“Alright, it's finally here! The once-a-year Chrono King Festival!! A festival for today only! Are you all having fun!?”

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

In the center of the , where countless stone tiles covered the battlefield, a woman stood confidently, riling up the audience.

“Thank you, dear audience! At this grand event, the highlight that excites the crowd the most every year—the Chronostaria Swordsmanship Tournament—is about to begin! I will be your host and announcer, Spica Lauder! Please, enjoy the show!”

The woman who introduced herself bowed gracefully, a stark contrast to her energetic voice. She then immediately lifted her head and called in two knights.

“And now, to help liven up the tournament alongside me, we have two special commentators! I'm sure you all know them—the title bestowed upon the strongest knights of this nation, the Seven Peerless Swords! Holding the Third Seat, the Infernal Emperor of Flames, Gilflare Ashflame! And the Seventh Seat, the Storm Demon Emperor, Weene Gardawind!!”

“Pleasure to be here.”

“Hey hey~!!”

One was a crimson-clad knight I recognized, while the green-haired woman beside him was also someone I'd spoken to before. As expected from one of the most popular events within the Chrono King Festival, they apparently invited two of the finest knights every year to serve as commentators. Watching this unfold, it became clear how demanding the role of an elite knight was.

“Now then, before we begin, let me explain the rules of this swordsmanship tournament once more—”

“That aside, I honestly thought you’d be participating in the tournament, Clay. Guess I was wrong.”

As Spica energetically carried on with the announcements, the prince beside me turned to strike up a conversation. Reflexively, I responded.

“Ahaha… I don’t come to events like this often—or rather, this is my first time attending any festival. I thought I’d enjoy it with my sister instead… If anything, shouldn’t Your Highness be participating?”

The piercing gazes from the surrounding nobles made my cheeks twitch unnaturally. No matter how much I tried to ignore them, I still wasn’t used to such scrutiny. Compared to me, however, Prince Chronos seemed entirely unfazed, as if he had long grown accustomed to this environment.

“Come on now, Clay, there’s no need for formalities between us, even if we’re outside the academy.”

Rather than easing the situation, he expected me to act the same way. Give me a break. I’ve spent my life holed up in training, completely unfit for social situations. Even though I’ve been attending the academy, just being in this aristocratic space was exhausting. If possible, I wanted to leave this place immediately.

“That’s… not really an option…”

Unfortunately, reality was cruel. Once I sat down and a conversation started, there was no easy escape. I had no one to blame but myself for putting me in this situation. A well-deserved consequence.

And with Alice sitting beside me, I had even less room to falter.

—I couldn’t afford to show any weakness.

As those thoughts ran through my head, the prince chuckled as if entertained.

“Hah, well, that’s exactly what I expected you to say. As for your question—no, I won’t be participating. I was never the type to declare ‘I’ll win this tournament!’ to begin with. Besides, there are things I need to take care of precisely because it’s festival time.”

He briefly cast his gaze around the area. That alone was enough to clue me in. The responsibilities of royalty… or rather, obligations and constraints unique to his position. The surrounding nobles who had been watching us conspicuously averted their eyes. Not that I particularly cared.

“If I’m in the way, I can vacate my seat immediately?”

Seeing an opportunity, I offered enthusiastically, but the prince shook his head. Honestly, I just wanted to avoid getting caught up in more trouble.

“No need. In fact, I’m relieved you’re here. I was just dealing with a parade of greetings and needed a break… Let me use you as my shield.”

“That’s way too much responsibility for me… I doubt I’d even serve as a deterrent…”

“Oh, you’re helping plenty. See? Since you arrived, the nobles have stopped approaching me.”

—Like I was some kind of wild beast that had wandered in…

Even if it was meant as a compliment, I couldn’t bring myself to feel good about it. Oh, wait, maybe it wasn’t a compliment at all.

“……”

As I wallowed in the realization that I was labeled as “dangerous” even outside the academy, the prince continued.

“Besides, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Something to talk about?”

His gaze, which had been fixed on the battlefield below, suddenly shifted toward me, and I tensed. Please don’t tell me this is about asking me to become his knight or getting involved in a royal succession dispute or something equally troublesome.

Ignoring my wary look, he returned his eyes to the arena and spoke.

“I want you to come to the royal castle soon. My father wants to meet you.”

“…I-I’m doomed—”

Instantly, I slumped forward in despair. I never expected this. The king of Chronostaria himself had summoned me. The prince tilted his head at my reaction.

“I don’t know what you’re misunderstanding, but it’s not a bad thing for you, Clay—”

“——”

He continued, seemingly to reassure me, but there was no need.

No, I already understood. I had lived my life as cleanly and modestly as possible, yet a direct summons from the king meant something serious. For example—execution. Or execution. Or maybe even execution. Oh right, there’s execution too.

—Having experienced it once, I could tell.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

As my mind spiraled into an internal panic, the arena erupted in cheers. The tournament contestants had finally entered the battlefield.

Over two hundred participants in total. As expected of the nation’s premier swordsmanship tournament, it attracted warriors from both inside and outside the country, drawn by the prize money, the honor of victory, and the chance to test their strength. Among them were Freesia and Weiss.

“Only four among them will advance to the main tournament. And the grand champion will earn the right to challenge any opponent in this arena to a special duel! That means they can fight one of the Seven Peerless Swords! Now then, who will claim that honor this year!? First, let’s begin the preliminary rounds!!”

The excitement in the arena grew even more intense. As the host had just announced, the main attraction of this tournament was the chance to duel one of the Seven Peerless Swords. Seeing their swordsmanship and magic firsthand was a rare opportunity, which made this event incredibly popular.

“Oh, looks like the preliminaries are starting. We can talk more later—right now, let’s cheer for our friends.”

“…Y-yeah…”

The prince’s full attention shifted to the battlefield below.

Despite getting worked up in my own head, the prince’s earlier words weighed heavily on my mind. I was far too distracted to focus on cheering for the tournament.