Chapter 259

“Phew.”

The two events progressing through archery have ended.

I heaved a light sigh as I glanced at my status window.

-Ding!

-The archery event matches have concluded.

-The scores have been recorded according to rank.

[Archery Competition Score: 585 points]

‘…It seems I’m still lacking.’

It’s not a bad score, but it’s lacking. Usually in the game, by this point, I would have scored over 600 points.

Although Chapter 3 has the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament as the main episode, if one only wants to avoid the Dead Trigger, it might be a regrettable choice.

While affinity increases stats and improves relationships between characters, noblesse points represent reputation within the noble society.

Therefore, increasing these points can lead to more business partners and better contracts with people like Carsein, among other impacts on another plan. This episode provides an opportunity to increase Carsein’s noblesse points.

In other words, the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament offers a chance to accelerate another plan, so it’s best not to miss out.

Well… even the background of the game supports this idea. While symposiums evaluate the abilities of civil officials, the martial prowess of military officials should be evaluated through such tournaments.

To show that a family produces a well-rounded heir, noblesse points rising under such conditions is indeed fitting.

‘But why, of all times… Sigh.’

The reason for the lack of score is somewhat clear.

The missing points match exactly with three shots that went awry early on.

Unlike in the game, the concentration of mana fluctuated greatly, and the turbulent currents shattered the formula of the Retry Divine Art I knew.

So, all three shots went off-target.

I recalculated and changed plans to open a path to the target.

There’s only one person who could have done this at this moment.

“A face like this on someone who won the highest score from the first event doesn’t seem particularly happy. Hmm?”

The silver-eyed man, not much different from Arshien or Florence, who just handed me the winner’s bouquet.

Albert Shehenian Peselros.

He was the Crown Prince of the Empire.

“So, what do you want?”

“Huh?”

“As tradition dictates, the winner of the archery event gets to ask for a reward.”

Uh… Was there such a tradition?

“How outrageous. You didn’t even know that and just got the highest score?”

Albert laughed at my awkwardness.

“So, I can just pick something to ask for?”

“Yes, finish your speech quickly. We need to wrap things up.”

-Ding!

-You can request a reward from the Crown Prince.

‘Hmm. This is clearly a trap.’

Though I haven’t seen this message before, it’s obvious at a glance.

Even though there’s a tradition and winning wasn’t easy, thinking it’s a reward one should rightfully get, this game isn’t that simple.

If I make excessive demands for the sake of Another Plan’s objectives, it might turn into a bigger problem.

Well, then I’ll just go with the flow.

There’s an excuse for it in the audience seats too.

***

For Harne, the archery competition didn’t leave good memories.

That day marked the beginning of everything.

Suddenly, instead of Helie, the engagement to her came.

And the rumors spread that she had taken away a man, causing a rift with Helie.

As she became known as a vixen who snatched men in social circles, Harne intended to just occupy a seat.

She wanted to cheer for her fiancé Carsein, but couldn’t.

However.

When the time came, she couldn’t just sit there.

She couldn’t take her eyes off Carsein shooting arrows one by one.

Even though she hated archery, she felt nothing at all.

By the time Carsein shot his last arrow and the game ended, there were enthusiastic cheers, and the winner was decided.

‘Oh my.’

Was she praying?

Harne had her hands clasped together. When they finally parted as the tension eased, it seemed like she was relieved.

Up until now, it was a typical scene of a girl cheering for her lover.

But what was more charming was how her eyes never left one man, and when the winner was announced, her lips curled gently upwards.

Hmm. This must be love.

Mina, who watched this whole scene, looked at her with cat-like eyes and asked.

“Master did a great job shooting. Right?”

“Uhh, yeah? Uh-huh.”

“Ugh. That’s your reaction? Miss, you’re cheering for Master, right?”

“Of, of course!”

Harne yelled, flustered as if she hadn’t been startled in a long time.

“I kept watching, worried about missing. I don’t know much about archery…”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

In the past, she often excused herself to rest or work whenever there was an archery-related event.

Being able to focus this much must be due to the budding emotions.

So, Mina decided to nurture this new sprout.

“It’s because of the token given by Miss, isn’t it?”

“What? What?”

