Shadowless Night

“The knight commander told me I should never do my best.”

“… Sir Starz is very wise. I understand.”

The two moved a few steps apart. The host trembled between the two participants throughout the conversation, then suddenly came to his senses.

Dong, dong, dong: the bell rang three times, but there was no clash. A gust of wind raised only dust. Martin and Rosaline stood in heavy silence. Everyone just swallowed their saliva.

Rosaline lowered her stance. Before her hit land, Martin read her momentum and defended himself by holding his sword across his body. Clang! A clear, high-pitched sound rang out. Martin’s body, blocking Rosaline’s sword, flew into the air. The force of his flight was as if a giant beast had rammed into him.

Martin saw tiny shavings of his sword float and catch the light. Everything around him looked slow, and only his own figure quickly moved as if it existed at a different time.

Draggg. Martin’s boots dug into the floor. He quickly slammed his sword into the ground to prevent being pushed out of the arena. He stopped one step away from the edge of the stage. Martin’s experience paid off.

Fortunately, he hadn’t lost his sword, but his hands and sword still trembled in shock. Is this Sir Rosaline’s strength? It’s great. It’s awesome! Martin laughed. He rushed toward the great knight like an arrow, and Rosaline stepped forward as well. 

Clang!

It was their second clash. Martin swung his sword at her several times during that short time. He was quick. Even Rosaline rated his speed favorably. So this was the peak skill of humans.

Left, right; her waist, her heart, her leg. Martin tried to slash at the points where the thick veins lay, but none of his attacks grazed her.

The longest an opponent ever endured against her was 45 seconds, and Martin had just exceeded that time. The battle lasted longer than expected. Part of it was because she didn’t forget Starz’s warning to fight moderately, but their dance of swords this time was genuinely enjoyable. Martin seemed to feel the same way.

The quality of his muscles was excellent, and his physique was not too large, so his swordsmanship was swift. Also, with the advantage of a man’s strength, every strike was not light. Rosaline wasn’t competing at her best; she fought like she was sparring with her apprentice knights, so she was not overbearing. However, she was a little excited and smiled brightly.

At that moment, Martin’s body stiffened. Rosaline didn’t miss that moment, and she breached his defenses, rushing inside the gap between the swords and Martin’s arm. His eyes widened. Rosaline saw her reflection inside them and put her sword to his throat. It all happened in an instant.

“Do you surrender?”  

Martin’s sweat dripped down. He could see the heat rising from his body after only fighting for less than five minutes. Martin grinned. 

“Will you cut me some slack? I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.”

Oh, what an unexpected reaction. Usually, my opponents say that they’ve lost.

“All right.” Rosaline nodded and moved away again. The host began to announce the winner but hurriedly shut his mouth. Huh? Don’t they usually admit defeat at this point? How should I deal with the current situation where they ask each other to take care of the other before preparing for the second game? The spectators were also in an uproar.

The two started clashing swords again. The crowd couldn’t erase their bewilderment, but soon the audience became immersed in the game.

Martin asked her to go easy several times, and Rosaline accepted the request several times. They practiced hand-to-hand combat and even held running matches and arm wrestling duels in the arena. The host’s face was worth seeing. As there was no rule against arm wrestling, he couldn’t stop it.

The grand finale winner: Sir Rosaline (of the Knights of the White Night)

Battle duration: 1 hour 13 minutes 29 seconds (Sir Martin surrenders due to muscle cramps after leg wrestling)

***

Ricardis glanced at the Emperor’s face as he sat next to him. The Emperor’s expression as he witnessed the unprecedentedly strange grand finale match… wasn’t as bad as he thought.

“What a pity. Sir Martin couldn’t hold out any longer in the leg wrestling.”

It wasn’t a bad reaction, and he looked like he enjoyed himself immensely. Ricardis smiled and agreed with the Emperor’s words.

“Considering Sir Rosaline strengthens her body using magic, Sir Martin is amazing. As expected of Your Majesty’s escort.”

Seeing the Emperor laughing happily, Ricardis secretly let out a sigh of relief. The deputy commander of the Frostlance appeared in the martial arts competition…

The Frostlance group was no different from the Emperor’s limbs. With Rosaline’s victory, there was a possibility the Emperor would have been greatly displeased. Fortunately, the situation did not turn for the worst because the match proceeded bizarrely.

Even Ricardis and Elpidio had watched the game in awe — their hands becoming sweaty as the competitors contended in various races.

