Chapter 35

“Amethus! My friend!”

Ferbias rushed out noisily.

“What are you all doing, show the proper respect to the victor!”

A thunderous round of applause erupted from the thousand soldiers.

It was an expression of sincere respect.

How could they not respect the swordsman who had defeated Marina Debius before he was even thirty?

“Prince Ferbias, I have brought you victory as you commanded.”

Amethus bowed his head deeply and then slowly knelt on one knee.

He showed the utmost courtesy and held out the ‘Tri-Ripple Fan’ he had received from Hermai to his master.

“Please take your Treasure.”

“With what words could I possibly praise you.”

Ferbias was so pleased that his mouth seemed about to tear.

That skill, this loyalty, what a perfectly pleasing confidant.

His gloomy mood was instantly overturned.

“Is this the third Treasure? Your contribution is truly great.”

“You praise me too highly.”

“No, not at all.”

The First Prince gestured firmly.

He grabbed Amethus’ shoulder and pulled him to his feet.

The prince with golden eyes looked deeply into Amethus’ jade-green eyes.

He looked very happy.

“My long-unsettled stomach has been completely refreshed.”

Calling it a Grand Convergence and then playing house, Leniar and Secundus joining hands behind his back while pretending not to.

He hadn’t liked a single thing.

But Amethus’ victory was sweet enough to overturn it all.

“I will make all of Cordis know you. They will sing of the young swordsman who defeated the Seven-Forged General!”

“……”

“How dependable you are.”

Ferbias stroked his short beard.

It still had an unfamiliar roughness.

The capital, Lutilium, could be seen in the distance.

The Imperial Throne felt much closer.

As if he could grab it just by stretching out his hand.

As he was stroking his chin, he looked at Amethus.

Light leather armor, and beneath it, the attire of a security knight.

It was practical but not flashy.

It was clearly worn.

Ferbias blurted out.

“Now that the young ladies of the capital will be chasing after you, you’ll have to pay more attention to your appearance.”

Ferbias already considered himself to be the next emperor.

It wouldn’t do for the first confidant of the next emperor to go around looking so shabby.

“Especially that sword. It’s well-maintained, but it’s a pity.”

He gestured at Amethus’ double-edged sword.

It had been bothering him during the fight with Marina.

The blade was sharp and blue, but the decorations and such were all worn down from how long it had been used.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while, you should use a better sword.”

“It’s already familiar to my hand, so it’s fine.”

“Now, now. I will open my treasury. There are many famous swords, so take whichever one you want.”

“…Do you not remember, Your Highness.”

At his old friend’s words, Ferbias tilted his head.

Amethus silently took the scabbard from his waist.

Then, without drawing it, he showed it to his master.

“What is this sword… no, could it be……!”

Ferbias, who had been examining the old double-edged sword and its scabbard, cried out in surprise.

The hilt and decorations were all so worn that he hadn’t recognized it, but upon closer inspection, he remembered.

It was only natural, as Ferbias himself had ordered it from a master craftsman in the capital.

“…Is this the very sword I gave you as a farewell gift on our academy graduation day?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“This, you still!”

It had been seven years since they had graduated from the academy.

It was enough time for an iron sword that was not an artifact to break.

Amethus must have used this sword countless times as a security knight.

So the hilt and decorations must be this worn.

But look at the sharp, living blade.

With what heart had he cherished this sword?

“Just how much do you intend to please me!”

Ferbias was almost moved to tears.

He hugged Amethus tightly and patted his back.

The jade-eyed man did not avoid it.

The prince with blonde hair and golden eyes looked at his confidant with affection and returned the sword.

“Still, use a new sword. It won’t do for a swordsman’s face to be this worn.”

“…Yes.”

Amethus, who had received the sword, bowed his head.

He gripped the scabbard tightly.

His jade-green eyes were deep, but the area around his eyes was dark with fatigue.

He cautiously opened his mouth.

“Prince Ferbias, if it is alright with you, may I rest now? The contest is not yet over, so I would like to conserve my stamina.”

