Chapter 1 — Matters to Settle before Departure

Part 1 — Circumstances

Now was as good a time as any to review the current situation. Sansui had left Blois and Lain in the Arcana Kingdom and accompanied Douve, Saiga, and the others to Sunae and Tahlan’s homeland, the Magyan Kingdom. They went to obtain permission for the two Magyans to marry their respective betrotheds, but once they arrived, they were dragged into a political battle concerning the succession to the Magyan throne.

In order to avoid having the palace intrigue develop into a full-scale civil war, Sansui and company proposed holding a group exhibition match in front of the kingdom’s people. They had successfully defeated all of their opponents and had somehow managed to derail the scheme of the would-be usurpers. However...

After the exhibition concluded, they had then been asked for money by a group that had been aiding their opponents. Now, ordinarily, asking such a favor of an erstwhile enemy was unthinkable. Sansui himself was aware that, as an Immortal, his sensibilities were considerably different from the average person. But even with that awareness, he knew that this request was ridiculous. He had to pause for a moment before responding.

“Hold on. First, I would appreciate knowing more about your circumstances. In detail, if possible.”

Sansui decided to at least hear them out. He was grateful that they had cut to the chase, but it was all a bit too sudden to make an accurate judgment about how to respond.

Having heard Sansui’s response, they replied with a faint tremor of fear, “I believe you are already aware, but we are a clan of shrine maidens who live in a hidden village ruled by the Great Tengu Cel.”

As expected, they were from a clan of Rare Arts practitioners that Suiboku and Eckesachs had known.

“We were living in our hidden village, but... Well, we couldn’t find any good husband candidates, so we left to find them in the world outside.”

Choosing a mate for a Rare Art bloodline was a difficult task. When choosing from people outside of the clan, they had to find a man who had a talent that manifested in maybe one out of every thousand people, was close to them in age, and most importantly, was unmarried. When all of the conditions were combined, it would be difficult to find even one eligible bachelor out of every ten thousand people. No doubt it must have been a very difficult search.

“In the end, we couldn’t find any, and when we had all but given up and planned to go home, someone stole our money. We were using our Art to earn money for our return trip, but we couldn’t make enough to save any of it...”

The shrine maidens began to weep pitifully. So, yes, they had struggled, but it was also a rather silly situation that they were caught in. Still, considering they had no fighting abilities of their own, they were probably relatively well-off, under the circumstances.

“When we were despairing of our fate, the First Consort Sukreen found us. According to her, if we helped usurp the crown, she’d pay for our way home... We eagerly accepted, but...we had no idea that we’d be fighting someone connected to the great Tengu Master Suiboku...”

No wonder they were terrified. They knew about Suiboku and found themselves facing his apprentice. It was easy to imagine the extent of their fear. That they had come to him to ask for money in spite of that terror showed just how desperate they were.

“Unfortunately, she dismissed us as useless and chased us out... She left us with no choice but to place ourselves at your mercy...”

The support provided by the Art of the Shrine Maiden was most effective when fighting a long endurance match against an opponent of equivalent strength. As such, it was practically worthless when fighting in a match against a superior opponent or that ended too quickly.

Furthermore, the First Consort was effectively now persona non grata. There was no way that Sukreen could provide for them even if she wanted to. Perhaps she had chased them off as a way of clinging to the last shreds of her pride.

Sansui struggled to come to a decision. While they had ended up on the enemy’s side, they also had meant no harm in doing so. They were relatively sympathetic, and there was that whole connection with his master. What weighed on him more than anything else was that he wasn’t particularly flush at the moment.

“In that case... Here, take this.”

“Thank you so very much!”

Sansui handed them the wallet that had been given to him as an allowance. It would be enough to get them home, so long as they didn’t spend too much on souvenirs or other luxuries. When they took the wallet, they bowed their heads respectfully in thanks, then proceeded to keep thanking him repeatedly before they left. It seemed they were done with the outside world and intended to go back to their hidden village.

Sansui reflected as he watched them depart.

To run into my master’s acquaintances, even out here...

Suiboku himself had been in self-imposed exile for fifteen hundred years, so he had believed no one in the world would still know of him. Unfortunately, the reality was that they just kept coming out of the woodwork. That went to show just how much of a mark Suiboku’s sins had left on the world.

“Master...”

Just what would his own reputation be in the future? He had already secured an overwhelming victory here in Magyan, and in exchange, had bought the resentment of a great number of people. While it had been necessary, Sansui couldn’t help but worry about what awaited him.

Part 2 — Popularity

Meanwhile, Saiga was receiving instruction from Magyan Khan in the palace. It would have been one thing if he hadn’t had the Royal Presence, but given that he did have that ability, it was problematic that he couldn’t transform fully into a Divine Beast. It was understandable that such a capability was a condition of him being permitted to marry Sunae, given that Sunae was the daughter of the First Consort.

“Listen up, Saiga. It’s not that I think you’ve been slacking. You have to learn all those other Arts, after all. However, if you’re going to marry Sunae, you need to properly master the use of Spirit Summoning. I’m not letting you out of this kingdom until you do! If you try to get away, I’ll chase you to the furthest corners of the known world and tear out your throat!”

“Yes, sir!”

Saiga’s strength was his ability to wield multiple Arts. Not only could he switch between Arts as the circumstances required, but he was also able to wield them together in various combinations. That was why there was no need for him to be particularly skilled in the use of any one Art. To put it another way, he only needed to know the very basics of any given Art to use it effectively in combat.

That was why it hadn’t been a problem when he only used Spirit Summoning in an incomplete form, taking a humanoid beast form when he did so. If anything, his inability to wield Eckesachs in Divine Beast form made it more of a hindrance than an asset for him. Unfortunately, that was only the case when discussing Spirit Summoning’s use in actual combat. Now that he was going to marry a member of the Magyan royal family, he needed to acquire full mastery of their Art.

Although the king had just recently recovered from an illness, he showed no sign of being rusty as he drilled his son-in-law-to-be.

“Come on, now! You can’t be tired already, can you?”

“No! I can still manage!”

An ordinary boy might very well have cried or begged off when faced with the king’s strict training and intimidating presence. Nonetheless, Saiga stuck with it, working desperately to master the various techniques. He was learning from the king of Magyan, Sunae’s father. Given that he had come all this way to get the older man’s blessing to marry Sunae, he couldn’t afford to humiliate himself in front of his intended’s father.

“Good! Get up, then!”

Of course, Magyan Khan understood that Saiga was doing his best and that he was behaving honorably. That said, he made no effort to praise him. Why? Because Saiga had come to take his daughter’s hand in marriage but had yet to produce results. Khan had no intention of praising Saiga until he showed his mastery.

“Strengthen your Royal Presence! Then expel it until you run dry!”

“Yes, sir!”

Saiga continued to be subjected to hard training, bordering on hazing. The king kept shouting at him, telling him to put all his effort into it, that he wouldn’t let his daughter marry a man who couldn’t get through this. Of course, he wasn’t there to inflict pain on Saiga. The moment he saw that Saiga was nearing his limit, Khan quickly called a halt to the lessons for the day.

“Ah, you’ve run out of the Presence... Very well, we’re done for the day.”

If Saiga had truly been a weakling, Khan might have subjected him to swordsmanship lessons or the like afterward. However, as Saiga had already shown his mettle in a royal exhibition match, Khan had chosen only to instruct him on the finer points of Spirit Summoning.

“Th-Thank you for the lesson...”

The moment that Khan’s instruction ended, there was a sudden stir within the palace, and a throng of highborn women began to swarm around Saiga.

“Well done, Lord Saiga! Here, have some cold water!”

“My, how impressive, Lord Saiga, to work so hard on a single Art even when you have to train in others! I have enough trouble with just using Spirit Summoning... I’m really impressed!”

“Lord Saiga, while you’re resting, would you tell me more about the Arcana Kingdom? I’d love to learn about a country that’s so far away!”

“Lord Saiga! It’s a little noisy in here, so why don’t we go somewhere quiet where we can be alone?”

Regardless of whether they had the Royal Presence or not, the women eagerly flocked to Saiga’s side. Almost all of them were princesses from neighboring kingdoms rather than from Magyan itself. Some were driven by mere curiosity, while others were actually smitten with him. Yet others simply wanted to get a leg up on those around them.

Either way, they were all from a culture that valued martial prowess above all else, and here they had a stranger who had come from a far-off land with an enormous, overwhelming amount of power. Of course the women found him to be a worthy object of their desire.

“W-Wait, please! I’m already betrothed to Sunae, Zuger, and Happine! I can’t return your feelings!”

However, Saiga had grown as a person on the long journey to Magyan, largely through his discussions with Tahlan and Sunae. He knew that honoring his vow to Sunae required that he respond firmly to the advances from the princesses.

“I don’t want to make Sunae cry!”

He wasn’t able to phrase his intentions particularly eloquently, but even then, he tried his best to make them clear. He had learned that he needed to turn them down, even if he did it awkwardly.

“That sort of dedication and loyalty is also quite lovely!”

“You’re someone who values women, aren’t you, Lord Saiga?”

“Lord Saiga, wouldn’t you like to hear what Sunae was like as a girl?”

“If your wives are that precious to you, I’d be happy to have them along as we chat.”

“It’ll be fine, we won’t do anything untoward! Probably not, anyway!”

But, as someone once said, all was fair in love and war. None of the women who surrounded Saiga had any intention of retreating. If they had been so easily dissuaded by a mere verbal rejection, they probably wouldn’t have been among the group swarming him in the first place. Moreover, in the Magyan Kingdom and in the surrounding countries, royals and those close to them generally practiced polygamy. Hence, the excuse that he was already betrothed had very little effect on deterring his would-be suitors.

Of course, there was also the simple fact that Saiga already had three fiancées. It wasn’t particularly persuasive when he tried to object with the reasoning that his limit was three wives-to-be.

This isn’t working. What should I do?!

Saiga struggled to deal with the situation as his efforts to reject the women around him proved to be in vain. He blinked in confusion as they continued to swarm around him. With each of his limbs pulled in a different direction by a different woman, Saiga found himself the subject of a literal tug-of-war.

I can’t! No more! Someone help me!

He couldn’t very well just knock them all out. All he could do was let out a silent cry for help.

Now, just what were Sunae, Happine, and Zuger, the women who were already betrothed to Saiga, doing at that moment? Ordinarily, they should have been the ones taking measures against the women that were swarming Saiga, but...

“C’mon, Sunae, lend Lord Saiga to me.”

“Yeah, what she said. It’s selfish for you to keep a man that strong for yourself.”

“Sister... Sunae... Please introduce us.”

Sunae’s only full sibling was Tahlan. However, she had many half-siblings. Evidently, there were even more people who were children of the great king whom she didn’t know about, but even among just the acknowledged children, she had a great many sisters.

Unlike the foreign princesses, those half-sisters were working on convincing Sunae before trying their hand at Saiga himself. Their tactic was essentially to take down the horse before targeting the rider. It was a scheme that relied on being Sunae’s half-sisters in order to get permission to approach him. In a sense, they were following the proper procedures, but it was extremely frustrating for Sunae to essentially be asked to give permission for Saiga to cheat on her.

“I refuse. Besides, we’re not even formally married yet! And yet you’re asking me for this?!”

“Oh, in that case, that makes it better, doesn’t it? I mean, if anything, now’s the time.”

“You did something similar, didn’t you?”

“Erm...”

Sunae found herself at a loss for words. After all, Saiga had already been betrothed to Happine when she had approached him and convinced him to marry her as well. She had been the first one to appoint herself to Saiga’s harem, so it came off as rather selfish of her to tell her sisters not to do the same thing. Of course, if she allowed it to happen even once, she was sure things would quickly get out of hand.

