This Contest ended when Rita withdrew the hand pressed against Vanessa’s throat. Everyone could see clearly—though the outcome was decided in a flash, the battle was extremely intense. For many people, a duel between two Holy Knights of this level was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
Vanessa loudly declared Rita’s victory, immediately expressing her gratitude that Rita was willing to duel with her. She was about to invite Rita for some post-battle camaraderie, but Rita gently declined, using Cecilia as an excuse.
Even though the fight was over, discussions about it were far from finished.
“Her attacks were a bit too fierce. It felt less like she was trying to defeat her opponent and more like she was trying to kill her. She didn’t act like a warrior at all, but rather like an assassin,” one Holy Knight muttered.
“Exactly. At the very last moment, Rita clearly went for a killing blow, but held back just in time. Otherwise, Vanessa wouldn’t have had a chance to react,” another nodded in agreement.
“But no matter what, Rita defeated a Holy Knight in a head-on clash. That’s an indisputable fact.”
Was Rita that much stronger than her opponent?
In truth, not really. In a fair fight, Rita couldn’t guarantee she would win.
After all, anyone who had become a Holy Knight couldn’t be considered weak—certainly not any weaker than those candidates she had met in Solus City.
By taking advantage of her opponent’s possible underestimation and hesitancy, using unconventional fighting tactics, and then launching a swift, decisive assault to seize victory, that was Rita’s strategy.
It was risky and somewhat opportunistic, but it worked.
She had taken the right step. Even though both matters caused her some trouble, at least she had somewhat established her own strength.
Rita just didn’t know that Vanessa was on the verge of becoming a Crest Knight—otherwise, she’d be even happier.
Now that everything here was settled, Rita planned to think about whether she could use this as leverage in negotiations, so she could quickly gain the Recognition of a few more Holy Knights.
As Rita pondered this, she suddenly felt the atmosphere grow heavy. The noisy chatter around her disappeared as if she had been dropped into a strange, solitary world.
Clearly, there were still many people around. Why had things suddenly changed?
Rita looked up, and at the entrance to the Garden of Dusk and Dawn, she saw a figure she wasn’t exactly unfamiliar with slowly approaching the arena.
Why is it this person?
Rita hadn’t moved yet, but quite a few people in the audience stood up at once, saluting the approaching figure in turn. The person only nodded slightly in response.
If Rita was seeing clearly, all those standing up were Holy Knights—she had spotted the exclusive golden leaf insignia on more than one of them.
Seeing this odd scene, the others instinctively fell silent, quietly watching how things would unfold.
Even Vanessa, Rita’s recent opponent, lowered her greatsword and walked directly toward the newcomer.
“Lady Xingxian.”
“Mm.” The person merely raised a hand, interrupting any further formalities, and walked past the bowing Vanessa, stopping less than ten meters from Rita.
It was her. Even if Rita didn’t remember her face well, she would never forget that massive bow slung on her back.
This was the personal knight of the Third Princess, Lilia—the Holy Knight who had nearly taken Rita’s life that night.
It made sense. In theory, there was no difference between Holy Knights and Crest Knights, but in reality, the gap in status was like a chasm. That’s why Vanessa cared so much about not becoming a Crest Knight.
Perhaps for these Holy Knights, besides the royals, those most worthy of respect were the Crest Knights.
“I heard a Holy Knight started a Contest here, so I came to have a look. I didn’t expect the opponent to be you.”
Xingxian spoke, raising her eyes to meet Rita’s gaze.
“I can’t believe she knows Lady Xingxian as well. That’s extraordinary, isn’t it?” a Holy Knight whispered to the person beside him, his expression full of envy.
“I’m not so sure. Don’t you feel there’s something strange about the atmosphere right now?” an older Holy Knight shook his head and replied gravely.
While the Holy Knights seated far away might not sense it directly, Vanessa—standing in the arena—felt as if she would be crushed by the immense pressure radiating from Xingxian. She didn’t know why, but she could feel that Xingxian’s focus was entirely on Rita.
“Lady Xingxian, did I do something wrong?” Rita tilted her head slightly.
“I just came to have a look—and give you a reminder.” Xingxian said, then abruptly fell silent, simply staring at Rita.
“Please speak, Lady Xingxian?” Rita’s words were polite, but her tone was already sharp enough to make Vanessa beside her gasp involuntarily.
“Deliberately stirring up trouble may attract attention, but it does you no good,” Xingxian said. “Flaunting your uniqueness to show off is just foolish.”
Others might not understand what this “uniqueness” meant, but Rita certainly did.
Either Xingxian was saying she was relying on her identity as Cecilia’s companion, or on the power of the crest—maybe both.
“Does Lady Xingxian think beating her counts as showing off?”
“Every Holy Knight is chosen by the lords, so I won’t comment. But the strengths and specialties of Holy Knights vary, and, more importantly, their true duty is to protect, not to quarrel.”
Rita never said that she was belittling Holy Knights or Vanessa, but Xingxian intentionally dodged the topic and changed the subject.
What thick armor she had—she was much smarter than Lilia. Although her attitude wasn’t pleasant, at least she knew what she was supposed to do.
Xingxian didn’t mind insulting Vanessa, because Vanessa’s affairs were beneath her notice. No one would punish Xingxian, and this victory or defeat wouldn’t impact her life at all.
“Still, getting smug over defeating a single Holy Knight is truly unwise.”
To others, these words sounded like open suppression—anyone, even those ignorant of the details, could sense it.
“If that’s so, Lady Xingxian, would it be justified to be smug if I beat you?” Rita restrained her previously sharp tone, but what she said was enough to ignite the whole scene.
Most people thought they had misheard, or that Rita meant something else. Even those who grasped her intent were too stunned by the situation to utter a sound.
Xingxian narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Lady Xingxian, can’t you tell?” Rita’s eyes arched in a smile. “I mean, I want to challenge you to a Contest.”
“Wahhh, what do I do, what do I do! I have to fight her! How can I possibly win?!”
Rita sprawled over Cecilia’s desk, howling loudly, though not a single tear actually fell.
Cecilia, exasperated and doting, stroked Rita’s head. “If you don’t consider the outcome, Rita, your choice was a good one. The most direct way to earn the Recognition of the Holy Knights is with strength. If you win this battle, it’ll be a great help to you.”
“I know that! I realized that no matter how many regular Holy Knights I beat, it doesn’t matter. Maybe only a few people know who’s really strong, and the Crest Knights don’t care about these things at all. Trying to prove my strength this way is impossible!”
Rita knew Vanessa wasn’t weak, but with so many pretenders like Alina among the Holy Knights, most Crest Knights wouldn’t bother keeping track of everyone’s strength. So Rita’s plan was sound in theory, executed well, but the effect was poor.
Cecilia said not to worry about the result, but the result was the most important part. As a future personal knight, if she couldn’t even defeat Xingxian, it would be a big problem.
The issue was—how to get through this.
“The only thing you can do is pick out a suitable weapon first,” Cecilia suggested.
“A weapon? Oh, right! But in three days, where am I going to find a suitable weapon?” Rita smacked her palm, and then wanted to droop her hidden wings and tail in protest.
“That’s easy,” Cecilia said. “Didn’t more than one person already promise to prepare a suitable weapon for you?”