“How could they have such a match when everybody is gathered and watching? It will diminish the authority of the Imperial family.” 

Elpidio quickly came to his senses and began to attack, touching the Emperor’s most sensitive spot.

“Haha, you’re making such a huge leap, Brother. It is inconceivable that just two knights could shake the authority of the Illavenia Empire. Look. A lot of people still chant the name of Sir Martin. Furthermore, there are frequent cases where participants in martial arts competitions get on bad terms with each other, but those two built a friendship through swords and sweat. Wasn’t it a match suitable for growing the excitement of the Founding Day Festival, Your Majesty?”

“Yes, yes. It’s fine since everyone’s enjoying it.”

Elpidio glared at Ricardis as if saying he was spouting nonsense. He looked like he wanted to insult him by saying his words were hot air. Ricardis merely grinned, and Elpidio’s face twisted further.

The sight of Elpidio and Ricardis fighting each other was not unfamiliar, so the other princes and princesses didn’t even care.

Diech chatted with the young princesses. 

‘How many more push-ups can Sir Rosaline do, Brother? Can she do a hundred? Oh, really? That’s amazing. Can she give me a ride on her shoulders? I’ve gotten heavier these days. Sir Rosaline is strong, isn’t she?’ 

The words they shared were charming and cute. Ricardis unknowingly smiled.

Servants busily cleared the arena. Soon it was the Emperor’s turn to congratulate the winner.

“I am deeply moved, Your Majesty. The knights of the Imperial family frequently win, but this time it seems the victory is even more momentous. The one with the power of Crean Tidanion won, but she is a Radwiell. A faithful knight of Illavenia and His Majesty the Emperor.”

Making nonsense and undisguised flattery sound very sincere was one of Ricardis’s great talents. As Chloe always said, his success comes from the appeal of his face.

The Emperor seemed completely enamored by Ricardis’ words.

“By embracing mages, has Your Majesty’s mercy reached the heavens? What a great achievement that all people will praise and respect.”

The Emperor raised his cup with a moved face. Ricardis also smiled and raised his glass after him. Clink! The sound of the glasses ringing was clear and pleasant. When he turned around, Laheansi was covering his mouth with a frown. Lahe, you have an excellent stomach… [Note: Laheansi feels nauseous from hearing Ricardis’ nonsense praise] It seemed he was barely holding back what he wanted to say. While the Emperor was not looking, Ricardis plucked a green grape and threw it at him. Laheansi skillfully caught it and ate it.

According to the original schedule, only the Emperor had to go down to the arena, but perhaps because he was overly satisfied, Ricardis accompanied him. The laughter was loud as they passed several corridors lit by torches. As they entered the open space, sunlight flooded and dazzled their eyes. The Emperor walked past the soldiers and the Knights of the Frostlance lined up on either side and approached Rosaline in the center of the arena.

Rosaline got down on one knee and bowed her head. Following her, everyone in the audience rose from their seats and knelt. Silence reigned over the arena.

The Emperor had appeared. The one closest to the sky. Ruler of Illavenia. Master of the continent. No one could lift their head without the Emperor’s permission, even if they had to bow for an hour or a day.

The Emperor’s eyes changed in their silent worship. He felt a burning desire.

He ate the best, wore the best, and had the highest power to control people’s lives with a single word, yet he did not know how to be satisfied. He was always thirsty. That insatiable thirst was the driving force that made him Emperor. However, Emperor Laino was not strange. His dark desire to stand above all others was part of the inheritance that came with the beautiful throne.

From Ricardis’ point of view, he was a half-mad man pretending to be rational. A madman with the noblest pretense sat on the throne, and that madman held all the control. However, wasn’t that conclusion wrong? It might be more reasonable to say that it was not madmen who sat in power— but the seat of power that drove men crazy.

Then, was that throne really the place that shone with the glory of Idelavhim?

“Raise your head.”

Rosaline raised her head at the solemn voice. Ricardis’ expression hardened as she looked over the Emperor. Her face was harsher and sharper than usual. It wasn’t just a matter of the current atmosphere; it was clear that she was nervous. Can she get anxious? That Rosaline?

The Emperor was speechless for a moment, probably surprised by her ferocity. While silence fell for a moment, Rosaline’s eyes turned toward Ricardis. Their eyes met. Ricardis smiled kindly at Rosaline. He thought he should smile because he couldn’t vocally tell her it was okay.