# 383
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383
“This is a fact relayed to me by the Commander of the Black Wing Knights under Grand Duke Rinosa. He does not support Michael and will never join in even if Michael plans a scheme by impersonating the Archduke.”
The weight of the name Black Wing Knight Commander was extraordinary. The knight commander betrays the monarch.
It was an assumption that could not easily be imagined. Also, Prince Rinosa is no scarecrow.
“The scale of this swordsmanship competition… will be greater than the annual Basor martial arts competition.”
Charlotte finally spoke clearly.
“The choice is up to Senior Helmut.”
Charlotte didn’t say it was an opportunity. I didn’t tell Helmut to attend the convention.
But the fact that she came here in person made a lot of sense.
‘Swordsmanship competition.’
Helmut pondered those words. He stood at the top of every convention he attended.
The winner always gets something. In Linosa, he gained but lost even more.
What is certain is that the swordsmanship competition can be what he wants.
The problem was that Prince Rinosa’s intentions were shrouded in clouds.
It’s also questionable how much he knows about himself.
From Charlotte’s departure from the Academy to today, there was no way for the Grand Duke of Rinosa to know about himself.
After leaving the Forest of Pahe, I hid my whereabouts for a while, but I didn’t do it completely, and I’ve met many people so far.
‘It’s too risky if he helps me.’
Will the monarch of Rinosa make a choice that will shake Rinosa? That was exactly what Helmut was wondering about.
Area opened her mouth softly.
“If it were Archduke Rinosa, he could try to drive Helmut to destruction with a trap worse than Michael’s.”
It was a warning voice that seemed to remind Helmut of danger.
Charlotte’s face shook. The feeling of wanting to protest filled my eyes.
Prince Rinosa doesn’t do that. It was a trust she never had in her mother, Grand Duchess Linosa.
She respected Grand Duke Rinosa. He was a swordsman and a good ruler.
In its splendor, there was no shamelessness that betrayed trust and grace.
Helmut saved the father who abandoned him. Grand Duke Linosa was the one who would reward the traitor appropriately even if he saved him.
However, she could not reveal her trust in front of someone whose trust had already been betrayed.
How can we tell Helmut to trust Linosa?
If you cannot trust the hand that is being held out, is it possible to hold that hand that you cannot trust?
But when did Helmut only move in perfectly trustworthy situations without risk?
He was the one who took any risk. Even if he had to walk into a whirlpool, Helmut would take that too.
Helmut was just about to open his mouth. The cat sitting by the window jumped to the floor.
widely!
Elaga, with her tail stiffly erect, declared to Helmut as if asking why he was hesitating.
[I don’t know what it is, but don’t be scared and do it if you want to. Even if you stab the Archduke or whatever, I will protect you.]
He was a monster who simply lived a demon life.
I couldn’t understand why humans had to be so needlessly complicated and think too much about doing something.
Wouldn’t it be okay to just beat them all up and let them know?
No matter how different human society and the forest of digging were, their essence was ultimately one.
[Originally, strength solves everything. That’s why you’re telling me I’m weak to you. The problem arises because you are weak! Of course, you worked hard and became a little stronger, but that’s not enough. However, there is no problem because the perfect me is next to you who are lacking.]
There were no loopholes in the simple and clear logic.
Helmut was speechless for a moment. If strength was the standard, Elaga could confidently say that she was perfect.
Now it was doubtful whether there would be a being stronger than Elaga.
Helmut pressed his eyebrows, looked straight at Charlotte, and spat out.
“I will participate in the swordsmanship competition. “Good job Charlotte.”
Before Charlotte could say anything with a slightly angry face, Elaga received a bruise.
[Okay, so what are you saying that’s so difficult to do? Just say you knew.]
Elaga was dissatisfied with Helmut’s late decision. Helmut exhaled coldly.
“I was planning on saying I would attend.”
[But why are you hesitating like a coward? You always have a lot on your mind, so I said I would look after you and you said,
‘Really? Isn’t that something like ‘Then you should do it?’]
It still pricks my nerves when I say it.
A nervous voice suddenly came out.
“It was natural from the beginning that Elaga would look after me. “Even if I tell you there’s nothing to worry about, they’ll come after me.”
Helmut had had Elaga in mind as his strongest force ever since he left the Forest of Pahe.
It’s just that if someone with the sprout of darkness gets involved with a monster, there may be no way to resolve it, so I was just planning to avoid that situation as much as possible.
Elaga understood what he meant and hit the ground with her tail.
[What a child! I ruined your habit of taking care of you. Don’t take for granted that I take care of you!]
“….”
When will we be able to catch up with Elaga and shut that mouth?
Helmut felt something similar to gloom and despair as he thought back on the days he had spent honing his swordsmanship.
