Mariel's lips curved into a smile, but in his mind he quickly drew a conclusion: this woman has sharp intuition.
"You're still so young. How can you be so confident about entering that tournament?" Mariel countered, not answering any of the girl's questions. "Aren't you afraid of failing? By the way, my name is Mariel."
Mariel's extended hand was met by the girl. "I'm Selena Hellvia Pendragon," she said cheerfully. "I'm a future Knight of the Round Table, the one who will behead the Primordial Demon Lukhiel who killed Lady Guinerhea three months ago."
Mariel didn't show any strong reaction when Selena said that. Instead, his focus was on Selena's soft hand. In his dream, he had once touched the hand of his spirit, but touching a real woman's hand gave a completely different sensation. Selena's hand was so soft that Mariel hesitated to let it go.
No wonder women are the reason of the downfall of many rulers, Mariel thought as he pulled his hand back. They are truly dangerous. It's so easy to be drawn to beauty and physical charm. If I can't control these hormones, I might end up becoming a woman-obsessed fool. Maybe I should learn a bit of meditation from hermits.
"I'm confident because I'm strong. Do you see the sword on my back?" Selena pointed to the sword on her back with her right thumb. "This is the holy sword Caliburn. I've inherited the bloodline of Emperor Arthur Pendragon; I'm the niece of King Arthur IV. I just returned from training with my grandfather, a former Knight of the Round Table. He passed this sword down to me. I have no reason not to be confident."
"Wow, you must be incredible. Trained directly by a former member of the Round Table…. No wonder you're so confident. Ah, I'm starting to doubt joining the tournament. There's no way I stand a chance against you. Maybe I should just join the Sterminatore Organization instead."
Mariel had to admit he was a bit puzzled.
Why did Selena reveal such important information so easily? Was she not worried her sword might get stolen? What if the information made her a target for kidnapping? Was she so confident in her strength that she believed no one could take her sword or abduct her?
If that was the case, Mariel could understand.
But what if the girl had another motive? She had mentioned Lukhiel's name earlier. Was it possible that Selena suspected Mariel of being connected to the demon?
"Hey, you can't say that!" Selena exclaimed, lightly tapping Mariel's left shoulder. "When I said I thought you were strong, I meant it. Especially since I saw your speed earlier. Sure, we can't deny that I'm very strong, but if you try, you might be able to make me take things seriously. We won't know unless we try, right?"
"Ah, you're right. But still, I don't like doing things where failure is certain. Besides, I'm more inclined to support you than participate. After all, a noble like you being so kind and considerate to a commoner like me is a miracle."
"Ha-ha-ha. You're too much," Selena said, lightly tapping Mariel's shoulder repeatedly. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed. "How about this: why don't you try applying to become Princess Marryphimia Pendragon's personal knight? Next month, she'll be celebrating her sixteenth birthday. It's a tradition for royal princes and princesses to appoint a knight—a protector who ensures their safety wherever they go—on their sixteenth birthday. I can register you directly. What do you think?"
Mariel allowed his mind to ponder the offer.
If he wanted to build a career his mother would undoubtedly approve of, he could consider the offer. Or, he could directly participate in the tournament Selena aimed to join. Mariel didn't doubt his own strength. There was a significant chance he could win the tournament. However, he was only fifteen. Even if he won, he wouldn't officially be appointed as a Knight of the Round Table until his seventeenth birthday.
The Western Continent was different from the Eastern Continent. In the East, fifteen was the minimum age to be considered an adult. In the West, seventeen was the age of adulthood. Anyone younger than that wasn't allowed to hold important positions. Even a king couldn't ascend the throne unless they were at least seventeen. Mariel wasn't sure whether Selena had forgotten this fact or simply ignored it.
What was certain, however, was that his future would be bright if he chose either of the two options. Moreover, the Great Kingdom of Camelot didn't have a wide gap between nobles and commoners. In this kingdom, individual ability was valued more than social status. Of course, Mariel understood that some nobles were cruel, but they were a minority.
However, Mariel personally had no interest in such matters. Rather than being ennobled and owning a land of his own, he preferred to adventure alongside Lukhiel. He wanted to find the Tower of Babel and ask Merlin to share her knowledge—if the rumors were true, of course. The world was far too vast to bind himself to one place.
Mariel also had another ambition. He wanted to control this world just as he controlled pieces on a chessboard. The darker side of his heart yearned to know how it felt to play chess with the world as the board and its inhabitants as the pieces. This darker side of Mariel often surfaced during his chess games with Lukhiel, but he always hid it well. He didn't want Lukhiel to know about his frightening thoughts.
"Oh, how about joining me?" Selena asked before Mariel had the chance to respond. "We'll stop in Londinia two days before heading to Pendragon. You sho—"
"Lady Selena!" A man in his twenties suddenly appeared, cutting the girl off mid-sentence. He was the coachman of the carriage Selena had arrived in, though his attire made it clear he was a versatile servant. "There's important information from my men," he explained while pointing to a hawk perched on his shoulder—a letter was attached to its leg.
