Sins Paradise: Domination System Chapter 10: 288, a detour fanfic

Sins Paradise: Domination System #288 Chapter 288 – Searching For A Gift - Read Sins Paradise: Domination System 288 Chapter 288 – Searching For A Gift Online - All Page - NOVEL NEXT

"Good job, Beatrice. Don't worry about the Church. I told them that I dominated you. They also want the Queen to rule instead of King Cassius." I said, " Now… Do you want anything else besides the 3 days of straight lustful activities?"

(If that's the case, I can rest easy. As for my request, I want to extend it to 7 days if possible. Of course, let the other girls join too! Even I will need rest if my partner is you, Master.)

"..."

I was speechless. Why did everyone only think of that? Oh, right. This world was originally an eroge. So they were too horny and couldn't hold it after they experienced the pleasure of having sex.

"Fine." I sighed, "This will become a big orgy… Or rather, can it be called reverse gangbang?"

(You can call it the latter, Master. Fufufu~ This will be fun. Don't worry, Master. I will help them to get more pleasure. As you know, my cum and sweat will turn into an aphrodisiac fog. Your lovers will love you more after this.)

They would only want to have sex more, I replied in my mind.

But I didn't really mind. After this, I would go on a journey to the west border while waiting for Duke Blacktomb to formally invite me to the Sin Kingdom according to our agreement in that restaurant.

They could use that to calm down.

And we could probably use this chance to hold the duel between Rania and Tristan. I didn't think they would mind, as both knew how many girls I had slept with. At least Rania would be happy, and Tristan had already been accustomed and knew what I did.

I was a bit worried that Sophia would intrude on their duel if there was no one else. So, wouldn't it be simpler if we did it before everyone else? They could also become the referee.

'Let…'

Having too many girls was also troubling. I loved them all, so I loved to spoil them.

"Let's meet in two days, Beatrice. Follow the Queen and protect her at all costs. The Grand Marshal will probably try to do something when he realizes that the King's behavior has changed. Or rather, make the King do something that will make the Grand Marshal seek the Queen tomorrow.

Ads by Pubfuture

"It'd be better if the Queen had the Grand Marshal's loyalty. That way, it will be easier for her to take the throne. (Alright, Master. I will follow your order!)

With that, I ended the communication with Beatrice. However, I didn't take off the [Earring of Communications] from my ears in case they had something else to report.

"Let's return home and prepare a gift for Eliza," I muttered, leaving the balcony room.

Before returning to my mansion, I stopped by Zaha's store to get a gift for Eliza.

"Welcome! My, my. Isn't this the Esteemed Paladin? What can this Zaha help you with today?"

The owner greeted me while bowing her head as soon as I entered. This time, she wore a red dress and dyed her hair red to match it. As expected, there was no way she had blue hair, which only Royalty had. She just dyed it to match her dress.

'A strange owner.' I thought and quickly hid it with a smile.

"I want to see your necklace collections."

I remembered the day after I had a double date with Karin and Oliver. My childhood friend got a bit sulky and wanted 10 thousand Golds worth of necklace.

'She was even pouting that time. It was so cute that I teased her.'I think you should take a look at

"Of course." Zaha raised her head and nodded, smiling widely.

After that, she stepped to the side, gesturing to me to follow her, "This way, Esteemed Paladin. We have the most complete collection of necklaces in Academy City! And coincidentally, we just restocked our collections 2 days ago, so there is a variety of choices!"

"Great. Let's see your collection. I hope there is something that fits my girlfriend."

"Fufufu. If you mean Young Miss from that day, we have something that you might like in our collection, Esteemed Paladin."

Zaha brought me to the other side of the store, to the corner where accessories were on display behind the glass cabinet. The cabinet's design was luxurious, and the one displayed inside shone brightly, reflecting the soft magic lamp's light.

Ads by Pubfuture

It didn't end at that. She took me to the corner where three cabinets stood, surrounded by gold. It was a 5 x 3 cabinet with a total of 15 necklaces inside.

Just as she bragged earlier, the collection she had was beautiful and sparkly. There was no price tag in front of the goods, meaning the price was also up to the owner. If she liked you, she would give you a lower price.

What kind of criteria would you have for the owner to like you? It was status and wealth. And from the look of it, Zaha liked me, as a person, after my big purchase the last time.

"This is our collection, Esteemed Paladin. For a gift, I think this necklace with a big blue diamond will suit the Young Miss. This is also a magic item with no Level requirement. The effect is to create a barrier that can protect the wearer from an attack once before it couldn't be used for 12 hours.

"The price is just 75 thousand Golds." Zaha explained as she pointed at a silver necklace with three blue gems. The gem in the middle was two times bigger than the two beside it.

It was beautiful.

However, silver wouldn't fit Eliza. My eyes went toward a golden necklace with a small blue gem inside a crescent moon. It was simple but looked good. If I were to describe it, then the necklace could be called modest.

"What about that?" I pointed at the necklace that caught my attention.

Zaha followed my finger, and her eyes landed on that particular necklace. She opened the cabinet and took it out.

"This is from a mining town located in the east. The artisan only managed to have a small blue sapphire, and it's just a normal necklace and not a magic item. This is the cheapest among our collections and only costs 15 thousand Gold." She explained.

As a merchant, Zaha was truly skilled. She didn't even ask why I wanted that and explained what I wanted to hear. She was also careful and didn't say that the more expensive one was better, trying not to say anything about my choice.

"I will take that one. This time, it is only a small gift, not an extravagant one. I will keep it for the next time." I said, smiling softly.

Of course, that next time was when I got engaged to her.

"I understand." Zaha nodded with a smile. "I will wrap it in a box. This is a free service from us." She added.

"Thank you."

"No, Esteemed Paladin. Thank you." She gave me a wide smile.

That settled Eliza's gift for winning the tournament. I just needed to prepare a surprise celebratory party in the mansion next.

'With Linda and Jane in the mansion, they will be able to prepare it fast.'

This is the least I could do as my congratulations. I hoped she would like the surprise I had prepared for her.

Ads by Pubfuture

Report chapter Comments

After getting the wrapped necklace and paying for it, I returned to my mansion immediately. Eliza would probably arrive after getting interviewed for tomorrow's newspaper. Winning two divisions was a big achievement, after all.

So I had time to prepare for the party.

The first thing I did after I arrived at my mansion was to inform Lisa and Lara about my plan. Then they would handle everything, from informing the maids and Garcia and Milea to preparing for the party. As for Cecil, I hoped she would help too.

They moved at once, and I went to another place to invite some people. It was the church, and I planned to have my subordinates attend the party too. They should relax sometimes and not overextend themselves—especially Rania and Sophia.

As for Tristan, I sent her [Love Letter] to inform her about it and delay Eliza's return. I also told her to invite Sana and Ertha if they didn't mind attending such a party. If possible, Juriel too, but that might be impossible.

The Pope couldn't leave the Holy Room easily even though I already used Holy Shroud. Her mere presence itself screamed holy, and people would prostrate just because of her Race, an Angel.

Though I did tell Tristan to at least try to invite the Pope through Archbishop Sana, it was just for etiquette.

I got my reply in just a few minutes. She just replied with 'Roger' without anything else. Well, I could leave it to her.

"Now… I shouldn't forget about the cake," I muttered as I entered the training area.

Even though the largest event in the Academy City was ongoing, the church knights were still training diligently. And right now, it was the female knights' turn.

Once I entered, their gazes landed on me. Their faces immediately blushed like the innocent maidens they were and averted their gazes, looking at Sophia. Some were muttering cleaning and holy semen.

'That redhead really asked them to clean the dressing room that day?' I guessed as I looked over.

My eyes landed on the corner where my subordinates usually trained. Rania was instructing Natasha, and Sophia was watching with Lea from the side. Their bodies were covered in sweats, and they only wore tight leotard bodysuits.

Because Rania wouldn't visit the tournament until the close-range division final, she chose to train them.

'She's too diligent.' I thought as I walked toward them.

