Chapter 170: The Competition (1)

Chapter 170: The Competition (1)

The Lionheart's main house had gone through some changes. First, the Patriarch, who had been away from the main house for a few years, had now returned. Just like when he had left the Black Lion Castle, Gilead was still noticeably thin, and Ancilla cried her eyes out, forgetting about dignity for a moment.

Her husband's return wasn't the only reason Ancilla bawled. Her children, who had left her arms for a long time, had also returned.

After attending several funerals along with Gilead, Ciel had come back along with Cyan, who had been training with the captains of the Black Lion Castle.

Giving up on their original plan, the Third Division of the Black Lion Knights led by Carmen didn't leave the main estate due to a request from Gilead and Klein — they asked Carmen to help train the White Lion Knights.

The White Lion Knights were already among the best knights on the continent, but the rebellion started by Eward was enough to make the loyalty of the White Lion Knights waver, since they were usually very proud of the fact that they served the Lionhearts. Therefore, the Lionhearts needed to make a strong display in order to regain that respect and reverence.

The simplest method to achieve this was bringing in a knight who, on the one hand, was indisputably strong, and on the other hand, lacked the elitism normally displayed by pureblood Lionhearts. In other words, they had to be the type to not discriminate between their subordinates, and they had to be enthusiastic about teaching.

Carmen Lionheart, the strongest person in the Lionhearts, was naturally considered to be the best fit for this role, so she continued to stay in the main estate and mentor the White Lion Knights instead of returning to the Black Lion Castle.

As a result, the White Lion Knights' quarters beside the main estate's training area had been extended. Carmen's office had been set up next to the office of the White Lion Order's Commander on the first floor. Overall, the facility had become much more elegant than before.

All of the renovations were Ancilla's plan to make the knights grateful and proud. The White Lion Knights' facility was great in the first place, but the major renovation led by Ancilla made the compound outstanding.

While extending the White Lion Knights' quarter, the annex was also demolished. Ancilla built a new annex in the place where Eugene had previously lived, right next to the main estate, saying that family should be family even though they did not share all that much blood. The main estate and the annex were separate, but every floor was connected with a passageway, enabling people to easily move between the main estate and the annex.

Aside from these renovations, various new training equipment was also installed in the training area. Even the Lionheart forest, where the World Tree's seedlings had completely taken roots, also went through a renovation.

Some had worried that the elves would be against it, but the elves hadn't forgotten that they were under the Lionhearts' protection. Maybe due to that reason, the elves themselves had picked up shovels and axes and helped with the forest's renovation.

"...I think it's a tiny little bit overkill," Carmen awkwardly said. She was in her office, which she had decorated to suit her preference from top to bottom.

One wall was fitted with a whiskey display. Not that Carmen drank whiskey in any shape or form — she hated both its smell and taste. She liked sweet beverages, warm milk, and tea that calmed her, rather than bitter alcohol that tasted like tree bark washed with soap.

There was a wine display next to the whiskey display. Just like her whiskey display, every wine she had put on her display as 'interior decoration' was a top-class product. The highest quality wood and metals were used to build the displays, and they were decorated with jewels. The displays even came with artifacts that controlled temperature and humidity, creating a perfect environment for each type of alcohol. This was the kind of display normally owned by rich habitual drinkers who had far too much money.

Therefore, the wines inside the displays were luxury items, some of the highest-priced wines money could buy. Whiskey and wine became more expensive over time, and if Eugene put together the age of the alcohol bottles on Carmen's shelves, forget about Hamel's age, it would even surpass the age of most high-ranking demonfolks.

Of course, Carmen also didn't drink wine. Well... no, unlike whiskey, she at least drank some of the wine, because she enjoyed both sweet ice wine and cool sparkling wine. Aside from those, however, did she care for any other type? Not in the slightest. She couldn't care less if the wine was red, white, or rainbow; as far as she was concerned, grape juice and apple juice were the better choice.

So... why did she even have those massively expensive shelves? Naturally, it was because Carmen thought that displaying quality alcohol was essential in order to show dignity. Although she didn't like wine or whiskey, she certainly liked the way she looked when she held a wine or whiskey glass.

