novelThe Selection for a Guardian Knight
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Chapter 85: The Selection for a Guardian Knight
"Alright, since your elder sister's not at home, then I'll come visit another day. Please accept this present of mine, this is just a little token of my sincerity."
Yesterday, we spent half of the night forcing Clint at sword's point to remove all of the traps and explosives that he had set. The other half, we used physical force to subdue him before he temporarily gave up on his objective.
I didn't sleep well that night after all the ruckus those fellows caused. Even so, I went out by myself before sunrise.
Un, since those fellows aren't reliable, I better quickly look for some reliable ones. I browse through the 'history' of Auland Capital to double check that the few I am looking for are currently in the capital. But, at this point, they have all yet to mature despite being future experts.
This time, in order to make sure that the ones I choose are normal people, I even bore with the pain and struck off a few names. The rest of them, regardless of them reputation, strength or character, they are all respectable future heroes
However, what surprised me was that despite visiting 2 of their houses early in the morning, they weren't at home. For the 3rd trip, I found the home of 'Rain Swallow Sword' Svina di Nelson but I was told that she has also left early in the morning.
I was a little surprised. Where could a female swordsman like Svina head to so early in the morning?
"Little brother, can you tell me where your elder sister went to?"
If the first time is a coincidence, then three times surely cannot pass off as so. When I questioned the family members of the first two where they went, they tried to brush off my question. But now, since the other party is a little kid who is easy to coax, I won't let off such an easy target.
"Big Sister told me not to say... Big Sister went to attend a Guardian Knight Selection for a foreign Princess."
Alright, as expected of a small kid (rascal). The lollipop and toy I prepared for the little brother Svina loves immediately caused him to forget his big sister's commands.
"Guardian Knight? Princess? Svina is a female, why would she join such an event?"
I couldn't help but chuckle. However, when I remembered what the walk through wrote about the life of this female hero, I could understand why.
'Rain Swallow Sword' Svina, a descendant of a high noble of Auland Empire. After her family fell when she was still young, the wish of the female swordsman had been to bring her family back to its former glory. She once disguised as a male and joined the military in hope to rise through the ranks. However, when her identity was exposed, she was expelled from the Flying Dragon Knight Order which she commanded. From then on, she started to tread on a lonely road.
Clearly, this elder sister is trying to accomplish her prior goals in history, thus disguising as a male to join the Guardian Knight Selection for a foreign Princess. After all, as long as she is able to become the Guardian Knight of the foreign Princess, she is able to rid herself of her identity as peasant, thus taking a big step forward for the resuscitation for her family.
"Wait, Guardian Knight Selection? Foreign Princess? Little Tiago, which country did that foreign Princess come from, do you know it?"
"Un... Seems to be something Mist I think..."
In an instant, realisation struck me. The raging emotions that boils in my chest caused me to be unable to perceive his remaining words.
"Darsos! You dare!"
———
"Rage? Helplessness? Fear? Despair?"
Reyne could no longer use words to describe her own emotions. The bustling Auland Royal Sparring Field in front of her and the cheers of the innumerable audiences made her fall into a desperate situation.
"Congratulations, your respected highness Reyne. Your well-known beauty has even surpassed the boundaries of the Astor Mountains. Look, the youths who came today are not bad. You should be able to find a Guardian Knight whom you are satisfied with."
"Guardian Knight? For my husband to be chosen by you Aulanders, how dare you!"
Her furious roar regurgitates in her throat before being swallowed back in. The reason why this Guardian Knight Selection was shoved so suddenly into her face is so as to not give her time to react. If she were to make use of this opportunity to say 'I didn't agree on this' 'I won't acknowledge the Guardian Knight from this selection', the other party would make use of this opportunity to turn it into a diplomatic issue, turning it into the trigger needed to start a war.
Looking at the bright smiles on the faces of the diplomats from other countries, their gazes of sympathy, helplessness and envy, Reyne knew that it was meaningless to ask them for help.
There were all sorts of emotions on their faces except for surprise. Apparently, they had all gotten the notice in advance but as the person involved in this selection, she only got the news 2 hours ago.
Who knew what the Auland Empire offered them? The alliance that they had agreed on just yesterday had crumbled today as they offered her as a sacrifice without any hesitation. Reyne was enraged, but there wasn't anyone for her to vent it on.
