Chapter 62

"Understood."

Clifford answered immediately, and my brother murmured in a flat tone. His sky-blue eyes fixed on me. I instinctively held my black fan in front of me and looked back, and my brother added, as if to emphasize his point,

"Without injuring any of your opponents, and without your knight, Clifford, being injured. — The latter is your wish, isn't it? Is this acceptable, Octavia?"

The words slowly seeped into my mind.

Acceptable...? No, it's not acceptable!

I don't want Clifford to get hurt, so by raising the difficulty level, I ended up making it even harder for my supposed ally...

Besides!

"Brother, is this really fine with you? Weren't you trying to stop Holden?"

That's right! When we arrived at the training ground, my brother was scolding and advising Nathan. Yet now, he wants Clifford and Nathan to fight. This decision feels out of character.

But my brother nodded nonchalantly.

"Yes, at first. But not only Nathan, Clifford Alderton also took up his sword at your command. So, wouldn't it be interesting to let them fight? — Nathan!"

In the middle of his speech, my brother called out to Nathan on the stage.

"If Alderton wins under the conditions I set, will you swear never to do such a thing again?"

"Yes! This Nathan Holden will never ask for proof again!"

Nathan, still holding his sword, immediately straightened his posture and answered. My brother, hearing his answer, turned back to me.

"Given this, I thought you would also want to prove Alderton's strength by defeating a 'Follower.'"

Indeed, I was the one who initially ordered Clifford to fight and win!

But I thought it would only be a one-on-one with Nathan... not a fight involving almost everyone, including Clifford and Nathan.

"Even if I agreed, I thought you would oppose it."

"Surprised?"

"Yes, I am."

I didn't think you would go along with it. I thought you would firmly stop it, even in such a situation.

What kind of change in mindset is this?

"Then, shouldn't my not opposing be a welcome thing for you?"

"...Yes."

The fight is already decided.

Then, I need to do something to help Clifford now!

"Still, this is too much of a disadvantage for Clifford. Please allow me to level the playing field."

My brother remained silent. I interpreted it as not being rejected and continued.

"Allow my knight to choose his weapon."

I turned to Clifford and asked,

"Clifford, state your preferred weapon."

His deep blue eyes widened slightly, and then his lips curved into a smile. His answer came.

"In that case, a training spear."

Clifford bowed to me on the spot.

The atmosphere on the stage shifted. It was filled with discomfort and anger, even more so than when I told Clifford to fight without injuring anyone.

I was also taken aback.

If we had to fight under such difficult conditions, at least the weapon should be a choice, I thought.

...A spear? And a training one at that?

But, I remember, during our dance practice, he said he was most comfortable with a spear, and that it would be useful in a melee... So, this is his choice?

The specification of a training spear must be correct since he said it himself!

Alright, I'll fully adopt Clifford's suggestion!

I relayed Clifford's choice to my brother.

"Brother, please give Clifford a training spear."

"A training... a spear with a blunted tip?"

"Yes."

I nodded enthusiastically.

After a moment, my brother looked at me and said,

"Give Alderton his choice."

With his arms crossed, he gave the order calmly. A training spear was immediately brought to the stage. Nathan handed it to Clifford himself, and in return, Clifford's sword was given back to Nathan.

The training spear had a blunted tip, making it more like a long metal rod.

"Is this acceptable, Octavia, Alderton?"

When asked, I looked up at Clifford on the stage.

"Please, add 'dropping the weapon' as a condition for defeat."

Clifford, holding the spear with both hands, spoke.

"No problem. Just to confirm — Octavia."

Upon hearing Clifford's words, my brother focused his gaze on me.

"Only Alderton is changing his weapon."

I was startled.

Clifford is using a training spear, but Nathan and the others are using real long swords, right?

Looking at the stage, Nathan seemed dissatisfied. He might think that if Clifford is using a training spear, they should also use similar weapons to measure his true strength.