“Can I attend that competition too?”
When the conversation reached a lull, Asuka quietly asked.
Dressed in luxurious formal attire that seemed to say, ‘I am a member of the royal family,’ he had not done anything similar to sparring recently.
I was feeling itchy, but when I heard it was a competition, my eyes opened brightly.
Even after Helmut disappeared, the Academy Swordsmanship Competition was held several more times. Asuka won the championship each time.
Anyone is confident unless the opponent is Helmut.
Charlotte tilted her head.
“The imperial family of the empire and the Grand Duchy of Linosa are the hosts. “Isn’t it fair for the royal family to participate?”
“There’s nothing like that in swordsmanship! All you have to do is knock them all out.”
However, Asuka also looked skeptical about whether Archduke Farnese would allow it. Sian intervened.
“Anyway, is that why you visited the islands?”
“Yes, it was Grand Duke Rinosa’s intention for me to visit the island and propose a sword fighting competition.”
“Then what about marriage?”
“I only visited to say hello to the offer I was grateful for, but it did not become concrete.”
In response to Charlotte’s firm answer, Sian tapped Asuka on the shoulder.
“Hey Asuka, did you hear that? Everywhere you look, there is rejection. “You have to work hard?”
“You seem really happy right now? “Would you like me to change your smiling face into a crying face?”
While the two were arguing, Charlotte hinted at something.
“It’s not a rejection. “It’s just that it’s an unthinkable problem at this point.”
It was a neat tone, as if he was just trying to set the facts straight. But it was enough to give Asuka hope.
In fact, she looked away immediately after saying that.
“I have to go now.”
The purpose of today’s outing is to stop by the shopping district.
If you stay at the Archduke Farnese Mansion for a long time, you may arouse suspicion.
Just as Charlotte was about to leave, someone appeared.
It was Asuka’s mother, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, as if she had just returned from an outing.
When she found Charlotte, her eyes widened.
“Oh, I heard a guest has arrived. Did you say she was the Grand Princess of Rinosa? “What is this?”
Charlotte stood up and bowed politely to her.
“Her Royal Highness Archduchess Farnese. “I apologize for visiting you without contacting you.”
“Oh my, I’ve come a long way, so maybe that’s the case. I heard a lot about it. “I am Asuka’s mother, so you can treat me comfortably.”
Her eye smile revealed her kind heart toward her future daughter-in-law. It seemed like he misunderstood when he saw that Charlotte was here.
Grand Duchess Farnese spoke in a voice that seemed to enjoy it.
“His Majesty the Crown Prince must be very heartbroken. What should we do about this?”
The Grand Duchess chatted with the Empress and heard about the series of events.
I was upset because the Empress was elated, saying in a sophisticated way of speaking that my son was more attractive and handsome, and that he was the next emperor, so if Grand Duchess Linosa had a discerning eye, she would naturally choose the crown prince.
Asuka countered that she was an excellent swordsman and Grand Princess Rinosa had a close relationship with her at the Academy, so she would choose him, but it didn’t seem right.
In fact, she was objectively aware of her son’s fatal shortcomings.
‘Still, I’m glad the character isn’t lacking.’
After barely consoling myself, I returned to the mansion and saw what happened. Grand Duchess Linosa is visiting.
Of course, since her brother was here, it made sense, but Archduchess Farnese let her imagination run wild as she pleased.
Sian whispered into Charlotte’s ear.
“Charlotte, think carefully from now on. You should have chosen the crown prince. This is a chance to become the empress of an empire! “If you become empress, you will become even higher, even if Area becomes Grand Duchess of Rinosa!”
It was a remark that clearly showed a desire for power. Even when Asuka was gently pushing him to become Archduke Farnese, Sian seemed to have an overflowing desire to rise in status.
“I don’t decide to marry for that reason.”
Charlotte spoke clearly and bowed her head to Asuka’s mother once again.
Rather than a grand duchess, she had a stern attitude like Charlotte from the Swordsmanship Department.
“If word gets out that I stopped by here, Senior Helmut might get in trouble, so I can’t stay for long. “We must go quickly.”
It meant not to spread rumors. Grand Duchess Farnese smiled elegantly.
“sure. I understand. But now that we’ve exchanged greetings, it would be okay to see each other at the imperial palace, right?”
The eyes of the Grand Duchess, who might become her future mother-in-law, were clear.
Although there should be no marriage with Asuka or anything like that, Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to say no in front of him.
“…yes.”
The Grand Duchess expressed her joy as she nodded slightly.
“Oh, that’s great! “Go in carefully.”
“then.”
The sight of Charlotte turning around looked somewhat heavy.
But there was not a single one among them who understood her feelings.
