When I first heard that I was in the Ten Swords Kingdom, not even for a second did I think that one day I would get to meet the Royal Family or even become friendly with Princess Ildeanussi herself. It was not something I thought to be possible in the first place because I was Duke Draketerus of Albeyater Kingdom. I was a half-draconian and an enemy of all humans by many standards.

Then again, I never would have expected to ever meet the long dead Prince Coshun and even discover a friend in another Human Hero who happened to lead a far more tragic life than I ever did on this world. When all things considered, I was truly lucky with everything that happened to me so far.

A battle against hundreds of Knights, the best of the best that the Kingdom of Ten Swords had to offer, and I had to fight them barehanded while wearing no armor except for a pair of underpants. As I undressed and left my armor on the edge of the arena, the audience was making bets on how fast I was going to fall to a Knight’s sword.

From the tribunes, my companions were looking at me with worry, while Ildea, who was locked up like a bird in a cage was holding her hands at her chest and praying for me to come out alive. There were plenty of things I had to objects about this unfair fight, plenty of things I wanted to point out, but this wasn’t about how fair it was but rather if I had the courage and strength to fight on the King’s terms.

The scene was set, the crowd was gathered and the traitorous snake who dared to make a fool out of me for so many years was going to be made an example for the eyes of all those wretched traitors to see! I was not a King whom they could disregard and ignore! I was not someone they could fool and betray! I was not a King who could have his own Queen whoring around with everyone in the Palace right under his nose!

No... No... No...

It was a fine night to go out to grab a drink with my fellow knights from the barracks. The few of them who had a spouse to go back to skipped on our outing, but we did not blame them, we envied them.

Sometimes, I would go patrol the markets and wonder how it would be like to have a madam waiting for me back at home with her arms open, ready to give me a hug and a big kiss, but alas... none of the marriage proposals I sent out ever received a favorable reply and now I was slowly getting close to my thirties. Maybe I would have more luck once I grew a few white hairs?

I had to admit, that I never expected to see Tamara drunk from just half a tankard of mead. No matter how young or silly she was, that was far too little to achieve such an astounding effect. Either her tolerance to alcohol was ridiculously weak or she swiped the drinks from other tables as well, not just ours. Either way, we had Drumora and Amadeus stay back at the inn today in order to nurse the silly kitten, while the rest of us went to the coliseum in order to participate in the last part of the tournament.

While fighting in this tournament, I came to realize something… important: I was strong.

Unlike before, when I was lowering my head in front of average adventurers or trying my best not to anger someone who looked strong, I felt as though no matter who my opponent was, I would end up easily defeating them. I knew how dangerous it was for power to get to your head, that was why, as soon as the fights for the second part of the tournament were over and the ending procession began, I decided to have a talk with both Coshun and Alkelios about this.

“And that’s my worry...” I told them after I explained it properly.

Today, although we arrived at the coliseum earlier than we did yesterday, the first match began about an hour later. Since the people of this kingdom did not use a device or something to accurately measure time, the best thing anyone could do was to guess and hope that they arrived at the coliseum before the King of Ten Swords Kingdom. It was only with his blessing that the first match could begin.

Everyone already knew their order and against whom they were going to fight. Then, as soon as they were given the go, they charged at each other and fought until only one of them was left standing.

The Ten Swords Tournament was an event organized by King Andarkuzzi Ammerundiel Kor with the purpose of displaying to the foreign ambassadors, especially the Akutan ones, the power and might of the Ten Swords Kingdom. It was meant to prove that this nation still had a word to say in the upcoming United War Front battles.

The best of the best among all those present in this nation were asked to participate, slaves and even tamed monsters were allowed to join as long as they did so in the name of a human citizen. Human Heroes were all considered to be natural second-class citizens since they could neither go out of the country nor enter without the King’s permission.

I could not sleep.

It was around 3 AM in the morning but considering how long the days were on this planet, my perception could have been slightly off. Maybe it was somewhere around 1 AM in the morning? Of all the things I could make with my skills, why did it never cross my mind to actually make a clock? Either way, everyone was asleep, and I was looking at the night sky from the balcony in my room.

Except for the night patrols, a few drunk bastards and maybe one or two rats that were sneaking around to find some food, there was not much movement in the city.

Initially, we thought that the [Elf Queen’s Tears of Joy] was an actual item or maybe a potion of some sort that only the Empress of Anui’Yahna knew how to brew. We were wrong...

After the Empress agreed to sign the contract of exchange as well as the treaty draft that required certain laws to be changed, Princess Elleyzabelle gave her the [Night Breeze Potion of One Million Deaths]. Upon witnessing its effect, the one to burst into tears was actually Princess Ser’Ezire. Dropping on her knees, she was overwhelmed with joy and cried knowing that her mother was finally freed of the terrible illness that almost took her life.

The Anui’Yahna Palace was extraordinary. It was beautiful and majestic, but the statues decorating it were rather unsettling. Even I felt my skin crawl when I looked at them for too long. I found it unnatural to use trees in this manner no matter how skilled one was with Nature Magic.

