~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
Knights clad in armor,
Loyal to the throne
Ill will, you harbor,
You'll be begging to atone
Decorum and chivalry,
the king's will be done
A tournament invites rivalry
A pillar of a kingdom
~ • ~ • ~ • ~ • ~
Early in the morning, a carriage pulled up to Grisia's manor.
Kairo heard the clacking of the horses' hooves come into a halt. He got up from his bed and observed the movements outside from the window in his room upstairs.
As he drew his face close to the glass to see better, his breath kept fogging up the glass. He wiped it away after every few moments.
Snow gently danced down in the air. The air was cool, but still.
Fredrick was closing the gate as some maids, including Alex and Esmeralda, welcomed the visitors.
As the light snowfall continued, the carriage door opened. Two armored folks stepped down, inspecting the area and standing by the carriage's steps.
Bluish-silver armor that looked thin and light with their swords sheathed by their hips. They looked impressive, as if they fit in the snowy garden of the mansion.
Their stance was relaxed. Kairo saw one of them yawn. It must be the weather, it was early in the morning after all.
They looked like knights to Kairo from the look of their full-body armor and dashing helm. Like the ones he'd seen from those drawn illustrations in his storybooks of heroic tales and monster vanquish.
Although, he wondered if it was okay for those knights to be that carefree.
After some time, another knight came out of the carriage. This time, he had his helm off. An older man with brown hair, a mustache, and a weathered visage, though no apparent scars on his face.
He looked important since the two other knights straightened up—or at least tried to—before following this unhelmed knight into the mansion. Not only that, he could also see that this man was different by the way he carried himself.
Kairo's eyes glinted. He noticed that this person's ki aura was different from those two knights, and those two's auras were already impressive to him, compared to the faint auras of ordinary passersby in town.
He changed out of his bedwear hastily and into his comfortable, commoner clothes, then rushed out of his room.
The mansion was absurdly large, and so, he wrapped his feet and legs in ki and bolted through the hallway, taking care to make minimal noise so as not to alert the visitors.
As he dashed, only the tip of his toes would touch the floor every so often to launch himself forward. No wasteful actions, moving efficiently and swiftly as he routinely observed from Grisia's movements.
This kept him mostly in the air, almost gliding through the space.
Simultaneously, he focused on detecting nearby ki to avoid crashing into a person.
He figured that the best way to get a handle on using ki is by using it as much as he can in everyday life. As if it were second nature to him.
He didn't feel tired yet, so he kept on using it.
He saw the end of this hallway, so he turned, following the corridor to the stairs. He went down the stairs, and as he felt more and more ki of figures gathering in one place nearby, he halted into a stop.
Aisia was already there, one wall away from the visitors. It seemed she had the same idea of snooping around as him, as she smirked with a shushing gesture.
As Kairo went to her side, she said, "So, you also used ki to rush down here."
He nodded while panting. He was feeling the aftereffects of using ki all willy-nilly. But he wasn't as tired as he thought he would be.
They listened in carefully as Grisia walked in the lounging area from behind them.
They were surprised, but he only gave them a stern look, as if to say "behave yourselves".
They gulped.
"Whoops, caught," Aisia snickered.
"Lord Grisia." The unhelmed knight bowed to him. "I'm glad you're well."
"Spare me the pleasantries, Commander Mernell," Grisia replied coldly. "Have a seat and let's cut to the chase." As he sat himself on the short sofa that faced the other couches.
Kairo thought that Grisia must be highly respected by the knights if he could boss them around like that.
As the two knights behind this Commander Mernell were about to take their seat on a couch, Mernell raised his hand, signalling them to halt.
The two knights froze in place, halfway about to sit on the soft, pristine-looking couch, right when they'd just endured the rocky travel and the stiff seats of the carriage.
They could hear the purple and green pillows calling for their name. But they awkwardly stood up straight as their commander wished.
"Then, will you permit me to speak frankly?" asked Mernell with his intimidating gaze. His wrinkled face and sharp mustache, serious and unmoving.
Kairo soaked in every moment between their exchange. "What's gonna happen? Why is the air so tense? Are they about to brawl?" he wondered.
Grisia waved Esmeralda and the other maids to return to their duties.
"Yes," Grisia responded.
