Chapter 82: The Token

“You’re quite greedy. What are we to do when you win both last time and this time? What was your reason for participating twice?”

Before the award ceremony, the Emperor expressed mild criticism toward Caelan.

“At this rate, no one will show up for the next knight tournament. Won’t they be cautious about recklessly jumping in like moths to a flame against someone who’s already won twice?”

The Emperor extended his hand to the side and received the trophy. However, he didn’t hand it over to Caelan. It was a prompt demanding Caelan’s answer.

“Last time and this time were different.”

“This trophy is the same, and I who present it am the same. So what’s different that makes you say that?”

It seemed the order of awards for Caelan and other recipients would be endlessly delayed until he heard the answer.

“Back then, I had no one to ask for a token from, but now I do.”

Caelan turned his head to look at the person who hadn’t taken their eyes off him. Among all those offering congratulations, she alone couldn’t smile, worried about him.

“I want to show her since she worked hard to make it.”

“Ah, I heard about that.”

The Emperor nodded and handed the trophy to Caelan. The moment Caelan received it, cheers erupted throughout the arena.

“Though I haven’t heard that her skills are anything to boast about.”

Caelan withdrew without giving any response to the Emperor’s muttered words.

All processes of the award ceremony begin with the winner. Receiving the Emperor’s congratulations, accepting the trophy, and receiving the token.

Caelan slowly approached where Bliss was. Though in the spectator seats, Bliss was at the lowest level, watching him from a height where she could reach him if she extended her hand.

“Now I’d like to see the embroidery you made… I won’t laugh when I see it.”

[You can laugh when you see it, just don’t expect too much.]

Bliss gave Caelan a sidelong glance. He had adapted what she had said before, but came back with different words.

“I said you can laugh……”

Even though she said not to expect too much.

Bliss considered whether to point it out but sighed instead. With everyone watching them, it was time to bring out what she had kept carefully hidden.

Bliss tapped the box beside her. The box, which had been there for who knows how long, was long enough to reach her chest.

Caelan noticed the box and muttered to himself.

“Did you make such large embroidery?”

“Of course not.”

Bliss smiled and pulled out a sword from the box. As surprised murmurs grew around them, Bliss held out the sword to Caelan.

“This is my token to you.”

Caelan stood still holding the sword. Unlike the usual tokens of handkerchiefs or clothes with embroidery, she had given him a sword, which made him wear a strange expression.

“This is the second sword I’ve received from you.”

Finding this curious, Caelan stared at the sword for a long while before finally smiling at the decoration on the handle.

There was the embroidery that Bliss had worked so hard on at her gatherings.

“I knew you would laugh.”

“It’s not because it’s ugly. Just… the dedication shows through.”

Caelan, having discovered even the underlying sketch not fully covered by the embroidery, met Bliss’s eyes.

“Thank you.”

When Bliss gestured for him to go on, Caelan returned to his place and drew the sword in front of everyone.

Shing, at the soft cry of the sword leaving its scabbard, everyone held their breath and watched.

At first, only a finger’s length was drawn, but as more of its true form was revealed, people’s surprise grew.

“I thought I saw the sword gleaming, did I see wrong?”

“It could have been the sunlight.”

“But this is no ordinary sword.”

Along with the voices heard here and there, Caelan looked at the fully drawn sword. While the shape of the sword was ordinary, everything else was different.

The wolf pattern engraved on the blade. Somehow colored, a black wolf was engraved with vivid detail.

“Your wife has an interesting talent.”

The Emperor spoke to Caelan as he looked at the sword. He shared the story related to that sword.

“It seems she’s been influenced by my daughter in such a short time, burning with research enthusiasm until something occurred to her.”

Caelan looked down at the sword. The weight being similar to the one he received last time meant it surely was iron mixed with other metals.

Engraving a pattern on a sword with enhanced strength. It was like engraving lifelong pride for the knight of the family who would possess this sword.

“Taking collections that seemed useless when viewed separately and making them into one item. Jasmin told me about it.”

The Emperor sighed regretfully while looking at Caelan’s sword.

