novelraw Chapter 155: Engagement - Halpas
Chapter 155: Engagement - Halpas
155: Engagement - Halpas
The Reti Tournament had begun. The venue, called ‘Moguntiacum,’ was a semicircular structure typically used as an open-air theater, with stone steps forming the seats.
Although the event hadn't started yet, the citizens of Manubium had gathered in small groups, eagerly waiting for the warriors to take the stage.
The center of the stone steps at the highest point was left empty.
This area was reserved for the soon-to-arrive king and royalty, with plush chairs being arranged and a canopy being set up to shield them from the still harsh early autumn sunlight.
“First... Lady Lena, Sir Mainz. Please go to the judges for a final equipment check and then proceed to the arena.”
Behind the stage was a waiting room bustling with warriors. A knight assisting with the tournament's proceedings had singled out Lena as the first participant.
Lena weakly picked up her sword, wrapped in white cloth, and said, “...I'll be back.”
“Yes, Lena. Don’t get disheartened, stay strong! Just don’t get hurt,” Leo encouraged her.
Lena smiled softly, reassuring him not to worry. However, her hair, tied with a feathered ribbon, fluttered lifelessly.Lena, who insisted on having short hair, usually didn't tie it up.
She disliked having hair in her mouth and found it disruptive during sword training, so she would often cut it short.
However, while traveling from Avril Castle to this place, she hadn’t had the opportunity to trim her hair. Her hair had grown to shoulder length, and Leo had bought her a hair ribbon as a gift.
Ran and Anne had once remarked that feathered hair ribbons were pretty.
When Leo found a similar ribbon, he thought it wouldn’t be a bad gift.
- “I was actually thinking of cutting my hair myself. Thanks, even though my birthday has already passed. But isn’t this too modest considering how much you wandered around? Heh, just kidding. I’ll use it well.”
Lena tied her hair on the spot, saying, “Maybe I’ll grow my hair out this time.” Holding the ribbon in her mouth and lifting her hair, her triangular ears and delicate nape were exposed.
She looked so irresistibly beautiful that Leo hugged her. They nearly missed the early morning preliminary round.
The preliminaries ended at noon.
Leo easily overpowered a renowned warrior from one of the tribes. There were few in the entire kingdom who could match his skills, comparable to any seasoned knight.
Even though there were still warriors left to spar, Leo was immediately confirmed for the finals by the judging knight’s decision.
In contrast, Lena faced some struggles. She barely made it through a series of close combats to secure her place in the finals.
Her skills had significantly declined compared to the time she had tried to annul her engagement.
Despite her efforts to train rigorously during their journey, Leo often persuaded her to take breaks.
Nevertheless, Lena’s swordsmanship had steadily improved. This time, perhaps inspired by Bart's techniques demonstrated by Leo, her sword movements were visibly precise.
Each exchange was cautious yet not passive.
Combining the stability of Noel Dexter’s techniques with Leo’s aggressiveness made it impossible for her opponents to relax even for a moment.
However, her opponents were seasoned warriors who had weathered numerous battles. Sometimes, they attacked with a ‘you hit me, I hit you’ attitude, and Lena, lacking in real combat experience, often got caught in their pace.
Unfortunately, Lena was also not in her best condition today. Complaining in the morning that she felt unusually heavy, it turned out she was not wrong, and her posture was somewhat off.
Lena was the first to compete in the finals.
Leo stayed behind in the waiting room, listening to the cheers of “Lena! Lena! From the Ainar tribe!” while looking around.
In the waiting room, twenty-nine warriors who had secured their spots in the finals were relaxing in their own ways.
Some were swinging their weapons to warm up, while others knelt in prayer to their gods.
One warrior, shirtless, had the symbol of Ashin tattooed on his back, but Leo paid little attention to it. According to the records of {The History of Ashin}, that symbol had already lost its followers to the Cross Church.
Due to the harsh environment, the northern barbarians typically believed in gods that embodied strong warriors. The Cross Church had long tried to convert them, often by claiming that the gods they believed in were actually aspects of Lachar.
Lachar, one of the four avatars of the main god, represented war and honor.
The northern barbarians had no reason to dislike being told that their deity was actually someone greater, and Ashin naturally faded away.
However, the barbarians often interpreted the Cross Church’s teachings in their own way. One example was the myth related to Toddler Akiunen, suggesting that a great warrior who captured a beast had the right to challenge the gods.
Leo waited, fiddling with his sword wrapped in thick cloth to prevent severe injuries. Soon, a knight entered the waiting room.
“Next... Sir Leo, Sir Droksa. Please go to the judges for an equipment check and then proceed to the arena.”
Leo was up second.
He stood up with a smile. Outside, the cheers of “Lena! Lena! Lena!” echoed.
*
Leo won.
It was an expected result. It was unusual for someone of his caliber, who could become a knight at any time, to participate in a tournament where the prize was the opportunity to become a knight.
He won match after match, overwhelming his opponents with his skill. Among them was Droksa Albacete, a warrior who had come here with Lena and Leo and was considered a strong contender for the championship. However, he was eliminated by Leo in the round of 32.
