Episode 15
The Duchy of Felicity was a very small country on the continent. Very, very small.
It was about the size of a small city-state like Singapore.
The size of the city was a little larger than the cities in other countries, however.
“Wow, Davey! Look! It’s the Duchy of Felicity!”
“Ho!” Winley shouted while jumping, admiration evident in her voice.
Her eyes were filled with excitement as she looked at the vast and beautiful water surrounding the whole city.
“That’s amazing.”
It was pure and without a single lie.
As a small country, the Duchy of Felicity had a distinctive charm. It had a magnificent view that was no less beautiful than any other empire.
Large waterways surrounding the capital were connected to various parts of the city, almost like a beautiful painting on a canvas.
“The Duchy of Felicity is a small city-state, but as a city-state built over ancient ruins, it has an outstanding view even when compared to most countries.”
Barris, who had gotten off his horse, boasted at the city’s excellence as I was looking around.
“Look at your face. You must quite like it.”
“Yes, I do.”
As I expressed my honest impression, he proudly puffed his chest.
“Hahaha! I’m glad you like the view. It was worth coming here. The competition will last for four days. That means you have plenty of time to enjoy our trip.”
“That’s right. Davey, why don’t you go on a tour of the city tomorrow? For now, you should go and see the round stadium with us. It is the pride of the Duchy of Felicity.”
“Round stadium?”
“Yes! I heard it’s a wonderful stadium with a beautiful waterway. It’ll be crowded tomorrow, so let’s go and see it today instead!”
“Shall we do that?”
“Don’t steal my words!”
“Heng! It would be best if you met the management administrator. I’m going to show Davey around.”
Winley couldn’t participate in the competition because she was never taught swordsmanship. Nevertheless, she came to the trip for me, as well as to support her twin brother.
Even though it looked like they were always competing against each other, they cared about the other in reality.
* * *
The main revenue of the Duchy of Felicity was tourism.
The architectural style and various sculptures inside were quite mysterious and beautiful, while the city’s exterior was immensely beautiful.
One of the tourist spots was the arena that a lot of nobles from other countries visited at least once in their lifetime.
“This is going to be where the combat happens. There will be gladiators, monsters, or competitors who come here to compete, Davey.”
“It’s useless and barbaric.”
Barris grumbled at my comment for some reason.
“I guess the peace-stricken public wants something more stimulating.”
Barris smiled bitterly at my words afterward.
“The human rights sector is slowly getting better, though. One day, the Kingdom of Rown…” He began to murmur hopefully.
“How many people are going to be there?”
I looked around the stadium, and Winley pushed him forward at my question and smiled.
“I heard that eight countries would participate in the combat this year. Surprisingly, Barris will represent the Rown Kingdom.”
“Hey! Did you just say it’s surprising?!”
“Huh!”
Winley giggled before she gave off a weird sneer.
“Starting with the first host country, Palan Empire, representatives will be selected from various countries, including the Rown Kingdom, Flip Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Shodan.”
The purpose of the continental swordsmanship competition was to discover the talents of young people. Still, it was basically nothing but a battle of pride between countries.
“Since it’s for young people, only men and women under the age of twenty can participate.”
“What about the people who aren’t selected?”
“It’s a national competition for new talents. It’s not considered as the main swordfight season for top talents.”
Winley grumbled as if she didn’t like it. “The opportunity to participate should be given to any talented people from all classes.”
“There will be too many participants if they did that.”
The statement was true. In other words, it was just a show.
“Oh! I’ve heard that the Sword Princess of the Palan Empire is also participating in this competition.”
“Sword Princess?”
“Don’t you know? She’s pretty famous. Even the little kids in the Rown Kingdom would know who she is.” Barris asked me in surprise. However, nothing came to mind.
“Hmm…”
I had a pretty good memory, though. I guessed she became famous while I was in a coma.
“Hey! Davey was in a coma!”
When Barris tilted his head curiously, Winley became furious and kicked him on the shin.
“Argh!”
“Huh! What a sight!”
“You punk.”
I stared blankly at them while they were fighting. Barris soon made a groaning voice.
