WHOOOOHH!! WHOOOHH!! OOHHHHH!!
Loud cheers boomed throughout the place, people, lions, and elephants bowing their heads time and time again. As applause echoed in the air, people talked about their experience inside the circus, laughing and chuckling to themselves.
Before long, the show finally ended and people started pouring out of the tent. From children to elderly, everyone exiting with a smile on their face. They all enjoyed the show, leaving with their hearts filled with satisfaction and cheerfulness.
"Waah～! That was so fun～! It makes me want to watch again..."［Yuna］
"Me too. Let's watch it some other time, Older Sister Yuna!"［Violet］
"Un! Let's do just that! How about we watch this tomorrow again?"［Yuna］
"Yes! I would very much love to!"［Violet］
It was so fun, everyone couldn't stop thinking about it even after they excited the tent. The extreme stunts, the stunning magic, the circus animals and beasts, and many more. There was a lot to see under the tent, all full of awe and wonder.
"Haven't you had enough of watching it already? I thought this is your what... Fourthー no, fifth time watching it?"［Grey］
"Ehh～? But it's so fun! Isn't it, Iris, Violet?"［Yuna］
"Y-Yes! I agree with Elder Sister Yuna!"［Iris］
"Me too, Older Brother Grey!"［Violet］
Now, Yuna even dragged the young ladies to her side. With such a lineup, there was nothing more he could do. He could only sigh in resignation, letting the girls decide whatever they want to do and follow after them. It was quite enjoyable, after all.
Noon had already passed and so dId lunch. With the sun slowly sinking down the horizon, everyone continued their tour and enjoyed a lot more attractions all over the carnival, stopping by from ride to ride and enjoying things the best way they could.
They also happened to pass by a spooky haunted house, but before they could even suggest anything, the two young ladies with them quickly dissuaded them from doing so, shaking their heads frantically as if their very lives depended on it.
Apart from that, they had lots of fun. They entered a mirror maze, tried out different snacks, and watched a lot of performances. It was a day full of fun, time flying and passing quickly before they even noticed it. Truly a wild ride.
"Ah! Everyone, there's something new over there! Let's try it!"［Violet］
"Fufufu! That looks like fun～!"［Yuna］
It hasn't even been a couple minutes since they exited the tent yet another attraction had caught their eye. There were large spinning wheels, divided into several colored and uneven parts, big needles situated at the top and words written all over them.
An attraction Grey was too familiar with, seeing it all over the television, the internet, and all over the place. A which could spell happiness, gloom, and mediocrity simply by chance and leaving it to fate. It was the "Wheel of Fortune"!
And as it seems, there were a number of prizes laid out all over the stall as well. Be it tiny trinkets, large stuffed toys, and even some cash, one could see all sorts of prizes, each one written on their respective colored slices. As for the grand prize, it seems to be hidden for now.
"Nooo!! I was so close, goddammit!"
"Hahaha, better luck next time, dear customer～."
They have yet to approach the game yet they could already hear a voice filled with despair, a man kneeling to the ground as he suffered a great loss. He was just a couple millimeters away as well. How truly vexing it was.
Yet despite the man's dreadful scream, people still lined up after the wheel of fortune, trying to test their luck. Many went home empty-handed, but some also won prizes here and there. It was a good game, fair and square.
"Mister, we'd also like to play, please."［Yuna］
"Oh, of course, of course! That would be 10 kiels per spin."
"Then, we'll be having mmn... 5 spins each, please."［Yuna］
Said Yuna, handing two whole bronze coins to the facilitator. They were then given 20 tickets each and lined up after the others. Everyone was pretty excited to try out the game even though they knew their chance of winning was slim, close to none.
With each step they took, emotional cries echoed in the air. Some cried tears of joy, while most were... Let's just say they got unlucky. There were even some who didn't land a hit even after a dozen tries. Their luck was simply nonexistent.
Before long, it was finally their turn. And since there were three Wheels of Fortune present, Yuna, Iris, and Violet went ahead first and lined up to their respective wheels. Now that they were close to it, they could clearly see how big it was.
"Then, in three... two... one... spin!!"［Yuna］
With Yuna counting down, everyone quickly spun their wheels and left the rest to fate. Despite how large they were, they were actually pretty light, spinning ever so energetically as the needle jumped from slice to slice.
Well, at least that's how it went on Yuna's side. For Violet, the wheel was spinning much slower, only rotating every once in a while. Meanwhile, Iris... With her meager strength, the wheel was barely spinning, faking its sweet time as much as it could.
It didn't take long at all. With how little force Iris exerted, it didn't even take the wheel ten seconds before stopping. Unfortunately for Iris, her spin landed on a red, or a blank so to say, not even winning a minor prize.
