QTMWSFC Chapter 38

In a blink of an eye, three months had passed.

The weather had officially entered the cold winter. Thick snow covered the rooftops, and many snowflakes were still falling from the sky.

Despite the cold weather, the enthusiasm of the people on the streets remained high.

The knight selection tournament, originally held once every four years in the summer, was taking place on a snowy day for the first time. It felt quite novel. Coinciding with the Serorida New Year, the atmosphere was even more lively.

The knight selection tournament was both a competition and an entertaining spectacle. Some people even placed bets on the popular candidates, and those with good luck could make a small profit.

The tournament would be held at the famous Sena Arena and would last for half a month.

The first five days were the on-site assessments for ordinary knights.

Each candidate would be tested in swordsmanship, magic, and theory, with professional instructors scoring them on the spot. Those who passed would become trainee knights. After a three-month probationary period and if they met the requirements, they would be promoted to full knights. During these five days, the spectators were generally the relatives of the candidates.

The following ten days were for the selection of knights already in the Order.

This was divided into the Outer City and the Inner City. The positions up for selection included Outer City squad captains, Inner City members, Inner City squad captains, and Royal Personal Guards. These events were more entertaining to watch.

The commanding positions of the Inner and Outer City Orders were special. They came with great authority and heavy responsibilities and were personally appointed by the king. These positions were not easily changed. Elections were held every five years, and there was the possibility of the same person being elected again.

The specific selection method followed a traditional knockout tournament format. Candidates drew lots for grouping and then competed in one-on-one duels. The ultimate winners would become new squad captains. If the original squad captain did not compete for promotion, the new captain would then have to duel the original one to decide the final winner.

Outer City captains could participate in the selection for Inner City membership. If they succeeded, they would enter the Inner City. If they failed, they would be forced to defend their captain position in a tournament. Similarly, Inner City captains could participate in the selection for Personal Guards. If chosen by a royal, they would become a personal guard. If not chosen, they would be forced to defend their position.

These ten days were extremely lively. Anyone with a ticket could come to the arena to watch. Of course, tickets were not so easy to obtain.

Today was the second-to-last day of the tournament and also the most exciting and liveliest day of all!

Today, the selection for a new group of Royal Personal Guards would take place.

The King of Serorida, along with his queen, consorts, princes, princesses, and other royal members, would all come to watch and select the knights they wanted. This event had the highest standards, the most competitive matches, and the most spectacular performances!

Personal guards were not bound by the orders of the king or the Order to a certain extent. They only answered to their direct superior. To uphold the so-called equal rights of citizens, the selection of personal guards was a two-way process.

At each knight selection tournament, each royal member had only one quota—a very rare opportunity. The quota had to be submitted before the tournament began. Of course, if there was no need to recruit, they did not have to submit.

But generally speaking, royals would not waste such a quota. After all, why wouldn’t they want their own personal guard knight, especially when money was no problem? And more was certainly better! Since only one person was chosen every four years, everyone was short of people!

Before the selection officially began, the royals could anonymously shortlist candidates among all the participants. After the knights competed and produced the required number of finalists, they could choose which royal they wished to serve according to their ranking order.

If both sides chose each other, then everyone was happy. If one side did not choose the other, then the royal would have the opportunity to select again. The knight could either accept or refuse, and this two-way selection process would continue. If an agreement was never reached, the selection for that quota would fail, and the quota would become invalid.

But those were the rules. Unless a knight was chosen by multiple royals, most of the time knights would not actively refuse when they were selected. First, there were few quotas and opportunities were rare. Second, no one dared to do so. If someone did, they would probably not want to continue serving in the palace in the future. So basically speaking, it was still a one-sided selection or rejection by the royal family.

This year was Freya’s first time actively using her quota and also a rare occasion for her to leave the palace. Watching the festive and lively scenes on the streets, her usually pale cheeks showed a hint of rosiness and excitement.

When the people on the streets saw the royal procession, they voluntarily made way, standing on both sides to welcome them. Today was also the most joyful day of the New Year. The streets and alleys were filled with cheers and smiles.

At the very top of the Sena Arena was the royals’ private viewing platform. Magnificent stone pillars stood tall, carved with intricate and delicate patterns, full of artistic atmosphere. The seats below had long been cleaned spotless, and on them were placed fresh fruits and delicious foods rarely seen in winter.

Snowflakes were still falling from the sky. Except for the royals’ viewing platform, which had a roof above and magical devices to block the wind and give warmth, everything else was open-air. Despite the cold, the people remained enthusiastic.

Freya was frail. Because she was not favored, her treatment was not good. She did not receive new clothes every year like her other brothers and sisters. For today’s grand occasion, Lita had found the most impressive coat, but it was still a style from two years ago.

