“The exam is over!”
As the judge’s loud declaration rang out, Lita wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling like her body could give out at any moment.
If it were possible, Lita would have wanted to find a spot right then and there to lie down.
Fighting against the examinees, Lita couldn’t just run them through with her sword. If she were still an examinee herself, that might have been one thing, but now as a Crest Knight, killing examinees outright wouldn’t be appropriate.
At least that was Lita’s own reasoning. Even if she had gone all out, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but she didn’t want to give anyone else more excuses to badmouth her.
The result of this approach was total exhaustion—not just physically, reaching her limit, but also mentally, with her mind growing foggy from the intense strain.
At least it was over for now.
And she hadn’t lost a single match.
Some of the examinees were quite skilled, but they lacked Momoka’s understanding of her, and they also had to worry about Lita’s willingness to trade injuries for kills. Their excessive caution became Lita’s opening, allowing her to secure the victories.
At the very least, this consecutive battle marathon had proven she wasn’t just a nobody who only had her relationship with Cecilia to thank for her position.
So Lita was confused why she was simultaneously labeled both a useless nepotist and someone who had fallen out with the Church.
Just as the next examinee was about to step into the arena, Pierre’s voice suddenly rang out overhead:
“Lady Lita, if you keep this up, I’m afraid you’ll defeat all the examinees. If I may say so, you should take a rest.”
It seemed the King was giving her an out. If she kept going, she might actually lose on the next round. If that happened and she had to hand over the Golden Blood to some lucky brat, the King probably wouldn’t want that either. So this was also a way to save face for himself.
From the examinee stands, quite a few disappointed groans could be heard.
Especially those of mediocre skill who might not even qualify as Holy Knights. Their only hope to rise in one fell swoop was to wish Lita would take down as many opponents as possible, then eventually stumble right into their hands.
Whether they succeeded or not, the gambler’s mentality made them want to try.
But now even the chance to try was gone. Their disappointment was natural.
Many people still clung to impossible hopes, fantasizing about “what they would have done if they had been up there.”
Of course, reality would prove there was nothing more to come of it, but the exam had to continue.
After Lita’s ten-plus consecutive matches, the subsequent fights felt dull by comparison, nowhere near as exciting as before.
This oppressive atmosphere made it so that when someone else stepped into the arena and declared they wanted to challenge a Crest Knight, neither the judges nor the audience could react in time.
“I wish to have a Crest Knight as my opponent.”
The person repeated herself.
“Examinee, Lady Lita is already exhausted. I’m afraid she cannot be your opponent.”
Pierre announced from the high platform.
“I’m not challenging Lady Lita. Any Crest Knight willing to fight me will do.”
The person replied in a deep voice.
Not her specifically?
Now that was interesting.
The drowsy crowd suddenly perked up, sizing up the examinee standing tall in the arena.
She was a tall young woman, her long dark purple hair tied into a neat ponytail. Her outfit was mainly purple, flowing yet functional.
What caught Lita’s attention most was the sword in her hand.
It wasn’t so much a sword as an odachi.
Yeah, that kind of odachi—the one for iai, iaijutsu, dragon-rising, and cat-carting.
Seeing such an unconventional element in a place like this gave Lita a bit of a shock.
But most people didn’t see it that way.
“Is this person also trying her luck against a Crest Knight?”
“I don’t think she can do it. Look how skinny she is.”
The chatter was loud enough for Lita to hear clearly. The girl standing in the arena couldn’t have missed it either.
But she ignored them, raising her weapon.
“Will one of the Crest Knights be my opponent?”
Silence fell over the arena. But a few people could already tell she was serious.
She was different from all those who had challenged a Crest Knight before. Her eyes held the look of someone who intended to win.
Even Promi earlier had only been trying to prove himself, and Momoka was just taking a gamble. The rest didn’t even need mentioning.
But this examinee’s expression conveyed only one thing.
She wanted to win.
And she would win.
“I’ll take you on.”
A battle axe dragged across the ground, scraping loudly.
A tall Crest Knight stepped out from the guard formation below the platform.
“Little girl, what’s your name?”
The Crest Knight stopped and asked.
“My name is Mei, my lord.”
The girl replied.
The knight nodded slightly.
“I am Linbo’erde.”
“Lord Linbo’erde, please instruct me.”
Mei lowered her eyelashes.
“Lord, I have one thing I must ask you.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Will this match result in death?”
Laughter erupted from the audience.
“What’s this? She wants to challenge a Crest Knight but is scared of dying?”
“Ha, she’s chickened out! If she’s scared, she shouldn’t be doing this!”
“Show-off!”
But some had already sensed something was wrong.
