A little later, at the Court of Dawn and Dusk.
Standing on this vast white stone plaza, Lita felt as if she could already smell the scent of blood and metal in the air.
She had to admit, this was the place in the whole royal city that felt least like the royal city.
Cecilia had once introduced her to this place.
“That used to be one of the largest open plazas in the entire royal city, but with years of financial strain, it was renovated at the suggestion of the Minister of Finance and has become the only arena in the city.”
“Of course, in name, it’s not considered an arena, but rather a place where parties come to witness others—or themselves—resolve disputes in the most direct manner. As for what value it creates and how it does so, well, that’s a rather complicated matter.”
Lita lifted her head, looking up at the branches of the golden tree in the plaza, then at the audience seats on either side, where a few scattered people had already taken their seats. She could more or less understand what this place was all about.
To put it simply: I fight, they watch. That’s all there is to it.
Lita understood, but the onlookers might not.
“Isn’t that the Holy Knight? Why would even they have to come to the Court of Dawn and Dusk to settle things?”
“And the other one, didn’t she come this morning with the Fifth Princess? I wonder what grudge lies between them.”
“I heard that one got into a conflict with other Holy Knights today. Is she here to reclaim her reputation?”
Lita let these idle murmurs drift past her ears, letting herself relax and focusing only on the person before her.
On the other side of the plaza, the Holy Knight who had challenged her had already removed the bindings from her greatsword, gripping it in both hands before her.
“My name is Winnesa. Five years ago, I became a Holy Knight in the last selection. I hereby challenge you, Lita. I wager nothing, hold no enmity against you—this battle is solely to prove my own strength and to defend the honor of the Holy Knights.” Winnesa stared straight at Lita, her voice ringing out loud and clear.
The Holy Knights who had been standing with Winnesa, listening to her complaints, all took seats in the audience, watching the scene unfold with unblinking eyes.
“Winnesa is being too rash. Even if she wins, she can’t become an Emblem Knight again; all she’ll do is embarrass the other party and the royal family. What’s the point?”
“I don’t know, but she’s just that kind of person. Haven’t we all realized by now?”
“I think she’s been cornered into this position. With all of us watching her, she can’t back down without making a stand.”
“But we already tried to talk her out of it.”
Lita still didn’t know why Winnesa was acting this way toward her, but she did realize one thing.
Back in Solus City, she had truly become one with the soldiers because of that massive upheaval—she not only fought alongside them but also demonstrated significant strength.
Not just that—everyone’s first change in opinion about her had come from her fight with Momoka. Before that, she had been seen by others as nothing more than someone using her connections to throw her weight around.
Looking back, it was all quite similar to her situation now.
The solution was simple.
Fight. Prove her strength.
After all, the opponent wasn’t an Emblem Knight—so what was there to fear?
Lita stepped into the center of the arena. “Winnesa, I accept your challenge. But before we begin…”
“What do you want to say?” Winnesa asked.
She had wanted to ask if Lita was planning some trick, but decided she should show her opponent respect.
“I don’t have a weapon,” Lita replied.
Winnesa’s face grew even darker at Lita’s words.
As the Fourth Princess’s appointed knight, stepping onto the Court of Dawn and Dusk without even a weapon was almost an insult.
“My weapon was shattered by Starstring. Since arriving at the royal city, I haven’t had a chance to replace it. It’s not easy to find a suitable weapon, so… I don’t have one.”
As soon as Lita finished, the crowd erupted in astonishment.
“Starstring-sama?”
“Is that true? She can’t just be making that up, can she?”
“But if it’s true… a good weapon isn’t easy to come by.”
Lita cleared her throat and walked to the edge of the arena, pulling a greatsword from the Weapon Rack used for decoration.
“But that’s all right. There are some right here.”
The commotion in the arena grew louder.
Everyone knew the weapons by the side of the field were just for show—gorgeous decorations at best, hardly fit for actual combat.
No, in fact, they were certainly no good for real use.
“Lita, are you mocking me?” The anger in Winnesa’s eyes began to blaze. In her view, Lita’s actions were as underhanded as her reputation.
Winnesa could only think of two reasons for Lita to do this.
If Lita won, it would be a total humiliation for Winnesa. But since Winnesa dared to challenge, she still had confidence in herself.