The ones who saw me first were the two who sat on the side, Sophia and Lea. Then, a second later, Rania seemed to sense my presence, asked Natasha to stop swinging her sword, and looked over.

"Arthur." My sister called out as her face blossomed into a smile. Then she asked curiously, "Why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be in the academy right now?"

Natasha was catching her breath as she looked at me. Sophia and Lea also approached us, listening curiously.

"I just returned. The general study and magic division winner has been announced, and I plan to hold a celebratory party for Eliza. She won both." I said, having a proud smile on my face.

"Oh? Congratulations!" Rania exclaimed, her smile widened. "So that girl is smart and good at magic. Winning the tournament isn't that easy."

"Congratulations!" Lea and Natasha, who had just recovered, chirped in, following Rania.

As for Sophia, she crossed her arms and nodded silently in confirmation. She didn't know Eliza that and talked to her personally yet. So she congratulated in her own way.

"How about it? Will you come? It will be held in my mansion."

"I will come." Rania nodded. Then she turned to look at the other three and asked, "What about you girls?"

"I also will attend," Sophia replied. "I want to meet this Eliza. She's Sir Arthur's girlfriend, no?"

"She is." I nodded at Sophia.

"Then it's decided." The redhead smiled widely, showing her fangs.

"I-I will also attend. It's rude to decline an invitation from Sir Paladin!" Lea pumped her small fists and nodded repeatedly.

"A party…" Natasha muttered, "Will there be many participants, Sir Paladin?"

"No." I shook my head. "It will be only those I know, including Archbishop Sana and Bishop Ertha. Then there will be Eliza's family, the nuns serving in my mansion, and a minotaur girl called Cecil. It's just a small surprise party that I decided to hold without much thought."

"I see. Then I will attend. Thank you for the invitation." Natasha smiled softly. She looked a bit excited for the party.I think you should take a look at

From what she said earlier, I guessed that she would refuse to attend if there were too many people.

'She either hates a party or something.'

"Alright then. I will tell Milea to prepare more food." I nodded as I looked at them.

Sophia seemed to want to say something as she opened her mouth, but I interjected first.

"While I want to stay a bit longer to spar with you, I need to prepare for the party. I will definitely stay longer after the tournament ends. So for now, please just spar among yourselves."

As I said, the redhead looked dejected and discarded her thoughts. I had long guessed that she wanted to spar with me again after that day.

Before returning to my mansion, I stopped by a cake store and decoration store. A party wouldn't be complete without a cake or ribbons. There was no balloon or party popper in this world, but I had something similar to the latter in my inventory. So I didn't need to buy it.

After everything was bought and put in my inventory, I returned to my mansion. The preparation was already underway in the large dining hall, which was transformed splendidly by Lisa and Lara. Astro also entered the mansion, running around happily.

Milea and the two maids were in the kitchen to prepare food. Garcia and Cecil helped with the preparation. I also took out the ribbons I had bought earlier, but the twins somehow told me that they were not fit for a party. It should be a fancy curtain and chandelier.

They strictly refused to use the ribbons as it would destroy the aesthetic sense of the luxurious dining hall.

"…"

For some reason, I felt like the congratulatory party I had in mind had transformed into something more. Of course, I didn't forget that I was a noble, but even in Horizon Online, ribbons were staples for a surprise party.

Maybe it didn't fit the atmosphere, and I was slightly dejected. Then I went to the lobby, putting the 'Congratulations' letters on the ribbon. After some time, Milea, Linda, and Jane brought the food inside the dining hall. Afterward, the cheeky nun saw me putting ribbons on the ceiling and said it was cute. I decided to forgive all her wrongdoings with that and let her help me put it up.

My subordinates arrived shortly after, and I asked them to go to the dining hall first. Lea and Natasha looked nervous as it was their first time visiting my mansion. Sophia and Rania weren't as nervous and followed Garcia, who sensed their arrival.

It only took us an hour to get ready. And just when we finished, I got [Love Letter] from Tristan, saying that they had arrived. Alesia, Sana, and Ertha also come with them. Of course, Karin and her fiance Oliver also tagged along.

I told her to enter. I was waiting in the lobby while holding something, and the others were waiting in the dining hall.

The door was pushed open, and Eliza entered first with a puzzled look. When she saw me standing under a ribbon that said 'Congratulations,' her eyes widened in pleasant surprise. Then I pulled the trigger of a tube I held in my hand, making a loud sound.

Boom!

Golden glitter was shot from the mouth of the tube, falling onto the lobby and Eliza's body. With a wide smile, I said.

"Congratulations on winning the tournament!"

My childhood friend and my girlfriend broke out in tears and jumped at me, hugging me with all her might in front of the crowd who entered after her.

Garcia, Milea, and the two maids appeared from the hall and guided the guests inside. Tristan mumbled that she also wanted to hug me, but she held herself and followed the other guests. When she passed Milea, she smiled smugly while looking at the cheeky nun's chest.

Vivian also followed them while giggling happily. I guessed she was proud of Eliza.

It was only after a few minutes that she calmed down and blushed. Then I wiped her tears and went to the dining hall with her.

The party continued. I also took out some from my inventory, greeting them with unknown food. Of course, Tristan ate them all happily. She looked nostalgic as she chewed the food from Earth.

Only when the night arrived did the guests leave. They split into two groups, going to the Royal Academy and the Church.

Because each of their group had an overpowered person, I didn't need to escort them back. After that, Eliza approached me.

"Can we talk a little?"

Report chapter Comments

On the third-floor balcony connected to my room, I was sitting on a chair I had taken out from my inventory. Eliza was sitting on the other one beside me.

After she told me that she wanted to have a little talk, I chose this place as a venue. The blue crescent moon was hanging in the sky, illuminating the world with its gentle light. It gave the night a serene atmosphere.

Astro's excited bark from the garden was the only noise I could hear. Everyone else understood that today's star was Eliza, so they didn't bother us.

In this peaceful atmosphere, I broke it with a question.

"What do you want to ask about?"

I looked at Eliza, who looked at the sky. When she heard my voice, she turned to me slowly, and her face revealed a soft smile.

"W-Well, first, I want to thank you. I didn't know that you returned first to prepare this for me." She said sheepishly with a mix of embarrassment, "A-Actually, I pouted on the awarding stage because I couldn't see you earlier."

ƥandasnovel·ƈom Somehow, I could imagine that. Knowing how easy she was to get sad and pout, I could see her cheek bloated when she received words of encouragement and only answered some questions shortly. That was why she returned faster than I initially thought.

"Also, I am really happy with the surprise party. I got to know the people in your knight squad. Is that red-haired knight the one who went to hunt Black Tiger with us in the past?"

"Yes." I nodded. Then I explained it to her, "Her name is Sophia, the former knight Captain of the church knight. Now she's under me, and there is a new knight Captain leading the female church knights."

"I see…" Eliza nodded in understanding, "And the one who looks similar to Milea is Tristan? I-Is she the one? Your first love…" She asked nervously.

"She is," I replied with a nostalgic smile.

Where I belonged was here, but that memory was still precious to me. So it was not wrong if I said Tristan was my first love.

However, the girl I liked first in this world was undoubtedly Eliza. While at first she just reminded me of Tristan, I noticed she was really different and was lovely and supportive in her own way. That was when I began to think that this was the real world and not just my 'extra stage,' although I still wanted to have control.

"Hmm…" My childhood friend hummed. For some reason, her expression was so serious.

Then she looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Arthur… Are you hiding something from me?"

And here came the question I had been waiting for from her since the first day.

It was bound to happen someday, especially with Eliza's intimacy with me. Telling her honestly would be good and would make me sincere. However…

'I still don't know much about the person behind the system and what his plan is. The Goddess and the Pope also know that I am a 'person from another world,' and they didn't call me a 'body snatcher.' That made me rethink what I should tell Eliza.'

They sounded the same but different. The first one indicated that the body I was in currently was mine and mine alone. The second one would mean there was a previous Arthur.

Because I was called the former, that meant this world 'started' when I got woken up by Eliza in the classroom.