Now, the reception we received was certainly surprising. Outside of the guards, knights, and soldiers that were patrolling and watching over the safety of this palace, I barely saw any nobles or servants. I found this to be very odd, to the point where for a royal like me it was slightly unsettling.

The blood on my sword, freshly drawn for the monsters who threatened the citizens of Amir’Dalla, was wiped off with a single slash in the air. Kataryna just froze it over and then shattered the ice.

“There weren’t that difficult to kill.” I said as I looked back at the battlefield.

The soldiers and adventurers were all crying tears of joy for having won against these monsters. There were also those who could not celebrate because they were too sad for having lost friends and family in this tragic battle. It was a sight quite similar to the one from when we won the war against Draejan. However, this time, instead of looking at the bodies of misled draconians, I was looking at the fiendish remains of the creatures corrupted by magic.

The sight of hundreds of monsters screaming and screeching as they tried to get into the city to feast upon its citizens was terrifying. I could only imagine what those who couldn’t fight against these creatures felt when they saw the massive gates tremble and crack each time the Cyclops Tree struck it with its massive arms. The same could be said about the brave elves who were trying their best to keep the worst from happening.

If the beast managed to break through, it was highly likely that the burden of knowing that they were helpless against it, that they were powerless when they tried to protect their friends and family, was going to be enough for some of them to overwhelm them and make them quit the fight altogether.

We departed from On’Asher as soon as we finished our breakfast, which was far more extravagant than the one we had in Ledmerra Kingdom. They added various fruits and deserts as well as some type of omelets made from monster eggs. It was delicious, but this... was certainly something Duchess Alve’Yahna Desterus prepared especially for us.

It was actually so tasty that we requested for a copy of the recipe. When he heard this, the chef was delighted and overjoyed.

The incident at the gates was not one that either side wished to pursue it any further, especially since it was caused by an individual who was believed to be mentally ill. Speaking of whom, that would also the last time I would ever see that annoying el’doraw who dared to insult my husband. As for Duchess Alve’Yahna Desterus, she welcomed our entire group inside the palace for a more private discussion regarding our journey to the capital of their empire.

The Vazar Border Town was a settlement that was quite impressive in size, being one of the few places in the Ledmerra Kingdom where the population of both elves and el’doraw was almost the same. It was protected, or rather it was marked by an incredibly tall wall, almost twenty meters in height. This construction acted as the actual border but did not go all the way around the country, instead it stopped just before reaching the nearby forest. El’doraw guards could be seen marching on top of the wall and patrolling the area around it, stopping anyone who tried to pass the border without a permit.

Our arrival on the Elf Continent proved to be quite unexpected not only for the local authorities but also for the people living there in general. While my knights may have been a bit unaware of the gazes we received, my sharp senses caught the gases of both fear and curiosity aimed at us.

We had wings on our back, horns on our head, a tail, and were taller than most of them. Our armors and weapons were made by the genius blacksmith Alkelios Yatagai, who had become something similar to a subject of worship among the dwarf smiths, so they stood out more than we initially believed they would. To the discerning eye, our equipment could be called with absolute pride a true national treasure.

On our way to the border, we had to pass through Onar Town. There, we stayed for the night at the Velderac Inn, where I took opportunity to gather some information from the local adventurers and see if there were any peculiar rumors they might have been of interest for us.

There was no better method of making them talk than offering them a free drink after a long day of completing missions and quests for the guild. Among the fellows I chatted with, I became acquainted with the Silver Wing Party, which consisted of a Human Hero by the name of Servos Darbukar, who took on the role of the vanguard; Belius the Spearman, an el’doraw with a strong build who took on the role of the damage dealer; Mesina Velanoce as the healer and Justian as a scout and trap expert.

That night, after I went to bed, I found myself dreaming of an endless field of flowers. They were so beautiful, more so than anything else I had ever seen in my entire life. Gentle petals of elegant colors with a drop of dew gathered on top revealed the ephemeral beauty of their nature. It was as if they were blessed gems hand painted by a goddess.

Enchanted by them, I tried to pick one up and smell it, but no matter how much strength I gathered in my grip, the little flower refused to part with the ground, it did not even get mushed when I squeezed it by accident.

The following day, at noon, an el’doraw with a few years weighing down on his shoulders made his presence known on the pier where we docked the Scorpion Dream Galleon. At first glance, his clothes made him look like a noble, but his mannerism and etiquette was a subservient one rather than arrogant and superior. He greeted our draconian sailors with a polite smile and then requested for his presence to be announced to the leading individuals on board of our vessel.

He went by the name of Johan’Der and was the family butler of the esteemed City Lord Talmarund Offspray. Rather than coming up on board, he preferred to give the message he was tasked with delivering from all the way down on the pier, claiming that this was the right way of doing things. In other words, it was a declaration that the City Lord had no desire to hide this meeting from his people.