“More than that, Sunae, what’s with letting someone else have a man that strong?”

“Don’t you need us to help you convince him to stay in this kingdom?”

“Saiga has already decided to stay in the Arcana Kingdom! I’ve accepted it, albeit reluctantly! It would be dishonorable and rude to demand that an important person who has come from a faraway land, as a matter of honor, stay in the country afterward!”

It seemed Sunae’s sisters wanted Saiga to stay in Magyan.

“Still, I’m sure there’s a way around that. For example, stay about a year here in Magyan, then go back to Arcana and spend ten years there, then come back for a year...”

“It’s not like there’re that many men as strong as him just lying around elsewhere, right? We have every right to send a delegation of our own, right?”

“And it’s because you weren’t good enough that the others have claimed him, right?”

“Grr...”

Sunae wavered in her determination as her sisters criticized her. She was well aware of her own mistakes, and there was also some merit to their arguments. Whatever ended up happening, there was a part of her that found the proposal of splitting time between the countries to be attractive.

Of course, that was where Happine, the daughter of House Batterabbe, should have come down like a ton of bricks to shut down that particular line of reasoning. However, she, too, was being surrounded by Sunae’s sisters.

“Lord Saiga really is impressive! He’s quite the man, having the ability to use all of the Arts and making the effort to train in all of them!”

“Yes, it’s remarkable that he doesn’t let having all that talent go to his head and focuses on bettering himself... And he’s such a good man, being so dedicated and loyal to you three!”

“And he’s the proper owner of the legendary sword Eckesachs... Really, at this point...he’s even as good as the Immortal, don’t you think?”

“It would have been better if Lord Saiga had been the captain of your team, hm? He would’ve been much cooler to watch than that Immortal, Sansui.”

“Yeah. While Sansui’s strong...you just couldn’t follow what he was doing.”

They had all grown up in the Machiavellian environment of the palace. They knew how to take the right tack against the right target. While they tried to entice Sunae into action, against Happine, they piled on the praise.

“Y-Yes! Well, we could have had Saiga be the captain, but we decided to let House Sepaeda have some of the glory!”

Happine, as a daughter of one of the Four Great Houses, knew very well that she was hearing flattery, but even she found herself enjoying the constant flow of praise. In the Arcana Kingdom, Saiga had always been treated as Sansui’s inferior. She had accepted that herself, to some extent, but she still enjoyed hearing people rate him better than Sansui.

Oh dear... At this rate, if they said they wanted to get to know Saiga better, I might not be able to say no...

She was in a good mood, having her man praised by strangers. In that sort of mood, she might very well slip up and promise something she’d regret later. Losing faith in her own judgment, Happine looked to Zuger. What were the sisters saying to her?

“Say, Zuger, are you from the Arcana Kingdom as well?”

“Y-Yes...”

“Can you describe it to me? I would really like to know.”

“Yes, could you tell us about it?”

While she wasn’t as popular among the sisters as Sunae or Happine, there were still several princesses surrounding Zuger. They had determined that Zuger was shy and decided to approach her with harmless topics of conversation. Indeed, they were treating her like a friend, and Zuger, who had no friends back in her homeland, found herself enjoying the conversation. She even found herself smiling a little.

They’re listening to what I’m saying...and even seem to be enjoying it... They’re making the effort to listen to me at my own pace...

At this rate, Zuger might end up liking them and could very well end up accepting that it’d be okay for Saiga to have one or two more wives.

But if I said that, I’m sure Lord Saiga...would end up saying yes too...!

Zuger struggled as she fought the temptation. She glanced around at the other princesses to get her bearings.

They don’t seem to mind the fact that I’m not speaking! That’s...amazing!

Zuger was extremely bad at making friends, but the princesses around her were so good at getting along with people that they more than made up for her awkwardness.

And so Saiga and his fiancées were steadily being swayed by the efforts of the scheming princesses of the region...

While Saiga and the others were constantly assailed by would-be additions to Saiga’s harem during the day, by the time nightfall came around, they were finally liberated from that attention. Even if the princesses were targeting Saiga, they were happy to withdraw before dusk, as advances during that time of night could wait until they had gotten to know him better. To put it another way, if they started paying attention to him at night, or started making moves at night, it would mean that they were getting close to their goal.

Saiga and his wives-to-be were well aware of that fact and had gathered in the meeting room allotted to the Arcanian delegation. It wasn’t a room that was reserved for Saiga, and other members of the delegation were free to enter, but that was exactly why they had gathered there. Under the circumstances, if they had met privately with just the four of them, they were more likely to let the situation get to their heads. There was nothing good that could have come from that.

“On the way here...Tahlan mentioned that Douve’s allure was her strength in the face of her surroundings... I think I finally understand what he meant.”

“Yes... For the first time I’m truly impressed by Douve...”

“True enough... Even she has her charms, it seems...”

“I envy her strength a little... I wish I had a little of it...”

To the four of them, Douve was the very paragon of a villainess. It wasn’t that she had committed any actual crimes, but her personality was terrible. She drove Sansui like a mule, and she never passed up an opportunity to look down on people. They had always regarded her with some contempt for that reason, but they were all in agreement now that their circumstances wouldn’t faze her in the slightest.

Douve had the nerve to never waver, even if she was surrounded by enemies. It wasn’t something they could do themselves, but nevertheless, it was a type of strength worthy of note. Of course, it wasn’t any use to them at the moment either.

“Say, Saiga. We can’t leave until you can turn into a Divine Beast, right?”

“Yeah...and it’ll be a while...”

“And we’ll be making plans after he’s mastered becoming a Divine Beast...”

“So, we need to endure this a while longer...?”

If the four of them held on to one hope, it was that the situation wasn’t going to last forever. They had come to pay their respects and get permission to marry. That meant that, at some point, they were going to leave. Of course, the princesses were also well aware of this, which was why they were working so aggressively to woo him.

“Sounding a bit pathetic, aren’t you?” the Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda said with a sigh. As the four of them discussed the matter while lying down, he had been listening to their conversation. His expression showed that he was clearly exasperated by their chosen topic.

“I understand why it’s tiring, but it won’t change much when you return to Arcana. Saiga, you’re the heir to House Batterabbe. Once you’re formally married to Happine, there won’t be any shortage of women who’ll want to be your concubine.”

He had chosen this moment to reveal a truly frightening truth. It was true that, up until this point, Saiga and Happine had simply been betrothed. While it had pretty much been a settled matter, even though Saiga was a foreigner, there was still the possibility that the marriage might be called off.

However, returning from this journey would pretty much seal the marriage between Saiga and Happine. At that point, the people who had been watching on the sidelines in Arcana would start to make their moves. Given that Saiga was the heir to House Batterabbe, he wasn’t going to be able to flee the kingdom to get away from that attention.

“Oh no...”

“A bit late, isn’t it?”

“It is as you say, but...”

That was what it meant to become the head of one of the Four Great Houses. Saiga had always known that fact and it was far too late to be regretting it now. Still, it was a different thing to know about it and another thing to actually feel the consequences staring him in the face.

“You know, on the way here, I admit I was a bit jealous of Douve and Tahlan, but...it’s quite a hassle when you’re the target of that attention.”

Happine, too, sighed at the situation. As the daughter of House Batterabbe, this was an issue that she, more than Saiga, couldn’t avoid. She had no choice but to face it, hence her deep sigh of resignation.

“So, that’s the end of our whining! It would be humiliating to go pay our respects and come home with even more brides! We need to show absolutely no opening for any interlopers and protect Saiga at all costs!”

“Exactly.” Having heard Sunae’s conviction, the Lord Emeritus nodded his complete agreement. “Zuger, you in particular need to be careful. You’re going to become one of the wives of the lord of House Batterabbe. You need not help others, but you need to at least be able to handle yourself.”

“Yes, of course.”

While the Lord Emeritus’s tone had been harsh, Zuger nodded firmly in agreement after a moment’s pause. She herself knew that she needed to do what she could do for herself. If she felt a debt to Saiga, then it was all the more reason to deal with her own problems on her own.

“Of course I can do it. I’m one of Lord Saiga’s wives, after all!”

The next day...

Saiga was once again receiving instruction from Magyan Khan in a palace chamber that was a bit too large to be called a room. Saiga repeated the lessons that the king had taught him as he unleashed his own Royal Presence. His body began to grow and even his bone structure began to change. It was almost enough to think he had succeeded in taking Divine Beast form.

However, since he had been channeling his Royal Presence while holding his breath, he soon ran out of air and immediately returned to his original size. Given that everyone around him thought he had succeeded, they let out a sigh of disappointment as he shrank back to his ordinary form.

“H-He was so close...”

“Not at all. You’ve got a lot left to learn,” Khan said coldly, with a note of frustration. “You’re taking too long to strengthen your Royal Presence. You’re leaking energy in the process and that’s why you’re getting so tired.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“You’ve gotten too used to fighting in the incomplete state. That is why you’re struggling. Stop accepting that outcome,” Magyan Khan said, accurately summing up Saiga’s shortcomings. While he was strict, that also meant that he was seriously watching Saiga and his efforts.

“Try what you just did in front of the commoners. They’d laugh you out of the kingdom. It wouldn’t show them that you have Royal Presence, just that you haven’t mastered it.”

“Yes, sir...”

“Well, you still have a way to go, but...you’re making progress. You don’t need to master the Divine Beast overnight. Just listen to what I tell you and practice, and you’ll get to an acceptable level soon enough.”

While he hadn’t yet made the leap, the training was starting to show results. Saiga felt a certain amount of relief at Magyan Khan’s words.

“Understand that what’s important is next month. I’ve taken the time to instruct you. You better not let me down.”

“Yes, sir!”

The deadline set for him was a month from now. That was also a sign that Magyan Khan trusted Saiga to achieve mastery of the Divine Beast form within that time if he continued his training.

“Get some rest. We’ll pick up tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir!”

Khan left the room and a group of women entered in his wake. However, unlike before, there wasn’t a throng of women swarming around him. Now it was just three women: Happine, Sunae, and Zuger. While there were other women in the room, this time they were watching from a distance.

“That’s great. You were just told you’d get it in a month!”

“It’s a bit slow, actually! Tch... If it wasn’t for all the other Arts, you would’ve mastered it before we arrived, I think.”

“Oh, I think it’s fine. At least he’s confident Lord Saiga can do it!”

After the three of them each uttered their own observations, Saiga replied, “Nah... I’ve got a while to go, and the next month is going to be the most difficult! I have to keep working hard!”

As though they had rehearsed this exchange, the discussion trailed off at that particular moment.

“Oh, I’m so thirsty now!”

“Okay, then! I made sure they readied cold water for you, so let’s go get it!”

“Here’s a towel for you!”

“Let’s all get going!”

The four of them stiffly and rather obviously acted their scene out as though rehearsed. That was when Sunae’s half-sisters finally started to move. They surrounded Saiga and the others, cutting them off from the foreign princesses.

“Here, come with us, honored guests!”

“Let’s go listen to stories about Lord Saiga!”

The four of them had debated over how to deal with their current situation. If Saiga’s women had been completely excluded, they would have been able to complain about being treated poorly despite being guests. But as they had to move together as a group, it was harder to complain about their treatment.

Eventually, they had decided to pay off Sunae’s half-sisters. There was no way that the four of them would have been able to handle the princesses of Magyan and the princesses from the surrounding kingdoms all at once, so instead they had decided to triage the situation, choosing to control the flow rather than fighting it.

“Mmph...”

“Well, this has gotten a lot harder...”

Having arranged matters in that fashion, Saiga and the others could then each serve as hosts to entertain the various princesses. While that was far from easy, it was still much easier than dealing with an anarchic, frenzied melee.