“People who shoot arrows perform better when they have a token from their lover, making them aim better.”

“That…”

Seeing Harne’s face flush, it was almost as if watching it made you feel the same.

“You should go congratulate Master later. And tell him this too!”

Though it’s close to a one-sided crush, with such a beauty like Harne, it will surely work.

Little by little, like melting chocolate in her mouth.

Harne’s feelings needed to melt into Carsein.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Harne smiled beautifully and stood up from her seat.

Coincidentally, the awards ceremony was happening.

Since it’s traditional for the archery winner to ask for a gift, this was ongoing.

However, there was one strange thing—Carsein was coming towards her.

Harne, who was about to approach the award-winning Carsein, paused in confusion. By the time she did, Carsein had arrived in front of her.

A scene where he knelt down to present his victory to his fiancée couldn’t be stranger.

“The glory of victory I dedicate to my fiancée.”

For a moment, silence flowed.

Then, cheers erupted.

—”Kyaaah!”

A man kneeling before his fiancée, offering his victory, was like a bomb that exploded in every woman’s heart.

Seeing it with her own eyes, there was no need for words.

‘…Did our Miss melt?’

No longer feeling the past trauma, rather than melting Carsein’s heart, it was Harne who was melting.

***

Indeed, although I could demand something from the Crown Prince, giving it up was the right decision.

-Ding!

-Demand criteria were low enough that noblesse points didn’t decrease.

-The tournament continues.

Anyway, since it was the first event, there was still a long way to go. It would have led to a bad ending if I had rushed to grab something.

—

After avoiding the Dead Flag, the next event began.

[Competition Score: 1228 points]

Adding some extra events could easily make up for the lacking points.

‘The score branching point for confirmation is 1200 points on the second day, so there shouldn’t be any other problems.’

Although the martial arts tournament has another day left, that’s a trap.

On the third day, there are too many events that Carsein cannot participate in. So, it’s best to solve everything on the second day. If enough points aren’t accumulated here, you’ll automatically be disqualified on the final day.

Thus, I accumulated as many points as possible on the second day.

—

Anyway, that’s it.

I won’t participate in the third day, and there won’t be any dangerous events.

On the last day, once the highlight—the arena—is over, the martial arts tournament will end.

“Oh, I took too long to think.”

Although it was to organize my thoughts, I was actually going to buy snacks for my fiancée who was resting.

I hurriedly bought crepes and drinks from nearby vendors and returned to Harne.

Harne sat quietly on a bench.

“Sorry, I was late, weren’t I?”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t wait long.”

Really? It’s good that it didn’t take long.

“When did you practice archery?”

“Oh, Radia helped a bit. Talpon did too.”

“Really?”

…Something about her behavior felt a bit flustered.

Probably just my mood. Anyway, I need to tell her about tomorrow’s schedule.

“Harne, let’s take a walk—”

-Snap.

Huh?

Isn’t this mine?

“Mm. This is also delicious!”

“…?”

What’s going on? Why is she leaving her own and eating mine?

I looked at Harne with a puzzled expression.

“This tastes different. I wanted to try this too…”

“…”

Right. There’s a reason for that.

This was bought with my money.

No way.

I need to get revenge too.

-Gobble.

“Eh…?”

“I wanted to try what you’re drinking. Hmm, it’s tasty.”

Since Harne took my drink, I took hers.

Since she said she wanted to try something different, I drank her drink with the same excuse.

This is legal. Hmm. No problem at all!

…But why does Harne look so strange?

“Why are you looking at me like that…?”

“How could this happen…!”

“No, no! You were the one who started by taking mine first! So, I just did the same…”

“You…!”

Uh… It feels like I’m about to get hit.

Wait, it’s legal! We both took each other’s stuff!

-Splat!

“How could this be the same!”

“Ouch!”

So, I experienced a rare combo hit.

After that…

“Don’t say anything.”

“Huh? That’s unfair…”

“I told you not to say anything!”

Conversation couldn’t continue.

However, unlike usual when I make mistakes, Harne avoided eye contact, turning her head repeatedly. The unusual part was that she didn’t touch her drink which she usually enjoyed…

At least, I let it slide after this much. Still, wondering if there were any other issues, I quietly walked with her.