“If Jasmin had thought of it, I would have had one made for myself, how disappointing. All this time, thinking of the princess’s research as mere child’s play, I must have missed something quite significant.”

Having said that much, the Emperor came to the center of the stage and called out loudly.

“To Marquis Caelan Adrian, who has won the knight tournament for the second time, I bestow the title of Imperial Sword.”

“Waaaa!”

“Additionally, I grant the Imperial Sword the title of Duke. The Selvarian territory shall be given to Duke Adrian.”

As something akin to glory was bestowed upon one man, beyond the level of giving awards to the winner, the cheers in the arena grew even louder. They cheered for the Imperial Sword who would protect them, and Bliss couldn’t hide her surprised expression at this unexpected outcome.

And Caelan, now Duke Adrian, approached the Emperor.

“You’re giving me a title for winning twice?”

“What reason would I have not to give it when I’m gaining both an Imperial Sword and a promising researcher at once?”

There was no way he wouldn’t know that the promising researcher referred to Bliss.

“Do you know what your wife said when she came to show me that sword? She said her embroidery skills were terrible so she would give me a sword instead, and that next time she would work hard for me.”

The embroidery at the sword’s tip fluttered in the wind.

“When shown something desirable and told to expect more, what can I do?”

The Emperor patted Caelan’s shoulder.

“I look forward to what’s to come. Both from the Duke, and the Duke’s wife.”

With those words, the Emperor passed by Caelan and approached the other knights. While watching the moment of awards being given and tokens being received in order of rank, Caelan looked at his sword again.

The light that showed when it was drawn from the scabbard was certainly from the Kling he had seen before. Considering the effort that went into this one sword, there couldn’t be a more wonderful gift.

“The embroidery is what I like best.”

He wondered what Bliss would say if he told her that neither the gleaming light nor the vivid engraving compared to the embroidery.

As Caelan kissed the embroidery while looking at Bliss, her face turned bright red.

After that, the award ceremony, which seemed to be proceeding smoothly, became noisy once again when Count Karhen Nebula requested a token from Princess Jasmin.

***

Having descended from the stage, Caelan looked at the face of the person blocking his path.

“Becoming a Duke… Did you aim for this from the start?”

It was Duke Blast.

“You should know what I was aiming for.”

It started with a bet for possession of the dagger. For that, Caelan had climbed the stage each time, received wounds from ambush, and fought through a difficult final match.

Of course, he had thrown his body into gaining the upper hand against Viscount Jimilta and got thoroughly scolded by Bliss for it.

“Do you think you can deceive me with those words now?”

“How could there be deception when I haven’t lied?”

“How dare you……”

“Only for now.”

Caelan cut off Duke Blast’s harsh voice.

“From here on, you won’t be able to treat me like this anymore.”

Implying that once they were both dukes, he couldn’t be treated so carelessly, Duke Blast’s face twisted almost ugly.

“Let’s talk about something more important than titles. Will you accept the results of our bet?”

There is nothing more important than titles. However, since becoming equal dukes meant he could no longer manipulate him, a moment of contemplation came to Duke Blast. Would it be better to maintain their hostile relationship or to wait and strike from behind?

“I accept the results of the bet.”

“Is that so? The dagger had disappeared so I was in a situation where I couldn’t give it to you……”

Caelan passed by him with a relaxed gesture.

“Fortunately, there’s no need to give it anymore.”

It meant that since it had become his, whether it disappeared or broke was no concern of Duke Blast’s.

After Caelan left like that, Duke Blast, left alone, glared in the direction where he had disappeared.

“Arrogant bastard.”

This knight tournament had ended up lowering his honor while elevating Caelan’s glory.

Having already seen Viscount Jimilta carrying his crest up there, word would have spread secretly.

Now that they would know about his loss too, they would laugh gleefully while speaking ill of him. He had to do something to avoid being looked down upon by them, and he had already thought about it.

He would use Viscount Jimilta, who had brought things to this state.

If only he had won in the finals, none of this would have happened, so what happens to him can’t be helped.

“I won’t let either of them be.”

It seemed he should postpone dealing with Caelan, whom he couldn’t touch right away, and make an example of Viscount Jimilta first.