Originally, the last match of the day was to start at nine o'clock, but at half past eight people were notified that the match would be postponed for an hour, which gave Xia De, who had just been preparing for A, some time to rest.
While waiting, Dorothy guessed that the game was postponed because the church had a new arrangement. Tifa believed that because there was a danger nearby, the royal family had to coordinate the selection of the final spectators to prevent the heirs of the Cavendish family from being in danger.
At about 9:30, new visitors entered the tent, and Yin Luna unexpectedly came to Xia De in the early morning.
"Good morning, Shad."
The 17-year-old girl tied her long brown hair into a simple ponytail and wore a brown slim-fitting women's coat. It was obvious that she was dressed for work, and Yin Luna's appearance in the Edward III Arena at this time might be related to the humanoid relic that had murdered four people nearby.
"Good morning, Yin Luna."
"Good morning, Miss Beas."
In addition to Shade, Tifa and Dorothy also greeted Yin Luna. Although Miss Writer was not particularly familiar with Yin Luna, at least the two knew each other.
"You're here for the guy who's looking for his brother?"
Xia De raised his eyebrows, Yin Luna nodded, and stood behind Xia De, looking at him in the mirror as he put on his armor:
"Our team received a mission to conduct a security and search in the southeastern part of the arena. The captain just told us to move freely and confirm the situation in the surrounding area, so I came here directly."
She lowered her voice slightly:
"Did you find anything?"
“Not yet.”
Xia De shook his head:
"If this kind of humanoid relic wants to hide itself, it will be difficult for us to actively find them. However, I have other sources of information. If you really encounter that relic, don't worry. The people of the Fifth Era actually have ways to deal with them."
He told Yin Luna, Dorothy and the maids the information he had received from the Red Butterfly Girls in the morning, and Yin Luna also shared her news:
"Mr. Sari Pirot, the 'Iron Right Hand' of the Thirteenth Ring of the Church of Creation, has been sent here."
Yin Luna then thrust a piece of metal into Xia De's hand from behind him:
"The Church of Creation created a detection charm for this relic. Carry it with you, and when the relic appears within two meters, the charm will heat up. But this is a one-time use. Once the opponent leaves the range, the charm will be useless."
This sounds very similar to Shade's "Witch Detection Badge".
"I'll bring it with me. But since people from the church have appeared around the arena, it looks like I won't be able to win easily in the near future."
Yin Luna smiled and patted Xia De's shoulder:
"Even without those extraordinary powers, I believe you can win. Moreover, based on my understanding of you, Shade, when facing ordinary people, no matter how much you hope to win the game, you will never take the initiative to use the power of the ring wizard."
"Shad is indeed such a person."
The writer chimed in, and then asked an interesting question:
"What if Shad encounters that humanoid relic head-on in the arena? If he fights back, his identity as a ring warlock will be exposed. If he doesn't fight back, he will definitely get hurt."
"Oh, Dorothy, I shouldn't be so unlucky."
Xia De pretended to complain, but Yin Luna was a little worried:
"We need to prepare a plan to deal with this possibility. The information Shade just provided is only a possible way to deal with the opponent. The church's preliminary investigation shows that the relic Faceless Man's appearance in Tobesk is not a coincidence. Someone lured it here. This is not a random guess, but a divination by the Prophet Association and a summary of the characteristics of this relic."
"Luring an angel-level humanoid relic into the city? Oh, if the church knew who was doing this, they would be in big trouble no matter how powerful they were."
Shade said casually as he handed the metal amulet with a hole in it to Tifa. The black-haired maid strung it together with a silk thread and handed it back to Shade so he could hang it around his neck.
"However, in addition to the information I just mentioned, I am not without other preparations."
After putting on the heavy armor, Shade came to the table next to the mirror and opened the slender wooden box next to Mia. The silver long sword lay in the box, with the inscription "My Heart is Clear" on the blade. The sword was not activated, so it only had a strange yellow light. Even if the ancient silver sword had not yet exerted its power, just looking at it could make people feel safe.
"You brought this out?"
Yin Luna was a little surprised.
"Knowing that there might be danger, I certainly can't trust that I won't get into trouble. However, I can't bring the Night's Watch into the arena. This sword stays in the tent. If there is any danger, Tifa and Dorothy can protect themselves."