Back then, the fashion favored a plain and elegant look. Coupled with Freya’s already pale and snow-white complexion, this made her even less pleasing to the king amidst today’s joyous and fiery atmosphere.

Seated high in the central seat of honor, the King of Serorida merely glanced briefly at his youngest daughter in the corner, then frowned and looked away.

In contrast, the other princesses and princes were all dressed in warm and vibrant new clothes, draped in coats made from the fur of the Night Foxes of the Dark Night Forest. Each one of them was dazzling and vying to outshine the others.

Lita thought they all looked like colorful butterflies. Their filthy hearts were completely unworthy of such beautiful garments. Seeing them was irritating, so she simply averted her gaze. Out of sight, out of mind.

“Princess, here. You have a weak constitution, so eat more fruit to replenish your strength.” Lita meticulously used a hand-warmer to slightly heat the chilled fruit before peeling it for Freya.

After all, it would be wasteful not to eat when the opportunity arose. Normally, such fine things were unavailable in the palace. Lita concentrated on preparing food for Freya. She was determined to ensure Freya got her money’s worth.

“Thank you. You’ve worked hard.” Freya didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the fruit and ate it.

Although she wasn’t favored, she couldn’t afford to let herself be wronged, especially not on an occasion like this. She absolutely couldn’t show weakness. Otherwise, even more people would bully her in the future! If that happened, not even her status as a princess would protect the people she cherishes.

Meanwhile.

In the preparation hall, Lant, like the other knights, was carefully tending to his sword and doing warm-up.

Although they were all captains, their usual duties were different, so they rarely saw one another and were mostly unfamiliar. Only those who lived nearby were somewhat acquainted.

“Hey, Lant, have you thought about whose knight you want to be?” A young man with short blue hair patted Lant on the shoulder and struck up a conversation warmly.

Lant searched his memory but didn’t recall this person. He asked in confusion, “You know me?”

The young man’s eyes widened. He clutched his chest with a pained expression. “Our houses are only separated by one alley… I greet you every time, you know…”

Lant scratched his head. “Sorry… Next time, I’ll make sure to visit.”

The young man waved his hand, unfazed. “No problem. Let’s get to know each other again. My name is Dick.”

“Hello, Lant.” Lant nodded simply.

“Haha, you’re still as quiet as ever, but that’s just how you are!” Dick patted Lant on the back cheerfully.

“By the way, I heard some news a couple of days ago. Obviously, there’s one more person who wants to recruit a personal guard knight this time. It seems to be the Sixth Princess. I think this is her first time recruiting a knight.” Dick was eager to share the information with Lant.

“Hey, I heard the Sixth Princess is really beautiful. Dick, you wouldn’t be setting your sights on the princess, right?” A burly, towering middle-aged uncle teased Dick without restraint.

Dick jumped up in frustration. “Hey, old ghost! What kind of person do you take me for? She’s only fourteen! I’m twenty-two! I’m not about to go after a little kid!”

The uncle called “Old Ghost” chuckled. “Who knows?”

Dick was speechless with anger. “At least I know my limits!”

“But I’ve also heard that the princess is in poor health and not favored. Becoming her knight wouldn’t offer much future, would it?” Someone next to them pointed out the key problem.

A few agreed with this person who said the blunt truth, but most remained silent.

But similar thoughts ran through everyone’s minds.

So what if the princess is pretty? Won’t she just marry someone eventually? An unfavored princess will sooner or later be sent away for a political marriage. As a personal guard knight, they need to follow her. Isn’t that a dead end?

So no matter what, they absolutely could not choose the Sixth Princess! Whoever became the Sixth Princess’s knight would be the unluckiest of all! Better to just be content as a squad captain!

…

Up on the viewing platform, the royals were feasting and drinking merrily. At the sound of a trumpet, the audience below erupted into more and more cheers.

The knights were finally entering the arena!

A total of one hundred knights were participating in the Royal Guard selection, but only twenty-five quotas were available. All of them were captains from various knight squads of the Inner City Knights. Technically speaking, they were all in the commanding position, the cream of the crop. Lant was among them.

In the original plot, Lant wasn’t supposed to participate in the selection until two years later. But at that time, after coming back from a mission in the Dark Night Forest, he would be urgently appointed as Knight Commander. Later, after drawing the Holy Sword, he would be promoted to the king’s personal guard knight. By then, Freya would have already married. The two simply had no chance to cross paths.

But now…

Lant glanced up at the lofty viewing platform.

He was determined to win!

“Hey, kid, you’re young, so I’ll give you some friendly advice. You’ve got to choose the right person to follow. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be full of hardship!” An old knight who looked experienced and seasoned offered some kind words after seeing how young Lant was.

Lant didn’t want to reject the man’s goodwill, so he simply nodded.

Seeing that Lant showed little reaction, the old knight shook his head. “Still young and reckless!”