She knows that in a social event, lashing out would only make others question and underestimate her and her homeland while tears is only a sign of immaturity and weakness.
"Is this the relationship between countries that teacher talked about? The bloody survival of the fittest? Those arrogant Aulanders! One day, you will all pay the price. The true King of Winter Wolves will crush your throats."
The only thing she could do is to try her best to squeeze a smile and engrave the hateful face of everyone else into the depths of her heart.
The King of Winter Wolves Darsos stares playfully into the face of this little lady. 14 years old, it's an age where those from rich noble families are still fooling about. But, the little lady in front of him grinded her teeth and tried to suppress her emotions, apparently well-aware of what is going on.
Facing such humiliation at a young age, being pulled into a situation which might bring unhappiness for life, it is rare for one to be able to keep their calm. However, as his opponent, as a stepping stone for his own ambitions, she is still too young. The rumor about her equalling to the might of thousands should just be propaganda.
"Cheers to the great alliance that we are about to forge! Cheers to the valiant youths of the Auland Empire! Cheers to our charming Princess Reyne!"
As the Emperor raises his cup, the other nobles happily raises their golden cups of red wines along with him. The only who is not fitting in with the crowd is the Princess who was being showered with blessings. She stares coldly at them, like a wolf staring at her prey from higher grounds.
Remembering this hatred and insult to exact vengeance in the future is the only thing she could do now.
"Pardon me, allow me to touch up on my make up."
But in the end, she is just a 14 year old girl. Anger, despair and the feeling of being wronged made her eyes turn red. Unwilling to shed tears in front of her enemies, she used the reason of touching up on her make up to leave temporarily.
The moment she walks down from her pedestal, following Darsos's eye signal, 2 well-built guards follows her.
The star of the show today is Reyne and the issue with the Guardian Knight has to be fixed on the spot today. Darsos won't allow any mishap to happen, so it is impossible for him to allow her to escape.
Soon, with one of them standing guard outside the toilet, the other ran back to report. Darsos nods his head and turns his attention back to the performance below.
In Darsos's point of view, he doesn't think that he has mistreated the young Princess. The contestants below are all small nobles and elites of the Auland Empire and he was also making use of this opportunity to find talents for him to use.
Of course, the high nobles and members of royalty won't attend such a selection. While they are able to gain prestige and standing from a foreign Princess, it will also distance them away from the center of authority in Auland.
Following the traditional practices of Guardian Knight Selections, this is a sparring contest. In order to woo their beloved ladies of nobility, the young Knights display their knight chivalry and their outstanding martial arts. As long as they show sufficient capabilities, even those who lose will be respected by the crowd.
The two Legends prepared by the 'official side', after confirming that there are no 'dark horse' that would threaten this selection, resigned readily from the competition. After all, the 2 Legend uncles aren't young anymore, so bullying the lady like this would be going too far.
The battle has already proceeded into the semifinals. At this point, all of the remaining Warriors are at least Gold-rank and the Rain Swallow Sword Svina is one of them.
The future Emperor of Auland Empire sips his cup while enjoying the love of his people. Suddenly, looking at the fierce and powerful swordsman who was like the storm, he frowns and calls for his servant, whispering some words into his ear.
While the dignitaries of the Auland Empire were satisfied by this performance, no one's thoughts were on the foreign Princess whose present situation was like a meat laid on a chopping board.
At this moment, in the VIP dressing room, in the dressing mirror, an image of a tear-stained young lady whimpering silently could be seen.
After all, she is only 14 years old. Just a year ago, she was still a carefree Princess but now, the cruel war of politics were all forced onto her young shoulders. One wrong step could very well cause the downfall of her country. Thinking about her kin and her people back in her homeland who trust her, thinking about the humiliation she is about to face, she couldn't stop the tears from streaming down.
"Father, Big Sister Kelly, I'm really not qualified to be a princess..."
"Then, do you want strength? Strength that can change your fate."
Suddenly, a voice seems to echo in the room from nowhere. The warm voices that reaches into her soul made Reyne instinctively trust it, as though it was the voice from the gods and her ancestors.
"Yes, as long as I can change everything, even if I have to pay everything, including my soul, I am willing... Who are you! What did you do to me!"
Alright, the Persuasion Spell was broken. I received her answer but I shake my head in response to it instead.
