Chapter 32

In the audience chamber of the royal castle, which is located at the heart of Ishra, the capital of the Kingdom of Corinne, which encompasses several major cities including the sealed city of Erin, the king faced the Duke of Feilarte, the most prominent noble of the kingdom, surrounded by a few royal guards and high-ranking officials.

"Raise your head, Duke Feilarte."

At the king's solemn words, the Duke of Feilarte, who had been kneeling and bowing, lifted his head.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The man, despite being a noble, had a well-trained physique and exuded the air of a warrior. Indeed, he was the head of a distinguished family renowned for their swordsmanship and martial prowess, having taken over the role of the royal sword instructor from the Oclaire family, which had held the position for generations.

"So, what is the purpose of your audience today?"

"Kvar Best. I seek permission to confiscate the magic sword, which was entrusted to the Oclaire family by the legendary savior Shujina during the founding of the kingdom. The magic sword should not be in the hands of the daughter of a criminal."

With a strong and unyielding tone, Duke Feilarte made his demand. The moment he spoke, the king's face twisted with anger.

"A criminal!? Duke Feilarte, do not call my friend such names. You know very well that Duke Oclaire, my friend Richard, sacrificed himself for the Kingdom of Corinne. He chose this path with full knowledge of the consequences. At the very least, we who know the truth should mourn his death."

To the king, Richard, the head of the Oclaire family, was like a brother. He had learned not only swordsmanship but also how to live and play from him. He thought of Richard's daughter, Annelotta, as his own daughter.

He had used her up. He had crushed Annelotta's life, whom he thought of as his own daughter. The regret still gnawed at his heart. He had tried to help her. He had wanted to give her a comfortable life, even if it meant living as a commoner rather than a noble. But even that was not allowed by their positions. Moreover, Annelotta herself refused to abandon the Oclaire name. As long as the Oclaire name remained with her, even the king could do nothing.

"I misspoke. However, that is how it appears on the surface. The daughter of a criminal possessing the symbol of the royal family, the magic sword, is problematic. First, what can a mere commoner, stripped of her title, do with that magic sword? It is a waste. The magic sword should be wielded by a person of proper standing in a proper place. Your Majesty, am I wrong?"

"…Duke Feilarte, your words are not wrong. Indeed, Annelotta has not mastered the sword."

The king had seen Annelotta's battle during the knight school entrance exam with his own eyes. She had displayed magnificent swordsmanship befitting a member of the Oclaire family. But that was all. She had not even tapped into the power of Kvar Best. It was just a sharp and durable sword.

"Then, the confiscation of the magic sword!"

Duke Feilarte raised his voice, as if he had found the king's attitude to his liking. The king covered his eyes with his hand. He could understand Duke Feilarte's feelings. The magic sword was also a symbol of the kingdom's strongest swordsman. Obtaining the magic sword was the long-held wish of the Feilarte family, which had always been second to the Oclaire family. Only by obtaining the magic sword would the Feilarte family be recognized as the strongest swordsman both inside and outside the kingdom.

The king thought. Duke Feilarte might be able to wield it. If so, it would benefit the royal family. But still…

"I cannot do it. The only condition, no, the only wish, that Richard, who accepted false charges for the sake of the country, made was to entrust the sword to his daughter. I cannot go against my friend's only wish."

The king could not go against the request of his friend, the Duke of Oclaire, who had thrown himself into the kingdom's service, knowing that he would be executed and stripped of everything. The last conversation with the Duke of Oclaire was still etched in his mind. The man had smiled. "Thank you for listening to my unreasonable request. My daughter, with the sword, can survive on her own."

"Your Majesty is too lenient. What can you protect with such leniency?"

"The Kingdom of Corinne still exists thanks to the leniency of one man. Besides, I believe in something."

"In what?"

"I believe in Annelotta's growth. She will become a swordsman worthy of the magic sword. So, can you not wait for her to grow? Until Richard is officially recognized at the age of twenty."

"That is impossible. The magic sword is not a toy. It should be held by the strong. I will prove my strength. I have heard that duels were used to determine the holder of the magic sword in the past. I would like to take this opportunity."

"A duel? Do you intend to crush a young girl in front of an audience and claim that you are strong and therefore worthy of the magic sword?"

Duke Feilarte was speechless at the king's words. Dragging out a woman who was as old as his daughter for a duel would tarnish his name. For a knight aiming to be the best, the image of bullying the weak would be detrimental.

"Engaging in a direct duel would indeed make me appear as a coward. What if my son were to do it?"

"Clanel… He is eighteen this year, is he not?"

"Yes. He is currently training in the sealed city of Mitzuki."

There are eight sealed cities in the world. While Erin is the largest, the remaining seven are merely backups. With fewer monsters and less urgency, the children of nobles and influential families are sent to the academies in these cities for a well-balanced education.

Especially in the underground labyrinth of the sealed city of Mitzuki, only the country's knights and knight school students are allowed to explore. This prevents the competition for monsters and ensures that they are systematically eliminated, preventing large-scale outbreaks. In a positive light, it produces elite knights; in a negative light, it produces knights raised in a controlled environment.

"Let the next generation compete to see which family, Oclaire or Feilarte, is more worthy of the magic sword. That would be fair."

The king was at a loss for words. It sounded fair, but Duke Feilarte's son was eighteen, a third-year student at the knight school. The two-year difference at this stage was significant. Moreover, Duke Feilarte's son, with the support of his father's power, had always been accompanied by three excellent knights, allowing him to hunt efficiently and reach rank 2, almost reaching rank 3.

Annelotta, a special student who had entered as a commoner and received little support, had not even been in the school for a month. The match would be no contest. The king thought. It would be easy to yell at him and tell him to stop being ridiculous.

But what would that accomplish? The duke would likely try to take the sword by even more underhanded means in secret. It would be easier to keep an eye on him if he was within reach.

"Interesting. Very well, I will allow a duel in this capital, Ishra, three months from now. The winner of the duel will be entrusted with the magic sword Kvar Best."

At that moment, Duke Feilarte smiled slyly. The king pretended not to notice.

The duke probably thought he had used the king's love for festivals to his advantage and had set up a match he was sure to win.

But the king had a certain young man in mind. A young man who, despite being rank 1, had defeated a rank 2. He was with Annelotta. There was no evidence, but his gut told him that this young man could work a miracle. His gut was usually right, and it was one of his prides.