"Phew…"
"I-I feel dizzy…."
"… obviously. I was choking."
"Most people who have seen His Majesty say that. No…I still feel nervous."
After a brief conversation between the King and Airn Pareira, the party had come out of the room and took deep breaths.
Vulcanus and Anya were faring better, but Ethan and the other party members were exhausted as if they were in a battle.
'Even so… I feel that Airn is more amazing.'
The elf magician, Jarin, who regained her composure, looked at Airn. The young man looked at them with a polite smile.
And a smile broke out across her face. It wasn't because Jarin thought it was weird.
Such a gentle-looking guy who felt like some runaway from a noble family… looking and speaking to the King like that.
'How can this be?'
She couldn't understand it. Of course, other than that, she thought it was cool.
It wasn't because of the aspiration to win the Warrior's Festival. It was because of the belief and the meaning behind the words he spoke.
It wasn't for the sake of personal achievement but for the sake of all the people on the continent… there wasn't a word more suitable for him than 'hero.'
'And we never know. Maybe he will win it.'
At first, she thought there was no chance. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't win such a competition.
Despite having an age limit, there were monsters twice as experienced as Airn in the festival.
Even Carmin Ray, who was a great swordsman and considered to be one of the most powerful figures of the next generation, wasn't expected to win. So how could a man in his 20s win?
No, it wasn't that.
Jarin remembered what happened a few days back. She remembered it clearly.
The sight of him defeating Brudie Schaffer, who was the best in Wise Guild, with one strike.
Even though it wasn't a full battle, he was not pushed back by Quincy Myers, who was known to be one of the continent's best.
Of course, he didn't show 100% of his ability, but it had to be the same with Airn.
Maybe he really could win. No…she wanted him to win.
It was when Jarin, who had unwittingly become a fan of Airn, mumbled to herself.
"Isn't it great?"
"Yes? Ah, right. It is great. A person who says everything he wants to say in front of the King, of course…"
"No. Not that. No… surely that is also great. But…"
Ethan pointed to his comrades.
Kenan Reyers was standing there bluffing that he wasn't nervous, and Giovanni was joking to ease the nervousness. It felt ordinary, like any other mercenary troop.
The party leader who watched it quietly spoke his thoughts.
"I did think so at first. Ah, it's not Aron but Airn. Right. Because he's such a big person… so, even when we were making fun of him, he didn't show embarrassment and said everything he wanted to say in front of Brudie Schaffer and Gael Wise too. And it was the same even in front of His Majesty too."
"…"
"If you think about it, Airn was always the same with us. No matter what the opponent's position was, no matter how great they are or no matter how insignificant they are… he talks to all of them with a smile and always speaks politely. So that he doesn't offend others… and still, he speaks with confidence and belief. See, he is still the same here. To Airn, we might be mercenaries who amount to nothing, but I don't feel that from him. He sees Giovanni as Giovanni and Kenan and Kenan and me as me. Seeing that, Airn is…"
Shouldn't it be a feeling of being firmly centered on himself instead of others?
After talking, Ethan continued.
"Hm, I don't know if the meaning was conveyed right. So, what I was saying is… it is true that he is a great person. But it is great that he is in a high position but doesn't seem to use it. He…"
"…has a strong heart."
Jarin nodded her head.
She seemed to know what Ethan was trying to say. What he wanted to convey.
A leader was a leader.
And his current attitude towards learning and grasping all of this was important, and this proved that Ethan was a good leader.
"Then, can I guide you all now?"
As the chaotic air calmed down to some extent, the royal guide, who was silent till then, opened his mouth.
Giovanni and Kenan had slightly red faces. It was because they realized that they had been talking for far too long here. Jarin shook her head seeing them and Ethan laughed. It was the moment when he was about to nod his head after looking at Airn.
Vulcanus opened his mouth.
"Wait."
"Is there something else?"
"Um, Yes. I should have said this inside, but I forgot for some reason. Sorry, but could you give this to His Majesty?"
"Of course."
"Ah, then me as well…"
"Um? You too?"
Vulcanus looked at Airn with a puzzled expression.
In front of the Majesty, who was the most powerful person in the nation, didn't he say that he would come out as the winner of the festival?
He had something more to say now?
It wasn't to say something, however.
Airn put his hand in his pocket and took out various things. The people around were watching him with a curious expression, wondering what it was.
Even Anya, who wasn't usually interested in anything, was looking at him.
"Um, can you give these?"
"… You want me to just pass them on? Is there anything to say?"
"Umm…"
Airn pondered for a moment and then said with a smile.