In the end, the answer came from fighting. Combat tactics always provided a hint on how to deal with any situation. Instead of dealing with every opponent at once, they had paid off the majority of the opposition, then defeated the rest in detail.

Now, that said, Saiga had been required to give up some of the Coiled Peaches and Divine Ginseng that had been available to him to pay off Sunae’s sisters, but that had proved a necessary expenditure.

Khan watched the youngsters as they played their intricate social game of chess from a distance, with the Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda next to him.

“Sheesh... It seems they’ve done something before I had to intercede. I thought it was going to devolve into violence...”

“That’s perhaps a bit of a problem, is it not?”

“Eh, that’s part of the charm of being royalty, and of being young. Besides, they’re trying to steal someone else’s man, so of course they’re putting themselves at a bit of risk at the same time.”

The two older men looked upon Saiga and the others with some complacence, faintly impressed by their solution. While there was something a little underhanded about their scheme, it wasn’t dishonorable, so that was a minor point to critique.

“Still, to think...that Sunae, who ran off without permission, would come back as such a grown woman. I was worried about her, but perhaps...it’s best to let her be? Or...” Khan then glanced toward Lord Emeritus Sepaeda. “Or perhaps it would be best to send her officially to the Arcana Kingdom as a lady-in-waiting?”

“You may want to prepare yourself, in that case. She may very well settle in the Arcana Kingdom and sell your precious Art to our people.”

“Heh, your avarice knows no bounds, mm? To want more despite having so many Arts already in your kingdom.”

Lord Emeritus Sepaeda’s statement implied that, for the moment, Arcana didn’t intend to fully assimilate Sunae’s bloodline into the kingdom. There were always certain formalities that needed to be followed, even among friends, and while the two kingdoms were separated by a vast physical distance, they were trying to create a relationship that also had an appropriate amount of social distance.

“Saying you don’t want Spirit Summoners that badly, eh? Such confidence, bordering on arrogance.” Magyan Khan had interpreted that simple formality as a show of confidence and wasn’t incorrect to do so.

“As you know, our kingdom is quite blessed with talent.”

“Hmph... We’ll catch up soon enough. In my successor’s time!”

“That’s quite...”

“It’d be a problem if they didn’t!” The king laughed confidently as he watched Saiga and the others leave. “My son and daughter came back to tell me just how big the world is after seeing it for themselves. I’m blessed with thoughtful children.”

The group from the Arcana Kingdom was going to leave soon, which was why Saiga and the others were so tense and afraid of embarrassing themselves in this foreign land. However, that was also why those from the Magyan Kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms were moving so aggressively.

They were all desperate to learn as much as they could from the visitors from a distant land. Having been forced to confront how myopic their worldviews had been, how limited their experiences had been, they were eager to learn as much as they could from their newfound friends.

Part 3 — Rematch

While Saiga was practicing his Spirit Summoning, Sansui and Tahlan were teaching swordsmanship.

Unlike the Arcana Kingdom, the Magyan Kingdom had arid terrain and large open spaces with no changes in elevation. The land wasn’t ideal for agriculture, but it was extremely suited for practicing swordplay.

Sansui was conducting lessons for the Magyan soldiers, along with the apprentices who had accompanied the delegation as Douve’s bodyguards. The soldiers of the Magyan Kingdom were a proud group of warriors. Ordinarily, they would have never taken lessons from a swordsman who had suddenly appeared on their doorstep. However, because Tahlan, a man whom they greatly admired, had vouched for him, and having seen Sansui’s strength for themselves at the recent exhibition, they were eager to be taught.

However, just teaching them how to swing a sword and discussing the proper mindset for approaching battle wasn’t a particularly effective teaching method. They needed to actually put those lessons into practice against Sansui’s students. That was why Sansui and Tahlan had arranged to hold sparring matches between members of the two groups. From the Magyan soldiers’ perspective, it was an opportunity to test the skill of Tahlan’s new subordinates themselves. While they knew that he would never accept weaklings as his subordinates, they were still curious to know just how strong these newcomers actually were.

“Thank you for taking the time to spar with me.”

“No, thank you.”

They had chosen one representative from each side to face off. The Magyan soldiers had grouped up on the eastern end of the sparring area, while on the western end, Douve’s bodyguards waited. Sansui and Tahlan looked on from the southern end, serving as both observers and officials. While it was an unofficial match, they were fighting in front of Tahlan, a prince of the kingdom. As such, the Magyan soldiers were all extremely motivated.

“First...allow me to express my gratitude for this opportunity.”

Tahlan, with his second departure fast approaching, spoke to the soldiers of his birthplace, raising their motivation even further.

“It goes without saying that Magyan is my beloved homeland. I was born and raised here, and it is where I learned my swordsmanship and Shadow Summoning. While I have chosen to leave, I still love this land deeply. As those who currently protect this land, you are the trusted guardians of the kingdom, and my fellow students in our art.”

He seemed extremely pleased as he spoke, and it didn’t appear that there was any flattery in his words.

“For you to train and compete against my fellow students from my new home in the Arcana Kingdom brings me great joy as a man.”

Old friends and new friends; as members of one group or the other, the two groups were going to compete without any animosity.

“Still, a match is a match. While underhanded tactics are prohibited, there will be no holding back.”

With all of that clarified, he made sure to note that both sides weren’t simply there to entertain the nobility. While the competitors were from different lands, they were also both tasked with defending their respective kingdoms and noble families. They need not ruthlessly attack one another, of course, but this was no time for holding back. Naturally, the competitors already understood; Tahlan’s words were more of an opening statement. The two who had been chosen to represent their sides were both professionals, not fools, and they understood common courtesy and professionalism.

“Then... Begin!”

The Magyan soldier wielded a single-edged sword with a long hilt, one that could be wielded either one- or two-handed. He had foregone using a shield as part of his personal style, not because he was forbidden to do so. Having elected to wield his blade one-handed, he dropped his center of gravity slightly and narrowed his eyes in concentration.

“Dance of Shadow Possession!”

Utilizing his Shadow Summoning, he created a duplicate, one that he could control like his own body, and unleashed it at his opponent. The strength of Shadow Summoning was that the wielders could allow the shadows to take damage without consequence. With their shadows out, Shadow Summoners didn’t need to dodge or go on the defensive, as they could simply have their shadows engage their opponent in order to absorb their attacks and reveal their techniques.

The shadow lunged forward, swinging its blade downward. Only a shadow could charge in like that, heedless of a potential counterattack. The Magyan soldier had unleashed the attack with the intention of seeing how his opponent reacted to something that would be lethal if it wasn’t avoided.

“Sash of Quicken Self.”

The shadow’s throat had been slashed open in the blink of an eye. The Sash of Quicken Self was one of the noble treasures that Suiboku had created: it allowed the wearer to momentarily activate the Immortal Art that quickened the body. The Arcanian swordsman had activated it briefly and replied with a single slash from the stone sword known as Mo Ye. Having been cut down, the shadow vanished into thin air. Though it was only a shadow, and vanished without a trace rather than leaving behind a corpse, the Magyan soldier briefly imagined what would have happened had it been his own body and felt a faint shiver run up his spine.

Of course, he was already aware that the mythical items from his country’s legends had been provided to Sansui’s apprentices. He was also aware of their limitations, and he had learned of how they were usually employed. But this was the first time he had seen any of them in use.

They move faster with those items, but they’re not as fast as a Spirit Summoner. Furthermore, they drain the wielder’s stamina quickly. That’s why they’re only used in short bursts... But that is difficult to deal with in its own way.

The Arcanians understood the weaknesses of the noble treasures and had designed their tactics with those weaknesses in mind. They had also trained to execute those tactics. Further, the wielder in this particular case was extremely skilled. Even setting aside the rapid movement provided by the Sash, to so quickly and accurately hit the shadow’s throat was proof of his ability with the sword.

The Magyan representative was tense, but so were his fellow soldiers watching from the sidelines. By contrast, the Arcanians had faint smiles on their faces. Their training had intimidated their opponents, proving that training’s value.

Still, the Magyan opponent was no pushover. Understanding the threat posed by the Arcanian swordsman, he switched his fighting style.

“Dance of the Pincer Shadow!”

He created two shadows and had them attack the Arcanian from either side. It was a very simple attack, but that was what made it difficult to deal with. In response, the Arcanian leapt backward once, not yet making use of his noble treasures. However, that jump was all that he needed to avoid the attacks from the two shadows. They slashed harmlessly through the air where the Arcanian had stood a moment earlier and then vanished.

It was extremely difficult to control multiple shadows at once, and it was even harder to make them do anything other than a simple predetermined action. That was why it was easy to avoid attacks from summoned shadows simply by moving away from the targeted location. However, even understanding Shadow Summoning’s weakness intellectually, it was still difficult to respond properly in the heat of a battle. It required calmness and plenty of nerve to avoid getting flustered under tense circumstances.

Just as we know the opponent’s weaknesses and tactics, they’ve learned the weaknesses of Shadow Summoning from His Highness... Of course they have.

Lord Tahlan would have responded more quickly, but...Well, he’s a fighting genius.

It was only a brief exchange, but they had finished testing one another. There was no longer any reason to prolong the match, so both fighters prepared to bring it to a close.

The Magyan soldier was the first to make his move.

“Dance of the Funeral Procession!”

He ran forward, producing shadows in front of him. There were four shadows, too many to destroy with a single blow, even using a noble treasure.

These four are the most he can produce, I think. I doubt he can do more.

Behind the four shadows followed the Magyan soldier himself. The question was how to deal with this attack.

Head-on, of course! He’s earned that much!

Most of Sansui’s students had originally made names for themselves with their sheer strength. During their training, they had learned the finer points of swordsmanship and were now capable of precise swordplay and quick strikes, but they hadn’t lost their confidence in their own strength. Nor had Sansui or Suiboku rejected the effectiveness of raw power.

“Raah!”

The Arcanian cut down the first shadow using Quicken Self; sped up, he had more than enough time to do so. But as the first shadow dissipated, he reacted a bit more slowly to the second. And when the third approached, it had managed to slip completely past Mo Ye’s effective range. Quicken Self allowed him to move faster, but this was the extent of that boost. Sheer numbers could still overwhelm him.

“Grah!”

There were still two shadows and the Magyan soldier himself, effectively pitting him against three opponents. The Arcanian switched from the Sash of Quicken Self to the Sash of Strengthen Self. That done, he stepped forward firmly and pushed with all of his might.

“Whoa!”

The Magyan’s shadows were blasted away; not with skill, but with brute force. The Arcanian’s opponent stumbled as he was pushed backward and lost his footing. The Arcanian wasn’t one to miss such an opening.

“And this...is game, set, match...I think?” the Arcanian said, a bit awkwardly. He was soaked with sweat and breathing heavily as he pressed the shorter blade, Gan Jiang, against his opponent’s throat. Although he wasn’t on the verge of collapse, he was clearly exhausted. Had his last maneuver failed, he probably would have lost the match.

I see... This can work one-on-one...

The Magyan pondered over the result as he looked up at his victorious opponent. He was less irritated by his loss than he was surprised at his opponent’s response.

“Yes, you win.”

The standard tactic was to only use the noble treasures in short bursts to avoid being tired out. That said, the Arcanians were prepared to set aside that tactic if they felt it was necessary to win. The Arcanian wasn’t being controlled by his equipment, but was rather very conscious about when and how to use it. While the Arcanian hadn’t won an overwhelming victory, he had shown a superior level of experience in battle.

“Well done! Neither of you held back and you both approached the match with the proper attitude!” Of course, Tahlan was aware of that fact, as were the Magyans and Arcanians looking on. That was why Tahlan offered his unstinting praise to both sides. “Perhaps some words, Master Sansui?”

