year-old knight, though one of the older contestants among the 36 competitors, appeared more vigorous than many young people enjoying life in the Royal Capital, thanks to years of sea voyages.
Thus, the three Draleons and one Carsonrickian shook hands to show friendship and grace. Mr. Furen and Sir Hers were the first to compete, while Shard and Mr. Little Dullahan went to tend to their horses.
As they descended the iron-frad stairway from the stands, Mr. Little Dullahan, having t Shard for the first ti, suddenly approached him, saying quietly:
“Mr. Hamilton, I know saying this may give you a bad impression of , but if possible, could you let
win? I can compensate you, two thousand pounds.”
He spoke in a low tone, sounding sowhat embarrassed.
Shard slowed his pace, looking at him with surprise, then asked:
“May I know why you want to do this?”
“It’s for the sake of my beloved Krana, of course.”
Mr. Little Dullahan said, his eyes seemingly aglow:
“I promised her that after the competition, whatever the outco, I would discuss our situation with my father and mother. I believe if I can win… I’ve watched your past two matches and am self-aware enough to know I am likely not your opponent.”
Shard didn’t know what to say. It seed that the king’s favored marriage candidates all had their lovers in advance.
“I admire your commitnt to your beloved, but I’m sorry, I also have my reasons for needing to win. I swear by the na of Princess Lecia Cavendish that I will fulfill the competition following knightly spirit, and…”
He lowered his voice and said into the ear of Mr. Little Dullahan, who also held a helt:
“Miss Galina ordered
to win, it’s a command.”
The young marquess’s son showed a look of pity, though it was unclear what he was thinking. Fortunately, until Sir Hers defeated the Five-Ring Sorcerer Mr. Eric Furen and it was ti for Shard and him to take the stage, Mr. Little Dullahan did not bring up making a deal with Shard again.
Despite Mr. Little Dullahan’s claim that he definitely couldn’t beat Shard, when they rode into the arena from the east and west, to the sound of horns and cheers, Shard could still feel his determination to win.
Of course, as they charged at each other on horseback and engaged in their first tentative duel, Shard realized that the young man’s self-assessnt was accurate. His horse was no better than Shard’s, and his own strength and speed were far inferior. As for swordsmanship skills, his disadvantage was even greater.
However, Shard rembered that he had said he couldn’t win too easily today, so he deliberately held back. His sparring, dueling, and battling with Mr. Little Dullahan in the arena made the match more enjoyable to watch.
Mr. Little Dullahan clearly sensed that Shard was letting him win, and Shard recalled how Sister Delphine felt when sparring with him in swordsmanship practice. It was likely the sa feeling he had then.
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