Shade paused:
"The premise is that the angel-level relic really appears."
"If the information provided by Miss Bei Yasi is accurate and the relic was lured here by a human call, then there is a high probability that he will appear. After all, today is the last day of the Spring City Riding Competition."
Tifa said softly at the side, and Shad nodded, looking at himself in the mirror with a serious expression.
At 9:50, Shad said goodbye to the girls in the tent, rode on horseback to meet Mr. Eric Foran, and then went to the entrance of the arena together.
Because there were only two rounds left, the winner would be decided this morning, and the real cold weapon duel would take place in the afternoon. The four "knights" met at the entrance of the arena and waited. They could hear the horns inside the arena and the poems written by the bards praising this game full of chivalric traditions, which were read aloud by the palace guards through a simple loudspeaker.
Finally, four names were mentioned. The "knights" whose names were mentioned would ride into the arena on horseback, and their origins and deeds would be read out while they circled the arena. Shad was the third to enter, and when he was introduced, the emphasis was placed on his many cases solved as a famous detective in Tobesk, and his heroic deeds in rescuing the assassinated Queen Diana last summer.
After all four entered the venue, they dismounted their horses together and climbed to the highest point of the audience seats, and then drew lots in the presence of Queen Diana, Princess Jasmine Cavendish, Prince Austin Cavendish and Prince Callistoth Cavendish.
Shade's opponent is the 25-year-old son of Marquis Durahan, who is also the man that Ajelina told Shade in advance and is likely to be the king's preferred marriage partner. Mr. Eric Foran's opponent is the previous champion, Sir Hels from Coldwater Harbor.
Although the 37-year-old knight is the oldest among the 36 players, his years of experience at sea make him look more energetic than most young people who enjoy life in the royal capital.
So the three Delarians and the one Carsenrick shook hands in a gesture of friendship and grace. Mr. Forlan and Sir Hulse raced first, while Shad and Mr. Dullahan, young, returned to the resting place to look after their horses.
As they were leaving the auditorium along the iron staircase, Mr. Dulahan, who was meeting Shade for the first time, suddenly approached him and whispered:
"Mr. Hamilton, I know this may give you a bad impression of me, but if possible, can you take the initiative to lose to me? I can compensate you with two thousand pounds."
He tried to lower his voice as much as possible, and his tone was quite embarrassed.
Xia De slowed down his pace and looked at him in surprise, then asked:
"May I understand why you do this?"
"Of course, for my beloved Clara."
Mr. Dulaghan said, his eyes sparkling:
"I promised her that after this match, no matter what the result is, I will tell my father and mother about our relationship. I think if I can win... I've watched your first two matches, and I know myself well. I'm probably not your opponent."
Xia De didn't know what to say. It seemed that all the marriage targets the king had chosen already had lovers of their own.
"I admire your commitment to your lover, but I am sorry, I also have my reasons for winning. I swear in the name of Her Royal Highness Leithia Cavendish that I will complete the game in accordance with the spirit of chivalry, and..."
He lowered his voice and whispered in the ear of Mr. Dulahhan, who was also holding a helmet:
"Ms. Carina told me that I must win. This is an order."
So the young son of the Marquis showed a sympathetic expression, and no one knew what he was thinking. But the good news was that until Sir Hels defeated the five-ring warlock Mr. Eric Foren and it was Shad's turn to appear, Mr. Dullahan did not mention the deal with Shad again.
Although Mr. Dulahan claimed that he would definitely not be able to beat Shad, when the two men rode into the arena from the east and west sides respectively amid the sound of horns and cheers, Shad could still feel his determination to win.
Of course, when they rode their horses and charged at each other and had their first tentative fight, Shade knew that the young gentleman's evaluation of him was still very accurate. His mount was not better than Shade's, and his own strength and speed were completely inferior to Shade's. And when it came to sword skills, his disadvantage was even greater.
But Shad still remembered what he had said, that he couldn't win too easily today, so he held back on purpose, and his performance of chasing, clashing, and fighting with little Dulahan in the arena made the game even more enjoyable to watch.
Little Dulahan could obviously feel that Shad was giving in to him, and Shad thought of the time when Sister Defulyn practiced swordsmanship with him, and she probably felt the same as he did now.