If Lita lost, she would have a perfect excuse to blame the weapon, making Winnesa’s victory less honorable.
“No, no,” Lita waved her hands quickly in explanation. “Everyone’s weapons are precious; no one would lend me a weapon they’d trust their life to, and I don’t know anyone here well enough anyway. Even if I wanted to borrow one, I probably couldn’t. So, shall we begin like this?”
“Fine. When a golden leaf falls from the tree, that will signal the start of the duel,” Winnesa replied, her tone still unhappy, but she saw the sense in Lita’s words.
She was here for a duel—how her opponent chose to fight was not her concern. All that mattered was victory.
Plucking a golden leaf from the tree, she tossed it into the air; when it landed, the duel would begin—that was the rule of the Court of Dawn and Dusk.
Lita walked under the tree’s shade, reached up to pluck a leaf, then returned to the center of the arena and released it.
As the leaf drifted down, the clang of metal rang out sharply.
“Lita’s so fast. Maybe that sword is actually very light?” A skilled Holy Knight squinted, observing carefully.
He wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t entirely right either.
It was an average decorative sword—the material and workmanship weren’t meant for real combat. Compared to the one Winnesa held, it was considerably lighter.
But weight combined with speed equals force. Though Lita’s sword was lighter, her rapid swings made it hard for Winnesa to handle. For now, she could only defend passively.
Even though it was light, it was still a greatsword. The fact that Lita could wield it so easily spoke volumes about her own strength.
“Why is Winnesa always on the defensive? Is she holding back?”
Nonsense!
Winnesa couldn’t find a single chance to counterattack. It wasn’t that Lita’s power was overwhelming, but her attacks were simply too relentless, giving Winnesa no opening.
Winnesa hadn’t underestimated Lita—it was Lita who had seen right through her.
Of course.
Lita had watched several people fight with greatswords before: Angus, Maggie—she’d learned a lot from their styles.
Heavy and powerful; one solid blow could cost a person half their life.
But the drawback was their clumsiness. Without a chance to strike, they were like iron turtles—doomed to be battered passively.
To defeat such opponents, the solution was simple: overwhelm them with attacks so they couldn’t fight back, or use even greater strength to overpower them.
Either way, it meant forcing the opponent into her own rhythm.
Ordinary weapons wouldn’t work; in a direct clash they’d just break. If she picked her usual one-handed sword, the enemy would be ready.
So, why not mislead them?
Choose a showy weapon, wield a greatsword, go for an immediate assault—as long as every move was unexpected, she could mislead her opponent and seize the initiative.
Just like now—using a greatsword, but fighting with a one-handed sword’s style.
This kind of fighting required strength enough to break a demonic hound’s neck barehanded—otherwise, even Lita would feel muscle fatigue under such a fierce pace.
But she had already seized the initiative.
As Lita’s attacks grew more ferocious, Winnesa, from the slivers of space between blows, gradually regained some control.
Lita couldn’t maintain that speed forever, and signs of exhaustion were already showing.
Now!
Lita’s downward swing was parried aside by Winnesa’s greatsword, sending the blade off course. Taking advantage of the opening, Winnesa hefted her own greatsword.
Both used greatswords, and Winnesa’s attack, though heavy, wasn’t that slow—this brief moment was enough for a counter.
But at that instant, Lita did something wholly unexpected.
She let go of her greatsword, lowered her body, and, freed of its weight, moved even faster.
In a flash, Lita tucked herself in and darted straight into Winnesa’s arms.
At the same time, Lita’s fingers closed around Winnesa’s throat.
The entire arena fell silent. Lita’s position and Winnesa’s halted motion made the outcome of the duel unmistakable.
Whether blood would flow or all would return to normal depended now on Lita’s choice.
In the Court of Dawn and Dusk, many had died on this very ground. Even though Winnesa was a Holy Knight, there was no privilege granted in duels.
Would a Holy Knight fall here? The tension was palpable.
Winnesa remained poised to bring her greatsword down, swallowing nervously as her throat pressed against Lita’s grip.
She understood perfectly—if Lita had wanted, she could have torn open her throat with the force of that greatsword.
One thing was certain.
Lita had won—swiftly, decisively, and without suspense.