“I believe it was a wonderful match, with both contestants focusing on putting in their all rather than obsessing over winning. I would like everyone else to use this as an example in their own efforts.”

Sansui, too, was unstinting in his praise. If each fighter had been more focused on winning, they might have chosen different approaches to the match. But win or lose, such a match wouldn’t have offered much in the way of fulfillment or useful lessons.

There were times where such approaches were necessary, but they would always leave behind resentment.

The two sides then continued sparring under generally agreeable circumstances. Once the matches had ended, five women approached Sansui and Tahlan.

They were the five women from Tempera Village who had participated in the recent Royal Exhibition along with Saiga and Sansui. Given that Ran was with the group, Sansui looked less than thrilled to see them. While he had no complaints about her behavior at the recent exhibition, he wasn’t going to welcome her with open arms.

“Hello, ladies of Tempera, what brings you to us?”

Still, Ran wasn’t so childish as to hold it against him. She glanced at the four others with her before speaking.

“Hmph... We’re all exiles, of course.”

From their point of view, they had been banished from Tempera Village and were no longer Temperans in the strictest definition of the term. Even so, they could only offer dry laughter at the form of address, given that they were still viewed as Temperans by the rest of the world.

“Allow me to apologize if I’ve offended you. After all, I’ve caused you all a great deal of trouble as a result of my own failings.”

“If you feel indebted to us, then this won’t take much time. We had something we wanted to discuss.”

In the recent exhibition, Ran had fulfilled her role admirably. Not only that, but she had shown the fruits of her own training, even going so far as to display a sense of self-restraint. For her part, Ran was pleased with the outcome. That said, the other four seemed to be struggling to process their victories.

“We’re going to leave this land soon, right? We’d like to have a rematch with those we fought the other day.”

“With the princesses?”

“Yes. We did win, and it was necessary at the time. But putting that aside, my friends have a problem with that outcome.”

In the recent Royal Exhibition, the Arcanians had been focused on winning to the exclusion of everything else. In particular, Ran’s four companions had fought in a specific order to take advantage of their strengths and set the stage for overwhelming victories. There had been nothing entertaining about the display, and they had completely dominated their opponents. After all, that had been the entire point. However, having fulfilled their roles, they now had personal reasons for wanting a rematch.

“Even if we do come back to this kingdom someday, there’ll never be another opportunity to fight here. Given that, we might as well ask.”

“They might not want to fight again. More importantly, you might lose.”

“That’s unavoidable. More than anything, we don’t want to leave with those wins being the last impression they have of us.”

“I see.”

Sansui and Tahlan both understood their reasoning and even found it admirable. The desire to become stronger was also, in a sense, the desire to win. But that was also predicated on winning in a way that the winner could feel good about. If all they cared about was defeating an opponent, they also wouldn’t mind simply abusing those weaker than themselves.

“It’s not that we want you to gather all the people for another spectacle. Although, I guess it might still be difficult, given that they’re royals.”

Ran phrased it as “difficult,” but ordinarily what she was asking for was impossible. While Tahlan was a prince, he had no claim to the throne, and the women were all royals of other kingdoms. Common sense would make even asking for a rematch ludicrous.

But given that Ran had been rather casually interacting with nobles and royals ever since leaving her village, she probably didn’t have a good grasp of just how difficult her request was to achieve.

Though I guess I’m not much better.

Sansui understood Ran’s outrageous request. He was neither angry at the lack of common sense behind her request nor exasperated by her presumption. Still, she had shown that she was not only capable of self-restraint, but that she had a decisive edge in the form of her curse. She was an ace in her own right, and her requests were worth listening to.

No, more than that, she was the founder of a new bloodline. Her usefulness was on a completely different level than Saiga or Sansui, whose power wouldn’t be passed on to future generations. That was true of Ran’s companions as well. They weren’t particularly strong, and their Rare Arts weren’t particularly effective, but they were still the bearers of new Rare Art bloodlines. As such, it was worth accommodating them.

More than anything, they had fulfilled the roles given to them in the recent exhibition admirably.

“What, Sansui? You’re not going to criticize me?”

“There’s no point in having an argument in front of Prince Tahlan. I know that much, at least.”

“Gotcha.”

It seemed Ran and her companions thought that Sansui was going to object. They remembered just how exasperated he had been when Ran had challenged him to those countless rematches. In Sansui’s view, this was a different situation entirely. First, the simple fact that they were asking through Tahlan showed that they were seeking the consent of their potential opponents. That was an enormous step forward for them. They were also willing to let it go if their request wasn’t one that could be granted, which was quite correct. While those two things represented a low bar to clear, and it was hard to congratulate them for it, it was still something they had been unable to do in the recent past.

“So, how about it?”

“If I may be frank, I’m glad you broached the subject. It would be a problem for us to leave after stomping them into the dirt,” Tahlan replied apologetically.

He had requested that they win in a manner that was indisputable, and they had, in fact, completely dominated their opponents. However, the wins had ended up being so absurd that they threatened to leave a trail of resentment in their wake. As Magyan Khan had said in irritation, the seven had won in too overwhelming a fashion. They had humiliated the great king and the royals of the other kingdoms.

Some of that was unavoidable. They had needed to ensure that Sukreen, Tahlan’s mother and the one who had summoned the princesses, lost face, and so it was necessary for the seven princesses and their homelands to lose their fights. Of course, it was really on those seven princesses for putting themselves in that situation in the first place, and each of them would pay a cost for their failure. Given that they had tried to drag Tahlan into the succession and start a civil war, they might even be considered to be getting off rather lightly.

However, that acceptance was only on an intellectual level, and it was quite another thing for the foreign royals to simply let go of their anger. Even if they showed no outward signs of protest, there would be plenty who harbored a grudge over the outcome of the exhibition. To smooth over the possibility of that sort of lasting resentment, it was necessary for the four Temperans to fight a second time.

Of course, Tahlan wouldn’t have been able to force the Temperans to fight again, risking a high chance of defeat, after they had already fulfilled his request to win. If they hadn’t asked for a rematch themselves, the foreign royals would have had no choice but to give up on their desire for revenge.

“The royals from the recent exhibition are still in Magyan. If I ask them, they’ll probably accept.”

“Should I fight too?”

“No... I think it’s best that you, Master Sansui, and Saiga avoid fighting again,” Tahlan replied, shaking his head with a forced smile at Ran’s words. A rematch after showing the overwhelming disparity in strength between the aces and the Magyans would only bring dishonor to both sides engaging in that fight. Their prospective opponent would have to decline on the basis of the difference in strength, while they would be the ones who had forced their opponent to humiliate themselves by declining to fight. There was no way he could permit Ran to fight again with the knowledge that no one would benefit from such a thing.

“They probably wouldn’t want it either... So, please, let me say that just the four of you want a rematch.”

Part 4 — Testing

There were two types of reputations. One was public reputation, while the other was a reputation that was shared among a particular group of people. It went without saying that public reputation was substantially more valuable. After all, that was what allowed someone to be acknowledged as an impressive individual by a great throng of people.

But at the same time, there was plenty of value in having a reputation among a limited circle of people. This was particularly true in this case because this “limited circle” referred to the royals of Magyan and the surrounding kingdoms. Those who had been humiliated in the recent Royal Exhibition were neither rulers themselves nor particularly strong candidates to inherit their respective thrones. They had all simply been royals who had accepted Sukreen’s invitation because they had been in love with Tahlan.

That many of them were stronger than Sunae was enough to give some sense of Sunae’s position within the Magyan Kingdom’s hierarchy. Unfortunately, that wasn’t particularly relevant in this case. Whatever the reason, while those princesses had been chosen by Sukreen, they had also shouldered the names of their kingdoms when they stepped into the arena.

As such, when those royals of the neighboring kingdoms had been thoroughly humiliated in front of the great king and the public, there was no way they could keep the results quiet, and doing so would have created an even greater problem than the initial loss of face.

Further, they understood Sunae’s warning to some extent. The belief that the only ones who could defeat Spirit Summoners were more powerful Spirit Summoners was, in fact, antiquated and dangerous. And yet, it was still hard for the royals not to feel humiliated and angered that their kin, the ones shouldering the reputation of their kingdoms, had been publicly humbled.

The names of the humiliated were Siyanchi Envee, Siyanchi Kesri, Donzila Gayaou, Deyiaoe Hinse, Deyiaoe Utto, Magyan Toris, and Baigao Shiyoki...

While they had suffered painful defeats in the recent Royal Exhibition, they had already fully recovered thanks to the Mystic Arts and healing fruits provided by the Arcana Kingdom. They had been given an opportunity to redeem their reputations among their people.

As such, it was understandable that they’d be motivated. Their need to prove themselves was on a completely different level and far more urgent than the four who had won. It wasn’t just some minor irritant that refused to go away. No, they were desperate for an opportunity to regain their lost face.

“So... Allow me to be clear. This rematch was proposed by the four who won the first round. This is the unvarnished truth. I’m willing to swear on that.”

They were in one of the lesser buildings on the palace grounds, in a room large enough for Spirit Summoners to fight. The royals who had been present for the recent exhibition had gathered for the evening’s show with tense expressions. There was no outward display of authority or any forced smiles; frankly, a little false cheer would have made them look more like actual royals.

While there was nothing to do about having lost, they couldn’t bear the thought of the Arcanians leaving without a chance for redemption. They were also frustrated at the thought that their relatives, wielders of the same Art as them, would be dogged by the humiliation of being utterly destroyed by their opponents forever. The honest expressions of the proud royals clearly betrayed the thoughts that they would never voice themselves.

“Sunae’s retainers are warriors who can not only fight to win and set their own desires aside, but who also have the honor to offer a fair match when there is no pressing need for them to do so.”

Magyan Khan’s words were unexpected in this particular situation because they were largely a formality in a somewhat informal atmosphere, albeit a heavy and tense one. Still, there was a small scattering of applause. It wasn’t particularly loud, but it was certainly a sincere show of appreciation.

“For these matches, not only are you prohibited to discuss the results, you may not publicize that they took place at all. The only results that occurred were the results of the Royal Exhibition. Keep whatever happens from here on out to yourselves and in your own hearts.”

It was an extremely embarrassing thing to not be able to admit defeat. It was even more embarrassing to demand a rematch in private after the battle was over. That was why the only thing that was important for this match was the honor of the participants.

“Siyanchi Envee, Yabia of the Four Vessels Style, step forward.”

There was no need for introductions. In a completely enclosed environment, with just the harsh gaze of the royals looking on, the simple matches were set to begin. Tahlan and Douve weren’t among the guests, so Happine and Lord Emeritus Sepaeda were in attendance in their stead. That Saiga, Ran, and Sansui weren’t present was their low-key attempt at putting up a front of confidence.

“I won unfairly the other day. I offer you my apology.”

Yabia of the Four Vessels Style first expressed regret, albeit in a way that could be taken as disrespectful in and of itself. Even so, the unpolished nature of the apology conveyed her sincerity.

“No... I believe you are aware, but we were the ones who broke the rules. You won under the rules that were agreed upon... To criticize you would be dishonorable.”

Hearing Envee’s words, the spectators furrowed their brows faintly. Evidently, they were either unaware of the existence of the shrine maidens or didn’t want them discussed in this place. However, that was a minor matter, and the contestants immediately focused on the match at hand.

“Mistress Yabia, honorable warrior of the Four Vessels Style, I ask that you fight me again.”

“It would be my honor.”

As this wasn’t a formal match, there was time for personal conversation, but even that exchange ended quickly. If it had been possible to settle matters with mere words, there would have been no need for this rematch.

Yabia dropped into a fighting stance and bent her elbows slightly, opening her hands and holding them out in front of her chest.

“Four Vessels Style, Stance of the Facing Blades.”

