Back in the Knightly Court, people from all over the globe have gathered to see the Knights and Swordsn prepare for the most important day of their entire lives.
Tomorrow, the Heavenly Swordmaster was going to decide which one of them was her protege. Tomorrow, she was going to decide whether they'd made the right decision in choosing the path of the sword.
After all, if they weren't chosen to beco Eldea's student, then what was it all for?
The Knightly Court was a giant expanse of a plain field, where small circle arenas were placed made out of pure stone. This was where the Knights practiced their swordskills in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Of course, at the very center of the Court was none other than Sir Arthur, the one said to be the leading candidate in obtaining the Heavenly Swordmistress' approval.
Next to his arena were a couple of other famous Knights, all coming from an established family of swordsn continuing the legacy that their forefathers created before them.
Then, on the outer circle of the Court were the lesser known swordsn that the Order invited from all over the place. They could be vagrants, vagabonds… anyone as long as they had been proven to be good with the sword.
These arenas contained straw dummy targets in which the Knights and swordsn could unleash their skills on their target freely.
Of course, since the competition was still reserved for tomorrow, each Knight and swordsman were only limited to using their physical skills. No use of their Sword Heart and their Sword Intents anywhere. This was to ensure that chaos didn't reign during this practice period.
"Why are they even practicing today? Isn't it a disadvantage for everyone if they show off their skills now?" asked one of the spectators hanging from the roofs of the Court. He, and thousands more, weren't allowed inside due to it being full capacity, so they had to scale up the walls of the Court just to take a glimpse of the practice period.
"You don't know anything about swordsn, do you?"
"... no…"
"There is sothing that swordsn have called the Sword Heart. It is the very source of their power. It's the reason why so of these guys could slice through an entire mountain if they wished to do so!"
"Really?!"
The man was telling the truth. The Sword Heart was the equivalent of the GodForge piece on a Maugnetic. They just called it differently.
If a Swordsman wanted to increase his cultivation by one stage and take in GodForge pieces into his heart, then he must first saturate his Sword Heart like a balloon. Only then will he be able to break through his current limits. This wasn't much different from other Maugnetics. Except, swordsn grew their Sword Heart through very different ans. If it could be described in one word, then one would have to be 'noble', like a Knight.
It has been said that a Sword Heart doesn't simply grow through practice, but also through actions. One must act noble and magnanimous befitting that of a Knight. Then, and only then, would their Sword Heart grow.
That was why Arthur and multiple other Knights walked through New Sparta looking for injustice to correct. By apprehending criminals and hooligans, their Sword Heart would grow just in ti for the competition tomorrow.
It was also noble for Knights to show off their practice to the public. This would even the playing field, showing everyone that they weren't hiding anything for tomorrow. It would be a fair fight.
That wasn't the only reason why they had to practice publicly. They were also bound by contract with the companies that sponsored them to show off their newly obtained armor and swords. It wasn't noble to renege on a deal.
"If that's all true, then why isn't everyone in the practice area?"
Many people began to notice that there was a single arena in the Court that wasn't occupied by anyone. It was only on the outskirts of the area, but it was still a sought-after spot! Many swordsn who didn't make the cut in the competition would kill to get a spot in the public training area. Yet, this person didn't even show up!
Of course, this spot was reserved for none other than the Lazy Dragonborn, Jaku.
By his title alone, one could guess why he didn't enter the practice area.
"Why would they not participate in the practice? Is this guy sick?"
"They're literally putting themselves in a disadvantage! There are hundreds of thousands of spectators here! This would have allowed his Sword Heart to grow a lot!"
"Who is Jaku? How co I've never heard of this guy? How did he even get a spot in this competition?"
Many were wondering about the absent swordsman, including a certain man on the outskirts of the practice area.
"Tsk. Wasting space."
It was a red-haired man with a serious look on his face. He was as young as the Knights and swordsn here, but his weathered countenance made him look many years older.
Unlike the hopeful Knights among him, this man looked jaded. He looked bitter.
If one were to look carefully, one would see a small scar peeking out of his armored collar. This scar extended from his clavicle, all the way down to his waist, perfectly bisecting where his heart was located.
This scar was the reason why this man looked hopeless. It was the reason why despite being a Knight, he got looks of pity instead of looks of respect from the spectators around him.
The man subconsciously scratched his scar, even though he was wearing armor.
It still ached, even after all these years. It was a constant reminder of what could have been, of what he could have achieved if not… if not for that accident.
His na was Fenix. And he was a failure of a Knight. And this competition was simply a humiliation waiting to happen. He bitterly welcod it.
… bu to to…
… rah ta ta…
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