Chapter 171 - Damn Reincarnation

< Competition >

As Eugene approached the closed door to open it, he sensed muffled footsteps retreating. He stopped in front of the door and waited a moment. When he did not open it, the presence began creeping closer again.

He opened the door at once.

"Eek."

"Yikes!"

Two foolish-sounding shrieks. Eugene looked ahead, unimpressed. Dezra had stumbled back several paces and stood awkwardly, while Ciel wore a brazen expression, as though she had not made a sound.

The eek had come from Ciel, and the yikes from Dezra.

"What are you two doing here?"

"What do you mean? I was just walking down the corridor."

Her heart, pounding from the surprise, quickly settled. Ciel shot a reproachful glare at Dezra, who was still standing back.

"Stupid Dezra. Why did you make such an embarrassing noise?"

"What?"

"You just made those ridiculous noises. Eek, yikes. No matter how startled you were, wasn't screaming twice in a row a bit much?"

"Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't scream twice. And strictly speaking, the sound I just made wasn't really a scream..."

"Yes, you did. You screamed twice. You startled me so badly I froze!"

Ciel had no intention of admitting that she had screamed. At the same time, something rankled at the back of her mind.

'But I was clearly tracking his presence?'

Eugene had realized that Ciel was tracking his presence, too. So, partly to tease her, he had concealed his presence and waited at the door. However keen her senses might be, there was no way Ciel could detect him when he deliberately concealed himself.

"I only screamed once!"

"Dezra! As my squire, do you dare defy your senior?"

Ciel fixed Dezra with a stern glare. What she said was true. The Black Lion Knights had undertaken a major recruitment drive, and Dezra had volunteered to join the Third Division, commanded by Carmen Lionheart, whom she admired.

Getting to wear the Black Lions' uniform had been wonderful, but unfortunately, Dezra's skills fell short of those required of a Black Lion in many respects. In the end, she had become a trainee knight assigned to assist Ciel, Carmen's pupil.

"... This... this is abuse of authority. Even if you are my senior, Lady Ciel, I can't admit to saying something I never said."

"Keep that up, and I won't look after you the next time we go out together."

Ciel regarded Dezra through narrowed eyes. Dezra's eyes trembled at those words. Judging by the exchange alone, Ciel might seem like the very embodiment of abuse of authority, but surprisingly, she had been looking after Dezra in all sorts of ways since she became a Black Lion. For their next outing, she had even promised to take Dezra to a weapons shop so expensive it could make someone weep tears of blood, and buy her a spear of her choice.

"You're right. I actually screamed twice."

"Hear that?"

Dezra admitted it with an awkward expression, and Ciel flashed Eugene a triumphant grin.

"... And what am I supposed to do about it?"

"Why do you keep coming in and out of Lady Carmen's office lately?"

The smile vanished from Ciel's face in an instant. She scrutinized Eugene suspiciously.

"You're not thinking of becoming Lady Carmen's pupil, are you?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

"You can't. You're already getting special lessons from Sir Genos. Getting Lady Carmen to teach you as well would be cheating. It's unfair."

"That's right... sir. Lady Carmen is already terribly busy just teaching the Third Division... sir."

Dezra had not originally used polite language with Eugene. But addressing Cyan and Ciel respectfully while making an exception for Eugene could cause all sorts of problems. Since coming to the main estate as a member of the Third Division, she had been making a conscious effort to speak politely to him.

"It must be wonderful to be loved by everyone."

Eugene spoke with a glance back at Carmen, whose legs were propped on the table. She flicked her Dupont lighter, suppressing the smile spreading across her lips.

PING. PING.

"It's almost time for the competition. What are you doing here? Wasn't the entire order supposed to attend, even if they weren't competing?"

"That's why we came. To get you and Lady Carmen."

"Sorry, but I won't be able to relax and watch with you."

"Why?"

"I've decided to compete."

He answered without a trace of nerves or worry.

Ciel's and Dezra's eyes went wide.

* * *

For three hundred years, Lionheart had held the entirety of a vast forest on the western outskirts of the capital, Seyris, as its domain. No other noble estates lay near the main estate.