"Awww... I didn't get anything..."［Iris］
"Fufufu! That's okay, Iris... I got a blank as well."［Violet］
And soon after Iris', Violet's wheel stopped spinning. Though she packed more power in her spin, compared to Iris whose needle was close to a prize, Violet's was dead center, not even close to getting a prize.
After Violet, it was finally Yuna's turn. And by sheer luck, she landed on a differently colored tile, earning herself a minor prize. It was only a small and simple keychain, but it was still enough to make her happy, softly giggling to herself.
"Then, shall we continue?"［Yuna］
Though... Such a giggle didn't last too long. After her first lucky spin, the next spins after it all landed on red tiles. It wasn't just her, Iris and Violet experienced the same results as well. A game of luck was truly brutal.
Now, the young ladies were feeling a little crestfallen, Yuna clutching her keychain with a sulky face. Such adorable actions only served to make Grey chuckle to himself, subconsciously patting the three's heads as he tried to cheer them up.
"I guess it's my turn then..."［Grey］
A smile still floating on his face, Grey then approached one of the wheels and took a careful look at it. It was quite intimidating with its size, but there was no need to be conscious about that. Soon, the wheel finally started spinning.
It spun and spun, a spectrum of colors flashing before their eyes. With the passing of time, the wheel started to slow down, soon coming to a stop. And as fate would have it, his spin landed on a major prize. A lucky spin.
"Waah～! Okder Brother Grey is so lucky! He got a major prize first time!"［Violet］
"Mou... It's going to go downhills from this anyway..."［Yuna］
Unfortunately for Yuna, such was not the case. One after another, each of Grey's spins landed on the major prizes tiles, the crowd screaming with surprise as they witnessed such an unbelievable show of luck unfold.
Though, it wasn't really all because of luck. Though the first one was indeed a lucky spin, his main goal at the time was to check how much the wheel would spin if he were to exert a certain force, a smile blooming on his face soon after.
It would have been impossible to perform, but with Grey's "Perfect Memory", he memorized just how much force he needed to exactly apply in order to get what he wanted, landing on major prizes four times in a row with relative ease.
'And now, for the grand finale...'［Grey］
Thought Grey, a mischievous smile blooming on his face. He then spun the wheel for the final time, and the sound of the needle clacking echoed in the air as the wheel spun and spun. Before long, the outcome was finally revealed...
"W-We have a winner! The grand prize has finally been nabbed!"
"Grey, you're amazing! You really did it!"［Yuna］
"Elder Brother Grey, you're so cool!"［Iris］
There was no mistaking it. Grey's needle landed on the golden tile which only had one in a million chance of winning. The crowd clamored and exclaimed in awe and excitement as they saw Grey win, unable to believe their eyes.
For the first time in a while, the grand prize was finally revealed. It was a ticket for five for a wonderful and luxurious date, complete with high-class touring, service, dinner, and so much more. It was the perfect gift.
As for the major prizes, Grey let the young ladies take their pick on what the stall has to offer. Yuna picked a beautiful hairpin, Iris got herself yet another stuffed toy, and Violet had herself a gaudy and elegant fountain pen.
Since there was another major prize left, Grey got himself a decorative dagger which he would decorate their home with. It was a very profitable haul, only costing them 200 kiels. It was quite the generous and lucky bargain.
"Thank you very much, Elder Brother Grey, I'm make sure to treasure it!"［Iris］
"Me too! I'll always keep it with me!"［Violet］
"Hahaha, that's reassuring to hear."［Grey］
Smiles on their faces, everyone then left the Wheel of Fortune and continued strolling about throughout the vast carnival. They found more attractions, and so, they played some more games, enjoying themselves to their hearts' content.
Just like the previous game, they also hauled in quite a bit of prizes after playing so many games one after another. In fact, compared to the amount they spent, the value of the prizes they got was much higher by many folds.
And just like that, time passed some more and the afternoon bell rang throughout the whole city. Yet despite how much time has passed, the whole city was still as merry as one can be, the excitement not dying down any time soon.
"Iris, move a little more to the leftー No, your left!"［Yuna］
"A-Ah, yes! L-Left, right...?"［Iris］
"Just a little more... Another step... And, okay! That's okay, Iris!"［Yuna］
Now, they are playing some sort of piñata game. The goal was to hit the target which has been randomly placed on a wide area with a time limit of only two minutes whilst one is blindfolded. The sooner one finds the target, the better the prize will be.
Everyone was already done playing, and as one would expect from Grey and Yuna, they quickly struck down the piñatas, it wasn't even a challenge. Currently, it was Iris' turn, slowly turning about and cautious as a little rabbit as she took her steps.
Since only a single person was allowed to give the player instructions, Yuna has been guiding the young princess towards the right path, correcting her the moment she makes a mistake and cheering on her all the while.
