Chapter 111

TL: Zimming

Duke of Vallua nervously tapped the armrest of the chair.

Four days have passed since the preliminary round of the virtual battle. He contacted the church from time to time, but was unable to meet the Cardinal.

The virtual battle, which was secretly supported by the knights from the church, did not even pass the preliminary round, and his son Hayton was humiliated.

In this case, receiving support from the church was no better.

Suddenly, he touched his forehead.

Due to the failure of his device, where put his heart and soul into it, several pillars that kept the family alive have already been blown away.

“Without the help of the church, the family is destroyed.”

If the church turned its back towards them, the Duke of Marche, which had the biggest investment on then would also do the same thing.

Marche was already searching for the Duke of Vallua’s hidden money to recover their money.

However, their hidden money has already been spent.

He even asked for a huge amount of money from his wife’s parents, and even his father-in-law visited his house every time to ask him to pay back the money.

Had it not been funded by the man his wife brought, Lane, who said he was an art dealer, it would be hard to stay alive right away.

“Damn it!”

Just as he was roughly putting down the glass of liquor he was holding,

“Master!”

His lieutenant barged in with an urgent voice.

“What’s going on?”

“Dubbled inquired the Imperial Palace for a knight change. And that’s Captain Zachary!”

The Duke of Vallua narrowed the forehead.

“Why did he…”

“It looks like his aura came out during the preliminary round.”

“Aura?”

The Duke of Vallua clucked his tongue.

Had it emerged a little earlier, Dubbled’s little miss would have messed up the virtual battle.

Since he passed the preliminary verification, there was no problem even if the aura appeared during the match.

The problem is the finals.

The team will undergo a rechecking before the finals. Aura users will be excluded immediately, so in the worst case scenario, only 19 people will qualify.

Rather, it would have been beneficial to replace Zachary quickly.

‘Vallua will be in a good hand.’

“Call Marquis Shuheil. Tell him I’ll hurry up to see him and his son.”

“Yes.”

The purpose of the church is to have the item given to the virtual battle winner, even if they were eliminated in the preliminary round, they wouldn’t be able to speak nonsense after he gets it.

A cold smile came to the mouth of Duke Vallua, who found a way out.

***

A week before the finals, the society was already chattering about it.

It was because rumors have spread that I was putting in another knight, not Zachary, in the virtual battle.

Today was the day I received education from my godmother.

“Cheer up, lady.”

“Yes, you did your best, even if you didn’t win later…”

The friendly ladies who visited me said so. This was the reaction to everyone who met me recently.

I smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Thank you for your concern.”

When I answered politely, godmother laughed.

“You guys should go back. Today I have an appointment with this child.”

“Yes, godmother.”

The ladies greeted her, as they left the mansion. However, a lady who had left the mansion, returned quickly.

‘It’s Lady Isabella Hadero.’

It was the lady who I met at the party of Countess Walt, when I revealed that Niel Vallua had taken out the bible decipher without permission the other day.

“I…”

Lady Hadero hesitated, looking at godmother’s eyes.

My godmother thoughtfully went away, and only after that Lady Hadero spoke.

“Lady Dubbled, do you happen to know anything about the finals?”

“No.”

“I know it. It’s a flag-pulling.”

What?

I opened my eyes wide at a different answer than I expected.

‘No way!’

People thought we’d have a horse racing game in the finals. And it’s actually right.

I’ve seen it several times before I regressed. This year’s virtual battle, the last match of the final round.

“What, flag-pulling is…”

“It’s true. It’s a game where you win if you capture someone who’s chosen as the flag in your opponent’s camp.”

“Yes, I know what kind of game it is. But how did you know that?”

“I’m in the middle of an engagement with Shuheil. I went to their residence yesterday and heard him talk with the knights.”

Ahh, I see.

I nodded my head.

I’ve heard of it in my previous life.

Marquess Shuheil liked Isabella and suggested marriage between her son and Isabella.

Isabella’s father, Count Hadero, was unable to refuse because he owed so much to the Marquis of Shuheil, so Isabella and Shuheil were soon engaged.

‘But why would she tell me that?’

