After getting off the horse carriage, Duke Remy immediately headed for the academy gates.
"Hmm, what's all that commotion out front? Do you know anything?" Duke Remy asked the knights escorting him.
"We don't know, Lord Duke," said one of the knights escorting him.
"Then I'll check it out myself. You guys wait here and guard the carriage," said Duke Remy.
"B-but Lord Duke, we have to escort you. You're a Duke after all," said one of the knights.
"You don't need to escort me. After all, this is San Fulgen Academy, not some unknown place. If you're worried about your commander getting angry, just tell him I don't want to be escorted," said Duke Remy.
"B-but, Lord..." said one of the knights.
"No buts, and besides, I'm not that weak that I need to be escorted by you. Then, goodbye," said Duke Remy.
Duke Remy left the knights escorting him. He went to the academy gate and saw for himself what the commotion was all about.
-
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen,"
"Greetings too, Your Majesty the Queen," said the people approaching Queen Kayana.
They all approached Queen Kayana to greet her and salute her directly.
"Thank you, all of you," said Queen Kayana.
"I thought there was such a crowd, but it turns out it's because of Her Majesty the Queen. Even Commander Oliver is here," said Duke Remy.
"Lord Duke Remy," said Queen Kayana.
Commander Oliver bowed to Duke Remy as a sign of respect.
"Lord Duke?!?!,"
"Lord Duke Remy of San Quentine?!?!," said the surprised bystanders.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen," said Duke Remy.
"Thank you, Lord Duke. I didn't expect you to come to this academy tournament. From the looks of it, it seems you're the only Duke attending," said Her Majesty the Queen.
"It seems they're all busy, but I'm willing to put off my work just to see my daughter and niece compete," said Duke Remy.
"Is that so. Did you come here alone? Where are your knights?" asked Queen Kayana.
"I told them to wait outside. I don't feel comfortable being escorted everywhere," said Duke Remy.
"You're always so free, as usual. Duchess Arnett isn't accompanying you either?" asked Queen Kayana.
"Ah, she doesn't want to come, she has her own things to do. Her Majesty the Queen herself doesn't seem to be accompanied by His Majesty the King either," said Duke Remy.
"Just like Duchess Arnett, my husband also has his own things to do, so he doesn't want to come watch this tournament," said Queen Kayana.
"Our spouses are both very busy, aren't we?" said Duke Remy.
Meanwhile, the people around her who had initially approached Queen Kayana began to approach Duke Remy.
"H-hello, greetings, Lord Duke,"
"G-greetings too, Lord Duke," the men said.
Duke Remy, who had initially been staring at Queen Kayana, then glared at them.
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"Can't you see I'm speaking with Her Majesty the Queen? How dare you interrupt my conversation with Her Majesty the Queen just for the sake of greeting her?" Duke Remy said with an angry expression.
Seeing this, the men who had greeted Duke Remy began to look frightened.
"Enough, enough, Lord Duke. They only wanted to greet you. There's no need to scold them," said Queen Kayana.
"Very well, if Your Majesty says so," said Duke Remy.
"By the way, we're about to go inside. Would you like to come with us?" asked Queen Kayana.
"I wouldn't refuse if you invited me. But you go ahead, Your Majesty the Queen. I'd like to speak with them first. It seems they all want to greet and talk to me," said Duke Remy.
Alright, then we'll go first," said Queen Kayana.
"Please, Your Majesty," said Duke Remy.
Queen Kayana, Commander Oliver, and the knights escorting them stepped into the academy grounds.
"Thankfully, Her Majesty was there, otherwise I would have finished you off right here. I don't recognize any of you here, which means you're only low-ranking nobles, right? If you wish to salute, do so quickly. It's rare for me to receive such a lowly salute from lowly nobles like you," said Duke Remy.
-
Her Majesty the Queen and the others finally arrived at the academy lobby. At the lobby door, someone was already there to greet them.
"Welcome to San Fulgen Academy, Your Majesty the Queen, Commander Oliver, and the knights. Let me escort you to the tournament area," said Senior Vyn.
Senior Vyn greeted them with a bow and salute. Then, Her Majesty the Queen and the others entered the academy lobby and headed to the tournament area in the central building, escorted by Senior Vyn. Along the way, everyone who saw Her Majesty the Queen immediately bowed and saluted her, whether they were students or other nobles who had already arrived at the academy. Finally, they reached the eighth floor, the tournament area. There, Miss Karina was waiting for them.
"Welcome to the academy, Your Majesty the Queen. I apologize for only being able to welcome you here," said Lady Karina.
"Thank you for your welcome, Principal. It doesn't matter where you welcome me, as long as you are willing to welcome me," said Queen Kayana.
"Then, let me show you to your special room first, then escort you to your special spectator seats," said Miss Karina.
-
It was almost 10 a.m., meaning the academy tournament would soon begin. The spectator seats in the tournament area were already filled with spectators, including academy students, nobles, and other important figures. Queen Kayana and Duke Remy were also seated in their special seats on the 10th floor.
When the clock struck 10 a.m., Mr. Alan suddenly walked toward the tournament arena. Once inside, Mr. Alan began to speak.
"Good morning, everyone. Let me introduce myself. My name is Alan Hugo. I will be the host of the 1218 Academy Tournament."
"Thank you to everyone who came to watch this student tournament. Thank you to Her Majesty the Queen for her continued support. Coincidentally, Her Majesty the Queen is also here to watch this tournament, so I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the academy. Thank you also to the other nobles who helped and supported this tournament, such as the Dukes and others. Coincidentally, Lord Duke Remy is also here, so I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of the academy as well."
"As you know, every year this academy holds an academy tournament to determine the best students in the academy. Four years of classes compete to be crowned the best student. Of course, they compete not only for the title of best student, but also for other prizes,"
"I will tell you what prizes they will receive if they win this tournament. First place will receive 10,000 points and 500,000 Larx, second place will receive 5,000 points and 250,000 Larx, and third place will receive 2,500 points and 150,000 Larx. For those of you who don't know, academy points are used by students to advance to the next grade or as a graduation requirement. Additionally, students will earn points based on their daily match points if they win each round of the tournament, and no point deductions will be incurred if they lose."
"This year's tournament is divided into two sections: a mens-only tournament and a womens-only tournament. There are 32 participants in each tournament, divided into four year groups, meaning each year has eight representatives. This tournament uses a knockout system, meaning if a participant loses their first match, they are immediately eliminated."
"This year's academy tournament will last for five days. The first day is today to compete for the top 16, the second day is Tuesday to compete for the top 8, the third day is Wednesday to compete for the top 4, the fourth day is Thursday to compete for a place in the final and the last day is Friday is the day the final of this academy tournament takes place. For guests from outside the academy, we have prepared a room for those of you who wish to stay at this academy,"
"That's all I can say. I apologize for the lengthy explanation. Then, let's get started with the tournament," said Mr. Alan.
Suddenly, a magical projection appeared around the tournament area. The magic originated from an artifact owned by the academy. The projection displayed the tournament's match chart. The chart was still blank, there were no participants' names on it yet.
"As you can see, the match chart has been created, but there are no participants' names on it yet. But don't worry, the participants' names are actually there, but they are still hidden,"
"Then, let's get started with the men's tournament first. ?Who will be competing in the first match?" asked Mr. Alan.
The audience watched the projection chart intently. The chart slowly changed. The names of the participants who would be competing in the first match on the chart gradually began to appear until they were fully visible. The participants competing in the first match of the mens academy tournament were Vyn Laterza versus Noa Sigisbert.
-To be continued
