QTMWSFC Chapter 39

The arena had a large magic screen, which was made from projection magic items. It was used to broadcast the duels in real time. By now, the introduction of the one hundred knights participating in the selection had already begun.

Everyone on the royal viewing platform also received the complete profiles of the candidates. They would now proceed with the first round of anonymous selections.

This was Freya’s first time attending the selection tournament. Lacking experience, she carefully flipped through the information while also watching the introductions of each candidate on the magic broadcast screen.

The age range among the one hundred knights varied greatly. The oldest was fifty-eight years old, while the youngest Lant was only fourteen years old.

Freya could not help but feel curious about this knight who was the same age as her, so she took a closer look at Lant’s information.

Hmm…

His parents had both passed away, and he had no other relatives. At the age of ten, after passing an assessment, he joined the Outer City Knights through someone’s recommendation. At twelve, he was exceptionally admitted into the Inner City. Just one year later, he was once again exceptionally promoted to squad captain. He was known as a swordsmanship genius, had completed numerous S+ missions, and so far had no defeats.

Freya could not help but look at him with admiration and appreciation.

At fourteen, someone else could already stand on their own, while she herself spent her days sick in bed, barely understanding even half of what she learned of magic.

Freya was still caught in the dilemma of whom to choose when she was suddenly disturbed by an unkind voice beside her.

“Oh my, some people are just acting like they have never seen the world. They spend forever just to pick one person. Why on earth must a wild seed¹bastard like you sit next to me? How utterly unpleasant!”

Although Freya did not actively seek trouble, trouble sought her out on its own.

Sitting next to her was the Fifth Princess Shania, born to the king’s most favored Fourth Consort. Spoiled by her father’s affection, Shania had always been lawless and reckless with her words.

Freya ignored her and continued reading the information.

Shania nibbled on grapes peeled by her maid and said offhandedly, “This is just a preliminary shortlist. What can you really find among a hundred people? Only an idiot would take it so seriously. But this knight here does look quite good. He is pleasing to my eye, even if he is a bit young.”

Freya instinctively turned to look at the knight Shania was pointing at. It was none other than Lant!

Indeed, among these hundred people, although Lant was the youngest, his appearance was first-class and handsome.

But if he were chosen by Shania, that would be no good position at all! Shania did not pick knights based on their skill, only on their looks. To put it kindly, those knights were her personal guards. To put it bluntly, they were just a group of male concubines she kept.

Freya bit her lip. Although becoming her own personal guard was not a good position either, she could not bear to watch an outstanding young man jump into Shania’s fire pit. Yet… what right did she have to make decisions on his behalf?

Freya began to hesitate.

Lita could see her princess’s dilemma, wanting to choose him but not having the heart to do so. She whispered, “Princess, if you want to choose him, just do it. Whether he’ll be picked or not is another matter. And he’s the same age as us. If it works out, surely he will be easier to get along with than others!”

Freya’s expression was tangled and somewhat despondent. “But he is a genius… Many people probably want to choose him.”

She felt she might not deserve to pick such an outstanding knight.

Lita let out a soft “Oh” and said, “Princess, there is nothing to worry about in this case. Just pick him. It’s not like you’re the only one. There will be plenty of others!”

Freya had no peers her age aside from Lita. It was hard not to be swayed. So she selected Lant and submitted her choice to the attendant.

Seeing her submit, Shania let out a cold snort. “A motherless wild child actually dares to dream of picking a knight? Who would want to protect a sickly wild seed like you?”

Although Freya felt anger inside, her expression remained calm and she did not react. With some people, the more you argued with them, the happier they became. It was better to ignore them. Once they got bored, they would stop bothering you.

Inside the arena, the one hundred knights stood ready.

The first two rounds were elimination rounds. By drawing lots to form pairs, they would reduce the field to twenty-five. Those twenty-five would then enter a points challenge round: the winner received two points, the loser no points, and a draw gave each one point. The final rankings would be determined by total points.

This was a selection that tested both skill and luck.

The arena was large enough to host up to fifteen duels at the same time, with real-time broadcasts. Therefore, the first two elimination rounds went quickly. The main event would be the individual points competition.

The selection of Royal Personal Guards placed special emphasis on overall individual strength, so there was no mandatory requirement to use the standard-issue weapons and equipment of the Knights. Personal weapons were allowed, though within certain limits.

In this case, Lant would definitely choose his heirloom blade. This greatly offended the Holy Sword in his space, which kept whining and grumbling resentfully: “Aaaah! Master, you don’t love me anymore! In just two thousand years, your love for me has grown so thin!”

