When the group matches were over and the jousting began, the venue was filled with even more excitement.
Tags with the contestants' game nicknames were posted in one corner of the venue and the tag of the loser was removed. The winners were the subject of betting and every time someone fell off his horse and a match ended, there were screams and cheers here and there and wads of money flew around.
Finally, Mac's card, “The Magician of Shelun,” was read out, and it was his turn.
“Go for it! Show Shelun's determination!”
Cynthia and I leaned against the wooden fence and cheered loudly.
Mac and his opponent appeared on horseback in a circular hall with fluffy grass. His opponent was clad in luxurious armor with ornaments here and there. Although he's a local lord, he must be the son of a powerful nobleman.
At first glance, Mac, who was wearing simple armor, looked weak.
The two men face each other, pointing their bows at each other and raise their wooden spears.
The ceremonial military officer standing in the middle of the two men raises a large flag, signaling the start of the match.
The two heavily armed men gallop past each other on horseback.
A sound echoed in the clear sky, and immediately after that, Mac's opponent fell.
The MC announces the result of the match in a loud voice.
“The winner is Shelun's magician!”
“”He did it!”” Cynthia and I hugged each other and rejoiced.
We both jumped up and down several times, bursting with joy.
As soon as Mac was outside the fence, we rushed back into the tent with him again. After each match, we had to check the mail and helmets to see if there was anything wrong with them.
When we took off Mac's surcoat, sure enough, it was partially torn under the armpit. It seemed to have been snatched by the opponent's spear.
I asked him to take it off quickly, then Cynthia and I split up and sewed it back on.
“Thank you, both of you.”
“We're friends. It's only natural.”
When I looked up from the needle and said so, Mac nodded, a little embarrassed which was unusual.
As the game progressed, the number of nameplates of contestants on the bulletin board decreased.
When Mac won the second match, which was considered to be the first hurdle, I finally felt more relaxed and was able to watch the other matches.
Mac finished getting ready early and Cynthia and I sat by the fence, biting into a piece of bread with ham on it, and watched the other contestants compete.
When the contestants for the next game appeared, the crowd went wild. One of the contestants was a knight of great physique, muscular and strong like a giant. His helmet covered his entire face, so we couldn't see his face, but it must have been muscular as well.
He reminded me of Arnold back home.
“He looks so strong.”
Cynthia mutters, taking her mouth off the bread.
The giant knight's opponent was a tall man in black armor. He was astride his horse with good posture and was walking his horse to the fence on the other side of the field to get into position before the match.
From here, I could only see his back, but he must not be weak, since he too had made it to the third round of this tournament.
Checking the nameplates on the bulletin board, it seems that they're the “Giant Arm of the West” and the “Knight of King's Landing”. The former is probably the common name of the giant knight. Even so, it would be difficult to knock that huge body off the horse.
The two men take their places and the MC steps forward to the center of the group.
“Black Knight-sama, don't lose!”
The crowd cheered. Apparently, the audience has given the “knight of king's landing” an alias of its own.
The black knight raised his spear and readied it on his horse.
At that moment, I was struck by a strange sense of déjà vu.
I had seen that scene somewhere.
(What is this feeling…..?)
I had seen that posture of the man astride the horse, holding up the spear, like this.
“No way, is that Gideon?”
He looked just like the man she had fought in a class at the Academy of Magic, the way he held his spear. Cynthia took a bite of her bread again and said.
“No, that can't be him. He's now a resident of the South Island. I heard that the duke is furious with him and has put him in charge of one of his estates on the southern island.”
“What? His father sent him to the South Island? I heard that he spends his days at the royal hospital, comforting his childhood friend, the former saint……”
“That's right. Someone who resented her burned down the duke's house. The duke sent his son to the island to make sure he never had to deal with Iris again.”
That Gideon and the southern island are too much of a fit to be denied. Well, to make a fresh start, it might be better to completely change the environment.
I would like to think that it would be better for him.
The two opponents run toward each other.
The cloth ornament on their helmets shakes and vibrates with the sound of horses' footsteps. At the moment they passed each other, each thrust out his spear, hitting the other's shield and breaking the black knight's spear, but neither of them fell from their horses. Since the winner is not decided, the two riders once again separate and engage in a single battle.
