Chapter 88
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“What do you mean by cheating?”
“Don’t you know what spirit the 2nd Prince made a contract with?”
“I know, but…”
Wishit, who raised their eyebrows, added, “His spirit is Pose. It stops time within a certain range of space.”
“Then are you saying that in the previous life, the 2nd Prince won the championship by using the spirit’s power?”
“Why couldn’t he?”
“But that’s against the rules.”
“…? That’s why I said he cheated.”
“Are you sure?”
“About 99%?”
Wow, that’s too much. No matter how much he was for assassinating his blood relatives without tears to become an emperor, I didn’t expect him to even cheat in a match of knights who value honor.
But his intentions were understandable: the political purpose of reassuring the people who doubted national defense and expanding his presence.
He must have needed the champion title, won with outstanding skills among prominent knights.
“It’s a rule not to use the power of the spirits. How could he not be exposed?”
“It depends on what kind of spirit it is. If the crown prince’s spirit of land uses his abilities in the jousting arena, hundreds of spectators will recognize it without needing to be exposed.”
“I suppose.”
He can’t openly twist the ground in the stadium or make it rise.
However, the 2nd Prince’s situation was different. If time in the arena was stopped, and the spear’s trajectory was arbitrarily modified before time flowed again…
“Huh, so there was a reason he didn’t get hit even once.”
“Yes. Never got hit once when he must compete more than ten times with different opponents? That’s strange. I don’t know about the crown prince, but the 2nd Prince isn’t even famous for his martial arts.”
“Then does the crown prince have to lose even though we know he’s cheating? Is there any way?”
“The crown prince must have given up neatly and replied to you like that because there’s no other way, right?”
“Aah! Then…” I realized this while re-reading Lark’s letter. “He knows that the 2nd Prince cheats. It seems like it’s happened a few times.”
“I guess so.”
“Wow, that’s unfair. This isn’t right.”
It was an official event of the Great Empire, a jousting match between honorable knights on top of that. And someone wanted to cheat?
“How about sealing the power of the spirits? Why, isn’t the Tower of Silence equipped with the control stone to seal the spirits’ power?”
“That control stone is only ever used to build the Tower of Silence…”
“What?”
“The Spirit King made it, but it hasn’t reappeared since the first contractor died.”
“Ugh.”
They were obviously talking about the Spirit King, but I clicked my tongue, staring at Wishit as if they were pathetic.
“Wow, that damn Spirit King is so useless; the only great thing about them is their name.”
“Cough!” Wishit avoided my eyes and added, “It’ll be even more difficult with the control stone. The imperial tournament is always held in the arena under the protection of the guardian spirit so as not to cause any casualties. With the control stone, you won’t receive divine protection.”
“I suppose.”
“The great emperor is Guardian’s contractor.”
“Sure.”
A shield that cannot be penetrated by anything. Due to the protection of the guardian, the highest level of spirit in the defense line, the participants could play more freely from the threat of death.
If it were a match where one could accidentally kill one’s opponent, the 2nd Prince would not miss the opportunity, so this was beneficial for Lark.
“Then.” I got depressed for no reason and fell face down on my desk. “You’re saying we have to watch the 2nd Prince win by cheating…”
“It can’t be helped.”
“Wait for a sec!” I woke up with a momentary flash of thought. “I just got a good idea!”
“What?”
“All spirits have limits. Some spirits must wait for a cooldown before using their abilities again.”
This was the case with Guardian, the spirit of the current Emperor Descarde XI.
“There must be other restrictions, like a certain spirit who’s restricted to only use their power three times!” As I spoke while looking at Wishit, they grunted and pouted.
I picked up the pen I had put down and continued speaking with a smile, “Even if the 2nd Prince stopped time, it would only be a certain range of space. It means that time will continue to flow beyond his power.”
“Well, what are you thinking?”
“Try borrowing the power of the 3rd Princess.”
“… The 3rd Princess? What can she do?”
I didn’t answer and wrote excitedly. It was a reply to Lark.
[Your Highness, do as you usually do with confidence. I firmly believe that you will win.
So tell me what you would like to have as a winning prize.]
“How are you going to seek help from the 3rd Princess?”
“Uh-huh, it’s no fun if I tell you in advance.”
“You always keep things to yourself.”
“Fufu…” I rubbed my palms, smiled slyly, and then frowned.
“By the way!”
When I turned, Wishit flinched.
“Why does the future change so drastically? What else did I touch on so that the tournament that should be held in the capital is held in Lubon?”
***
I guess what I touched on was the relationship with Viego…
To my beloved sister
I have good news today. Did you know about the tournament that will be held in June?
