Chapter 287

Chapter 287

To cut to the chase, Lucas had fallen.

Though he managed to prolong the battle through various strategies, he was ultimately overwhelmed by the three consecutive jabs from Dusk Bringars finger. Lucas lost consciousness and was knocked down. I covered my face with both hands, sighing in regret. Ah, what a bummer...

Hoping to win a purely physical battle against a half-dragon, half-human was an unrealistic wish from the start.

"Whew, whew..."

Standing in front of the unconscious Lucas, Dusk Bringar was panting heavily, only to suddenly snap back to reality.

"I...I won, didnt I?"

Dusk Bringar shouted towards the fallen Lucas while waving her fist.

"You were too relentless! I didnt even mean to win!"

...What? Was this some kind of new trick?

As absurd as it was, awards must be given based on merit. I waved my hand to the side.

"Its getting late; lets wrap this up. Proceed with the award ceremony!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The unconscious Lucas was taken away for healing by the priests, and the mumbling Dusk Bringar was quickly escorted off the stage by me.

A podium for the awards was quickly arranged in the arena.

The presentation of awards for the third to eighth place was handled by Serenade, as she was the sponsor of the event.

"Hello everyone, I am Serenade from the Silver Winters Merchant Guild."

The moment Serenade, standing on the podium, flashed a charming smile and greeted the audience, cheers and applause erupted from the stands.

"Silver Winter! Silver Winter!"

"Serenade! Serenade!"

"Oh my god! Take me!"

"Buy me too! Ill give it to you for free!"

...Shes really popular. Isnt she getting more cheers than me?

Feeling both proud that Serenade had organized the festival well and a bit jealous at her popularity, I watched the award ceremony unfold with mixed emotions. Hmm.

Though the prizes for third to eighth places had already been distributed, Serenade had taken the extra step to prepare plaques for each contestant.

"Awards may come and go, but these plaques will remain as lasting memories."

Smiling at the sight of Evangeline cheerfully receiving her plaque, Serenade whispered softly in my ear.

"I also made sure to engrave our guilds name on the plaques. Hehe."

"Ah, indeed..."

Beneficial for both the winner and the sponsora win-win.

While engaging in this small talk, it was time to present the finalists with their plaques. As the lord, that duty fell on me.

As I stepped onto the podium and Serenade stepped down, a disappointed sigh arose from the audience. Come on, people! Cheer and clap for me too!

First, the second-place prize. With Lucas unconscious, Evangeline accepted the award on his behalf. Holding both the second and third-place plaques in her hands, she burst into laughter.

"I have awards in both hands! Im the true winner of this festival!"

"Step down, step down."

Evangelines antics amused the citizens, and I promptly ushered her off the stage.Điscover new chapters at novelhall.com

And finally, the much-awaited champion.

I cleared my throat, looked down at Dusk Bringar who was fidgeting before me, and announced,

"The honorable winner of this years martial arts tournament is none other than this brave soul, Dusk!"

"..."

"The winner will be bestowed with the title of Honorary Knight of the Dueling Tournament, and will have the honor of serving as a knight under me, Ash Born Hater Everblack."

As I unsheathed the ceremonial sword for the knighting, Dusk Bringar recoiled in disgust.

"No, no! I wont accept it! I dont want to be your knight! No!"

"Would you prefer to lose then?"

Thats what I want too. Want to overturn the result?

Upon hearing this, Dusk Bringar clutched his head in agony.

"Th-thats even worse! Losing is worse than dying!"

"Then you have to accept it. Come on, kneel."

"Agh!"

In the end, Dusk Bringar begrudgingly knelt in front of me, enduring the ceremonial sword touching both of his shoulders and then lifting above his head.

"...With this, Dusk has become an Honorary Knight of Crossroad. Do you swear to devote the rest of your life to the peace and well-being of the city?"

"Ah, ah..."

"Hey, the ceremony doesnt end without the oath, Dragon. Its just a formal knighting, lets get it over with."

"I, I..."

Dusk Bringar clenched his eyes shut.

Lucas pounded his chest with a face full of injustice.

"But I got slapped for using Beast Transformation. And then you didnt even let me escort you afterward. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah."

"I slapped you because I was worried... and I didnt let you escort me because you hadnt fully healed yet..."

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah."

Lucas continued to wail as he pounded his chest and then the ground.

"I planned to win first place, earn a spot as a Knight of Honor, and naturally reconcile with you. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I lost. Its all ruined. Everything is ruined."

I was sweating bullets.

It was quite disconcerting to see someone who was usually as strong as steel wail so pitifully. What, whats going on? What should I do?

Just then, Evangeline nudged my side.

"What are you doing, Senior? Lucas is crying! Apologize quickly!"

"Huh? I have to apologize?"

"Why did you even hit him? Hes old enough to understand words!"

Well, thats true... hes twenty-two, so hes not at an age to be physically disciplined... No, nobody should be physically disciplined at any age, to begin with... but still...

"As a close friend, not as a lord or commander, try apologizing first!"

"Uh, okay."

"Now, repeat after me. Im sorry!"

I opened my mouth to mimic Evangeline.

Sorry... Sor... So... S...

"You crazy bastard, you were the one who used Beast Transformation first!"

"Come on! Seriously!"

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah."

As I yelled out, Evangeline smacked her forehead, and Lucas started to wail even more sorrowfully.

***

"I apologize for the disgrace, my lord..."

Sniffling, Lucas apologized. I waved my hand dismissively.

"Its okay, man. I apologize for going overboard at that time. There was no need for me to hit you."

"Sniff... No, its my fault. I was the one who disobeyed your orders..."

Young Lords Mansion. Drawing Room.

After a long time, the main party of five had gathered, enjoying dinner, desserts, and a drink.

Lucas and I had dramatically(?) reconciled. All thanks to Evangelines mediation.

"You sometimes get really hung up on weird things. Just because youre the commander doesnt mean you have to avoid apologizing first," said Evangeline, sipping juice through a straw. I responded while gulping down a glass of cold whiskey.

"Hey, I gave him punishment within the military system. How would it look if I apologize first?"

"What does appearance matter? Reconciliation among friends should be the priority. Youll regret sticking to formalities later."

Anyway, I acknowledged Lucass achievements in the last battle and offset his earlier infraction of turning feral.

My personal apology to Lucas made up for the excessive punishment. It was a complicated process, but we managed to mend the rift between us.

Damien, who had been awkwardly watching our interactions, finally broke the ice.

"So, uh, can we all hang out together tomorrow?"

"It seems like tomorrow will be really fun," Junior picked up where Damien left off.

Junior, who had brought herbs from Silver Winters Merchant Guild, tightly packed them into a pipe and started puffing away.

"The last day is a Dance Festival, they said. Seems like itll be a lot of fun. Your Highness, youre participating too, right?"

Ah, right. Theres a Dance Festival tomorrow...

Reluctantly involved, I clenched my sweaty forehead and downed the remaining drink. Now I even have to dance in front of everyone? Great.

While I was lost in thought, the rest of the party members started discussing their plans for tomorrow. Do whatever you want...

Huh?

At that moment, my eyes narrowed as I looked out the window.

Am I seeing things? It seems like theres something blurry outside.

Rising from the sofa, I walked over to the window and opened it.

"Yiiikes?!"

There stood Dusk Bringar, looking pitiful. Startled by my appearance, she flinched.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, sweating nervously.

"...What are you doing?"

Dusk Bringar was pressed against the drawing room window, spying on the five of us enjoying our snacks and drinks.

Dude, its not like youre the Little Match Girl or something, why are you peeping into other peoples happy homes on Christmas Day!