"Sigh, it must be Karwenz's descendant, you are really too dumb. To give your bottom line at the start of the deal when you haven't even seen the other party's trump card yet. To be willing to give everything including your soul, any Devil that comes by would be able to rob you of everything. You failed."
"You... Who are you!"
The Isolation Barrier made sure that her voice didn't escape. Before the young lady lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was a face identical to hers and a somehow familiar voice.
"Sleep for awhile. This burden is indeed too heavy for you to bear. Allow me to share your weight. But, your result for this pop quiz is 0 points. Youngster, remember to work hard for your retest."
————-
The Guardian Knight Selection has finally reached its final phase. The two remaining contestants are outstanding young Knights.
The tall and well-built Carter is the team leader of Auland Empire's Flying Dragon Knight Order. Despite being just 27, through his outstanding martial arts and his Myth-class Hammer 'Beastman Grinder', he swept his way through the competition and is now standing on the stage of the finals.
His enemy is that young nameless swordsman. That swordsman is the kind of enemy he hates the most, an agility-type swordsman. After realising that the handsome feminine lad's fighting abilities is even above that of his, Carter was initially very worried. However, at this moment, the sudden arrival of joyous news made him overjoyed.
As expected, the moment they started fighting, the swordsman fought extremely carefully.
"You still hope to be a Guardian Knight despite being a girl? Are you sure you have the abilities to?"
Yes, the news that he got is that his opponent in the finals is actually a girl. If the Guardian Knight turns out to be a girl, than the Auland Empire's scheme would naturally turn out to be laughably for naught.
Females can't bear offspring with another female. If so, wouldn't they be just freely giving a knight away to the other party?
After being warned, Svina can only grind her teeth at the mocking laughter of her opponent. When she received a secret message from the servant of the royal family, she thought that it was a recruitment notice, so she extremely ecstatic. However, she didn't expect that her identity has been exposed and she was strictly warned to not claim the championship of this duel.
She wants to win, and she has the confidence to do so as well. But, to disobey the will of the Emperor of the Auland Empire? Is she sick of living?
In the end, before the final match even began, the ending was already pre-determined.
On the pedestal, the 'Princess Reyne' who finished touching up her make up returns.
It is still the same face along with the same battle skirt. Just that, this time, her aura seems slightly different.
If her previous face, which was on the verge of crying, reminded others of a hatchling, then the current Princess Reyne, who smile as she walk with steady steps along with the natural confidence and pride she exuded makes one think of an eagle scouting its prey.
"My apologies to keep you all waiting."
"It's fine, it's fine." Somehow, when those smiling eyes were directed towards them, the few leaders of the small countries who just abandoned their alliance felt a little guilty.
In just 5 short minutes, she seemed to have turned into a different person. Even Darsos is surprised.
"Ahhhhh, that swordsman is actually a female!"
"How could a female join the competition?"
"The winner, Carter Dias!"
At this moment, the victor below has emerged. The hesitant Svina got hit heavily on her shoulders and her hair which was bound tightly together bursts out. As her identity is exposed, she naturally lost the opportunity to vie for the championship.
The 2-meter tall Carter carries his hammer and signals to the pedestal, his actions bearing a striking resemblance to a giant ape receiving a prize. There are already people who are discussing about the pairing of the wild beast and a girl.
But, Princess Reyne simply smiles.
"Since you will be my Guardian Knight, then you should be at least stronger than me. Can I spar with you personally?"
"How can we dirty the hands of your highness? Your highness is more suited to be doing embroidery in the warm interiors of your palace. It is better to leave the crude job of leading soldiers to war to men."
Darsos laughs but his words were sharp. He is sarcastically hinting that the other party is only suited to be a kind wife and a good mother. Even though he has thought of Reyne's battle records as a propaganda, but how could he give the other party an opportunity to overturn the situation at a time like this.
"Just a single blow will suffice. I just want to see if he is as sturdy as he looks on the outside. If he is useless on the inside, then wouldn't I be making a loss?"
The young lady sticks out her tongue, a gesture which is unspeakably cute. However, along with the words that doesn't fit her previous image, it caused uproar within the crowd.
But, since Princess Reyne has went this far, it would make it seem as though the Auland Empire is petty if they do not give in. Thus, Darsos nods his head.
Afterwards, his servants start to announce with a loud voice.
