A Failed Knight Who Went to the Academy To Get Married

009 A Sports Festival for Conspiracy

“From now on, we will commence the 217th sports festival of Arasis Academy!”

A boisterous voice echoed through the gymnasium’s speakers.

Amidst the applause of many, a few invited dignitaries delivered their formal opening speeches.

During this time, Princess Shia glanced over the pamphlet and remarked,

“The fencing competition for the first years is starting.”

To which Traein, who was beside her, jostled his cast-covered arm and replied,

“I’ll be returning to my class soon. Will you be alright here by yourself?”

“Don’t worry. No one knows I’m here except for you, Lord Traein.”

“Ha ha ha…”

No, Prince Sirian had already found out.

It was clear that Princess Shia knew as well but pretended not to.

Moreover, was it really alright to rely solely on perception-inhibiting magic and leave a princess unattended?

Amidst Train’s growing concerns, the announcer’s voice suddenly boomed.

“Then, shortly, we will begin the first-year swordsmanship competition!”

Train rose from his seat.

“I’ll be back.”

“You must show us something spectacular, okay?”

“Please don’t expect too much from an injured person.”

***

The swordsmanship event was a 3-on-3 mock battle.

The Knight’s Department versus the Marksmanship Department.

The Swordsmanship Department versus the Magic Department.

Afterward, the winning departments would face each other.

Naturally, it was expected that the Knight’s and Swordsmanship Departments would win and compete in the finals.

However, the actual match against the Marksmanship Department was one-sided.

Jeez single-handedly took down all the opposing students with his halberd.

Why a weapon that’s a combination of a spear and an axe was approved for ‘swordsmanship’ is another question altogether.

“Ha-ha-ha! This is the true power of the Knight’s Academy!”

Honestly, Train was a bit surprised by Jeez’s performance.

As a demon race, his physical abilities were superior,

but it was evident he hadn’t neglected his training despite his nonchalant nature.

Therefore, Train readily returned Jeez’s high-five, saying,

“Not bad, huh?”

“I had to make up for that pathetic display before.”

“It’s a good thing that guy with the sacred relic or whatever wasn’t here this time.”

“It’s weirder that he had such a bizarre thing in the first place.”

Anyway, Train’s team returned to the waiting room amidst cheers from other Knight’s Academy students.

Sitting on the bench, Lizbeth said to Train and Jeez,

“The real battle starts now. If we’re talking pure skill, the Swordsmanship Academy is definitely above us.”

Looking at past records, the Knight’s Academy had only a 10% chance of winning.

Moreover, since the Swordsmanship Academy was mostly commoners,

they were likely to resort to underhanded tactics, abandoning any knightly honor.

As evidence of that, I’ve already been tricked by that guy, Akra.

Lisbeth stared intently at Train’s arm and said,

“I apologize once again. I truly have no excuse.”

“It’s fine. I’ve heard it so much it’s become tiresome.”

“Cowardly bunch, I will make sure to defeat them.”

Lisbeth took a deep breath and then asked the two,

“As we discussed yesterday, let’s team up with Jeez and take down the weakest opponent first.”

Then Train, holding the practice sword borrowed from the academy, said,

“I’ll stick to the plan, pretend to chant the magic sword spell, and draw their aggro while running away.”

Originally, magic is not permitted in swordsmanship competitions.

However, it could be allowed under the condition that ‘the magic sword is not detached from the hand.’

Even so, since I’m injured, summoning the sword won’t be much of a force.

In that case, let’s take advantage of the fact that the opponent will likely try to disrupt the spell chanting itself.

Then, the announcer’s voice came from the speaker,

“Victory for the Swordsmanship Department! The final match between the Knight Department and the Swordsmanship Department will take place in 10 minutes, please prepare your teams!”

Once again taking the stage, the group called Train couldn’t believe their eyes.

All three students from the Swordsmanship Department had their left arms tied up with rope.

Looking at their ridiculous appearance, seemingly mocking Train’s cast, Lizbeth frowned and asked,

“What are you guys doing?”

Then, the student named Ark from yesterday stepped forward and answered,

“It’s an apology for yesterday’s incident, as well as a handicap.”

Lizbeth smiled satisfactorily and asked again,

“Got any rope to spare?”

“Thought you’d ask, so of course, we’ve prepared some for you too.”

Eventually, Lizbeth and Jiz, without anyone asking them to, began tying up their own left arms.

Thanks to that, the audience seemed to be in high spirits, as loud cheers could be heard from all around.

While the two students were busy tying their arms, Train approached Ark and sneered in a low voice,

“This is all part of your strategy, isn’t it?”

Ark just laughed deviously in response.

“Why are you being so petty?”

“On this side, we have the greatswords and halberds that require both hands. On that side, all three wield one-handed swords. Is it really being petty?”

