Chapter 36

**The Genius Archer's Streaming Season 1, Episode 36**

**14. Changing the Game (1)**

Emilia's eyes.

Eyes that sparkle like a midsummer lake, with white snowflakes swirling above.

It must be winter now.

Amidst the biting cold wind, Almond stood before her, clad in a suit of armor that was cold to the touch.

Click.

He knelt, taking the posture of a knight making a vow.

With both hands, he raised his sword high, and their gazes met.

As their eyes met, Emilia, with a smile she had never shown before, reached out her hand.

"I appoint you as my knight."

* * *

Warm sunlight.

Gentle breeze.

Flowers of various colors adorning the greenery.

It seemed to be a full spring. Since the knight's vow was made in winter, some time must have passed.

"Did we suddenly come to spring?"

Almond, now able to move freely, began interacting with the viewers.

- Time skipped, I guess.

- Ohhh

- Is this the ending?

- Emilia is so pretty when she smiles...

- Emilia-nee-san 😢

- But what should we do now?

What should they do?

First, they needed to understand the situation. Almond focused on his attire.

"My clothes have changed. They seem more luxurious..."

The quality of the ceremonial attire was far superior to the casual clothes he wore during his mercenary days. Had he become a noble?

Dun dun?

A familiar drum sound echoed, and a mission was given to him.

Was he not yet a knight? Almond looked up at the floating text with a puzzled expression.

It was difficult to follow the situation.

Apparently, a significant amount of time had passed again.

"Sir Almond!"

A voice called out to him from a distance.

"We'll be late for the competition!"

It was a young boy, likely a squire to the knights.

But Almond was not yet a formal knight, so it was strange to have such a squire.

"What competition?"

"Excuse me? Did you perhaps smoke poppies yesterday!?"

"No."

"Then you must have been stuck in a wine barrel and just got out. Today is the day when the legitimacy of Sir Almond's knighthood will be challenged!"

"I see."

"Not just 'I see,' but if Lady Emilia finds out, she will be furious! Hurry..."

"What difference does it make if I know?"

A female voice came from behind.

It was Emilia.

"Ah... Miss..."

"Sir Almond."

Emilia walked past the servant and approached Almond directly.

The look in her eyes was not ordinary. In fact, it was even more intense than before.

As expected.

Click.

- Haha

- What an amazing reward from the start!

- I have no more wishes now...

- I could even quit Kingdom...

Emilia kissed him.

While Seohyun was taken aback, Almond was not.

It seemed they had been in this kind of relationship for a long time.

'After all, it must have been like this since the seven days in the castle.'

From Almond's perspective, it was quite natural.

"If we don't perform well in this competition, our future will be dark, you know?"

"Of course."

"I believe you will do well."

"Thank you."

Regardless of what the competition to become a knight entailed.

Even Seohyun, who didn't know much about games, could sense that this was almost the ending.

It seemed to be a conclusion where Emilia and Almond would be united.

This was probably the final hurdle leading to that conclusion.

"Let's go."

Emilia took Almond's hand and led him somewhere.

* * *

They arrived at a circular arena where gladiators would fight.

'Could they be making a knight fight in a gladiatorial match?'

The idea of a competition that resembled a duel, combined with the sight of the arena, made him think they might actually be doing a gladiatorial match.

"Have you arrived?"

Hmph.

A snobbish-looking nobleman, with a curled mustache, sneered and spat out the words.

"I don't understand why the Janaret family would raise such a person to be a knight. The name of a knight is not to be taken lightly."

He stroked his curled mustache and lectured Almond as if he had done something wrong.

"If you haven't inherited a name of honor, you must prove yourself."

"Almond has proven himself countless times. He single-handedly overthrew the castle of Talorant and captured a giant monster alone."

Emilia countered from behind.

"Hmph. How can mere rumors prove anything?"

"Then, what tangible achievements does your honorable name have, my lord?"

"What?! Listen, Emilia!"

The snobbish old man became angry, and other nobles tried to calm him down.

They all seemed to be high-ranking nobles.

Since they were familiar faces from other routes, the viewers commented.

- Alberto...

- Alberto, the top NPC on the Forbes list of most annoying NPCs!

- Haha, his mustache is so annoying

- His sideburns need to be trimmed too.

Almond chuckled and turned to the arena.

"Emilia, don't worry. This competition was my suggestion, after all."

Emilia approached from behind and placed her hand on his back.

"I'm not worried. I just don't like being ignored."

"You won't be ignored, starting today."

Leaving her supportive but slightly pouting words behind, Almond stood in the arena.

"Wow!"

"Almond! Almond! Almond!"

Cheers came from the audience.

The citizens of the fief had gathered to support him. This alone showed Almond's standing in the fief.

Almond briefly acknowledged the cheers and turned to the nobles in the judges' stand.

"So, what have you prepared?"

The mustachioed noble, Alberto, answered with a sneer.

"There is an old saying. A true knight can face a troll alone."

A troll?

As Almond recalled the existence of a troll in his mind.

Rattle...

The sound of a metal gate opening and a heavy vibration were felt.

Thud...

"Is a real troll coming?"

"That's impossible."

"Isn't it too dangerous?"

"I heard Sir Almond only uses a bow."

"You can't defeat a troll with a bow!"

The audience's murmurs filled the arena, but a monstrous roar pierced through the noise.

"Roarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr