72 – Southern Hunting Tournament (11)

Alphonse and Elena are just staring at the forest. There were several people in the venue who were anxious to see the two of them, but these two did not seem to be interested in anything other than Damian’s return.

Louis, who was standing in the same spot, was okay. Since there was a request from Damien the day before, if the two of them wanted something suitable, they planned to keep that atmosphere as much as possible.

‘So, remove the elements that interfere with it as much as possible.’

I didn’t have to think deeply about what was in the way. Even if it’s just the countless people’s eyes that you feel behind your back, you’ve got enough answers about what to do.

Originally, it was not to her liking to interfere in such a situation, but this time it was different. As a knight, it is natural to carry out the orders of the lord. Above all, since it was the first order he had received since serving as his lord, Louis intended to faithfully fulfill his words.

Louis briefly recalled the memory of meeting Damian last night.

His face, which he hadn’t seen in a long time, was much looser than before. Originally, he was not a fierce or sharp person, but if he had been a sword-like person who had left his scabbard outside, now he couldn’t put the sword in the scabbard, so it seemed as if he had wrapped it tightly in cloth.

“Sir Lewis. I heard that you will not be participating in the hunting competition tomorrow due to preparations for the departmental fair. So, could you please do me a favor?”

“It is natural for a knight to obey the orders of his lord.”

“You’re not a knight yet…”

“All cadets from the Knights Faculty are recognized as semi-knights. And after graduation, they plan to join the Black Dragon Knights…”

“Okay. You can stop talking.”

ask.

It had been a long time since Louis had known Damian, but it was the first word he had heard from him. He was a man who always did everything alone, and to be honest, it wasn’t that there were no people around him to the point where Damian even borrowed Louis’s hand, so it’s rare for Damian to come out of his mouth asking for a favor.

Louise is said to be old by others, but she also had her own romance. Nothing particularly special. Just carrying out the orders of the master as a knight. However, as mentioned earlier, her master, the human, has never asked for a single trivial request.

This is a problem that time will solve, but she is still very young, so she was very weak in this kind of waiting. So, at Damian’s words this time, she looked at him with a passionate face different from usual. Louis’ expression was very rare, so it seemed like there was no difference to others, but that was the case anyway.

“Do you remember that I have a younger brother? He and my fiancé will be present at the event.”

“You’re talking about Master Alphonse and Lady Edelweiss.”

“Yes. What I’m asking for… you can think of it as a simple escort mission.”

“Guard. Is something going to happen at the venue tomorrow?”

“No, it’s not that grandiose. But there’s something I’m concerned about. As you know, I won’t be participating in the hunting competition tomorrow. My father has to lead the competition, so he won’t be able to be there. Anyway, let’s leave the two of us alone in the venue. I’m just a little worried about you.”

Damian scratched his cheek as if he was a little embarrassed. It was natural for a brother to worry about his sister, and for a man to worry about his woman, so Louis still looked at Damian with passion and listened to him.

“Alphonse is a smart kid, but he’s never stood in front of other people before. He might be surprised if too many people suddenly turn to him, so I’d like him to be by his side and help out.”

“All right.”

“And Elena…”

Damian paused for a moment and hesitated.

It seemed that he was ashamed to say what he was about to say. As Louis stared at him, Damian hurriedly continued, perhaps conscious of his gaze. However, it seems that the words are not organized properly in my head.

“Helena… she’s beautiful. No, the word cute would be more appropriate.”

“…Suddenly boasting here?”

At Damian, who suddenly said something absurd, Louis said with his eyes wide open.

“Ah..ah..that’s why!! It was a story that people with dark hearts might approach Elena. Anyway, I hope that those who approach the two will be properly organized in a respectful manner.”

Seeing Damian’s greatly agitated appearance, Louis nodded his head in agreement with a satisfied face. Judging by the reaction, it seems that the relationship between the two is not very special. Seeing that, something seemed to make his heart happy, so Louis smiled inwardly and asked Damian.

“If you’re so worried, wouldn’t it be better for Confucius to be right next to you? Isn’t Confucius intent on the tournament?”

Lewis was well aware that he was not the type to dwell too much on tournament results. Seeing so many worries, it seems better to let them be together. It was a competition. It was enough if Damien was not feeling well or made an excuse to drop out.

To Louis’s question, Damian paused for a moment before replying with a faint smile.

“…That’s right. In the past, it would have been. But in this tournament, I don’t intend to move around like I did before.”

You have to show off your cool side. Damian left the place with a short voice.

It was at this time. Lewis was able to be sure of the winner of this competition.

Seeing Damien shining brighter than ever he had seen so far, Lewis was convinced that he would show his skills to others without hesitation in this competition.

***

Luis said he would bring them something to eat for a while, then left the balcony.

