Chapter 36

Love is Conquering (2)

In the first round of preliminaries, seven knights gathered in one group and engaged in combat until only three remained. Elimination was determined when a participant became unable to continue the fight or crossed the white line drawn on the arena. With black wooden swords, any action was allowed as long as it didn’t pose a life-threatening injury.

The simple yet primitive rules led to distinctive patterns of combat in each group. Some fought in teams of three, others engaged in free-for-all combat until only three were left, and some groups had a rule where only the strongest individual survived.

Because of this, unprepared betting games predicting the survivors were being held all around the arena. The noisy cheers of those supporting the knights they had bet on echoed in different corners.

“Which knight do you think, Lady Retina, will be the last one standing?”

“Well, Klein, Samson, and Teten seem to be the most likely contenders. Samson has the most brute strength, Klein appears to have a well-rounded skill set, and as for Teten, there’s no need to explain. Unless these three clash, there won’t be any surprises.”

Retina carefully examined the seven knights on the arena while she spoke. Basilius was the one who had asked her the question, but the other three were also listening attentively to Retina’s assessment.

“Indeed, Lady Retina has a keen eye! We mostly make rough guesses based on rumors. How do you know so much about swordsmanship?”

“Well, I guess you could say it’s because of my muscle-head of a brother… No, I mean, because of Lord Haint & my father. He always talks about swordsmanship. I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but I’ve picked up a few things.”

“I see, so Lord Haint truly loves swordsmanship.”

One of the young ladies clasped her hands together with an ecstatic expression. Ah, there was the one who adored her brother, Haint. She was the girl who couldn’t speak in front of him and just followed him around from behind. She seemed to think that just gazing at him from a distance was more than enough.

It was hard to understand why a muscle-bound fool like him followed around women. Well, being handsome and excelling in their respective fields could make them look impressive.

While chatting with the young ladies, Retina soon focused on the ongoing matches. The matches unfolded just as Retina had predicted. With the sound of trumpets, knights rushed at their predetermined opponents with swords in hand. One by one, participants became unable to continue, and when only four were left standing in the arena, Samson suddenly charged at Teten.

Bang! The clash of their swords produced a thunderous sound that echoed through the arena, causing cheers to erupt from the previously silent audience. In the preliminaries, where intense competition was rarely seen, such a fierce battle was a delightful highlight amidst the otherwise monotonous matches.

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

“I think Samson is going to be eliminated.”

“Really? It seems like both of them are evenly matched. Isn’t Teten being overwhelmed by Samson’s brute strength?”

“You can tell by looking at Teten’s footing. He’s actually guiding Samson out of the ring, even though it may appear that Samson is overpowering him.”

“Now that you mention it, he is slightly shifting to the right.”

“So, when Samson charges with all his might next time…”

Samson, who had been continuously attacking while Teten dodged, suddenly raised his sword high and yelled as he charged. Teten, instead of countering, turned his shoulders to the right and avoided Samson’s attack.

Samson, with his momentum carrying him forward, lost his balance due to the sudden stop and stumbled forward. With a thud sound, dust rose around Samson as he fell outside the arena.

“Wow! Retina’s words were right!”

“Having strength doesn’t guarantee victory in a duel.”

“That’s the beauty of swordsmanship, just as my father said.”

Retina commented to the delighted young ladies who were jumping up and down in joy. While she had grown tired of watching her brothers duel each other, she couldn’t take her eyes off the duels happening in front of her. She had always thought of swordsmanship duels as something exclusive to sweaty men, but they turned out to be more entertaining than she had expected.

After several more rounds of matches, the announcer entered the arena, drawing the scattered attention of the audience.

“Alright, thank you for your patience. I believe most of you are here to see this match today. Finally, the highlight of today’s event! Herald Rudenheim, the Crown Prince of Rudenheim, is in this group!!!”

“Rudenheim! Rudenheim! Rudenheim!”

In response to the announcer’s introduction, the audience roared as if they had been eagerly waiting. The thunderous cheers, a mix of deep voices and enthusiastic shouts, echoed so loudly through the arena that it felt like it might collapse. It had been ten years since the Crown Prince last participated in a swordsmanship competition, making the anticipation for this preliminary round incredibly high.