And because of that, I became unsure how to answer. At least before I visited all the borders.

"I did hide something from you, Eliza. No, I hide something from everyone." I replied honestly with a serious expression. "But I can't tell you now. I don't know if I said it would bring everyone into danger. So can you please wait for me?"

Our gazes met with each other. Her blue eyes quivered slightly, reflecting the crescent moon behind me in her pupil.

"Will you be okay?" She asked worriedly.

Even when I kept a secret from her, she still cared about me. Among the others, Eliza was the most sensitive and smart one, probably because she stayed with me, Arthur, the longest that she could see the smallest change in me.

"I will be okay," I said, reaching my hand to her head and patting her softly.

She closed one of her eyes, a bit surprised, but she didn't sweep my hand away. Instead, she seemed to enjoy it.I think you should take a look at

"Just so you know, Tristan shares the same secret as me. The Goddess and the Pope also know about it. Only us four know about it, and I am currently investigating it myself. If I am sure it's safe and the Goddess allows me to tell you, then I will tell you about it."

"The Goddess?!" Eliza raised her voice in surprise, "Y-You talked to her directly?"

"Of course, I am a Paladin." I grinned. "I had also met the Pope before the tournament started. Ah, right. I forgot to give you this."

Saying so, I took out the wrapped gift I bought earlier. The size was just a little bit bigger than my palm.

I thought this was the perfect time to pull this out because I wanted to change the topic. I was a bit afraid that 'creature' would suddenly show up in front of Eliza if I continued the topic. I couldn't be more careful.

The topic change was successful. Eliza took the wrapped gift and opened it. When she saw the necklace, her face beamed brightly, and she lunged at me, kissing me.

I knew that she wasn't satisfied with my explanation, but that was all I could tell her right now. After that, she made me promise to tell her and not forget it and return to her room, wearing the necklace I had given her earlier.

The night passed slowly. I couldn't sleep that night and decided to go to the Border City early after I contacted Lucy.

Using the [Teleportation Gem] that was set to teleport in front of Lucy's tower, the scenery changed, and I saw the Vampire girl with twin-tailed white hair in front of me.

"You're here," Lucy said, nodding slightly. "She's inside. We just finished the last preparation. Do you want to see her?"

"Take me there." I nodded.

Lucy guided me inside the tower and went to the highest floor, to that bloody room. There was now a small hole in the door, which was closed tightly, allowing no one to go in or out.

"Don't enter. She's starving." Lucy warned, standing in front of the door. "Her intelligence is still there, but she has turned more violent. If she sees humans right now, she will definitely attack them. However, you can still communicate with them without any problem through the hole."

"Alright," I said, approaching the door.

I used the hole to peek inside at first. In the middle of the room, a girl was held by a chain. Her arms were pulled from both sides, and her naked body was covered in bloodstains. It wasn't clear whether it was her own blood or anyone else, but her white hair looked rough.

Her head was hung down low. And then…

"Hello, how are you?"

Once she heard my greeting, her head jerked up, and her mouth was opened wide, revealing her fanged teeth as she shouted.

"I will kill you! Release me right now so I can rip your neck with my fangs!"

"Kukuku, it seems like you're still spirited. That's good. Mia didn't break you yet." I chuckled evilly as my lips curled up into a grin. "Don't worry. I will release you soon. Your punishment is over."

After saying that, I turned around and ignored the shout behind me.

Looking at Lucy, I gave instructions.

"Give her a little bit of blood tomorrow. I will need her in the award ceremony that will be held in 2 days. Can you order her to teleport there with a [Teleportation Gem]?"

"I can," Lucy affirmed with a nod.

"Great." I was satisfied with her answer, "Also, prepare some bad Vampires you hate. I will need them to go with Princess as bait."

"I will prepare them. There are troublemakers inside the jails that I don't mind dying."

Everything was ready. This Vampire girl was truly efficient. No, people in Border City were efficient in doing something like this.

'Survival to the fittest. If one can't think fast, they won't be able to survive in this city.'

Report chapter Comments

After seeing Carissa's condition, Lucy guided me to a room on the opposite side of the tower from the bloody door. It was her room.

Last time, I just visited her on the large balcony because she had expected my arrival. So this time, I got to take a look at what the Vampire leader's room looked like.

The interior was just like what I imagined from a Vampire's room. It was dark.

Even so, I could still see a little bit from the light that seeped in from the bright Border City.

Red wallpapers with flower designs covered the wall and ceilings. There was no magic lamp at all, mainly because a Vampire didn't even need light to see in the dark.

Many pieces of furniture that looked like they belonged to the Victorian era on Earth adorned the room. From a black closet in the corner, a round black table with two small chairs, and a bed with curtains in the middle of the room, put close to the wall, to the red carpet in front of the bed.

"It's a nice room." I praised as I looked at Lucy, who walked toward the glass door that led to the balcony.

The Vampire girl stopped after she opened the door and turned around, her lips curled up a little.

"Thank you. I designed it myself." She said, "Let's sit on the balcony, Arthur. I know that a human is uncomfortable in the dark. I have a few questions and some information you might want to hear."

She walked to the balcony and went to the bench facing the Border City. Glimmer lights from the reformed Underground City reflected on Lucy's red eyes.

I approached and sat beside her, looking at the Border City together.

"It becomes beautiful." She muttered in a daze. Her lips curled up like a crescent moon. "My decision to hand over the rule of this city to you that day wasn't wrong. I am glad the other Leaders also agree… with only one of us becoming a real slave." She added.

'Real slave?' I thought as I listened to what Lucy had said, 'Ah, she meant Raven.'

Still, to think that she praised me for something I didn't do was a bit strange. The Border City changed because of their hard work and Beatrice. I just told the primordial Succubus to change the city.

From fixing the road to changing the patrol time to further optimize the safety of people. That made people, especially Nobles, who heard the news visit Border City instead of other Underground Cities if they wanted to find prostitutes after having enough Virtues to cleanse their Sins.

'There are still a few things to change if I want to get the Queen's full support, such as making access to this city easier with recorded [Teleportation Gem].'

For now, though, I could only say that I didn't deserve any credit for the change.

"I didn't do anything."

"No." Lucy retorted as she shook her head.

"If you don't take action, we will still watch each other and have no desire to improve this city's condition. For us, this is just a living space, and we only care about our own subordinates. Never did we think to fix the road and make this place better."

That made sense. The four leaders were watching each other before I took over. They didn't want to spend any Gold to make others benefit from it.

For example, if Nina fixed the road to her establishment, the Succubi prostitution would benefit from it as the visitors would need to pass that district before arriving in the center of the Border City where Nina's hotels were located.

Then if the Succubi were the ones who fixed the road, Nina and Beastkin would benefit from it. Raven Group would also get more people to muggle, increasing their profit.

And Lucy mentioned that this city was just a living space for people like them. The question was, why didn't they just move to the Sin Kingdom? The cave behind this tower was connected to that country.

There, they wouldn't need to worry about having Sins. Due to the magical border's influence, people didn't release an unpleasant aura in the Sin Kingdom even if they had Sins point. Instead, they would appear more charming and charismatic.

But raising that question was stupid. They should've known about it. Lucy should've known it better than me. She was the one who kept people from entering the cave that was connected to the Sin Kingdom, after all.I think you should take a look at

The way they called 'For us' meant the people living here couldn't adapt or had something different from normal people and couldn't live outside.

"Is that so?" I simply said that and rested my head against my hand, "So, what do you want to ask me?"

"It's related to this city," Lucy said, looking at me with her blood-red eyes. "What do you plan to use this city for in the future? And how will you implement it?"

'My plan for this city…'

That was a good question.

At first, I planned to take over this city so I could go to the Sin Kingdom easier. But I just needed to wait for Duke Blacktomb's invitation now. Then I used it to trap and make rumors about Princess Carissa.

My main goal of taking over this city had been achieved.

But that didn't mean I had no use for this city. Instead, this city became more precious for my future plan. I asked Beatrice to make this city better to anticipate something like this in case I wanted to fool Nobles and Royalty.