The host, Her Highness the 3rd Princess, was contemplating the venue for the event. I remembered the racetrack in Lubon and actively recommended it, and she readily agreed.
Many ladies in the capital are excited about the fun event where the knights show off their martial arts. It’ll be a shame if you’re the only one who misses this good sight.
But now that the venue is Lubon, you can watch the tournament too.
Please hold on a little longer for the rest of the time. Always praying,
Viego
“So it’s my brother.” I haha’ed while reading the letter, but soon my face distorted like a palm flip. “As if it’s not good enough to just eat rice, he has to make a wrap before eating it.”
“I agree.” Wishit nodded.
“He’s usually nice, so what’s wrong with him lately? Have I been coy and asked him to care for me? All I did was scream and tell him not to talk to me.”
Could it be that Viego is a masochist or something like that?
With reasonable doubt, I shook my head.
***
Click, click, click.
The back of a woman was caught with the clear sound of heels. Thanks to the dress design with a one-third cut back, the wing bones on the white skin caught the eye.
The full body of the woman, who was walking slowly, showing her back, was soon caught in a full shot.
A new summer dress from <Blanc de Ruby>.
The translucent frills on the shoulder sleeves flowed like the wings of an angel in a famous painting.
As soon as the woman in the video turned around slowly.
“Oh, my.”
“Whoooa.”
The people staring blankly at the video board gasped as if they had made a promise.
Her fine silver hair was gathered to the left side of her neck, and a white mask covered her face. Her well-dressed body was the only thing that could be identified, which created an overwhelming and unapproachable atmosphere.
Their choice of throne
The woman slowly crossed her legs, sat on a chair decorated with gold and jewels, and rested her chin on the armrest, revealing her white ankles and diamond heels.
Arrogant, haughty, and surprisingly elegant.
Soon after, a male model in a black suit appeared wearing a mask and put a sparkling tiara on her head.
<Blanc de Ruby>
***
Early June, summer slowly ripening.
Since a few days ago, the capital has been noisy as if a typhoon had blown by.
“I had expected a woman, but I didn’t expect her to be that pretty.”
“Oh, Lady Seaton too? We can’t even see her face, so how do you know if she’s pretty or not?”
In the capital’s famous dessert shop.
The ladies of wealthy families were chatting elegantly, tilting their teacups.
“Well, even covered, I think…”
“Hmph, only her figure is okay. Her face must be bad. If she had been confident, she wouldn’t have worn a mask or anything like that.”
99% of the conversations in the capital these days were the same.
“So what if it’s Madame Ruby? Just because she’s become a little famous, her nose has risen so high.”
Four days ago, the CEO of <Blanc de Ruby>, a popular figure, finally removed her veil and appeared directly in a promotional video.
The story of ‘Madame Ruby’.
“No matter how famous she is, wouldn’t she be a commoner since her face isn’t revealed?”
Count Pelkan’s daughter, Nora Pelkan, who was between them, glanced at someone and added, “It’s incomparable to our Princess Lillia, the swan of Diollus.”
Lillia, who was drinking her tea with a calm expression, smiled softly.
Lady Seaton and Lady Valet, who were with her, stared blankly at Lillia, who remained unmoved amidst their chatter.
Clack, said Lillia, who put down the teacup, “I’ve been hearing a lot about the shop’s madame lately.” She smiled like an angel, but her expression looked uncomfortable.
Probably because the voices that praised Lillia, the swan of Diollus, hadn’t been heard lately. These days, wherever she went, it was full of stories about that damned clothing store madame whose identity was unclear.
“Oh, right. Lady Valet, did you get the <Lady of the Month> results from Sir McCauley yesterday?” Nora looked at Lillia and asked hastily.
Lillia has never been robbed of first place since her name was listed on the regular voting hosted by Lady Valet and the imperial knight, Sir McCauley, <Knight of the Month> and <Lady of the Month>.
The results of the June vote would be the same. Only then did Lillia’s uncomfortable expression find peace. Nora was also relieved.
“Ah, yes. But…”
Nora tilted her head and urged, “This time too, our Princess Lillia must have swept all the knights’ votes, right?”
“Hmm.”
Lady Valet, who had been hesitating for a long time, carefully took out a piece of paper containing the voting results from her sleeve. It was a familiar ballot paper with the names of noble ladies on it.
Lillia didn’t even look at the bottom. She always looked from the top where her name always appeared.
2nd place. Lillia Diollus (18 votes)
What? Lillia rubbed her eyes lightly and looked again. But nothing changed.
2nd place…?
“Oh, my God!” Sitting beside her, Nora was stunned and covered her mouth with her hand.
Lillia’s eyes, which continued to blink, turned to someone’s name who had put her name under it.
1st place. Madame Ruby (124 votes)
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