It was a standard stance for someone fighting hand to hand, more or less. Of course, it wasn’t suited for fighting a practitioner of Spirit Summoning, but everyone present knew just how sharp her limbs could be.

Hard to deal with.

The Four Vessels Style, which utilized Orb Blood, turned the wielder’s limbs into deadly weapons. Unlike ordinary steel blades, they could easily pierce the hide of a Spirit Summoner’s Divine Beast form. Of course, everything other than their four limbs remained normal, but even then, the thought of coming into contact with those limbs was enough to give Envee pause.

The spectators felt a prickle of fear. Despite the fact that Yabia was in a defensive stance, they felt as though they were being threatened by her. For Yabia’s part, she was ready.

So, come at me.

Defense with the Four Vessels Style was different from ordinary defense. If attacked by a blade, it would split the blade in half. If attacked by a warhammer, it would crush the warhammer. When punched, it would break the punching fist. Those ignorant of the Four Vessels Style would attack recklessly and regret it, while those who knew about it would find themselves hesitating.

All right, here we go!

Which was why there was a point to this match. Envee steeled herself and transformed into a humanoid beast form. Her strength and speed weren’t nearly as enhanced as when in her Divine Beast form, but the fact that her body didn’t swell into a bigger form was an enormous advantage in this particular situation. Because she couldn’t touch her opponent’s limbs, she would have no chance of victory if her own limbs were too large.

Ordinarily, this wasn’t a recommended method of fighting, but none of the spectators could criticize her choice. Having witnessed the previous match, they understood that this was the right approach. The issue was what she would do from here. Envee was both faster and stronger, true. However, Yabia’s arms and legs could cut deep into her opponent simply by touching her.

As the spectators waited to see how Envee would fight, she pounced on her opponent without fear.

As I expected! Yabia thought.

There’s no point in a rematch if I don’t fight this way! Envee yelled in her head as she leapt.

Envee could have made use of her superior speed to try to attack Yabia from behind. However, that would have been disrespectful to an opponent who had invited a rematch. Instead, Envee leaned forward as she charged toward Yabia, seeking a frontal clash with her opponent. She was aiming not to slash her opponent with her claws, but to pierce her defenses with thrusts.

She’s fast! Not as fast as Ran, but still fast!

Yabia had a Sash of Quicken Self herself. She could boost her speed, if temporarily, but it wasn’t enough to match the speed of a Spirit Summoner, even in humanoid form. As such, she had to respond with the minimum necessary amount of movement.

Yabia was nervous too, but she still managed to move her right hand to block Envee’s thrust.

“Guh!”

When she tried to block with her right hand, the Stance of the Facing Blades collapsed. Envee took advantage of that opening and lashed out with a kick. The blow, enhanced by Spirit Summoning, landed on Yabia’s unprotected stomach. With that strike, the match was over.

“Would you consider that a sneak attack?”

“Not at all. That was a proper technique... I’m the one who is lacking for being unable to withstand it...”

Feinting with a punch and switching over to a kick was a standard technique in hand-to-hand combat, and there were similar combinations in the Four Vessels Style. Of course, Yabia had anticipated the possibility, but being unable to respond was simply a lack of skill on her part.

“You win.”

Yabia held her aching stomach as she quietly admitted her defeat. To be easily defeated by an opponent she had just recently demolished... Yabia had, essentially, been exposed in front of an audience, but her expression was one of relief.

“I did my best, but you were stronger...”

She preferred a loss that she could be proud of rather than a win she was ashamed of. Yabia had fully accepted that truth and did not hesitate to express it.

“Yabia of the Four Vessels Style... Thank you for agreeing to fight with me again.”

Yabia had chosen to fight Envee, even when she knew that she was likely to lose, just to give Envee the opportunity to redeem herself. Even now knowing that Yabia wasn’t some hidden genius, but rather just a backwater martial artist wannabe, Envee still chose to express her gratitude.

“Enough. Take Yabia to the mystics.”

Magyan Khan had lavishly complimented the winners during the Royal Exhibition, but not today.

Yes, this is fine. Anything else would be humiliating.

Envee bowed her head to Magyan Khan despite the lack of praise. It was enough that she had been given this chance, and that so many of her kin and other royals had seen her fight. To ask for anything more would simply be self-aggrandizement.

“Mistress Yabia.”

“Yes?”

Yabia seemed to be struggling to breathe as she was helped to her feet by a taciturn servant. Envee approached her to have her relay a short message.

“Please tell Prince Tahlan...that I am sorry.”

“I shall.”

If she had won that day, she would have been able to say so much more. But after this redemptive match, that was the most she could say.

Part 5 — Indicators

The first match ended without applause or praise and was followed immediately by the second match between Siyanchi Kesri and Suji of the Bursting Venom Style. Their battle started with an air of tense silence.

It wasn’t a bad sort of tension, though. The two opponents were fully focused on one another, having cast any unnecessary thoughts to the side. Those watching the match understood the meaning of the silence between them, and they were careful not to make a sound lest they disrupt the mood.

An Art that makes anything touched by the user’s hands and feet explode... It’s not as dangerous as the Four Vessels Style now that I understand how it works, however...

The Four Vessels Style was well-suited to defense; even if one knew its nature, it was a difficult Art to attack. But the Bursting Venom Style wasn’t in the same mold. It was true that the wielder’s arms and legs were dangerous threats, but it didn’t provide them with much in the way of defense. It also took more time to be effective than the Four Vessels Style, and, even if touched by a wielder, it was possible to defeat the user before they could trigger the explosion.

She’s not using the soles of her feet to set explosions. Perhaps because we’re in the palace...

There was also the matter of terrain. If they were outdoors, Suji would have been free to make the ground explode to her heart’s content. However, making the floor explode in the palace risked injuring the important people in the audience and might even deal serious damage to an expensive building.

Perhaps because of this, Suji wasn’t using the soles of her feet to set land mines as a means of trapping Kesri. This decision ceded to the Spirit Summoner far too great an advantage.

“Phew...”

Kesri had heard that Suji and the others had been displeased at winning in a fashion that wasn’t consistent with their own abilities, which was why they had asked for a rematch. That was clear to see in the expression of acceptance and satisfaction on her opponent’s face.

But Kesri had a hard time accepting simply just approaching Suji, hitting her, and winning with sheer strength. That was why she approached without using Spirit Summoning; she was trying to defeat Suji with just her own fighting ability, not with aid from the divine spirits.

“In that case...”

In response, Suji discarded the noble treasures she wore, intending to wield just Bursting Venom Style against her opponent. In this situation, Suji held the advantage. Even though she had set aside her special equipment, she had no reason to not use Bursting Venom Style. As such, Kesri was at a greater disadvantage.

The fact that Suji would win the moment she was able to touch any part of Kesri’s body with her palm was an enormous edge, all the more so because the Bursting Venom Style was a fighting style focused around providing those opportunities to its wielder.

At this stage, it even appeared to the observers that Kesri had abandoned the match and that there was no point in continuing the duel. But that thought was quickly proven wrong when the match actually began.

“Grr!”

Suji tried to make contact with her opponent’s hands or legs while avoiding her head and torso. Although the Temperan fighter did her best under those conditions, Kesri was able to handle her attacks easily. Even considering that Kesri knew what her opponent was trying to do and that she merely needed to worry about her opponent’s palms and soles, it was still impressive that she could keep her opponent from doing so much as touching her in hand-to-hand combat.

“Oomph!”

By contrast, Suji began taking blows. Both fighters were using their bodies’ own innate abilities, rather than enhancing their physical abilities, which highlighted the gap in relative strength.

Put simply, Suji was weak. Like the other three, she had been considered a failure back in Tempera Village, and this was known even by the Magyans, as Sukreen had noted before the exhibition. They had won with enhanced weapons and specialized tactics, not their skills.

And yet...she came to face me.

The phrase “showing one’s true colors,” of course, was derived from the nautical use of false colors, or flags of allegiance, to conceal the true nature of the ship under sail. At times, however, this also meant that a merchant ship might attempt to appear to be a warship by flying false colors. Suji and the others had disguised themselves with their tactics and equipment in public, and now, having removed those false colors, had revealed themselves to those watching these matches. They had done so, conscious of exposing their weaknesses, entirely intentionally.

“Guh!”

Kesri finally brought down Suji with her fists. Because the Bursting Venom Style offered no physical enhancements, an unskilled wielder could be defeated by a skilled opponent, even if they weren’t using any Art of their own.

“Well done,” Magyan Khan said after a moment’s pause.

She had fought knowing that this was how it would end. She had, in essence, fought in order to be humiliated in front of a crowd of dignitaries, and had expressed to a country that she was about to depart that she was weak. It was an honest, honorable way to depart. Magyan Khan offered his praise not to Kesri, who had overwhelmed her opponent without transforming, but instead to Suji, who had chosen to lose on level ground.

The fact was that Kesri, despite winning, looked regretful, while Suji looked relieved despite the welts and bruises on her face. The match over, they left the stage without a further word.

Taking their places were Donzila Gayaou and Kazuno of the Drunken Fist Style. Both of them dropped into their respective stances, and the observing dignitaries watched with tense expressions.

An invisible field that disrupts one’s sense of balance...

Fighting against a wielder of the Drunken Fist Style wasn’t simply a matter of watching their hands and feet. That was because they were capable of wielding a power that was invisible to their opponent and they had the ability to project that power a certain distance away.

However, a Spirit Summoner’s physical enhancements were enough to stand up to a Drunken Fist Style wielder’s power for a while. Gayaou understood this because she had actually experienced it for herself. Unfortunately, because full enhancement required taking Divine Beast form, resistance also meant growing larger and gaining more blind spots. If that was so, however, what would happen if she fought against Kazuno at human size? That was something they’d need to try to see.

I have already lost once... I have no intention of obsessing over winning!

Gayaou lunged forward into close combat. She maintained her humanoid size while she took beast form, even as she ran toward her opponent. It was a courageous act, given that she knew that her Temperan foe awaited her with a trap: her invisible energy field.

Seeing her approach, Kazuno also committed herself.

Unlike last time, I’m not here to win. But I’m not here to lose either!

Kazuno maintained her grappling stance and stepped forward. With that, the battle of wits between the two began.

Wait... She hasn’t used her power yet?!

Although her physical abilities were enhanced, Gayaou wasn’t in a position to run at full strength. If she fell while sprinting, that alone could very well knock her out of the battle. Even though she had enhanced her own abilities, she had been holding back in terms of speed. That was why Kazuno could still see her move.

When? When is she going to use it?!

It was an exchange that lasted not a matter of seconds, but an even shorter span of time. If Kazuno used her energy field too quickly, even with her sense of balance disrupted, Gayaou would probably try to regain her footing and continue fighting. If Kazuno was too slow in deploying her field, Gayaou’s attack would hit her. That one blow would be enough to settle the matter.

Now!

Kazuno was attempting to find the exact timing in that short burst of time. Despite her hesitation, Gayaou lashed out with her fist, and Kazuno deployed her energy field just before Gayaou’s arm reached full extension.

Oomph!

The energy field created by the Drunken Fist Style was like a soap bubble. When projecting the bubble remotely, it could only move very slowly. But when extending it from one’s body, it could be deployed in an instant. Kazuno’s energy field caught Gayaou’s head before the Spirit Summoner’s fist could reach her. Gayaou lost her sense of balance as she was unleashing a blow; as fast as she was moving, that effect necessarily disrupted her positioning in proportion to her speed.

Having stepped in to unleash her blow, Gayaou’s body was caught completely off-balance in mid-strike.

“Drunken Fist Style, Double Leg Sweep!”

It wasn’t a flashy move like a one-armed back throw; all Kazuno did was sweep Gayaou’s leg. But from Gayaou’s perspective, as the one caught in Kazuno’s energy field, it was like having her legs swept out from under her twice in quick succession. She wasn’t able to maintain her footing and promptly tripped.