"Right now, my warriors, Knight Carter will face another challenge. Our respected Princess Reyne will personally try his strength. To prevent our strong Knight from injuring the cute Princess, this test would require Carter to receive 3 blows from our Princess. If Knight Carter is able to withstand them, then our new Guardian Knight would be born!"
Alright, this servant obviously understands the meaning of his lord. He made it sound as though that Princess Reyne insisted on stepping on the battlegrounds and that they had to reluctantly agree to it. The original 1 strike turning into 3 blows may sound generous, but there isn't much of a difference to it. It is actually a type of arrogance and confidence.
As for the final part about 'new Guardian Knight would be born', he is trying to reaffirm things so that there would be nowhere for Reyne to retreat to.
"Good job, Carter!"
"Princess Reyne, please go easy on him! Hahaha!"
Mocking laughter and racket fills the entire arena and everyone views the 'trial of 3 blows' as a joke. Even Carter himself couldn't help but nod while smiling foolishly, as though the Princess have already agreed to marry him.
But, Reyne simply laughs.
"It is a pity that I didn't bring any weapon. Your majesty, can I borrow a sword to use?"
"Of course, as long as you are able to use it."
Darsos hands over his own personal sword with malicious intentions. That blood-colored legendary sword is well-known to be aloof and bows to no one. He's waiting for Reyne to make a fool out of herself.
【Demon Sword: The Scarlet Conqueror】 As the personal sword of the Emperor of Auland Empire, it is a Legend-class equipment. It only submits to true conquerors, the weak won't even get a chance to come into contact with it. If they were to force themselves to use it, they would only become a blood slave for the demon sword.
There are already a few unlucky fellows who have had their blood sucked by the demon sword. The few Aulanders who knew about the secret of the sword were waiting to watch the Princess make a joke out of herself.
"Your majesty, thanks for your kindness. Ah, such a feisty little fellow. But, a good kid has to listen obediently to instructions."
However, the scream and the tossing away of the sword that they expected didn't happen. Instead, in that slim arms, the red demon sword seemed to glow even brighter. In the next moment, all of the light seems to gather back within the sword, the blood light gathering on the blade of the sword to prepare to battle. It seems to be even more obedient than a pet dog facing its own owner.
As the sword's owner, Darsos couldn't believe what he just saw. He has never seen the demon sword act so humble. The Scarlet Conqueror only respects ambitious dictators. Could it be that in the eyes of this sword, this little girl is an even greater conqueror than him?
Feeling that something is amiss, Darsos wanted to stop her but it was too late.
Reyne didn't walk down the stairs that lead to the sparring field. Instead, she walks to the corner of the watch stand and raises her head to look at the blue sky.
"How many years have it been? The Mist Bloodline has been guarding the borders of the human world through the fresh blood and life of countless of its tribesman, but all it received was the enmity and suspicion of others."
Reyne steps on the border of the stand, causing a commotion in her surroundings. Worried that she was about to commit suicide, the servants have all rushed up. However, light so dense as though it was tangible appears from her back, making them unable to get near to her.
"How many times has it been? Those bloody wounds have yet to heal and the new despicable traitors are stacking new wounds on top of the old, the sacred alliance ripped apart as though it was waste paper.
A pleasant voice echoes from the stand. Despite it being simply normal words, there seems to be magic to it. Wherever those clear eyes gaze at, traitors feel as though they were being interrogated in hell by their conscience.
"All of you, you all wish to know of the secret of the Mist Royalty? Fine, let me tell you all. The Mist Royalty possesses the powers of God. God's Blessing: War Angel Form!"
Reyne jumps off from the stand. The light that bursts forth from her back forges a pair of tangible wings. Flying in mid-air, under the stare of everyone else, she is surrounded by endless radiance and successfully turns from a mortal into a War Angel.
Different from the new generation of Angels who serve as God Envoys, this ancient War Angel is a personal creation by the Goddess of Order, it is the vanguard in the crusade against the Malevolent Gods of Chaos, the king of the entire Angel tribe.
The golden wings represent the endless Power of Order while the burning sacred flames represent judgement and punishment. The golden marks that extends throughout the entire body is the engravings of the Rules of the World. In the far away ancient times, the only opponent for a War Angel is the stronger Malevolent Gods or Demon Lords.
As the golden wings unfurl, the flames on her head burn furiously and the sacred and pure inferno seems to merge together with the blood light of the demon sword. With a flap of her wings, the War Angel Reyne appears on the space above Carter.