“Oh~ I didn’t expect you to notice that.”

At that, Train suddenly burst into laughter and said,

“You got me there. Quite the sharp mind, huh?”

“You’ve got a pretty cool personality too. I thought for sure you’d hold a grudge.”

“I prefer a cunning person over someone who fusses about chivalry unnecessarily.”

“You were a commoner too, right? If we were in the same class, we could have been good friends.”

“I agree.”

In fact, Train had become a baron just this morning,

but at the moment, he had completely forgotten that fact.

As Lizbeth and Jiz stood with their arms linked, the referee shouted,

“Get ready!”

At his cry, the students of the Knight Academy took their positions with tension.

However, the students of the Swordsmanship Academy did not assume any stance at all.

Ark shouted at Train.

“Wait for me to summon my sword!”

Train frowned and asked.

“Are you serious?”

“We’ve already won, so what’s the harm in giving you that chance?”

Train pondered for a moment before asking the referee.

“There are no specific restrictions on the size or shape of a magic sword, right?”

“As long as you don’t let go of it, it doesn’t matter.”

Ark snickered.

It’s common knowledge that one can control the size of a magic sword at will.

Even more so since it has no weight, the bigger, the better.

However, the larger it is, the weaker its strength and the greater the magical energy consumption.

‘Whether big or small, an injured nobody like him couldn’t possibly win against me, the strongest in the swordsmanship department.’

Ark’s permission for Train to summon his sword was merely for show.

If he could take down Train, who’s been needlessly famous lately,

Ark could surely steal his fame and become the hero of the academy.

The judge shouted.

“Begin!”

Train laid down the sword he was holding and raised his right hand above his head.

“Even if the body perishes, the chivalry shall last forever. Sword of the departed, answer to my will.”

A magical sword appeared above Train’s hand.

At that, Ark on the opposite side stumbled back in surprise.

“What? Wait… No…”

It was indeed a shock.

For the sword summoned by Train was a colossal blade over 10 meters tall.

The magical sword, emitting a faint blue glow.

Train, holding it with one hand, looked no different from a hero out of a fairy tale.

The uproar in the stands went without saying.

“This year’s top student of the Knight’s Academy is truly different!”

“That’s the guy, the talk of the town, Train, isn’t it?”

“Quick, take a picture of that!”

Train said with a sly grin.

“Here it goes.”

The colossal sword began to fall towards Ark.

Ark calmly lifted his head to focus on the blade of the magic sword.

“Such shallow bravado!”

Ark struck the magic sword powerfully with his own.

As expected, the magic sword shattered easily like glass.

“Typical bluster- urk!”

Suddenly, a tremendous shock hit Ark’s lower body.

From noble mtl dot come

Train had sneakily picked up the practice sword and thrown it at him.

Normally, Ark could have easily dodged such a surprise attack,

but he was so focused on the magic sword that he didn’t notice.

In the end, Ark crumpled to the ground, clutching ‘that area’ with both hands.

“You cowardly b*stard…”

Traine approached Arc leisurely and said,

“It’s not that I care about being called a coward.”

After kicking Arc hard enough to knock him over,

He looked down at him and stated,

“Don’t you think you’re in no position to call me cowardly?”

In the end, Arc passed out.

The strategy to steal Traine’s fame,

Only served to make Traine stand out even more.

Traine sighed once and then shouted,

“Jeez! Lisbeth! Take down the guy on the left first!”

That’s when the other students, who had been dazed, started to move.

Lisbeth and Jeez charged at the student from the fencing department on the left together.

“We stick to the plan!”

“Okay!”

Traine alone rushed towards the student from the fencing department on the left.

And then, he launched himself into a body slam.

Thanks to that, the two of them tumbled down together noisily.

“You’re going to have to lie down quietly with me!”

Train slipped his arm into the ropes that the male student had tied around his own arm.

“This brat!”

The male student struggled, but because they were tied together by the rope, he couldn’t detach Train.

Eventually, Lizbeth and Jiz took down one in a swift joint attack,

and the student Train was holding onto, now left alone, declared his surrender.

At the same time, the announcer’s vigorous voice echoed throughout the gymnasium.

“Knight Department’s comeback victory! With this, the Knight Department is the winner of this year’s fencing category!”

***

Train, Lizbeth, and Jiz received a fervent baptism from the other Knight Department students.

Some slapped their backs with abandon, others tousled their hair wildly.

Amidst it all, who was the sneaky one who poured water over their heads?

In the end, it was only after a while that Train was released and able to return to the noble’s spectator seats.

Approaching the spot where Princess Shia was, Train stared at her intently for a while.

Then Princess Shia said with a smile,

“Welcome. You’ve recognized and found me properly this time.”

