“I have high expectations for today’s event. I’m counting on you.”
“I’ve done my best. It’s an honor to present this to the prince.”
“Haha, this person…”
Ian cautiously shook hands with Bedon, who extended his hand.
In reality, from Ian’s perspective, Bedon wasn’t someone particularly welcoming.
‘Bedon Arcana is a rival against Erzebeth for the throne.’
From the perspective of Ian, who has a close relationship with Erzsebet, Bedon was a very uncomfortable person.
‘Of course, he can’t match Erzebeth’s abilities. Originally, he became a candidate for succession after the 1st Prince left for Edenria to become a priest. That’s a person who saw an opportunity.’
Erzebeth had the upper hand in terms of actual ability. How could Bedon compete with Erzebeth?
The reason was simple.
Ariel supported Bedon.
‘Father showed movements supporting Erzebeth, but Ariel didn’t.’
From their first meeting, Ariel clashed with Erzebeth and began supporting Bedon.
Support from the Empire’s only Hero? It wasn’t a situation that could be easily dismissed.
‘A Hero, indeed. Almost like a living treasure of the Empire. For Bedon, her support was an excellent opportunity.’
The only ones supporting Bedon were the sidelined nobles or ignorant commoners.
That alone was insufficient for him to ascend the throne, so Bedon needed to gain the support of influential figures.
That’s when Ariel appeared.
If Ariel successfully interfered, it could have turned the tables.
‘The reason Bedon persisted despite being far behind is because of that.’
If the hero party succeeds, the nobles supporting Erzebeth would become insignificant.
Although he experienced a setback, it wasn’t a complete failure, so Bedon continued the competition until the end.
He also carried out tasks on behalf of the dangerous emperor, visited as an observer, and attended the event on the Day of Divine Slaughter on behalf of the Emperor.
‘This is part of his strategy.’
The Day of Divine Slaughter commemorates the accomplishments of the Empire’s heroes like Alex. Representing the Emperor there shows the nobles that he’s still alive.
Anyway, Bedon’s presence wasn’t good news for Ian.
He not only supported Erzebeth but also disrupted the hero party.
His intentions were unknown, but he likely had a negative impression of Ian.
‘I should keep an eye on him.’
Ian watched Bedon leaving calmly.
***
“Continuing with the solemn oath for our nation’s spirits. Everyone, please join.”
Ian expected Bedon to make remarks, but he surprisingly participated quietly in the event.
Seeing him bow his head with closed eyes, Ian felt slightly tense.
‘Is something bothering him?’
Perhaps he had been busy lately, causing his nerves to fray.
The saying “human distrust” seemed more fitting.
Working with those on the brink of collapse, including those from the crumbling lineage, had sharpened his senses.
Ian had worried that Bedon might cause a disturbance at this event.
Fortunately, his concerns didn’t materialize.
‘I was worried about his reaction. Surprisingly, things are going well.’
The handling of the affairs by the vassals wasn’t as chaotic as he had feared.
It was a good thing… Was he finally making up his mind and handling things properly?
However, just like usual, doubts began to creep back.
‘Those b*stards aren’t that easy to deal with.’
Of course, changing his mind wasn’t entirely impossible.
Initially, he thoughtlessly bragged about taking up the task, but then started to think, ‘Hmm, they’re actually doing a good job. Maybe I should follow them?’ and decided to handle things properly.
But to Ian, it didn’t seem like the vassals had changed their minds.
‘I should have started making money with potatoes.’
Those who had ridiculed him when he presented miracles with his potato farming now suddenly changed their minds? Wouldn’t anyone think it’s suspicious?
Ian wasn’t the only one with such thoughts. Lia also had similar thoughts.
“…Ian, there seems to be something going on.”
“Yeah, it does seem like that.”
Since they were not skilled in poison arts, they couldn’t know what they were thinking.
‘They must be planning to embarrass me by inflating the event. They used unexpected methods.’
Rather than openly condemning, they chose to act sneakily.
They supported the Day of Divine Slaughter event properly.
It might seem like they were only doing good things for Ian, but no.
They were definitely gaining something.
‘This way, they can highlight the shortcomings of the event.’
By promoting indiscriminately, people naturally harbor high expectations.
But what if the event’s preparations were lacking?
It could lead to a huge embarrassment.
‘That’s probably what they’re aiming for. If the shortcomings become apparent, that will be something they can use against me.’
Normally, if an event fails, both the host and the participants would be criticized. However, if the guests were seen working hard, all blame would be directed at Ian.
‘They probably want to provoke remarks that question my abilities. They want to increase the pressure while pretending to support.’
This was a truly despicable method. It would be difficult to criticize someone who appeared to be doing their job well.
It’s a pity to be in such a dire situation. If any flaws in the event are revealed, he’ll be the one to bear all the criticism.
However, Ian wasn’t particularly bothered.
‘Getting criticized like that is just part of the story if this event fails.’
