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— I am not one to foul my own nest. Therefore, instead of resorting to cheap dirty tricks, I prefer to prove my worth solely through useful deeds, — commented Stefania in response to the chocolate knight's words. — I hope you share this sentiment.
"Wow, what a bow!" — the girl thought with excitement. She would have examined it herself, or better yet, tried it out.
Meanwhile, as the conversation went on and the young heir was examining the interesting weapon, participation in various competitions was announced. The girl could not deny herself the pleasure of defending Valentine's honor, and so she decided to take part in every event she possibly could.
— Speaking of valiant deeds! — Stefania addressed Chonchonlia. — Right now, we are all being given the chance to prove our usefulness through quite worthy endeavors. Do you plan to participate?
Revan, I don't quite understand the mechanics of the historical contest. Will there be some kind of technical specification? Or are we just supposed to write some kind of essay off the top of our heads based on all the historical events you've laid out?
- Undoubtedly! And I am certain - the list of those who share this opinion is not limited to just our names. - For someone from a "rural" region, the Milk Chocolate Knight held herself surprisingly well in the kingdom's high society. - To be honest, I hadn't intended to, but since you're putting it so bluntly... I suppose I'll have to join in as well!
— It will be a pleasure to see you in action! — Stefania cheered. — It's always interesting to see the fighting styles characteristic of other regions. Especially since I see that, like me, you gravitate toward ranged weapons. That means it will be twice as fun.
Stefania averted her gaze from the foreigner and the young heir toward Adalard, to check how busy her lord was at the moment. Then she continued watching what the one-eyed man was doing. Since she was the only knight who had come from Guildaria, she would have to defend the honor of her homeland in all the available trials. Which meant that, willingly or not, she would have to divert her attention from the task Adalard had assigned her. And before diving headfirst into the competitions, she needed to discuss this with her lord.
- And may whoever wins, any possible grudges melt away like chocolate on the surface of the tongue!
Aldelion and the Mercenary shifted slightly, causing the details of their conversation to become much clearer to Stefania than before.
- Are you absolutely sure you don't want to take part in the archery contest? An archer of your caliber would surely put on a good showing!
- When you reach my level, you'll understand - it's better not to show off your skill unnecessarily; it will bring you nothing but envy and suspicion from ill-wishers, and both can be detrimental.
- ... You are magnificent!
Adalard, meanwhile, had just finished chatting with the ruler of Albus about something.
Is that little basket-case of a son admiring the one-eyed man so much?
They should have allowed not only Knights to join the elegance contest, signed up Revaniel there, and then done nasty things to everyone who gave low scores. How did I not think of this...
Calm down. All sorts of Axels will now be drawing indecent pictures of Altaria anyway. 😔
The word "Khatarait" does not have a single fixed meaning in Russian, but depending on the context it can mean the following:
Grammatical form of a Japanese verb: In Japanese, the word 働いた (hataraita) is the past tense of the verb 働く (hataraku), which translates as "worked" (masculine or feminine).
A character name in text-based role-playing games: On specialized forums (e.g., HeroesWorld), "Khatarait" is mentioned as the name of a game character in local forum FRPG adventures.
Tell me about the one that's a character
A local meme about "power": Among forum members, the character became the subject of local humor. Khatarait pompously positions himself as the "greatest warrior of the underworld," yet due to game mechanics or unlucky dice rolls, he can absurdly and instantly die from any random weak opponent (literally "from a pinky poke by a random bum").
— I am not one to foul my own nest. Therefore, instead of all this business with cheap dirty tricks, I prefer to prove my worth exclusively through useful deeds, — commented Stefania in response to the chocolate knight's answer. — I hope you share this sentiment.
"Wow, what a bow!" — the girl thought with excitement. She would have examined it herself, or better yet, tried it out.
Meanwhile, as the conversation went on and the young heir was studying the interesting weapon, participation in various competitions was announced. The girl could not deny herself the pleasure of defending Valentine's honor, and so she decided to take part in every event she possibly could.
