24 Hearts

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They were busy walking around Aslan until the day of the Flagstaff competition that he found it quite difficult to get up in the morning.

“Huh…”

Judah, who had been procrastinating in bed, opened his eyes with a groan at the sound of water coming from the shower room. He wanted to sleep more, but the constant sound of the water drew him away from sleep. He put his pillow over his head to cover his ears, but to no avail. Judah had no choice but to wake himself up with a frown. With a small sigh, Judah looked to his side, scratching his head.

Jeanne was in the shower with her bed already done, and on the bed next to hers was Arhil snoring with her belly out. Judah sat up on his bed and leaned against the wall, staring up at the ceiling before closing his eyes. His hazy consciousness became clearer as time passed, eventually opening his eyes and then stretching his arms.

“Ugh!”

Judah moved his head from side to side several times to relax, then got up from the bed and approached Arhil. Sleeping peacefully as she scratched her stomach, he tapped her shoulder and called her name.

“Arhil.”

“Huh.”

Her eyes flinched a bit as she drooled, but she didn’t wake up. Judah didn’t know when Jeanne got in the bathroom, but she sounded close to stepping out.

“Wake up, Arhil.”

After waking her up consistently, she finally opened her eyes. She grabbed and pulled the blanket under her thigh, still silent like she was still asleep.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah… I’ll sleep a little more… I’ll sleep…!”

“Can you take a bath now?”

She didn’t reply, so Judah tried to turn her body to him with a little sigh. She immediately reached her hand out of the blanket, holding onto Judah as he sat her up.

“No…ooh…! Noooo!”

She groaned, frowning at him, like sitting up, made her body ache. Her hand grasping Judah’s wrist fell. They had been going around Aslan without a break, so it looked like her body was indeed aching. She summoned her divine power into her hands and placed them under her thighs and the soles of her feet. Her expression cleared as her body healed.

“I don’t want to take a bath yet…”

“…”

“But, if I sleep a little longer, I will… Can I do that? Hehe…”

“Do that, then.”

“Really?”

Judah nodded his head. It didn’t matter because he can go down first and eat breakfast. She thanked him, drooping down like a horse and flopping back down on her blanket. Jeanne was still inside the shower, so it was fine for her to sleep until Jeanne came out. Judah just stepped out the door and came down to the first floor.

On the first floor, Count Genuine was already sitting and having his breakfast of bread and milk. He looked at Judah and waved his hands.

“Oh, what happened?”

“I got up early.”

As he naturally joined him, he asked Judah to ask the clerk for a salad. When he ate greasy food last night, his stomach was full. Judah looked around, watching the Count munch on his soft bread.

As if unaware that he was Count Genuine, the nearby nobles only paid attention to their food and had no interest in others. Soon, a salad and a glass of water were served for Judah. The clerk left a comment telling him to enjoy his meal before retreating after Judah took a fork.

“Don’t you wish to have breakfast with your party? Why did you come down without them?”

Judah, chewing crispy, fresh lettuce, laughed lightly at the Count’s question.

“I thought they would take a long time to get ready, so I came down first. But what about you? Why are you eating without your daughter?”

“Unfortunately, my daughter went to the tournament first. She said she had to go and relax. Really. It would be nice to have a meal with her father for a day or so.”

He tore the bread in lament. His child was a girl who wanted to become a knight despite coming from a family of mages, so even if he tried to teach her his ways, she would have only been able to practice for the possibility of fighting against a mage.

“Is it not good to be passionate about it?”

“Woohoo. That’s not true. That’s why I’m cheering for her today. I’ve already booked a good seat at the venue where my daughter participates. I don’t know if the participating beginners for Green Flagstaff will be any fun…”

“They’ll be fighting with wooden swords or something, right?”

“Huh? Of course. However, they have to fight using the weapons provided there. They provide decent equipment for evaluating skills. Armor is optional. You can wear it or not.”

“Oh, that’s not bad.”

“Well, it’s not that bad. If they used sharp weapons, blood would be shed. And if you’re unlucky, you can die.”

“You’ve got your daughter out for such a dangerous contest.”

“What can I do? She said she wanted to go. If she started with the equipment, she brought… Whoo. My daughter’s victory would be solid.”

Was he thinking of putting magic on his daughter’s equipment? Judah didn’t say anything about it, but he just noticed what he was thinking. After having their quick chat, Jeanne and Arhil came down from the upper floor. He saw them coming down and left a word to the Count that had to wash up and will come down soon. Judah washed down as quickly as he could and came back down. As soon as their meal was over, the Count, Judah, and his companions went out.

“Wow, there are so many people.”