Carmen's thoughts remained the same when it came to cigars. Inside the drawers of her magnificent office desk, cigars that would never see a lighter were neatly organized. It was a given, but all of her cigars were handmade by famous artisans. She even had her cigar case and cigar cutter custom-made, engraved with a black lion and a silver lion.

Apart from those, there were also a bunch of books, which — obviously — she didn't read, filling a third wall. Finally, the wall behind Carmen's desk was engraved with the big symbols of the Lionhearts and the Black Lion Knights. Armor that she never wore was standing beside her window-like decorations, along with a flag....

...To sum it up, the room was more overkill than any other room Eugene had ever visited. And Carmen, the very person who had decorated the room and was currently sitting in her chair with her legs on the desk, had the absolute gall to utter the word 'overkill.'

Eugene could no longer think properly.

"...Er... Uh... Is that so?" Eugene stuttered.

"Yes, there is no reason to also train the elves." Carmen nodded.

"Well, I didn't tell them to.... They volunteered," Eugene answered, shrugging.

Just like Eugene had said, the elves in the forest had started training by themselves. The incident of Lavera being helplessly kidnapped by Iris had been a wake-up call for the elves and motivated Signard, who had deep grudges against Iris.

The elves had volunteered to train, so several training facilities had been installed to grant the elves' requests during the renovation. Signard himself had begun to teach swordsmanship to the elves, and the White Lion Knights and Black Lion Knights assisted Signard in that endeavor.

"...What I mean by overkill... is..." Carmen laid her cigar on the ashtray, unable to say much. The beautiful ashtray had never held cigarette ashes and it never would in the future.

"...Aha." Eugene realized what Carmen wanted to say. "You are saying this because of White Tower Master, right?"

"...Hmm." Carmen bitterly nodded.

In Eugene's perspective, they were the same, considering how they both didn't act their age and were completely disgraceful. Yet, Carmen and Melkith were surprisingly on bad terms.

Eugene thought that they were probably feeling a sense of kinship to each other and self-loathing at the same time. Since they were similar, they became more conscious of each other, but they looked hideous from a third-party perspective....

'No... rather than loathing... are they being competitive with each other?' Eugene gaped.

When Melkith had worn a mink coat, Carmen had worn a fluffier mink jacket. When Carmen had worn a leather jacket, Melkith had worn a shinier leather coat.

"I know elves have great aptitude for spirit summoning magic, but since the White Tower Master is an outsider, it is a bit too much for her to teach the Lionhearts' people."

Carmen crossed her legs on her desk.

"Well... they wanted to learn it. If they don't like swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat, it's for the best that they learn spirit summoning magic. Besides, their teacher is the greatest spirit summoner in history." Eugene nodded.

After the Lightning Flame incident, Melkith could freely come in and out of the Lionheart Forest on some level, but she must have felt the need to prove her worth when her visits became frequent. She had persuaded the elves in the forest and taught them about spirit summoning magic, so Melkith had even stayed in the forest for several days, using the 'lesson' excuse.

"...It is a great method to make the Lionhearts more powerful but... ummm... she really lacks dignity...." Carmen chose her words carefully.

"Pardon?" Eugene asked with a baffled expression.

"Uhmm.... Well.... When I went on a stroll last night, I passed by the artificial lake of the forest... hmm...," Carmen stuttered, unable to continue speaking.

As if she was feeling really awkward, she fidgeted with her fingers and turned her head away a little as she continued.

"...And the White Tower Master was sitting at the center of the lake without any clothes."

"...What?" Eugene couldn't believe his ears.

"There was no person — I mean, no elves who were watching. The White Tower Master must be really thorough about such matters, because she created a magic barrier that prevents people from recognizing her.... Without eyes that aren't as sharp as mine, they wouldn't be able to see the White Tower Master behave strangely. Anyhow, she is really... disgraceful in real life."

"Is that so...." Eugene wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

"Of course... Ummm... she didn't do anything strange. I did get out of the area right after I saw her, but she looked serious and her mana flow was truly beautiful. I assume she was meditating to unite her ego and the outside world... to develop her spirit-summoning magic," Carmen spoke and cleared her throat. "...But... hmm... ordinary people.... Well, the White Tower Master isn't an ordinary person, but if she knows about shame...."

