Shadowless Night

“You must have heard a lot of things about me. Dangerous. Evil. The one who brings blood to the continent. I won’t make any excuses, but I’m bringing this up because Ploeto, she’s…” Haqab’s pupils seemed to look at the distant Lagos.

“…I want to let you know that it was all for Lagos. When she saw the dark side of Illavenia, who claims to be the father of this great continent, she found it impossible to ignore the truth. However, her opponent was too large, so another force was needed. For Lagos, Ploeto reached out to me, despite knowing she’ll be known as the queen who sold out her country. Of course, that doesn’t mean Lagos is moving in the wrong direction now. Lagos has great aspirations but has chosen a different path, or so I think. The stigma surrounding Ploeto calling her a traitor is too harsh, so Baiferm, please…”

Haqab bit his lip. “I’m not asking you to forgive or retrieve her from wherever she’s hidden. I only want you to think about why Ploeto reached out to me. The continent is dying. I know this sounds too harsh for the newly crowned Baiferm, but those who live in the cold land of Lagos are all brothers. Each person looks after the other. Aren’t those brothers dying with screams one by one? Great Baiferm, I hope you will remember Lagos’ everlasting vow.”

Had he prepared his speech? His words flowed like a river. Ganje crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, appreciating Haqab’s nonsense. Even though she was young, the current Baiferm knew about the situation surrounding Ploeto’s dethroning. She had also received education about the danger of Prince Haqab. The light of caution that had first appeared on the girl’s face must’ve been caused by that. However, the talk about Lagos had eased her guard a little, and the almost taboo topic had shocked the little girl. In his story of Ploeto, he made the little girl see him as a sincere young man who pointed out that everyone was just as dangerous.

Haqab’s ugly play seemed genuine not because of his outstanding acting skills but because most of what he said was based on facts. It was a fact that many brothers in Lagos were starving to death, and it was also a fact that Illavania enjoyed itself as the father of the continent while ignoring the dying land.

Lagos was not the only one disillusioned at the sight of the people with holy power gathered far and wide, yet terrified that their remaining glory might fall away.

Guandite looked serious, like she didn’t believe Haqab’s words but found them somewhat valid. Guandite fiddled with the hem of her clothes and then moved her gaze to Haqab. Haqab struggled to smile with a sorrowful expression on his face.

“You don’t have to listen. I only want you to look after your brothers in Lagos. I apologize for disturbing your mind with my rambles.”

The match announcer appeared with some news. He said that Rosaline’s opponent had withdrawn. The people waiting for her to appear simultaneously made a sound of regret.

Despite the news of Rosaline’s match, Guandite played with her hair as if reflecting on Haqab’s story. The girl looked at him with big eyes. Haqab smiled pitifully.

“Withered mandira.”

That was out of the blue. When Haqab’s expression became questioning, the girl closed her eyes and smiled.

“The mandira, which grows in high places in Lagos, is an invaluable herb, Prince. Withered mandira. Even if mandira withers, it is mandira. It is one of Lagos’ proverbs meaning that the value of something does not change even if it is slightly damaged or its shape changes.”

Even with a detailed explanation, he found the proverb hard to understand.

“To the Prince, Illavania is like a withered mandira; the glory of the past has decreased, and it is not easy to see. But isn’t this situation the same as your own, Prince Haqab? If Lagos’ power can’t match Balta’s, it certainly can’t match Illavenia’s either…”

Haqab’s expression hardened quickly. Ganje, who sat next to him, opened her eyes wide. The herbivore, which had merely blinked like a young antelope before, suddenly changed its momentum. Even her earlier wariness and smile seemed to have been a pretense.

“What kind of power do you think this puppet’s body has?” Guandite shrugged. “I roughly know what people think. ‘The Regent is old, and Lagos is still confused.’ Judging from the fact that you even brought up a story about the former Baiferm, I guess I haven’t completely rooted out that faction yet.” The girl looked at Haqab expressionlessly. “I was almost heartbroken by the cancellation of Sir Rosaline’s game, but today’s outing was worth it. It’s thanks to the Prince telling me an interesting story.”

She spoke as if she had been watching a fascinating play that had nothing to do with her.

