NOVEL WEB Ch. 88
Chapter 88
I was too focused on the Rainbow Parrot.
Its infuriating escape drew me in too deep.
Muller, the swiftest knight and spear master.
Shuga, the raincloud mage.
And Kazaks, wielder of the golden holy sword.
Kazaks, staring at me, frowned at my hand.
“That’s a Rainbow Parrot.”
The blinking parrot dissolved into light, recognized as captured.
My score in the corner of my vision jumped by 50 points to 129.
With a rustling sound, the leaderboard shifted dramatically:
[5th, 88 points: Elisha von Tresha Harmadun]
[4th, 90 points: Muller von Dale Amulrent]
[3rd, 91 points: Shuga von Railly Deminiyan]
[2nd, 105 points: Kazaks von Imperium]
[1st, 129 points: Princess Adela’s Black Knight]
The gap widened instantly.
Kazaks silently checked the leaderboard, then muttered emotionlessly.
“…At the Academy, I lost top spot to a worthless nobody, and here, the Black Knight takes first.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
The arena sank into silence, an ominous air swirling like the calm before a stormy sea.
“…Prepare yourself, Black Knight.”
Was a fight starting?
“I, Kazaks, won’t give up until the very end.”
But contrary to my expectations, Kazaks turned to leave.
“I apologize for my dishonorable actions.”
What wind blew to make Kazaks offer such a straightforward apology?
As he headed toward the forest, I called out.
“Your Highness.”
Kazaks' steps halted.
‘Kazaks.’
The rival to Gilbert, the protagonist of The Fallen Crown Prince of the Cosmos Empire.
Adela’s sibling, a major villain.
He exuded final-boss vibes, but his essence was closer to a virtuous ruler.
A royal destined to overthrow the wicked Adela and ascend as Emperor.
‘If not for one person.’
Gilbert.
Because Kazaks was so perfect, he harbored resentment toward the even more unrealistically perfect Gilbert.
Repeated losses to Gilbert led to his darkening, but his innate goodness allowed him to rise again, playing a major role for humanity.
When Empress Adela nearly destroyed the Imperium Empire, Kazaks led a revolution, becoming Emperor Kazaks, the center of all.
Kazaks was essential for the apocalypse.
“What is it, Black Knight? Here to mock me? Or to call me dishonorable?”
Kazaks turned his head, sneering.
That sneer wasn’t for me—it was self-directed.
Fundamentally good, he could commit evil in a moment’s lapse but could never become a true villain.
Unlike Martin, he was different from birth.
Thus, Kazaks needed to overcome his darkening quickly—for a better future.
“You will become a virtuous ruler.”
“What?”
“Had Princess Adela not been here, I might have served you.”
“…What are you saying, Black Knight?”
Kazaks, now fully facing me, frowned.
“That I’ll be a virtuous ruler?”
Strange, right?
“That you might have served me?”
Indeed.
“From none other than you?”
He’d tried to sway me by disparaging Adela and failed.
He’d rallied countless noble heirs to target me and failed.
And now, he’d lost first place in the tournament.
Kazaks wouldn’t be pleased.
Naturally.
He was likely seeing someone else in me.
Someone I, too, despised.
Gilbert.
“Mocking my defeat?”
“I’m sincere.”
“What is this…”
“Because I, too, was a sinner.”
“….”
Kazaks, about to retort, clamped his mouth shut.
Likely due to my use of the word “sinner.”
“Thus, I entered the imperial court in the dishonorable Black Knight’s armor. Princess Adela gave me, fallen to the depths of ruin, a chance. She is my salvation, my guide, my oxygen, letting me breathe. Please forgive me for fighting for her.”
“….”
“I have no right to judge you, honorable and just Prince Kazaks.”
“….”
“So, I hope we can work well together moving forward.”
Kazaks looked at me silently.
I wouldn’t know otherwise, but Know-It-All was analyzing him in real time.
His expression softened—from self-loathing and anger to shame, from shame to gratitude.
“…Saving my face, are you?”
“….”
“I acknowledge you, Black Knight.”
Kazaks declared on the spot.
“I, Kazaks von Imperium, recognize you as the most honorable knight in the Imperium.”
Then he turned toward the forest.
“…I’m truly envious of my sister for having you.”
His lieutenants, Muller the spear master and Shuga the raincloud mage, glanced at me before following him.
Once they vanished from sight and Wild Instinct detected no presence, I finally sighed in relief.
‘Phew.’
Good.
I nearly lost if we’d fought.
***
The hunting tournament ended.
The nearly half-day event exhausted both participants and spectators.
But that made the award ceremony all the more captivating.
“We will now announce the rankings.”
‘Ugh, what is this?’
Elisha felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she’d had this thought before.
Was this that déjà vu thing?
‘I don’t get it.’
Rumors about the conversation between the Black Knight and Kazaks just before the tournament ended had spread among the nobles, prompting her to hurriedly review materials.
It was shocking.
His upright yet eloquent manners, considerate and face-saving tone—it was unimaginable for Martin.