After arriving, they were swept away by the crowd and almost lost his party. Arhil followed behind, holding Jeanne’s hand tightly. Judah glanced over to see them, smiling at the sight, as he chatted with the Count.

When Aslan’s Flagstaff competition became famous, what started in one venue grew beyond ten venues. Some of them were very large and colorful that opened only during certain Flagstaff competitions. However, this didn’t mean that the building for the Green Flagstaff had been less cared for.

A huge circular structure that of a colosseum towered in the distance and crowds swarmed through its dozen doors. The spot booked by the Count was a place where you could sit at a table and watch while eating something, like a private room in an amphitheater.

“How is it? Is it okay?”

He opened his arms wide and laughed heartily. Arhil cheered for not having to join people, and Jeanne couldn’t hide her awe for being able to see the games up close. They never thought that Judah could ever book a seat this good.

‘This is the power of being a nobility of Urun.’

Even if it were just the Green Flagstaff, to rent a spot like this would be no joke. Thanks to him, they were grateful to see it comfortably. As they sat, they were brought drinks and snacks to eat. Not long after coming in, all of the spectators sat down, and a person presumed to be the moderator appeared at the center of the venue. He wore heavy black armor.

-Thank you to all participants of Aslan’s Green Flagstaff! I am Gino, and I am your mediator for the games, and with me are the ‘Loa’.

He announced, sending the watchers into a cheer without the need for special magical effects. People roared in anticipation for the competition, then focused on his voice.

-You don’t need to remember my name. It’s a common name, and it doesn’t matter in this contest. What you need to remember is the young people who will stand on this stage and prove their skills, not me. They need to make a bloody effort for this Green Flagstaff, which they could only participate in once in their lives. Otherwise, they would fall and met their doom here.

He didn’t make a long speech. Short and concise, that was all he said. He ended the announcement and immediately called the participants of the first contest. In the large stage, eight groups of two people would duel at once. Seven additional knights, including those who introduced themselves as loa, stepped in to moderate the situation.

“It’s starting.”

“If they drag this on, it will do no good. I’m still skeptical. In the case of the Black and Golden Flagstaff, duels are exhilarating right off the bat. Fun, if I were to put it.”

The Count muttered, stroking his chin. Judah also agreed with that. What surprised them were the sharp weapons they used in this duel. They could hurt themselves and even lose their life with those blades.

Judah watched the duel commence, shaking the glass of drink in his grasp. After greeting the other, the participants braced their weapons. Their sword glinted at the sunlight, and soon, they began their duel.

If this were the game, it wouldn’t take long, and he could see the combos they did while activating their skills, but unfortunately, for now, not many people had talents, and they battled with pure brawn. In the middle of their duel, blood began to scatter while the audience just watched in anticipation.

‘Is this supposed to be fun?’

But Judah couldn’t hide his disappointment when he saw the skills of the Green Flagstaff participants. It was an easy difficulty for the player to win, but wasn’t this a bit severe? No one could participate under the age of 20, but they were still young, and some of them were afraid of getting hurt, cowering despite their suit of armor. Judah thought as he watched the eight groups of duellers.

The Count did the same, holding his chin in disappointment. Judah sighed, boredom beginning to grow. It was Arhil and Jeanne who stared at the edge of their toes in interest. They stood in front of a railing installed for safety, looking down, exchanging opinions, and observing each battle.

When the five duels were in progress, the bored Count got up from his seat, his eyes twinkling, tapping Judah’s shoulder.

“Look, there. There’s my daughter out there. Haha!”

He smiled brightly as he looked on. He thought he would wave his hand as he spotted his daughter, but he didn’t, watching with his arms crossed.

‘Hmm?’

Judah had never seen his daughter before. Their timing never met, and he never saw her glimpse on the hotel, whether it was day or night. He wondered if the Count was lying to him.

In the area that the Count was looking at, there was a girl with a two-handed sword wearing armor for her chest. She looked a little mature to be a young child, but at the same time, she was looked young to be an adult.

‘… at first glance, she must be 19 years old, but she might just look young.’

The host immediately initiated her duel, and the girl bowed her head, grasped her sword, and ran at her opponent without hesitation. She looked skinny on the surface, but she lifted her blade with ease and struck at her opponent, showing how high her strength was. Her opponent stepped back, watched as the girl’s greatsword hit the ground, and then moved closer again. The girl wasn’t alarmed. Rather than retrieving her sword, she approached her opponent and smashed their abdomen with the handle of her great sword. The opponent had no armor, so he slumped into place and grabbed his abdomen. In a duel that ended in a flash, the host immediately declared her victory to the girl.

“Excellent, Sarah!”

The Count hollered as if he had endured it until now. The girl in the arena flinched and turned her gaze to their side. She evaded her gaze, blushing in shame.