Lant found the noise headache-inducing. So in the first two rounds of duels, he defeated his opponents in just a few moves, securing victory and making his matches not entertaining enough.

But mixed in with the other matches, not many people noticed him. Only some royals in the topmost viewing platform who had chosen him had their eyes light up. Included among them were Shania and also Freya.

The young man was dressed in black and carrying a black sword on his back. In the heavy show, his silver and slightly tousled hair fluttered in the wind. With smooth, fluid sword strokes that showed the unity of man and blade, he secured an overwhelming victory without a single drop of blood being spilled.

Watching Lant on the magic screen, Shania immediately forgave his young age. Although he was five years younger than her, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was tall, handsome, strong, and had a cool, aloof air that suited her tastes perfectly. She wanted this person!

Freya’s eyes revealed a hint of yearning. Her always weak body never allowed her to learn magic as smoothly as others. She envied Lant, who at the same age, had already become so powerful.

In Serorida, sixteen was considered the age of adulthood, but Lant was only fourteen years old. He was still a minor. Because he was young, his record was short. Despite his reputation as a swordsmanship genius, not many royals plan to choose him. It was because subconsciously, most people believed adults were more reliable than children.

After finishing his match, Lant sat on the ground, feeling bored. Around him, the matches on other platforms continued. Lant casually looked up toward the highest viewing platform.

Using magic certainly was convenient. At a glance, he spotted Freya sitting quietly at the very edge. Dressed simply and elegantly, she stood out from the others who were dressed heavily. Her face was as beautiful as a doll’s, but she looked unwell, as if she were especially sensitive to the cold.

Freya had been watching Lant the whole time. Through the vast snow and the sea of people, she saw Lant standing on the arena floor and facing her direction. She didn’t know if it was her imagination. She actually felt that he was looking at her!

Freya thought she had probably been inside the palace for too long and hadn’t seen any lively people the same age as her, so she must be hallucinating. She shook her head and quickly withdrew her gaze.

Seeing her doubting expression, Lant curled the corner of his mouth slightly.

What should he do…

She was just too cute!

Lant waited for a long time. Just as he was beginning to feel drowsy, the elimination rounds finally ended. The top twenty-five had been determined.

This also meant that the new batch of personal guards has been officially born!

The upcoming individual points competition would be the true highlight of the entire event!

The whole arena was buzzing with excitement. Even outside the arena, the gamblers began rubbing their hands one by one, hoping their chosen candidates would win them a fortune.

The royals and nobles on the viewing platform stopped their idle gestures of tasting delicious food and began to watch seriously.

“Congratulations to all personal guards! In the following matches, you will fight for yourselves! Which brave warrior would like to be the first to step onto the stage and defend it?” The host’s voice was full of passion, warming up the crowd.

This was not just a simple selection but also an opportunity to gain fame and improve one’s status!

All the knights’ eyes grew eager, except for Lant’s.

“I will!” A deep and honest voice sounded, the kind that belonged to a tall, burly man.

Sure enough, Lant hugged his sword and looked in the direction of the voice. A large, sturdy man carrying a two-handed greatsword walked towards the central platform.

This was the middle-aged uncle who had joked around before the competition and was nicknamed “Old Ghost” by Dick.

“Then I’ll challenge you!” Dick had long wanted to spar with Old Ghost. He immediately stood up and took the initiative.

“Bring it on!” Old Ghost accepted the challenge without hesitation.

Dick used a one-handed sword, which put him at a disadvantage against a greatsword. However, Dick was more agile and could cast magic faster. A real contest was not out of the question.

The two had known each other for many years, and their mindset was more about the joy of sparring.

The first match was between two fighters with completely different styles, and the atmosphere quickly heated up!

Old Ghost’s moves were straightforward and brutally direct with no tricks. In contrast, Dick lacked raw power but made up for it with all sorts of clever techniques, using his opponent’s force against him.

The match, which everyone thought would be one-sided, turned out to be unexpectedly close. Red and blue magic spells flew so thick and fast across the arena that they dazzled the eyes.

In the end, both fighters were injured and neither could secure a decisive victory. They each received one point for a draw.

The first match ended in a draw!

The audience let out a chorus of surprised exclamations.

It seemed the quality of this year’s knights was very high!

Even the King of Serorida, who was originally just showing a lukewarm interest, became quite intrigued.

It appeared that although the selection tournament had been organized hastily, the skill level of the participating knights was very impressive.

Dick was not upset about failing to defeat Old Ghost. He gave a generous, smiling fist-and-palm salute and left the stage.

With the first match setting the atmosphere, the knights’ enthusiasm and desire to perform were ignited. They all began rolling up their sleeves, eager to try their luck.