"My Guardian Knight? Laughable mortals, do you admit your sin?"
"I, I, I..."
Facing an interrogation by a War Angel, Carter starts to waver.
The repeated teachings of several Churches have carved the image of Angels as the oracles of the Order Gods deeply into the mind of mortals. There are already very few oracles of true Gods in the world and now, a mortal actually dares to tries to vie for the adoration of an angel. Is this not a crime?
Alright, he doesn't have to say anymore. 'I', Reyne didn't even wait for him reply before bringing down the blood-colored inferno sword on him.
"Clang!"
What was unbelievable is that Carter actually managed to bring up his hammer to block this sword. The 2 weapons met each other and sparks flew about.
"I managed to block it, I actually managed to take it... Why aren't you all cheering for me! I am the victor, just two more swords, I will be able to wed the Princess."
But soon, he understood why.
Indeed, he managed to block the blow but the sacred flames on it followed the weapon and turned him into a human torch.
He didn't even manage to scream out before he was reduced to ashes. The newly-appointed Guardian Knight was destroyed with just a hit from the person he was going to swear loyalty to, not to mention how pathetic his death was. In an instant, the giant sparring field turned silent and cold.
"Hmph, one who doesn't know his place. A toad craving the meat of a swan."
Maintaining the War Angel Form really saps a ton of power. Within just 10 seconds, all of Reyne's stamina and Power of Order was squeezed dry. As she withdraw her wings back, Reyne turns back into a mortal.
"Pah pah pah!" What followed was Darsos's applause and frenzied laughter.
"Hahaha, indeed, he doesn't know his place. How can a normal man be worthy to serve as your Guardian Knight."
Darsos walks closer and suddenly kneels with one leg in front of me.
"Then, the beautiful Princess Reyne, Can I, the Emperor of Auland Empire, Darsos. Menon, be granted the honor to be your Guardian Knight?"
"What?"
This is equal to proposing on the spot. Furthermore, this is the Emperor who is known in the country to be uninterested in the charms of a female. In an instant, the field broke out in a commotion, filled with discussions and cheering.
But, I knit my eyebrow together. Un, me, not Reyne. The true Reyne has been long thrown to Diana. From the moment when Reyne returned from the washroom, it has been my show. Even more so, the War Angel Form is my race talent. Right now, everything that has occurred is within my expectation with the exception of Darsos's confession.
"A confession from a male to another, disgusting."
But at this moment, there is an urgent need for me to consider it seriously. The proposal of an Emperor involves the pride of his country. If I don't settle it properly, it might lead to the start of a war. Since rejecting him outright or accepting him are not plausible solutions, then I can only settle it my way.
"Impossible."
"Why! As long as you are willing to accept me, I can even give you half of my Empire as betrothal gift. You can become the Queen of Auland Empire. With the both of us working together, we can obtain everything in the world. Isn't this much better than suffering in the cold in hunger by the cold borders?"
After being rejected, Darsos lashes out like a furious lion, questioning me angrily.
"We are impossible from the start. I swear with in the name of Holy Light that I am uninterested in man, I only like woman."
Alright, the sparring field which was still bustling a moment ago turned cold. Their Emperor, who just proposed in public, was rejected in an incomparably miserable way.
For a Divine Job like a Holy Knight, the vow that they make using the name of the origin of their power must be true, otherwise fooling the true Gods would cause them to be stripped of the power that God granted them.
As seen from the vigorous Holy Light around her, she isn't lying. She really likes females.
At this moment, I walked straight to the final person on the stage, Svina, who lost due to her identity as female being exposed.
"I thank the Auland Empire for holding this Guardian Knight Selection for me, allowing me the opportunity to meet such a cute Knight. Un, she will do."
Lowering my head, I kiss the forehead of the girl who had been scared silly, thus completing the final part of the ritual of a Guardian Knight.
"A Knight and a Princess falling in love at first sight. A beautiful tale has been created. Congratulations, congratulations."
Thousand years later, history would be recorded as such. Reyne Qin Mist, or better known as the Lily Princess, despite being a female, has a Lily Back Palace with hundreds of concubines. Svina di Nelson would be recorded as the first Knight of the Lily Princess, as well as the first concubine she personally chose — The story above is completely fabricated, if there is any similarities, it is due to coincidence.
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