In a softly lit room, Princess Iris reclined on a couch, delicately holding a teacup between her fingers.
Her cherry-red lips gently sipped from the cup, and the play of light cast an uncommon sense of tranquility upon her face.
As she prepared for another sip, the door swung open abruptly.
A knight, distinguished by the royal crest on his armor, hurried into the room, exclaiming: "Your Highness! There is significant news from the second round of the tournament that requires your attention."
He was an old knight with white hair and a beard. Despite his aged appearance, a powerful aura emanated from him.
[Picture in the Paragraph comments].
The princess's eyes widened momentarily at the unexpected intrusion, but she quickly regained her composure, gracefully placing the teacup on the table.
She fixed her gaze on the knight and inquired: "What is the news?"
Curiosity filled her as she pondered the magnitude of the information that prompted a knight to breach the decorum of her chambers without the courtesy of knocking.
This deviation from protocol heightened her anticipation; whatever news it was, it had to be of considerable importance.
The knight bowed respectfully as he declared: "Your Highness, I seek your forgiveness for entering your chambers without adhering to protocol.
However, when I received word of this information, I felt compelled to inform you at once. I am prepared to accept any punishment you may deem fitting."
A smile graced the princess's face, and she responded with concern, "No need to apologize, Sir Lockhart. You are the most loyal and skilled royal knight, having supported me unwaveringly from the beginning. In moments like these, when we are alone, there's no need for formalities."
Dwen Lockhart, the captain of the 2nd unit of the royal knight order under Princess Iris, had been by her side since the beginning of her quest for the throne.
He had evolved into a vital pillar of her faction, a trusted ally. As a 7-star knight, he provided substantial support to the princess.
Upon hearing the princess's reassuring words, tears welled up in Captain Lockhart's eyes as he nodded: "Yes Princess!"
Afterward, a grim expression settled on his face as he spoke in a serious tone: "The news pertains to Winter Nightfallen. Are you familiar with him?"
Dwen fixed his gaze upon the princess, awaiting her response, which came swiftly: "Yes, I've heard of him.
I heard he has quite a foul mouth but is a formidable fighter. His match was said to be the most entertaining in the first round."
Dwen nodded with a serious expression before elaborating: "Indeed, that's accurate. However, today, it seems all that information was just the tip of the iceberg.
He had been deceiving all of us from the start!"
A frown appeared on the princess's beautiful face as she inquired: "What do you mean by that?"
"Do you know which hand he fights with?" Dwen questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"I've heard he's left-handed; it was unusual, so I remembered it," the princess answered, perplexed by Dwen's question.
"Today, he admitted that he is right-handed in the match. That means he had been using his weaker hand all this time while deceiving us.
Moreover, what's even more absurd is the fact that he wields a different weapon in every match and dresses in ridiculous attire, as if he's mocking his opponents by not taking this tournament seriously," Dwen explained.
On the other hand, the princess's eyes widened further as she absorbed this revelation.
Her expression regained its tranquility as she inquired: "Does it mean that his opponent was powerful enough to force him to use his right hand and reveal his true strength?"
Dwen snorted in response to her question: "Powerful? Hmph! That Golden Star couldn't land a single hit on him.
He even got his dominant hand fractured in a single attack.
It was Nightfallen who admitted to using his weaker hand throughout the match, making it fair so that his opponent wouldn't forfeit!"
The princess nodded, absorbing all this information, before asking: "Doesn't this mean that all those rumors about him humiliating his opponents were false?
He even went out of his way to make the match fair for his opponent."
Dwen sneered in response to her query: "False rumors? No, they were not only false but nowhere near his true humiliating nature.
He intended to humiliate his opponent by allowing the match to continue.
He cleverly and skillfully made it impossible for Golden Star to forfeit, putting him through the utmost shame possible."
Princess Iris couldn't contain her curiosity as she inquired, "Oh, what did he do to make you say that?"
She had known Dwen for a long time, and this was the first time she had seen that fearful and disgusted look on his face.
Dwen Hesitated before answering: "He stripped him in the middle of the ring, with the entire capital watching, leaving him lying there only in his underwear,"
"What?" She exclaimed in a voice filled with shock. She couldn't even fathom someone doing this in a tournament match.
Stripping a knight meant robbing him of his honor, and without honor, he couldn't even be a knight.
This act meant that Adrian had closed his path to becoming an official knight.
Golden Star would now be unable to join a knight order, regardless of how much he improved. This match would be a lifelong mark of humiliation for him.
Dwen nodded solemnly: "Yes, he is an absolute devil when it comes to making his opponents regret fighting him."
A grim expression revealed itself on the princess's face as she questioned in a serious tone, "Then, do you think I would lose to him?"
Dwen shook his head in rejection, "No, Your Highness! I wouldn't dare. I just wanted to inform you that it wouldn't be as easy as you thought to win this tournament and Duke Valentino's support."
The princess smiled as she ordered, "Good. Now, gather information about this Winter Nightfallen. The more information we have, the easier it will be to defeat him."
Dwen bowed as he declared in response, "Yes, Your Highness. I will commence my investigation at once."
Leaving the room, Dwen left the princess alone. She approached the window, gazing at the view outside.
A serious expression settled on her face as she murmured, "Winter Nightfallen."
The news about Adrian spread among all the participants, and now he was the one they wanted to avoid the most as their opponent.
At this point, everyone had come to realize that Winter Nightfallen was no mere clown but a mastermind deceiving them while hiding himself in the dark.
The list of potential winners was once again updated, featuring Winter Nightfallen's name.
At present, he was considered the most mysterious contestant with no available information.
No one knew his limits or how much further he could go in humiliating others.
These factors instilled terror in the hearts of the other participants, making them reluctant to face Adrian.
However, oblivious to all this, Adrian stared at a screen that had appeared in front of him after the match.
A grim expression dominated his face as he continued to gaze at it.
---------------------------------------------
*ding*
Congratulations, Mr. Asshole!
[I would like to congratulate you for surpassing my expectations once again. You've outdone yourself again this time, and as promised, here is your reward:
Reward - Hint about demons
One of the priests of the cult of the Demon King Orcus is present in Argenzon. One of his undead Death Knight is participating in this tournament, impersonating a human.]
---------------------------------------------
"So, does that mean Orcus has started making his move, or is it only his minions who worship him?" Adrian contemplated with a grim expression.
"By Orcus, does it mean that Demon Prince Orcus?" Demios questioned.
"Didn't you receive my memories? Why are you asking like you don't know about him?" Adrian responded in an annoyed tone.
"No, I am asking because the Orcus I knew and the Orcus from your memories are too different," Demios answered, feeling wronged.
"Oh, what was the Orcus you knew like?" Adrian inquired indifferently.
He wasn't genuinely interested in learning more about Orcus, but he asked anyway.
Demios reminisced about his past as he answered: "He was a cute and handsome child who would worship me from time to time. I liked him quite a lot,"
Although he had lost some of his memories, he remembered these moments.
Disdain and disgust showed on his face as Adrian asked: "Cute and handsome? Orcus? Are you sure he is the same Orcus I know?"
"He should be. He was supposed to be a Demon King when he grew up. Therefore, it would make sense for them to be the same person," Demios replied.
"Alright, then, Let's find this death and priest of the cult of that cute and handsome Orcus, pfft... hahaha"
Adrian couldn't control his laughter when he uttered the words "cute and handsome" for that hideous Demon King.
---------------------------------------------
(A/N - I have commented Demios' picture in the paragraph comments.
Check it out before leaving.
Thanks for reading. ^..^)