Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 731: Start of the Rite [1]

Azmonia.

Situated not far from the Evenus household, it was a modest territory under the rule of Baron Azmonia.

This was the chosen place for the Rite.

Not only was it a neutral ground, but with much of the territory nestled deep within a narrow forest, Azmonia was the ideal location to host the Rite. Neither side had to hold back, and we could go all out without any problem.

Naturally, the Baron would be compensated for all damages his territory withstood during the Rite.

While there existed one city within the territory, the location of the event was set far from the city.

The sun scorched from above as the clouds drifted up in the sky.

It was a beautiful day in Azmonia.

“…We have arrived.”

Following a four-hour carriage ride, we stopped before a large estate.

“Ugh…”

“You really need to stop being greedy and start getting a portal. No, it’s not even that. Just get a good carriage. Why are we going with this model? It’s outdated.”

“I know. I know. You don’t have to tell me.”

“And yet…? Where is the portal?”

I paused and looked at Leon.

“Should I remind you of our spar? And where was all that talk about loyalty?”

“…..”

Leon’s face stiffened as his right eye twitched.

He eventually managed to force a few words out.

“That was… cheating. You cheated.”

“So you admit that you lost?”

“Fuck off.”

Leon quickened his pace and passed through the large metal gates at the front of the estate. Waiting there to greet us was a stout man in a black suit, his neatly parted hair barely concealing a balding head.

He was two heads shorter than me and looked extremely harmless.

“G… greetings.”

In fact, he even looked scared of me.

’Am I that scary?’

“Your presence is a little bit intimidating,” Leon muttered from the side as he read my thoughts. I sighed. What an annoying ability of his.

“Hello.”

I still greeted the man. He was very likely Baron Azmonia.

“Ah, yes. Hello. Hello.”

He really did look nervous…

Seeing him dab his forehead with his tissue, I didn’t make things difficult for him, and I looked at the estate behind him.

“I presume that the others are inside?”

“Oh, yes!”

As if suddenly recalling the reason for his presence, he hastily nodded as he turned around and headed towards the estate. Leon and I exchanged glances before following him.

The estate wasn’t anything grand.

Though considerably smaller than the Evenus Estate, it still boasted a charming courtyard adorned with lush greenery and dominated by a grand fountain at its center. The estate itself was crafted from wood, most likely sourced from the surrounding forest, and its design blended seamlessly with the natural surroundings.

It was probably not the biggest, but it certainly looked nice.

Upon entering the estate, the first thing I noticed was a few familiar figures.

“Eh…?”

“What?”

They also seemed to notice us as Kiera and Evelyn stopped to look at Leon. Blinking slowly, they then looked at me.

“What is he doing here?”

“…Did you kidnap him from his Empire?”

“What?”

I looked at Kiera. Was this really the first thought that crossed her mind when she saw Leon?

“I wasn’t kidnapped.”

Leon stepped forward while greeting the two of them with a smile.

“If he tried that, he’d probably get killed before he knew it. With all the security I have, it’s really hard to kidnap me.”

Tell that to Noel…

“Ehm.”

Clearing my throat, I stepped forward. Both were dressed suitably. Evelyn was in the symbolic purple clothing mixed with some black that complemented her hair, while Kiera was in a similar red-black attire. Their outfits resembled the Academy uniforms but were far more intricate, with visible layers of protective material woven into the design.

’It looks like they both came prepared.’

“I heard that Aoife is also going to show up. It’s a pity that she won’t be here. Royalty can’t really interfere with Central business. The only thing she can do is watch the event.”

Hearing Evelyn’s words, I nodded. Aoife’s appearance would indeed make things a lot easier, but I never planned for things to be easy from the start.

In fact..

I looked at the two of them before scratching the back of my head.

“Actually…”

I filled them in on my plan.

“What!?”

“…You’ve lost it, haven’t you? You’ve totally lost it.”

As expected, the two of them looked at me like a lunatic. I could understand why. For a Tier 6 like me to suddenly want to take on eight people at once was ridiculous.

The format of the Rite wasn’t some tournament-style fighting. The format was a simple eight versus eight within a certain region of the forest. The last group standing won.

In that regard, it was going to be just me and a bunch of people of the same rank, or even higher than me.

’They might even hide a Tier 8 inside.’

“Julien, I know that you’re strong, but isn’t this a little bit too ridiculous?”