“Oomph...”

“Phew...”

Yes, all she did was trip. She hadn’t been dropped to the ground with a throw, but rather had just fallen over. It was, of course, not nearly enough to do any major damage. Moreover, because she had moved wildly, she had been able to escape the energy field around her head.

Gayaou stood up and opened the distance between herself and Kazuno, having immediately grasped what had just happened.

I should have kicked her head or stepped on her face before she could get up...but there was no way I was going to do it in time.

While the Drunken Fist Style was a martial art similar to judo, it wasn’t made with sports in mind. In sparring matches, they would stop short of actually landing a blow or step on the space next to an opponent’s face, but part of the style still included follow-up attacks to be landed on a prone opponent. In fact, practitioners of the style considered their throws incomplete without such a follow-up attack.

And the fact was, Kazuno’s attack had been incomplete and insufficient. Gayaou had just tripped and she was still more than capable of fighting. Even though Kazuno was fighting a Spirit Summoner, if she had stepped on or kicked Gayaou’s head, she would have at least inflicted some damage. But it was precisely because Kazuno had been unable to do so that the match continued.

Still not good enough... I was too focused on the Double Leg Sweep and couldn’t connect it to a finisher.

Both of them reflected on their mistakes and dropped back into their stances, pondering their next moves.

I was able to see that move... But that just means there’s more to work with...

I want to make sure I hit her next time... But I don’t know if I can just by mixing in other methods...

Their minds raced as they considered their options, but Gayaou was the first to move.

Oh, I haven’t decided...!

Gayaou stepped forward before Kazuno had completed her thoughts, and the Temperan girl couldn’t help but shrink back, her body reflexively backing away.

I can’t! I can’t humiliate myself again!

There was no glory in victory, but she didn’t want to offer excuses in a fight. That dedication, that commitment, forced Gayaou forward. She couldn’t afford to be on the back foot emotionally.

Oh no!

Kazuno had been intimidated by Gayaou’s intensity. She tried to regain her footing, but Gayaou was simply much faster.

The only move I can do here...!

That was why she had to act reflexively. Kazuno, with her relative lack of skill, only had a single technique she could use under these circumstances, and she moved to execute it immediately.

Step back and...!

Ordinarily, it was a move where one pretended to be intimidated or drew in the opponent with a feint. But Kazuno had actually been intimidated, and her opponent had moved first.

Still, she had chosen the right move. The technique involved leaving the bubble in the air and stepping backward. The logic behind it was to move the opponent, not the bubble, because it was easier to make the opponent move than to move the bubble.

Kazuno stepped backward as she deployed her field and left it suspended in midair. She then waited for her opponent a step behind that bubble.

There it is...but I can withstand it!

Gayaou leapt into the field. She felt disoriented immediately, of course, but she continued forward, forcing herself to bear with it.

Just as she steps forward...!

The field being invisible meant that it was impossible to know that one had entered the field until its effects struck. Further, it also meant that someone inside the field couldn’t know that they had left until its effects wore off.

Wha...? The field is gone?!

Grasping the moment they step out of the field!

The next events happened in the space of a split second. Gayaou was enveloped in a field for a heartbeat and felt close to losing her balance, and then that effect abruptly ceased.

From her perspective, it felt as though Kazuno had suddenly terminated the field, even though she hadn’t done anything. It was precisely because Gayaou had moved forward with such determination that her determination struck against empty air.

“Drunken Fist Style... Awakening Back Throw!”

Using that one brief psychological opening, Kazuno grappled with Gayaou. She grabbed the humanoid beast’s clothes and fur and immediately threw her over her back.

I-Is this another...Art? No, the world is actually turning upside down...!

With Drunken Fist Style, robbing an opponent of their balance with the Art could then be combined with directly changing the opponent’s physical orientation using martial arts moves; these two techniques could also be used separately or sequentially. That was the fundamental principle behind the Drunken Fist Style and the key to its mastery. It wasn’t simply about continually subjecting the opponent to the energy field and denying them their sense of balance. That wouldn’t be a martial art.

“Guh...!”

The throw itself was executed perfectly. Gayaou wasn’t able to break her fall and Kazuno had timed her throw correctly. Had this been a judo match, that would have been the end. But while it was a match, it wasn’t judo. No one in this room even knew of the existence of something called judo.

Oh no... I stopped at the throw!

While Kazuno had managed to pull off her maneuver at the last moment, she immediately regretted her actions. She first rued the fact that she had been spooked into using that technique, then that she hadn’t been able to follow up on her throw.

I can’t use submission holds on a Spirit Summoner. They’re stronger and they have claws...so I guess I’ll have to try again...

Her lack of skill meant that she had missed two opportunities to win. The Drunken Fist Style was an effective fighting style, but Kazuno herself had made mistakes that led to failing to finish her opponent. The more she understood the effectiveness of the techniques, the more she recognized her own failure to effectively use them. She felt her cheeks flush with the heat of embarrassment.

She made no effort to restrain Gayaou after her throw and moved back to drop back into a stance.

What an embarrassing match... I can’t face the other two...

But Gayaou didn’t take a combat stance in response, instead pausing for a moment before saying, “I yield.”

The whole chamber was silent for a moment.

“Huh?”

The floor in the room was made of stone, and stone’s hardness could make throws deadly. Someone thrown onto the floor back-first, even if they properly broke their fall, might still be badly hurt. That only applied to normal human beings, though. Having strengthened herself with Spirit Summoning, Gayaou hadn’t sustained much in the way of injuries, even though she had failed to break her fall.

It might have been different had she been dropped on her head, or if a noble treasure had been involved. But having moved reflexively, Kazuno hadn’t been able to put that much thought behind her attack.

“I’ve lost.” Gayaou stood up; she had returned to human form, even though she was still more than capable of fighting.

“B-But...”

“I understand that you’re not satisfied, but...I also have no intention of fighting further.”

Gayaou understood just as well as Kazuno that the Temperan’s techniques were incomplete and inadequate. She knew that she had only been tripped and thrown. Had this been a fight to the death, she would have continued fighting. But this was a sparring match, not a time or place to confirm who was stronger or whose Art was superior.

“Even if I landed a blow from here, I wouldn’t be proud of my victory,” Gayaou explained.

There was a brief pause.

Kazuno felt that she had missed two perfect opportunities to win and Gayaou felt that she almost lost twice. Even so, for Gayaou, the match itself had been a valuable opportunity. Had she been able to survive her opponent’s attacks through her own actions, it would have been one thing, but she had simply gotten lucky because her opponent had failed to finish her. Having that happen twice in a row had completely sapped Gayaou of any will to fight. There was no meaning in continuing the match for her.

“My apologies,” Kazuno said, having understood Gayaou’s thought process. The least she should have done was properly execute her moves and thus secure her win. Instead, she had forced Gayaou to declare defeat despite her opponent likely still feeling more than capable of continuing to fight. Kazuno was expressing her regret for the fact that the match had ended inconclusively due to her own lack of skill, in a situation where neither combatant could easily schedule another rematch.

“No... I was able to properly experience the techniques of the Drunken Fist Style.”

During the Royal Exhibition, the Arts and the noble treasures had taken up the bulk of everyone’s attention. This time, she had been able to see Kazuno’s fighting style properly for herself, and she had done so in front of visiting dignitaries. Consequently, her fight had meaning. Having accepted that logic, Gayaou stepped away from the field.

It was now time for the last match for this event: Deyiaoe Hinse against Konoko of the Mist Shadow Style.

Now... That wasn’t a good match, but at least it was honest. But what am I supposed to do exactly? My opponent wields illusions that have no mass...which makes my position that much harder.

The match between Spirit Summoning and Drunken Fist Style, as expected, had been one where either side could have won. But Spirit Summoning against Mist Shadow Style was a completely different matter. Unlike the first three styles, Mist Shadow Style was focused on catching an opponent off-guard. As such, fighting a head-on match in a situation where the opponent already knew the strengths and weaknesses of the style actually ran counter to the Mist Shadow Style’s foundational principles.

Of course, we’ll still fight anyway.

And yet she’s still here...!

The Mist Shadow Style had always been a martial art that utilized a great deal of concealed weaponry, which was why it had been relatively easy to adapt it to incorporate new weapons into it, in the form of the noble treasures. However, Konoko had no intention of using them.

Mastery of the Mist Shadow Style rests in not letting the opponent or the spectators know what the fighter is doing. In which case, this means... Then...

Shadow Summoners could only make shadow duplicates of themselves, but the Mist Shadow Style could create illusions of anything. Because the illusions had no actual substance, it tested the wielder’s creativity.

“Mist Shadow Style, False Curtain of Flame!”

The illusion Konoko unleashed against Hinse was a wall of flame, one that completely impeded Hinse’s line of sight. It was like a piece of artwork, emitting no heat or light, but was enough to catch Hinse off guard.

She blocked my line of sight... As she should!

Blocking an opponent’s line of sight was an extremely effective way of using illusions, even when the opponent knew that the illusion had no substance behind it. Just being able to freely block an opponent’s line of sight was extremely useful in and of itself, but that was also why it was easy to anticipate.

Nothing to fear now!

Hinse, too, had abandoned any commitment to victory. It would have been another thing if she was here just to win, but her actual goal here was to fight Konoko. For her, the only option available was to charge forward and engage. Hinse transformed into humanoid beast form as she dashed into the wall of flame.

“Mist Shadow Style, Carpet Pulling!”

Hinse noticed with her first step through the fire that there was something wrong with the texture of the floor underfoot. The wall of flame disappeared in an instant and it quickly became clear what Konoko was doing. She had used the wall of flame as a decoy to lay a sheet of cloth out on the floor. Hinse had stepped right on top of it.

“Blast...!”

It was less a trap than it was a child’s prank. Pulling a piece of cloth out from under an opponent’s legs was extremely simple, but it also was extremely effective against Hinse, as she hadn’t taken full beast form. It wouldn’t have been a problem if the Spirit Summoner had been extremely heavy or running on four legs, but even this childish prank was effective against a human-sized opponent standing on two legs.

There was no need for Konoko to make Hinse completely collapse. All she needed to do was force Hinse off balance. Konoko used that opening to step forward and attack with the weapon she had gripped in her hand: a set of knuckles known as Iron Fists. Having weighted her blow, she attacked the defenseless Hinse.

“Not enough!”

While Hinse had been thrown off-balance, she hadn’t completely fallen over. Taking the form of a beast, she avoided the sneak attack from Konoko by twisting her torso out of the way.

“Ahhh!”

“Yah!”

And as she twisted in midair, she unleashed a kick despite being off-balance. It was far from a fully effective blow, but it was still a kick with the strength of Spirit Summoning behind it. The single hit was more than enough to make Konoko reel back.

Well, yeah... That’s what would happen, right...?

Her ambush had succeeded and her technique had been perfect, but this was still the natural result of fighting a Spirit Summoner, especially one stronger than Sunae. However, even though she had lost after giving her all, Konoko’s expression had a look of satisfaction that Kazuno hadn’t, even as she collapsed to one knee.

They’re actually strong enough that we usually wouldn’t stand a chance against them... So, this is...okay... Right, Ran?

Konoko found satisfaction in her defeat as she thought of her absent friend. As Hinse looked down at Konoko, she had likewise accepted her victory.

“Thank you.”

Konoko hadn’t lost on purpose. Had Hinse not counterattacked while avoiding her own blow, she might have landed an effective hit. But even then, Konoko had fought in a way that had helped restore Spirit Summoning’s reputation. There was no other way to interpret her actions, given that the Temperan had made the effort to close and attack after her initial trap.

“Yes, indeed... Thank you very much.”