"Why did he send Esmeralda and the others away?" Kairo turned to Aisia. "Are things about to get real?!" he asked softly, but with urgency in his whisper.
Aisia shrugged with her eyebrow raised, shortly shaking her head twice and curving her lips to the side.
They both resumed their observation.
"Then if that's the case..." Mernell started walking up to Grisia.
The two knights behind him adjusted their posture. Kairo and Aisia leaned forward, anticipating the scene that was about to unfold.
When Mernell was but a step away from Grisia, he suddenly kneeled, and with tears in his eyes, yelled out:
"Please refrain from joining the upcoming knight tournament!"
Grisia seemingly didn't react to this. Either because he was expecting it or he was too dumbfounded by the situation. Kairo couldn't ascertain between the two.
For a few moments, the room fell completely still. Silence overtook the area and became the loudest thing present.
Not even the maids, who incidentally walked into the scene, dared to make a whisper to start a gossip.
"Ugh, uncool, old man," Aisia whispered with a disappointed grimace, almost to the point of disgust.
A few more seconds passed until someone broke the silence with one word.
"Fine."
When Grisia uttered his curt response, Mernell looked up with a wide-eyed smile on his face. An unexpected, favorable turn of events for him.
"I-Is this real? Just like that, you would agree to it? Sincerely?!"
"Why, do you not want it?"
"No, no, no, my lord! It is one of your best decisions yet! I knew you were wise. I respected you for a reason!"
Kairo thought that was anti-climactic. He looked at Aisia and her face showed the same sentiment. He supposed that all's well that ends well.
He was just glad it didn't become a shouting match or a brawl. Seeing Grisia's refined, calm ki aura compared to Commander Mernell's larger, more raw aura that laid his emotions bare, he knew it wasn't even a match.
Just because Commander Mernell has more aura showing naturally, doesn't mean he's stronger. Since 「 Ki 」 is a secret power, he could presume that Commander Mernell didn't practice it.
That means what he could see was the extent of Commander Mernell's ki, while Grisia is concealing his own ki aura masterfully.
Kairo felt like Grisia's raw, unleashed ki might actually start to affect the surroundings and put immense pressure on other people. He is on a whole nother level just from one look, even as a complete amateur in 「 Ki 」, he could feel the depths of Grisia's powers, which made him sweat a little, grinning in disbelief, yet excitement.
"Well, I suppose I should take my leave now." Mernell lifted himself up from his knees, dusting them, then gesturing to his men to move out.
A toothy grin on the commander's face, as if a child was just told by his mother that they're having his favorite meat stew tonight.
This whole situation somewhat rubbed Kairo the wrong way. The chivalrous and stoic knights he looked up to... how were they this... prideless? Unserious? He sighed.
I suppose knights like this would exist. But maybe there are still some other splendid knights out there...
"But before that..." Grisia uttered.
Mernell instantaneously turned his head with a shocked look so abruptly, that his mustache nearly flew off.
"I have but one condition," Grisia continued.
"Y-Yes...? If you still mean to withhold from participating in the event, then we are willing to compromise!" Mernell rubbed his hands together with a placating grin. "Whatever your wish may be, I know we can come to an agreement!"
"Kairo, Aisia, come out."
The two looked at each other, wondering if they heard that right.
As if to answer that question, Grisia looked straight at them. The knight commander and his aides followed where Grisia's head turned.
Unsure, they both walked into the room. Kairo, with his hands scratching the non-existent itch on his head and neck. And Aisia, pouting with a mean look.
"Children? Eavesdropping?" Mernell commented. He scoffed after finding the face of a juvenile criminal in Grisia's abode, yet also unsurprised.
"Io..." Kairo tried to give a polite greeting.
"Io? A runt from the countryside-" Mernell caught himself with a repulsed face and immediately switched his tone. "Ahem. I see you've made an... interesting friend, Lady Aisia. How long have you two been there?"
"Long enough to see you grovel at my pops' feet!" Aisia answered with a triumphant smirk, crossing her arms together and huffing with both pride and disdain.
Commander Mernell let out a scornful sigh, but held his tongue as he had to remind himself that this was the infamous thieving daughter of Grisia. The one that many couldn't touch even though she was a blatant criminal, all because she was backed by this powerful faux-noble.
"You can't be serious, Lord Grisia! These are..." As Mernell was about to find a courteous way to describe them, he saw Aisia stick out her tongue when they made eye contact. "...literally children!"