“Ah? Ah! Yes, yes, I was being too inconsiderate. After a match with the Seven-Forged General.”

Ferbias, with a wide smile on his face, shouted loudly.

“Go and rest, today’s hero!”

***

“You did well, Mother.”

“I am sorry, Secundus.”

Marina, who had returned to the camp, threw the iron spear aside.

It was a spear in name, but after being cut in several places by Amethus’ sword, it was no different from an iron rod.

Marina did not hide her fatigue and stretched.

“Ugh-ugh. Just by moving this much, my body is a mess. I really can’t do it like I used to.”

“Hmm. It’s alright. I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

Secundus soothed Marina.

“Didn’t I tell you from the beginning? That it didn’t matter if you lost.”

Sending Marina Debius out was a kind of declaration.

That he would not stand by and watch the crazy act of the Grand Convergence, that he also knew how to be unreasonable, was what he was showing the other factions.

Secundus scratched his short hair.

“Well, it would have been nice if you had won, though.”

“Oh my, look at this kid! What a disloyal brat!”

Whose son is he?

Marina giggled and slapped her son’s back.

Secundus writhed in pain, twisting his whole body.

His body was one that was not even wounded by spears and swords, but Marina’s palm brought him endless pain.

Secundus, who had been groaning, bared his teeth and smiled brightly.

“Still, you had fun, didn’t you, Mother?”

“Yes. I feel alive for the first time in a long time.”

“Then that’s all that matters.”

“I did everything you asked, right?”

“Are you leaving right away?”

“I have to. What should I do here?”

At Marina’s gesture, two young men brought the horse she had ridden.

The third Imperial Consort leaped onto the horse.

Her hair was somewhat shorter and she was covered in dust, but her dignified appearance had not lost any of its grace.

“I’ll be on my way. Do your best in the remaining contests.”

“Yes.”

At the depths of her seemingly cold tone, there was a trust in her son.

Secundus did not reply further and nodded his head.

Marina looked down at her son as if he were admirable.

When had he grown so big?

She smiled like a girl and rode her horse away.

The two princes standing beside her came into view.

“And Kateka and Zionis, please take care of Secundus.”

***

Marina Debius soon disappeared outside the camp.

Secundus bowed his head politely and then spoke to me.

“Hmm. Zionis. I was saved thanks to your proposal.”

Secundus patted my shoulder.

“If I had gone myself instead of my mother, our morale would have dropped ridiculously.”

Everyone knew that Marina Debius’ skill was not what it used to be and it wasn’t a very important issue.

She was now the third Imperial Consort from the Debius family, not the Seven-Forged General.

Therefore, her defeat did not greatly affect Secundus.

However, if Secundus had been defeated, the story would have been different.

He was renowned as the prince with the strongest physique, and if he had shown a disgraceful appearance in front of the two hundred young men who had followed him out of admiration, he would have been in a crisis at once.

“I express my gratitude.”

“There’s no need for that.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

I looked at the jade-eyed man in the distance.

“However, the opponent was much stronger than I thought.”

I, Shion Pollinglight, was also surprised by Amethus’ skill.

Before my regression, Amethus was one of the Ten Great Generals, over forty years old.

Even so, he was surprisingly strong, and to think that this was 19 years in the past.

‘He’s the same age as Ferbias, so he’s 25……. That fortuneteller bastard is a monster!’

It was to the point of feeling threatened.

I had thought that if I unlocked the second secret and regained a little more strength, I would be able to handle the current Amethus, but that was a complete miscalculation.

“…Anyway, how do you think sister Leniar will come out……?”

Kateka Keshulei interjected.

Secundus also looked at me with a question in his eyes.

They were now expecting my opinion.

Feeling a little burdened, I shared my thoughts.

“She will probably come out rather passively. She won’t want to give brother Ferbias any more opportunities.”

Ferbias, Leniar, Secundus’ Treasures: 3, 2, 3.

With this fight, Leniar was the only one left behind.

The silver-haired princess was too wise to allow someone to gain an overwhelming advantage by needlessly wagering more Treasures.

‘Sister seems to be in quite a hurry too.’