It wasn’t Magyan Khan who said those words. Instead, having accepted that the matches had ended, the visiting dignitaries, the royals from the surrounding kingdoms, quietly offered their appreciation to the Arcanians.

Deyiaoe Utto, Magyan Toris, and Baigao Shiyoki, who had been present but hadn’t actually fought a rematch, also offered their heartfelt praise.

“Lady Happine Batterabbe, I thank you for your thoughtfulness. Not only did you give my daughter a chance for a rematch, but you gave us an opportunity to redeem our Art’s reputation.”

Happine looked a bit troubled at the fact that the four from Tempera Village had lost and had exposed their lack of ability for the world to see. The one who had thanked her was Donzila Gayaou’s father, the king of Donzila. He was the one who had offered them hospitality on their way to the Magyan Kingdom, and he was also the one who they would depend upon for accommodations on their journey back.

“No... They may still have much to learn, but they’re still warriors... They were unhappy at having beaten superior opponents through the use of underhanded tactics. That was all this was about, so there is no need to thank us.”

“Ah, yes, of course.”

“If anything, it’s we that owe you thanks... I’m sure this will motivate them in their future training.”

This set of rematches had helped settle the resentments among the royals of the various countries. While this hadn’t been an exhibition for the masses, it was still an honorable set of fights. They had been held properly and the combatants had fought without obsessing over winning or losing.

There was a great deal of relief that came from the results. While the dignitaries wouldn’t breathe a word about what they had seen this night, the lessons had been carved into their memories.

The Royal Presence and Spirit Summoning aren’t weak... No doubt they’d be powerful even in Arcana.

Knowing that there are opponents like this out there, it was a good lesson about fighting in different states...

The belief that one couldn’t lose as a Divine Beast was a dangerous one... It’s good to learn that...

It wasn’t that everything that they had believed, everything that had been passed down by their forebears, everything that they had built up over successive generations, had been wrong. They weren’t simply big fishes in a small pond who didn’t know about the wider world, but rather lions who had been caught in traps they had only just experienced for the first time.

It was still the result of an embarrassing sort of hubris, but it also wasn’t something to become too demoralized by. At the very least, the results were somewhat reassuring. Of course, that was limited to the four who had fought today. That wasn’t necessarily true of Ran of the Silver Demon Style, who was substantially stronger than even the legends had indicated, nor was it true of the two aces. They were far too powerful; so powerful that it was likely they could defeat everyone present in this room, even if they fought them all together at once.

“Lady Happine, may I ask how it was that you actually brought the legendary Marked to heel?”

“Is there a special Art available to the Arcana Kingdom?”

It was a question that was of particular interest to the royals. Just why was a Marked following Sunae? Happine took a deep breath before answering the question she had anticipated would be coming her way.

“It’s true that in the Arcana Kingdom, there is a Rare Art called the Hex Arts that inflicts harm on someone according to the terms of an oath. However, that requires the consent of the one placed under the hex. It’s simply an Art that doles out punishments for those who break oaths and it, by itself, is not enough to bring a Marked to heel.”

Zuger was, in fact, the Hex Artist who had sealed that curse, and she could, in fact, demonstrate the Art. But Happine made clear that wasn’t the only reason why Ran had been brought to heel.

“We beat her down until she submitted.”

It was a brute-force method that Happine herself found ridiculous even as she said the words. Of course, her listeners were also initially caught by surprise, but they quickly came to accept the logic.

“Ran was originally as aggressive and dangerous as the Marked in the legends, but she accepted that she was not the strongest after losing to Princess Sunae and Sansui, and accepted the curse that restrained her.”

Ran had behaved arrogantly because she had believed she was the strongest. She had finally accepted her defeat after being repeatedly taught that she wasn’t that strong. It was such a normal line of reasoning to the people from this region of the world that they even found it oddly anticlimactic.

“I see... We had believed that the Marked needed to be killed, but to beat them down and force them to submit... They’re not much different from ordinary strong individuals...”

“Yes. And that wouldn’t harm the authority of the royalty...”

The reason they hadn’t come up with it themselves was because the myth about the founder of Spirit Summoning and the Marked had been too influential in the culture of the region. Happine herself was well aware that those with the talent to become a Marked were dangerous. If anything, given that she had seen Ran as a berserker, she actually considered them more dangerous than the royals present did.

“However, that—”

“—Isn’t particularly easy, is it?” Magyan Khan was the one who finished Happine’s sentence and continued speaking afterward. “The reason Spirit Summoners have a duty to kill the Marked is because they’re a hassle when they escape. Even when trying to bring them to heel, they might very well manage to flee. If that happened, the royals that let the Marked go would be completely at fault.”

The reason Khan had interrupted was to avoid having her directly say that even the kings would struggle to bring the Marked to heel and make them submit. Even if it was true, it would be problematic for Happine to be the one to say so.

“Besides...our method for defeating the Marked... If they learned about it, they could adapt to it. That was exactly why Deyiaoe Utto lost... Even setting aside the Ki Wave technique, a Marked who’s learned from experience is a dangerous opponent.”

With that, Magyan Khan looked over at the silent Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda.

“Sansui Shirokuro... A man so powerful that you can say with certainty that he will win no matter how much the Marked learn and grow... A legendary Immortal, one even greater than the Marked of myth... Just how did you recruit him into your service...?”

“It was a matter of fate, I suppose... I have no way to describe it but as simple luck.”

It was true that House Sepaeda hadn’t employed an enormous amount of effort to recruit Sansui into their service. It had simply been coincidence, and there was no reason for them to be proud of the fact. But that aside, he was still a vassal whom they were proud of.

“Of course, there are things that we’re capable of doing because of Sansui’s existence. Sansui is honest, modest, and a model for other powerful figures. The reason Ran and Lord Saiga are focused on their training rather than arrogantly holding up their own talent is because they have a great goal before them in Sansui. Or, at least, so I have allowed myself to believe...”

Suiboku, the “greatest warrior” that even God himself admitted was an almost absolute force of nature... Sansui Shirokuro, the young Immortal that Suiboku, the ultimate Immortal, had confidently sent out into the mortal world... The Lord Emeritus quietly appreciated just how valuable Sansui was to him and his kingdom.

“I suppose that, in any country, the strongest must also be the most right and proper.”

Magyan Khan was a man who would soon abdicate his throne. Having been bedridden until recently with a deadly ailment, he was thoroughly aware of his own lack of power.

“There are a great number of powerful men and women out in a far-off land we’ve never heard of: the Arcana Kingdom. Just knowing that will change things for us.”

That was true of all of the dignitaries and royals present. While Sukreen had asked during the exhibition just how many decades it would take for outside dangers to threaten the region, it would have been far too late for them if they had only reacted in a panic at the moment when danger came knocking.

No, if anything, they needed to start now, in order to face that danger that was decades into the future.

Part 6 — Separation

As the forbidden rematch, held solely in the presence of the region’s nobles, was happening elsewhere in the palace, the princes and princesses of Magyan were all gathered in a single place. Of course, they weren’t there to fight over Saiga at this point, but rather to say goodbye to Sunae and Tahlan.

“Brother... You’re going off to get married in a distant land...”

“Sunae is one thing, but I’m sad that you’re leaving, brother...”

“You’ll come back to Magyan again, yes? If not, we’ll come visit you.”

The younger sisters all clearly regretted that their eldest brother was leaving.

“Hey, big brother... Not that I wanna put it this way, but you won’t be bullied or anything in Arcana, right?”

“I mean, I know you’re strong, big brother, but...there’s all sorts of guys who can beat Spirit Summoners up, right?”

“You’re happy there, right? If not, you could just stay...”

Meanwhile, his younger brothers were concerned for their eldest brother’s well-being.

“Hey, Sunae. If anything happens, make sure you protect Tahlan. Even if it’s at the cost of your life.”

“Don’t say that, she’s going to have a hard enough time not causing him any problems.”

“Big sister, no more running away from home, okay? If you do that, we won’t let you back into Magyan!”

At the same time, Sunae’s sisters were heckling her.

“Yeah, Sunae... You left the kingdom without permission... I heard from Tahlan that you were claiming to be a princess of Magyan over there too, right?”

“Eesh... Don’t call yourself a princess when you left without permission... Totally embarrassing!”

“Yeah, big sister, that’s terrible!”

And, of course, Sunae’s brothers were lecturing her.

“Grr... Grrmph...”

While she would have been able to fight back had she been talking to Happine or the others, all of her brothers and sisters treating her like a child left Sunae with no room for argument.

“Why doesn’t Tahlan get this kind of treatment...?”

“There’s a world of difference between the girl that ran away from home and our big brother! He left with father’s permission!”

“Yes, you deserve to be scolded.”

There was no trace of the flattery or praise that they had been offering to Saiga until recently. When it came to their siblings, everyone was fully committed and serious in their comments. Still, Sunae understood that they had the right to act this way, so she had no room to argue.

“Setting aside vanity, marrying into a foreign family sounds about right for you.”

“Yeah, even if you’re marrying the wielder of the Legendary Sword Eckesachs, who’s super strong...”

“Yeah, you’ve made a Marked a subordinate... Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

They weren’t looking down on her or mocking her. Rather, they were simply worried about her.

Well, I suppose they have a point...

The really valuable people in life are those who are willing to fret over your well-being. Sunae’s sisters and brothers, looking objectively at her life, were concerned about her future.

In fact, Saiga had been told by Sansui to think more carefully about his life. Sunae herself had lectured Saiga on that exact topic. However, in her siblings’ eyes, Sunae, who was about to marry Saiga, wasn’t much better.

“I’ll be fine! Saiga is a great warrior! Happine and her parents are great nobles! I mean, the fact that they’ve traveled this far should prove that. You understand that, right?”

“Well, no.”

“This is all, well, more about appearances, isn’t it? What about the truth, really?”

“Besides, we can’t trust your word.”

It was true that it was hardly convincing when the daughter who had run away from home insisted that her fiancé was a great man.

“Ha ha ha! Sunae, this is unavoidable. Enjoy being lectured while you still can!”

By contrast, Tahlan, who had maintained a great reputation in this kingdom as well as in Arcana, wasn’t getting anything like Sunae. This was clearly a consequence of the differences in how they presented themselves.

“Tahlan... Perhaps you could say something about Saiga and me...”

“Yes, well... If I’m honest, you’re both still a concern.”

It was because it was accurate information from a trustworthy source that it hit that much harder.

“Figured.”

“Yeah, ahem... True.”

Everyone agreed with Tahlan’s observation. Not because they were agreeing for the sake of agreeing, but rather because his observation matched their own views. If anything, it was precisely because everyone was able to speak their mind so honestly that they were all worthy of trust.

“But that is also true of everyone else. I’m sure she’s nervous about marrying a man who is in the process of being adopted by his other bride’s family. However, once they are in positions of responsibility, blood is a minor matter to consider. What’s important is how they fill their roles and carry out their responsibilities.”

Tahlan was thinking back to the day that he had faced off against Fukei with Saiga and Ran. Even when facing an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, Saiga had been the one to encourage and warn him.

“Saiga still has much to learn, but he’s at a level appropriate to his age. That is why father may treat him harshly, but has yet to abandon him. If he was truly hopeless, no doubt he would have been killed by now. Of course, that’s also true in Sunae’s case.”

“I see. So, that’s how you view Saiga and me, big brother...”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that they’ve still got a lot to learn. Keep up your fretting over them.”

“Big brother,” Sunae began, expression flat.

Tahlan cut her off, responding, “Sunae, it’s said that loyal advice is hard to hear. Of course, calling the words of your brothers and sisters ‘loyal advice’ is perhaps a bit odd, but make sure you listen to them anyway.”