It was then that Train recognized Princess Shia and sat down beside her.

“…The perception-inhibiting magic is quite something.”

Princess Shia teased,

“For someone who seemed to lack enthusiasm, that was quite the performance, wasn’t it?”

“It was just the opponent letting their guard down.”

“I’d like to praise you more, but I’ll save my words. Too much praise, and husbands get spoiled, you know?”

“Hahaha. That’s a funny joke.”

“Well, now that I’ve seen all there is to see, shall we go out for an academy tour?”

“There’s a marksmanship tournament soon with Prince Sirian participating.”

“I don’t need to see such an embarrassing display from my brother.”

With a look of disbelief, Train asked,

“What exactly did you come here for?”

“I’m interested in you, Train.”

“Please stop with those jokes, I don’t like them.”

“Why do you think it’s a joke?”

Princess Shia slyly placed her hand on top of Train’s as she spoke.

“After all, we only have less than a year to live, right? So don’t think of it as cheating, just enjoy it.”

Train roughly shook off her hand.

It wasn’t that he disliked the princess’s advances.

Rather, it was her attitude, as if she had given up on everything, that he couldn’t stand.

“Seriously, stop it. I have my limits too.”

“Oh my, why hold back? Right now, I’m just your cousin, Train.”

“Then let me be clear.”

Train stood up.

And then, he grasped Princess Shia’s shoulder roughly and said,

“Don’t live recklessly just because you’re going to die soon. Doing things like this will only make you suffer more.”

It was only after saying this that Train began to regret it.

To speak such harsh words to a princess, no matter the reason…

Could it be that execution is all that remains for me now…

Yet, for some reason, Princess Shia seemed to be in a better mood, suddenly laughing as she said,

“Is that the best insult you can muster after all that posturing?”

“Huh? That…”

“Still, I appreciate your words. It seems I did well to come here today.”

As Train was left speechless, his mouth agape,

Princess Shia rose from her seat with a spirited “Alright,” and declared,

“No matter how much you dislike me, a promise is a promise, right? So you must escort me to the very end today.”

***

In the end, Train reluctantly exited the gymnasium with Princess Shia.

He deliberately took her on a tour of the most uninteresting places, doing so half-heartedly.

“This is the sports field.”

“It’s impressively sized, befitting the academy’s standards!”

“This is the Knight Department building.”

“Thinking of Master Train taking classes here every day makes this place seem even cooler, doesn’t it?”

“It’s the backyard.”

“Is this where students share a forbidden love? Just like you and Master Train.”

“…Is it fun?”

“Totally.”

At this point, it was so absurd that I couldn’t even feel angry.

When Train glared at Princess Shia, she responded with a beaming smile and said,

“I’m a bit peckish. Is there a decent restaurant inside the academy?”

“Then, how about joining me at the cafeteria—”

Just then.

Suddenly, five knights clad in gleaming armor appeared and surrounded them.

One of the knights forcibly separated Princess Shia from Train and exclaimed,

“Princess! Please step back!”

For the first time, Princess Shia showed a look of displeasure and asked,

“What’s all this about? Who ordered you to do this?”

Amidst the knights in armor, the eldest-looking one stepped forward and shouted.

“By my command! How dare a lowly cur like you come rolling in to woo my daughter!”

With those words, he unsheathed his sword in one swift motion.

“Ah… surely not…”

Traine recognized him at a glance.

King Siandar, the ruler of the Kingdom of Altoria.

Quickly stepping away from Princess Shia, Traine exclaimed.

“Wait, wait, there’s been a misunderstanding!”

“Don’t make me laugh! You’re the scoundrel known as Traine!”

The king, bristling with excitement, took his stance and bellowed.

“Draw your sword at once! I challenge you to a duel myself!”

Traine looked around frantically.

None of the knights made a move to stop the king.

In the end, he appealed to Princess Shia with a pleading look…

“If Traine wins, you’ll acknowledge him as your fiancé, right?”

What is this nonsense?

The king’s face turned beet red as he spat out at Train, shouting,

“Fine! But if I win, that scoundrel is to be executed on the spot!”

Train stepped back and replied,

“No, I, how could I possibly duel with His Majesty-“

“As a noble, you cannot refuse a duel!”

At those words, chills ran down Train’s spine.

Could all of this have been Princess Shia’s plan?

The sudden appointment of Train as a noble.

Taking Train out during the sports festival.

It all fit too perfectly to be mere coincidence.

Looking at Princess Shia, she quietly cheered, “Fight on!”

“Die!”

The king suddenly raised his sword and charged at Train.

Train hurriedly pulled out a grimoire from his bosom.

The new grimoire I received from Princess Shia the day before yesterday,

‘Bremen Musicians’.

Muttering to myself, I opened the book.

“Who knows what will happen later.”