I'm Looking for the Male Lead for the Ending - Chapter 25
Chapter 13.2
Ban, who had been grumbling, was taken aback when he saw Estieren suddenly taking steps, as his earlier statement about retrieving the brooch now left him uneasy.
‘What on earth is he thinking?!’
As he anxiously trailed behind his superior, he couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke as they approached the entrance of the stadium in the distance.
“Wait a moment, Captain! The competition is about to start soon, where are you going?”
“….”
“Surely you haven’t forgotten His Majesty’s words, have you?”
As Ban urgently inquired, Estieren replied with a low voice.”
“Did His Majesty say something to me?”
“…Certainly, His Majesty told you to ensure the seat is kept, even if you don’t participate in the competition, didn’t he?”
“Come to think of it, I do seem to recall hearing such talk.”
‘It seems like he heard such talk?’
A sigh escaped Ban’s mouth as he heard Estieren’s slow response. He thought that if his superior’s position were slightly lower, or if his swordsmanship weren’t as good as it is now, or even if he hadn’t voluntarily prevented the invasion of the outsiders*, lessening the Emperor’s concerns, Estiern would have had no way to escape the Emperor’s wrath.
[ T/N: The word the author used is ‘이민족,’ which means ‘immigrant groups’ or ‘ethnic minorities.’ Since there wasn’t any other information that was specifically mentioned right now, and according to the setting of the novel, I’ll be using ‘the outsiders’ until there are more details about this! ]
However, Estieren, unaware of his subordinate’s thoughts, smirked and uttered with a sneer.
“Though honestly, do you think there’s any point in someone who doesn’t even participate in the competition to maintain their seat?”
“That’s because the Captain said you won’t be participating in the competition, so His Majesty asked you to at least maintain your seat!”
Feeling the back of his neck stiffen at his superior, who spoke with an attitude that seemed to scratch at something within him. It wasn’t that Ban, who had already served under Estieren for seven years, didn’t understand the Emperor’s position.
“Even as a mere member, I’ve heard rumors circulating that the Captain doesn’t participate in the competition because you’re afraid of losing to Young Lord Aidelis. How could His Majesty stand for that?”
For years, those who witnessed Estieren abstaining from the competition began to murmur that it wasn’t because he feared losing to Young Lord Aidelis. This speculation led to criticisms that the Elle Knights under Estiern’s command weren’t as skilled as the Aidelis Knights, who served under Young Lord Aidelis.
However, the person in question, Estieren, showed no interest in the rumors, which frustrated those around him to the point of exasperation.
“I don’t see the point in setting up such comparisons. Survival has nothing to do with the ranking of skills.”
At the sight of him responding indifferently, Ban spat out his words almost grudgingly.
“Survival may have nothing to do with rank, but wouldn’t the probability of survival be correlated with rankings?”
In response to Ban’s answer, Estieren, who had been glancing at him, smirked.
“I always say this, but your tongue is too long.”
“Having someone like Captain as my superior is making my tongue longer!”
“So, didn’t I say to tell me if needed? I even offered to cut that long tongue myself.”
Ban’s head throbbed at his shoulder-shrugging response. Every time he engaged in verbal sparring with Estieren, it made the Emperor, who had placed him under Estieren as a subordinate, look great.
‘…Despite hearing that the Imperial Knights are considered inferior to noble knights, the most surprising thing is that I’ve been tolerating it all this time.’
Of course, anyone who had wielded a sword would know that Estieren’s skills were on par with Heron’s. However, this wasn’t the case for ordinary citizens of the Empire. Those leading comfortable lives in the capital were oblivious to how intense the battles at the borders were and how exceptional one’s skills needed to be to survive in such conditions.
‘So, it’s likely that His Highness the Grand Duke, who recently returned after putting an end to the war instigated by the outsiders, is being criticized for not being as skilled as Young Lord Aidelis, the winner of the competition.’
Anyway, the important thing was that due to Estieren’s lack of cooperation, both the Emperor and his knights have been silently watching as Heron claims victory in the competition for several years now.
Certainly, there was a coercive way to force him to participate in the tournament, but unfortunately, Estieren was a person who would rather endure defeat and forfeit than yield to forced participation. So, this year, the Emperor chose to stimulate his competitive spirit by having him observe the competition, knowing how strong his desire for victory was.
Showing Young Lord Aidelis skills and arousing the desire to compete with him — that was the Emperor’s intention. So, he had to come to the competition with Estieren by the Emperor’s explicit order.
“Anyway, I’m not asking you to participate in the competition, but just sit and watch it. Why are you so stubborn? If you don’t want to end up in prison for disobeying orders, I suggest you take your seat now…”
Ban’s voice, rising in frustration, cracked.
He had followed Estieren, thinking they were leaving the stadium, but when he approached the knights standing at the entrance, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow at his superior’s peculiar behavior. And as if mocking his bewilderment, unbelievable words escaped Estieren’s lips.
“Are you still accepting the application for the competition now?”
“Yes! We’re still accepting applications!”
“Well then, I’d like to submit my application. My name is Estiern Kaisian.”
“What, what are you doing now?”
Unable to believe what he had just heard, Ban asked with a bewildered expression as Estieren gestured toward the knights, jotting down names for the competition.
“Can’t you tell by looking at it? I’m registering to participate in the competition.”
“…Yes? N-no, why all of a sudden?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m going to get the brooch back.”
“Yes?”
“Then, I’ll see you later, Ban.”
Ban stood there dumbfounded, watching Estieren head towards the area where participants were waiting, accompanied by the knights.
There was no way to know what he was thinking half the time.
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