Clifford —.

Our eyes met.

Clifford nodded slightly.

Though he didn't say anything, I understood the meaning.

Probably, it's okay.

"..."

I wanted to say something in response but stopped.

I nodded back to Clifford and then answered my brother.

"The preparations are complete. Let's begin, Brother."

---

The knight who dropped his sword looked stunned. Meanwhile, Clifford's training spear continued to move without stopping.

Clifford's fighting style was almost surreal. If I had to compare it, it was like a non-stop action movie, with the main character performing impossible actions as if they were second nature.

It was as if he had become one with the spear.

A spear has a longer reach than a sword. Using this advantage, Clifford kept his opponents at a distance and aimed at their swords.

With exceptional control, he targeted and deflected their weapons.

Within seconds of the start, three of them had dropped their swords.

Taking the lesson from those three, the remaining knights approached Clifford more cautiously. However, out of the eight knights on the stage, including Nathan, only three were left after a few minutes.

Of course, no one was injured.

But — one of the knights had his sword broken in half.

Even a layman could see it.

Especially the knights themselves.

Nathan and the others were putting up a good fight. They weren't weak. But Clifford was on a different level.

Finally, only Clifford and Nathan were left on the stage with their weapons.

Both were silent. There was no conversation during the fight.

Nor from me and my brother.

We were completely focused on the stage.

— Nathan's fighting style changed slightly. Instead of staying out of reach and running away, he was now charging directly at the blunted tip of the spear.

Oh! Just now!

If Clifford hadn't pulled back the spear, it would have pierced Nathan's torso!

Is he suicidal? Nathan!

This exchange happened a few times.

I could finally read Nathan's thoughts.

Is he — maybe taking advantage of the 'uninjured' condition?

If Nathan gets even a scratch, Clifford automatically loses.

Without Clifford's skill with the spear, Nathan would have been seriously injured long ago. But in reality, he has the skill. In a strange way, understanding the skill gap and trusting Clifford's ability, Nathan is using himself as a hostage in his fighting style.

And Nathan — was the only one who managed to get close to Clifford.

He approached in a difficult position and was on one knee. But he could still swing his sword. Nathan's sword quickly slashed at Clifford from below.

But Clifford was not there.

The movement I saw in 'The Follower' — a unique move. Nathan's sword only cut through the air.

Clifford, having jumped, aimed his spear at Nathan's sword.

"Damn, I give up."

Nathan smiled with a clear expression.

The spear stopped.

Nathan had let go of his sword on his own.

The sound of the sword falling echoed.

Nathan, still on one knee, looked up at Clifford on the stage.

"I am completely defeated. I can acknowledge the story of defeating a 'Follower.' I apologize for my unwarranted suspicions."

Nathan slowly stood up and calmly asked Clifford,

"But if this is your true strength, why did you hold back in the practical exam?"

"I merely avoided unnecessary effort."

Without even a hint of breathlessness, Clifford answered.

...Unnecessary effort? A question mark appeared in my mind.

"What do you mean?"

"I did not expect to be appointed as a knight. I was told by several people that no one from the Alderton family would be chosen. The exam was just a formality, and the knight to protect Octavia was already decided. Would anyone take a match with a predetermined result seriously?"

Who are these several people? It's not surprising that there might be people who would say no one from the Alderton family would be chosen.

But, a knight other than Clifford who was already decided?

The document given to me by Matilda, the head lady-in-waiting, didn't mention any pre-selected knight!

"Then why didn't you decline the candidacy?"

"I was adopted into the Alderton family. It was at my adoptive father's request."

So, he didn't have the motivation to participate in a rigged match, but he couldn't go against the wishes of his adoptive father, the Duke of Alderton...

But the mystery is the knight who was supposedly pre-selected to be my guard. Father never mentioned anything...

Ah, there's someone I can ask!

"Brother, do you know who was pre-selected to be my guard?"

The same royal family, and the first prince, my brother!