That paid off with Carissa's incident. I could hope for the Queen's support with Border City's current condition.

"I will use the Princess to get the Queen to ascend to the throne. Then, I will get her support if possible. That's why I need those Vampires as scapegoats."

"So you want to make this city better," Lucy concluded with a nod. "And you said you didn't do anything. You're being too humble, Arthur. Act like someone in your position and brag about it."

"Hahaha…" I could only laugh lightly as Lucy said that.

"After that, what do you want to do? Open this city for outsiders?" The Vampire girl asked seriously.

This was her real question. I had already planned for this too.

"No, we will keep our identities as Underground City. There are many people who need a place like this. Don't you think so?"

"I do." Lucy nodded in agreement. Her expression loosened as her lips curled into a smile, satisfied with my answer.

As I expected, they didn't want to open this city to outsiders. Visitors who just came to visit for nightlife were different. They were just a source of money.

The outsiders she talked about were new residents who weren't approved. We went silent for a while after that. Then, Lucy suddenly spoke

"The information I talked about… It's about the cave behind me."

"Hmm? The one that leads to the Sin Kingdom?"

Lucy nodded at my question.

"There are people trying to walk past the magical border barrier from there. I chased them away with my subordinates because they didn't bring the necessary preparation. It happened yesterday."

"Huh?"

'Someone tried to cross the magical border barrier?'

Now that was intriguing.

"Which idiots try that without any preparations or go through the proper way?"

"So you do know there is a preparation needed before one could cross the border?" Lucy asked with an intrigued tone. Her eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked at me.

"I thought only we, the Vampire, knew how to cross the border through this cave. Those Royalty and Nobles only knew the proper way above the ground." She added with an amused tone. "Does that mean the church knew about this secret entrance too?"

"The church doesn't know. But the Goddess and the Pope probably know about it." I replied honestly, certain of what I said. "I am just strange and have a massive knowledge of a strange area," I smirked.

"I see. Somehow I am not surprised."

We both fell silent once again. Lucy's gaze went over the city.

As a Vampire, she probably had lived for a long time, a hundred or more years. She had seen this city long ago and had seen many people trying to cross the border and get into the Virtue Kingdom for whatever reason they could think of.

After seeing those people's attempts and finding out about the secret of the border, Lucy decided to settle in this place and built a tower right in front of the cave.

ƥandasnovel·ƈom As I mentioned before, the border wasn't a normal border. Nothing could grow on the ground or even underground. All lives were lost, and humans couldn't stay in that place for a long time.

The only chance was when the border was opened, and the barrier was lifted. My memory about it was a bit blurry, and I didn't even know that it also bent some lights, causing the grass and sky in the Sin Kingdom to change color.

"The border will only open for a few hours every year. That time is often used for both Kingdoms to wage war against each other to push the border close to the other side." I began to speak as I lowered my hand.

"If one tries to pass the barrier without going on the proper path near the edge of the world or didn't have any significant preparation beforehand, they can die and won't revive until the barrier is lifted because their soul is trapped inside." Lucy continued my sentence with a nod. "However…"

"This secret entrance was formed one day. People said they felt a quake before the cave appeared." I finished.

Right. There shouldn't be an earthquake in this world where there were edges of the world. Earth's crusts didn't exist in this world. This wasn't a planet but a floating disk with land on top.

There was also no volcanic mountain, so an eruption was impossible too.

According to the lore that I remembered, the quake was because the Goddess created the barrier to keep the two Kingdoms from destroying each other. That way, the balance between Virtues and Sins was maintained.

And this secret entrance was actually dug by two lovers who met in the war. They met each other and promised to meet again after the war. But the official path that could be traversed even though the barrier was up was guarded strictly, and no one without official business could pass through.

So the couple chose to go to the Underground City and dug the secret path. As expected, the barrier didn't extend underground, and they could meet. But that meeting was short-lived because the Goddess immediately put a new barrier underground.

Although it was weaker and thinner than the barrier above ground, no one could pass the secret path that crossed the magical border without bringing something.

That something was called [Moon Stone]. The effect was to cover one's body with a thin layer of moonlight that could neutralize the underground magical barrier.

'That's the real story about this secret path. But I guess Goddess Lilith asked the Castitas and Luxuria Church to spread a false story so those two lovers' stories stayed a secret and they could enjoy their lives. That Goddess loves that kind of stuff, after all.'

More importantly, people from the Sin Kingdom's Border City should've known about it too. They also had the protector of the secret path on that side.I think you should take a look at

"Were the people who tried to pass through the secret entrance have any kind of identification?" I asked.

"No. They were a party of four people: two explorer-looking men and two beautiful women in skimpy clothes. Those kinds of clothes are normal in the Sin Kingdom Underground City, so maybe they were company girls who were forced to tag along. They looked rather scared."

'So the two explorer-looking men were the ones who actually wanted to cross the border.'

They might be drunk and want to check what Virtue Kingdom looked like. That was a possibility that I couldn't throw away yet because I also knew nothing about them.

"Did something like that happen often?"

"In the past, it only happened six times. But at those times, their clothes weren't as clean as the people from yesterday. Yes, I saw girls before, but they often bruised or something as if they fought before coming to the border."

"So the ones who showed up yesterday looked fine, and there was no sign of a fight?" I asked to confirm something.

Lucy nodded at my question. "The Vampire on the other side should've stopped them. Or at least tried to. The fact they didn't do that means there is something more. But I don't know what it is because communication is impossible due to the magical border."

This time, I nodded at her, indicating that I understood her reasoning. Indeed, we knew nothing about the other side, and neither did they know anything about this side. Only a special communication method, through a letter, could pass through the magical barrier.

'I wonder if my [Love Letter] is also restricted like [Earring of Communication].'

Now I was curious about the other side. What did those people plan to do? The fact they retreated just because Lucy and her company chased them away was strange. From what I heard from Lucy, they also didn't get close to the barrier yet.

'What can I do to know the situation in the Sin Kingdom?'

I tapped the chair armrest with my finger, filling the balcony with a tak sound. Surely, it wouldn't be as simple as curiosity if they were harmless, even when the six instances in the past proved that the Vampires on the other side did their job perfectly.

'There is something…'

At that moment, I remembered something. While [Earring of Communication] couldn't work between the Kingdom, didn't I have someone who could communicate with the Sin Kingdom through the letter and send it from the proper path?

'Duke Blacktomb!'

It was time for him to pay his favor from the assassin incident.

My lips curled up into a smile. I could find out the other side's situation from him.

Standing up, I looked at Lucy.

"If there is someone who tries to pass the cave again, contact me immediately. I will set a [Teleportation Gem] in this place if you don't mind."

"Feel free to," Lucy said, standing up. "I just informed you that because I thought you would be interested."

"I am." I smiled, "And I will find out why they appeared without any sign of a fight. When I get the information, I will tell you about it."

Lucy nodded at my words. She didn't ask anything more after that, and I left the Border City by teleporting back to the Academy City after I reminded her about the plan in two days.

Report chapter Comments

As soon as I returned to my mansion, I saw Sandra kneeling outside my balcony. She must've been waiting for me to report what she found out from the mission I assigned her yesterday.

"Sandra. Report it." I commanded her as I sat on the chair I had yet to put back in my inventory, looking down at the kneeling Dark Elf wearing assassin garb.

Sandra raised her head and looked at me with her red eyes. They were darker than Lucy's.

"Yes, Master. Following your instruction, I infiltrated the Patientia Academy this morning when everyone watched the magic division tournament. There were only a few students who weren't interested in the tournament who stayed behind, so I could steal some clothes from the dressing room and mix with the students."

I nodded, gesturing for her to continue.

"It was easier than I thought. I just needed to change my skin color and wear the uniform; no one questioned me. So I could freely walk into the academy as the teachers were also watching the tournament. It took me a few minutes to check every room in the main building.

"I found nothing suspicious in there, so I went to the smaller building on the side. My goal unexpectedly lay in that building that looked like a warehouse. There is someone who can create magic items inside."

