Chapter 8: Audience – 2

In the world of She Heals the Wounded World, what exactly is a knight?

A genius among geniuses.

Among them, only the elite few with the highest skill are granted the title.

To put it simply, only those at the pinnacle of martial prowess earn the position.

For example, over 30 assailants attacked the Crown Prince’s social debut ball.

Only four knights, including Father, were there to protect him.

Two of them guarded the critically injured Crown Prince.

The other two handled all the assailants attacking the other nobles.

The result: no fatalities.

That alone is astounding, but I’d wager if the venue wasn’t a fragile ballroom…

Or if there weren’t other nobles around…

Even just one of those knights could’ve subdued the assailants in an instant.

They’re a match for hundreds of ordinary soldiers—one against a thousand, unstoppable.

Such descriptors fit them perfectly.

It’s not just about raw strength.

Strategy, tactics, leadership, cunning, magic.

Even mastering countless skills barely lets you touch the edge of knighthood.

That’s why knights are revered and granted numerous privileges, with no one objecting.

For instance, a commoner knight’s family, up to three generations, receives lifelong imperial support.

If they achieve great deeds, they’re granted a title, founding a new noble house.

For noble-born knights, their family’s status rises significantly, potentially earning a higher rank.

All members of a knight order, upon death, are enshrined in the “Knights’ Mausoleum,” their names etched in the empire’s history forever.

That’s how honorable and revered knights are in this world.

“Am I really participating in the martial tournament in Heros?”

“That’s what Father and I were told.”

But because knights are such beings, there are clear restrictions.

The most prominent is their inability to participate in martial tournaments.

Martial tournaments are opportunities for aspiring knights.

A knight participating would turn the event upside down, with the winner predetermined.

“I’m the second son of the Axus Duchy. Participating in a martial tournament…”

The Axus Duchy has been a knightly family loyal to the empire since its founding.

The only family where all children, regardless of gender, are born with knightly talent.

Thus, even before becoming knights, they don’t participate in martial tournaments.

“Didn’t Ados say you expressed interest in participating?”

When I subtly hinted at refusing, the Emperor narrowed his eyes and asked.

Where did this misunderstanding come from?

…For now, I’ll lay out everything I remember.

In the original story, the Emperor seems gruff but is surprisingly jovial.

Rather than beating around the bush, it’s better to be honest from the start.

“I didn’t know about the martial tournament in the Roselia Duchy.”

“Then why did you think you were summoned to the palace?”

“Father said we’re heading to the Roselia Duchy this week for a mission. I thought it was related to family duties, my first mission, so I expected to receive orders about it.”

“…I see. Ados.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Explain. If you forced him to participate, I’ll be disappointed.”

“It’s true I said that, but I was told Ike wanted to join the tournament.”

Told?

By whom?

“Last Monday, Lady Reyna of the Roselia Duchy came to me directly. I believed it was true, but there seems to have been a misunderstanding.”

…Last Monday, Reyna?

I can’t clearly recall what we talked about last week.

Meeting the original story’s heroine two weeks ago.

The story’s changes and what to do next—I was preoccupied with those thoughts.

[‘Then I’ll talk to His Grace about it.’]

Now I remember Reyna saying something like that.

I still don’t know why it came up or how it led to this.

What was our conversation?

No matter how hard I think, it won’t come to me.

“Then we should speak with the Roselia Duchy’s eldest daughter.”

“…I’ll do it.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been wanting to test my true abilities. I think it’s a good opportunity, so I’ll participate in the martial tournament in the Roselia Duchy.”

If this is what Reyna wants, I have no choice but to do it.

“But if word spreads that the second son of the Axus Duchy is joining a martial tournament, won’t there be backlash?”

I resolved to participate in the Heros tournament, but I couldn’t help but wonder.

No matter my current skill, being the second son of the Axus Duchy doesn’t change.

To most people, Ike Axus is already as good as a knight.

“It doesn’t matter, Ike.”

The Crown Prince answered my question.

“The Axus Duchy not joining tournaments is just tradition, not a rule. Right, Duke Axus?”

“Correct. Common citizens wouldn’t even know such a tradition exists. It’s a custom, not a law.”

Father nodded to the Crown Prince, then turned to me.

“I’d normally stop you no matter what…”

He bit his lip as he looked at me.

“Ike, you seem held back by something. You’re still caught up in the tension from that day, aren’t you? But you must have your reasons for not confiding in me.”