Grisia looked more and more weary of the conversation. "They will do just fine, treat them as you would another legal participant."
"You mean to tell me that you're alright with your... unbecoming, roguish thief of a 'daughter' being perceived in public? I fear that your reputation will... take an unnecessary hit." Mernell crossed his arms and made a conniving look.
Kairo noticed Alex grimace.
"You can't let him speak to me like that, pops! Show him what for, let him have it! Tell him h'what!" Aisia shouted, tugging on Grisia's arm.
"Yes, you're exactly right, commander." Grisia leaned back in his sofa and linked his fingers together, resting his elbows on the armrests with a smile that unnerved everyone in the room. "I'd like her to attend this tournament to learn the values of what makes a knight. Who knows, maybe she'll turn over a new leaf and serve the kingdom as a knight herself?"
"Why- I-"
"What is it? You don't want another promising recruit joining your ranks to help develop the kingdom?" Grisia's unchanging, keen-eyed smile asserted such immense pressure.
"No- it's just that-"
"You want to shatter a hopeful child's dream of protecting this illustrious kingdom of Jamais that we hold dear to our hearts?"
"Wa-wa-wait-"
"Perhaps I should join the tournament after all..."
"Fine, fine!" Mernell yelled, gasping for air. His mustache all frizzy. "If that is your wish, then they may join. But I suppose I should warn the men to hold back as much as possible this time." He smirked. The two knights chuckled behind him. "I just don't get how these little runts will be able to go past the elimination rounds."
That's actually fortunate. We could use them underestimating us to our advanta-
But before Kairo could finish his thought, Aisia spoke up.
"You shouldn't underestimate us," she declared with an arrogant smirk.
Oh boy. Kairo's face drooped, foreseeing what was about to happen.
"We might actually just beat you." She snorted happily, with her tiny hands resting on her hips all proud.
The two knights bursted laughing, Mernell couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.
Aisia gave them a deadly stare, then turned to Grisia for support.
Grisia spoke, immediately catching the attention of the three knights. "Aisia, you shouldn't speak like that."
Kairo grimaced in surprise, while Aisia could only scoff at Grisia's reaction, disappointed that he didn't defend her.
"You shouldn't be too humble. Because I am certain, you'll wipe the floor with them," Grisia said, closing his eyes and resting his head on his fist as he lazily leaned on the sofa's armrest.
Everyone looked at him as if he just killed a person.
The silence in the lounging area was too loud.
Mernell broke the silence first, pleading with his hands clasped together. "Y-You must be kidding, my lord! We know you cherish your... daughter... very much, but if you keep making wild jests like that, people might look down on the kingdom's knights!"
"Not at all. I'm being quite serious, Mernell. Have I ever joked before?"
Kairo saw Esmeralda bow her head, earnestly trying to mask her smile with a kind, hospitable face.
"How about this. Let's make a wager." Grisia proposed, extending his hand towards Mernell.
"A wager, sir?"
"Precisely. I think this will be favorable for you. I won't participate in the knights' tournament, but you'll allow my two trainees here to participate as if they're standard adventurers themselves. If even one of them loses a single battle, I will permanently withhold my participation in any and all knights' tournaments."
"But... if they win?"
"Hmm... that's interesting. Do you think they'll win?"
"Hmph! Not in a hundred years! Our knights are trained rigorously as fitting candidates for the position of the king's most esteemed royal guards! Two fledgelings could never hope to best them in a duel!"
"Rigorously, you say? Then it would really be a shame if they lost to my young trainees, eh?"
Mernell realized that his impulsive urge to defend their knight's pride trapped him.
The piercing gazes of gossipers transformed the relaxing lounging area into a thorny battlefield.
"Well, if they win..." Grisia tilted his head, yet keeping his piercing, yellow eyes on Mernell's. "...then just give them 1 gold each. They're children, they should have some toys they'd like to buy, no?"
Another backhanded blow.
The gears in Mernell's head started to turn.
If they refuse this, gossip will definitely spread about how he just talked big about the kingdom's knights, but refused a favorable and easy wager against some honorary noble's children.
If they accept this, they'll be seen as bullies who would jump at the opportunity to gang up on weak children.