— Speaking of valiant deeds! — Stefania addressed Chonchonlia. — Right now we are all being given the chance to prove our usefulness in quite worthy endeavors. Do you plan to participate?
Revan, I don't quite understand the mechanics of the historical contest. Will there be some kind of technical specification? Or are we just supposed to write some kind of essay off the top of our heads based on all the historical events you've laid out?
- Undoubtedly! And I am sure - the list of those who share this opinion is not limited to just our names. - For someone from the "rural" region, the Milk Chocolate knight held herself in the high society of the kingdom surprisingly well. - Admittedly, I had no such intention, but since you put the question so bluntly... I suppose I shall have to join in as well!
— It will be a pleasure to see you in action! — Stefania cheered. — It's always interesting to see the fighting styles characteristic of other regions. Especially since I see that you, like me, gravitate toward ranged weapons. That means it will be twice as fun.
Stefania averted her gaze from the foreigner and the young heir toward Adalard, to check how busy her lord was at the moment. Then she continued watching what the one-eyed man was doing. As she was the only knight who had come from Gildaria, she was to defend the honor of her homeland in all available trials. And so, willingly or not, she would have to divert her attention from the task Adalard had assigned her. And before diving headfirst into the contests, she needed to discuss this with her lord.
- And may whoever wins, any possible grudges melt away like chocolate on the tongue!
Al delion and the Mercenary shifted slightly, making the details of their conversation audible to Stefania much more clearly than before.
- Are you absolutely sure you don't want to take part in the archery competition? An archer of your caliber would surely put up a good showing!
- When you reach my level, you will understand - it's better not to show off your skill unnecessarily, it will bring you nothing but envy and suspicion from ill-wishers, and both can be detrimental.
- ... You are magnificent!
Adalard, meanwhile, had just finished chatting about something with the ruler of Albus.
Is that little basket-boy admiring the one-eyed man so much?
The word "Khatarait" does not have a single fixed meaning in Russian, but depending on the context it can mean the following:
Grammatical form of a Japanese verb: In Japanese, the word 働いた (hataraita) is the past tense of the verb 働く (hataraku), which translates as "worked" (masculine or feminine).
A character name in text-based role-playing games: On specialized forums (e.g., HeroesWorld), "Khatarait" is mentioned as the name of a game character in local forum FRPG adventures.
Tell me about the one that is a character
A local meme about "power": Among forum members, the character became the subject of local humor. Khatarait pompously positions himself as the "greatest warrior of the underworld," but due to game mechanics or unlucky dice rolls, he can absurdly and instantly die from any random weak opponent (literally "from a poke with the pinky finger of a random bum").
I thought it was like a distorted Japanese-style take on Heart and Right. Like "heart in the right place," even though in reality (according to the players) he's just a sick bastard.
- I wouldn't agree, my lady, but to each their own, - he chuckles into his beard, snapping his fingers. - Why not! It's a shame to let good activities go to waste; they say truth is born only in the singing of the blade. It'd be interesting to see others in action, and I've got a trick or two up my sleeve myself.
He invites her to come to the recording (is one of our people standing nearby?).
— What grievances are you talking about? It's all in good fun! — Stefania exclaimed with a smile. — In that case, I shall take my leave of you for now. But soon enough we will reunite at the nearest competition. I wish you the best of luck from the bottom of my heart!
With these words, Stefania left the chocolate shop and made her way to Adalard:
— May I speak? — the girl saluted out of habit imposed by her father and Amelia, as if they were in a work setting.
Stefania reported on her observations. About how the foreigner had been conversing with Aldelion the entire time, how he had shown the young lad his bow, and about the part of their conversation she had managed to overhear.
— I draw your attention to the fact that this foreigner has apparently impressed and greatly endeared himself to your son, — Stefania concluded. — I cannot say whether that is good or bad. Otherwise, nothing unusual has been observed about him.
Having finished her report, the girl stated that with her lord's permission she would like to conclude this assignment. She justified this by her desire to take part in all the upcoming competitions.