This field, in other words, was not Lionheart's private property. It was Kiel's territory—the emperor's land. The competition had begun with a petty dispute, but no more blood than necessary was to be spilled. This competition must, above all, respect both sides' honor and remain within the bounds of chivalry.

... That was the gist of it, but the assembled spectators did not see it that way.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes had gathered to ensure that the competition honored both parties, upheld chivalry, and did not spill excessive blood. All belonged to nobles of some influence in Kiel, along with a number of untitled capitalists whose wealth made them impossible to dismiss. Rather than vague notions such as honor and chivalry, their eyes were full of interest in the imminent clash between knights.

The White Dragon Knights, who served the imperial household, would face the knights of Lionheart, whose fame stretched back three hundred years, head-on. Never before in Kiel had an imperial knightly order and a noble family's order confronted each other directly.

'Usually, things are smoothed over before it turns into an all-out clash.'

That was not only true of imperial and noble orders. Noble orders did not hold competitions against one another, either. A direct clash between knightly orders had ample potential to escalate into a territorial war.

Thus, disputes between knights always had to begin by establishing who was in the right. Duels had to end cleanly, leaving no lingering grievances, and the combatants had to respect each other so that the loser did not suffer excessive humiliation. Such duels ended as one-on-one affairs, and even if their noble lieges intervened, they must not mobilize their entire orders...

"The White Dragon Knights started the dispute. Lionheart had right on its side from the beginning."

"But the White Dragon Knights serve His Majesty the Emperor. They cannot be the first to bow their heads."

"True, but..."

"This is something I heard from the imperial palace, but apparently His Majesty intended for this incident to escalate into an all-out confrontation."

"What do you mean...?"

"As you know, there was infighting among Lionheart's blood relatives on Mount Uklas, their own territory, not long ago. There weren't many casualties, but the honor of Lionheart, which prided itself on being the continent's foremost martial family, fell into the abyss. They even abolished longstanding traditions to put things right and reorganize the family's strength."

The man leading the conversation was Marquis Blezico, a noble famous for his extensive connections in high society. He lowered his voice to a whisper as though sharing some tremendous secret.

"Lionheart is an illustrious noble house, a great pillar of Kiel. Its founder, Lord Vermouth the Great, is a mighty hero whose name will live forever in the continent's history. ... With such a family beginning to decline... how heavy must His Majesty's heart have been?"

"Ah...!"

"His Majesty intended this competition to confirm that Lionheart's prestige has not diminished in the slightest, and to allow every spectator to see that for themselves. Even if the White Lion Knights defeat the White Dragon Knights, His Majesty will be greatly pleased."

... Conversations of that sort circulated throughout the groups of spectators.

"I find His Majesty's intentions difficult to understand."

"There is no need to understand his exalted will in every particular."

Alchester murmured, and the man beside him replied.

"It is true that Lionheart has weathered considerable turmoil recently. This competition may have begun with a dispute, but an all-out confrontation like this is not a bad opportunity to assess Lionheart's strength."

"... It was the Black Lion Knights who suffered through that turmoil. The main family's White Lion Knights sustained no losses."

"Yes, I know. But knights who have sworn allegiance to a family crumbling from within... can they truly live up to the name handed down along with their traditions...?"

The man looked across the field with a thin smile. Lionheart's banners fluttered in the wind. The White Lion Knights wore gray uniforms, and the Black Lion Knights wore black. At their center sat the family head, Gilead Lionheart, astride a black horse.

"Do not underestimate Lionheart. They are a martial family that has reigned supreme for three hundred years. Those White Lion Knights were carefully selected from the most exceptionally skilled knights drawn to that name."

Alchester was displeased by the man's blatant contempt for Lionheart. As commander of the White Dragon Knights, he had sworn absolute loyalty to the emperor, but as an individual knight, he was captivated by Vermouth the Great and held him in profound respect.

"... If I truly underestimated them, I would not be competing."

The speaker was Ebolt Magius, one of the White Dragon Knights' captains.

"Regardless of who wins this competition, a more thorough understanding of Lionheart's strength is necessary, if only for the unity gathering scheduled for next year."

That was not the only reason. Alchester, too, had spoken separately with the emperor about this competition.