"Wait a moment, Mariel."
Mariel simply nodded, watching as Selena untied the rolled paper from the hawk's leg.
Perhaps my concerns are unfounded, Mariel thought, dismissing the idea that Selena might suspect his connection to Lukhiel.
Selena had likely been drawn to his speed and assumed he was strong. That might be why she'd gone out of her way to confirm her suspicions. Friendly behavior might simply be Selena's nature, complemented by her slightly tomboyish demeanor. Yet, Selena also seemed sensitive when her feminine side was praised.
"Oh, so they've finally found Lukhiel's hideout."
Mariel glanced at the paper in Selena's hand, then turned his gaze to the sky. Lukhiel had never shared what he did outside, so Mariel was slightly intrigued by Selena's words. Where had that demon gone? What exactly was he doing without his knowledge?
"Will you be going, Lady?" Selena's subordinate asked.
"Of course! Even if I win the tournament, Uncle Arthur will ask me to wait a year until I turn seventeen before being knighted as a Round Table Knight. But if I bring the head of the Primordial Demon Lukhiel to him, he and all the Knights of the Round Table won't have a choice."
"But, Lady, that's far too dangerous."
"Have you forgotten who you're speaking to?"
"Haaaa. Changing your mind is as futile as coloring water. But I've grown used to this. That's why I've already asked them to investigate the situation in Birmithan. We can go straight there without stopping in Londinia. My men will rendezvous with us before we arrive."
"Well done, Ferguso, you're always reliable."
In contrast to Selena's energetic smile, Ferguso sighed and rubbed his temples. As if understanding what its master was going through, the hawk on Ferguso's shoulder nuzzled its head against him. The bird was quite caring.
"Oh, Mariel, forget my earlier offer!" Selena's attention returned to Mariel. "I have a better proposal. How about becoming one of my subordinates instead? I'll pay you ten thousand escal per week. What do you think?"
Ten thousand escal per week? That wasn't a bad offer.
From the information he had gathered from Lukhiel, the average cost of living for a middle-class family in Londinia was only about one thousand escal per week. Ten thousand escal was a lot. Quite a lot. At the moment, he only had two thousand escal in his bag. Accepting Selena's offer didn't seem like a bad idea.
However—
"That's a very generous offer, but with all due respect, I have to decline. Besides, you don't know anything about me yet. What if I'm a spy sent by Neiracia? Worse, what if I'm a follower of Doctor Lergen? You should be more cautious when recruiting."
—Mariel didn't like taking orders from others. He'd had enough of being bossed around by Lukhiel. Even though this was his first meeting with Selena, Mariel could already imagine being worked to the bone. He could picture Selena ordering him to do reckless and dangerous things. She'd even just mentioned taking down Lukhiel.
"You're making me want to recruit you even more. How about 20 thousand escal?"
"Didn't you hear what I just said? I could be a mercenary hired to steal the sacred sword from you. Are you still sure you want to recruit me?"
"Hahaha." Selena handed the letter to Ferguso and drew her large sword. "Do you really believe this is the Sacred Sword Caliburn?" she asked with a mock-mysterious expression.
Mariel did as Selena wanted him to: he observed the sword carefully.
It was a double-edged sword, predominantly platinum in color. Its hilt was rounded and fit perfectly in one's grip. The sword was broad at the base and tapered toward the tip. Both sides of the blade were lined with copper, which bore unique engravings Mariel couldn't decipher. Most notably, the aura radiating from the sword was completely different from anything he'd ever felt.
"With the aura that sword emits, no one would ever—!"
Mariel reflexively leapt backward to avoid the sudden slash Selena sent his way.
"What are you do—"
Mariel wasn't allowed to finish his question; Selena was already in front of him in an instant. Mariel tilted his head to evade the thrust of the sword, but Selena quickly pulled back her weapon and spun, delivering a powerful right kick.
Mariel crossed his arms to block the kick from hitting his shoulder. However, a sudden burst of lightning enveloped Selena's leg, sending Mariel flying. And it didn't stop there—Selena fired spheres of lightning from all five fingers. Every one of them struck Mariel, knocking him far off the unpaved road.
Even so, Mariel managed to land on his feet. He wasn't injured—his body was shielded by a wind armor that deflected the lightning before it could harm him. Mariel had been thrown back only due to the shockwaves released when the lightning spheres exploded.
Mariel dissipated his wind armor as Selena landed roughly a few meters in front of him. "Why did you attack me?" he asked.
"You're not hurt," Selena remarked, completely ignoring the question. "You're as strong as I thought. So, here's my final offer: 25 thousand escal per week. That's the same pay as the Knights of the Round Table. Think it over carefully."