Ganje opened her mouth foolishly before covering it. She felt like she saw a pet that used to walk on four legs rise abruptly and walk on two legs.

Guandite rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I’m tired. I couldn’t sleep until late last night because I was looking forward to today. Prince, help me down. Now it is time for this body to take a nap.”

Haqab looked at the girl silently, then stood up and held his hand out, as before, to support her feet. The girl grabbed him by the shoulder, stepped on his hand, and jumped. Then she turned away without saying thank you. Ganje wanted to run after her and kiss the girl on the cheek. As Ganje’s hips shook in excitement, the girl looked back. Guandite smiled brightly at Haqab, who was still on his knees.

“Haqab Hwi Livita. I will pay off this debt someday.”

It was a phrase he had heard recently. Haqab stared at the young woman as she walked away before sitting down again long after she left. He sighed deeply.

“Dimla is very thorough. The women of Lagos are all… unlikable. I miss my wives.”

Ganje couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. A snicker of laughter escaped her mouth. As she shook with laughter, Haqab threw honey chestnuts at her head.

***

First day:

4 seconds in round 32*

Second day:

21 seconds in round 16

0 seconds in the quarterfinals (default win)

Third day:

23 seconds in the semifinals

45 seconds in the preliminary finals

It was a distinctly different atmosphere from the previous years when everyone was nervous because nobody knew who would be the final winner or loser. All of this was because of a participant with unprecedented results— who even won in 4 seconds! Excluding the default win, it was the fastest win ever.

Those dubious of her abilities in round 32 became convinced after that match. Those rumors that had been hard to believe were very close to the truth. Had she really killed the assassins with a flick of her finger? Had she blown them away with just a snort? Of course, some people said these were not true, but almost everyone seemed to believe it.

The martial arts hall opened again two days after the second match of the quarterfinals. Today, Rosaline splendidly won the semifinals and preliminary finals.

The opponent in round 32, Cadel of the Flamming Arrow Mercenaries, had not regained consciousness after two days despite having a priest with excellent divine power attending him. After hearing the news, Rosaline must have felt something, and she relaxed a little more during the subsequent games.

So, 21 seconds, 23 seconds, and 45 seconds: all of her opponents lasted less than a minute, but those who knew Rosaline well noticed that she had been generous with her competitors.

After the 45 second match, Rosaline saluted again. It was the way she always posed after her victories. Unlike some victors, she didn’t perform flashy acts such as standing on her hands or blowing a kiss while winking. Instead, her simple actions engraved herself more intensely on the audience than anyone else.

The little ones imitated her and put their fists on their chests. Their faces were flushed, and their eyes shone brightly. The conditions to enter children’s hearts were simple but respectable: strength, coolness, and righteousness. It was a position only those with many promising attributes could attain, as was usually the case with the object of people’s admiration.

The sight of Rosaline saluting in a rain of flowers made Calyx’s heart flutter. Had there been such a marvelous knight since the Empire’s founding? Probably not. Calyx nodded in satisfaction.

But in this case…

Calyx was at a loss for words after hearing a young girl say she would marry Sir Rosaline when she grew up— no, he was speechless when the girl’s mother replied, “You can’t because the difference in social status is too large.”

Perhaps because he thought it was not simply due to the difference in social status, Calyx’s face was stained with confused emotions. Seeing his strange expression, neither a smile nor a cry, Chloe covered her mouth and laughed.

It was the same seating arrangement today as the day before.

“Your future in-law is pretty, Sir Calyx. Would the age gap be a problem?”

“…The imperial… ”

“Stop saying the old-fashioned way that same-sex marriage is not allowed under imperial law.”

Calyx glared at her in a sick and tired manner. He suddenly wondered how Raymond and Chloe met and how they got together. I don’t think they’re a good combination…

Chloe held up a banner with the words [Rosaline wins even if my husband shows up], enjoying the festive mood.

*E/N: So Author-nim uses a match system that directly describes how many people are left in the competition. It’s a British system apparently? Round 32 = 32 people left. Round 16 = 16 people left. Quarterfinals = 8 people, semifinals = 4 people, and preliminary finals = 2 people. And in the finals, only one person is left as the winner. It makes sense, but it wasn’t obviously apparent to me.