“[Ileana de Palan]. She is the precious daughter of the Palan Empire’s King. As you know, they have eight princes and only one princess.”
“Hmm… Their nation is definitely a great powerhouse.”
“Of course, they’re famous. However, she’s renowned not just because the Palan is in great power, and she is the only princess. She is famous because she is the owner of the New Sword.”
“New Sword?”
The word “New Sword” instantly intrigued me.
“Yes, the owner of Calderas, an ancient hero known for his sword, the sword of the sword god Haris. It’s one of the greatest works of his life.”
Calderas.
It had been a while since I last heard that name.
The swordsman had excellent swordsmanship, even though he had a bad temper. I had also heard a lot about the sword that he had used.
The sword could cut down the devil.
“Calderas…”
Two people had taught me swordsmanship. Haris, the God of Swords in the ancient history of the Tionis Continent, and another was Dok Go-jun, the Thousand Horse of Devil Creed.
Thinking about it, I realized Haris was from here, so it wouldn’t be that strange to find his traces.
“It’s called a new sword since it hasn’t rusted even after thousands of years. I’ve heard that it has an ego that expresses magic on its own.”
“Ego…”
The sword contained the spirit of the master craftsman and the compassion of the user; that was the ego.
“The sword had been searching for its owner for hundreds of years and finally chosen its owner recently. That’s Princess Ileana.”
Barris smiled and added an explanation. “There’s another reason why she’s famous, Davey.”
“Another one?”
“Yes, that’s…”
He smiled insidiously. “She’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
“Oh, that’s interesting.”
“She’s even so-called one of the top five beauties on the continent in full bloom.”
I wasn’t interested in who the owner of Calderas, the favorite sword of Haris. The most interesting subject so far was what Barris had just said.
* * *
The physiology of the aristocracy was quite simple. All of the participants in the continental swordsmanship competition were representatives that the state had chosen.
They were also expected to lead the nation in the future.
Should we just have them fight?
Of course not.
Consequently, they had arranged a dinner party to promote friendship among those expected to become leaders in the future.
It made sense that Barris had been invited to the dinner. However, it was a little surprising that Winley and I were invited as well.
“Well…”
“Don’t you like it?” Amy asked me carefully when I looked at myself, swallowing a groan.
“Isn’t this too flashy? Do you have more modest clothes?”
“No, this is modest enough, Your Majesty!”
She shouted firmly with a sad face as if she didn’t want to yield. My conscience told me that I might’ve given Amy a hard time, based on her sorrowful expression.
“Huh…”
“Majesty, your dignity is the Rown Kingdom’s dignity. Even if you don’t like it…”
“I know. You’ve done enough. Let’s go now.”
“As you wish!”
She looked down a few minutes ago as if she would immediately burst into tears. Now, however, she looked excited.
I was busy getting ready for the dinner party.
Of course, it was fortunate that men did less. Winley said it was hundreds of times worse for women.
“Eh, you can’t put lipstick on a pig. Even if you do, it’s still a pig!”
“Hey!”
Puck!
I could see the twins grumbling about whether or not they were ready to go to the banquet.
“Oh! Davey, my older brother!”
While snarling at Barris, Winley found me first and ran towards me with her eyes shining brightly. Barris, who just got kicked on the shin, seemed to have no time to find regard for it.
“Wow! You look great!”
“Thanks.”
“Unlike the playboy over there!”
“Hey! Why am I a playboy?”
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
I knew they were on good terms, but what if someone else were to see them grumbling and fighting again?
“You look pretty. I thought a fairy came down.”
“Hehehe.”
It was lip service, but it turned out to be partially true.
The green dress matched the color of her green hair. She was a pretty lady for her age, where most people had yet excessive glamour or unbecoming maturity.
Perhaps, in a few more years, she would turn out to be extraordinarily beautiful. Winley reached out to me, holding the hem of the dress and twirling around.
“Well, then, wonderful prince. Would you be honored to escort me today?”
“It looks like our positions have switched. There’s no reason for me to refuse.”
When I lightly held her hand, I heard Barris clicking his tongue.
“She’s irritating.”
Of course, Winley was still happy, considering how used she was to such comments from him.
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