Acceptance of one’s immaturity wasn’t the same as excusing one’s personal failings. If anything, it meant that listening to the advice of people around one was even more important. That was why...when given the right advice, there was no choice but to nod in understanding.

“Heki, nothing from you?”

“Yeah, well,” Heki replied after a moment. He glared at his siblings, particularly those around Sunae.

“It’s true that Sunae did plenty wrong...”

Even Heki’s saying that...

“But during this recent incident, it was Sunae’s skill that put an end to it. So, it’s a bit unfair for us to be lecturing her,” he said firmly, befitting the next king.

“It was true that the timing wasn’t great, given father’s illness, but even then, we should’ve taken care of it all before big brother and Sunae came back. And yet, who solved the problem for us? It was Sunae. She used the man and subordinates she’d found on her travels to settle matters. Do you all have subordinates of that quality?”

Heki sighed in exasperation and embarrassment at his siblings.

“Honestly, by any real logic, Sunae would have the best claim to the throne. Even if she’d destroy the kingdom if she became ruler...”

You don’t have to go that far...

“We should reflect on our own lack of strength before we criticize Sunae, no?” he asked the others. “Sunae, this is going to sound off...but you made the right choice by leaving. You did a lot more for Magyan than your brothers and sisters, who just sat around rotting in the palace.”

“Brother Heki...”

“Of course, it’d have been better if you’d gotten permission.”

“Of course...”

“Of course, there was the whole matter of the First Consort’s wishes, and I doubt father would have let you go that easily, given you had a claim to the throne...”

Tahlan just happened to have the Shadow Aura and lacked the necessary power, but Sunae had the Royal Presence. She had even taught Spirit Summoning techniques to Saiga, an outsider. With that knowledge, letting her out of the kingdom would have been difficult for the king to permit. By extension, letting her leave the region entirely would have been completely out of the question from an official point of view.

“Still, it’s not like you went there looking specifically for those things, and it was more coincidence than anything. I can’t congratulate you for any of it, especially because I don’t want anyone else trying the same thing.”

He makes sure to deny what I’ve done is right...

“But results are results. Your subordinates, especially the man you helped develop and grow, are stronger than anyone here. I hate to admit it, but I never expected you to outdo me like this. I need to raise subordinates that are so strong they won’t lose to yours, and find myself a partner as great as yours.”

Tahlan felt as he watched his younger brother speak that Heki was the sibling that was best suited to shoulder this kingdom and to be the next king. There was a certain sadness in recognizing this, but it also put him at ease.

“Eventually, we’ll get around to sending a delegation to Arcana so we can embarrass you in your adopted homeland.”

“I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Tahlan replied after a moment.

That was true of Sunae as well. While she would have preferred a more peaceful homecoming, she would still be able to rest assured that her homeland was in safe hands.

“How strange. This is the second time I’ll be leaving this kingdom as my brothers and sisters bid me farewell... But it’s more painful this time...” Tahlan mused to himself. “Because I have somewhere else I belong, I suppose...”

While he had known it unconsciously from the start, Tahlan realized now that he wasn’t necessary for this kingdom to continue functioning. If anything, the kingdom was better off without him. While he had known all of this in an intellectual sense, this homecoming had reminded him of that fact viscerally.

“Brother...”

Tahlan and Sunae were henceforth to live in a different country. Having once again come to terms with that reality, the siblings all fell quiet, then exchanged handshakes and embraces with the two departing Magyans.

At that moment, Saiga sat with Sansui in the room they had been assigned to.

“Sansui, you’d probably say I should discuss this with my brides, but since I can’t really talk with them about it, I have to ask you instead.”

“What?”

“It really is a big deal to take a daughter from another family as your bride, isn’t it?” Saiga said, making this observation after a short pause, an observation that should have been obvious to both of them.

“Yeah, true.”

There was a sense that it was far too late to be realizing this, but there were things that could truly only be understood through experience, and this was one of them. Saiga had been extremely nervous before their arrival, worried that Sunae’s family wouldn’t approve of him, but the reality that awaited him was even more painful than he could have imagined.

“So, I’ll be marrying Sunae...”

Arcana and Magyan were separated by a vast distance and it was difficult to go from one to the other. As such, Sunae and Tahlan would effectively be breaking free from their families.

“I guess it’s obvious...but I didn’t understand the weight of it... I took it for granted that Sunae and Tahlan would always be nearby...”

“I understand that.”

Sunae and Tahlan had both originally left their homeland of their own free will, and that they were in Arcana had seemed completely natural. Saiga had let himself think that nothing was going to change even though they were both getting married. Of course, the reality was quite different, and that was something that should have been obvious to him from the start.

“Being with Blois had been so natural to me that I didn’t really feel anything when we were first going to get married. But hearing what her parents had gone through...it changed things.”

Sunae and Tahlan were both trying to leave as much in this land as they could. They wanted to make good their debts to their homeland because it was going to be hard for them to come back in the future.

“I realized I didn’t know anything about Sunae...”

“Same. I spent years with Blois, but I didn’t know her at all.”

They were both quite embarrassed. They had only been doing what they had been told to do. Had they actually dealt with their brides and their families properly?

“Sansui... I’m an idiot, so I don’t really know what to do. What do you think?”

“That’s... Honestly, that’s something I want to ask myself...”

Sansui thought about the wife and child he’d left in Arcana.

“The first thing to do is to make them happy.”

“The question is how...”

“I’d like to know the answer to that myself.”

They both possessed incredible power and were close in rank to important people, but they still had much to learn, both as men and as husbands.

Part 7 — Happiness

The people of the Magyan Kingdom were already aware that Magyan Sunae and Magyan Tahlan were going to marry into families in a far-distant land called the Arcana Kingdom. They were also aware that the Arcana Kingdom wasn’t just some backwater kingdom that they’d never heard of.

The Arcanians had fought in a royal exhibition against seven princesses, whom the pair’s mother Sukreen had gathered from the region, and had beaten all seven of them. As such, the people of Magyan considered Arcana to be a kingdom worthy of Tahlan. There were a number of them who pitied Sukreen and were saddened to learn of the break between mother and son, but they were a small minority.

Magyan Tahlan and Douve Sepaeda, Magyan Sunae and Saiga Mizu... The people were abuzz with the news that there would be a simultaneous wedding for both couples. And on that day...

“So, how do I look?” Douve asked her father and Sansui as she stepped out dressed in a Magyan-style wedding dress. The local style favored thin, half-transparent fabric that looked like it might tear at the slightest touch, all layered into a beautifully complex pattern. The three of them were exchanging pleasantries as they waited for the grand event to start.

“Ahh... You look amazing, Douve...”

“Yes, Lady Douve. It suits you perfectly...”

Such was the simple truth about Douve Sepaeda. Just as she herself believed, she looked good in anything she decided to wear. Even dressed in clothing that was designed for the women of this foreign land, she looked stunning. Her makeup was also perfect, and her beauty would shine through even standing next to a man as handsome as Tahlan. They were going to be quite the stunning pair to look upon.

“Ahh...”

The Lord Emeritus of House Sepaeda let out an emotional sigh of appreciation at the sight. His daughter, who had grown into a beautiful woman, was wearing a gorgeous dress and about to get married. He couldn’t help but be moved by the sheer intensity of his emotions. The daughter that he loved deeply—to excess, some would say—was about to be given away to a man from another family. True, that had been the whole point of traveling to this kingdom, but even then, in the moment, he was moved beyond words.

“Indeed...”

Sansui was in a similar state of mind. He had known Douve since she was a child, and indeed felt as though she were his younger sister. Even though he had never wanted to marry her under any circumstances, he was still struck with bittersweet emotion at seeing her beauty.

“Hee hee... Such sad men you are. Despite all your usual gravitas, you’re struck dumb by the sight of a single bride... Pitiful, really.”

Her words were barbed, but she was smiling. She appeared extremely happy.

It was then that the man whom Douve, in her current gorgeous state, wanted to be seen by more than anyone in the world stepped into the room.

“Douve...”

Tahlan, dressed in his own finery, walked in with a happy smile. His appearance was such that he stood out as a man amongst boys, a prince amongst paupers. Even Douve found herself at a loss for words when the greatest of men gave her the greatest of smiles.

“Tahlan...”

“Ahh... Heh... This is what they mean when something is described as having an unearthly beauty. It’s frustrating that I can’t keep you to myself, that I have to let others set their eyes upon you.”

“My, my, I feel the opposite. I’m so very proud to be able to show you off.”

The pair standing there was the platonic ideal of a bride and a groom, the very epitome of what a couple about to be wed should look like.

“Ahem.” The Lord Emeritus coughed, reminding the couple of his presence even as he wiped tears from his eyes. While Douve and Tahlan were the stars of today’s show, he still wanted them to actually acknowledge his existence.

“Tahlan... Well, now... While the weather is nice... Indeed, perfect weather for a wedding... Don’t take it for granted and... Ahem...” After going on at some length, the father of the bride bowed his head to the groom. “I leave my daughter in your care.”

“Yes, sir,” Tahlan replied after a brief pause.

It was a common sight that had been repeated countless times around the world, but even then, it was a sign of greatest happiness: The father entrusting his daughter, the groom being entrusted with the daughter, and the bride and the swordsman bearing witness to the whole scene. They were all filled with joy.

The wedding was held in the Magyan palace’s great room, which was covered in an almost excessive number of exquisite, finely crafted rugs. Atop them were cushions of the highest quality, each of which supported a royal hailing from a neighboring kingdom.

The seven princesses who had hoped to marry Tahlan, and who had participated in the Royal Exhibition, were seated among the other guests. They all watched the ceremony with tears coursing down their cheeks.

As flowers showered the room, Heki, the heir to the throne, conducted the ceremony.

Of course, Sunae and Saiga were there as well. As was the custom of the royal family, they were each present in Divine Beast form. Standing as a humanoid lioness and wolf, they were garbed in elaborate wedding attire, but they didn’t feel like they were getting much in the way of attention.

Everyone’s looking at Tahlan and Douve...

Even though he had struggled to learn his Divine Beast form, no one was even looking at Saiga. While that made him a bit sad, Tahlan and Douve made such a beautiful couple that even Saiga had to admit that they were rightly the center of attention. It was enough to make him think, a bit self-deprecatingly, that he and Sunae were just a little bonus.

“Indeed, that’s true. I feel the same way,” Sunae said softly to him. “That is exactly why you, at the very least, should be focusing on me.”

“Oh, that’s right. Sorry.”

Saiga raised his head. He maintained the form of a giant beast and leaned slightly against Sunae. Happine looked a bit flustered as she watched.

“They’re all very beautiful,” Zuger said with a happy smile.

This prompted Happine to quip, “Hmph, I’m not so rude to say something during a happy celebration,” in an attempt to salve her pride. The truth was that she was incredibly, painfully envious of Sunae. The room was simply just that filled with happiness radiating from everyone within it.

“Magyan Tahlan, Magyan Sunae... My royal siblings,” Heki said as he began the formal ceremony. “My siblings, who depart for a distant land... My wish is that your marriages will be worthy of our ancestral spirits, that you will stand steadfast with your partners, and that you will live without artifice between yourselves and your partners. May the spirits bless the beginning of your new journeys.”

It was at this point that the room erupted in applause. Flower petals danced in the air and music rang out. Each of the guests came up to congratulate the couples on their unions in their own words. There was no more formality left to endure as the guests all celebrated the occasion.

Ran and her friends were also among those celebrating the unions of the two couples. It was at this moment that the Arcana Kingdom’s goals for this journey had been met.

So pretty... I wish His Brothership, Blois, and Lain could have been here... Sansui watched the ceremony through a blur of tears and thought back to his wife and daughter that he had left back in Arcana. He, too, was going to have a wedding ceremony when he returned home.