Looking at Evelyn, I couldn’t agree more with her.

“Yes, it is pretty ridiculous.”

“And yet…?”

“I want to do this.”

Not only did I want to do this to test myself, but also because I wanted to make a statement. I wanted to show the world that even when Aldric was gone, I was present to take the mantle for him.

That, I alone was enough.

It was a crazy plan. A totally ridiculous one.

But I had to do it.

“Leon…? Are you going to leave him like that? Aren’t you his knight?”

“Nope.” Leon shook his head while smiling.

“I’m a Prince.”

I laughed to myself.

This guy…

He based his identity on how he felt. At times he was a knight, and in others he was a Prince.

“You…”

Evelyn pressed her hand to her forehead, clearly at a loss. In the end, though, she simply gave up.

“And here I prepared myself for this entire thing. I guess this is also good. I’d rather watch than participate.”

Kiera didn’t seem to care that much. She merely shrugged and said, “Okay, whatever. In that case, we don’t really have to be here, right?”

“Not really, but since you’re already here, may as well enjoy the estate before the Rite begins, no?”

“Good point.”

The Rite was going to begin tomorrow.

Today was simply a day for the teams to spend some time together to rest or discuss plans.

Since I was planning on going alone, there was no need for me to do any of that. And as such, massaging my neck, I walked towards the back area of the estate to relax.

’Might as well enjoy myself. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.’

***

Each participant was assigned a separate location to prepare, none of which were disclosed.

At this moment, at another estate somewhere in Azmonia.

“This should be good enough.”

Marquis Wilshire stood on the estate’s second floor, overlooking the training grounds below, where several figures fought single-handedly against multiple elites from his own army.

He had a satisfied look on his face as he stared at the scene below.

“…All of them are elites from my own army, and yet they’re completely helpless in this current situation. Things are looking rather promising.”

Captain Albas stood beside him, his thick brows slightly furrowed as his black ponytail swayed gently in the wind.

He didn’t say anything while staring at the fights below.

’They’re strong.’

He could see that. The recruits that the Marquis had managed to bring in were indeed very strong. They were all around the same rank as him, with just a few at a lower Tier. But this was understandable.

The number of people who were Tier 6 and above was extremely scarce. Especially since most of them already belonged to a Household, or were the Heads of their own Household.

The fact that the Marquis was able to bring so many people was already a miracle in itself.

’It’s also quite suspicious.’

Albas had been with the Marquis for a very long time.

He knew the capabilities of the Marquis, and as such, understood that there was simply no way for him to produce such figures on his own.

There was clearly another hand at play over here.

’I suspect that it’s either from the Duke or one of the members of the Megrail family.’

Though Albas was deeply trusted by the Marquis, he remained unaware of the secret dealings the Marquis was involved.

Mainly due to his indifference toward such matters.

He was someone who much preferred to keep to himself. He would only speak up if he disagreed with something.

If he had no opinion about it, he’d remain silent.

Leaning forward, the Marquis gripped the wooden handrail, his eyes narrowing as he squinted.

“…At the rate that we’re progressing, we shouldn’t have any problems winning the Rite. From what I’ve managed to hear, those from the Evenus Household haven’t been making any major moves. Most of the candidates that he’s chosen to help him appear to be from Haven.”

A small smile played at his lips.

“Not bad choices, but far from great.”

Haven cadets were the elite of the elite. They were people that any Household would want to recruit.

But at the same time, they all severely lacked experience.

In the Marquis’s eyes, choosing them was a mistake. They may pose some threat, but against experienced mercenaries and recruits?

There was nothing to worry about.

“I was previously worried the Princess might do something, but it looks like she won’t be making a single move. This makes things a lot easier for me.”

Chuckling softly to himself, the Marquis’s gaze settled on a lone figure in the distance. Unlike the other knights, this one lay sprawled on the grass, a book shielding his face from the sunlight.

The moment the Marquis stared in his direction, he felt a surge of confidence.

He was already confident with what he already had, but him…?

He was the secret weapon that ’His Highness’ had given him in order to win the Rite. With him present, there was no real need to worry about anything going wrong.

Even Captain Albas shared the same thought.

He had seen the man’s capabilities and felt that their chances of winning the Rite were extremely high.

And yet…

Recalling the earlier attempt to conquer the Evenus Household, a strange sinking feeling settled deep in his stomach.

One that carried on until the day of the Rite.