My brother sighed.

"...I know. I proposed it to Father."

What!

"It was Hugh."

"!"

I had never heard of this.

I glanced at Hugh, who was standing by, and he gave a slight bow.

"You specifically chose Hugh Roberts, a close confidant of yours?"

"I consider him a suitable person to be your guard."

As a guard, he is impeccable. That's true. And he didn't get transferred because of a romantic relationship...

If Octavia and Hugh had the relationship as in the original story, it might have been a win-win situation.

Hmm... Hugh as my guard... I can't even imagine it.

"Does Hugh have a say in this?"

"...He agreed."

What? Does this mean to monitor me and prevent any obstacles between you and Sir?

"But I never received any official notification."

I just found out! Just now!

"It was rejected by Father at the last moment. You were to choose from the candidates. But the pre-selection had already spread."

Father, well done! If he hadn't rejected it, I might have chosen someone else and not Clifford!

"I understand. It's in the past. Most importantly, you now understand why Clifford didn't show his true strength in the previous matches. And 'without injuring any of your opponents and winning unscathed.' Clifford met the conditions and won. Can you release him now?"

My brother shook his head.

"No. The suspicion that your guard tampered with Sir's carriage has not been cleared. What has been proven here is the possibility that a 'Follower' was defeated by skill."

Grr. It's not going to be that easy, huh.

Then, let's ask Clifford directly!

I snapped my black fan shut.

"Clifford. This is what Brother is saying. Did you tamper with Sir's carriage?"

I'm almost 100% sure he didn't!

"—No, I did not."

See!

"Then—"

My brother immediately interrupted with a strong tone.

"Alderton, why didn't you defend yourself until now? You only needed to state the facts."

I was also curious. Even if he couldn't speak without my permission, he was under suspicion.

"Clifford, I also want to know. Is there a reason you remained silent?"

"—In a place where there is a risk of a traitor, stating the facts would have been meaningless, I judged."

What does that mean?

"I want you to tell me the facts."

"On the eve of the preliminary ball, after completing my guard duties, I saw a figure near the Burks family's carriage from a distance."

After finishing his duties... at night.

But, wait.

"Clifford, you didn't find this person suspicious?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Why not?"

"The figure was wearing a guard's uniform—like me—and the sword had a gold tassel."

"!"

A gold tassel, that means...

"One of Brother's guards?"

"Yes."

Clifford confirmed this succinctly.

Normally, a guard being near Sir's carriage at night wouldn't be an issue. Guards can move freely within the castle at any time.

Even Clifford could do so.

This time, it's only because of the incident with Sir's carriage that he is suspected.

Of course, in normal times, it wouldn't be strange for one of Brother's guards to be near Sir's carriage at night. It could be a patrol or an order from Brother.

But if one of Brother's guards was near the carriage the night before it ran wild—?

That person is very suspicious.

"Did Brother order one of the guards to check on Sir's carriage at night?"

"—No."

My brother answered with a bitter expression.

"Then, please don't ignore the facts that Clifford has stated."

In a situation where the person who tampered with Sir's carriage might be among us, it wouldn't be prudent for Clifford to say, "No, the culprit is over there!"

My brother asked Clifford,

"You saw the figure from a distance. Did you see the face?"

"No."

"Then how do you know it was one of my guards? Did you recognize the tassel without seeing the face?"

"—It's my habit."

My brother frowned.

"When I see someone, I first check their weapon. When I saw the figure, I first checked the weapon."

And the sword Clifford saw had the tassel that Brother only gave to his guards.

Hugh, who was standing by, and Nathan and the other guards on the stage.

In the original story, none of Brother's guards tried to harm Sir.

But I don't think Clifford is lying.

"—Brother. The suspicion against Clifford was based solely on testimony. How will you handle this testimony from Clifford? Can you ignore a new suspicious person?"

If it were the original Serius—Brother, he wouldn't be able to.