—

After the second day’s competition, a festival was held.

To those who achieved unsatisfactory results, there was consolation and encouragement for tomorrow.

For those who achieved satisfactory results, congratulations were in order.

The streets buzzed with talk about the martial arts tournament.

However, Ariana clenched her fist as she walked alone in the city.

-“But… Since my feet are narrow, perhaps you could connect me to Lord Carsein.”

The words Stern Baron said after the archery competition still linger in her mind.

He refused her offer and requested a connection to Carsein.

Though it could be considered a request to another family member, Ariana felt irritated for some reason.

“Sigh. No, I should prepare for tomorrow.”

Just as she was planning for the next day,

A conversation from a balcony nearby caught her ear.

“Truly remarkable, isn’t it? Such a trajectory!”

“If a person can optimize equipment like that… They might have sufficient qualities to be a successor.”

“Hmm. I think they would be a suitable candidate for the successor of the Bargrand family.”

“To be honest, there was a huge gap. But…更适合于当前语境的翻译应保持简洁和自然。以下是简化后的版本：

“Phew.”

Two archery events have ended.

I sighed lightly as I checked my status window.

-Ding!

-The archery event matches have concluded.

-Scores have been recorded according to rank.

[Archery Competition Score: 585 points]

‘…I’m still lacking.’

It’s not a bad score, but it’s not enough. In the game, I usually scored over 600 points by this stage.

Although Chapter 3 features the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament as the main episode, avoiding the Dead Trigger might make this a regrettable choice.

While affinity increases stats and improves relationships, noblesse points reflect reputation within the noble society.

Increasing these points can lead to more business partners and better contracts with people like Carsein, impacting another plan. This episode provides an opportunity to raise Carsein’s noblesse points.

In short, the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Tournament offers a chance to accelerate another plan, so it’s best not to miss out.

—

For Harne, the archery competition didn’t leave good memories.

That day marked the start of everything.

Suddenly, instead of Helie, she was engaged.

Rumors spread that she had taken away a man, causing a rift with Helie.

Known as a vixen who snatched men in social circles, Harne intended to just occupy a seat.

She wanted to cheer for her fiancé Carsein, but couldn’t.

—

Anyway, that’s it.

I won’t participate in the third day, and there won’t be any dangerous events.

On the last day, once the highlight—the arena—is over, the martial arts tournament will end.

“Oh, I took too long to think.”

Although it was to organize my thoughts, I was actually going to buy snacks for my fiancée who was resting.

I hurriedly bought crepes and drinks from nearby vendors and returned to Harne.

Harne sat quietly on a bench.

“Sorry, I was late, weren’t I?”

“No, it’s okay. I didn’t wait long.”

Really? It’s good that it didn’t take long.

“When did you practice archery?”

“Oh, Radia helped a bit. Talpon did too.”

“Really?”

…Something about her behavior felt a bit flustered.

Probably just my mood. Anyway, I need to tell her about tomorrow’s schedule.

“Harne, let’s take a walk—”

-Snap.

Huh?

Isn’t this mine?

“Mm. This is also delicious!”

“…?”

What’s going on? Why is she leaving her own and eating mine?

I looked at Harne with a puzzled expression.

“This tastes different. I wanted to try this too…”

“…”

Right. There’s a reason for that.

This was bought with my money.

No way.

I need to get revenge too.

-Gobble.

“Eh…?”

“I wanted to try what you’re drinking. Hmm, it’s tasty.”

Since Harne took my drink, I took hers.

Since she said she wanted to try something different, I drank her drink with the same excuse.

This is legal. Hmm. No problem at all!

…But why does Harne look so strange?

“Why are you looking at me like that…?”

“How could this happen…!”

“No, no! You were the one who started by taking mine first! So, I just did the same…”

“You…!”

Uh… It feels like I’m about to get hit.

Wait, it’s legal! We both took each other’s stuff!

-Splat!

“How could this be the same!”

“Ouch!”

So, I experienced a rare combo hit.

After that…

“Don’t say anything.”

“Huh? That’s unfair…”

“I told you not to say anything!”

Conversation couldn’t continue.

However, unlike usual when I make mistakes, Harne avoided eye contact, turning her head repeatedly.