Helage muttered in a low voice:
“This one… dangerous.”
Xingxian, who had remained silent the whole time, furrowed his brow.
Yes, that question was not asked casually.
Not just them—even Lita felt a vague unease.
According to standard development, a character wearing an odd outfit and wielding a strange weapon was either a nobody who’d get one-shotted or a formidable powerhouse.
If she were playing a game and ran into this kind of character, the chances of them becoming an ally or turning into a boss with a health bar would be about fifty-fifty.
Pierre consulted with the King, then relayed the King’s thoughts:
“Examinee Mei, if you’re worried about dying, rest assured—the Crest Knights will show restraint toward examinees.”
“No.”
Mei shook her head.
“If I kill a Crest Knight here, will His Majesty punish me?”
“Hahaha!”
The King suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
“Little girl! If you can do it, I’ll pardon you and guarantee you the Golden Blood. On the condition that you defeat them fair and square.”
Mei nodded slightly, placing her hands in front of her as she bowed slightly toward the high platform.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for clarifying. Then, Lord Linbo’erde, I have no more questions. Please instruct me.”
After this exchange, Linbo’erde’s expression was bound to sour. No Crest Knight would be happy after being so blatantly disrespected by an unknown examinee.
All he could think about was one thing.
Teaching this arrogant little girl a lesson.
At the judge’s command.
Linbo’erde gripped his battle axe and charged at Mei.
Mei simply lowered the hilt of her man-high odachi, slung the sheath diagonally across her back, lowered her center of gravity almost to the ground, her slender fingers wrapping around the hilt, thumb pressed firmly against the tsuba.
Violet-black lightning faintly crackled in the air around her.
The bursting sound of air being split seemed to darken the already dimming sky.
Everyone only saw a bolt of lightning-enshrouded figure dart past the rushing Linbo’erde.
A flash of drawn metal—gone in an instant.
Then, Mei, who had already flashed behind Linbo’erde, gently pushed the tsuba back, as if the sword had never been drawn. The electrical glow around her vanished without a trace.
Linbo’erde’s steps halted.
His body was severed in two at the waist.
Blood sprayed. Screams erupted throughout the arena.
Some rushed to the severed halves of Linbo’erde to try first aid, others drew their swords and faced Mei, who had already let go of her odachi. Most remained frozen in shock.
“Dead… dead…”
“How is it possible? She really killed a Crest Knight with one slash?!”
“So fast! I didn’t even see what happened! What the hell?! How did he get cut in two?!”
The commonly spread further and would continue for a long time.
“I can’t heal this. What’s going on?”
The Holy Knight Nata, in charge of treatment, sighed softly and shook her head at the few people before her.
“The dark magic on that sword has already corroded the severed limb. The wound’s condition is very dire now. Though he won’t die from it, that arm is definitely beyond saving.”
Momoka’s expression was dark, but since she was also a Crest Knight, she managed not to be too rude.
“Then… if… earlier…”
Lita stammered a bit.
“Maybe it would have been possible? But at the time, no one expected it to be this serious. If Lady Lita hadn’t invited me to treat him, things might have gotten even worse.”
Lita lightly knocked her fist against her forehead, unable to say a word.
Given Qiangsen’s status, he never would have received treatment from a Crest Knight.
But remembering their past battles together, Lita still asked Nata to examine Qiangsen as soon as possible.
A favor from a Holy Knight wasn’t easy to come by, but Qiangsen had helped her before.
Lita understood the principle of repaying kindness tenfold.
But she never expected it would lead to this result.
“Let’s go in and see him.”
Promi calmly suggested.
He had been down after losing to Brownie, but quickly snapped out of it.
“At least… his life is saved.”
True.
At least Qiangsen hadn’t died on the spot like Crest Knight Linbo’erde.
That was a blessing in the midst of disaster.
Linbo’erde’s death caused quite a stir, but ultimately there was nothing to be done about it.
Mei had explicitly asked if she could kill her opponent, and the King had given his affirmative answer.
Linbo’erde had volunteered himself.
It couldn’t be blamed on anyone else.
Many Crest Knights grieved deeply over Linbo’erde’s death.
Nata was one of them.
She had worn a sorrowful expression the whole time she treated Qiangsen.
One lost only an arm, the other lost his life forever.
Even though Lita and Momoka felt bitter, both were their friends.
There was nothing to say.
But pain isn’t meant for comparison.
Just because someone else suffers a greater misfortune, a lesser one doesn’t become insignificant.
Pain is pain.
No matter the size, it needs time to heal slowly.
All Lita and her companions could do now was push open the door and go see their former friend sitting on the bed.