"Oh?"

That was fast. I thought with the tournament still ongoing; the investigation would take at least 7 days or so before it finished. But to think that Sandra had already found the maker of those magic items.

Now, if I knew who it was and could prove that a teacher helped Patientia Academy's students by giving them magic items that the teacher created, I could eliminate some people in the close-range and long-range divisions, thus freeing some spots for the students from our academy.

'Sandra is truly talented to be an information gatherer.'

"Did you confirm that the one who made magic items for the Patientia Academy's students is that person?"

"Yes," Sandra confirmed with a nod. "I've seen some magic items used in the magic division tournament by the students from Patientia Academy before I went to the academy itself. And that person indeed created similar items but with higher effect, according to the murmur I heard from his complaint."

'Complaint?'

So the magic item makers didn't really like creating those items for Patientia Academy? No, that could also be a complaint because he wasn't paid enough or was not given any time to rest or watch the magic division tournament yesterday.

Either way, I could inform Alesia about this and make it easier for her to poach that maker.

"Describe that person's appearance," I said.

"That person has unkempt black hair and black eyebags. His face has a dull feature. He appeared to be timid but disciplined as his white and black uniform–"

"Wait, uniform?"

I interrupted Sandra because that word caught my attention.

'Uniform?'

"The magic item maker is just a student?"

"Yes," Sandra replied with a nod. "He's a student, probably a second Year from his ragged appearance and the number 2 pin in his collar. I fell into deep thought as I held my chin and rested my back against the chair's backrest.

'If what Sandra said was true, then that student is probably the most talented one I have ever seen. Making those magic items is hard; it requires specialized talent to control one's MP or Mana. Only the item and weapon idiots in my former guild managed to push that talent to the max, and that took them five years.'

Not only that, one's aesthetic senses were also important in creating magic items, so they looked great. The concentration to craft and enchant such an item with a certain effect was amazing itself. Added to the enhancement that had less than 50 percent success rate, the process was lengthy and hard.

'Such a person would have high patience. If he even made a complaint because of his situation, it surely has gone bad for him. Sandra also mentioned eyebags…'

I looked at the Dark Elf, who was waiting for my instruction, and waved my hand.I think you should take a look at

"Continue."

"In front of that boy stood a pile of magic items, and on the side stood materials. He was wearing glasses with black rims, and the glass was cracked slightly. For a student in the Patientia Academy, which is supposed to be an academy for Nobles, he looked more like a commoner."

"Did you find out his name?" I asked.

If Sandra already knew his face, then it was easy to find his name from the other students. She did mention that she disguised herself as a student, so she could ask casually without being suspicious.

"… I didn't. I will find out tomorrow," Sandra replied with a low voice.

"How?"

Looking at the situation, that shouldn't be possible. It should be easy to find that student's name.

The Dark Elf assassin averted her gaze. I narrowed my eyes and observed her. Since earlier, when she appeared before me, her right hand was hidden behind her back, and when I looked at her mask, I noticed some bread crumbs around it.

"Were you bribed?" My voice turned cold as I looked at her.

"T-The bread they had was soft and smelt delicious." She answered with a timid tone, like a child who tried to hide her wrongdoings.

"I asked a group of girls about that student, but then I smelt the bread in their hands. Noticing my gaze, they somehow shared their lunch with me and told me that they would tell me tomorrow. I did my job seriously, Master!" She appealed.

Then she looked at me, "You said I could take my time too! This is just the first night, Master! Please give me a chance tomorrow!"

"Haa…" I heaved a long sigh as I held my head.

What should I do with this glutton? While I said that, it would be better if she could give me the information immediately.

'I need to tell her that in the future. It's part of my fault saying she could take her time until the end of the tournament, so I can't blame her too.'

"Alright, find out tomorrow. But don't get tempted by bread again, or I won't give you sandwiches. Which one will you choose? Bread or sandwiches?"

"Sandwiches!" Sandra replied immediately with sparkling eyes. "Thank you, Master! I won't disappoint you again! Sandra can hold herself back for the sake of Sandwiches!"

"Good." I nodded. "Rest well. I will be waiting in the Royal Academy at lunch. Find me in the garden."

"Yes!"

Sandra disappeared from the spot as she said that. I could see her jump to the roof at a fast speed, leaving only a shadow.

After she was gone, I stood up and stretched. Somehow I felt a bit excited for tomorrow's tournament.

While I couldn't 'blackmail' Earl Lawrence because the one who made the magic items for Patientia Academy's students was also a student himself, I could still bash them to the point I was satisfied.

'The sword used in the tournament tomorrow is the training sword that's been dulled. However, it is still painful if used correctly and kills a student if used skillfully.'

Thinking so, I jumped down the balcony and took out a wooden sword from my inventory.

I needed a bit of training for tomorrow's tournament.

Yes, training to hold back and not kill people from Temperantia Academy if I met them. As for the Patientia Academy… Well, they should be fine. If they died, I would blame their magic item for not doing their job to protect the wearer.

Report chapter Comments

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today is the day! The final of the close-range division of the Six Academies Annual Tournament! Are you ready?!"

The announcer's voice booming in the distance. I could hear it even where I sat, in the special waiting room prepared for the participants. It was in the form of a small booth with a rather thin wall inside the arena dressing room.

"Let me read the rules of this close-range division final."

I listened quietly as I wore my black training clothes, fitting them so I could move easily. My training a few hours ago surely bore fruit.

"First of all, the use of defensive magic items is banned! And so is a magic item in the form of a weapon. Something like a necklace or earrings to increase one's status and skill Lv is allowed!" The announcer's voice echoed loudly.

ƥandasnovel·ƈom Sitting down, I tied the shoelace and scoffed.

"I bet the pig or someone else complained yesterday."

Eliza's win was purely based on skill. However, they didn't want to admit that and blamed it on magic items.

I wouldn't deny that she was equipped with the best equipment at her Level, thanks to me and Alesia. It was like the highest Leveled player using full cash items to bully a newbie, just as I said yesterday.

"The final will be 1 vs 1. Both students will fight until one of them can't continue anymore or surrender. They aren't allowed to kill the opponent intentionally. Accidental death will not be punished, and the student will revive in 3 hours in the special revival chamber near the arena!"

"No kill, eh?" I muttered, standing up and stretching my arms.

That would be hard for me. But… If my opponent died, I wouldn't be able to be held responsible. They were just too weak to handle me and couldn't survive long enough. It was accidental and their own fault.

If they were smart, then they would surrender before I delivered a killing blow.

"I already have a list for the tournament in my hand!" The announcer continued, "The winners will advance to the top 10. Then they will become the top 5! At that moment, our special participant, Sir Paladin Arthur Vainglory, will advance to the top 1! Whoever wins the top 2 will face Sir Arthur directly!"

When I heard that, my body froze a little.

'What the hell?'

I wanted to fight, you crazy bastard! Why would I advance to the final fight after just fighting two times?

Heightening my senses, I also found that almost every participant sighed in relief for hearing that. Some were nervous that they would meet me in the top 20 and top 10 fights.

Also, the crowd in the arena cheered loudly when they heard that.

'This…'

Why would they just recognize my strength at this moment? Please, just underestimate me, like when I just became a Paladin. Fight me!

'My training has gone to waste if it goes like this!'

However, I wasn't such a petty person. I just sighed and let things go just as the headmasters arranged.

It couldn't be helped. I hoped my second opponents were from the Patientia Academy. I just held a little bit of enmity against them because they put Alesia in a little bad mood.

'Might as well show that pig his place and make him curry my favor. I will welcome him with open arms.'

As my mood was lifted from my thoughts, my lips curled up into a grin.

"It's time."

Muttering, I stepped out of the booth and went to the arena. There were five similar booths in this changing room, and no one knew who was inside.

The truth was, I had been told by Alesia when I stopped by to greet her earlier about my first opponent. It seemed like she held a little grudge against the pig Earl too, so she tweaked the board slightly and made my first opponent a student from Patientia Academy called Jill.

