From the spectator’s stands, Keithwood calmly watched the match.
Looks like his talents got the better of him. Did he think he can stop the first strike? Although truth be told, there is rarely a blow that cannot be parried by His Royal Highness Sion…
Sion avoids Abel’s slash with a very small margin. If even one of those blows hit him, then it is over. But Sion continues to evade them at a hair’s breadth. He really lives up to his name as a genius.
But I didn’t expect Prince Abel to be such a threat.
From their arrival at Saint Noel, Keithwood had kept tabs at Abel’s swordsmanship. At that time, there was no question that Abel’s skills were subpar. He was far below that of the genius of Sion.
But now, Abel is overpowering Sion.
Looks like I misjudged Prince’s Abel potential.
At this point, Keithwood was able to accurately see Abel’s potential. Abel’s talent lies in his knowledge of himself. He can calmly and objectively evaluate his own abilities. He is fully aware of his own shortcomings, yet he refuses to give up. Instead, he was able to think of a way to defeat his opponent and keep at it tirelessly.
Know yourself, know your enemy, and know how to push forward to reach the goal.
It is a quality that is in no way inferior to Sion’s natural genius. Rather, it is a talent that is needed for the Kingdom of Remno in the future.
The qualities that the king needs, huh? Indeed, if Prince Abel becomes King Remno, that country will become stronger…
Abel’s talent is starting to bloom. The birth of an excellent ruler is something that the common people should be pleased with…
As a person who serves His Royal Highness Sion, it’s a little complicated. It would be scary if the relationship with the Kingdom of Remno was broken in the future.
Keithwood turned his attention away from the arena and onto a girl whose gaze never left the two princes since the match started.
I guess the person we should really be afraid of is Princess Mia.
She is the person who created this situation. The mastermind who laid down all the pieces. Of course, Prince Abel’s efforts are commendable. His talents deserve recognition and caution, but he was not the one who caused him to bloom into his talents. It was Princess Mia who was behind the scenes, the one who arranged it all…
“I see… It all makes sense now. Princess Mia cherishes talented individuals…”
Keithwood muttered.
At this point, he finally came up with the true essence of Mia.
Princess Mia regretted the talent that was asleep in Prince Abel. She could not stand it being buried away by being compared to his brother and to Princes Sion.
Looking back at that time of dance party, choosing Sion as a dance partner was the most obvious and easy choice. It wasn’t like Mia, who is called the wisdom of the empire, cannot see Sion’s talent. Nevertheless, Mia chose Abel. She did it to bring out Abel’s sleeping talents.
While pondering about this, a chill ran Keithwood’s spine as he comes to a realization.
Wait. No, it’s not that simple. The story is not so easy.
Cherishing talents is one of the qualities of a king. Even they are soldiers of an enemy country, as long as they are talented and are willing to pledge allegiance to the ruler. It will surely strengthen the country. But that’s not surprising or something new. Sion and the King of Sunkland are always actively courting talented people. Most wise rulers in history had done the same.
…But Prince Abel… he is not a subject of Princess Mia. And at the time of their meeting, the Kingdom of Remno and the Tearmoon Empire are neither allies nor friends. Mia cultivated Abel’s talent, even though Abel’s Remno Kingdom might become a hostile country in the future.
If so, that means…
Does this mean that Princess Mia’s view sees no borders? Is her world view unbound by the shackles of race and country?
Whether it’s an enemy country or not is just a trivial matter for Mia. She is purely worried that there is a talented person whose talent will rot if not cherished.
Moreover, she probably doesn’t even care about the degree of talent.
Mia was very tolerant of those who were rude to Tiona. She even bowed her head and asked Rafina for their forgiveness. As a result, Keithwood heard that those who have been forgiven are now working hard to repay Mia’s grace.
She sees talent in every human being! And she will not forgive a talent that is not utilized. She will work hard until those talents bloom. That is the true essence of the Great Sage of the Empire!
The height from which she saw the world was utterly breath-taking. It was a perspective that surpassed even that of his Lord Sion… Keithwood realizes that he is becoming fascinated by Princess Mia.
However, he reminded himself that his loyalty lies with his one and only Lord Sion.
If ever there comes a day that there is a conflict between Sunkland and Tearmoon Empire, I should advise Prince Sion to at least stay on good terms with Princess Mia.
Keithwood vowed firmly in his heart.
…Of course, it goes without saying that all of this exist only inside Keithwood’s head. And they were all a delusion. Nothing more or less than a delusion, nothing but a delusion.
He may believe it with all his heart and mind, but it does not change the simple fact that it is only a delusion.
However, unfortunately (or fortunately for Mia) for him, he was unlikely to ever get rid of this delusion.
Translator’s Rant:
Why is it that the chapters seem to be longer and longer lately?