‘Is it really Martin?’
Prejudices about Martin surfaced, but memories of the Eudialyte Desert ruins made her face flush.
‘Seriously, what is this?’
“Because I, too, was a sinner. Thus, I entered the imperial court in the dishonorable Black Knight’s armor. Princess Adela gave me, fallen to the depths of ruin, a chance. She is my salvation, my guide, my oxygen, letting me breathe. Please forgive me for fighting for her.”
A rough scenario formed.
Elisha let her imagination run wild.
‘Maybe his early-semester behavior was fake.
He used me and Gilbert to don the wastrel image, probably to avoid suspicion for his later actions!’
Pure fantasy.
‘Because he had to act as the Peacemaker!
The secret society of the Cosmos Empire, eradicating the world’s evils!
But Martin, being human, must’ve felt guilt bullying commoner cadets!
It wasn’t even his choice, so it tormented him!’
If the real Martin heard this, he’d have every right to curse her out.
‘Then Princess Adela appeared!
I don’t know the details, but she helped him!
That’s why he volunteered to be her Black Knight!’
Fantasy.
But Elisha’s mind was struck as if by lightning.
It was like fitting mismatched puzzle pieces and finding they clicked perfectly.
‘That must be it.’
In the Eudialyte Desert ruins, Martin stood firm against countless wraith armies, never retreating.
Because I was trembling with trauma behind him.
In the fight against the demon we encountered later, he saved me multiple times.
‘I saw it for the first time, but he emitted an immense white aura.’
He collapsed right after, clearly overexerting himself.
I went to thank him, but he never met me.
When the Black Knight was openly sniping participants earlier, I went there partly to help shield him from Kazaks' kill order.
I didn’t meet him in the end!
‘It was true.
Martin wasn’t the awful person I thought.’
Her cheeks burned.
Guilt and gratitude mingled as past events flooded back.
“Here are the rankings!”
The imperial head butler announced grandly, but the results weren’t surprising.
Black Knight, first.
Kazaks, second.
…That damned Muller, third.
I was fourth.
Looking up at the throne, Kazaks wore a relieved expression.
His Majesty the Emperor, too, seemed pleased, his smile unwavering.
‘Rankings, huh.’
Martin’s first place was expected.
‘This time…’
I felt I could genuinely applaud and celebrate.
***
The award ceremony ended quickly.
Everyone was exhausted, so Kazaks aimed to wrap up formalities swiftly.
“Now, to mark the end of the hunting tournament and honor the sublime courage, cooperation, and honor shown by the Imperium’s pillars, we will begin the banquet.”
With the awards done, the banquet began in earnest.
Starting with the orchestra’s soft, lively classical music, the outdoor venue’s night air shifted to a festive mood.
The grand finale of the hunting tournament.
‘Well, my place is here.’
Standing by Princess Adela’s throne, I was doomed to guard her side.
The upside of this spot? None.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
It was eerily quiet.
Adela was in a low mood, silent.
Kazaks occasionally glanced at me with a covetous look.
The Emperor, mindful of Adela, stayed quiet.
‘Damn it.
Why did I get dragged into their family drama?’
I’d rather roam the banquet hall.
Imperial banquet cuisine could inspire new menu items for the coffee wagon.
It wasn’t just about coffee—I wanted to sell cakes and sandwiches like a café.
‘It’d boost sales…’
Thinking of the upcoming Imperium Academy tuition, I couldn’t afford to stand idle…
“Oh, look, the Princess' Black Knight.”
“His sniping was incredible. Not as chilling as at the dungeon tournament, but still.”
“His honor stood out as much as his skill this time, don’t you think?”
“When he helped his enemies hunt the Golden Bull, I was impressed by that decision.”
The attention was burdensome.
On this high platform, where the Emperor, Princess, and Prince sat, anyone in the hall could see me with a turn of their head.
“And his conversation with Prince Kazaks? His Highness acknowledged him as the most honorable knight in the Imperium.”
“Haha, true. Princess Adela and Prince Kazaks are rivals. Yet her Black Knight… Eek!”
Two nobles chatting near the platform flinched and fled in panic.
“…Insolent rabble.”
Glancing down, I saw Adela, seated with legs crossed on her throne, glaring at the nobles with blazing golden eyes.
“Who do they think they’re gawking at?”
Even after driving them off with her gaze, Adela looked displeased.
It wasn’t just those two pairs of eyes on the throne.
Everyone in the hall—dancing, eating, or talking—stole glances at us intermittently.
“Annoying.”
This was unusual.
‘At the dungeon tournament…’
She’d stayed until the banquet’s end, dragging me around.
Now, she seemed to loathe the attention.
‘Is this the turning point the system mentioned?
What’s the trigger?’
Adela shot up from her throne.
She took a few steps, then turned back, glaring at me.
“What are you doing, not following?! Stick close and don’t leave my side!”
“….”
Why was she snapping at me?
I silently followed.
After a few steps, she glanced back, startled.
“…S-Stay back a bit! You’re too close!”
“….”
Damn witch…