Heroic bloodline or not, Lionheart was merely a noble family. Was it not excessive for such a family to maintain separate knightly orders of one hundred sixty and sixty members? Was it truly right to respect a hero from three hundred years ago and his prestige more than the emperor who ruled today?

That was why he wanted to crush them. Even if his side happened to lose the competition, he had little to lose. That defeat, too, would be attributed to the emperor's benevolent care. The story was already circulating among the spectators.

But if his side won? The whole world would learn that Lionheart's fortunes really had declined, and that the hero's blood had thinned. If that caused defections from the White Lion Knights, the emperor would generously embrace them and provide places in the orders under his command.

"Do you regret it?"

Carmen, too, sat astride a black horse. Her coat flapped as she stared straight ahead.

"Regret what?"

"Proposing the competition."

Gilead gave a wry smile.

"His Majesty was far too blatant."

"Peace has lasted too long."

PING.

Carmen flicked her lighter and placed a cigar between her lips.

"Power keeps accumulating, but there's nowhere to expend it. Yet starting a war means having all sorts of things to worry about. The Sultan of Nahama has grown fat around the belly and keeps drooling over this and that, but our august emperor is drooling just as much."

"... Those are dangerous words."

"Am I wrong? Once you're emperor of an empire, you ought to know how to be reasonably satisfied... If our founder hadn't decided to settle in Kiel three hundred years ago, do you think Kiel would have retained its standing as an empire through those turbulent times?"

"... I believe it might have lost some territory."

"Exactly. Kiel has many enemies. If we weren't holding back the barbarian tribes of the southern jungles, the Imperial Knights His Majesty is so proud of would have to do our work. Family head, do you understand what I mean?"

"..."

"Lionheart has defended Kiel for three hundred years. Regardless of titles! Yet rather than acknowledge our service, His Majesty, with his belly full of fat, seizes on our moment of weakness to trample our family's name and steal our power."

Carmen displayed a cold anger. Though she still looked like a woman in her twenties, she was Gilead's aunt.

"So, family head, don't regret proposing the competition. You made the proper decision. The great hero's blood flowing through our veins has never thinned, and though we have weathered harsh storms, the Lionheart family will not break. Yes, like a pine tree enduring a storm...!"

What did a pine tree have to do with anything?

Gilead wondered, but never voiced the question. Having dealt with her since childhood, he knew very well that agreement and silence were the most effective tools when conversing with Carmen.

"... I do not regret it. As you said, Aunt, someone had to make a decision. And as the family head, that decision was mine to make."

"Don't call me Aunt."

"... Yes, Lady Carmen. Why would I regret it in the first place? I trust the knights who are loyal to Lionheart. Even if their surname is not Lionheart, and Lionheart blood does not flow through their veins, they are Lionheart's knights, sworn to Lionheart's service."

The White Dragon Knights were called the greatest in the empire. Gilead knew their reputation well. But he did not believe that the White Lion Knights were inferior to them.

"... And..."

Gilead looked ahead with a wry smile.

"... Frankly, I cannot imagine that boy losing."

Nine White Lion Knights were participating in the competition.

Eugene stood in their midst.

"Please don't put too much pressure on me."

His wrist cracked as he slowly rotated it to loosen the joint, while his other hand checked his weapons inside his cloak.

"We're up against the empire's greatest knightly order, after all."

He was simply saying whatever came to mind.

The other knights heard it that way, too.

The White Lion Knights knew very well that this young master was an absurd, unreasonable monster. The gulf between them was so vast that they could not even feel envy or jealousy. His achievements came from innate talent coupled with training he had not neglected for a single day. Though he was only twenty this year, the young master had already earned the knights' recognition.

"Maybe I should compete, too."

"You'd obviously be compared to him. Stop showing off and stay put, Cyan."

Cyan glared at the back of Eugene's head with a sullen expression.

"That bastard has no human warmth. None. I know he's exceptional, but isn't this a bit much?"

"Jealousy is ugly."

"You think this is new? Huh? This is already my seventh year being jealous of that bastard. Why act like it's some revelation?"

"Even the way you admit it is ugly."