When they again drop to the edge, the black knight receives a new spear and they face each other.
As both men run forward, they lean forward, unconsciously gripping the fence at hand.
Immediately after they pass each other, fine pieces of wood are scattered around the area. It seems that both spears broke. Immediately afterward, the giant knight was the one who lost his stance and slid off the horse's back.
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There was a heavy sound as if a rock had fallen to the ground and the neighing of the horse could be heard.
“It's amazing! To be able to push off that big guy!”
Hearing Cynthia's excited voice, I stared at the black knight with my eyes, but the gap between his helmet was too narrow to make out his face at all. However, amidst the silver armor that dominated the crowd, the figure clad in all black stood out against the odds.
The reddish-gold color of the office at sunset filled the room and was dazzling.
After viewing all of the day's jousts, I finally returned to the crown prince's office and stopped at the entrance.
The crown prince, a serious man, was lying on the sofa in the corner of his office, unusually asleep.
“Your Highness, you could catch a cold.”
I went next to the sofa and shook his shoulder.
The crown prince's brown eyes slowly opened and he gently lowered his eyes as he recognized me.
“Welcome back, Liesel. How did Mac do?”
“He's doing well. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.”
I call out to the crown prince as he rises, stretching.
“Are you tired? Please go to sleep.”
“I guess it's been a while since I worked hard early in the morning. I'm going to cut it off now to prepare for tomorrow. You need to go back to the hostel and rest.”
“Yes, I'll do that. Thank you for your hard work.”
I bowed politely and left the office.
The jousting tournament was blessed with fine weather for all three days.
After winning again on the second day, Mac finally got to compete on the final day.
With each win, more and more people came out to cheer him on, and on the third day he spotted Katharina in the bleachers.
She put her white-gloved hand over her mouth in place of a loudspeaker and shouted, “Mac! I won't forgive you if you lose!”
Seeing this, Cynthia and I chuckle.
“Kath is rooting for you.”
“I never thought I'd see this day. Mac is waving right back.”
Perhaps encouraged by the support from his old friend, Mac managed to win his first game on the final day.
Back inside the tent, I was helping him change into his new surcoat, which he was sweating in, when a rare visitor appeared.
It was Katharina.
She came suddenly to the tent, carrying a basket full of bread and fruit.
She looked awkward and fidgety as she held out the basket to Mac.
“Well, good luck in the next few matches. If you keep going like this, maybe you will win the championship.”
“Thanks. I hope so. I was just getting hungry, so I'll take it.”
Mac grabbed a whole bunch of grapes, held them close to his mouth with one hand, and began to eat the grapes with a crunch. Katharina covered both eyes at his bad manners.
“You're no different when you're in the Royal Guard. –This one's for you.”
Katharina held out a paper bag toward me. I took it, not understanding what it was, and peeked into it.
I wondered if this was a return gift for the other night. The snot-covered handkerchief.
When I looked up for an explanation, Katharina opened her mouth a little proudly.
“The Jumeaux family motto is twenty-fold payback.”
I definitely don't want to become enemies with them…….
Chuckling, Katharina quickly turned on her heel and ran back to the bleachers.
Mac tilted his head.
“What did she come here to do anyway?”
“I think she came to rub some sesame seeds in the hope that Mac might win and maybe give you a gift.”
“Cynthia, you're so perceptive.”
I ventured to ask Mac, who was offering us the basket of fruit as well.
“The winner is free to name the maiden who will bestow the medal of victory on him, right? Have you already decided who you want to be the medal maiden?”
“Yes, approximately.”
Then Cynthia, who had been rummaging through the cheese in the basket, looked up with a twinkle in her eye.
“You remember, don't you, Mac? If you win the tournament and get a knighthood, you'll introduce me to a nice nobleman, right?”
“Yes. Haha. ……I said something like that, didn't I?”
“Keep your promise!”
In response to Cynthia's reminder, Mac laughed a drawn-out laugh. Was it my imagination that his face looked lonely?
Chapter end
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