It was clear that the two had no intention of leaving until Damian returned. However, it was awkward to just stare blankly at the forest in a place where there was nothing, so it was a story I brought up because I felt like I had to do something. Of course, this was just an excuse for her to come out.

When I came out, everyone was focusing their attention on one place, as if they were curious about what they were so curious about. Since she was the only outsider who had been with Elena for a long time, they seemed to have no intention of hiding their feelings in front of Louis, unlike when they met Elena herself.

As soon as she left the balcony, she drew the curtains so that Alphonse and Elena could not be seen. Then he glanced at the crowd in front of him.

As Louis met their eyes without saying anything, a strange confrontation between one person and dozens of people began. Eventually, several people standing near Louis could not overcome their temper and approached her.

“Hey, Sir Louis. What are you talking about inside…”

The man who first approached her and opened his mouth suddenly stopped talking. Soon, one by one, the mouths of those behind him start to close. Questions about their sudden change did not last long. Those who were still watching her could notice the slowly changing air flow.

She was once called the best martial artist in the south.

The energy that Louis radiated was not something that ordinary people could resist. Some tried to confront them for a moment, but when she turned her head to them, they quickly lowered their tails and looked away from the balcony.

At once, the noisy venue became quiet.

Although the banquet hall was large enough for a large number of people to gather, no one could not feel it because the momentum that Lewis spread was so strong. Everyone quietly moves their gaze away from the balcony as much as possible, pretending not to show it.

Although Lewis is called ‘Sir’ by others and treated as a knight, she was still a student at the academy who had not been formally knighted. If there was a peculiarity, it would be that he had been second in the knight department for three consecutive years at Estelia Academy, where many geniuses were gathered.

In any case, it could be said that the action just before was too excessive to be said to be the action of an academy student.

Surprisingly, however, no one cursed or criticized her here. Still, there must have been at least one person who objected, but everyone seemed to be accepting of what Lewis had done.

That’s because there is no fool who doesn’t know who is behind Lewis if he has settled down here in the south.

Just as the emperor is the law in the zodiac, Krause is the law in the south. Even in the same empire, Krause’s status was never inferior to that of the imperial family in the south. These were the people gathered here. They belong to the Empire, but their owner was named Krause, not the emperor.

The fact that Viscount Graham’s eldest daughter was placed under Krause’s protection had been a familiar story for a long time.

There were even rumors that Sogaju of the closed Krause kept in touch with her at least. And the story that had been heard only in rumors turned out to be true today.

The second son of Count Krause, who had never appeared before, appeared through Louis, and even Sogaju’s fiancée did not leave the place with her. This alone was enough reason for them to lower their tails in front of Lewis.

The momentum that shook the crowd a while ago might make them think that a fox is pretending to be the owner of a mountain without tigers, but they know that Lewis’ actions do not mean that to them.

Not much is known about the person of Louis Graham. Was it not for nothing that he was nicknamed the best martial artist in the south? It was proof that she showed a lot of impressive performances to the public unlike anyone else.

The personality and skills of a person named Lewis were at least to those who settled in the South, to the extent that there was no one who did not know them. It was a fact that everyone here knew that she was not the kind of person who would suddenly rise up and threaten without any reason.

So, knowing that Lewis’ actions were not just a threat, but a warning from someone, they quietly lowered their eyes.

As Louis moved his steps, everyone left their seats, including you and me. An awkward atmosphere pervaded the entire venue, but Lewis didn’t seem to mind at all. Rather, it was as if she liked the current situation, and her steps even felt breezy.

‘Mission complete!’

That’s right, the only thing in Louis’ mind was that Damian had solved the mission he had entrusted to him. It’s weak, but it’s scary enough to live, so if you don’t want to risk your life, everyone won’t move your body recklessly.

Damian would not have thought that Louis would move so strongly, but in any case, she faithfully fulfilled Damian’s orders.

Silence came to the venue for a while, but soon after, they continued to talk about their own, treating Louis as someone who didn’t exist. Of course, no one approached her. The venue seemed to be split in two: Louis and the rest.

Satisfied with the gaze and noise that he could no longer feel, he moved to the table where the food was prepared.

Is it because I heard something before?

She picked up a plate and prepared mainly sweets.

There were so many different types of refreshments prepared that it was enough to fill a plate with just one of each type. I didn’t forget to prepare a drink that would lightly soothe my mouth in case someone gets thirsty while eating.

After some composition was finished, she walked toward the balcony again with a proud face. It was still the same face on the outside, but it was obvious that the atmosphere had changed. So, before entering the balcony, Louis once again turned around and looked at the people.

This time, unlike when she came out of the balcony, no one made eye contact with Louis. Everyone is just saying what they have to say. Seeing this, she nodded lightly as if telling her to do it and disappeared behind the curtain.

It was only after Lewis disappeared that people were able to breathe a sigh of relief.