Retina noted the stark difference in reaction compared to earlier matches. If the preliminary rounds elicited such a response, one could only imagine what it would be like in the finals. She watched as Herald entered the arena, and simultaneously, the golden flag of Rudenheim was raised high above the arena.

“This is turning out to be the highlight of today, indeed.”

The previous matches paled in comparison to this. Retina followed Herald’s entrance and observed the others in his group.

“Is this even possible?”

Everyone in Herald’s group seemed oddly familiar to Retina. Valvero, Raus, Norden… Even those whose names she couldn’t remember were young men with whom Retina had danced or conversed at social events.

She had heard that the groups were drawn by lot. Could such a coincidence really happen? She glanced around cautiously, but everyone seemed unaware of any irregularities.

Of course, Retina was the only one feeling uncomfortable, as she was the only one who knew about the arrangement.

Retina looked at Herald, who wore a white shirt with protective gear instead of cumbersome armor. The sunlight streaming in through the open ceiling made his blond hair stand out even more. Just as she was about to divert his attention away from her with her light movements, she noticed that his gaze was fixed on something else in the VIP seats.

“Is he looking for someone?”

The Crown Prince scanned the VIP seats as if he were looking for someone. The voices of young nobles who claimed to have made eye contact with him could be heard here and there. There was one person he had been looking at, and it was clear who it was: Marie.

Marie had been unable to tear her gaze away from the Crown Prince since his entrance. When they made eye contact, she became bashful and didn’t know what to do.

“Hmm…”

Even without looking, Retina knew what was going on. She let out a little sigh. Staring at them any longer would only make her feel more uneasy.

‘By the way, Raus and Norden are in the same group as the Crown Prince.’

As she glanced at the others, Retina noticed Raus, who was looking at her. Their gazes met briefly, and Raus waved his hand in greeting. Retina reciprocated the gesture and also exchanged greetings with Norden.

Because of Raus’s constant attention, Retina didn’t notice the look that came her way or where that look had shifted. She was too preoccupied with thoughts of the Crown Prince looking for Marie.

“Retina, who do you think will pass the preliminaries this time?”

As soon as the matches began, the young nobles turned to Retina for her predictions. They regarded her as some kind of oracle after she had correctly guessed the outcomes of several previous matches.

“Well, it’s hard to say. The Crown Prince is obviously famous for his swordsmanship, but Prince Norden is here too, and everyone here is exceptionally skilled. I’m not sure, but I think it will be a fierce competition.”

Translators: Stardust. Read on moonlight novels only

Retina tilted her head with a playful smile. Except for one or two who were clearly outmatched, everyone else seemed evenly matched from the start, making it difficult to predict who would come out on top. It was an elimination-style tournament, so she expected that those who conserved their energy and fought strategically would have the best chance.

However, the results of the matches were quite the opposite of Retina’s expectations.

“Wow… The Crown Prince’s reputation isn’t for nothing.”

The matches began and ended with the Crown Prince’s dominating performance. One unconscious, one forfeit, one out of bounds, and one barely standing due to a sword wound—there were only two left standing in the end, and the Crown Prince was one of them.

“Zenferno young lady seems to have it good. The Crown Prince was looking for her so eagerly. I wonder how flattered she must have felt all this time.”

“I wonder how the Night’s Crown Prince is in real life? He must be even more splendid than he looks now, right? They say he’s strong during the day and even softer than feathers at night.”

“I heard rumors that the Crown Prince is quite…”

The young nobles huddled together and whispered secretly, as usual, ending their conversation with talk of men. Retina, knowing far less about love than these adept conversationalists, simply listened without interjecting. She couldn’t insert herself into the conversation as she lacked both skill and experience in matters of romance.

“Well, I have an evening appointment with my brothers, so I’ll head back to the mansion first.”

Retina decided to leave as the conversation, once lively, continued to drag on. She bid farewell to the disappointed young nobles and exited the arena. Outside, she summoned a carriage through the guards and waited in the square.

“Excuse me… Cecilia, Lady Retina.”

While waiting outside, Marie, who had been loitering around, approached Retina.