If everything had been properly prepared, it would actually be beneficial.
Ian looked at Lia with a faint smile.
“Is everything ready, Lia?”
“Yeah. The materials for the programs are all completed, and Eri has inspected all the details, so there shouldn’t be any problems. As for the equipment, I can’t complain. The skills of our family’s craftsmen are solid.”
Lia, smiling brightly, continued.
“The biggest hurdle was preparing the arena. Luckily, there was an old arena in our family’s warehouse that was used in the Colosseum before. We were able to modify and install it just in time. It’s sturdy, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“I thought it was gone, but it’s still here.”
“Hehe. Father has a hobby of collecting antiques. Even if they seem useless on the surface, don’t they say art is everywhere? So, he has accumulated quite a lot in the warehouse. I told him I’d take care of the things that are just taking up space anyway.”
Even if you’re his child, it’s not easy to bring items kept by the head of the family.
Lia’s father, Count Hurst, is a well-known figure in the empire, notorious for being a bit of a child at heart.
However, if it’s a request from Lia, the youngest who receives the most affection, who could refuse?
Thinking of her father, Lia smiled as if she had thought of something.
“Oh, right! My father showed considerable interest in this tournament! If he plans to continue, he mentioned wanting to sign a contract to sponsor the equipment.”
“Then we’ll have to wrap up this tournament well if we want to continue.”
Ian, showing a positive smile at Lia’s suggestion, looked around.
The dimly lit dome arena.
The nobles seated there were engaged in various conversations.
“Will the Knights appear again this time to demonstrate their swordsmanship? I guess it’s because of the criticism about the weather from last time that they’re doing it in this dome shape again.”
“But they said this time might be a bit different. Let’s wait and see if there’s a new event.”
The nobles were thinking about what was to come. But Bedon kept his gaze fixed on the center in silence.
Rather than listening to others and unnecessarily building up expectations, Bedon seemed to be genuinely feeling the new event prepared by the Volkanovs.
Bedon began to move when the magic stones on the ceiling began to glow.
Shoosh!
The glowing stones on the ceiling all began to emit light.
“Wow… what in the world…”
When the majestic night sky appeared overhead, everyone inside the dome gasped in unison.
Of course, it was artificially created, but it was so elaborate that it felt like they had transplanted the real night sky.
And what appeared was not just the night sky.
The ring where the matches would take place also became visible.
As the light gathered to illuminate the ring, a well-dressed Shulkin stood on top of it.
“Thank you for waiting patiently. Now, let us begin the final segment of this Day of Divine Slaughter, the one-on-one event.”
“One-on-one?”
As soon as Shulkin finished speaking, the dome arena erupted into excitement due to the introduction of this new event, the “one-on-one”.
Reading the atmosphere, Shulkin continued explaining without being flustered.
“The one-on-one event is a bare-handed combat tournament where mana and weapons are not allowed. Matches proceed one-on-one, and except for minimal prohibitions like poking eyes or attacking vital points, any form of attack is permitted. If a participant becomes incapacitated or suffers severe injury, the referee will immediately stop the match and declare a winner.”
“…”
“In addition, spectators can predict the outcome and place bets on players. The voting results are revealed just before the match begins, and those who voted for the player with fewer votes can earn money based on the odds. Of course, if your chosen player loses, you won’t receive any money. Now, let’s begin!”
As Shulkin finished speaking, a giant screen appeared in the air.
- Henry vs Mertans
- Neil vs Heather
- Thomas vs Allen
- Lucas vs Samuel
The names of the players participating in this event appeared on the screen.
At that moment, the nobles attending the event started predicting the winners by checking the players’ physical information written on the sheets prepared by Eri.
“Surely Henry will win the first match, won’t he? Look at his face; that beard looks quite formidable. Yes.”
“This guy? Sitting there like a made-up story. How did he end up like that? Look here, Henry is not only shorter than Mertans by a whopping 19cm but will likely be knocked down before even getting close.”
The nobles who had doubted the event were no longer to be seen. The new entertainment captured the attention of the nobles, who began to immerse themselves in predicting using all the knowledge they had.
Watching them quietly, Bedon bowed his head deeply and clenched his fists tightly.
“Ian Volkanov…”
As his voice quietly reverberated throughout the arena, people fell silent. It seemed they realized that they shouldn’t act recklessly given the prince’s condition.
The arena quickly fell silent, as if the entire place had been submerged in water.
The silence was broken by none other than Bedon Arcana.
“How dare you! How could you create such an event! This is intolerable!”
Rising abruptly from his seat, Bedon pointed his index finger at Ian. With eyes wide open, he called over the guards next to him.
“Look here!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The prince was furious. He was undoubtedly going to hold Ian Volkanov responsible. That was the sentiment echoing everywhere at that moment.
“Get the money right now! I will wager 2 billion Valus on that young man called Samuel!”
2nd Prince Bedon Arcana began to splurge money like a madman.
