chapter 103
Finals (4)
The swordsmanship match between Rize and Patrick was a spectacular match that went beyond what was expected.
Who would look at it and think it was a duel between children under the age of 15?
So, when the decision was made, the audience cheered and shouted with all their might.
It could be said that I also had a stronger desire to celebrate Rize’s victory than anyone else, but I couldn’t handle everyone on my own.
No, because the people around him were so over-excited, he seemed to be calming down.
Irina was shedding tears again, and Douglas and Scarlett were clapping their hands as they called Lize’s name.
It was fortunate that we weren’t as excited as the rest of the audience.
Rize went down to the arena and held out her hand to Patrick, who laughed and grabbed it and stood up.
The two of them went up on stage again, stood side by side, and Patrick grabbed Rize’s wrist and lifted it up, announcing that Rize was the final winner.
As it was a fair match, Patrick also neatly acknowledged the victory.
“It was great! Both were great!”
“Patrick did a good job too!”
“It was awesome! really!”
“Rise! Rize! Rize! Rize!”
The cheers, which had subsided slightly, were rekindled. I nodded my head contentedly as I glanced over at the loud screamers.
That child is my daughter.
It will be even more amazing in the future, so please support us even more.
As I was saying those words in my heart, I met eyes with Rize, who was looking around.
And Rize waved both of her hands with a bright smile.
“Ooooh! Lijeee!”
Scarlett looked at me with tired eyes, but what could I do?
After the enthusiasm for a while, the excitement was calmed down, but the turmoil in the audience still did not subside easily.
Originally, the awards ceremony would have been scheduled right after the finals, just like during the magic tournament.
However, it was impossible to proceed because of the audience who kept cheering, so in the end, we decided to bring Rize and Patrick into the waiting room and hide them from sight.
It was only after such a long time had passed that a situation was created in which the awards ceremony could begin.
The podium was quickly set up on the arena where Rize and Patrick had a fierce battle, and soon the children who participated in the semi-finals as well as those who participated in the round of 16 came out one after another and lined up.
“Everyone, you have waited a long time. From now on, we will proceed with the awards ceremony for the fierce swordsmanship competition. No, no, please save the cheers. There are some people who can’t make you wait any longer, so I’d like to ask you a favor.”
Nelson’s words to calm people down were now almost pleading.
Perhaps because he didn’t want it to be possible, Nelson introduced himself without hesitation, ignoring the audience’s reaction.
“Then, please shine the award ceremony for the swordsmanship competition! I will serve the great Emperor to this seat!”
Shortly after, the knights appeared first, lined up on both sides in a line and made a road.
In the meantime, Emperor Leonhart slowly climbed onto the podium.
The scene, which had been tumultuous at the appearance of the emperor, became quiet at once. Nelson didn’t even know he was aiming for this.
During the magic tournament, only the emperor would have come up, but this time he was accompanied by Lucas, the first prince, and Diana, the first princess.
Rize, who saw Diana, tried to hide herself with a bright smile, but Diana was struggling to maintain a solemn expression.
Even so, I could see him blinking his eyes quickly to say hello.
“All are great.”
Standing on top of the podium, Leonhart looked at the 16 children and said so, and a voice amplified by magic spread in all directions.
“I could see the future of the empire in you guys. Since it was a tournament, there was no choice but to win or lose, but if you do not dwell on it and constantly train yourself, you will all be able to become great warriors.”
Leonhart, who said that with a solemn face, opened his mouth again while looking at the four children in front.
“In that sense, I want to give you young people who will open up the future of the empire a chance to spread their wings.”
At Leonheart’s gesture, three knights came out from behind and attached badges to the collars of the three children except Rise.
“You who have proved your skills brilliantly have obtained the qualification to enter the Shureid Imperial School, which will be held right here next year. Regardless of status, Schreid will be a school where the cornerstones who will lead the future of the empire can unleash their abilities to their heart’s content. together… … .”
Leonhart paused for a moment and turned his head to the back, and Lucas climbed onto the podium and stood next to Leonhart.
Leonhart, who glanced at Lucas like that, turned his gaze back to the audience and continued talking.
“I would like to inform you in advance that First Prince Lucas will be enrolled in Schrade next year when he turns 15.”
“Waaa!”
At the news of the prince’s admission, everyone cheered again.
No matter how Schreid said he would accept students regardless of status… … I couldn’t help but draw a negative future, such as the imbalance between commoners and nobles, becoming a playground for young nobles, and the low quality of education.
However, the fact that the first prince took classes with commoners at school was a clear proof that the imperial family valued Shureid, so people had no choice but to look at Schuleid in a different way.
The three children who received the badge also showed proud expressions with flushed cheeks, and the rest of the children promised next year with regretful and regretful expressions.
Leonhart waited for the cheers of the people to subside, and perhaps because it was in front of the emperor, the people quickly shut up one by one.
“Then, the winner of this swordsmanship tournament, Rize, come forward.”
At those words, Rize stepped up to the podium with a slightly nervous step, and politely bowed her head in front of Leonhart, as if she had informed her in advance.
“First raise your head.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The aftermath of the fierce duel still lingered on Rize’s face, who gently lifted her head, but she didn’t want that light at all.
Leonhart nodded a couple of times while watching Rize, then opened his mouth again.
