Chapter 73: Her Highness the Princess, and the Matters of the Deans

Constantine felt a chill in his heart, remembering that this little girl he hadn’t seen for a long time was a hidden powerhouse. Last time, that unlucky fellow clutching his chin and screaming in agony was enough to make anyone remember deeply the slender sword the girl wielded, though no one knew where it came from.

Fortunately, however, even though only a few weeks had passed, Constantine’s condition was already far beyond what it had been back then. He slid one foot back a step. The speed granted by the agile gloves was enough for the youth to dodge that sharp, whistling thrust. At the same time, his hand hidden within his robe slid slightly, and he uttered a vague word. The tip of the sword was then grabbed by an invisible hand and pulled sideways!

The energy of the Mage Hand dispersed in an instant, but the slender blade hummed and vibrated incessantly. Although the little girl tightly gripped her weapon, stopping it from flying out of her hand, she couldn’t launch another thrust.

The youth turned leisurely towards the vibrating foil pointing at his face, deeply furrowing his brows. “Young lady, launching an attack without declaration and a sneak attack from behind are not habits befitting a proper lady. In fact, it’s quite despicable… And not everyone can remain calm and not retaliate after receiving such an assault. You should thank me for my restraint.”

A teenager making an adult expression to lecture someone was undoubtedly a comical sight, though the one being lectured certainly wouldn’t be in a good mood—”What about your actions just now? Weren’t those despicable?” The girl sneered loudly, and she immediately received a chorus of agreement from the surrounding spectators.

“Even though you didn’t even clearly state the reason, I still accepted the challenge and began the duel according to standard procedure. There was nothing despicable about it,” Constantine’s gaze swept over the clamoring group of children, his face under the hood’s shadow replying as if stating the obvious. “Yet you selectively ignore the act of a sneak attack… Or perhaps, in your thinking, young lady, only when you or the side you represent wins a duel should it be called justice, and the opposite is always despicable? Then I have nothing more to say.”

A row of disdainful looks immediately shot from the onlookers. This youth in front of them was simply being shameless and unreasonable… But arguments often went this way; the calmer and milder one side was, the more furious the other side would become. This was the so-called soft overcoming the hard.

“You…” Sure enough, the little girl stomped her foot angrily at this rogue’s attitude and raised her sword to thrust again!

She was wearing a pale blue dress. In truth, such attire wasn’t suitable for a fight, but she seemed to have had special training. Her speed while advancing and retreating wasn’t hampered in the slightest. That foil thrust repeatedly in the air with a hissing sound, occasionally drawing cheers from the onlookers. However, after a while, the cheers gradually died down. Everyone began to realize these swift thrusts were completely useless against the young Mage before them… Constantine dodged as if he could predict her movements. The flashing blade couldn’t even touch the slightly fluttering robe beyond his body!

“You should really stop. You cannot defeat me.” Constantine still smiled. Although the training in the Soul Channel was illusory, it seemed exceptionally good for training the nerves. This foil of hers might indeed be fast, but it was nowhere near as fast as the arrows shot from the darkness, or the endless stream of lightning and fireballs from magical traps.

What the youth said might have been the truth, but the somewhat flippant tone in his words clearly irritated his opponent.

The girl withdrew her sword and stepped back, her beautiful blue eyes glaring fiercely at Constantine. A feline-like aura erupted from her completely… Then, she loudly recited something.

Was that some sort of spell language? The youth’s brow twitched under his hood. He noticed a blast of colored light exploding in his vision! And with this radiance, the slender foil in the girl’s hand lengthened and extended as if it were soft fabric. In an instant, it had transformed into a different form!

“I must warn you… from now on, you’d best be careful for your life!” The girl spoke coldly.

The weapon she now held in her hands was a somewhat bizarre one. It looked like two long swords connected back-to-back to form a double-ended sword, yet it was exceptionally heavy and long. The combined width of the two broadsword-like blades was almost over seven feet in length. The dark-colored edges didn’t look sharp, but the youth knew that its length alone could grant it sufficient destructive force!

Such a weapon looked bizarrely mismatched compared to the girl’s slender figure. But Constantine absolutely did not dare underestimate his opponent—even though the weapon’s form had changed, the tip of the long blade did not tremble in the slightest. Moreover, at this moment, the other party’s aura had also undergone a significant change.

The previous anxiety and impatience had vanished without a trace, replaced by an aura of confidence. Carried by this aura, the girl’s small and seemingly weak frame now seemed filled with immense power, about to be unleashed upon Constantine!

“Is it necessary to go this far? At most, I merely tore one of your dresses… Why make it seem like a lifelong feud?”

The youth muttered lowly, his brows furrowing even deeper… The pressure emanating from his opponent made him abandon his playful demeanor, but the dissatisfaction in his heart also grew… His personality indeed made him prone to showing magnanimity when dealing with girls, but that didn’t mean he was willing to be bullied by a woman without fighting back… It seemed he needed to teach this young lady a lesson, to make her understand the importance of being approachable.