“Father.”

“Still, I believe you’ll overcome it. I’m allowing you to break tradition because I think this tournament will give you something valuable.”

So, Father continued.

“Win, Ike. It’ll be tough for you now, but I believe you have the skill to do it.”

Looking into Father’s eyes, I couldn’t say it was impossible.

“Understood, Father.”

I took a deep breath and nodded quietly.

Returning from the capital on Thursday, I finally met Reyna on Friday, after a week.

“So you’re participating?”

“Preliminaries start next Monday. Five days of preliminaries, two days of rest, then five days of main rounds. After the main rounds, a week of rest, then the finals.”

So, 20 days total.

“And? Can you win?”

Reyna’s face was full of expectation.

Winning would be ideal, but honestly, as Father said, it was a tall order.

“I think I can aim for it.”

Still, I genuinely wanted to win, and I didn’t want to crush her expectations already.

“After all, I’m a knight aspirant.”

“Hehe, I’m looking forward to it. Here’s a small gift in advance.”

“A gift?”

Reyna handed me something cutely wrapped.

“A pendant?”

“Yep, specifically a locket. Open it.”

I pressed the small button on the side, and the lid opened, revealing a clear sky-blue light.

The light formed a circle, transforming into a beautiful clock.

“…It’s pretty.”

“Right?”

I was so happy I wanted to jump up and hug Reyna.

But I had my pride, and more importantly, I couldn’t do that to her, the Crown Prince’s fiancée.

“It can hold one charge of mana to activate an A-grade protective spell.”

Well, you can’t use magical artifacts in the tournament without permission.

Reyna said with a light smile.

Unlike her casual tone, I couldn’t immediately process her words.

An artifact with an A-grade protective spell?

Even conservatively, it’s worth over 100 platinum coins.

Far too expensive to call a small gift.

“Thanks, but isn’t this too much? It’s not a special occasion, and I haven’t won the tournament yet.”

When I asked with concern, Reyna lowered her eyes slightly.

“…I wanted to properly thank you.”

“Thank me?”

“Yeah.”

I hadn’t done anything special recently, so what did she mean?

I wanted to ask with a light laugh, but her demeanor was serious.

“Since you saved me at the ball, I’ve been thinking I need to show my gratitude properly. You said it was fine, but that wound was far from trivial.”

Reyna bit her lip as she spoke.

Seeing her look almost sad made the scar from that day throb.

“Words alone aren’t enough. If I don’t repay you properly, I can’t call myself your friend anymore. That thought kept nagging at me, so I asked the Duchess for help.”

That reminded me of the market trip.

She mentioned picking up something Mother had requested.

“Was the locket what you got at the market?”

“More like the materials for it. I wanted it custom-made. I gathered the materials from various sources, and the market was one of them.”

She’d been thinking about this the whole time.

I was really fine—after all, I’d resolved to live for her.

But hearing this, I couldn’t refuse the gift just because it was expensive.

“And also…”

“Also?”

“No, I’ll tell you after the tournament. You’ll find out anyway.”

Reyna gave a small smile.

Was she planning to give me something else if I won?

“Anyway, you said you can aim for the win, right? I’ll be in the stands with Father starting from the main rounds, watching you.”

I’d boasted about winning, but Reyna seemed to genuinely believe it.

The fundamental purpose of the martial tournament is to find raw talent for knighthood.

In other words, most knight aspirants participate.

I could probably pass the preliminaries easily.

There aren’t that many knight aspirants.

But could I really shine in the main rounds?

Objectively, I’d place around 10th at best.

Martial tournaments typically have about 10 knight aspirants.

I can’t even pass the first stage of the knight order entrance test.

That’s why 10th is my ceiling.

“It’s a bit uneasy breaking family tradition.”

“But you want to become a knight, right? Then you’ve got to push harder.”

I don’t particularly want to be a knight.

Reyna’s request to Father for my tournament participation stemmed from this misunderstanding.

I was consumed with the need to get stronger to protect her.

Last Monday, I carelessly said I wanted to be strong enough to become a knight.

Hearing that, Reyna brought up the tournament.

When I said it was impossible due to tradition, she went straight to Father herself.

Honestly, I wanted to tell the truth and cancel my participation.

“I’m expecting you to win.”

But I couldn’t say that to Reyna, who genuinely believed in my victory.

All I could do was try.

To get even one minute, one second closer to that movement.