Walking through the narrow and dark corridor, I saw the light from the exit. The weapon that could be used in this tournament was hung over the wall near the exit, and I took a long sword without glancing at the other weapons.I think you should take a look at

This was the best one I could use, even though I was also skilled in other swords, such as short swords, great swords, sabers, katana, and even snake swords that could extend a long distance.

After swinging it twice to get the balance right, I put it on the belt connected to my short pants and walked out.

As I was walking, the announcer's voice rang once again.

"Now, without further ado, let's start the close-range division tournament! The first fight is between Jill Hambers from Patientia Academy! He specialized in spears, and he wore 2 magic items that he got from his adventure! Those magic items slightly raised his AGI and STR by 1 point and Spearmanship to Lv 3!"

'Trash.' I thought as I heard the way the announcer introduced Jill.

Magic items that could only raise 1 point were trash. Of course, that was for my standard. Even the [Troll Gloves] I gave Lea increased her status by at least 10 points, and it was only a Level 25 item.

'I don't need any magic items in this tournament. Only two [Earring of Communication] for emergencies were enough.'

They were only a communication item and didn't raise any of my stats. They were still magic items, so maybe the announcer would announce what I wore too?

"Now, on the other side is someone who everyone knows very well!" The announcer's voice was louder because he was excited. "This person didn't need to enter the preliminary because the headmasters were afraid the close-range tournament would end at that point if he participated!"

The introduction was over the top, but the crowd seemed to like it. They shouted louder, and I turned my senses to return to normal because it was too much for my heightened one.

And so, when I stepped into the arena, the shout became louder.

"Unlike the others, he didn't wear any magic items! His weapon is standard, and according to the Headmistress Alesia, he also won't use any skill or his left hand! In other words, he will give the 'normal' students a handicap!"

"…" I stopped at the side of the arena and looked at the announcer, who had a wide smile on his face.

Then my gaze went to the VIP balcony, and I noticed Alesia's smirk.

'I didn't hear anything about this.' I complained with my gaze.

Instead of moving her mouth, Alesia generated some writing in midair using her Mana which said, 'Hold back.'

Using this chance, I looked around. The arena was… different from yesterday. There were three balconies on two sides of the arena, which belonged to the headmasters and headmistresses.

Then on the other two sides were extravagant balconies with high chairs. Those two were still empty, and one was smaller than the other, with only 1 chair with gold color as a base.

'That's where the Pope will sit, I guess. So the other 3 chairs are for the King, Queen, and Duke Blacktomb?' I thought. 'The Princes and Naya Blacktomb don't tag along, huh? A shame. I want to meet them.'

At this time, the announcer noticed the words written by Alesia.

"Oh? Hold back? Is she talking about the second contestant? Interesting!" He became more hyped and spread his arms. With his hand, he pointed at me. "Give applause to His Holiness Sir Paladin, Arthur Vainglory!"

The crowd cheered loudly.

I pulled my sword and raised it with my right hand, giving them some service and flashing a smile. Then, I pointed it at my enemy, whose body was trembling in fear, just as I released my bloodlust.

"Let's do it," I said, giving him a friendly smile.

The other people couldn't feel my bloodlust as I only focused it on him. On the spectators' seat, I noticed Tristan facepalmed while muttering, 'How childish.' Beside her was Eliza, cheering innocently. Vivian and Cecil sat beside them, watching me.

'Everyone is coming.' I thought, glancing at the announcer.

This person, who was dressed rather ridiculously in a red suit with a red bow, noticed my gaze and jumped to the small platform near the spectator seat.

Raising his hand, he shouted energetically.

"First battle, begin!"

As soon as the signal was given, Jill rushed toward me. In his eyes, an intense fear flared up. His instinct took over his body, and he attacked me without any plan.

He pulled his spear back. Then, suddenly, he thrust it toward me with all his strength while shouting.

"Aaarrghh!!"

His movement was fast, and the spear pierced the wind. Unfortunately, his opponent was me.

"So simple."

I muttered as I raised my sword.

Clang!

The spearhead met with my blade and was deflected. Jill tumbled back from the feedback and lost his balance.

I immediately stepped forward and made a thrust motion. It was a bit awkward because I held a two-handed long sword with only one hand, but I managed to deliver a clean thrust despite it because of my high status.

As my sword sliced the wind, Jill's eyes widened as he shouted.

"I My sword immediately stopped, just a hairbreadth away from piercing his eyes.

A sound of water pouring could be heard next in the arena that turned silent from surprise. I glanced down and immediately jumped away.

That boy, Jill, had pissed himself in fear!

I realized my mistake and scratched the back of my head.

'Oops.'

That was too much. I pretended not to care about it and raised my sword, smiling and waving at the spectators.

Rania didn't seem to be a referee until at least the top 5 fights. She was already here but was still inside the room.

The fight wasn't that bad yet, but it would gradually become dangerous, so a referee would be needed.

Then I left the arena and put the training sword in its previous place. However, I didn't return to the waiting room. Instead, I went to the balcony belonging to the Royal Academy to ask Alesia about something.

I noticed that the Castitas Academy's balcony was empty too earlier. Sana and Ertha probably were escorting the Pope and would only appear at the top 3 or last fight. They were still in the church.

The King and the Queen would probably arrive at the same time.

As for Duke Blacktomb… I didn't know when he would arrive. According to my radar, he was still in a restaurant together with King Cassius. Naya Blacktomb was nowhere in Academy City.

'Did she return to the Sin Kingdom already?'

That might be the case. Or she could've stayed in another city and had a little adventure with her servants.

'It's not my business. I only have some business with Duke Blacktomb.'

After walking through the corridor to the highest floor of the hall, where the balcony was located, I immediately entered the one reserved for the Royal Academy without knocking.

Alesia was sitting there while drinking a glass of wine with a happy smile.

"Does that pig influence you?" I asked with a playful tone as I sat beside her. "You even drink wine in this kind of situation."

No one would mind me doing this as I would only fight two more times. If they told me not to watch, I would punch them in the face because that would give me the advantage of knowing their skill. For the Goddess' sake, I already gave them the handicap of using only one hand and using no skills.

Honestly, the culprit for that was the elf that sat beside me.I think you should take a look at

"It doesn't matter. Our victory is guaranteed." Alesia replied after she sipped the wine. Licking her lips, she looked at me. "And I am not influenced. I have loved wine since I was young. You can prepare some if you hold another party for your victory."

This was what she truly wanted to say.

'I love wine and loved the one you gave me that night. So when you win, hold a party and take that wine out for me… Or something like that.'

I smiled at Alesia and chuckled.

"I have no wine anymore. Wait until my engagement, and I will take out the best one in my inventory."

"Hmm, engagement, huh? It can't be helped. So, why are you here instead of in your waiting room?"

"To ask you about something, of course." I shrugged my shoulders.

The fight in the arena continued to the second one. It was between a Temperantia Academy student against a Patientia Academy student. Both of them had swords as their choice of weapon.

Ignoring their funny fight where one stuck the other before the other student repeated it, I relaxed my body and asked.

"Why did you make such a stupid rule?"

"Stupid rule?" Alesia asked back, clearly confused. "If it's about the handicap, I don't think it's stupid at all. Rather, I should also tell you not to scare your opponent like that with your aura."

'Aura?' Now it was me who got confused. But then, I remembered what I did and knew what she was talking about.

In this world where death wasn't the end, and people's souls would only return to the Goddess' side after they had reached their natural lifespan, the term looking for blood or bloodlust wasn't known. In fact, they didn't even fear death. So they got confused when they were faced with an artificial one.

"Are you talking about bloodlust?" I asked to confirm.

Alesia looked at me with eyes full of curiosity. The glass of wine in her hand was put on the table.

Without any choice, I explained bloodlust and its principle to her. She could also send bloodlust to her opponent, but she probably couldn't control it and only did it unconsciously, just like what happened in the Counseling Room at that time.

It still confused her. Only when I explained the concept of being unable to revive and sent an artificial image of permanent death to the enemy did she understand what I was talking about, although she seemed to be slightly confused by it.