Was it morally right for Carmen to speak about shame?

"...Shouldn't she... not cultivate while sitting naked... under the night sky with the shining moon? Or am I failing to understand her cultivation method because I'm neither a wizard nor a spirit summoner?" Carmen sincerely asked.

Eugene had no response for this.

"Is such a training method common for wizards and spirit summoners? Eugene, you are a wizard and a spirit summoner, so do you also secretly train by using the same method?"

[Hamel.] Tempest called Eugene through his head.

"If... if so, then are all the elves who learn spirit summoning from the White Tower Master going to go through such training? I don't mind... if they do that in the Lionheart forest, but if they train while there is a guest in the main estate.... Especially... hmm... I do believe you are sensible enough, however, if somebody sees you while you are busy uniting your ego and the outside world as you cultivate...," Carmen carefully chose her words.

[I suggest that we assassinate Melkith El-Hayah.]

Tempest quickly whispered to Eugene.

[She is dragging spirit summoners' reputation through the mud. Look at this bizarre woman right now. Even she is confused because she can't understand the White Tower Master.]

"..." Eugene was speechless.

[Just like I told you the last time, the story about how a spirit summoner can reach a higher level by communicating with spirits in a naked state is nothing more than a groundless superstition... I lament at the fact that such a superstition maniac is a grand spirit summoner....]

"...I...," Eugene began to speak.

[She is a spirit summoner who signed contracts with the Earth and Lightning Spirit Kings, but why is she developing her spirit summoning magic on the lake's surface? Is she following some kind of superstition that a forced communication with spirits for which the summoner has no affinity with strengthens their connection with the respective spirits...?]

"...I never trained without clothes, nor did I ever feel any particular desire to train that way." Eugene tried to speak as calmly as possible.

[How could such a grand spirit summoner... No... Every being who has transcended humanity is mad... Like how Carmen Lionheart is... Melkith El-Hayah is also mad...]

Tempest had just realized something on his own.

"The White Tower Master is the weird one. Other wizards and spirit summoners don't do such crazy stuff. I will make sure to discuss with the elves about this matter, and warn the White Tower Master too." Eugene firmly answered.

After hearing Eugene's answer, Carmen heaved a sigh of relief and suddenly pulled out something from her desk's drawer.

Pong.

Carmen flicked open the black-golden Dupont lighter, with a crisp and clear sound.

"..."

Pong.

"..."

Pong.

"It's cool." Eugene nodded as he understood Carmen's intention.

Pong.

"It sounds clearer than Iris'."

Eugene looked at her lighter.

"It's custom-made."

Carmen finally looked satisfied as she nodded.

Eugene tried to keep his feet on the ground, because he hadn't visited Carmen early in the morning to have this kind of conversation.

"Isn't it time for you to pretend that you have no choice and tell me what the hell is up?" Eugene cut to the chase.

"...I... I don't know what you are talking about." Carmen looked away.

"I will keep asking, even if you pretend to not know anything." Eugene kept looking at her.

"Young Blood Lion. Can you handle the truth?" Carmen locked her fingers together.

"Handle shandle, who gives a damn. I'm already used to the damned title of Blood Lion and don't care when others call me Blood Lion, so I won't stand down even if you call me Blood Lion."

Eugene smiled only with his mouth. Elves sure as hell had a keen sense of hearing.

When Carmen had conferred the title of Blood Lion to Eugene in front of the warp gate, only the Black Lions and Lavera had been present, but all the elves in the forest heard Carmen.

That was how the elves ended up calling Eugene 'Blood Lion,' and the title naturally spread to the servants and the White Lion Knights. No matter how much Eugene shivered when he heard the title, all the people in the Lionheart domain now called him 'Eugene, the Blood Lion.'

'Well... uh... Blood Lion Eugene is better than Stupid Hamel, I guess?' Eugene bit his lips.

Glaring at Carmen, he clenched his fists to control his goosebumps. "Besides, you're giving off more signals than a lighthouse."

