396 The Beginning of the Game (1/2)

Beyer looked at Arthen confirmedly and smiled, ”This is a great opportunity for me to face a real fight, and as a knight, this is always what I have been pursuing. I am here as a knight, not a prince.”

Then, he turned to the duke, ”Uncle Ulrich, since you have let Sophia in, I believe that you won't turn me down, right? I have won my father's permission as well.”

The old duke sighed, ”You young people… Alright…”

His lowered his gaze, and all his emotions were hidden in his blue eyes.

Nuremburk laughed, ”Good for you, Beyer. A knight shall face the real fight. If I had not gone to the north and joined the battle against Schachran Empire, probably I would've never had the chance of becoming a radiant knight. The blood and fights taught me how to become a radiant knight.”

”You've always been my role model, uncle Nuremburk.” Beyer grinned. Then, he turned around and walked to Arthen. Very casually, he said, ”My friend, I hope we can fight together.”

Arthen suddenly looked very excited. He went down on one knee and said respectfully, ”This is my great honor, my prince. I am your knight forever.”

All the nobles on Arthen's side became excited as well. Gaining the power of the prince had given them the faith again that they would win!

This was why Arthen was so excited. The presence of the prince had brought him great hope again!

Lucien was a bit concerned. Seeing the look on Beaulac's face, Sophia smiled, ”This is getting more interesting. Without my brother, the game would be unfair for them.”

Right now, Arthen was only a level-three grand knight.

”Unfair…” Lucien was a bit amused by Sophia's words. He looked over Sophia's nose and observed the look on Claire's and Relph's faces.

Claire was biting her lips unconsciously, and her eyes had lost their focus. Relph's right hand was holding tight in a fist against his mouth. Both of them looked a bit disappointed. Obviously, the prince's presence greatly discouraged them.

At this time, a young man, around seventeen or eighteen, among the rest of the nobles stood out, ”Sir, I wish to resign.”

Ulrich looked at him seriously.

The young noble said in a very depressed way, ”They are too powerful. There is no way that I can win.”

”Very smart,” said Duda in a triumphant tone.

Ulrich did not comment on it. Sometimes quitting did not suggest one's cowardice, but intelligence.

Following him, the rest of the candidates except for Arthen, Beaulac, Claire, and Relph had all decided to quit.

”Your momentum is overwhelming, Your Highness,” said Andris in a very pleasing manner. ”You're the most talented knight among the younger generation.”

The blessed family owned the blood power called Seraph, but each of the family members had different powers. Some were better at close combat, some specialized in casting, and some were good at both. The blood power of Rudolf II was quite balanced, called the Angel King. Sophia's blood power called the Angel of Wind had turned her into an alchemist specializing in casting, and Beyer's blood power named the Angel of Justice made him very competitive in close combat.

Beyer shook his head and said, ”Although I am quite confident, I have to say that I am not the most talented knight in our generation. Princess Natasha in the Duchy of Violet became a radiant knight at the age of twenty-six. This is even very rare in history. She possesses the two top blood powers at the same time, and with that willpower, she is totally capable of becoming a gold knight. I admire her very much, but I know right now I am still not good enough for her. I hope that I can become a radiant knight as soon as possible, so I can go to Aalto to see her one day… I wonder if the legends about her are true…”

Beyer said so very straightforwardly. Obviously, Natasha was a role model and dream lady to him.

”Maybe Natasha will be the future queen of our empire,” said Andris.

Lucien rubbed his chin and watched them meaningfully.

”My brother's dream will never come true. The church will never let the Duchy of Violet go back to our empire again. You gotta know that Princess Natasha is already the Countess of Violet,” said Sophia in low voice, smiling.

Deniz combed the hair on his forehead with his hand, ”It's hard to say. Love can turn people into idiots. If both the empire and the duchy show the same firm attitude, the church cannot make the decision.”

”Then it's all up to Beyer now.” Sophia giggled.

Lucien thought to himself that Sophia's bother would be rather hopeless in front of Natasha. He would say that Sophia would have a greater chance.

It was close to the time. Ulrich, the Gorse duke declared,

”The competition has started. The first candidate among you four who can enter the secret chamber hanged with the paintings of our family's ancestors is the winner. If no one can reach the chamber, the one who can make it until the end wins. Remember, the underground palace is always changing. No matter how much money you spent buying the maps, they are useless. Also, once you enter the palace, you will be sent to different locations. Don't stay where you are. It's a waste of time.”

No rules. Basically, there were no rules in the underground palace. However, in the competition, no one could bring his or her attendant, and their blood power had to be examined in case someone had hired a radiant knight to play his or her role through transformation.

The weird stone gate behind Ulrich slowly turned black, like the open mouth of a monster. Arthen was the first one standing in front of it.

Count Nuremburk took out a Gorse pin and stabbed it in the back of Arthen's hand.