“He…Her Highness will definitely win! That annoying fellow is just waiting to be taught a lesson! Haha! Haha!” In the crowd of onlookers, several youths laughed with schadenfreude, but a young lady beside them frowned in confusion. “Using such a large and heavy weapon, Her Highness… Princess Liya’s stamina will probably be consumed very quickly, right? After all, girls aren’t as strong as men…”

“Young ladies don’t quite understand this… A double-ended sword is not an ordinary heavy weapon. Once the blade is set in motion, the balance of its design means the wielder doesn’t need to expend too much strength. The centrifugal force actually increases its attack power to a considerable degree! In fact, even with protective measures, getting caught in a swing of such a sword is still plenty dangerous, enough to break bones!” A youth who, besides his family crest, also wore a Knight’s badge of the same make was happy to have this chance to show off. “Even if that guy wants to fight evasively, his stamina will be drained even faster! And how could a Spellcaster’s stamina compare to Her Highness, who trains every day…?”

Whoosh!

A blazing gust of wind swept past Constantine’s hood, pushing it against the back of his neck. Metal grazed the top of his head and lifted his platinum-blond hair.

The youth in the vortex of the fight naturally didn’t notice the whispers of the spectators, but he had long since noticed the weapon’s formidable aspect—this exotic weapon’s attack pattern was extremely swift and convenient, and the one in the girl’s hands was clearly unique. The hilt had special designs, allowing it to operate freely whether held horizontally or vertically. And the spinning method of use was bound to be less strenuous—the principle was like pushing a cart. Once the cart starts moving forward, it carries its own momentum, and the person pushing it almost feels pulled along by it.

Even if he wasn’t a weapons expert, the theories of Great Hero Bear were timeless and profound.

But a weapon that relied on inertia for attacks naturally had its weaknesses… Just as the blade grazed past his head, Constantine suddenly raised his hand. One hand traced a strange symbol, causing his opponent’s movements to involuntarily slow down. The spinning double-ended sword paused momentarily. And the other hand…

Held a blade. An adamantine scimitar.

A grating, teeth-grinding shriek sounded. The scimitar drawn from under the robe pressed against the spine of the double-ended sword. Then, as the youth forcefully pressed down, a dull thud followed. One end of the sword was slammed into the ground!

The girl gritted her teeth. She knew the characteristics of her weapon very well. Once the spinning momentum halted, this huge blade lost most of its offensive capability. After all, her thin body didn’t possess the strength to instantly pull the blade from the ground and swing it again!

But she had her own special move too… At the same moment, she pushed down with her hands, using the greatsword as a pole to launch a flying kick!

Court shoes were small and exquisite, designed mainly to maintain a perfect appearance. They were often padded with some iron plates or wood inside. That small foot, aided by external force, suddenly accelerated, heading straight for Constantine’s head! It was definitely a clever surprise attack. At such close range, probably even a proper Knight would have little ability to dodge such a blow!

However, Constantine was not a Knight.

He simply charged forward like a Knight would when facing an attack. Thus, the part of the girl’s foot with the greatest force and intimidation ended up resting on the youth’s shoulder! And right in front of her was Constantine’s face, growing larger and larger!

Thump! In a not-so-loud sound, their faces made zero-distance contact… Unfortunately, it wasn’t the amorous scene one might imagine.

The youth abruptly stepped back, watching as his opponent slowly regained her posture. Then she slowly crouched down, covering her face with both hands, though she couldn’t hide the sound of her sobs—so he reached up and touched his own forehead… There was blood on his fingers.

A moment later, the sobs turned into loud, bawling cries… The black-robed Sorcerer standing in place could only stand there honestly, feeling very frustrated in his heart—You were the one who started the trouble. You were the one who insisted on finding an excuse to duel me. Now I’ve dueled with you, but you… What kind of logic is crying after losing a fight? It seems the saying ‘women cannot be judged by reason’ is absolutely a universal truth suitable for any age group.

But after this brief reflection, looking at the young lady who was still continuously wiping her tears, Constantine suddenly realized he might have done something a bit wrong… No matter how fiercely the double-ended sword was swung, his opponent was just a little girl barely of middle school age. Losing a fight and having her head bumped hard, naturally, she would cry.

A group of royal relatives had already gathered around, but their upbringing was clearly much better than the one Constantine had encountered in the Mage Tower. At least they chose to obediently follow the rules rather than swarm in all at once. But this didn’t stop them from lending their moral support to the little girl—many pairs of eyes glared fiercely at the youth cloaked in black robes. If looks could generate attacking power, without a doubt Constantine would be shredded, burnt to a crisp, and then some.

Of course, Constantine wasn’t very concerned.

There was a widely circulated saying in this world… Goddess Banshaba always liked to stir up a little mischief after creating tragedies.

The female attendant who had been leading the way stepped forward at this moment. She helped the sobbing girl to her feet and used a clean handkerchief to wipe away the poor girl’s nosebleed caused by the impact. Her movements were gentle and slow, but a casual sentence she uttered made Constantine, standing nearby, feel a chill run down his spine.

“Are you alright, Your Highness the Princess?”