"...I... I have never done that." Carmen tightly grabbed her lighter.

"What is the mysterious experience you went through in your childhood dozens of years ago?" Eugene went on.

"...."

"When we returned to the main estate, you kept clicking your pocket watch in the carriage every time Sir Alchester mentioned the word dragon." Eugene continued.

"...Wanting you to notice and you actually noticing are slightly different things," Carmen solemnly said.

"I can't see that slight difference, so I have to hear about it directly."

"I have told you multiple times, but I can't tell you my experience myself due to... an important promise." Carmen desperately tried to change the topic, but no new topic came to her mind.

'If I knew things were going to turn out this way, I would have pulled out my Dupont lighter later. His head would have been filled with the desire to have a Dupont lighter instead of questions if I let him hear my lighter's click in this kind of situation....' Carmen thought in regret.

"Gosh." Eugene sighed as he leaned against the sofa. For the past couple of days, he had been visiting and following Carmen to ask about the dragon, but Carmen refused to answer.

At this point, Eugene had no choice but to believe Carmen. It was certain that Carmen had received the... Heaven Genocide from the dragon. Judging from how she kept trying to change the subject, unable to say something clear, she had likely made a promise with the dragon using Draconic.

"...Can you give me a hint, if you can't directly say it?" Eugene calmly asked.

"...The encounter..." Carmen hesitated as she fell deep in thought, figuring out if she could speak about what came to her thoughts or not. After trying to say something several times, she closed her mouth and frowned.

'She can't speak, in spite of her will,' Eugene observed.

[The promise made with a dragon using Draconic is absolute.] Tempest explained.

'You call yourself the fucking Wind Spirit King, but how can you know zero dragons?' Eugene growled in his thought.

[...I know a dragon, however, I can't talk about the party with whom I signed a contract even though I'm a Spirit King. So don't count on my help in searching for the dragon, Hamel.]

Tempest's excuse sounded pathetic, but it was understandable. Since wind existed everywhere in the world... Eugene would have been able to obtain all the information if he could use the low-ranking wind spirits with Tempest's help to search.

"...I... I stayed with the Dragonic family when I was young." Carmen finally spoke after a long time. "I told you about this before, but I was Alchester's martial arts teacher. I don't like weapons like swords or spears, so I taught Alchester hand-to-hand combat. The Dragonic Patriarch at the time taught me the Dragonic Style... but it wasn't much help to me."

Eugene had heard this in the carriage too.

"Alchester was a fast learner. He was a five-year-old kid at the time, but he was unbelievably mature and he never whined about my lessons..." Carmen reminisced.

"You met the Dragon in the Dragonic estate?" Eugene tilted his head.

"Although he was mature... he had a childish side, too. The five-year-old Alchester was a horrible child who used to eat his booger...." Carmen closed her eyes.

All Eugene heard was wayyy too much information about the best knight in the empire.

"Then will I have to go to the Dragonic estate...?" Eugene muttered to himself.

"Eugene, the Blood Lion, why are you interested in dragons?" Carmen looked at Eugene.

"Who isn't interested in dragons?" Eugene shrugged.

Dragons were mythical creatures who hadn't shown themselves to the world for three hundred years because they had sustained immense damage during the war against the Demon Kings.

Half of the great race had been massacred by the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction.

No, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Demon King of Destruction alone had massacred the race. The Demon King of Incarceration had indeed killed several dragons in the first war, but he had stopped fighting with the dragons rather early. Then, as if filling in for the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King of Destruction had shown up at the battlefield, killing half of the race.

Eugene didn't know what those battles had been like, but while Hamel had been wandering in Helmuth... he had met a dying dragon who had escaped after sustaining injuries from the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. Unable to escape Helmuth, the dragon had been waiting for his death inside a crudely made dungeon.

The dragon pulled out his Dragonheart for Vermouth and his companions and left them his last words.

'You can't fight with the Demon King of Destruction.'