"I understand." She nodded. "So you projected the image of not being able to revive again to your opponent. Their natural instinct as living creatures gets worked up, and they become afraid of it. That's the core of your explanation, right? Interesting."

"That's the gist of it. In fact, you once used your bloodlust and projected it to me. I was about to kill you then, but thankfully I was used to being put in it and faced extreme bloodlust from high-Leveled monsters. Compared to that or mine, your bloodlust is child play."

I was talking about Ghost Marionette, which killed all top-rankers in Horizon Online. That monster's bloodlust was unimaginable and even made me freeze for a few seconds when I first faced it.

"It's the first time I heard about it. And this is also the first time someone called what I did child play." Alesia sounded offended, but her smile betrayed her tone. She felt a bit refreshed and enjoyed it.

"I just say that truth." I heaved a sigh and shrugged my shoulders. "Oh, right. I found out about the one who made magic items for the Patientia Academy. It's a second-year student whose name I didn't know yet."

"A student?" The headmistress sounded intrigued. Her expression returned to her stoic one as she fell into deep thought. And then, she nodded slightly and said, "Tell me if you find out more about him."

"I will."

The second fight ended at that moment.

Surprisingly, the Temperantia Academy student won the fight with a close call.

"Nice," Alesia muttered as her mood lifted once again.

Thanks to the pig Earl, I guessed she really disliked those people from Patientia Academy.

There should be more reason behind that, but I wasn't curious enough to ask her.

Report chapter Comments

On my way to the arena to prepare for my second fight, I met Oliver in the corridor. As promised to Alesia, I gave him a little tip.

"Use your shield more. No one uses a shield in the battle except for Bill. Play defensive and only attack using Shield Bash when you see the opening in your opponent's defense. That's your chance to knock them back and end the fight in a move."

The aspiring knight looked a bit confused when I suddenly stopped him and said that in my passing. But then he bowed and thanked me with a wide smile.

I waved my hand and went to the arena after I used Heal and Cure on him. That would hopefully make him feel better and cure his sore hands.

My opponent was someone from the Patientia Academy again. This one wore 5 magic items, which was a little bit excessive. He used all slots he could just for two or three bonus statuses.

'A bit stupid.' I thought as I raised my sword.

The crowd and even my opponent expected me to finish the battle at once, but I didn't do it. Instead, I smirked and gestured for him to come again. I wanted to show Oliver how to deal with an opponent who rushed toward me.

Somehow, my opponent let out a relieved sigh as he grabbed his sword. Then with careful preparation, he began to attack me again.

Those attacks were monotonous with no variety. I could block and parry them with closed eyes if I wanted to. But seeing many spectators watching, I didn't do that because that would come out as me being arrogant.

Instead, I casually gave some hint of how to attack me as I lowered my guard, but that was still useless. His attack was too weak and slow.

Having given him enough chances, I decided to end it with a simple thrust toward his neck. He looked terrified as my sword grazed his neck slightly, drawing red blood from a small cut wound created by the wind.

Gulping, he let go of his sword and surrendered.

My second fight ended just like that. And as I walked back, I received a call from the [Earring of Communication] I had on my right. It was from Beatrice.

(Master, the King and the Queen are on their way to the Royal Academy! There is someone with gray hair in the same carriage as them. I heard that he's called Duke Blacktomb. I am following them in an invisible state right now, but that person seems to notice my Mana but can't determine where I am.)

'Duke Blacktomb noticed her Illusion Magic? No, he noticed her Mana just like how Alesia could detect Beatrice but was unable to locate her.'

That meant Duke Blacktomb was at least on a level similar to Alesia in the Mana Sense skill.

Looking at my Presence Detection radar, I noticed their dots in the same place. The third dot had no name and no mark, so that should belong to the Queen. I decided to mark her first and turned her into a friendly blue dot.

Looking at the other side, the Pope, Sana, and Ertha also seemed to depart from the church in a carriage. So they decided to watch the top 5 fights as I had expected. Then they would return for tomorrow's long-range division final and the award ceremony.

Going toward an empty area in the corridor, I answered Beatrice's report.

"Alright. Tell me when they arrive."

(Yes, Master!)

With that, the communication was shut off. As the Castitas Church's Paladin, I needed to welcome the Pope and be seen beside her when she arrived, so I went out of the hall to wait for her carriage to arrive.

This would also be my chance to meet the Queen for the first time. Pope Juriel and Archbishop Sana would at least greet them before entering the arena hall together.

I met some people on my way outside. They wished me luck and hoped to see who advanced to the final round and fight me.

Of course, I appreciated their support and said I would do my best. Yes, I would do my best not to humiliate my opponent too much.

From my estimation after looking at my radar, the carriage from the church would arrive first in 5 minutes, and the Royal Family carriage would arrive 5 minutes after that. That was enough time for me to cast another Holy Shroud on Pope Juriel in case something happened to renew its duration.

The direction where they arrived was also different. The church came from the church direction through the street led to Castitas Church, which was on the west side, while the Royal Family came from the East side from the Capital City's direction.

So they wouldn't meet until they arrived at the Royal Academy, in front of the arena hall.

Going to the west entrance of the Royal Academy, I stood near the gate while using the quick change menu to wear my Paladin uniform I got from the church. A pure white blazer and long pants were donned on my body.

I also took out the ceremonial sword with a luxurious design and pure white color, strapping it on my waist.

People immediately looked at me, and I became the center of attention. However, no one approached me as I stood in the middle of the street as if waiting for something. They knew that whoever got my attention was important, and the people who walked by the west gate walked on the side of the road instead of the middle.

Before long, a white carriage pulled by two white horses appeared in the distance. No one sat in the driver's seat, but the carriage drove nicely and stopped in front of me.

The door was opened, and Ertha stepped out, bowing at me. Then she raised her head and pointed at the carriage.

"Your Holiness! Please come in. Her Eminence Pope wanted to meet you."

"Alright." I nodded and entered the carriage.

Inside, Sana and Pope Juriel sat side by side. The former's expression looked as if she was in heaven. Her happiness was reflected clearly in it as she looked at Pope Juriel with a dreamy look and respect.

Juriel looked at me with a smile. Her eyes were still hidden beneath a white blindfold, but the dress she wore fully covered her body to the neck without leaving any skin except for the facial area to be shown.

The door was closed by Ertha, and the carriage began to move again.

At that moment, Juriel broke the silence with a soft greeting.

"Good afternoon, Paladin Arthur."

"Good afternoon, Pope Juriel. And good afternoon for you too, Sana."

Sana was snapped out of her daze as I called her. Her face turned slightly red as she nodded softly.

"Good afternoon, Sir Arthur. Please forgive my late greeting."

"It's okay." I smiled softly at her. Then I looked at Pope Juriel and began to cast Holy Shroud and Blessing of Angel simultaneously.

She looked a bit surprised, and her mouth was opened a little.

"Just in case." I said, "We are going to meet the Royal Family, right? There is also a Duke from the Sin Kingdom with them, and he's quite sensitive to Mana. So I put Blessing of Angel on top of recasting Holy Shroud to further hide your aura, Pope Juriel. It would be bad if he got oppressed by it."

"I see. You're quite knowledgeable about it, Paladin Arthur." The Pope nodded and said in an intrigued tone.

"I had a chance to see his barrier a few days ago," I replied casually. I had finished casting the skill, and Pope Juriel's body was covered in golden light for a moment before it disappeared. "It's done."

"Thank you."

Just after I finished casting the skills, I felt the carriage slowed down considerably. Then it stopped and the door was opened from outside by Ertha. Even now, I was still confused about how she could do that while blindfolded.

"We've arrived, Your Eminence, Your Holiness."

Pope Juriel nodded. Sana got out of the carriage first and held Pope's hand to help her step down the carriage while carefully not stepping on her dress.

I followed right behind her and stood side by side.

In front of us was a black carriage with a blue logo belonging to the Royal Family. They also exited the carriage at the same time and looked at us with warm smiles.