In his memory, he hadn’t heard of any princess from a country on the Continent currently residing in Hayton. And within the Phoenix Empire’s royal bloodline, there were only two princesses. He had already met one earlier… So, this was the other one?… This little girl who had just fiercely sent her underling to duel him, then took to the field herself, only to receive a headbutt from him and get a nosebleed… was his fiancée, the Imperial Princess, Miyari Galanord Ralphe?

Next, the youth could only curse his own stupidity in his mind… Appearing in the Imperial Palace, displaying some spoiled willfulness and an imperious attitude, and being able to mobilize a group of royal relatives… seemed… to fit this princess’s identity very well.

“If she is the Imperial Princess, that could explain why she was in such a hurry to pick a fight… Then what about that assassination attempt I encountered on the street before?… Hmm, now doesn’t seem the time to think about that… Then I should quickly bow and apologize, say I offended her, and beg for Her Highness the Princess’s forgiveness?… No, I’m her fiancé; at most, it’s a family dispute. Besides, she started this duel; I don’t need to apologize. Should I just kill everyone to silence them? But there are so many people…”

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, but poor Constantine couldn’t reach any decision at that moment. And then, as if the pair of sister Goddesses in charge of fate thought the scene wasn’t lively enough… Ripples representing Spatial Spell energy spread through the surrounding air, and a sharp voice cried out.

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—”

…

“His Majesty the Emperor has arrived—”

A Mage wearing ornate robes raised his staff. As the crystal at the tip of the staff flickered with a faint white light, instantly, all the lights in the great hall blazed forth, illuminating the vast space brightly.

Countless men in magnificent formalwear knelt on one knee. Noblewomen and young ladies bowed their heads gracefully in a curtsey. And a well-rehearsed, unified chant echoed forth: “In the name of the great gods, we bless His Majesty, the esteemed Emperor of the Phoenix! Your glory envelops every subject of the Phoenix, your mercy reaches every land of the Phoenix! The Empire shall forever prosper and grow strong under your leadership. Gods bless the Emperor! Gods bless the Phoenix!”

“Everyone, please rise. There’s no need for such formality…” As the Supreme Sovereign waved his hand, the attendant who led the chant bowed and stepped back. The people cried out once more, men and women alike radiating proud smiles, expressing their loyalty to the Sovereign with fervent shouts. “Gods bless the Emperor! Gods bless the Phoenix Empire!”

It seemed the Emperor of the Continent’s most powerful nation was in extremely high spirits today. He did not proceed directly to his luxurious, reserved seat. Instead, accompanied by a group of attendants, wielding his incredibly valuable scepter, he walked through the crowd, amiably greeting each subject who knelt separately for him. However, the gazes of the nobles, who had long been navigating the arena of fame and fortune for decades, invariably split some of their attention, focusing on the handsome youth beside His Majesty—a youth with lady-like, captivating eyes and wearing somewhat exotic attire.

The most favored Prince of Dellan’s new King had suddenly arrived in Hayton and was going to spend a period of time here for his studies… This news had only spread around noon, but for those qualified to enter this hall, it was already old news—For the established nobility, the intelligence they needed to grasp should at least be—

His Majesty the King had signed a treaty with Dellan, and this Prince of Dellan was the hostage stipulated in that treaty.

“These are the Deans of the three higher institutes of the Phoenix. Prince Rheinstett, you will choose one from among them to be your supreme mentor…” His Majesty the King’s scepter lightly pointed at several white-haired heads: “Viscount Leonardo, Dean of the Arts Institute; Viscount Orson, Dean of the Economics and Law Institute; and Marquis Joseph Jugashvili, Dean of the Royal Military Academy…”

“Greetings. I have long heard of your esteemed reputations…” The Prince with the captivating peach-blossom eyes bowed respectfully.

The Dean of the Hayton Arts Institute was a stooped, short old man. The Dean of the Economics and Law Institute was a chubby old man. And the Dean of the Royal Military Academy was an old… Marshal in uniform!

This old soldier’s attitude seemed different from his two colleagues—Although those attending His Majesty’s banquet were all renowned elder scholars of the Phoenix, in front of His Majesty and a Prince of a foreign nation, they did their best to rein in that scholarly arrogance unique to their kind. Dealing with the powerful wasn’t easy. Just like this foreign Prince who was remarkably young, praising him would lower their status as academic giants, while slighting him might incur potential animosity. So, the first two chose to wear somewhat ambiguous smiles, carefully responding with the experience and demeanor accumulated over their years.

But the Marquis adorned with the Marshal’s insignia on his chest clearly had no such interest… Even though frost colored his temples and brows, this man who looked over sixty years old held his posture without the slightest relaxation. His face, carved like a knife, every wrinkle, even the large, neatly trimmed mustache under his nose, seemed to exude a certain stern authority.

“And, Constantine…” The Supreme Sovereign of the Phoenix coughed lightly and pulled a figure in black robes of magic from the shadows behind him with his gaze: “You come and meet the Deans as well… Especially Marshal Joseph, because after this month ends, you will become his student!”