When I glanced sideways, I saw Leniar approaching Dean Hermai and whispering something.

It seemed she was asking about the next day’s contest, and she looked rather urgent.

It was understandable.

She was the only one falling behind.

“Since we have a non-aggression pact, I think it would be a good idea to accept our sister’s proposal.”

“Hmm. Regardless of victory or defeat?”

“Let’s be favorable to her, even in trivial matters. We need to keep brother Ferbias in check a little more blatantly.”

The morale of Ferbias’ faction was surprisingly high.

They had caught up in the number of Treasures, and the jade-eyed man had even defeated a former member of the Ten Great Generals, so it was natural.

Since he was already ahead in terms of power, we couldn’t give him any more openings.

“Hmm. I’ll do as you say.”

Secundus nodded his head.

So far, there had not been a single time when things had not worked out by accepting my proposal.

Especially since the time he had been scolded for not running away sooner, Secundus had placed a great deal of trust in my stratagems.

Though he couldn’t guess all my schemes.

“Yes, let’s just go on like this.”

“Will it turn out that way?”

“There’s no reason why it wouldn’t.”

Hmm.

Secundus stroked his chin silently.

***

Another day passed.

“Today’s contest Treasure is this.”

What Hermai Merhes brought out was a metal belt.

However, the fact that it bent as softly as leather seemed unusual.

“The ‘Iron Lion Belt’. Anyone who uses a bit of strength would want it.”

“It seems like an item more suited for Secundus than for me.”

Leniar glanced at the muscular prince.

Secundus nodded his head.

It was indeed quite tempting.

“Hmm. I do like it. No, the more I look at it, the more I like it.”

“Is it that good? Surprising.”

“My belt that I was using was getting quite worn out.”

“Then how about this?”

The silver-haired princess smiled, covering her mouth.

“You just take this belt and instead, put one of your Treasures in the contest.”

“…I’d like that, but is it alright?”

Secundus scratched his head awkwardly.

My pupils, listening to their conversation, sank to a blue.

‘This is strange.’

It was a light and natural proposal from Leniar.

It just looked like something she had said to lighten the mood before the contest began.

In fact, no one seemed to have noticed anything.

Only I, the regressor who had crossed 19 years of time, felt anxiety.

‘Nothing like this happened in the Grand Convergence before my regression.’

Just then, my eyes met Leniar’s.

The silver-haired princess showed her half-brother, me, a very beautiful smile.

Then she turned her gaze to the old magician riding the cloud.

“How about it, Dean? It’s a Treasure that seems to suit Secundus well.”

“So, you’re saying to exchange this belt for Prince Secundus’ Treasure?”

“Yes. We can proceed with the contest with that, can’t we?”

Hermai stroked his beard.

“There’s no reason why not. As long as he himself agrees.”

Leniar proposed and Hermai accepted.

It was too fast.

I saw a brief glance exchanged between the two.

And I remembered them talking the day before.

That’s why I had a deep conviction in my anxiety.

“Now, what will you do, Secundus? If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

“Hmm……”

Secundus looked at me, and I gestured with my eyes without hesitation.

‘Refuse!’

I didn’t know what it was, but there was no reason to fall for Leniar’s scheme.

‘Zionis told me yesterday. To be favorable to our sister.’

Unfortunately, Secundus took my gesture to mean the opposite.

He shouted loudly.

“Alright! Let’s do that.”

“I am pleased.”

Hermai gave the belt to Leniar.

As if it had been planned in advance.

‘Damn it, what on earth is her scheme?’

I clutched my head and Leniar smiled cheerfully.

“Now. Then take this belt and put forth your treasure.”

The silver-haired princess slowly raised a finger.

“Yes, that, the Black Sword Zamuk, was it? That would be good.”

“Hmm. That is bound to Zionis’ body……”

“Is that so? Then……”

The finger pointed at me.

Leniar’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

Only then did I fully understand Leniar’s scheme.

“Then you can just put forth Zionis as a whole.”

My face contorted.

‘…Damn it, I’ve had!’

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