The slender old elf referee, seeing that Lance and Bodog were ready, voluntarily stepped off the arena stage.
After rambling on for what felt like an eternity about the spirit of competition, chivalry, and the rules of the tournament, the referee finally blew his whistle and signaled the start.
Lance felt as if his hands were about to grow sore just from holding his opening stance for so long.
Just as Lance expected, the young elven noble named Sir Bodog was incredibly aggressive.
The fury and hatred in his eyes were completely unconcealed.
It was as if he wanted to skin Lance alive…
The intensity made Lance feel a chill down his spine, and he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
‘Whose place did I take? Why am I so hated? This feels like the kind of grudge someone would have if I had stolen his wife.’
Despite the mental jesting, Lance’s gaze never wavered. He stared intently at the young man who was closing in with a probing maneuver.
Suddenly, the youth’s figure froze before vanishing from Lance’s sight with a whoosh.
Almost simultaneously, Lance felt a jolt in his chest. A dangerous aura swept toward him from behind.
Without a moment of hesitation, Lance performed a forward roll.
In that brief moment while his back was turned, Lance caught a glimpse of Bodog’s sinister, sullen face.
When the strike failed, the sullen youth looked panicked for a second.
He immediately prepared to turn and retreat, attempting to put some distance between himself and Lance.
‘Too late!’
Lance roared inwardly as he instantly activated the Level 6 [White Crow Sword Art].
A light breeze, acting like an extension of his own limbs, applied pressure from both sides and helped him stabilize his posture in an instant.
Immediately after, Lance gathered a high-pressure whirlwind at the tip of his sword and thrust it forward!
Even though the sullen youth had already created some distance, he was directly hit by the burst of wind pressure.
His entire body was sent flying backward, propelled straight out of the arena bounds!
Twit —
The sharp sound of a whistle echoed. The old referee waiting outside immediately blew his whistle and announced the winner of the match.
“The winner is Lance Fallos!”
“Uh…”
Lance stood rooted to the spot. He looked at his longsword and then at the sullen youth who had been knocked out of the arena by a single strike.
A small trail of blood leaked from the corner of the youth’s mouth as he stared forward in disbelief.
“You… what kind of technique was that! Impossible! It’s impossible!”
Lance’s expression became complicated. He even looked at the sullen youth with a hint of pity.
‘He was so arrogant when he was talking trash, but it turns out he’s only at the late-stage of Mid Rank! Even if he’s fast, how could he possibly be a match for an “old-timer” High Rank like me?’
The old referee leaped onto the stage, grabbed Lance’s right hand, and announced once more:
“The winner! Lance Fallos!”
The sullen youth, who had been staring death at Lance, coughed up a mouthful of blood. His body slumped as he lost consciousness.
“Next match! Lance Fallos versus Micuthius!”
Lance was taken aback. ‘There’s more?’
***
“You despicable coward! Don’t think you can defeat me with your petty tricks!”
Lance didn’t say a word. After two moves, he determined that this opponent was also at the late-stage of Mid Rank.
With another burst of wind pressure, he sent his opponent flying out of the arena again.
***
“Hehe… you certainly have good luck! Unfortunately for you, your luck has run out now that you’ve met me!”
Mid-stage Mid Rank… White Crow Sword Art!
Thud —
***
“A pack of useless failures! To think they couldn’t even stop a lowborn like you! I suppose I have to handle this myself!”
Clang, clang —
Lance focused a bit more. This opponent was actually a High Rank! Furthermore, he was early-stage High Rank, just like Lance.
However… his combat experience was severely lacking.
In his past, Lance had served as the leader of the Midgar Restoration Army Action Team.
He certainly didn’t lack combat experience.
The elven youth’s movements felt like he was reading from a textbook, lacking any semblance of flexibility.
After a few feints, the youth lost his footing and grew flustered.
Ultimately, he was easily blown away by Lance’s wind pressure.
Lance wiped his forehead, though he hadn’t broken a single drop of sweat.
Before the referee could speak, Lance spoke up.
“Are there any more? Are there many of them? If not, why don’t they all just come at once? This is really a waste of public resources!”
Hearing those words, the old referee stroked his beard and chuckled, his eyes filled with approval.
“No more, no more. That was the last one. You have done well. To think you could break through from Mid Rank to High Rank in such a short amount of time! You are the winner of this selection!”
Lance raised an eyebrow and asked, “Does that mean I’m now the Princess’s Oathbound Knight?”
“Naturally! However…”
At that point, the old referee’s eyes began to shift, and his voice grew weaker.
“This appointment must ultimately be issued by the Princess herself. Right now, you simply have the qualification…”
After a silence, Lance thought for a moment before speaking.
“So… you didn’t get the Princess’s permission?”
The old referee looked embarrassed and slowly nodded his head.
Lance: “…”
The scene fell silent. Under Lance’s wordless gaze, the old referee became increasingly uncomfortable.
Finally, he tossed an Emerald Pendant toward Lance and fled.
From a distance, he shouted back:
“The Princess is currently confined to the Hall of the Holy Tree! Create your own opportunity! Good luck, young man!”
Lance hurriedly caught the flying Emerald Pendant, silently cursing the old elf for being an unqualified organizer.
But as soon as he held the Emerald Pendant, Lance froze.
He looked at its appearance, felt its texture, and sensed the terrifying Life Essence contained within.
Lance was shocked!
‘Isn’t this the Life Crystal the elven girl gave me?’
***
“Ahem… Princess Astrid, you really cannot be so willful anymore! In the thousands of years of the Elga Royal Family’s history, there has never been a princess who reached adulthood without an Oathbound Knight! If you held a Holy Office, it would be fine, as we could say you are serving the Mother Goddess! But given your Holy Power reserves, you can’t even qualify as the lowest-ranked Preacher!”
An elderly elf wearing the red robes of a Cardinal stood with a slight bow. His words were both firm and humble, his eyes filled with helplessness.
The girl with deep golden hair remained kneeling before the statue of the God of Nature.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and she remained silent, showing no intention of acknowledging the Cardinal.
Sighing, the Cardinal eventually gave up. With a wave of his hand, he teleported the golden-haired girl back to her room within the palace.
“I hope the youth who arrives this time will catch Astrid’s eye… I’m truly out of options. For a royal family as emotionally distant as Elga, how did we end up with such a sentimental princess? It’s truly strange!”
Meanwhile, back in her room, the Princess slowly opened her emerald-green eyes, which were filled with indignation.
“If they can’t choose a fiancé for me, they try to choose an Oathbound Knight! They clearly just want to find a warden to spy on me! I just want to go see the world outside the island. Why does everyone have such a big reaction? A bunch of old fogies!”
Astrid frowned, deeply dissatisfied with her family’s arrangements.
As a member of the Elga Royal Family, her fate seemed fixed.
Those with strong Holy Power entered the church to hold Holy Offices, gradually growing into the most steadfast followers serving by the Mother Goddess’s side.
Those with weak Holy Power were required to marry the elites of the tribe to maintain the Elga family’s control over the elves. It was almost a law of nature.
Astrid belonged to the latter category, but she had zero interest in those so-called “talented youths.”
Compared to them, the magitech creations of the ancient human empires were far more interesting!
Glancing at the tightly shut doors and windows, Astrid’s emerald eyes flickered, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.