"Wait! Back down a little bit, Iris! And... There! That's perfect!"［Yuna］
"Hmm... We only have twenty seconds left..."［Grey］
"Grey, you're not helping!"［Yuna］
It was complete and utter chaos. Even though she wasn't the one who was playing, Yuna was in a total state of panic, trying to give Iris instructions as carefully as she could whilst trying to keep the timer in mind.
She turned left, turned right, and walked straight a couple steps. Each and every time Yuna instructed Iris, the latter advanced closer towards the target, her stick ready to strike as hard as she could at Yuna's command.
RING RING DING
Unfortunately for everyone, before Iris could even get in range to the target, the two minute timer had already run out. She was almost there as well, only a couple more steps away from winning and getting a prize.
"Sorry, Iris, we couldn't win the prize. Should we try again?"［Yuna］
"No, it's okay. I had a lot of fun, Elder Sister Yuna!"［Iris］
Yet despite her loss, there was only satisfaction on the young princess' face. Even when Yuna offered to retake the game, she simply shook her head and beamed a blinding smile soon after. Such a pure and kindhearted child she was.
Well, there really wasn't any reason to feel so down. Even if they did win or not, they already have more than enough prizes to last them a lifetime. What's most important was that they had a lot of fun playing the games.
"Then, let's get going, shallー"［Grey］
WHOOOOO!! OOOOOHHHHH!!
Grey couldn't even finish his words when he was suddenly cut off by a loud clamor of noises coming from quite a distance away. There, a lot of people gathered, cheering ever so enthusiastically, the sounds of metals clashing drifting in the air.
What got them so riled up, one might ask? It was the exhibition matches performed before them, two figures clashing fiercely with all their might, landing heavy strikes against one another every time their weapons connected.
"Should we go check it out?"［Grey］
There was no direct answer, everyone only nodding in silence. They soon walked closer and approached the fighting stage, feeling the excitement in the air getting more and more intense with each step they took.
And when they were finally at a considerable distance, shock and surprise was what greeted them. In the stage, there was a familiar figure clashing against a fairly high-ranking knight, trading blows as if they were in a real battle.
"Elder Brother...?"［Iris］
It was none other than the mischievous prince, Julius!
He dodged and he struck, his fierce lightning running rampant throughout the stage. If it wasn't for the high level barriers surrounding the place, things would have already gotten dicey for the spectators. Such was how fierce the battle really was.
The goal was pretty simple. In order to win, one simply needs to either knock down the opponent, make them surrender, or make them fall out of bounds all within a limit of ten minutes. Failure to do so will result in a tie from both parties
There was also no need to worry for heavy injuries or death as the barrier had been made to quickly pull out those who are in danger. There healers are also on standby to heal the injuries. And in such a case, it would be the opposing party's victory.
And as barbaric as it may seem, the exhibition matches were actually a way for the countries to create a stronger relationship through duels. It has been going on for as long as the festival has, becoming a tradition through the ages.
"Haah... So this is where he has been..."［Grey］
"Fufufu! Julius never fails to surprise us, huh?"［Yuna］
"Yeah, surprise us with troubles, that is..."［Grey］
The battle continued and more blows were traded. Though quite a bit weaker than his opponent, Julius stood his ground and kept on pushing, barely evading the enemy's all out assault. If it wasn't for the fact that he was now at D-rank, things would have gotten dicey for him.
⟨⟨Double Cross!⟩⟩
The opponent knight waved his sword and a star shaped blade came rushing towards Julous' direction. Julius tried to dodge it, but it was already too late. All he could do was defend against the attack, trying to parry it with his spear.
Julius' hands were trembling, but some way or another, he managed to block the attack, breaking it using sheer force. Unfortunately for him, the knight still wasn't finished with his assault, rushing towards him as soon as his attack connected.
"Kugh!"［Julius］
It was a heavy strike, Julius barely managing to dodge by a hair's breadth. He then quickly set some distance between them, stepping back a couple steps as quickly as he could, hands still trembling from the impact.
⟨⟨Lightning Parade!⟩⟩［Julius］
Julius reached out his hands and lightning shot out from his fingertips. The opponent which was once chasing after him had no other choice but to dodge, parrying some of the lightning bolts with his massive greatsword.
Unfortunately for him, Julius didn't just strike out of panic. As the opponent dodged to the left where there was no lightning, he then took the opportunity and planted his feet firmly to the ground. Soon, he pounced towards the unsuspecting knight.
⟨⟨Heavy Slash!⟩⟩
The knight tried to intercept Julius with a vertical slash towards him, but before it could even connect, Julius quickly planted his spear towards the floor, then leaping midair. Before the opponent noticed, he was already behind him.
⟨⟨Lightning Parade!⟩⟩［Julius］
Yet another volley of lightning bolts shot out from Julius' palm. The only difference now was that there was point-blank distance between him and his opponent. There was nothing the knight could do but endure the attack.