"Anyway, being too exceptional makes you unrelatable. Look at me. I'm only moderately exceptional, so I'm brimming with human warmth. Did you know? The White Lion Knights like me more than Eugene."

Cyan shrugged at Ciel with an air of quiet smugness.

"... When someone has a few shortcomings, you want to look after them a little more. That's all."

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't say anything."

It was true that the main family's knights treated Eugene and Cyan differently. That was thanks to Eugene's repeated declarations that he had no ambition to become family head, the efforts Anisilla had lavished on the household for well over a decade, and Cyan's own struggle to overcome his inferiority rather than simply surrender to it.

"So if I win, I can name my next opponent and keep fighting. Is that right?"

"Yes."

Hezar, captain of the White Lion Knights' Second Division, nodded as he answered.

"If you're physically exhausted or injured, you can step down without naming another opponent. This isn't a duel to the death, and..."

Hezar paused and looked around.

"... Judging by the atmosphere, it's turned into an utterly harmonious friendly match."

"Even though they started the trouble."

Eugene snorted and unfastened his cloak's buckle. Mer immediately poked her head out from inside.

"Are you going to take off your cloak to fight?"

"I'm only using one sword. There's no reason to keep the cloak on, then."

"Then I won't be able to help you."

"I'm not using magic, either. I told you, just a sword."

"Really? Then can I come out of the cloak and watch?"

"Since when do you ask me for permission for that?"

Grumbling, Eugene took off his cloak and held it to one side. Raman hurried over from behind him to take it.

"There is no need for you to fight in person, Lord Eugene. I could..."

"What right do you have to compete? Just go over there and look after my father."

Eugene waved him away and glanced at Gerhard, who was watching him from horseback with eyes full of emotion. It was understandable. This was the first time Gerhard had seen his son stand on a battlefield with everyone's attention on him.

"... And if Father gets so moved that he starts crying, give him a handkerchief."

"Yes."

"If he says he can't see me fighting properly, let him sit on your shoulders or something. Understand?"

"On my shoulders...?"

He had not given it much thought, but seeing his father's face so full of emotion made him feel that he ought to put on a better performance than planned.

'Well... drawing Sir Alchester's interest is the point, too.'

Eugene hung the longsword he had already taken out at his waist and turned to the White Lion Knights competing alongside him.

"Then I'll go first."

"Pardon?"

Hezar and the other knights could not hide their bewilderment.

"Is there any need for that...?"

"I'll go first. That would help us assess their strength and decide our order—"

"No. I'm going."

Eugene shook his head firmly. Then, without waiting for an answer, he began striding forward.

At first, the spectators did not recognize Eugene. The main family's much-discussed adopted son. The youngest person to gain access to Akron, and the master of Akasha, recognized by Senya the Wise... Astonishing rumors about him abounded, but Eugene had never once appeared at a society gathering or ball.

Yet their failure to recognize him lasted only a moment. Soon, the spectators knew who he was. The Lionheart uniform. The lion emblem on his left breast. The shaggy ash-gray hair and golden eyes.

"... Eugene Lionheart?"

Surely he had not stepped forward merely to offer a greeting. The spectators murmured as they stared at Eugene. It was no exaggeration to call him the most famous young man in Lionheart today. A rising figure surrounded by rumors, who had never once shown himself at a gathering of Kiel's nobility. Naturally, the eyes fixed on him were filled with great anticipation.

The White Dragon Knights began murmuring as well. Their commander, Alchester, was particularly taken aback, and stared at Carmen and Gilead behind Eugene.

As though sensing his gaze, Gilead shrugged with a wry smile. Instead of smiling, Carmen ostentatiously held out her Dupont lighter and flipped its lid open and shut.

"... Well, now..."

Alchester shook his head with a short sigh. Neither side had disclosed its roster of competing knights. He had never imagined that a young master of the main family—especially Eugene Lionheart—would personally take the field.

'... And I can't very well step in myself now.'

While Alchester wrestled with that dilemma, Ebolt dismounted beside him. Resting a hand on the sword at his waist, he strode forward.

"Ebolt?"

"I'll go."

Ebolt answered without stopping.