"It is a donation for the church."
"…"
"It will be small compared to the amount the Wise Guild donates, but I hope it will still help the continent."
"Huhuhu."
"Stop laughing old man."
"Huhuh. How can I not laugh? I saw such a thing. I have never seen such an energetic young man! Huhuhuhu…"
The Holy King seemed to be in a good mood. He knew it the moment they met.
The fact that Airn wasn't an idiot who just knew to swing the sword well, but a real hero who had been honing his will and dreams for a long time.
So, he acted rudely.
He didn't simply put pressure on him with holy power but sought an answer by referring to a huge and complex problem an individual couldn't answer thoughtlessly.
It wasn't easy. It really wasn't easy.
'However, to breeze through that difficult situation was extremely good.'
He acknowledged his own shortcomings. Although the process was cumbersome, he didn't lie.
As a result, he showed confidence in what he could do, so the King had no choice but to look forward to the future of the young man.
He smiled and said,
"Haha, I am really looking forward to it. It's a pity that I don't have a knack for swords. What kind of performance will we see? Till the 8th or 4th level? Maybe even the finals too. I am already curious. What will he do against that friend Dame Ignet?"
"Are you a kid? Is watching a fight so fun?"
"It is fun. How could it not be fun to watch the place where new hopes of the continent bloom? You are strange. Why are you being so crooked?"
"That's because they don't live up to my expectations."
"Your expectations are… does it make sense to ask a swordsman to be a magician?"
"True."
The Queen of Runtel, Jia Runtel, made a sad expression.
Of course, she was well aware that Airn was a swordsman. She knew better than anyone just how difficult it was to achieve greatness in both swords and magic, and that it was close to impossible.
And Airn was someone who showed talent in sorcery.
Expecting one more thing from someone who excelled in both fields seemed like a greedy act.
But…
'I got a report and was asked to witness the magic flow by myself, so how can I ignore it?'
Right.
She had been searching for a natural talent in magic.
It was a talent that wasn't inferior to a successor, the Heir to the Runtel family!
That was what Jia Runtel wanted to confirm. It was the reason she came here after 30 years.
And directly looking at Airn, she observed that he had no talent for magic, and that made the Queen of Runtel sullen.
"Ah, Came here for nothing. Nothing. I came all the way here, but it just wasted my time."
"There has to be a lot to do. Was it last year? He is the one who stopped that Yprene from running around."
"Look here. Runtel is a kingdom, not a union of three families! You know that right? Even as its Queen, it is difficult for me to intervene in the affairs of other families."
"Then get down from your throne."
"I don't want to."
"Why?"
"It's a cool title."
"You know something? Sometimes I envy you for how crazy your mind is."
"If you are envious, then change your life."
"I can't. Because I am the person you think I am."
The King, who said that, started to work on his papers. As said earlier, he was different from Jia Runtel. He had a sense of responsibility.
Contrary to what he had told Airn, he was already looking into the case of the Wise guild.
Even with two of the top three people together, they would not be able to resolve this chaos.
'I hope something more difficult than this doesn't happen.'
With such thoughts in mind, when the guard in charge of Airn returned, his heart pounded.
It wasn't a huge thing. But it was a good thing.
The best blacksmith on the continent provided armor to him.
"The best news I've ever heard."
"Really."
The Vulcanus Numbering Sword.
They were comparable to hero's relics which were found in tombs or mystical objects with sacred power in them, which could only be found in ancient dungeons…
The items of Vulcanus were that precious.
And to pledge that he would be making such things for not just the Commanders and Vice Commanders, but to all of the soldiers was great.
'The quality of the weapon will be low, but the symbolism the item holds will help boost the morale of people. It is a very nice thing.'
Moreover, there was another thing.
Airn's offering.
It wasn't as great as the gift of Vulcanus.
No matter how expensive the gold and silver treasure he gave was, it couldn't be compared to a numbering sword. It couldn't be compared to the donations of the Wise guild either.
However, since he knew better than anyone why he donated now, he felt the warmth of his heart.
… an embarrassing thing happened after a while.
"… Jia?"
Jia Runtel.
But she stayed silent. No… it was as if she didn't hear him call at all.
Jump.
The Queen of Runtel rose abruptly from her seat.
And then she approached right in front of the table and took the golden goblet which was in Airn's offerings with careful hands.
She had a very serious expression.
When the Holy King had a nervous look as he looked at her actions, she spoke in a trembling voice.
"This pattern on the goblet… no, the text…"
"… is ancient text?"
Immediately after, a faint blue light began to glow from the pattern.