Crackle Crackle BOOOOMMMM
The parade of lightning bolt hit the knight's left flank, blasting him a couple meters away as pain coursed throughout his whole body. Though not all of the lightning bolts connected, several of them struck the enemy where it hurts.
Julius didn't simply stop there. Seeing his opponent blasted midair with no way of maneuvering himself, he quickly took hold of his spear again and rushed towards where the enemy was going to land, waiting like a tiger going for an ambush.
⟨⟨Howling Cleaver!⟩⟩［Julius］
He didn't waste the opportunity and landed a chain strike once again. All the knight could do was resist and defend as his greatsword was blasted away from him. There was only pain to be felt as Julius continued his endless fury
"Oh, we didn't expect to see you here, everyone."［Richter］
"Your Majesties..." ［Grey］
And just as such a fierce fight unfolded, a couple of familiar voices rang from the crowd. It wasn't just the Azure Sword Emperor, the current Emperor and some members of the Imperial Family were also with them. Everyone greeted everyone else soon after.
"Are you enjoying the Festival of Hearts, everyone?" ［Richter］
"Very much so, Your Majesty. How about you... It seems you're going around with your family? It must have been quite delightful." ［Yuna］
"Hahaha. That it is, that it is, Lady Yuna." ［Richter］
It was a short greeting, Richter's eyes soon shifting towards Julius" battle. He then cupped his chin and observed them closely, feeling a bit of awe as he admired how bold and aggressive Julius was, landing one attack after another.
"Mhm.. The Prince really does fight quite well, doesn't he? He'll undoubtedly become an important pillar of Alfrione in the near future..."［Richter］
"He's quite the hard worker, after all. He might even become a High-Ranker in the future... Though, I just hope he doesn't get too reckless." ［Grey］
"Hahaha. Reckless, huh... I could see that..." ［Richter］
Richter said, watching the fight once more. And though Julius seems to be the one having the upper hand, if one were to observe closely, one could notice Julius was actually slowing down and trembling even more than before.
With every strike, his stamina was drained dry, fatigue accumulating with the passing of time. He was getting impatient, trying to finish the fight as soon as possible, putting each bit of power left in him in each of his heavy strikes.
In contrast to him, despite sustaining injuries all over his body, the opponent knight remained calm, waiting for Julius to slip and create opportunity. And... he didn't have to wait long at all.
'There!' ［Julius］
Seeing an opportunity, Julius quickly nabbed the chance and struck with his spear. Unfortunately for him, it was a trap laid out by the enemy, his spear caught between the opponent's arms as the knight kicked his legs, making him lose balance.
It was all too sudden. He couldn't even think, when the very next moment, he saw a large hand heading towards his face. There was no way to defend against, the knight soon slamming him towards the ground.
And just when things couldn't get any worse, the knight got a hold of his own spear and pointed it towards him. The fight was finally over, loud cheers and applause echoing by the background as clouds of dust slowly faded away.
"Sorry for being too rough, Your Highness."
"No, it's alright... It's my loss." ［Julius］
There was no hatred between them, the knight offering his hand to lift Julius up. He was soon back on his feet, shaking each other's hands before receiving treatment from the healers and parting ways.
And just as he went down the stage, his face painted with a crestfallen expression, he saw a number of familiar faces greeting him. He then scratched his head, not knowing what to say, feeling awkwardness deep inside.
"That was quite the show, Julius. You've gotten stronger again." ［Grey］
"Yes! Elder Brother was really amazing back there!"［Iris］
"Princess Iris is right. If you were more experienced, I'm sure the outcome would have been different... You did well, Prince Julius." ［Richter］
However, contrary to his expectations, not one of them mocked him. Rather, they were singing praises of his match, even Richter acknowledging him. A warm and happy feeling welled inside his heart despite his loss.
"Oh, what's this? Are you crying now?" ［Grey］
"Grey, you bastard! You just have to destroy the moment, don't you?!" ［Julius］
Well, a short-lied warm and happy feeling. As soon as he heard Grey's words, such a feeling of gratitude was soon turned into irritation as he started bickering with Grey once again. Things have returned to normal, everyone giggling to themselves.
And just as such a scene unfolded, the fabled Azure Sword Emperor couldn't help but take a glance at the duel stage, remembering the blissful past when he once participated in them. A sudden thought came into his mind.
"Lord Grey, Lady Yuna..." ［Richter］
"Mn?" ［Yuna］
"What do you say we have an exhibition match?" ［Richter］
It was a sudden proposal, everyone freezing up as soon as they heard Richter's words. Yet the man himself was only smiling brightly, looking at Grey and Yuna, acting as if he said nothing out of the ordinary. As for the latter's reaction...
""Ehhh??!!"" ［Grey and Yuna］
... They were shocked as one can be...
CHAPTER 287 END