“You might catch a cold, so it’s better to have a glass of warm wine with honey.”

It was not that it wasn’t cold, but the weather suddenly became colder. When Valentine returned, it was almost like early winter, but this morning, frost began to form on the shrubs in the garden.

Although it disappeared in an instant when the sun rose, in the area where the sun had yet to reach, frost remained in every shadow. Adel looked out the window and replied.
“I’ll have tea in a little while. But more than that, I’d like to see His Highness… Where is he?”

“He is still in the training ground. It seems he is enjoying sparring with the knights after a long time. Shall I guide you there?”

“Yes, please.”

Adel nodded briskly. She felt uneasy about hastily concluding the conversation with Valentine earlier in the morning when she saw off Padre. Since she had already boarded the ship, she needed to align their words more thoroughly.

Moreover, according to Padre, the victory banquet at the palace was imminent.

‘It’s inevitable to stumble in speech, but at least etiquette must be perfect.’

It was natural that the “Dragon of Viserleven” would not be proficient in human etiquette. So, a little trickery was needed. The most effective way to cover up lacking etiquette was to dress in the latest fashionable clothes.

Adel thought that she had enough clothes she had purchased for the past few days, but she must definitely match Valentine’s clothes, who would stand by the emperor. According to Padre, his wardrobe might be as pitiful as hers, considering he had been only on the battlefield for the past three years.

“Yannick, can you tell Herman that I have a few things to discuss?”

“Of course. I’ll bring him to the training ground right away. Oh, be careful of the ground under your feet. It seems like the frozen ground has thawed.”

Adel grabbed Yannick’s outstretched hand and hopped over the muddy puddle. As she approached the training ground, the voices became louder and more tumultuous. It sounded like sighs and cheers.

Everyone seemed excited about something.

‘Are they perhaps betting?’

Beyond the piled-up logs, the inside of the training ground was visible. Among the knights gathered, she could easily spot Valentine.

He was confronting a burly knight with a wooden sword in one hand. Around them, knights who had taken off their armor were sprawled out. Their sweaty upper bodies were steaming, and each was emitting a faint steam.

“Oh my…”

Yannick sighed as he saw the sight. Margaret spoke coldly.

“It seems like we’ll need a lot of warm wine.”

Not that it wasn’t cold, but the weather had suddenly gotten colder. When Valentine returned, it was almost like early winter, but this morning, frost began to form on the shrubs in the garden.

Although it disappeared in an instant when the sun rose, in the area where the sun had yet to reach, frost remained in every shadow. Adel looked out the window and replied.
On the other hand, the knight facing Valentine seemed noticeably tense and demoralized. It appeared that the cause might be the previous contestants who had all been defeated. Like a predatory bird aiming for its prey, the knight, who had been inching forward with his sword aimed, suddenly roared and charged.

Adel was startled by the terrifying speed. Although Valentine held a blunt sword, it felt as if the knight was not sparring but genuinely trying to attack to the death. However, Valentine calmly evaded the knight’s attack without batting an eye. Rather than a direct clash of swords, it seemed like he was using the surface of the sword skillfully.

Valentine’s sword, like a living snake, entwined around the knight’s sword, rendering the attack ineffective. To Adel, who was ignorant of swordsmanship, it looked like a fascinating technique. The knights erupted in a mixture of groans and disheartened laughs.

“Heh…”

In the brief moment of observation, the swords clashed several more times at an incredible speed. While the knight’s sword couldn’t even brush against Valentine’s clothes, Valentine found more and more composure as time passed.

In a moment when the anxious knight recklessly executed a weighty attack, Valentine, with a slight twist of his upper body, effortlessly avoided the strike. Then, he swiftly raised the hand holding the sword and forcefully struck down the wrist of the knight, whose balance was disrupted.

“Oof!”

The sword the knight had been gripping made a thudding sound as it rolled on the ground.

“…”

A silence fell over the heads of the onlookers.