“Today’s performance was very good. The skills that are hard to see at that age are probably thanks to the hard work of whipping yourself. In addition, Patrick, who showed a great match together, can only be said to be very good. Victory and defeat were split by a very narrow margin, so I look forward to the future even more.”
At that, Patrick bowed his head to express his gratitude, and Leonhart, after receiving the badge from the knight, took a step closer and put it directly on Lise’s collar.
“miss… … ! black, uh… … .”
Seeing that scene, Irina naturally burst into tears, and I felt like I was also going to cry for some reason.
After attaching the badge, Leonhart backed away and opened his mouth with his eyes fixed on Rize.
“No one will object to your admission to Schrade. I just lament that I can’t enter the school right away because I’m still not old enough. No, on the contrary, if I become stronger than this, I don’t even know if I will have rivals in the same grade.”
Leonhart didn’t hold back his praise to the extent that he wondered if it was too much, and perhaps because of that, it was glimpsed that the nobles across the street were whispering something to each other.
I believe that it would be an illusion to think that they might be plotting something.
I made up my mind that if I ever thought of harming Rize, I would definitely make her regret it.
“And I can’t help asking the winner about this. Is there anything you would like to receive other than prize money or recommended admission? Or whatever you want to ask. Please feel free to tell me.”
I was curious about that too.
I wondered if Leonhart would say something like that, but I couldn’t quite predict what Rize wanted from the emperor.
And if I could tell you something I could listen to… … As a father, I felt a bit disappointed.
With such a slight anxiety, he focused all his attention on Rize, and the audience’s attention was focused on the words that flowed from Rize’s mouth.
“There is something I would like to ask you, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, I will answer as much as I can.”
Rize swallowed once, looked up at Leonheart with a serious face, and brought out a question she had been harboring.
“if… … Will I be able to participate in next year’s competition?”
“… … .”
It was a completely unexpected question.
Not only me, but also Leonhart, Douglas, and all the audience who heard the question.
As the silence fell, Rize realized that something was wrong, and it was a completely unexpected person who broke the silence.
“Puff.”
It was Diana, who was quietly holding her breath behind Leonhart.
Rize looked at Diana with a face as if she had been betrayed.
“Ah, well, I talked to my teacher about achieving 4 consecutive victories before entering school. Besides, there aren’t many opportunities to duel like this, so it was really fun, so… … .”
As if to make an excuse, Rize spat out the words, and soon her voice gradually creeped in.
I’ve never seen him so shy… … Next to me, Irina was eagerly taking pictures.
Not sure if it will look right.
“Puha, hahahahaha! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
And Emperor Leonhart laughed very coolly.
As the emperor laughed so much, even the spectators who were watching laughed cautiously.
Of course, it wasn’t about the question Rize asked, it was a laugh about Rize’s embarrassed appearance.
In the end, Rize’s cheeks turned bright red, and Leonhart, who finally stopped laughing, spoke with a smile on his face.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t hear that. As long as Schreid’s recommendation for admission is at stake due to injury, more kids will challenge to seize that opportunity. Shouldn’t a person who has already secured a spot be greedy for kicking someone else’s opportunity?”
“… … Yes, that is correct.”
“However, that doesn’t mean we can’t just make the winner’s wish come true, so how about something like this?”
Seeing Rize with a clear expression of disappointment, Leonhart nodded as if he had just come up with a good idea and added.
“Starting from the next tournament, I will allow you to hold a special exhibition where you can duel with the winner. Isn’t that more or less adequate?”
“yes! great! Thank you very much, Your Majesty!”
Rize immediately bowed her head and said hello.
It seemed that this swordsmanship competition had put some fun into sparring with people of similar skill.
should i like this should not
Seriously, if I beat all the winners like this, I’m sure I’ll be famous… … .
It seemed a little far from the plan I had in mind, so I was a little uneasy.
The rest of the audience just cheered and clapped for something new to see.
If there was a match like today every year, it would definitely be worth watching.
Then, suddenly, I saw Leonhart gently beckoning to Rize. Then he said something in a low voice.
I still couldn’t hear that voice, but I could tell roughly what he was saying by looking at his lips.
‘Please continue to be close to my daughter.’
Should I say that too? He seemed to be grasping the matter with Diana.
I saw Rize answering vigorously and lowering her head without being taken aback, and right after, Diana came out and held Rize’s hands and congratulated them.
It was still hard to hear because of the cheers, but it wasn’t a scene that seemed so strange since the imperial family was congratulating the winner.
I don’t know what the nobles over there might think.
Soon, the shouts subsided and Leonhart returned Rize to his original position and opened his mouth while looking at the audience.
“I can confidently say that this contest was a success. Also, from next year, we will create a new student section in connection with Schrade. This will be a good stimulus for students as well. I hope you guys will help a lot so that this contest can become one of Findel’s festivals. I hope there will be a future where Findel and Schreid can be together without rejecting each other.”
At Leonhart’s words, applause poured from the audience.
That was something that even the people of Findel had hoped for, so it was obvious that they would actively support Schreid.
“Then, I look forward to coming back next year.”
After finishing like that, Leonhart went down the podium, and the first Schreid contest, which seemed to be much longer than it felt, came to an end.
Leaving the result that Lize became a celebrity in Findel.