The Sub Male Lead is Burning with Jealousy - Chapter 9 Part 15
“In the legends, the Knight of Autumn was a poor, nameless knight. To honor the goddess who chose him, the use of magic in battle is forbidden. Please comply with this.”
“…..”
Fight without magic? Against human swordsmen?
Still, the only ones he feared were Rahil or a sword master. He certainly didn’t fear other humans. In fact, it should be they who trembled before him.
“Fine. I’ve got no problem with that!”
Kirthalros responded boldly. The official, who had been eyeing him impassively, seemed to have nothing more to say. He told him to call if the armor didn’t fit, then turned and left the waiting room. The attendant who’d followed him out also departed.
A knight who had silently been observing his master approached. Kirthalros had once needed subordinates, so he resurrected a suitable mercenary from death and turned him into a loyal servant. Outwardly human, inwardly he was an undead soldier—a skeleton soldier.
“Milord, have you ever learned swordsmanship?”
“Do you think I would stoop to learning such a crude human skill?”
In truth, he’d tried it once out of curiosity but quickly grew bored, for he was a magical creature by nature. At Kirthalros’s cold retort, the knight’s face showed worry.
‘Swordsmanship isn’t something that comes easily.’
But if he dared to advise surrender, the dragon would surely rage and attack him. The knight had no desire to be reduced to a pile of bones again. So he decided to feign ignorance.
After all, it looked like his master would be entering the tournament either way.
***
The official immediately had an attendant report that candidate Emil Kirthalros seemed to have used a magic artifact during the trial. Perhaps it might not have mattered, if this were back in the days when the Empire had just begun celebrating the Harvest Festival, but in the current era, such a thing was unheard of. After all, any use of magic artifacts was forbidden at the final tournament stage.
‘As I suspected, something’s off. Should I lure him out where no one’s around and interrogate him?’
Still harboring suspicions, Rahil thought about Kirthalros, pondering what to do.
A chimera could be fought with a magic sword, sure, but a predator wouldn’t cower just because a mouse wielded a terrifying weapon. It was suspicious how easily Kirthalros had subdued the chimera.
“Your Majesty, who do you consider to be the likely winner?”
Duke Odesa asked as he set down his wine glass. Rahil answered with an expression devoid of interest.
“No one in particular stands out. What about you, Duke?”
“I’ve taken a liking to Young Lord Rudwain. He’s hearty, masculine, and just right for the role of the ‘Knight of Autumn’!”
“Your Majesty the Empress, is there any knight that has caught your eye?”
This time, the Duchess of Odesa asked gently. Anais named a young lord who had conducted himself with a certain gravity. She remembered him because of the way he and his fiancée had exchanged glances that pleased her.
The Duchess of Odesa nodded slowly, as if in understanding.
While the Empress decided who advanced to the final competition, only the Knight of Autumn could choose the Maiden of Abundance. This rule, rooted in the legend where the Knight of Autumn rescues the true maiden from among the false ones conjured by demons, was immutable.
As a result, greater attention was placed on the Knight of Autumn rather than the maiden chosen to play the Maiden of Abundance. Of course, being selected as the Maiden of Abundance still came with significant advantages.
Angelica shot a displeased look at the arena which was now being transformed for the tournament.
“I believe the Maiden of Abundance should also be chosen through competition. The legend says it is the maiden chosen by the goddess who leads the knight. Why, then, should the knight be the one to choose the maiden…?”
“But there’s no proper method for that,” Theodore retorted. “We can’t very well have them embroidering in the arena or competing to harvest fruit the fastest.”
It was said that, in earlier days, there had even been controversy over the trial that involved corralling rabbits into a pen. Since all the candidates were noble ladies, many had argued that it was improper to make nobles perform such tasks.
At Theodore’s response, Angelica pouted. The Duchess of Odesa maintained a kindly expression, pretending not to notice, while the Duke of Odesa cleared his throat loudly, his displeasure evident.
Duke Noer, too, found the duchess’s behavior somewhat unbecoming but refrained from clicking his tongue.
‘Her character may be lacking, but her lineage is impeccable, so what can we even do?’
He was one of the few who found it odd that Angelica and the Empress had not fallen out completely. From the Empress’s position, disliking Angelica would have been perfectly natural.
Yet the Empress didn’t seem particularly fazed by Angelica’s remarks, which were as good as undermining the very festival Anais had painstakingly prepared.
‘Not that I hadn’t considered that myself…’ Anais thought.
But if the competition were to proceed differently from usual, the responsibility of choosing the Maiden of Abundance would have fallen to the Emperor or Empress instead of the Knight of Autumn. If Rahil were tasked with choosing, his youth and recent marriage might cause the chosen maiden’s family to draw inappropriate conclusions. That was something Anais wished to avoid.
Choosing someone herself was also out of the question—for now, at least. Perhaps once she bore children with the Emperor and had greater influence among the noblewomen, she could consider it, but for now, such a choice would only complicate matters.
‘And letting the commoners decide isn’t an option either.’
At first, she briefly considered handing out flowers to the citizens, allowing the young lady who received the most flowers to be named the Maiden of Abundance.
But the very notion of needing the commoner’s approval would deeply humiliate the noble candidates. They were aristocrats, after all. Such a decision would only provoke an immense backlash against the imperial family.
In the end, Anais decided the best course of action was to stick closely to tradition, making minimal changes to the harvest festival. There were only so many forms of competition that could serve as entertainment for the citizens while taking place within the arena.
‘Change should come gradually. There’s no need to rush.’
Sipping the drink brought to her by a maid, Anais thought to herself with quiet resolve.