Any answer he gives, he's already in a lose-lose situation. The knight army will suffer a huge reputational damage because of this, depending on the potential severity of the gossip.
And judging by the cruel smirks and the chilling chuckling of the maids, he wasn't feeling hopeful.
Trust in the knights will plummet and the knights themselves may be demoralized. Then, security will waver along with it, which can endanger the kingdom as a whole.
He was starting to sweat, he could feel himself getting dizzy from the weight of this decision that he had no other choice but to make.
He turned to his two aides, but they both nervously looked away from him.
Of course, now these fools don't envy my position.
On the other hand, Mernell was suspicious of the two children Grisia was stubbornly endorsing. Are they really some sort of prodigies? Is there an underhanded method that would let them win some bouts? No, they only needed to lose one for Lord Grisia's condition to take effect.
Or is them winning not the point? Was Lord Grisia aiming for something else with their participation?
In his mansion, Grisia had the upper hand all along. To strut in here with his head held high and mistake his servants' hospitality and courtesy for naivete and soft-heartedness was a mistake.
His position as a knight commander might as well be in danger if he makes the wrong move here. Worse than that, his head is probably on the line. Mernell winced, anxiously rubbing his neck, imagining his head rolling down the ground in the garrison.
The captain will not like whatever option he chose here. But Mernell thought it would be best to choose the lesser of two evils for now and take getting chewed out by the captain later on, rather than spend another second being socially tortured here.
"We... we agree to those terms." Mernel sighed. The two knights behind him looked at each other, but didn't say anything against their commander's decision. "But in turn, to prove that they are qualified, they must get an adventurer's license. Ordinary people can join the tournament, but that's because usually, only adults would think of joining. Sadly, they're children, and even your word, my lord, cannot hold up to scrutiny in public. We can't do much about it, I sincerely apologize."
"That's fine by me. Thank you for compromising and making it easy for us."
"It is my... pleasure... my lord," he replied reluctantly. "And may I add one more thing?"
"Speak."
"Would it be alright if word of this deal didn't spread?" He turned to the maids who were still whispering to each other.
"Yes. You have my word." Mernell sighed in relief from Grisia's reply. "But in turn, I don't want to hear anything about my trainees being mistreated."
"No-no! Never!" Mernell waved both his hands widely and shook his head.
"A little teasing and banter is fine." Grisia assured him. "But there's a fine line between that and bullying. The same goes for you, Aisia." Grisia turned to her, and so did Mernell and everyone else.
"What?!" she cried.
"I give everyone permission to talk smack back if she starts acting spoiled."
"Y-Yes, my lord..." Mernell wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or not that Grisia was willing to be lenient to them when it came to his foster daughter.
"Set her straight for me if she causes trouble. So don't cause trouble, Aisia."
"Fiiine," she replied, as if she really was planning to cause trouble, Kairo noticed.
And so, the discussion ended, and the knights were quick to leave, politely refusing tea and refreshments. Eager to return back to their garrison after this whole ordeal.
Mernell looked back to Grisia for a moment, clicking his tongue and shaking his head before exiting out the mansion doors.
Grisia left and went back to his room to rest, with Aisia barraging him with questions, jumping and stomping beside him in frustration.
Esmeralda and some other maids saw to the knights as they left the manor.
Save for Alex who went further inside the mansion to attend to her other duties.
"Hey, Alex!" Kairo called upon her with a soft tug on her dress. "Why did you look like you were in pain earlier?"
"In pain? Oh, Kairo-dearie!" She fixed her hair above her ear with a worried grin. "That's because Esmeralda and I know how much Lord Grisia despises politicking. He sees it as an absolute waste of time. So when Commander Mernell pushed that button about little Lady Aisia being a thief, and damaging reputations and whatnot, I knew Lord Grisia would try to strike back in his own way: by inconveniencing the knight commander."
Kairo was stuck wondering why someone would be mad when the button on their shirt were to be pushed. Maybe it's because it's rude to push on someone with a finger?
"Such intense pressure he was applying to the poor commander, I swear," Alex continued to mumble on her own.
In any case, he now confirmed that there was something behind the tense and awkward tone between Grisia and the knight commander. Is that what politics is? Snarky comments and wrangling in deals? He sure had a lot to learn still.
Maaaybe I'll stick to my training. Politics sounds like a lotta headache.