When Hamel had seen the Demon King of Destruction from afar, Hamel had realized how true and serious the dragon's warning was. Even now, Eugene couldn't recall what the thing he had seen looked like exactly, because it had been more like a blur of 'color.' Although he wasn't sure that the thing was the Demon King of Destruction, the thing made him ask himself... what else could be called if not destruction? The thing brought overwhelming fear and despair to its enemy, making its enemies powerless to fight back.

The dragons had been the ones who had attempted to fend off the Demon King of Destruction. Perhaps it was because of that event that the dragons who had survived the frontline in the war had gone into seclusion to heal their injuries and the mental trauma, never revealing themselves for three hundred years.

'...Orix, that bastard, wasn't remotely half-dragon, so why was there a dragon in the Dragonic estate? Did the dragon come to see the maniac who proclaimed himself to be half dragon and was respected for three hundred years as the heir of a dragon?' Eugene wondered.

It sounded plausible.

"Can you give me advice on how to enter the Dragonic estate?" Eugene cautiously asked.

"Alchester won't refuse if you ask him for a tour of the mansion." Carmen nodded.

"Will that be enough to meet the dragon?" Eugene's eyes shone.

"I... ummm... stayed in Alchester's house... as his teacher...." Carmen repeated.

"Okay, I won't be able to meet the dragon as an ordinary guest. Then what should I do... shall I become a temporary teacher like you... Lady Carmen?" Eugene mumbled to himself, glancing at Carmen.

"Alchester has a young son who is ten years old right now." Carmen straightened her posture and stared at Eugene. "If you show exceptional ability in front of Alchester, I will ask Gilead to arrange a cultural exchange between the two clans."

"Huh." Eugene chuckled as he looked at Carmen. "I think I made it pretty clear that I will never participate in today's competition... Are you the one saying this or are you speaking for the Patriarch?"

"I'll say I speak for the Lionhearts." Carmen smiled, putting a cigar in her mouth.

The competition was caused by a squabble. The White Dragon Knights, whose commander was Alchester, had been protecting the Lionheart main estate from the fence for a month, but the White Dragon Knights and the White Lion Knights had gotten into a quarrel regarding the matter.

To sum up, low-ranking White Dragon Knights had been caught bad-mouthing the Lionhearts. They gossiped about how the Lionhearts were not high and mighty like before and the clan was rotting from inside. The knights had even smirked at the Lionhearts, saying that they always boasted about how they were the great hero's heirs, but they were now under the imperial knights' protection because they got scared by whatever Rakshasa Princess who ran away from Helmuth.

When the White Lion Knights had heard the White Dragon Knights gossiping, the White Lion Knights had challenged them to a duel, which had ended in a tie. That wasn't the end of the squabble, however, because some other knights joined in when they heard the story, making the duel bigger.

Alchester had tried to cover up the incident, but the White Dragon Knights were loyal to the Kiehl Emperor, not Alchester. As if they had secretly been ordered by the emperor, the White Dragon Knights who weren't assigned to protect the Lionheart estate came by and challenged the White Lion Knights to a duel.

Since the incident had progressed this far, the Patriarch had been unable to just let this slide, so he himself had stepped up and proposed an official competition between the White Lion Knights and the White Dragon Knights. Depending on the outcome, the loser was going to unreservedly apologize and provide appropriate compensation to the winner. Therefore, ten knights were chosen from each knightly order to fight in today's competition.

"I'm not a White Lion Knight." Eugene reluctantly spoke.

"The Patriarch and his children are the commanders of the White Lion Knights. You know that, don't you?" Carmen smiled.

"Still, it is too much for a member of the main family to participate... the White Lion Knights would also be uncomfortable if they saw their lord meddling in their problem."

Eugene tried really, really hard to persuade her.

"They would be uncomfortable if Cyan, the official successor, stepped up. You aren't the heir, though, and you've even given up the succession right, haven't you? Besides, young White Lion Knights revere you, so their spirits will be lifted if you participate in the competition." Carmen spoke flawlessly, without a pause, so Eugene could tell that she had been planning to persuade him in the first place.

Eugene clicked his tongue and tilted his head. "That's a cheap move."

Carmen smiled in satisfaction, swinging the cigar in her hand left and right.

"Call it a tactic."