King Cassius wore exaggerated black ceremony clothes, while the Queen wore an off-shoulder dark blue dress that exposed her cleavage slightly. They didn't wear a crown or a tiara, only some gold accessories like necklaces and rings.

The Queen's blue hair was tied into a bun, sealed by beautiful red rose accessories.

'So that's the Queen. She's beautiful and elegant.'

Report chapter Comments

The fight continued until it was the tenth one. Four Patientia Academy students advanced, and the rest were Temperantia Academy students. As expected, skills and experience really shone when they were in a one vs one fight.

It was Oliver's turn, and I could see Karin got excited and shouted from the spectator seat. Oliver was using a shield and short sword, a combination often used by a kingdom knight.

His opponent was someone from Temperantia Academy, someone trained to be a real knight. It was a boy with a huge body and muscle mass. The choice of his weapon was similar to Oliver's.

From what the announcer said, that boy's name was Bill.

That made me wonder whether he was Jill's brother or something, but apparently not. This boy was the third son of a Baron with a small fief, while Jill was a Viscount's first son from earlier. As for their family name, I couldn't really care less.

"Who do you think will win?" Alesia asked curiously as her gaze was on the arena. She stopped drinking wine after her first glass. Unexpectedly, she still understood not to drink excessively in such an event. "I can't judge just by looking at them. And my Appraisal Lv isn't high enough to be used past this glass."

'So she only has at most Lv 4 Appraisal. Lv 5 and Lv 6 are when the skill changes, and Appraisal can be used past a glass at that Lv.' I nodded gently in understanding and looked at both participants in the arena.

I didn't answer immediately.

If we judge from the body's proportion, the student from Temperantia Academy was better. He probably had high STR and VIT. That was a good status distribution for someone who wanted to become a knight who used a sword and shield.

However, I had appraised Oliver secretly before. When I did that, his status came out like this.

Name: Oliver Coppertree

Race: Human

Lv: 17

Sins: 0

Virtues: 236

Status:

HP: 100/100 (MAX 100)

MP: 17/17 (MAX 100)

STR: 18 (MAX 100)

VIT: 17 (MAX 100)

AGI: 19 (MAX 100)

DEX: 19 (MAX 100)

INT: 16 (MAX 100)

LUC: 60 (MAX 100)

Skills:

[Lv 2 Swordsmanship] [Lv 2 Shield Mastery] [Lv 1 Earth Magic] [Lv 1 Body Enhancement]

Titles:

[Viscount Coppertree's Heir]

His status was spread between every statistic. He was an all-rounder, similar to me. Not only that, he was Level 17, while when I appraised his opponent, the student from Temperantia Academy was only Level 15. His STR and VIT were 20, though, while his AGI, DEX, and INT were only 13 to 15.

Oliver could still lose if he lowered his guard. So he needed to be careful.

"Alright!"

The announcer who stood on the platform screamed loudly with intense energy.

"The last battle to advance to the top 10 will be started shortly. Are both participants ready?!"

"Yes," Oliver answered with energy and raised his shield.

He rotated his body slightly so the shield covered what lay behind it, even his sword that he held with his right hand.

At that moment, Bill also replied with a slight nod and raised his shield. His posture was better than Oliver's due to his body being bigger. He looked a bit menacing.

With both participants ready, the announcer shouted. Both of them didn't move. They observed each other to find the opening. Wrong move from one of them.

At this time, I rested my head on my hand.

"You asked who would win, right?" I smirked.I think you should take a look at

Alesia nodded at my question without pulling her gaze from the arena. She clearly wanted Oliver to win and advance as he was the only one from the Royal Academy who passed the preliminary.

"At first, I was unsure because both have their own specialty." I started.

At this moment, Oliver moved forward slowly, still holding his shield. But he put it close to his body and walked like a crab.

"Oliver has higher stats overall, and he was 2 Levels higher than his opponent. However, Bill's STR and VIT are higher than his. So it depends on the situation."

"Situation? As to how the participant approaches the other?"

"Yes." I nodded, confirming what she had said.

In the arena, Oliver was now only 2 meters from Bill. This distance was perfect to attack if the other party had no shield.

"STR and AGI are important in battle between people who only bring weapons. Of course, weapon skills such as Swordsmanship or Spearmanship will definitely affect the duel. They will have more skills the higher their Lv. However…"

In the battle between two people with shields, there was one that would greatly affect the outcome.

"Shield Bash!"

"Shield Bash"

Both of them used the same skill at once. Their shields let out a faint blue glow and shot forward. The spectators got excited as the shields hit each other.

Bam!

A loud sound resounded from the arena, and the light flashed. Because the shields were made from metal, a spark flew.

No one was able to see anything for a second, but that didn't affect me much. And because Alesia was still waiting for me to finish my word and this was the perfect chance to explain it, I continued my previous explanation.

"The winner will be decided by whoever has higher Lv in their Shield Mastery."

In the arena, Bill got knocked back slightly and lost his distance. His hand that held the shield should be numb from the Lv 2 Shield Bash Oliver delivered.

Oliver's lips curled into a smile seeing a chance to end this fight. He raised his sword and swung it down, activating another skill.

"Sword Slash!"

The sword left a trail of blue light as it cleaved down Bill's shoulder.

"Kuh!"

The student from Temperantia Academy stepped back to dodge and managed to avoid it. However, he didn't escape unharmed. His broken balance made him fall to the ground with a loud thud.

Stepping forward, Oliver sent another attack using his sword. It was a simple thrust aimed at Bill's chest.

Swoosh!

The big guy couldn't escape this one and closed his eyes.

"Stop!" Bill shouted before the sword stabbed his body. "I surrender!"

Unable to force it to stop, Oliver could only redirect the thrust toward the ground beside Bill's body. The battle lasted only a minute at most, but his breath was rough. Using two skills at once for someone with low MP was a bit hard. That drained most of his stamina.

"Huff… Huff…" Leaning against his sword, Oliver tried to stabilize her breathing. Then he stepped away from his opponent and offered his hand to help him stand up. "You're strong." He praised Bill with a smile.

Bill smiled back and took Oliver's hand.

"No, you're strong. I was confident with my STR but was still knocked back."

"Hahaha, that's only because of the knockback effect from having my Shield Mastery Lv 2. I managed to raise it before the tournament." Oliver explained.

"I see…" Bill nodded in understanding. "That was a good fight. Good luck in your next fight."

"Yeah."

Both of them left the arena without any enmity. Rather, they looked satisfied no matter the result.

Watching them leave, I stood up and stretched my hand upward. After a few minutes of rest, it would be my turn again.

"Student Arthur."

Before I left, Alesia suddenly called out to me. I stopped and turned around, looking at her curiously.

"Is there something that matters?"

"Teach student Oliver some tricks if you meet him." She said with a grin on his face. "It seems you're not only skilled in fighting but also analyzing it too."

"I will do it if I have the chance," I replied with a smile and left the balcony room.

Author Note:

So I tried the newly implemented feature in webnovel, bold and italic. Should I continue do this for status or should I just use the normal font? What do you think?

Report chapter Comments

On my way to the arena to prepare for my second fight, I met Oliver in the corridor. As promised to Alesia, I gave him a little tip.

The aspiring knight looked a bit confused when I suddenly stopped him and said that in my passing. But then he bowed and thanked me with a wide smile.

I waved my hand and went to the arena after I used Heal and Cure on him. That would hopefully make him feel better and cure his sore hands.

My opponent was someone from the Patientia Academy again. This one wore 5 magic items, which was a little bit excessive. He used all slots he could just for two or three bonus statuses.

'A bit stupid.' I thought as I raised my sword.

Just like the first one, when the battle started, my opponent rushed toward me with confidence in his skill. I parried his sword and kicked him away, making him roll on the ground a few times before coming to a stop. The crowd and even my opponent expected me to finish the battle at once, but I didn't do it. Instead, I smirked and gestured for him to come again. I wanted to show Oliver how to deal with an opponent who rushed toward me.