"Well, that was—" Konrad had no idea how to phrase it. "One of the fights ever fought, I guess."
He expected a high-stakes, pitched duel between trained knights and powerful champions.
One that would've had the crowd lose their mind and cheer to their heart's content.
What he got instead was the epitome of unrestrained caution.
Two armies with blunt weapons, facing off against each other.
Static formations, trying to outmaneuver the other side for almost an hour. They haven't scored a single hit or injury during that time, and in the end, they agreed to a draw.
Talk about disappointing.
"You've got to keep in mind, these are the elite," Helena noted. "The backbone of the military."
"It sure didn't seem that way to me," Konrad complained, already bored out of his mind.
"Those dukes aren't rivals, so why risk their best for no good reason?" the princess asked the rhetorical question. "Their men-at-arms are the only thing keeping their enemies at bay."
Which was the worst possible excuse.
If anything, they should've shown off their superiority for the whole world as a deterrent.
"Risk? With blunt weapons? Then why the healer if they don't even fight as if they mean it?"
'I don't mind if I don't have to revive two hundred men after every bout,' Lily noted.
He could almost imagine her shapely legs swinging at the edge of the arena, having a good time lazing around. While they used telepathy, it felt as if the princess had heard her, too.
"Lady Liliana is an exceptional talent," she admitted. "I've never seen a healer like her."
'Hah. See?' the demoness purred, if only in his mind. 'You should also praise meow more.'
Well, sure, Konrad was aware.
It was about two months ago in this exact town when the local militia beat him up good.
So many things have happened since; it was crazy to think now how it all started.
That was when Vargas found him, granting him the best treatment available.
Which was nothing compared to the ginger beauty's healing touch.
If he were to hire the same personnel from back then, they could've only eased pain. The soldiers would've still been out of action for a long time after the tournament had ended.
But since he had Lily, it was almost cheating. Especially, because it cost him nothing.
They couldn't have hired those charlatans for all the silver he had left.
And well, the nobles didn't know about his lover, so they remained cautious.
It all made sense. He would've done the same. And still—
"This is a tournament," Konrad muttered, "it shouldn't be this boring."
Helena could only laugh at the complaint.
"Wait for the next fight," she said with a smirk. "It'll be a bout between your western neighbour and the Duke of Aset. They hate each other's guts; so you can be sure they won't hold back."
His closest neighbors. One side led by Vargas, no less.
Yeah, he was looking forward to that fight.
"Out in the woodlands?" he asked, trying to remember the schedule.
This arena was one of the four locations where the fights took place between the six armies. It was also the smallest venue, but the easiest for the townsfolk to attend in person.
Without his illusion screens, they would have had no way to see the other locations.
Konrad's invention was revolutionary for tournaments in that regard.
"Yes, and your bout is the third today in the old, abandoned fort," the princess recited.
That was the most problematic one. Not only because he'd have to fight, but he had no way of broadcasting it at the same time. And since he had done the impossible once—
Now, everyone expected him to keep doing it.
'Still no word from Zoltan?' he asked Maple via telepathy.
She must have been on her way back from Eytjangard by now—or at least, he hoped.
'There was,' the dragon replied, but her tone promised nothing good. 'He took your gifts, but rejected your offer. And before I could try to convince him, he was gone.'
'Gone?' Konrad asked, his hopes already crushed. 'You didn't go there in dragon form, did you?'
Judging from Maple's annoyed grunt, she took offence at his assumption.
But knowing her, it was a valid concern.
'Believe it or not, I learned my lesson,' she thought, her voice echoing in his mind. 'I let your messenger talk to him first, then wanted to seduce him in my human form, but alas—'
Well, it was Zoltan they were talking about.
He was always cautious—and he had every reason to be angry, thanks to Gabrielle's schemes.
'If you can't find him, you'll have to take his place with the broadcasting,' Konrad warned. He already knew Maple's opinion about the whole thing, but he had no alternatives.
'I don't want to,' the dragoness moaned, making his ears ring and his head hurt.
'You'd better find him, then,' he replied before tuning out the connection between them.
All those powerful haremettes. And all they could do was complain, or cause him trouble these days—except Eyna. She was more of an angel than the actual archangel next to him.
But she was also human, and he had shoved way too many tasks at her.
"Everybody hates to work," Konrad muttered. It was more to himself, but it caught Helena's attention, too. "The illusionist won't help. So I guess nobody will see our fight," he explained.
Which, on the one hand, was a blessing, because it would put less pressure on him.
But it was also a problem, since he was trying to squeeze out as much profit from this event as possible. It was the king's order, but his silver—and he wanted them back with interest.
They could sell a lot of tickets in this arena, but only if there were viewers.
For that, they either had to organize the fights here, or broadcast them with his method.
"I'm more concerned about my brother not seeing it," Helena noted, glancing at the sun. "It wouldn't be the first time that he's late, but not even a scout to announce him yet?"
True.
The king missed the opening of his own tournament, and the second duel was about to start.
Konrad had to focus, redirecting his observation runes and the screens to the next scene.
He caught a glance of Vargas in full armor, barking orders to Lord Schwertburg's men. The captain seemed calm, leaning against a long pike almost twenty feet long.
Not the most logical choice in a dense forest, but he knew the old schemer too well.
"Should we postpone that match?" Konrad asked as he set up the next broadcast. "Hard to convince him of my leadership if he's not even here."
He tried to appear nonchalant, but had already reopened the channel with Maple in secret.
'Forget Zoltan, find Kasserlane's king instead,' he thought, getting only a grunt in return.
It was too early to panic, but something in his mind clicked.
Two disappearances in a day? And on an important one, no less?
Now, of all times, right when he had to prove himself.
'You're being paranoid,' Lily chirped, reading his unsettling thoughts.
But Konrad shook his head.
'Not paranoia, if someone's chasing you,' he thought. 'We have Maou Midori to deal with, too. Even if it's a coincidence, and has nothing to do with him—I've a bad feeling about this.'