Nevertheless, Droksa claimed victory in the consolation match for those who didn’t make it to the semifinals, securing a place in the rankings.
In the Maunin or Reti Tournament, placing meant either reaching the semifinals or, like Droksa Albacete, winning the consolation match.
“Hah. Congratulations, Leo. As expected... you became a knight first,” Lena said.
Lena was eliminated in the round of 16.
Lena's opponent was not favorable. Unluckily, she had encountered a senior knight who had wasted his time only to join the tournament with an 'I don't care, let it be' attitude as a semi-knight.
Becoming a knight in that manner would mean a tough life in the order, but that wasn’t her problem. He faced Leo in the quarterfinals.
Even in her dejection, Lena offered her congratulations. She was disappointed not to achieve her dream of becoming a knight and marrying Leo together, but she tried hard not to show it.
“Thank you. But Lena, you just had bad luck today. You weren’t feeling well either. It was just misfortune, so don’t be too...”
Leo tried to console her, but Lena shook her head firmly.
“No. Taking care of your body is part of your skill, and even if I had beaten that semi-knight, I would have met you in the quarterfinals. I also lost to Uncle Droksa in the consolation match... Making excuses won’t help. It just means my skills weren’t enough to become a knight.”
No.
Whenever Lena went to the battlefield or anywhere else, she grew at an incredible rate. In less than a year, she had reached the skill level of an ordinary knight.
The reason Lena didn't become a knight this time was because I had interrupted her training.
It wasn’t intentional. I just wanted to spend as much time with her as possible, but deep down, I was glad she didn't become a knight yet.
I despise myself for being happy that her dream was delayed. But it’s just a little delay, and Lena will become a knight in a few months...
“I’m sorry.”
Leo apologized sincerely.
Lena laughed and patted his back, saying, “Ha ha! Why are you apologizing? If you’re sorry, will you wait until I become a knight?”
“Whistle! How old is he? I’ve never seen such a young champion before!”
When the thirty-two finalists took the stage, applause erupted from the citizens. The cheers were especially loud when Leo appeared, due to his overwhelming skill.
“Now, we will proceed with the award ceremony. Please be seated.”
The woman acting as the host shouted.
Traditionally, the winner of the Reti Tournament was awarded a fine sword by a woman dressed as Queen Reti during the festival.
Although Leo already possessed the best sword in the world, he accepted the queen’s sword without complaint.
Applause erupted once again. Lena also clapped to celebrate his victory.
As prizes were awarded to the top four warriors, it seemed the tournament was concluding successfully...
“The king wishes to see the winners. Please follow me.”
The host approached the five winners and said. With the citizens' eyes on them, Leo ascended the stone steps.
Halfway up, a masked knight blocked his path.
It seemed they intended to temporarily confiscate his sword before he approached the king. Suddenly, a message popped into his mind.
[ Achievement: Swordmaster, 3/3 ]
[ The ‘Swordmaster’ achievement is now void. ]
[ Quest: Guardian, 1/3 ]
‘What, what is this?’
Unconsciously, as he handed over his sword, Leo looked at the knight before him.
Is this person the Swordmaster?
But it didn’t seem likely that this short and slight man was the continent’s strongest.
Moreover, the bizarrely connected messages disrupted his focus. Leo didn’t realize that the masked knight was glaring at him through the eyeholes of the mask.
Handing over his sword, Leo began climbing the steps again. Trying to clear his mind amidst the ear-splitting cheers and messages, he finally approached the king.
As he neared, another message appeared.
[ Achievement: King, 2/7 ]
This time, he wasn’t startled by the message. He had received a similar message when he met the old king of the Arcaea Kingdom. However, his focus was shattered again.
The man sitting higher than Prince Pablo de Klaus. With deep navy blue hair symbolizing the Klaus royal family, the king, who had just reached middle age, looked at him with a mix of vigor and wisdom. No, he wasn’t the king.
This man, with dark divine power swirling around him, was an ‘Apostle.’
“It’s an honor to meet such a fine warrior.”
- Barbatos?
‘Petra de Klaus’ spoke. As he opened his mouth, a nagging, irritable question followed in Leo's mind.
“Well done. You’re truly remarkable for someone so young. Very impressive.”
- What brings Barbatos’s Apostle here?
The king’s gaze briefly flicked to Leo’s clenched white-knuckled fist.
As if seeing through his fist, Leo realized the palm of his right hand bore the mark of Barbatos, invisible to anyone else.
“Other warriors were excellent too. It’s been a long time since we had such a good tournament. Everyone did well.”
- Answer me. Why. Are you. Here? Don’t you know how to answer? Then call that wretch Barbatos. How dare an unheard-of Ashin send an Apostle before me...
Leo began to understand. This king was an Apostle half-devoured by Ashin.
Judging by the shield-shaped octagonal divine power swirling around him, the god he served was Halpas, a part of MalHas, symbolized by two entangled black ravens.
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