— As the only Knight representing our precious Gildaria, I intend to try to uphold the honor of our region in all the proposed trials. Even if I do not win, I will at the very least not retreat until the very end. I also hope to learn the combat tricks of my colleagues, and later compile a detailed report on my observations. I hope you will allow me this?
While preparations for the competitions were underway, Alsira glanced briefly toward the Estellian and Florentine corners. If the other major players had already made themselves known in one way or another, a suspicious information silence emanated from that district.
The representatives of Estellia, having performed their festive routine, kept to their own company and barely interacted with "outsiders." Nevertheless, Alsira manages to get a better look at the Knight of Loyalty, Lyon Vermgrais.
As well as the consort of Asalia III — Azurrion.
Lord Gitgood Florescence, meanwhile, was dining with the royal ministers and representatives of big business.
- They'll be found, they'll be found! About the scars — and not just those — many would want to know about such a stately lady! Though truth be told, I can't read.
Golden Coin listened with interest to the tale of the night spider.
- Is that so. And they say a spider in the house is a friend, protecting you from other vermin, but seems for the likes of this one, we people are no better than flies. Or worse — the house itself. I remember how the boss implanted spider eggs into that poor fellow's chest, and then... Bleh, better not to recall, or else my lunch is coming right back up.
The warrior woman smiled sincerely in response to the straightforward knight's words.
— Thank you for the kind words. If I ever take to writing an autobiography, I'll be sure to include such stories as well. Perhaps I'll even call it "The Scars of Alaria Doran," — she grinned, — has a ring to it, doesn't it? And learning to read, by the way, is never too late. If there's one thing I've taken from life, it's that. I discovered some of my hobbies and talents well into adulthood.
The Knight of Catharsis listened attentively to yet another wondrous tale of the no less wondrous experiments of Stratos Genburry. Whether the rumors about the Lord of Faredjia and his inhuman experiments on people were true, or whether he was simply a great enthusiast of very unusual punishments and was willing to devote considerable time to their execution, she couldn't say. The ultimate purpose of "implanting spider eggs into someone's chest" as a scientific experiment escaped her, but she understood full well that erudition was not the interlocutor's strongest suit — he could easily miss important details.
Alaria also pondered another question: "Why doesn't Stratos Genburry use the monsters from the crater for his experiments?" True, capturing them alive would be no easy feat, but the powers and properties inherent to some of them might well be worth the effort. And if one were to disguise it as "selfless aid to Faredjia in defending against the spawn of Ifilla," one could even raise one's prestige. Then again, it could well be that he did use them. Or perhaps the creatures brimming with unholy power could not be controlled. Or perhaps the rumors of the experiments truly were nothing more than rumors.
— To be honest, that creature reminded me more of a solifugid than a spider. Just with more eyes.
The girl chose not to respond to that last remark, so as not to stir the bandit's memories. Besides, if he blurted out something he shouldn't in the process, it would backfire on Galahaladron himself as much as on her. Instead, she decided to steer his thoughts in a different direction.
— Do you plan to take part in any of the upcoming events? You surely have no shortage of battle experience under your belt, and clearly no lack of strength either.
The representatives of Estellia, having performed their festive routine, kept to their own company and barely interacted with "outsiders." Alsira, nevertheless, managed to get a better look at the Knight of Loyalty, Lyon Vermgrais.
And also the consort of Asalia III — Azurrion.
Lord Gitgood Flaveresens, meanwhile, dined with the royal ministers and representatives of big business.
A greedy merchant will always find someone to cozy up to; the aesthetes had no will to need influence in ostentation.
Alsira's thoughts turned once more to the burning news. Curious, what choice had the peach lady been faced with? And which of the departing wagons should they themselves latch onto? It might well be that, besides public displays, there were also behind-the-scenes conspiracies, but even the most trusted knights had no knowledge of that.
Picking up a little dessert from the table, the girl pondered the form of the contest essay.
Нэйко
Ple-Sen