Seeing how the nobles acted in the city, they won’t move without gaining something.

How I know that is because Lady Hadero did not get along well with Mina in my first life.

‘It would be good for Lady Hadero if her fiance wins.’

When I was about to reply, someone called me from behind.

“Kid.”

I quickly turned my head to the voice from behind.

“Henry!”

“Why are you here instead of going in?”

He smiled affectionately and gave me a coat.

“It’s cold.”

“Yes, I have something to talk about with Lady Hadero…”

Lady Hadero said,

“H, he, hello!”

Henry glanced at her.

He observed her as he smiled kindly like usual.

“It’s been a long time since I saw you.”

“Ye, yes! In 281 days…”

“But what’s your business with my little sister?”

“I, I told her some useful information for Lady.”

Her voice was tense.

“Useful information…”

When Henry squinted in suspicion, Lady Hadero quickly explained.

“This round is a flag-pulling game!”

Henry looked at her with a sweet smile, which iz his specialty.

“Thank you for telling me. It will help my sister.”

Lady Hadero, with her hands in front of her chest, looked at Henry with a love-struck expression.

“Wha, what…”

“You’re so nice.”

“Do, do you like nice people?”

“I like people who are helpful.”

“……!”

Lady Hadero opened her eyes wide.

“Shuheil has been training since four days ago. The knight who is likely to become a flag is called Telbourne, he ran so fast! And the weakness of

Shuheil is…!!”

Shuheil’s fiance poured out lots of helpful words.

Lady Hadero, who even shook hands with Henry, turned red and got on the carriage while staggering.

When she left, I told Henry.

“That lady must’ve liked you.”

“Yes, since about three years ago.”

“You knew that?”

“She always looked at me.”

“So you like Lady Hadero too?”

“I like her.”

“So you indeed like Miss Hadello, too?”

I took a deep breath.

‘Wow, wow!’

My heart is pounding fast.

‘Well, Henry didn’t have a fiance.’

Then could Lady Hadero become my sister-in-law?

As I made a strange expression, Henry smiled sweetly.

“She’s a pretty helpful informant.”

“What…”

Well, it is true that we have obtained a lot of information that cannot be easily obtained with just a few smiles and words.

‘Beauty is indeed a weapon…’

When I remembered what I had heard in my previous life, I thought it was really like that.

“Have you decided on a new knight for the finals yet?”

When he asked, I grinned while saying, “Well…”

“I’ve already decided.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

That afternoon, there was news that Shuheil had won and will be in the finals.

***

On the day of the final, I looked at the video stone floating in the air with a nervous expression. There are more of those than the preliminary round.

The final match will be between me, who played in the preliminary round, and the last winner, Shuheil.

The whole of the empire was excited as the palace and plaza, where they could see us, attracted the largest number of spectators among any virtual battle.

The referee blew a whistle.

Me and Shuheil shook hands in the center, then turned our backs on each other.

“As soon as you start, like in the preliminaries, you’ll put a knife in my throat.”

“Can I?”

Shuheil grinned as I spoke brightly.

“Look, I have a weak heart.”

“Me too. Yet you’re friends with Isaac.”

“I pity him.”

As we laughed and talked, we observed each other sharply.

We bowed down to each other and went back to our allies.

Me and Edgar Shuheil both had our knights put their hoods to cover their expression.

It was to hide the expression of the knight who became the flag.

“Don’t forget to be gentle!”

Shouted Edgar Shuheil slyly,

I skillfully hid and went up to the tallest building on the street of the store and shouted,

“I will!”

As soon as I shouted like that, my knights threw oil bottles at our opponents. And I gently demonstrated the flame magic.

Gwangg—!!!

With a roar, fire soared as Edgar Shuheil’s expression changed. His soldiers were horrified and quickly backed away.

Then, they remove their hood.

I didn’t miss the moment.

‘Shuheil looked at someone with red hair.’

When a crisis comes, one looks for something precious first.

‘That man is the flag.’

When I smiled, Shuheil looked at me with a stiff face.

He replied with a friendly expression as if saying, ‘You say you will play gently!’

“I threw the fire gently.”

His face crumpled when I grinned.

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