Holy Sword Tournament Arc
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(POV: Lumiere)
The week leading up to the preliminaries of the Holy Sword Festival had arrived, and the Shield Kingdom's royal family were already making their way to the Cross Kingdom's Royal Capital. This honorary tournament occurred every decade and could be hosted by either of the two kingdoms. The festival had become more than a celebration of Saint Melcius, it now offered great rewards for the top three contestants.
Third-place received a fiefdom and earned noble status.
Second-place the first was appointed as Holy Knight, given a larger fiefdom and promoted to noble status.
First-place was granted the most significant reward of all - permission to marry into the Shield Kingdom's royal family.
Previously, it was the Cross Kingdom. Hence, it was interchangeable.
Marrying into the king's family ultimately led to military benefits for the family and political for the first-place contestant.
